Rating: 
Summary: A fantastic sci-fi novel about environmentalism and activism
Review: The planet Shora is covered completely by water, giving it the name The Ocean Moon. Its inhabitants, all female, have lived peacefully for tens of thousands of years, peacefully co-existing with all the creatures of the planet. That is, until the Valan traders from the neighboring planet of Valedon come, bringing with them pollution and a terrible stonesickness.To understand the Valans, two Sharers leave for Valedon with the hope of sharing learning with them: Usha the Inconsiderate and her lovesharer, Merwen the Imaptient, who believes deep down that Valans are humans, too, like the Sharers of Shora. For her to prove this, she must teach a Valan the ways of Shora, and after their ordeal on Valedon, they bring home with them a young stonecutter's son, Spinel. As Spinel's learnsharing begins, the Patriarch, protector of Valedon, wants to bring Shora into its folds in order to make use of its valuable resources such as minerals and fish. His Envoy dispatches a military unit to move relations along, at first with kind words. When that goes nowhere, he resorts to terrorism, both ecological and physical. Undaunted, the Sharers, unaccustomed to useless killing, fight back with pacifism and intelligence, hoping to bring an end to this unwanted presence on their homeworld. Slonczewski has created two very distinct and intriguing worlds, populated with very human-acting characters. One item I truly liked about this book is the interplay of the contrasting world views of the Sharers and the Valans don't think that the either is human: the Sharers consider Valans nothing more than children who need to learn in order to grow; the Valans think of Sharers as nothing more than catfish. Faced with a problem, one species uses patience and diplomacy, whereas the other immediately resorts to violence. And stuck in the middle is young Spinel, torn between his homeworld and his new-found family. A fantastic novel full of rich characters and whose themes of environmentalism and activism ring true today. A definite page-turner!
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic sci-fi novel about environmentalism and activism
Review: The planet Shora is covered completely by water, giving it the name The Ocean Moon. Its inhabitants, all female, have lived peacefully for tens of thousands of years, peacefully co-existing with all the creatures of the planet. That is, until the Valan traders from the neighboring planet of Valedon come, bringing with them pollution and a terrible stonesickness. To understand the Valans, two Sharers leave for Valedon with the hope of sharing learning with them: Usha the Inconsiderate and her lovesharer, Merwen the Imaptient, who believes deep down that Valans are humans, too, like the Sharers of Shora. For her to prove this, she must teach a Valan the ways of Shora, and after their ordeal on Valedon, they bring home with them a young stonecutter's son, Spinel. As Spinel's learnsharing begins, the Patriarch, protector of Valedon, wants to bring Shora into its folds in order to make use of its valuable resources such as minerals and fish. His Envoy dispatches a military unit to move relations along, at first with kind words. When that goes nowhere, he resorts to terrorism, both ecological and physical. Undaunted, the Sharers, unaccustomed to useless killing, fight back with pacifism and intelligence, hoping to bring an end to this unwanted presence on their homeworld. Slonczewski has created two very distinct and intriguing worlds, populated with very human-acting characters. One item I truly liked about this book is the interplay of the contrasting world views of the Sharers and the Valans don't think that the either is human: the Sharers consider Valans nothing more than children who need to learn in order to grow; the Valans think of Sharers as nothing more than catfish. Faced with a problem, one species uses patience and diplomacy, whereas the other immediately resorts to violence. And stuck in the middle is young Spinel, torn between his homeworld and his new-found family. A fantastic novel full of rich characters and whose themes of environmentalism and activism ring true today. A definite page-turner!
