An Alien Light

by Nancy Kress

The human species is at war with the Ged, a collective species that is baffled by humankind’s ability to turn violence upon itself & yet advance into space. In order to defeat the humans, the Ged must first understand them.
So they go to a world called Qom, where a lost Earth colony has forgotten its origins & regressed to pre-industrial society. They are split into two warring city-states: Delysia, town of merchants, & Jela of Spartan wariors. The Ged build a walled city out in the wilderness, promising riches & new weapons for anyone brave enough to stay in the city one year.
The offer attracts a diverse collection of outcasts & adventurers, Jelite warriors & Delysian artisans. Once inside, they're taught the secrets of science & technology. In watching them learn, the Ged hope to find out how humans think. But they don’t anticipate the few humans who will cross feudal boundaries to unite against the Ged, deducing more than the Ged meant to teach about the nature of the universe & the origin of humans on Qom.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Aliens, Fantasy, LGBT, Science Fiction Fantasy

360 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Nancy Kress is an American science fiction writer. She began writing in 1976 but has achieved her greatest notice since the publication of her Hugo and Nebula-winning 1991 novella Beggars in Spain which was later expanded into a novel with the same title. In addition to her novels, Kress has written numerous short stories and is a regular columnist for Writer's Digest. She is a regular at Clarion writing workshops and at The Writers Center in Bethesda, Maryland. During the Winter of 2008/09, Nancy Kress is the Picador Guest Professor for Literature at the University of Leipzig's Institute for American Studies in Leipzig, Germany.

Excerpted from Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love discovering science fiction reads that make me think while telling a good story, and Kress did a fine job with An Alien Light This made me think of Le Guins's work (quite a compliment) as it fits somewhat neatly into sociological science fiction with an alien component. Many generations ago, a human ship crashed (or something) on the planet Qom, and from the ashes two rival cities or states emerged on the mainland (the wreckage of the ship, still around, may be found on an island off the coast). Each of the two human societies over time created their own institutional framework around just about everything, including a dearth of high tech stuff; they are basically barbarous laced with some craftspeople who make glass, etc.

Qom possesses a harsh climate, with 'three day' days and nights, which vary from hot to freezing, and the indigenous flora and and fauna pretty hostile. The planet itself, however, remains secondary to the actual story. It seems humanity and the Ged, an alien species, have been at war for a long time, and surprisingly to the Ged, humanity is winning. What makes it so surprising concerns how humanity, alone among star-faring races, still fights among itself; humans are not united and violence common. Every other race with such tendencies managed to blow themselves up and/or their home planet before reaching the stars. What is it about humanity?

Well, the Ged decided to experiment on the forgotten planet of Qom to find out what makes humans tick. They build a 'city', a massive walled compound, and after about a year, it started letting humans in; they had to pass some tests to enter and stay, but some emerged early with valuable gems and other goodies, attracting people from both human 'tribes'. After about 600 humans 'pass' and enter the city, the city walls seal themselves and the story really takes off. An Alien Light features two protagonists, Ayrys, a glass-blower exile from one tribe, who makes for the city as she has nowhere else to go, and Jehane, a young 'sister-warrior' from the other tribe, who meet several days outside of the city while they make their way there.

The Ged provide food and lodging and the city is completely climate controlled; the Ged themselves, methane breathers, interact with the humans in special environmental suits. All they ask of the humans is that they go to 'teaching' several hours a day, and at the end of a year, they will all be awarded new weapons and other cool stuff. Each tribe quickly organizes itself, dividing themselves into separate lodgings and so forth, but must intermingle in the teaching lodges, much to their respective chagrin. What the Ged want comes out in orts and scraps, along with short chapters where we learn more about the aliens. Each tribe wants the goodies, as if only one tribe gets it, the other will be at a disadvantage when they all leave.

Kress does an excellent job exploring the socio-dynamics of each tribe and they differ in fundamental ways. The two tribes war almost constantly between themselves as land and other resources are quite scarce. I will forego details here, along with the plot, as all of that unfolding is what really makes this book work so well. The pacing at times ebbed a bit slow, but Kress' prose pulled the story along nicely. Even though this was first published back in 1988, it does not feel dated at all; it helps in this regard that the focus falls upon the sociology of each tribe rather than the tech. Solid read for sure, and if you like Le Guin's work, you will probably dig this. 4 alien stars!!

