{REVIEW} FARSEED (SEED TRILOGY #2) BY PAMELA SARGENT

Series: Seed #2

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Publisher: Tor Teen 

Publication Date: 1/8/13

Format: Paperback

Pages: 288

Source: Received from publisher for review.

 

Centuries ago, the people of Earth sent Ship into space. Deep within its core, it carried the seed of humankind….

More than twenty years have passed since Ship left its children on an uninhabited, earthlike planet. Zoheret and her companions have started settlements and had children of their own. But soon after their arrival, Zoheret’s old nemesis, Ho, struck out on his own.

When Ho’s daughter, fifteen-year-old Nuy, spies three strangers headed toward their home, the hostility between the two groups of old shipmates begins anew. Can the divided settlers face the challenges of adapting to their new environment in spite of their conflicts?

Wow, this review is kind of tough to write. The Seed Trilogy has so much going on, and I feel that without some background about book one, Earthseed, some who read this may be lost. To do that would require a lot of details, so check it out on GoodReads; I've provided the link to my review of Earthseed at the bottom of the post. Basically, I described Earthseed as Across the Universe meets The Hunger Games. Pretty cool, right? But don't think this book is a ripoff of those books, Earthseed originally released in the early 1980s, but has since been re-released and optioned for film.

Earthseed ended with the inhabitants of Ship (a spaceship built on an asteroid, with a motherboard that acted as mother/father/teacher), being let off on a new planet. While the humans were on Ship, they broke off into groups, led by Zoheret and Aleksandr, and Ho. Then....flashforward TWENTY YEARS LATER, and that's where Farseed truly begins. And, this is pretty great, the story sort of turns into one that reminds me of LOST (be still my heart). Aleksandr and Zoheret lead the groups in the North. Ho had led his followers South. The two groups initially got along, made trades, but still remained separate. But Ho is a loose cannon. He was very broody and defensive in book one, and I think life on the new planet, dealing with survival and the stresses that it causes, drives him insane. He's brutal, moody, and unhinged. He cuts ties with the other tribe, and will kill any of them who dare come near. When a group of three comes to see Ho, things don't end well, and he ends up banishing his daughter Nuy.

Farseed's main characters are the first generation born on the planet, which they call Home. The two MCs are Nuy and Leila, the daughter of Zoheret. The need to know what happened to the missing members of Zoheret's Northern group drive Leila to push her mother to take of group to the South. On this journey the group experience wonder, suffering, and death. When Leila's group discover Nuy, and begin to work together, changes are spurred and nothing on Home will ever be the same.

Honestly, I know most of this review has been a general summary of Farseed, and for this time, I'm okay with that. Most of the readers I know are not familiar with the series, and if I just sit here and say "OMG, THINGS HAPPENED!", that might not mean much. The writing was very descriptive, but not overly so. I could visualize life on Home, the people, the scenery, even the expressions on the characters' faces. Since the series does jump such a big amount of time, we do miss seeing the new civilization being established. In some ways I think I would have loved that, in others, I was kind of pumped to skip over that and jump into the new adventure. Either way, I really liked Farseed, more than Earthseed.

If you're into SciFi, or even if you're not so much (like me), the Seed Trilogy is so cool. The action, the dynamic between the characters, and the adventure kept me hooked. I can't wait to see how the series ends with the final book, Seed Seeker.



Favorite Quote:

  "I'll tell my children the story," Zoheret continued, "about how you brought us to life , how we grew up in your corridors until we were ready to live inside the Hollow." The Hollow was the name Ship's people had given to the vast open green space at Ship's center. "And I'll have to tell them all of the mistakes we made, so that they don't make the same ones."  ~pg. 9

The Seed Trilogy

 

 

Click on cover to go to GoodReads page.

 

My review of Earthseed

 

Purchase the Seed Trilogy at:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository

Review ~ EARTHSEED (Seed #1) by Pamela Sargent

The classic YA science fiction adventure by Nebula and Locus Award–winning author Pamela Sargent The ship hurtles through space. Deep within its core, it carries the seed of humankind. Launched by the people of a dying Earth over a century ago, its mission is to find a habitable world for the children—fifteen-year-old Zoheret and her shipmates—whom it has created from its genetic banks. To Zoheret and her shipmates, Ship has been mother, father, and loving teacher, preparing them for their biggest challenge: to survive on their own, on an uninhabited planet, without Ship’s protection. Now that day is almost upon them...but are they ready to leave Ship? Ship devises a test. And suddenly, instincts that have been latent for over a hundred years take over. Zoheret watches as friends become strangers—and enemies. Can Zoheret and her companions overcome the biggest obstacle to the survival of the human race—themselves? ~From GoodReads

Set on a spaceship built upon an asteroid traveling the galaxies towards a new home, EARTHSEED is not quite what I expected. Thankfully. I was curious about it, namely because a film based on the series is in the works. I honestly didn't expect to like it much. I've been bitten by my expectations in regards to similar books.

The first portion of the book was exactly what I expected. Sent as the hope for humanity, Ship is carrying teens to a new home. Zoheret and her companions are becoming eager to reach their new planet. In preparation, they begin spending more time in The Hollow, basically a forest setting. The harsh setting of The Hollow begins to bring out the survival instincts in the teens. Some more than others. When the kids begin to make shattering discoveries, they soon discover that nothing is what it seems.

So when the story took a turn for the unexpected, I was hooked. As the teens work and compete to survive The Hollow, I became a great deal more interested. Then the unexpected begins to happen, over and over. The revelations, betrayals, the ramped up atmosphere and the lethal nature of some of the teens was astonishing.

My only true qualm with the book would be my lack of connection to main character Zoheret. She's just not a warm person. I think the third person point of view may have contributed to her distance. And the fact that she was raised my a computer. I just didn't feel her, despite liking her well enough.

Here's how I described EARTHSEED to my friend, April: It's ACROSS THE GALAXY meets LOST meets LORD OF THE FLIES. Sounds crazy and confusing, right? Somehow, it works. The ending was sad and dramatic and set up book two, FARSEED, nicely.


Favorite Quote:

" 'Who are you?' Zoheret said.
His eyes widened in fear; they were dark eyes, not blue like Dimitri's. 'The others,' he said. 'You must be the others.' " (pg 128)


 
Published February 28th 2012 by Tom Doherty Associates

You can purchase EARTHSEED at:
Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Book Depository


Source: Received from publisher in exchange for an honest review.