Customer Reviews

Earthseed

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am so EXCITED that this book is in print again! As a middle school English teacher in 2000, I decided to share Earthseed with my students. Unfortunately the book was out of print at the time, and I was forced to read it to my students with a few copies I was able to salvage from second-hand merchants. My students loved it. My small rag-tag group of copies disappeared... they were taken by "sneaky-eyed" students who were proud non-readers to this point, but who were enchanted by the tale ;) I love the fact that this book engages kids and encourages even non-readers to read. This book was a launching point for many of my students who fell in love with other books, because they discovered this tale. I would strongly recommend this book to any parent, teacher, or librarian who wants to encourage kids to read. If you know a kid who liked: Ender's Game, Feed, The Giver, House of the Scorpion, The Last Book in the Universe, or City of Ember, I can almost guarantee that they will love this story too.

One of my favorite books ever is "Earthseed", by Pamela Sargent.The book is about a group young adults who were born and raised on a space ship,called Ship.Ship is like their parent and cared for them since they were born.The book opens when they are about 16 years old and soon they will be leaving Ship to settle an uninhibited planet in a far away galaxy.The book goes into detail about all the main characters,including Zoheret,the protaganist.Things start to pick up when they move to a simulated Earth to experience what life will be like on their new homeworld.Soon the groups splits and anarchy breaks out.I don't want to divulge the rest of the plot but after this happens theaction doesn't stop 'till the end.Some scenes are violent and there is also romance in this great Sci-fi book

First of all, I am NOT a young adult - as this book is obviously written for. But, as a die-hard Pamela Sargent fan - I had to read "Earthseed". Although the story is more-or-less simplistic - it's still a rather good read - and I would suggest it to anyone (young or old) who enjoys reading Pamela Sargent. Ms. Sargent has a unique and wonderful writting style - and I would advice anyone to read her novels.

I really enjoyed this book. It was just perfect for young adults. It wasn't at all dull, like most sci-fi books for this age group. There was even a little romance, which is very rare.

These kids are on a ship who, I guess, is symbolic for many things - God, parents, order, etc. They refer to it as Ship. It is hurtling through space as it advises them. It is ultimately raising and preparing them so they can be dropped off on a planet somewhat like earth and start a new civilization. Ship is artificial intelligence with feelings and consciousness (?). Ship has a realistic earth area on it called The Hollow. And, as a test, the kids in the ship (Im guessing there are somewhere close to a hundred?) will enter the Hollow in a competition. They are split into teams and are told to cross from point A to point B in the Hollow. Hilarity and hijinx ensues (actually, some *human* characteristics of sneakiness and "cheating" evolve from the situation because Ship has turned off it's sensors and the kids are on their own in The Hollow.). Then eventually the kids are put back into the Hollow to actually live, farm, subsist, etc without Ship and any of its assistance. A few of the kids shoot off and make their own community. There are problems with some of the kids looting and resorting to sketchy means to live in The Hollow. The kids also have trouble with establishing a leader who isn't too weak willed or isn't too dominant. They question how to punish those who break rules that aren't even established yet. These questions the kids have aren't FULLY explored but the elements are introduced. A few of the kids really operate under that "any means necessary" philosophy to get what they want. I dont want to give too much away, but eventually they must decide if they should come together or not to fight off a common enemy.

This book might be geared towards those who really like the The Hunger Games. I think Earthseed has that scifi mixed with kids being violent element. I do think Earthseed would be better for a learning environment over Hunger Games; you can talk so much about civilization, what makes us human, artificial intelligence, and on and on.

Why I gave this book a 3.
- I didn't find the heroine Zoheret that likable. Some of her reasoning was flawed or I didn't understand where she was coming from. In the beginning of the novel she was fairly passive. She went along with people's bad ideas without putting up much fight. And this is our heroine. I didn't find her aggressive moments believable at all.
-Zoheret's friend Lillka (or roommate), while she is on the ship is the bookworm who seems to question everything. And then when Lillka gets to the Hollow she seems to turn into this weak-willed person that doesn't want to be bothered with questions!! And that just didn't match the person I was introduced to at the beginning of the novel.
-There was just something unnatural about how the kids interacted among each other. I can see how that would happen, being raised on Ship and all ... but I wish they were a little more odd (so I could believe they were raised by a Ship and had no adult interaction) or they were a little more Lord of the Flies and chaotic. I just can't explain it. I think I'm not spoiling anything when I say that I did like the characterization of Ho the best. He was who he was from beginning to end. I understood that. I didnt understand when Manuel, Lillka, Zoheret had these inner realizations to change and becoming something different.
-And I wish the book would have had a sharper focus on either the hierarchy they were struggling to create, how to exactly establish a community, or the inner strugglings of a tween growing up on a ship hurtling through space. There were comments on all of these huge themes but none of them really broke open for me.

You can tell the author is really intelligent by the fact this book even exists. I think it's a huge undertaking. Again, I just wish some of the themes were explored deeper. Or there was a focus on one of them.

This book, I think, got picked up for film rights, so that's the main reason I read it!

a good book, though it tended towards what they mnade you read in english class in middle school.

I remember reading this when I was younger, and today I racked and racked my brain trying to remember the title. After MANY google searches I finally found it and not only that found out there was a new book put out. SCORE. I'm going to get them both because I loved Earthseed and want to see what Ms. Sargent has in store for us next!!!! YEAH

Yes, life is complex but above space vessels, which must be created under controlled experiences, you would expect few surprises unless they developed on board. While the changes Zoheret and other teens who were born on ship are realistic several other surprises seemed a bit far fetched for me and frankly unnecessary. I won't name them obviously because that will ruin specific plot elements. While I do expect complexity from a Sargent plot this went beyond what I thought was logical and probable.

When I read this book, I knew this was THE book. It touched me, but not really. In accordance, I would reccommend this book to everyone, not just people who like Sci-Fi.

I'm a 12 year old Sci-Fi reader, and my friend recommended this book to me, so I read it and loved it! The plot is so Captitizing, and when you think it needs a better ending, you think back over everything you've read, and say "It's good enough."