Customer Reviews

Star Split

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In the year 3038, the human race has been transformed by genetic technology. There are the Genhents, those who have recieved the forty-eighth chromosome; and the far worse off Originals, with only the usual forty-six. There are no unwanted or even unplanned children, parents choose their child's gender, talents, and inclinations. Inherited disease is a thing from history books. Thirteen-year old Darci is a fairly normal genhent, and yet, despite her privledged status in society, she feels something is wrong with the way things are, though she can't quite decide what. Others are only confused by her strange thoughts and questions, and she is left with only the nagging feeling that only she is different...

This was truly an excellent book, unusual and thought provoking. I really couldn't guess the ending from the end of the chapter one, and Darci herself seemed so ordinary in a lot of ways that I found her very likable and easy to relate too.

The only real problem I had with this book was something another reviewer also pointed out; fifty or even one hundred years in the future would have been a much more believable setting for this particular novel. Even if there was a dark age, or a series of "clone wars" as is implyed several times in this book, I for one find it hard to believe that 1000+ years in the future, kids will still be wearing baseball hats and blue jeans, and thirteen-year old's will still be attending eighth grade.

Besides this minor detail however, this book was great and I definitely recommend it to sci-fi fans of any age.

The plot, truth be told, is kinda sad, kinda interesting, but very good. And yes, there is more than just genetic enhancement involved in the book. there is also medicine and technology enhancement,too. they both add in colorfully into the plot of illegal cloning and different-ness(that's not actually a word, you know. In fact, Kaththryn Lasky is just as good in sci-fi as in any other genre she may have done.

Star Split by Kathryn Lasky is science fiction. It takes place in 3013 (in the fourth millennium). The Characters live in a society called the Bio Union. One of the main characters, Darci, goes to a rock climbing camp and meets her illegal clone, Vivian. In the rest of the book, Darci and Vivian are struggling with themselves over the facts that one is a clone of the other, that the Bio Union is evil, and their parents are part of an association trying to change the Bio Union.

In Star Split, the main point is " just be yourself or something bad is sure to follow." I think that the author also doesn't like cloning. One example from the text is, Darci and her friend are in a cafe and her friend tells her that their word for cloning comes from the reproducing of flowers, and Darci tells him,"figures, it's all part of a lie,a very big lie, it probably started in the time that they called the black time. I mean flowers - who can object to flowers? If you want to do something kinda weird of risky, call it a nice sweet name. Another message of the book is that we are all different and that's okay. At the end of the book Darci and Vivian find that even though they are clones, their minds work differently and they realize that should accept that no one is the same. Finally, the author tells us that you must stand up for your self no matter what the oods are. Darci parents are part of an underground society that stood up agenst itself agenst The GOVERNMENT even though there was a slim chance of success!

I think that the book is well written. There is diversity in sentence length, the sentences flow together, and the author isn't saying the same thing over and over and over. the author was really descriptive. She really brought the story to life, the predicaments seem clear, and the setting, man, you could almost see it! "This quite place, this soundless place, this wordless place with just the clink of plates and cups,and shadows of fingers on the wall.

The author hid her personality behind the curtain. She seems more interested in ideas, sentence fluency, word choice, and the other traits.

I like the fact that Star Spit only 1000 years from now because I can really relate to the characters. Hey look at Star Wars, that's AFTER sun blown up the earth! I personally like that, as the characters feel like the world is falling down around them, they keep their cool . As Max Lasvaetch said (he's a character from the book) "Pour Darci, she met her clone no wonder she's dyed her hair red and cropped it short! This shows Darci can just disguise herself and get on with her life. Unfortunately there is one con. Yes a con!("Gasp") In this story the author doesn't tell us what some places are. When the author says "This was the greatest honor in the Bio Union," she doesn't tell us what the Bio Union is. I would recommend this book to any old body, except people who think that science fiction is really bad, really bad, or people that need everything spelled out.

Lasky is a literary genius. I can't believe more people haven't read this book! It's an odd outlook that gives us a look into the future, back on our selves. Darci is so lovable, the way she tries to mimic the Originals and how she takes such an interest in them. She's a humanitarian and a noble person and there's just something about her that makes you smile. There's great character development and you really feel like you know them, which I always love whether I'm reading a book, watching a movie, whatever. I gave this book five stars because of the many books I've read, the detail and intricacy really stands out in this novel above all the rest.

STAR SPLIT was an interesting mix of science and story. Set over one thousand years in the future, this book finds the world's people not too far removed from our own 21st century folks - there are no aliens, no robots, no Jetsons-esque contraptions - except for the long strides made with human cloning, chromosome research and other genetic enhancements. Those with bonus DNA and cultivated strengths are "Genhaunts," and in an elevated position with regards to the "Originals." One young girl discovers there is more to her family's personal history and to the process and progress of society. A good book for young readers interested in science or those wondering how cloning could happen.

I think the book was very good. It was exiting and flowed. The book was well writen and has become one of my favorites.

This book peers into the supposedly far future when cloning and genetic manipulation of embryos are common. Although there are minor problems with the concept - identical twins also share exactly the same genes, this is a compelling read and is a wonderful starting point for some serious thought about how all of this science is effecting human beings. In spite of the complicated science, the best thing about this book is that it is interesting and exciting as well.

As the author says in the postscript, this may not be as far in the future as she imagined when she wrote the book.

"I'm not just your copy, Darci. I'm more than just that... I know I am ME and that is different from you." Darci went to a rock climbing camp and while she was at the top of the Greybeards, she was amazed to see an exact copy of her. Vivian is Darci's umbulae, clone of the future, and was created when Darci was young because she was expected to die at the age of six weeks due to stronichylimia. Darci, Vivian, Darci's mother, and Darci's father were going to be killed for being part of an umbulation process, but the Prima and the Prima Matri decided to kill themselves instead of the four ubulation processors. I highly recommend this book to people who like science fiction.
Star Split was challenging to read and kept you thinking. The vocabulary was difficult at first, but got easier as you continued reading. The word umbulae meant clone, but I though it meant baby. In the book, there was a museum for dead language. In the museum, there were words like Godor Lord and poetry.
Star Split had a great sequence of events. Everything seemed to happen in order instead of jumping around a little bit, like some books. Every event led up to another unexpected event, which kept me interested. If the sequence of events jumped around, I think it would have been hard to read.
Star Split had an amazing ending. I believed that Darci and Vivian were going to be burned to death for their crime, but ended up escaping. They moved west to the federation lands where cloning was not illegal. Her parents also escaped and lived together as a family with Vivian's uncle.
Star Split is filled with amazing events. For example, when Darci climbed to the top of Greybeards and met Vivian; also, when Vivian figured out her uncle was dating the Prima and the Prima Matri gave their lives for Darci, Vivian, and Darci's parents. This was a great book that I strongly recommend.

This book was a mixture of good and bad. I'll get the bad things out of the way first. 1.The start was really confusing. (As I tend to be hard to confuse where books are concerned, this means a lot.) 2. The only difference between the books setting (1000 years in the future) and today was the genetic technolegy. 3. The ending didn't really make sense. There are plenty of good things about the book, though. It's really interesting, it's easy to understand (I think the author made it almost exactly like today so it would be easy to understand), and it makes you wonder about how good genetic technology really is. I'd recommend reading this book if you don't mind having to tie up the loose threads at the end yourself.

lasky creats a post-mordern world, centered around cloning. in this book, our heroine, darci, is made to ask herself who exactly is she. its a wonderful story that captures hearts and makes us really think. a truly deep book that is recomennded for everyone.