Overview
The fierce Dedelphi have unleashed a biological weapon that has poisoned the planet. Now, Lynn Nussbaumer and her Bioverse company have been hired to clean up the ecosystem. But some groups want to use the humans and their advanced technology to exterminate their enemies. Lynn becomes trapped in a devastating showdown.
Synopsis
The fierce Dedelphi have unleashed a biological weapon that has poisoned the planet. Now, Lynn Nussbaumer and her Bioverse company have been hired to clean up the ecosystem. But some groups want to use the humans and their advanced technology to exterminate their enemies. Lynn becomes trapped in a devastating showdown.
Publishers Weekly
In the future, the Dedelphi, a race ravaged by eons of warfare, contracts with Earth's Bioverse Corporation to save their planet from ecological disaster. Dr. Lynn Nussbaumer spearheads the massive effort, which involves relocating the planet's entire population to orbiting space cities while Bioverse cleanses the ecosphere with its custom nanotechnology, simultaneously reaping whatever rare organisms and bacteria its workers discover. Meanwhile, Praeis Shin t'Theria, a member of the Dedelphia and a fascinating, credible and humane alien character, has returned with her family from exile to her home planet at the request of the ruling Queens-of-All. The matriarchy suspects that the Bioverse effort may be a trick of their enemy clan, the Getesaph, to kill all t'Theria, and so they command Praeis Shin to shore up whatever support she can for the planet's shaky truce. But despite Nussbaumer's and Praeis Shin's efforts, open fighting erupts, with the Getesaph commandeering one of the space cities. Abduction, corporate betrayal and murder ensue, forcing Nussbaumer to choose between abandoning the Dedelphi to a suicidal fate, enforcing a kind of corporate martial law or opening a dialogue to a truly cooperative effort that would help the Dedelphi save their planet and establish a lasting peace. Readers will embrace this complex, multidimensional saga (Zettel's hardcover debut, and the best of her three novels) not only for its depiction of exotic alien civilization and its action-packed plot but also for its pertinent themes of tribalism, intolerance and ecological disaster. (Nov.) FYI: Zettel's first novel, Reclamation, won the Locus Award for Best First Novel.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
In the future, the Dedelphi, a race ravaged by eons of warfare, contracts with Earth's Bioverse Corporation to save their planet from ecological disaster. Dr. Lynn Nussbaumer spearheads the massive effort, which involves relocating the planet's entire population to orbiting space cities while Bioverse cleanses the ecosphere with its custom nanotechnology, simultaneously reaping whatever rare organisms and bacteria its workers discover. Meanwhile, Praeis Shin t'Theria, a member of the Dedelphia and a fascinating, credible and humane alien character, has returned with her family from exile to her home planet at the request of the ruling Queens-of-All. The matriarchy suspects that the Bioverse effort may be a trick of their enemy clan, the Getesaph, to kill all t'Theria, and so they command Praeis Shin to shore up whatever support she can for the planet's shaky truce. But despite Nussbaumer's and Praeis Shin's efforts, open fighting erupts, with the Getesaph commandeering one of the space cities. Abduction, corporate betrayal and murder ensue, forcing Nussbaumer to choose between abandoning the Dedelphi to a suicidal fate, enforcing a kind of corporate martial law or opening a dialogue to a truly cooperative effort that would help the Dedelphi save their planet and establish a lasting peace. Readers will embrace this complex, multidimensional saga Zettel's hardcover debut, and the best of her three novels not only for its depiction of exotic alien civilization and its action-packed plot but also for its pertinent themes of tribalism, intolerance and ecological disaster. Nov. FYI: Zettel's first novel, Reclamation, won the Locus Award for Best First Novel.VOYA -
Given the chance to stop a world war, would you be willing to play god? That is the decision Lynn Nussbaum must make. The Dedelphi have been in a state of civil war for eons-it is inbred in their culture and their blood. In their zeal to prevail, one of the factions uses a biological weapon that goes out of control and unleashes a plague on the planet. Lynn is hired by Bioverse to come in and convince the Dedelphi that they can help. Bioverse will clean up the entire world in exchange for the mutated microbes (for study). What Lynn does not know is that Bioverse plans to take over the world no matter what, and when she finds out, it is almost too late.Lynn needs to stop the wars and stop Bioverse. She does so by playing god, creating situations where everyone has to play by her rules. It is only when an old friend points out that what Lynn is doing is worse than everything else that she realizes what she has been doing. To atone, she gives one of the warring factions proof of Bioverse's deception. This serves to unite the factions and set up a round of talks that lead to peace. Zettel has the knack of not only telling a good story, but of making it believable. She is a master craftsman and this book is no exception; it is a good buy for any science fiction collection.
VOYA Codes: 5Q 4P S A/YA (Hard to imagine it being better written, Broad general YA appeal, Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12 and adults).