March Books 8) The Waters Rising, by Sheri S. Tepper
All strength to Sheri S. Tepper! She will turn 83 this summer (she was born seven months after Philip K. Dick, three months before Ursula Le Guin) and keeps on turning out works dancing on the borderline of fantasy and science fiction, with deathly earnest political purpose. Her works repeatedly test Clarke's Third Law to destruction, which is why it is appropriate enough that this latest novel has been nominated for this year's Arthur C. Clarke Award.
I don't think it will win. There is a brilliant concept behind it all of the future of humanity in a world where environmental catastrophe will swallow the land, and some impressive description and also misdirection of the reader as to where the focus of the plot really is. But I'm afraid there is also too much infodumping in the early chapters. Still the overall vision is daring - how will the first post-human children be born? - and well executed after the early glitches. And it is good to see a writer who I think has not received her due appearing on the shortlist even at this late stage of her career.
I don't think it will win. There is a brilliant concept behind it all of the future of humanity in a world where environmental catastrophe will swallow the land, and some impressive description and also misdirection of the reader as to where the focus of the plot really is. But I'm afraid there is also too much infodumping in the early chapters. Still the overall vision is daring - how will the first post-human children be born? - and well executed after the early glitches. And it is good to see a writer who I think has not received her due appearing on the shortlist even at this late stage of her career.