Helpful Score: 1
This was a really interesting book, not at all what I thought it would be. It starts out as a sci-fi (and of course it is one, it's set in the future and there are aliens) but it strays from the typical us against them, lets band together and beat the horrible bad guy into a comentary on what makes us human.
The two main characters are Anna, who is a scientist that studies biology from other worlds (be it animal, plant or mineral) and Nicholas, a captain from the military who was captured by the Hwarhath, switched sides, and has now lived with them for twenty years. They are both present during the diplomatic disscusions where both races are deciding whether or not to go to war.
The book is centered on what defining characteristics seperate animals from People. The two species are very similar to each other, the only difference being their creation story. It sent the two species in completely different directions when it comes to sex and procreation.
The author did a great job conveying the Hwarhath mindset and making it so the Humans were the ones that seemed alien.
The two main characters are Anna, who is a scientist that studies biology from other worlds (be it animal, plant or mineral) and Nicholas, a captain from the military who was captured by the Hwarhath, switched sides, and has now lived with them for twenty years. They are both present during the diplomatic disscusions where both races are deciding whether or not to go to war.
The book is centered on what defining characteristics seperate animals from People. The two species are very similar to each other, the only difference being their creation story. It sent the two species in completely different directions when it comes to sex and procreation.
The author did a great job conveying the Hwarhath mindset and making it so the Humans were the ones that seemed alien.
I'd call this socio-political-first contact SF, I think. It's a look at what happens when your concept of what's "human" has to radically change if you're going to survive. I thought Arnason did a great job of making both the humans and the hwarhath sympathetic and relatable. I liked the problem that she set up too - how will these two species manage to find a way to avoid a fight, if their conceptions are so completely at odds? I don't know if I believe so much in the strictly homosexual society of the hwarhath - how old would a species have to be in order to lose the drive to reproduce naturally? But still, I read it in one sitting, which I don't usually do for a book that's mostly dialogue with not much action.
