Rating: 
Summary: Seriously Provocative
Review: Kate Wilhelm describes in this story a clone society, which some authors might make out to be a utopia, but which she makes it clear is far from being one. She employs beautiful, descriptive passages describing a range of experiences which derive much of their value from being experienced in solitude: a walk in the woods, drawing a picture, dreaming a lazy dream... Her story leaves one with an experience of the importance of privacy, of having an alone place in your life, and of turning, sometimes, away from the quotidian world of other people and even of sensory input, and finding out how to be still and centered. She seems to be implying that, in some paradoxical ways, the most powerful common experience we can share as human beings is the experience of reflective solitude. She sets all of this in the context of a society of clones. I should say that this society reminds me a lot of the "Borg" from Star Trek, while noting, of course, that Kate Wilhelm's story was written long before the idea of the Borg occurred to anyone. The clone society concept lets her do all kinds of complex, intriguing things with her ideas, but these actual ideas are quite simple in and of themselves. Simple, important, and worth reading. This book is terrific. Two thumbs up.
Rating: 
Summary: rise and fall of a cloned dystopia
Review: Kate Wilhelm sketches a very believable start of post apocalypic survival group that starts cloning themselves, because they no longer are furtile. And how these cloned descendends start their own type of society, in which individualism only exists in a few prosecuted deviates, people increasingly are breeded for special purposes and become more and more dispensable (there are always other copies left). The community cannot survive in the long run, because valuable human assets, such as the ability to have new ideas, and to reach out beyond what is teached, become extinct. The thing that bothered me a bit, was that the decline of the society was based on the above described premisses, of the lack of original ideas, and intelligence after several cloned generations. This is not 'logically' or 'necessarily' anchored in the story. There seems to be no real reason for it, except that it happens, which imvho does not qualify as a reason. It feels like a plot device. But, on the upside Wilhelm does a good job in dipicting the horrors of being a number, and the value of being an individual. The cloned society is believable, and engrossing. Wilhelm's writing style makes the book very accessible. Giving food for thought.
Rating:
Summary: rise and fall of a cloned dystopia
Review: Kate Wilhelm sketches a very believable start of post apocalypic survival group that starts cloning themselves, because they no longer are furtile. And how these cloned descendends start their own type of society, in which individualism only exists in a few prosecuted deviates, people increasingly are breeded for special purposes and become more and more dispensable (there are always other copies left). The community cannot survive in the long run, because valuable human assets, such as the ability to have new ideas, and to reach out beyond what is teached, become extinct. The thing that bothered me a bit, was that the decline of the society was based on the above described premisses, of the lack of original ideas, and intelligence after several cloned generations. This is not 'logically' or 'necessarily' anchored in the story. There seems to be no real reason for it, except that it happens, which imvho does not qualify as a reason. It feels like a plot device. But, on the upside Wilhelm does a good job in dipicting the horrors of being a number, and the value of being an individual. The cloned society is believable, and engrossing. Wilhelm's writing style makes the book very accessible. Giving food for thought.
Rating:
Summary: is cloning human beings consider a good idea ?
Review: long befor the sheep "doly" kate wilhelm visioned the cloning of humen being, in her books she try to prove that cloning will not do any good to the development of the humen race, on the cterary it will bring it to an end. kate wilhelm thinks that only the darvinistic aproatch is the suitable way to human develoment and try to prove it in this imaginative novell. for conclusion, classic book from the 70's witch only lack, is the in continius time leaps, between time periods, so it looks like couple of short stories were woven together to one plot.
Rating:
Summary: is cloning human beings consider a good idea ?
Review: long befor the sheep "doly" kate wilhelm visioned the cloning of humen being, in her books she try to prove that cloning will not do any good to the development of the humen race, on the cterary it will bring it to an end. kate wilhelm thinks that only the darvinistic aproatch is the suitable way to human develoment and try to prove it in this imaginative novell. for conclusion, classic book from the 70's witch only lack, is the in continius time leaps, between time periods, so it looks like couple of short stories were woven together to one plot.
