Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Earthseed (Seed #1)

by Pamela Sargent (Goodreads Author)

3.62 of 5 stars 3.62 · rating details · 341 ratings · 91 reviews

Ship hurtles through space. Deep within its core, it carries the seed of humankind. Launched by the people of a dying Earth over a century ago, its mission is to find a habitable world for the children--fifteen-year-old Zoheret and her shipmates--whom it has created from its genetic banks.

To Zoheret and her shipmates, Ship has been mother, father, and loving teacher, prepa...more

Paperback, 304 pages

Published January 15th 2007 by Tom Doherty Associates (first published March 1983)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Teenagers . . . IN SPACE!

55th out of 114 books — 148 voters

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Best Intro to Sci-Fi for Young Readers

160th out of 441 books — 414 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,696)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 27, 2009 Phoebe added it

Shelves: kiddie-lit, sciffy

The science fiction premise behind Pamela Sargent's Earthseed is a strong one: children born on an interstellar ship must prepare for colonization of an extraterrestrial planet. The diverse cast of teenagers must live alone in the Hollow, a pastoral area of the planet-sized ship on which they were raised, and learn to function as a society. However, in-fighting and competition threatens their success, manifesting itself in a surprisingly bloody, violent way. This is not young adult science ficti

...more

4 likes · like · see review

Apr 25, 2012 Nafiza rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-for-review, books-i-own, 2012

I found Earthseed to be fascinating for more than the obvious reasons. We've had a recent spate of many young adult novels set on spaceships and will continue to do so in the near future. What sets Earthseed apart from them is the fact that it was written when the young adult genre was barely defined and if I'm not incorrect, was hardly recognized as a genre in its own right. The reading experience, too, is markedly different from reading other novels that may be superficially attempting to do t...more I found Earthseed to be fascinating for more than the obvious reasons. We've had a recent spate of many young adult novels set on spaceships and will continue to do so in the near future. What sets Earthseed apart from them is the fact that it was written when the young adult genre was barely defined and if I'm not incorrect, was hardly recognized as a genre in its own right. The reading experience, too, is markedly different from reading other novels that may be superficially attempting to do the same thing and tell the same story.

There is a gravitas to Earthseed that is somehow lacking in contemporary young adult novels. What I mean by that is in my experience with reading some of the more popular young adult novels, I've found them to be very concerned with material things. Sometimes to the detriment of the overall narrative itself. That is not the case with Earthseed. Also the multicultural and diverse cast of characters in Earthseed is very welcome and I like that this multicultural-ness does not feel contrived to make the world in the narrative all encompassing but a natural progression of the circumstances that led to the creation of this solitary "world." The characterizations, too, were fascinating and while I cannot exactly articulate why, I reiterate that there is a certain more gravity, more solid-ness in the characters in Earthseed than I usually expect in characters in young adult novels.

Perhaps what is most different is the romance bit. There is no insta-love. There cannot be, these kids have known each other from birth but also lacking is the melodrama, the deep importance placed on romantic love. I found that really refreshing. The focus of the novel remains the spaceship, the self-discovery, the growing into their skins and the growing up of the children who represent hope and more. With all these important issues, romance, while present, does not take center stage and I applaud that. I also thought it was very interesting how there is no "true love" and the accompanying refrain of "soul mate" in the novel. What this says about recent novels is something I feel is worth pondering.

Earthseed explores themes of growth, mental and emotional. It also challenges the rights a creator has over the created. There are several sequences of intense action and danger that will have you reading rapidly and almost breathless with anticipation. This will make an awesome movie. Anyway, I recommend this to you. If you haven't ever read science fiction, try this. It actually is a science fiction novel and not a novel just masquerading as one.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

May 09, 2012 Donna {Book Passion for Life} rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, for-review, from-publishers, ya-dystopian-scifi-thriller

I’ll admit, I had never heard of this book before I was asked to review it and after looking into it, I found out that it had already been released way back in 1983. I know what you’re thinking 1983? For me I was shocked because I wasn’t even born until 1985 and this is probably one of the oldest books I’ve ever read, so I admit I was intrigued to find out why this book was being re-released, when it was released the first time around such a long time ago. And when I found out why, I was pleasan...more I’ll admit, I had never heard of this book before I was asked to review it and after looking into it, I found out that it had already been released way back in 1983. I know what you’re thinking 1983? For me I was shocked because I wasn’t even born until 1985 and this is probably one of the oldest books I’ve ever read, so I admit I was intrigued to find out why this book was being re-released, when it was released the first time around such a long time ago. And when I found out why, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the movie rights for the book have been sold…so Earthseed could be coming to a cinema near you very soon!