[Jennifer Kleffner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this one up at random at the library, and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I believe that truly good science fiction isn't about the cool rocket ships and space aliens, its about setting up a scenario, using scientific based fiction, to explore the human condition. And that's just what this book does. From clever insights into alien/human understanding (how long would it take an alien species with no facial expressions to understand that ours our conveying information?) to taking a hard look at where violence gets us as a species, the book was a very satisfying read. I really wanted there to be a sequel. But then I didn't. Because I hate authors who seem to write everything in trilogy at the behest of their publishers in order to increase book sales. A good story is a good story, and doesn't require a sequel. I'll be looking into other works by this author.

[Xabi1990 · Rating 2 out of 5]

5/10. Media de los 4 libros leídos de la autora: 7/10

Este libros es bastante flojo, pero me gustó mucho su trilogía de "Mendigos". Por ese contraste se queda esta novela con solo las dos estrellas

[John Devlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.4)Kress is a top notch writer of short fiction and this tale doesn’t cut corners. It’s emotionally complex and it draws a sharp line in how it represents human and alien culture…one could quibble about the evolutionary thesis posited but that ethos never gets in the way of the action or the plot.

One item that reflects my own reaction to literature and current events…I must’ve been 14 when I read Dune and it’s follow- on books and there were warrior women, not the bene geserit, and there was a rationale given for why women might make better soldiers…I believed that…it was utter bullshit.

This book has these sister-warriors and trumpets them as being bad ass fighters…no…even elite women are no match for most men…

[Lisa (Harmonybites) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kress became a favorite after I read her Beggars in Spain, which won both Nebula and Hugo awards. An Alien Light wasn't as strong as that book, but I thought hung together better than her other early novel, Brainrose. That one was set in the near future, and had dated quite badly--this one is set in our far future, and still works. In that future an alien race, the Ged, are at war with humanity. The aliens discover a planet where a human colony had reverted to a primitive state, divided into the warrior Jelites and the mercantile Delysians. The aliens set up a sort of social experiment, luring members of both groups into a settlement they create to study and understand humans. Mostly the story gets told through the Delysian artisan Ayrys, and three Jelites, a "sister-warrior" Jehane, a warrior-priest Dahar and the young prostitute SuSu. The title turns out to be apt in more than one sense as Kress uses the alien perspective to examine what it means to be human. It's an engrossing story, with aliens that feel--well, alien, and characters I cared about.

[D.L. Morrese · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book is that aliens, at war with humanity in space, find a lost colony of humans and study them to see what makes them tick. There are three groups of humans on this lost planet; survivors from the starship that brought them who flick in and out of stasis, a militaristic society, and a trader society. The latter two are almost constantly at war with one another. This is an interesting idea but probably beyond the ability of one novel to explore satisfactorily. There are gaps and unanswered questions. I would have liked more insights about the cultures, how they developed and why they are so antagonistic to one another. The ending also seems a bit abrupt. I won’t give that away though. This might have made a great series but one book wasn’t enough to handle the idea.

[Jean Triceratops · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into An Alien Light blind. I did read the back cover, but it doesn’t give away much:

“She has become one of our very best!” –James Patrick Kelly, Co-author of DINOSAUR BEACH

With her first novel, THE PRINCE OF MORNING BELLS, Nancy Kress burst upon the Fantasy and Science Fiction scene like a new comet. Two more fantasies followed, and the Nebula award-winning story “Out of All Them Bright Stars.”

Now, in the masterpiece her talent promised, Kress explores a theme worth of SF’s grand tradition. In a sweeping novel of destiny and betrayal, she takes us to a faraway planet where a cruel experiment is underway, an experiment designed to study the strangest species in the universe, the only space-faring race that never lost its taste for shedding its own blood—

Humankind.

Frankly, I’m thinking all back covers should operate this way. We get the theme and the tone, and almost nothing more. There’s nothing to misconstrue or misinterpret. With something so sparse and to-the-point, bad back copy almost can’t exist.

More than that, I went into An Alien Light without expectations. Everything was new information, and at no point was I disappointed or distracted by differences between my expectations and the story.

I’m positive I would have liked the book even if I’d read traditional back-copy, even if I’d read a review that laid out the catalyst of the story and the major players. But I think the publisher knew what they were doing with the sparse introduction. I’m going to follow their lead and try to help you determine whether or not you’ll enjoy An Alien Light without giving away almost anything more than that back cover.

