Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Pocket (1980), Mass Market Paperback
Description
As drought devastates the western U.S., a single woman seeks the solitude and safety of the Pacific Northwest, where she learns to survive. Jean Brighton and Arthur Cluny grew up in the limelight, children of space pioneers who built the orbiting space laboratory. Arthur carried on his father's work at the lab, but Jean fled to the isolation of the Oregon high desert, harboring a hatred for the space station and the intrigue that surrounds it. Yet, when an artifact--possibly of alien origin--is retrieved from space, Jean, now a linguist, and Arthur are assigned to the team responsible for deciphering the code it contains, work which may determine whether a nuclear war between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. can be avoided.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Radaghast
I regard Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang as one of my favorite novels. So I was eager to read, yet also somewhat leery of reading another Wihelm book. My misgivings were more justified than my excitement. Juniper Time, to my disappointment, was not nearly as entertaining and thought provoking
It sounds great, and at first, it is. The mystery of the astronaut's death is compelling. But for the first hundred pages, instead of an effort to solve the various mysteries, we are treated to endless pages of the two main characters wandering aimlessly and indulging in constant self-reflection. This book is ostensibly science fiction, but it felt much more like a character study of two characters that weren't all that interesting.
Juniper Time is well-written at times, but for me, Wilhelm did not fulfill the novel's promise.
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experience as Wilhelm's Hugo winner. Juniper Time is the story of a young woman and a young man both living in the shadow of their fathers. In the former's case, her father was a famous astronaut mysteriously killed while visiting the construction of a controversial space station. In the latter's case, his father was the best friend of that astronaut, and a military man. Both men die within the first few chapters, and we fast forward to their children, now adults. Behind all of this, is the greater mystery of why the Earth is experiencing a global drought that is threatening to destroy civilization.It sounds great, and at first, it is. The mystery of the astronaut's death is compelling. But for the first hundred pages, instead of an effort to solve the various mysteries, we are treated to endless pages of the two main characters wandering aimlessly and indulging in constant self-reflection. This book is ostensibly science fiction, but it felt much more like a character study of two characters that weren't all that interesting.
Juniper Time is well-written at times, but for me, Wilhelm did not fulfill the novel's promise.
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LibraryThing member juniperSun
I read this book years ago & it hadn't yet made it to my LT bookshelf, so I was very surprised to see it appear on the LT Unsuggestion List for me! I loved the book and will have to go back to see if I still love it. For me the theme was not one of solving the mystery of a parent's disappearance
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(as another reviewer said) but of learning how to live in the changing climate and economy of Peak Oil times. Of course, this book was written long before anyone coined Peak Oil, so I consider it very prescient of Wilhelm. I love that the main character learns how to find food and water in what most of society considers "wasteland". And of course I love it for sharing my name. Show Less
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
This is the story of a woman living in America after drought has devastated the western US and people live in concentration camps in the eastern states. She decides to go to her grandfather's house in the Pacific Northwest to escape government pressure at her job. She discovers that the native
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Americans have reclaimed their ancestral land. They help her survive and eventually she must return to the populated lands. Show Less
LibraryThing member empress8411
Set in the years following a drought so horrible is collapses the world economy, Kate Wilhelm explores the idea of hope and time as it relates to both the individual and the community. The main characters are tossed through a series of events that eventually lead them to a place where they can
As with her previous work, it is the rich and complete characters that Wilhelm writes that make the story. Her focus on the people, even side characters draw the reader in and sink them into the story, even when the plot is tends toward trite or confusing.
In this story, it is Jean’s strength in the face of immense pain and trauma that create a story worth reading. Yes, there are some odd points, and I would not say this was Wilhelm’s best, but it is a solid science fiction story about hope and humanity.
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alter the course of human destiny – either to hope or to destruction. As with her previous work, it is the rich and complete characters that Wilhelm writes that make the story. Her focus on the people, even side characters draw the reader in and sink them into the story, even when the plot is tends toward trite or confusing.
In this story, it is Jean’s strength in the face of immense pain and trauma that create a story worth reading. Yes, there are some odd points, and I would not say this was Wilhelm’s best, but it is a solid science fiction story about hope and humanity.
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Subjects
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1980
Physical description
296 p.; 17.7 cm
ISBN
0671833367 / 9780671833367
Local notes
Omslag: Ikke angivet
Omslaget viser en kvinde i en ørken og nogle underlige skrifttegn
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Omslaget viser en kvinde i en ørken og nogle underlige skrifttegn
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Similar in this library
Pages
296
DDC/MDS
| 813.5 |