Reading the Wind (Silver Ship) [Hardcover]

Brenda Cooper (Author)

Book Description

Series: Silver Ship | Publication Date: July 22, 2008

The colony planet of Fremont was supposed to be free of all genetically altered beings--a new home for a pure race.  So when Chelo and her brother Joseph, along with two other genetically altered teenagers, were abandoned on Fremont, they were not welcome.  They vowed to get off the planet by any means necessary.  Joseph and the others managed to escape, but Chelo was left behind with her new found love, forced to live underground.

 

Joseph and the others find that their homeworld is full of vengeance.  Believing that the people of Fremont killed the teenaged castaways, they sent a technologically advanced mercenary team to Fremont to eliminate the entire planet's population.  With the help of Joseph's father, the youngsters head back to Fremont to try to save Chelo.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Told in eight long, first-person accounts, the sequel to The Silver Ship and the Sea (2007) is set two-and-a-half years later and is just as gripping. Genetically changed Chelo, who with fellow “adapted” Liam and Kayleen has remained on the planet Fremont to live among the few thousand original humans who had defeated the invading altered humans earlier, narrates the first segment. The trio of Chelo’s brother Joseph, his sweetheart Alicia, and their friend Bryan as well as the enigmatic Jenna have left on a spaceship. Although the three on Fremont have been adopted and befriended by many of the “true humans,” most fear and despise the trio because of their augmentations. Joseph, a wind reader with the ability to interact directly with data and who pilots the starship mentally rather than manually, relates alternating segments, which follow the trials of trying to adjust to life on a very complex planet, where everyone has augmentations. He manages to find his father, who had left with the defeated altered after the battle for Fremont, and learns that the bellicose Star Mercenaries have been hired to wipe out all human life on Fremont, which would include his sister and other friends. The distinctive characterizations remain complex, internally and in interrelationships, and Cooper’s depictions of both worlds are exceptional. A welcome follow-up. --Sally Estes

Review

"Distinctive characterizations, well-limned interrelationships, and the vivdly realized Fremont contribute to an exciting coming-of-age story with a strong message about the evils of prejudice. . . YAs are sure to relate to the travails and exploits of these extraordinary young people."--Booklist on The Silver Ship and the Sea (starred review)

 

"Fast-paced and full-bodied, The Silver Ship and the Sea is character-driven hard SF at its best."--The Seattle Times

 

"Cooper's...first solo effort combines the feel of classic sf adventure with strong, character-driven storytelling and lays the foundation for other tales set in her brave new world..suitable for both adult and YA sf collections."--Library Journal on The Silver Ship and the Sea

 

"Good plot, with some nice touches...Characterizations were particularly well done."--Locus and The Silver Ship and the Sea

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (July 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076531598X
• ISBN-13: 978-0765315984
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #781,775 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Brenda Cooper has published fiction in Analog, Asimov's, Strange Horizons, Nature, and in multiple anthologies. She is the author of the Endeavor award winner for 2008: THE SILVER SHIP AND THE SEA, and of the sequel, READING THE WIND. Brenda lives in Bellevue, Washington, with her partner Toni, Toni's daughter Katie, two border collies, and a golden retriever. By day, she is the City of Kirkland's CIO, and at night and in early morning hours, she's a futurist and writer.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid, gripping space-opera adventure -- 4+ stars, October 26, 2009

By 

Peter D. Tillman (Taos, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Reading the Wind (Silver Ship) (Mass Market Paperback)

This sequel to The Silver Ship and the Sea is the rare follow-on that's better than the original. Brenda Cooper's writing just keeps getting better, and this is a first-rate book. Not perfect, mind, but the bobbles aren't serious, and she has written an intelligent and gripping space-opera adventure with believable characters and some surprising twists. Recommended, though you probably need to read the first book first to make much sense of the plot. Which is no hardship, as it's also quite good. Both are marketed as YA, but suitable for SF fans of any age.

I see Cooper has a third book in the series, Wings of Creation, on deck for November 2009 publication. I'll be reading it.

Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman

5.0 out of 5 stars Clashing cultures, idiologies, generations, and technologies - a very human story, March 13, 2011

By 

Jason A Graham (AVENTURA, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reading the Wind (Silver Ship) (Mass Market Paperback)

Intriguing, tantalizing vision of the human pioneering spirit reaching for the stars, Mrs Cooper gently and artfully explores social networks, sometimes coaxing the reader into taboo domains of human interaction with surprising ease, sensitivity, and at times revelation. Love, romance, action, adventure, science, and creativity abounds in "Reading the Wind".

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Puzzled by developments, October 21, 2009

By 

Robert Stevens (Guilford, CT, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Reading the Wind (Silver Ship) (Hardcover)

I am only partway thru this sequel to "Silver Ship..." and the first part has taken an unexpected turn (of events.) Kaylee has taken charge of events and led Liam and Chelo into dangerous parts without any real plan......... Brenda Cooper has surprised me, and that's good in an author. NOT to be completely predictible has a quality all its own, but I really hope we are going somewhere with this. The 2nd part takes us to the home planet and more surprising "turns of event." Here, Jenna is in charge in dealing with the "usual back-home corrupt folks serving their own interests and trying the steal everything in sight." Not to worry. The dramatic tension is building and I, at this point do not see how these two threads can be strung back together, but isn't that what makes a great read? I can see two or three more in this series, building on the themes of rebellion, prejudice, survival, rejection, unreasoning fear of the "different" introduced in "Silver Ship..." There are some characters in these books that one simply not only does not like, but dislikes. The characterization continues to be good, there are no doubt more surprises ahead, and I'm hooked. Keep 'em coming, Brenda. Surprise us.

Buffalo