Every once in a while I’ll impulse-buy a book because of something frivolous like it was on sale or I like the cover, and then I’ll read it and be blown away and be so glad the book spirits led me to that book. This was Semiosis–I loved this strange book.
synopsis: a group of humans lands on a far-off planet. They find new, strange, and disconcertingly sentient life forms as they struggle to establish a new civilization.
flash review: Burke seamlessly weaves different voices over time and generation, offering context that allows us to see both the development of the group and how time and space shape values. Burke also offers a compelling exploration of pacificism and building nonviolent society.
put this on your TBR if: you like SciFi
read this ASAP if: you’re into pacifist theory, you’re interested in intergenerational dynamics, you really love your houseplants
The Birdseed 