The Silver Ship and the Sea

Well defined characters, descriptive flora and fauna, and refreshing story. The author captured my attention and I could hardly put the book down. I truly enjoyed.

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.

I thought the story moved a little slowly, but I enjoyed the imagery and language. The characters were likeable and the problems seemed very real and applicable to any society.

I have been reading SF for over 40 years, and it is still good when you can find a new author whose work you cannot put down, and look forwards to their next book. The characters are all well developed individuals, and the story is compelling. I gave it a four and not a five as I had some trouble getting over the initial plot that would have two groups of interstellar colonists fighting a war when they could have a continent each and never have seen one another.

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.

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.

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.

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?

I grabbed this book off the shelf of my local library right before going on vacation. I was engrossed with the book once I determined what was happening and if it plodded, I didnt notice it. The story is mainly about Chelo, who was genetically engineered to be a leader and has her work cut out for her as she negotiates the environment she grew up in and her own background which has her painted as an enemy even though she is 17. I enjoyed the tension with the normal colonists and the physically and intellectually superior altereds and how they dealt with various issues. They are sworn enemies in a sense, but both need the other. We see all that is good with humanity and all that is wrong in a thoroughly enjoyable story.

Enjoyed this book....