An Alien Light is a character-focused hard sci-fi novel that, I would argue, doesn’t have a plot so much as a premise. The first couple of chapters are dedicated to world-building, getting to know our character(s), and getting everyone and everything into position. Once everything is set, the intrigue of the book rests on how the characters respond to this basic premise.

I hope that’s clear.

If it’s not, here’s a really cheap example of what I would consider a ‘premise’ story:

Two coworkers desperately competing for the same promotion get trapped in an elevator together.

Any intrigue in this situation comes from the premise: they know each other, they view each other as rivals, and now they’re trapped in close proximity in a stressful situation for an unknown amount of time.

If this premise interests you, there’s already plenty of intrigue: Will they try to rattle each other? Will they put aside their rivalry to get out of the elevator? Will the stress make one of them crack, and will the other find that sympathetic or contemptible? You get the picture. You can’t spin that premise into a traditional plot without a lot of work, but you can easily spin it into a story with plenty of intrigue and emotion—so long as the reader cares about the premise.

An Alien Light has a shocking number of bad reviews. I don’t think I’ve ever thought so highly of a book that has been so harshly panned. I stayed up late last night trying to figure out why, and I think this is the answer. If you care about the premise enough to get lost in speculation about how things will play out and then be delighted and horrified by how they actually do play out—no brainer. This is a killer book.

If you don’t care about the premise—well, I would assume you’d find it boring and be confused by the reviews declaring their love. Which miiiight cause you to be much harsher in your review than is honest. Yeah, that’s right; I’m taking to you “BullDog.” You know who you are.

So the theme is human violence, the tone involves “cruel experimentation,” and the central intrigue comes from a premise rather than a plot.

That’s an honest if vague setup, and yet a little unfair. I mentioned that this is a character-focused novel, and I think that needs to be stressed a little. An Alien Light is very human. In many ways, it’s about the paradoxical and ever-changing nature of life. And while human violence and experimentation are on the table, they're neither needlessly gruesome nor fetishized. It’s just part of the premise.

For what it’s worth, I have an aversion to strong—especially systematized—depictions of violence. I found this book heart-poundingly intense at times, but at no point did it make me want to turn away.

Okay, with that down, I have a few specifics that I don’t think will detract from the story to whet your appetite. An Alien Light has:

- Strong female characters in abundance

- Cultures where women (at least in most castes) are just straight-up equal to men of the same caste. For example, it was so refreshing to see a woman military leader whose leadership felt 100% natural. Like, no one undermined her, and she wasn’t clearly over-compensating. She’s just a leader. Nbd.

- Lesbian relationships existing without any sort of societal push-back

- A woman who recognizes a bad relationship and firmly closes that door without second thoughts. Honest to cod. It was like spotting a unicorn.

Okay, now the caveats:

An Alien Light’s opening is the weakest part of the story.

First, there’s the world-building. I like it, I honestly do, but it’s a little confusing. As this is a hard sci-fi novel, I gave it being confusing a pass. It’s okay if I don’t entirely understand how the rotating stars and moons affect the day/night cycle and how that day/night cycle affects the local flora and fauna so long as I understand why those things affect the story. Which is pretty damn clear. But you have to decide if you care to understand the world-building or not, and until it levels out you might find yourself going ‘huh?’ and backtracking a little.

Then there’s the character-building. For the first few chapters, all of the characters feel almost like caricatures of themselves. Like, in an effort to make those first few chapters punchy enough to hold your attention, Kress dialed them all up to 11. I don’t think it works. It’s not too bad, but it is enough that I would find it wearisome for the entire length of a 350-page novel. Luckily, it’s extremely temporary. Less than 30 pages in and it felt like they settled down and centered themselves.

Some folks have taken umbrage with An Alien Light because they said it felt ‘fantasy’ rather than ‘sci-fi.’ As I traditionally love fantasy novels, and have much less experience with sci-fi novels, I’m a bad person to push back against this assertion. I will say, however, that the human protagonists of this story are at a fantasy-level of human advancement—knives, swords, tribalistic societies, etc. I personally don’t think swords flashing about undermines its status as a sci-fi novel, but if you think that would bother you, heads up.