Rating:
Summary: The One Against the Many
Review: Much of this world's history has been shaped by the constant attempts to shift the balance between the individual as an autonomous, self-directing, self-centered, and unique unit and the group society, where everyone's efforts go towards the general welfare, where the individual is merely a replaceable cog. This book takes this battle to the extreme, to where, via cloning, there really are no individuals, only copies, where anyone who disturbs the group is subject to extreme measures, from execution to severe behavioral/mind control to expulsion to the wilderness. True individuals come to be considered 'defective', as they cannot always accept the wishes of the group, they keep coming up with disturbingly new and different ideas, and they place themselves ahead of the group. To bring about this society, Wilhelm starts with a fairly normal (for science fiction) scenario: due to man's constant pollution of the environment, new diseases appear, eventually either directly killing everyone (and almost all the land animal life also) or rendering them sterile. One group sees a way to save humanity by using cloning techniques, with some promise that after enough generations of cloning, some sexual reproductive capability will reappear. From this starting point, the book is told in three distinct parts. The first section covers the period when the cloning facilities are being set up against a background of a world society in the throws of collapse. Part two is a look after several clone generations have occurred and an expedition is made to one of ruined cities to salvage needed high-tech supplies for the continuing cloning operation. The expedition exposes both the strength and the weakness of the clone groups, as they find it almost impossible to remain sane when separated from their clone 'brothers' and 'sisters'. One expedition member, Molly, grows so far away from her sisters under the stress that she really becomes an individual. Part three covers the final battle between clones and individuals, as Molly's son Mark grows up as the only 'single' in the group. Thematically, this book is taughtly conceived and executed. The later generations of the clones exemplify the problems of extreme homogeneity, as they find themselves, though extremely intelligent and quick learners, incapable of creative thought and independent action. The down sides of the individual are also exposed, showing the limitations on what one person can do when separated from the group. All of this is displayed pretty much by the character's actions, though there is some exposition via council meetings that are more philosophical statements than planning sessions. Character development is reasonable, given that most of the clones must remain essentially 'faceless' and the time span covered means that no character lasts more than a third of the book. But this also means that no character is explored in extreme depth, which makes it hard for the reader to become emotionally attached to anyone. Scientifically, there are problems with this book. An ecology is an extremely complex intertwined entity. When all the land animals die off (including, by specific mention, bees), there will be large affects on the plant population. Many plants can't reproduce at all without the help of certain animal species. The grasses, without a large group of herbivores to keep them in check, would very likely choke out many other plant species. Pollination becomes extremely problematic without bees. Wilhelm attempts to get around this by stating that function is taken over by ants, which would be at best much less efficient than that which occurs with bees. But Wilhelm shows none of these foreseeable affects - the forests and grain fields continue to grow apparently undisturbed. None of these problems directly affects the theme of this book, but it bothered my suspension of disbelief, especially as it was only necessary to kill off all the people, she could have left the animals alone, to get the situation she needed. This book took the 1977 Hugo Award, and as well told exposition of one the major philosophical battles that man faces today and in the future, it deserved it. But it is a definite 'thinking' book, not one of action, grand drama, or deep psychology. Expect to do some internal reflection when you finish this book, and see how you stack up as an individual versus your place in and responsibilities to your surrounding society.
Rating:
Summary: Disintegration of the species
Review: Pollution, industrialization, over population, famine. These are just a few of the causes that converge to doom most of the animal life of Earth. A few 'visionaries' foresee this apocalypse, including mass sterility of both plant and animal life. Their research leads to great advances in cloning, which they see as the only means of continuing many species, including man. Eventually, they realize that the cloned humans are more Clone than Human. Clones develop different mentally and emotionally, eventually creating an entirely different, even alien, society. A collective mindset evolves, only to be challenged by the introduction of a true individualist, a rare child of sexual reproduction raised out of the group culture for the first five years of his life. The scenario brings to mind some of Ayn Rand's work regarding individualism verses collectivism. However, Ms Wilhelm's work is far less preachy and much more gripping. Highly recommended for aficionados of post-apocalyptic or cloning fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Disintegration of the species
Review: Pollution, industrialization, over population, famine. These are just a few of the causes that converge to doom most of the animal life of Earth. A few 'visionaries' foresee this apocalypse, including mass sterility of both plant and animal life. Their research leads to great advances in cloning, which they see as the only means of continuing many species, including man. Eventually, they realize that the cloned humans are more Clone than Human. Clones develop different mentally and emotionally, eventually creating an entirely different, even alien, society. A collective mindset evolves, only to be challenged by the introduction of a true individualist, a rare child of sexual reproduction raised out of the group culture for the first five years of his life. The scenario brings to mind some of Ayn Rand's work regarding individualism verses collectivism. However, Ms Wilhelm's work is far less preachy and much more gripping. Highly recommended for aficionados of post-apocalyptic or cloning fiction.
Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorites!
Review: Science fiction isn't really always about science. The best sci-fi is about humanity, and a futuristic or technological bent allows the author to explore particular aspects of humankind. Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang is that kind of great science fiction, focusing on humans in a sci-fi setting. The book is about cloning, more or less. But actually, the themes run far deeper than a mere op/ed piece on a technological possibility. Cloning is used as the vehicle to explore the meaning of individuality, the uniqueness of a person, and the consequences of complete homogeneity. If you like hard edge technological sci-fi, this book isn't for you. But if you're looking for excellent fiction that happens to be in the genre, I'd give this book a hearty recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: One of My Favorites!
Review: Science fiction isn't really always about science. The best sci-fi is about humanity, and a futuristic or technological bent allows the author to explore particular aspects of humankind. Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang is that kind of great science fiction, focusing on humans in a sci-fi setting. The book is about cloning, more or less. But actually, the themes run far deeper than a mere op/ed piece on a technological possibility. Cloning is used as the vehicle to explore the meaning of individuality, the uniqueness of a person, and the consequences of complete homogeneity. If you like hard edge technological sci-fi, this book isn't for you. But if you're looking for excellent fiction that happens to be in the genre, I'd give this book a hearty recommendation.
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