Call number
Genres
Publication
Spectra (1992), Reprint, Paperback
Pages
385
Description
A classic science fiction adventure from the backlist of Megan Lindholm, who also writes as Robin Hobb. Generations ago humanity abandoned Earth. Now they have returned. Far from home, the Human race tries to atone for killing Terra thousands of years ago. Rescued by the enigmatic Arthroplana in their mysterious Beastships, they have been inserted into the fragile ecologies of the alien twin worlds of Castor and Pollux, where they must make no impact, where every drop of water must be returned. Humanity has adjusted - or tried to. Despite the constant watch of the Arthroplana and the HUman Conservancy, John Gen-93-Beta has agreed to captain the Beastship Evangeline on an unthinkable journey to a dead planet...Earth. And so begins an engrossing voyage of discovery for five travellers: John, his First Mate Connie, stowaaway Raef, Tug the Arthroplana and the Beastship Evangeline herself. On a planet none quite expected, each learns the power of being human.… (more)
Language
Original publication date
1992-07
Physical description
385 p.; 6.7 inches
ISBN
055329749X / 9780553297492
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User reviews
LibraryThing member PhoebeReading
This is the third long-lost title that I'll be reviewing. The title was discovered by the peeps over at ask.metafilter (based on some vague ramblings about ugly ship captains and jellyfish ships), proving (again) that metafilter is the best and smartest group of people on the Internet.Megan
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Lindholm's first, and only science fiction novel is innovative and engrossing. Alien Earth is the story of a future where humanity has been unknowingly enslaved after being rescued from a dying Earth by the Arthoplana, a race of symbiotes who maintain a monopoly over space travel through their relationship with the magnificent and mildly sentient Beastships, living vessels capable of faster-than-light travel. The concept behind the Arthoplana/Beastship relationship is not unlike what you encounter in the television show Farscape--to the point where I had to wonder whether Pilot and Moya are an uncredited homage to Lindholm's work. The interaction here is much deeper and more nuanced, however. Lindholm isn't afraid to render even the most alien alien as a complex, completely realized person.She also isn't afraid to present us with a humanity that is almost completely alien from our own. Our primary protagonist is John, ship's captain, who has been physically deformed by generations of restricted breeding and genetic tinkering; in his late fifties, he has just started puberty. He, and many of the other characters here, initially seem strange and unlikeable. Yet as the novel progresses, Lindholm manages to make even the most curmudgeonly and grotesque characters sympathetic. She's clearly a master at characterization, and she maintains this characterization well despite the heavily developed and complex sci-fi setting.In fact, I'd argue that Alien Earth's biggest weakness lies here: after eliciting sympathy for even the novel's villains for four hundred pages, she quickly kills one of them off in the last pages in a movement that seemed overly swift and morally simplistic. It's difficult for the reader not to expect some sort of redemption in a novel that makes even slave owners and evil overlords of the galaxy mildly likable. Otherwise, however, the novel's conclusion doesn't offer any easy answers--just a complex image of humanity pushed, literally, to the brink.Alien Earth was a great read, and one I'd easily recommend to any sci-fi fan, despite its age. I'm surprised that it hasn't been more widely read, and even more surprised that this was Lindholm's only foray into the genre, since it was such an overall successful one. Show Less
LibraryThing member zjakkelien
Alien earth is one of the coolest SF books I have read in a while. It certainly has one of the coolest aliens ever. Evangeline is a Beastship. Beastships are capable of travelling through space and as such are used as spaceships by the Arthroplana. At first, Evangeline is more in the background, as
This book really has a lot going for it. The new society humans have formed, the concept of the Beastships and Arthroplana, the rediscovery of Earth and humanity's roots, the blooming of an introverted person (well, two actually) and best of all, the amazing growth of Evangeline. I absolutely loved it.
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we get to know the world. The Arthroplana see that humans are about to destroy their world and offer to bring them to a different planet where they must learn not to affect their environment. This part is certainly interesting, as it explores a different way of life and the effects this has on society. Good world and goodstory. But what makes the book truly cool is Evangeline. We get to know her on a mission to earth, long after it's been abandoned. Through one of the humans aboard, she starts to develop, and if she is cool to begin with, she ends being completely awesome. It's lovely to see how she has a really outlook on life from ours. Her development is very well described. At the same time, all the humans aboard her develop as well. One of the very old humans who is still relatively similar to us changes his life drastically. The younger humans who have become very unlike us rediscover earth and their origins. I'm tempted to call this a backdrop to the story, just because I like Evangeline so much, but to be truthful, the humans are a big part of the story too. This book really has a lot going for it. The new society humans have formed, the concept of the Beastships and Arthroplana, the rediscovery of Earth and humanity's roots, the blooming of an introverted person (well, two actually) and best of all, the amazing growth of Evangeline. I absolutely loved it.