I also feel like sci-fi novels are much less likely to be premise-driven and character-focused, which might be part of this hang-up. So if you need your sci-fi epic and bursting with delicate politics and universe-spanning plots—move on.

Finally, there is sexualized violence in An Alien Light. There are a few attempted rapes, some explicitly violent. Perhaps more gutting, there is a very young woman (who might very well be considered a child by our standards, the novel isn’t entirely clear) who is a part of, essentially and for lack of a better term, the ‘whore caste.’ She has lead a hard life where she had no choice but to be used and abused by soldiers and clearly exhibits signs of something like PTSD. She’s an incredible character, and I think Kress did well in her characterization, but if you’re extra sensitive to the thought-space of a woman who has suffered sexual violence, it might be hard to read her chapters.

Caveat over.

If this review has left you curious, give An Alien Light a read. In my opinion, it’s one of the top five books I’ve read for ForFemFan, but I understand that this is very likely not a book for everyone.

[I read old fantasy and sci-fi novels written by women authors in search of forgotten gems. See more at forfemfan.com]

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not force myself to finish it. I think I ground to a halt about a third of the way in at chapter 23 or so. Didn't help that I was on a plane experiencing turbulence and was anxious, but really, this is a shitty book. I care about exactly two of the dozens of characters, and they are in this asininely contrived plot.

I *might* go back to it just to see how Kress resolves the "aliens experimenting on humans" plot, because she does take the unorthodox tack of having the aliens essentially tell the humans exactly what they're doing. Amusingly, yet painfully, the humans don't care. The book is essentially a screed about how 99.99% of the human population could care less about how the universe works or anything beyond the tight little box their society places them inside. Most of the action focuses on how the humans, who live outside in medieval technology and are intermittently at war with each other, are brought into this Museum of Science and Industry where the aliens are happy to show them most any kind of technology, and respond by keeping up their feuds, tearing up the items they are provided to continue their exterior economy as best they can, and start killing each other in violation of the one condition of their staying within this wonderland.

As with Probability Moon, the book focuses on this completely valueless microcosm while the intriguing Star Trek / 4X plot--these humans are the survivors of a downed human warship, and the war continues between the humans and the aliens down to today: the purpose of the experiment is for the aliens to understand how humans can continue to exist since they are so violent to each other, largely in hope of learning something that will help them end the war--looms in the background, untouched. I assume it will intervene to resolve the "experiment" plot somehow, and I would be rooting for it to happen sooner rather than later. Otherwise this book is kreedung (to steal a term from within it).

[EmBe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Irgendwie war das Buch nicht so gut wie erhofft, ja ich war enttäuscht. Ich weiß auch nicht mehr warum, da die Lektüre schon wieder viele Jahre zurückliegt. Vielleicht hat Kress aus dem Konflikt mit Außerirdischen und diesen selbst nicht das Beste gemacht. Es ist Nancy Kress Erstlingsroman.
Deswegen nur aufgerundete drei Punkte.

[Tor Gar · Rating 1 out of 5]

El libro no me ha llegado. Está bien pero le falta algo.

De ritmo pausado, tiene algo de Gran hermano, mucho de antropología y comportamiento humano*. Algo que me ha gustado es que los personajes son coherentes y consistentes. No son arquetipos que emplean los lugares comunes. Ojo, no que puedan ser buenos personajes o me gusten sino que está bien descrito su comportamiento y es coherente en la evolución teniendo en cuenta el origen de alguno de ellos.

Ejemplo no sacado del libro: imaginemos un esclavo que nació como tal y que no conoce otra cosa. Si éste al encontrarse libre se comporta como lo haríamos nosotros está claro que hay una falta de coherencia mientras que si se tiene en cuenta su origen y se explican sus miedos a ser libre, al futuro, al mundo, a la gente… el proceso de adaptarse a un nuevo mundo en definitiva, entonces el personaje está bien armado, es sólido. Otra cosa es que lo que cuenta sea entretenido.

* Si esto te gusta entonces es una buena recomendación

(La puntuación no es una estrella de es horrible pero tampoco dos estrellas de que vale, está bien, así que se queda con una)

[Laura Gaelx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siendo objetiva, sería un 3 o 3,5. Pero subo la puntuación porque el libro me ha enganchado mucho y me ha hecho disfrutar.
Lo mejor es la mezcla de acción y cientificismo con una reflexión antropológica bien interesante.
Lo peor, la traducción. ¿Cómo puede alguien que se dedica profesionalmente a eso escribir que "los cazadores no encontraban más juego"?

