Becoming Human [Paperback]

Valerie J. Freireich (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1995

The clone of a traitor, sub-human spy probe August is catapulted into the midst of an interplanetary war as the planet Neuland is threatened with alien annihilation and August himself confronts his dream of becoming fully human.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Alexander Greeneyes, a brilliant "toolman" for the planetary government of Sucre, meticulously records key political gatherings and probes the participants' discourse for unspoken innuendo. A product of controlled eugenic experiments looked down on as inhuman, he has reached the end of his built-in 35-year life span, which his politically powerful overseer and lover, Sanda Brauna, can do nothing to extend. Hoping to change his destiny as well as bring honor to Brauna, Alexander forges a deal with diplomats from the planet Neulander, where genetic manipulation is tolerated, to help Neulander's bid to become a new member in the Polite Harmony of Worlds. His plan backfires, however, when Neulander secretly attacks an allied world, implicating Alexander as a traitor and ending his life. Now his successor, 23-year-old clone August, must live down the stigma of Alexander's betrayal and win enough respect from his superiors to transcend his status as a toolman and become human. Aside from occasionally stilted prose, Freireich masterfully interweaves absorbing political intrigue and an original, futuristic version of racial prejudice. Carl Hays

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Roc (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451453964
• ISBN-13: 978-0451453969
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #965,686 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars on the nature of humanity, January 17, 2000

By 

"silo1013" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Becoming Human (Paperback)

I bought this book on a recommendation from the Alternative Sexualities in Fantasy and SF Booklist compiled online by M.A. Mohanraj, and I'm now quite pleased that I did. Valerie Freireich is a lawyer as well as a writer, and it shows in her skillful depictions of conspiracies, secrets, political machinations, and diplomatic relations. Something of a Pinocchio / Frankenstein story set in a future where cloning and genetic manipulation are realities, Becoming Human is an exploration into the nature of humanity, loyalty, individuality, and love. It's been quite a while since I've enjoyed reading a SF novel so much as I've enjoyed this one.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The new Harmony Universe is refreshing and thought provoking, June 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Becoming Human (Paperback)

From the provocative cover art to the tragic ending of Becoming Human, I was struck by the existential questions posed within.

Freirriech deconstructs secular humanism, bio-engineering, religiosity among atheists, fear of otherness, and authoritarianism among the academic elite in her scenario of world colonization by proponents of the human actualization movements popular in the 70's in Southern California.

Becoming Human, Testament and Imposter are adult books, which each separately explore, in a literary, almost poetic framework, the meaning of the concept of human. Orson Scott Card ultimately caused Ender's torments to become the self-serving pitying cries of one who was helpless when used as a human torpedo. Freireich showed that even in slavery, the slave has free will to love, to empathize, to act . . . and thus be human.

Her definition of humanity resides not in DNA sequences or selective breeding, but rather, in emotions and feeling and acting on those emotions or feelings from choice, not duty, not reflex; the ultimate human act is to act altruistically and in truth -- not from self-righteousness or self-deception.

A Superb series. I highly recommend it. I look forward to additonal volumes.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new, refreshing view of a somewhat stale genre., September 20, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Hamilton, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Becoming Human (Paperback)

When I first discovered science fiction as a child, I eagerly devoured each new novel. Every story was new, with interesting ideas, fantastic situations, and interesting concepts and moral issues to explore.

Over the years, it seemed that I lost that feeling of wonder and awe. Each book seemed to be a re-visitation of concepts and ideas already explored in an earlier novel. Slowly, I drifted from the genre.

And then I read "Becoming Human".

I was transported back to my youth, and found myself reading a book with original ideas. Instead of just re-hashing someone else's story, this novel was totally new; it had a unique story concept, and was a riviting read.

I fully recommend this book to any science fiction fan who would like to re-visit his youth.