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LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
Generations ago, an altruistic alien race, the Arthroplana, rescued
humanity from the ecological disaster of earth, and resettled them in
a new system, with dire warnings on the necessity of fitting in to the
local ecology. Since then, this desire to "leave no mark" has become
an obsession - possibly
The result of generation of selective breeding has been a race of tiny
people who do not reach puberty until late middle age, who are in
danger of soon not being able to naturally reproduce at all.
But there is a radical element of humans that believe it has all been
a big lie - that Earth is really fine, and that the powers-that-be
don't want people to know about it. They blackmail a man, John, to
sign on to one of the alien Beastships to survey earth, and arrange to bring back data that hasn't been filtered.
But on the way, an ancient stowaway makes contact with the Beastship, which, shockingly, is no dumb beast but yet another sentient species fallen under the dominion of the Arthroplana. Her awakening could change everything.
An entertaining sci-fi book, but I did feel that in pointing out some
of the ridiculousness of ecological concerns gone overboard, some of the message of the seriousness of those concerns, and the importance of balance, goes astray.
humanity from the ecological disaster of earth, and resettled them in
a new system, with dire warnings on the necessity of fitting in to the
local ecology. Since then, this desire to "leave no mark" has become
an obsession - possibly
Show More
to the extreme detriment of the human race.The result of generation of selective breeding has been a race of tiny
people who do not reach puberty until late middle age, who are in
danger of soon not being able to naturally reproduce at all.
But there is a radical element of humans that believe it has all been
a big lie - that Earth is really fine, and that the powers-that-be
don't want people to know about it. They blackmail a man, John, to
sign on to one of the alien Beastships to survey earth, and arrange to bring back data that hasn't been filtered.
But on the way, an ancient stowaway makes contact with the Beastship, which, shockingly, is no dumb beast but yet another sentient species fallen under the dominion of the Arthroplana. Her awakening could change everything.
An entertaining sci-fi book, but I did feel that in pointing out some
of the ridiculousness of ecological concerns gone overboard, some of the message of the seriousness of those concerns, and the importance of balance, goes astray.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV
Best appreciated in long absorbed chunks - too thoughtful and wonderful to read casually. Yet not at all difficult or intimidating. I'm over 1/3 through but I've a feeling I'll be recommending this to several people.
OK done:
The description is bad - the mission to Earth is illegal and secret. Humans
Ironically, one of the lines I'm choosing to quote here resonated with a review I just wrote of a book I read a couple of days after this. I think you can appreciate Lindholm's point here without context: The man was a typical poet: he communicated to use words, rather than the other way around."
Here's context for the other quote I want to share. The story is indeed, at core, about environmentalism taken to the extreme. Humans are having trouble adapting to these very strict rules - we just aren't that tame. As one character says, "... the feeling spread.... Make no impact. Don't make a difference. Any change you make in the world is wrong. I went from 'do not be felt' to 'do not be seen.' And, finally, to 'do not be.'"
The reason I don't give this five stars is because I want to understand the aliens better. How, with their passive perspective, could they have developed intelligence enough to tame the Beastships and build radios etc.? I've always thought that it was axiomatic that humans dominate Earth because we're so, erm, domineering...."
OK done:
The description is bad - the mission to Earth is illegal and secret. Humans
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were rescued by aliens from a condemned Earth many generations ago and are now beholden to fit in to their rescuers' prescriptives. The Beastship our humans ride in is a key, and very cool, part of the story. The number of pages of the book spent on Earth is a smaller portion than the trip there. Lots of world-building with cool concepts, not as much adventure as some readers would like.Ironically, one of the lines I'm choosing to quote here resonated with a review I just wrote of a book I read a couple of days after this. I think you can appreciate Lindholm's point here without context: The man was a typical poet: he communicated to use words, rather than the other way around."
Here's context for the other quote I want to share. The story is indeed, at core, about environmentalism taken to the extreme. Humans are having trouble adapting to these very strict rules - we just aren't that tame. As one character says, "... the feeling spread.... Make no impact. Don't make a difference. Any change you make in the world is wrong. I went from 'do not be felt' to 'do not be seen.' And, finally, to 'do not be.'"
The reason I don't give this five stars is because I want to understand the aliens better. How, with their passive perspective, could they have developed intelligence enough to tame the Beastships and build radios etc.? I've always thought that it was axiomatic that humans dominate Earth because we're so, erm, domineering...."
Show Less