[Tragic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ciencia ficción antropológica.

Una especie alienígena ha descubierto una colonia perdida de los humanos, esos alienígenas están en guerra con los humanos y planean usar esta colonia perdida para averiguar cómo es que los humanos, una especie que ejerce la violencia contra sus enemigos tanto como entre sí, han sido capaces de lograr la tecnología para conquistar las estrellas sin haberse aniquilado a sí mismos en el proceso. En un extraño universo en el que las especies logran sobrevivir a su propio mundo y conquistar las estrellas cooperando y evitando la violencia inter-especie, los humanos son la violenta rara avis…

Una novela en la que se desglosan con toques antropológicos las interacciones entre humanos y alienígenas, ambos con sus propios intereses y metas. Conjugan una historia bien argumentada que nunca se sale completamente de la línea que plantea, pero no es ciencia ficción para todo el mundo, y el libro se hace largo, los personajes están bien construidos pero la historia no es que sea la más emocionante. Aún así la autora se las arregla para mantener el interés del lector hasta el final.

[Tay Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are real and relatable, and many of them are round. There are several ethical problems (my favorite, and probably one of the bigger reasons I keep reading Kress' novels.) Kress' imagination always astounds me; in each book, she creates limitless narratives, cultures, relationships. The Ged (aliens) are simultaneously the antagonists and protagonists. This book will keep you on your toes and asking questions. The only realish issue I had was the ending. I would've liked this to have had a sequel. There's just so much more I want to know!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the first book I read by Nancy Kress and still my favorite. I can't really say much about without introducing spoilers and this needs to be read without any pre-knowledge. All I can say was it grabbed me and didn't disappoint at any step along the journey.

[Marta Pita · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Una luz extraña" es una interesante exploración antropológica sobre las características que hacen a la sociedad humana... pues eso, humana. Todo ante la perplejidad de los alienígenas ged que están llevando a cabo el experimento para conseguir respuestas sobre la especie humana contra la que están en guerra a lo largo del universo. Lo cierto es que en las primeras páginas no estaba muy bien situada, pero en el momento en que empiezan la investigación y vemos cómo van evolucionando cada situación y relación engancha mucho más.

El gran defecto de la novela es su traducción. Hacía tiempo que no leía una traducción tan pero TAN mala. De hecho, parece que el propio Miguel Barceló era consciente de ello porque en la introducción que solía incluir en estas ediciones habla del personal estilo de escritura de Nancy Kress en este libro, lo que formalmente destaca como una de sus mayores cualidades, y a continuación explica que en toda traducción siente que se pierde mucho del original y que es casi imposible trasladarlo al español, casi como si estuviese excusándose por lo mala que es. Y es terrible, en serio, hay párrafos tan confusos e incomprensibles que tienes que pararte a releerlos bien para tratar de dilucidar lo que quería decir la autora en realidad. Esto entorpece mucho la lectura, hay aspectos de la trama que incluso no quedan del todo claros por lo mal traducidos que están. Tenemos suerte de que con los años las traducciones en los géneros no realistas han ido mejorando bastante, lo cual te hace valorar mucho más el trabajo de les traductores, porque en cuanto te pones a leer novelas clásicas o que tienen ya unos cuantos años es un despiporre.

Es una pena, porque creo que con una mejor traducción tal vez para mí hubiese llegado a las 4 estrellas ya que, a pesar de todo, me ha enganchado bastante. Tiene cosas que incluso me han sorprendido, como la inclusión de relaciones homosexuales, que no eran tan habituales en historias de esta época. Hay tramos mucho más ágiles que otros y se hubiese beneficiado de haber concentrado mejor el argumento, porque a veces se hace algo repetitiva y difusa en su extensión. Su punto fuerte es la construcción de personajes, están muy bien definidos y diferenciados en cuanto a motivaciones, cambios y personalidad. También creo que peca de torpeza por momentos, por ejemplo, toda la subtrama del "albino gigante" y la Isla de los Muertos ni idea qué pretendía aportar ni cuál es su significación última. Pero, pese a todo, una novela imaginativa, con virtudes destacables dentro de algo que podríamos definir como ciencia ficción antropológica.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

On a distant planet, aliens conduct an experiment on the humans there, the descendants of a crashed ship that have forgotten their origins and lost their technology. The group is split into two major antagonistic societies, frequently but not always at war, but the alien Ged invite members of both to live in their city and learn, all in an attempt to figure out what makes humanity different... how they could possibly survive to become a spacefaring race when they are violent among their own species.

