Rating: 
Summary: Half a review... sorry!
Review: Only half a review as the book, sadly got left in a small house in Crete in 1990 before I finished it. What can I say? I've spent the past 11 years trying to track down another copy. This book represents the Single most burning ambition that remains in my life. I must finish reading it. Such is the compelling nature of the characters and story contained within.Truly a readers read. Read it in small sections, Read it right through in one go, Read it a dozen times, just don't leave it in a Cretan mountain village before you finish it....... it will haunt you forever.
Rating: 
Summary: Very facinating...
Review: Rating System:
1 star = abysmal; some books deserve to be forgotten
2 star = poor; a total waste of time
3 star = good; worth the effort
4 star = very good; what writing should be
5 star = fantastic; must own it and share it with othersSTORY: From back cover... "This is the saga or Candy Smith-Foster, a brilliant, witty girl on the verge of womanhood, survivor of a bionuclear war that destroyed most of humanity, first of a new stage of human evolution ' Homo post hominem. EMERGENCE is the story of her turbulent odyssey across a scarred America seeking others of her kind and a new future for the people of Earth." MY FEEDBACK:
1) SETTING: Palmer does a great job of describing a post-holocaust Earth that is destroyed mostly by biological weapons. This creates an eerie and adventurous setting for our protagonist to travel through. 2) CHARACTERS: Even though main protagonist is a strong-willed teenager she has many endearing qualities that get you to care for the character and root for her. The supporting cast is well chosen and not thrown in haphazardly but helps to bring out more of Candy as the primary protagonist. The characters mostly being "geniuses" communicate and make decisions very, very logically. This is a logic lover's book! 3) WRITING & DIALOGUE: This is probably the most unique thing about this book. Approximately 85% or more is written as the journal entries of Candy in a short-hand version. Before you groan and decide this isn't for you, realize that this keeps the dialogue funny, crisp, clean and the action moving. At first I thought I'd get tired of the writing but once I fell into the flow of things I appreciated the writing style and that it allowed the author not to waste space but get to the point. 4) PLOT: Great story that had adventure, mystery and even saving the world type events. Nuff said. OVERALL: Very engaging book. Different than most stories. Amazing this is out of print considering it is also a Hugo Award winner. Worth the effort to find a copy and read.
Rating:
Summary: Great book -- Mr. Palmer, PLEASE WRITE MORE!
Review: Terriffic book. Grabs the reader like Heinlien did. I just wanted to add to what others have written and ask that David Palmer please write more books!
Rating:
Summary: The Best Author from the Heinlein School...
Review: The fact that this man hasn't written any other S-F is a crime. Apparently he normally writes non-fiction, but this book is from the same look and feel as John Varley and Spider Robinson -- id est; people who owe everything to Robert A. Heinlein. Is is /not/ a Heinlein clone the way Great White was a Zeppelin clone...it is simply a book written with the same sense of exploration of ideas...the original idea behind Speculative Fiction. Actually, the writing style, from a technical standpoint, is unlike any other S-F author I know. What it boils down to is that this book is a must-read for any intelligent, thoughtful person who has ever enjoyed Speculative Fiction (the more intelligent, non star-trek/wars science fiction). Since I've compared it to Robinson and Varley, I should point out that it's better than anything Robinson ever wrote, and at the top of Varley's potential range. I can only think of a few other books I'd rate with a 10.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most unique books I've ever read.
Review: The first page of this book caught my attention and held it through to the last page. Not only was the writing intelligent & interesting (not to mention enjoyable), it was also insightful & provocative. I would recommend this book to anyone that wishes to read, with the warning that it will make you think.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best...
Review: This book has got to be one of the best stories I've ever read. It's a classic that I am certain I'll still be reading decades from now. I think my fellow reviewers have covered it far better than I could. It's a shame that David Palmer has stopped writing Science Fiction, but more than that, it's a tragedy beyond belief that this book remains out of print. If Bantam still has the publishing rights to this - hear my plea, and *please* reprint this book...
Rating:
Summary: Incredible!!
Review: This has got to be one of the best books I've ever read. Palmer's got a gift for story-telling that's just amazing. I've now owned 3 copies of this book, because I keep wanting to share it with people, and they like it so much they don't give it back!Emergence and Palmer's other book, Threshold, hold places of honour in my bookshelf....I only wish he would finish the trilogy that Threshold was the first of, and give us a follow-up to Emergence. or ANYTHING....
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: This is a great book. I have owned my copy for over a decade and won't get rid of it. I would love to get another copy as this book will remain in my personal library for as long as it lasts. It's style is different, so bear that in mind when you read it. I think it belongs up there with Heinlein's best or Asimov or Clarke. This book is really good SF.
Rating:
Summary: Woweee!
Review: This is a totally great book! I add my voice to asking the author for a sequel. I am recommending this book to anyone who enjoys a well-thought-out post-apocalypse story with an amazing genius girl who doesn't always think ahead as much as we all would like. The heroine is very likeable and easy to follow.
Lots of good reading here.
I can recommend this book wholeheartedly for anyone who likes these sorts of stories. An excellent example of "how it should be done."
Rating:
Summary: You Go Girl!
Review: This story is about an 11 year old girl who is a member of the next step of human evolution - "homo post homineum". She possess great intelligence and physical strength which enables her to survive a bionuclear holocaust. The book is a text of her journal as she travels from the bomb shelter beneath her home to various areas around the U. S. trying to find others of her kind.
Her short, choppy but very witty and to-the-point journal entries a joy to read. Her adventures border on the improbable when you're thinking of the average American 11 year old girl, but Candy Smith-Foster will quickly grow on you.
This is a supremely excellent science fiction book for girls (empowerment and all that) but I feel it will delight everyone who has a chance to pick one up. They should really print another issue.
Sincerly - Pat Gibbon
| 
