Reclamation (edizione 1996)

Slow and confusing start builds gradually to a compelling finish. Well worth persevering with. It seems like Sarah's lived in this universe in her head for a long time, and the beginning of the novel reflects the author's familiarity with the setting, but doesn't take the readers along with it. However as all the events and characters converge it makes a lot more sense and the tension and drama correspondingly increase.

The universe setting seems to be some thousand years on from when humanity first went to the stars. Humanity has splintered into colony worlds, and some more rigidly bound trading clades. Earth as we know it has been lost, and the more religious groups are hunting for it. Meanwhile on an unspecified world a rigid caste hierarchy persists and we follow a family of notouch (lowest caste) sisters as they are ordered to various tasks by visiting Skymen. Some of their population believe these to be the Nameless gods finally come to deliver salvation, but as ever other's deem them devils incarnate.

It's impressive in scope and imagination, but doesn't quite achieve it's aims I think. Enjoyable reading once everything is developed, and the talent that Sarah later develops is clearly on show here, but perhaps not the best place to start her work. ( )

I'd been planning to get back to Sarah Zettel and picked up her first published novel. The cover doesn't have too much to do with the story which was complex and exciting. Eric Sar Born is some kind of freelance hacker who had escaped a fundamentalist upbringing on a backwater planet. Two powerful groups have been looking for this planet and are ready to kidnap any of its inhabitants. Space travel, hacking, genetic manipulation and slavery are all touched upon - It's one of the better SF stories I've read in a while. ( )

Not going to be a very good review of this amazing book. Not just because of spoilers but because the spoilers wouldn't make sense without the context of the rest of the book.

A new to me author always planning to read -- I am glad I did. Presumably her debut novel and oh boy was it top notch science fiction with plenty of what if, aliens, different cultures, what if type of evolutions, moral dilemmas, sentience ... so very, very much even if very few characters where avoided confusing POVs. So much, I'm surprised a debut author successfully incorporated into an apparently standalone novel.

Gotta read this one if at all into SF. The edition I read was a reprint ebook from Open Road Media that at the time could be borrowed free from Kindle Unlimited subscription. ( )

Zettel's first novel - her amazing world building is in place, and her complex but functional plot, but it takes a long time to warm up the characters for me, so I think I will pass it along. Glad I found it! ( )

ZB7