I read this long, long ago, but when I picked it up again casually glancing through my stacks I realized I remembered almost nothing of it. Which probably should have been a hint, that I didn't find it especially memorable, and though sometimes a reread helps me appreciate books that left me cold the first time, this isn't really one of those times.

It's not awful. The central "find out why humans are special" mystery may be a bit cliche and the answers figured out maybe not the most profound, but it's done reasonably well, and the Ged make an interesting set of aliens to explore. And on multiple times I do have to admit the story and personal relationships didn't go in the way I expected them to. Still, I had trouble connecting to many of the characters and I felt like some of the most interesting elements were just background and not explored as much as I wanted.

Part of the issue might be the whole "fallen colony" aspect, that most of the characters were, essentially, like characters in a fantasy novel, warriors using blades, merchants, etc. And while it's fun to see them (at least some of the characters, too many just had zero interest in anything beyond the weapons or gems that drew them there) encounter scientific concepts and technologies that's outside of their experiences... stories about such societies are just not usually my thing, particularly when I'm eager for SF.

As of this writing, it's been a couple weeks since I've reread it and I already find I remember the main characters and central mystery but find the rest, and much of the turns the plot took, starting to fade. I suspect in a few more years I might pick it up again and wonder what book it was.

[Amanda Nunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting book in the genre of "aliens trying to figure out how humans tick". In this case they've taken a sample of diverse humans from an isolated planet and placed them all in a city together, all for the purpose of figuring out how it's possible that we can be violent toward each other one moment but then pull out enough cohesion to hold our own against them in war.

The narrative mostly focuses on the humans who have entered the city, how they attempt to create alliances and navigate the new environment. They've been taken from two main cultures which have traditionally been hostile to each other, so now that they've been forced into close quarters violence is inevitable.

One of the major turning points of the book is when the aliens realise they may be able to convince some of the humans to ally with THEM against their own species, which is unthinkable in their own culture. And how strange it is for a human that has bonded with them to expect that they could go against their own fellows.

I sort of expected the conclusion to show that the very strength of humans lies in our diversity and flexibility, however it sort of panned out that among the hundreds who were brought into the experiment there were a small handful who were just kind of special and able to transcend petty squabbles for the sake of a higher purpose. That doesn't really seem like a strength when the aliens are ALL biologically/culturally hardwired to do the same.

It also seemed from the kind of cliff-hanger ending that there should be a sequel, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

[Joachim Boaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 (Very Good)

My first exposure to Nancy Kress’ SF is her first SF novel–An Alien Light (1987). It’s an impressive and controlled debut. A claustrophobic rumination on the nature of violence, Kress posits a sinister alien experiment where humans from diametrically opposed societies are forced to interact. An unrelenting and bleak novel–not for the faint-hearted!

On the planet Qom, over many generations two human societies–derived from one ancient colony—developed with distinct cultures. The first, Delysia, is a land of merchants and artisans. The second, Jela, is a warrior society with distinct social roles. In Jela, women fall into three categories: female warriors interact with only women (both homosocial and often, homosexual). Female prostitutes service male soldiers. And select women are chosen to birth [...]

For the complete review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...

[Walther · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible. Nancy Kress has a very uneven writing, sometimes "meh," sometimes brilliant. But this book is one of the most masterful incursions into human psychology, with all its stubbornness and idiocy. A flawed alien psychology trying to make sense of human violence, irrationality, and unfathomable intraspecific aggression. From a purely logical point of view, nothing about humans makes sense... However, they are most efficient at warfare and evolution. Aliens do not understand how such a violent species, steeped in sectarian violence that is initially considered between subspecies, could survive and evolve.
The two groups are so masterfully designed that the lecture is sometimes difficult, as it reeks of violence and stupidity until it is just enough to Iisten to the news to realise that everything could be true.
The book is very good, as it is enough in itself to make it impossible to put down. The end is a little hurried, but it seems that even Nancy's stomach was not enough to hold it too long. A masterpiece !