Rating:
Summary: terrific, terrific, terrific
Review: This gem of a sci fi novel is the best case study of nonviolent resistance to oppression I've ever seen. The struggles of a people to hold onto their own unique, peaceful (women's) culture--as an outwardly more powerful (male-dominated) enemy tries to take them over, and as they contend not only with the atrocities committed against them by that enemy, but also with their own divisions and disagreements about what to do--are fascinating, both at the social level and from the viewpoints of strategically-placed protagonists. These characters include an adolescent male, invited by the leaders of "Ocean" to come live among them so they can understand each other better, and a three-year-old girl who, when held hostage with other children, takes the "self-name" She-Who-Spits-Up-Her-Food as part of the coming-of-age ritual the children participate in when they decide to take up the adult responsibilities of resisting the enemy. The only book I know that compares to this one is Starhawk's almost-as-wonde
Rating: 
Summary: Very Good
Review: This is a very good science fiction novel. The scene is a system with 2 inhabited worlds. There is an inhabited planet and a moon around the planet which is entirely ocean. Markedly different societies occupy these worlds. The planet is a largely traditional human society; capitalist, patriarchial to a large extent, traditional forms of government, and physics based technology. The inhabitants of the aqueous moon are females who reproduce via parthenogenesis, have a very egalitarian society, and rely on sophisticated biotechnology. The book is about the clash of these two cultures. The themes are rapacious patriarchy versus feminism, hierarchy versus egalitarianism, ecological integration versus exploitation of the natural world, and coercion versus pacifism. This is a well written and enjoyable book. The author does a very good job of depicting ecology of the aqueous moon. Defects include the fact that the contrasts between the two societies are too black and white, and an overly elaborate plot with unnecessary prolongation of the book. This book is also somewhat derivative. There are themes and ideas drawn clearly from Ursula Le Guin's great utopian novel, The Dispossessed. This book is still superior to most science fiction but because it has pretensions to greater value, invites harsher criticism.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: This is a very good science fiction novel. The scene is a system with 2 inhabited worlds. There is an inhabited planet and a moon around the planet which is entirely ocean. Markedly different societies occupy these worlds. The planet is a largely traditional human society; capitalist, patriarchial to a large extent, traditional forms of government, and physics based technology. The inhabitants of the aqueous moon are females who reproduce via parthenogenesis, have a very egalitarian society, and rely on sophisticated biotechnology. The book is about the clash of these two cultures. The themes are rapacious patriarchy versus feminism, hierarchy versus egalitarianism, ecological integration versus exploitation of the natural world, and coercion versus pacifism. This is a well written and enjoyable book. The author does a very good job of depicting ecology of the aqueous moon. Defects include the fact that the contrasts between the two societies are too black and white, and an overly elaborate plot with unnecessary prolongation of the book. This book is also somewhat derivative. There are themes and ideas drawn clearly from Ursula Le Guin's great utopian novel, The Dispossessed. This book is still superior to most science fiction but because it has pretensions to greater value, invites harsher criticism.
Rating:
Summary: A Far Better Water World
Review: Written by a Quaker, on an entirely ocean moon, with an all female species, committed to pacifism- this novel has it all! Slonczewski's Friend background breathes through the book, where the Sharers, the moon people, have regular meetings, "gatherings", in order to determine the action that needs to happen, by consensus. If one person disagrees then no action is taken. They are committed to nonviolent action not as a means to an end but a way of life itself- and they are very good at it. And it seems that long ago they produced women only. Then trade begins with a much more violent-prone planet which they orbit, with both genders of humans, ruled by a distant patriarch. It's basically like our planet. And with the trade comes traditional ideas of control and power. A few representatives of the moon rise up to advocate for those on the planet, arguing that they are people as well, and that there can be healthy interaction between the moon and the planet. Slonczewski has rich character development and keeps the reader on the edge of the seat with novel plot twists. It is also real. The best kind of Sci-Fi changes a few parameters and lets real life develop from there. Here, if we posit the beginnings of a female pacifist ocean moon, it all makes sense. The nonviolent action doesn't always work out as we would like, and our friends are not always friendly. Just because the women are pacifists doesn't mean they are good or always agree. But, as in real life, nonviolent action here is effective also. The one downer in the novel is some lesbian interaction, which thankfully is minimal. The incredibly great aspect of the novel is how it puts you into a Pacifist mindset, thinking along the lines of active resistance without violence. For it is not just tactics, but a way of being. The Sharers greet each other with "Share the day" and speak of "learn-sharing" or "food-sharing"- for all actions in their language are reflexive. To give birth to a baby is to be given birth by the baby into motherhood. Their names are their worst faults, such as "Usha the Inconsiderate"- a name chosen when they become an adult as a reminder of what they need to try to overcome for the rest of their lives. I think we would be far better off looking at our own faults like this continually. And even their understanding of death as the last door, which you enter and then are reborn, has the metaphorical image of life only through death. They constantly affirm that we are doers who act- we choose- even choosing death at times, but it is our decision. This awareness that they are in control means that there is not the need for violence to get their way, or even to get their way. It is the way of the Gospel- the way the Kingdom *should* look this side of Eternity. Would that we all lived more as Sharers.
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