The Silver Ship and the Sea

Brenda Cooper has written a strong and engaging book. I found her characterizations credible because she used no blatant archetypes: I probably know someone like almost everyone in the book, including the altered teens. There is no arch-villain, instead the teens face prejudice from influential adults. She deftly handles the questions of who do you trust, who do you love, and who do you tolerate. I found the pacing of the story kept me reading. There is very little physical violence, as in real life the question of how one survives is much more complicated than that. It is no wonder the book won the 2008 Endeavour Award for science fiction literature.

This is quite an entertaining read that should be especially satisfying to young adult readers. The planet of Fremont was settled by pure humans looking for a world where there would be no genetically altered humans. Unfortunately for them a group of altered human colonists subsequently land on the planet. It wasnt long before war broke out and it ended with the altered leaving the planet but also leaving behind six altered children and one adult. The book is told from the point of view of the oldest altered child, Chelo, who is just about a year away from adulthood. Some of the townspeople begin to fear the altered as their differences from basic humans becomes more manifest. The altered are stronger, can run faster, heal faster, and they will live longer. Things swiftly come to a head and Chelo is thrust into a position where she must act as the voice of reason and prevent a serious confrontation between the basic humans and the altered.

Tor published this, who ever made the decision to publish this book needs to be fired because they arent doing their job. This is a bad book. Its poorly written and dull. The characters are life less and flat and the action, well it simply isnt. I bought it, I read most of it, I always enjoyed putting it down more that I enjoyed reading it.

I read the authors preferred version and enjoyed this book. I found the characters well developed and interesting. The pacing and tension were on point for me; I flew through the story, excited to see what came next. Even though its billed as hard science fiction, the book wasnt techy and read more like a character-driven science fantasy than hard science fiction.

I really enjoyed this book

Enjoyed this book....

Wow, this is her first full length book, I am very impressed. And the main character was very real to me - love science fiction that focus on the impact of advanced science on society, not on guns and gadgets.

The planet Fremont was considered a dangerous place for colonization due to its odd lethal flora and fauna as much as from the meteorites that crash on its surface and its volcanic and quake activity. However, in spite of a need to cooperate twelve years ago war exploded between the original human settlers and the second group bioengineered to fit the orb. Near Artistos, the only town on the planet, is the deadly Grass Plains and in its center lays the single silver spaceship that humans fear. Six altered children left orphaned by the hostilities and unwanted by the purebreds except as slaves, dream of freedom. Abetting their hopes is the last altered adult Jenna the crazy woman as Chelo Lee leads the other five on a quest to find either escape from the planet via the abandoned ship or establish a new home where they can live free. This coming of age science fiction is a fun lighthearted read. The story line focuses on the children as they seek their own way in hostile environs made worse by rampant prejudice towards their kind. However, though fun to follow their exploits in search of freedom, Chelo and her comrades fail to show the impact of being raised by people who fear them while wanting to use (and abuse) their altered gifts. Still this is a fine tale of six courageous youths on a quest for freedom. Harriet Klausner

Just a very good story that is well developed from cover to cover. Six young adults must cope with being different in hostile society. Sound familiar?

The book was neither bad nor good - it just was. The pace was far too slow and the storyline was a bit juvenile at times. I did not find it very interesting, I simply read it because I like to finish what I start. The storytelling was often flat in places which made it very hard for me to get into the world Cooper created. I found the snippets about the world the colonists came from much more interesting than the story being told. Again, it was neither bad nor good. I cannot recommend it to other readers, but at the same time I will not discourage other readers, either.