[Science and Fiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was drawn in from the beginning. Some of the characters like Jahlile are written in a kind of stereotypical over-the-top TV style that allows readers/viewers to get a quick grasp of the personality, but this isn’t really off-putting as it allows for vivid imagery. Based on some of the passages it would seem that the author is either lesbian or has had experience with an abusive man, but such passages are not gratuitous and help define the character’s actions. I found the story to have a lot of substance behind all the character drama. The ending was a page turner: I went to bed with twenty pages to go but woke up at 4 am and couldn’t stand not knowing how it all came to an end. That’s never happened before! I like this author’s writing style and will be looking for other books by her. Not sure I will ever re-read this one, but will keep in the library until my wife has a chance to read it.

[Jason Bleckly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time I read a new Nancy Kress book I'm amazed at her ability to write characters. This is an odd book in that it's part fantasy, while at the same time being entirely SF. Space-faring humans crashed on an alien planet generations ago and have regressed technologically to a pseudo-medieval level. They are then experimented on in a Stanford prison experiment type fashion by aliens who are fighting a losing war with other space-faring humans There is also the remnants of the crashed space-faring humans trapped in an erratic stasis field. We get point of view characters from all of these groups. We see the whole picture that none of them do.

The story and character inter-relations does become a little soap opera in the second half of the book, but the characterisations are so good it's still credible.

[R.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent sci-fi adventure from the height of the SF era, this book is still very interesting and relevant in the modern era. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and found the many points of view presented throughout as compelling. I was especially impressed with how the author was able to present exceedingly different world views through the eyes of believers and enemies and managed to make each of those world views seem both utterly reasonable (when seen through the eyes of a true believer) and utterly foreign (when seen through the eyes of an outsider).

Overall, an excellent entry in Nancy's portfolio, and well worth a read.

[Kathei · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this book in my "to be read" pile since 1987. You know how there are always a few books that hang around and you just don't manage to put them at the top of your list of books to read next.

Well, I'm glad that it didn't get lost any longer because it was a very interesting story of an advanced alien race contacting humans, out of the goodness of their hearts, to instruct earthlings the basics of science.

Nancy Kress created a world where violence, between two different groups of people, has kept them at war for a long time but they must learn to work together in order to receive the world-altering science offered to them by the alien Ged.

I enjoyed the book.

[Tonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this type of sci fi. The author drops you into a world where an alien species is investigating how humans have been able to evolve while they continue to fight among themselves.

Very thought-provoking and I expect the concepts to remain with me for a long time.

I was a bit disappointed in the almost abrupt ending, but it left me wanting to know more about the backstory of the characters.

[Daniel Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. It was fun seeing the characters try to sift through all the technological and medical things that were beyond the reach of their society. I also enjoyed the two cities, Jela and Delysia, and the contrast between the two, as well as how Kress explored the presuppositions each city had about the other.

[Ted Falcon · Rating 5 out of 5]

remarkable read!

Nancy Kress brings a very deep and sure-worded message to Life in this remarkable adventure of shifting loyalties and complicated realities. In this sometimes too human drama, much is revealed of the intense challenges of being a human being. And the hidden darkness of another world of beings.

[Kristina Hayes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Siendo objetiva, sería un 3 o 3,5. Pero subo la puntuación porque el libro me ha enganchado mucho y me ha hecho disfrutar.
Lo mejor es la mezcla de acción y cientificismo con una reflexión antropológica bien interesante.
Lo peor, la traducción. ¿Cómo puede alguien que se dedica profesionalmente a eso escribir que "los cazadores no encontraban más juego"?

[Rex Mortis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Way too many "loose ends" and if there is a follow-up story I would just not be interested.
The Author comes off as a muslim, man hating lesbian. Portraying most of the men as nothing more than animals and dolts. The one "decent" male character is described as a "barbarian" and killed off with little to no impact on the story.
In a word: drivel

[Mary Good · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting background of opposition between ged and humans. GED are trying to understand how humans have reached interstellar space when every other such violent species destroyed themselves before reaching space. The evolution of relationships was fascinating.

[Earl Truss · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a few of her novels and this one is the weakest of them all for me. About 75% of the way through it got slow reading but picked up after that.