Edenborn (Hardcover)

by Nick Sagan (Author)
Key Phrases: sister frog, Sao Paulo, Scarlet Pimpernel, Breaking Point (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Sagan revisits the future world of his well-received debut, 2003's Idlewild. The narrator of that story, Halloween, is now a minor character; there's a new generation trying to survive after the "Microbial Apocalypse," when the Black Ep virus wiped out all but a handful of humans. Sagan focuses primarily on the younger set, upon whose shoulders the hope of a future rests, telling the story through numerous first-person narrators. An early chapter from the POV of Malachi, the "right-hand machine" of Halloween's contemporary Pandora, succinctly explains the setup and lists the players (readers may find themselves frequently returning to it). What's left of the population is divided into two rival colonies. In the north live a group of young "posthumans," biochemically engineered girls who are immune to Black Ep, and their guardians. The liveliest and fiercest of these adolescents is 15-year-old Penny. In the south, there's a religious colony of people drugged to the gills against the virus, one of whom is the philosophical naïf Haji, whose poetic narration makes a nice counterpoint to that of the increasingly angry Penny. Penny, Haji and Pandora provide distinct voices, but other narrators muddy the waters. A killing and the threat of a new plague bubble under the plot's surface but never take center-stage urgency. Sagan's sharp observations and rich imagination entertain, though, and lay a strong groundwork for volume three.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
In the gripping sequel to Idlewild [BKL Je 1 & 15 03], the Black Ep plague has wiped out humankind, with the exception of 10 genetically engineered "posthumans" reared in an Immersive Virtual Reality with computer programs seeing to their every need. Edenborn opens 37 years after the catastrophe. Six of the original 10 are still alive, but "only four remain committed to repopulating the Earth." Vashti and Champagne are in Germany with their nine "offspring" posthumans, biochemically and genetically optimized to defeat Black Ep. Isaac and his five creations, humans who ward off the plague they carry with constant medication, live in Egypt. Pandora, aided by the computer program Malachi, maintains the IVR and plays intermediary between the German and Egyptian camps. The story's heart lies in the complexity of the characters' psyches, motivations, and relationships, which propel the action and augment the overriding sense of desperation. It's complicated, but enthusiasts for Idlewild will be intrigued and look forward to another book, for where the overall plot is heading is anybody's guess. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult (August 19, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399151869
• ISBN-13: 978-0399151866
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #967,734 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another brilliant book in the series, December 3, 2004

By	Bridget A. Whelan "Artemis_Moonsong" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Basically, if you liked Sagan's debut novel, Idlewild, you'll love Edenborn, its sequel. The only minor quibble I have about the story is that Halloween plays a much smaller part than he did in the first novel. However, it's clear that Sagan maybe wanted to experiment with the voices of some of the other characters, and it really does work out brilliantly, especially for Pandora, whom I easily identified with (what girl hasn't tried to play it tough and cool on the outside, while all the while she's pining for some guy all her friends tell her isn't worth his weight in pebbles?)

As opposed to the slightly hacked theme of reality vs. illusion (e.g. the Matrix) we saw in Idlewilde, Edenborn deals more with ethics, and whether these people really do have a right to combat Mother Nature and try to repopulate the earth with their genetically engineered "children." But beneath all the philosophical stuff (which isn't heavy-handed; I'm not a sci-fi reader in general) is some really great writing, along with some really identifiable characters.

Definitely recommended.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars strong speculative fiction apocalyptic thrillers, August 20, 2004

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Humanity and the other primates are on the verge of extinction. The bioengineered weapon Black EP caused the deaths of all the humans on Earth but all was not lost. The scientists of Gedaechthis genetically engineered humans with unbelievable immune systems and since nobody was left alive to care for them they were raised in Immersiveve Virtual Reality. Six of these children survived all carriers of Black EP and all committed to repopulating the earth via clones and artificial wombs.

The next generation of post-humans is getting ready to take their place in society to carry on the work of their parents and try to find a cure for Black Ep. Most of the people alive spend as much time as they can in virtual reality because it is a much better place than the decimated earth. However, some unknown person is tinkering with the VR and letting secrets out that cause divisiveness and leads to that person going on a killing spree aimed at the last of the humans. A new form of Black Ep has surfaced and if a cure is not found, the end of the human race is at hand.

Although Edenborn takes place in an unspecified future, the technology that the book is based on exists today in a more primitive form. One has to admire these people who refuse to let mankind become extinct even though at times they want to give up because they don't see any progress made. Nick Sagan has written a compelling work that will appeal to fans of speculative fiction and apocalyptic thrillers.

Harriet Klausner

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Spoiled brats of the future make trouble, September 16, 2006

By	Michael Bond (Shawnee, OK United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In Idlewild, the first of this 3-part story, we meet the protagonist, Hal, a teen who battles first the computer host of the Matrix-like virtual school he attends and then one of his fellow students who has become homicidal.



Now, 18 years have passed and we meet a second generation of teens, human and post-human clones. While the 1st genners are working to cure the plague, their children seem content to bicker and fight all the time, spoiled no doubt by being the only children on the planet. The story is told from (too) many points of view, with Penny, an angry teen offering the most input. Half way through the book, Hal gets more involverd. I quickly got tired of the bickering among the teenagers.

We see that in this ideal community, this Eden, a place of material plenty and no threats from outsiders, human nature is the serpent, the source of conflict. Anger and violance, jealousy and revenge exact a terrible toll on the group. Is it possible for humankind to survive itself? We're not sure.


Plot issues: The ability to keep things running after so long is never really addressed. Where does power come from? Utilities? Look, I know it is a work of fiction, but these people are making trans-Atlantic flights in jets and helicopters (?) that have sat idle for two decades. I suppose it could be worse. The record for old-equipment-reuse goes to L. Ron Hubbard who have uneducated humans flying jets that had set idle nearly 1000 years. The book never explains that, or how they keep eating from food stores. Other than Spam and Twinkies, what else lasts that long? I suppose that if you can re-animate a frozen person, you can thaw out some broccoli.



I feel like some reviewers are rating these books high because of their admiration for the late father of the author. But these books must stand by themselves. Like the first of this set, Idlewild, I like the idea but the execution could be better.