Earthseed takes you on an intense and thrilling ride as we join Zoheret and her shipmates; who live on a spaceship called “Ship” that was created by the dying people of Earth. The ship was created in order protect the child and find a habitable planet for them to live and continue their lives on – safely. As Zoheret and friends prepare to survive on their own, the pressure becomes unbearable and Zoheret can not help think can they really survive? And mostly, can her friends stop themselves from turning on one another?

I did like this book, more than I would have thought to start with. I’ll admit, I did struggle with the first 50 pages or so, but once I got used to the authors style of writing and got used to the space reference’s, I found I started to really enjoy it. I don’t know why but I always struggle with sci-fi books more than anything else but I thought the author did a great job bringing creating something new and interesting.

My reason for my 3 star rating was even though Zoheret was my favourite character, I felt that were wasn’t much character development with her or the other characters. It was hard to connect to them and I honestly love characters that I’m really able to root for all of them. But with this I couldn’t, so I didn’t really mind who took Zoheret’s heart or who survived.

Overall, Earthseed is an ideal read for science fiction fans that are looking for something different from your typical YA novel. It wasn’t a favourite of mine but I’d still love to watch it on the big screen. (less)

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 08, 2012 Carolyn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of the Hunger Games trilogy

Shelves: science-fiction, strong-female-lead-character, read-ya_13-and-up, science-fiction_colonization

This book predates the Hunger Games trilogy by almost 30 years, but if you liked HG, I highly recommend this one. I can't believe I missed reading it in my own teen years, when it was freshly printed. Glad to have caught it now, though, and I'll be picking up the sequels in short order.
Note: Apparently it's been optioned for a film, hopefully HG will be a success and this will get made. Moviemakers running out of cartoon characters for inspiration would do well to look to a lot of the older SF...more

3 likes · like · see review

May 09, 2013 tENTATIVELY, cONVENIENCE rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf

review of
Pamela Sargent's Earthseed
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - May 9, 2013

This is the 4th bk by Sargent that I've read. The others are The Sudden Star, Watchstar, & Venus of Dreams. The only one I've reviewed is Watchstar ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/69... ). I can't really say that I know her work yet. It appears that her writing is somewhat known as being targeted at young adults. I'd say this bk was.

As w/ Watchstar (1980), Earthseed (1983) is a 'coming-of-age' story - in t...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 07, 2013 Sandra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

Earth has been all but abandoned, so Zoheret and her peers have been raised by Ship, a spacecraft trying to find an uninhabited planet for them. Ship trains them the best it can for the future wilderness they face by making the youth go through a test. Wall-E meets Hunger Games, Earthseed shows what really could happen when/if humans are forced to find and settle a new home.

I have no idea how to pronounce Zoheret. Can anyone tell me? But regardless of how you pronounce her name, the heroine in t...more Earth has been all but abandoned, so Zoheret and her peers have been raised by Ship, a spacecraft trying to find an uninhabited planet for them. Ship trains them the best it can for the future wilderness they face by making the youth go through a test. Wall-E meets Hunger Games, Earthseed shows what really could happen when/if humans are forced to find and settle a new home.

I have no idea how to pronounce Zoheret. Can anyone tell me? But regardless of how you pronounce her name, the heroine in this story was very level-headed and compassionate. Once the teens were in the dog-eat-dog world of the Hollow, Zoheret was one of the very few who were willing to put the group above self and help those who were struggling. She was a very admirable character. Even as the book wore on and things got real tough, she always held out hope they could work together as a group.

Earthseed was extremely fast paced, although not quite as action-packed as more modern YA. I was able to read the book in a mere two hours and I was interested enough to turn the pages, though I wouldn't exactly say I was at the edge of my seat. Not much time is wasted on useless details, though in some place more detail would have been beneficial.

The hardest part of Earthseed for me was getting a grip on "Ship's" character. Ship is literally a spaceship, but it has a personality. In my head, its voice was very calm and bland. One minute it seemed pretty non-partisan and liked to stay out of things, but at other times it got really involved in Zoheret's time management. I kept waiting for it to become one of those futuristic artificial intellegences that got power hungry. Sometimes Ship seemed to have emotions and sometimes it didn't. Even now, after having finished the book, I can't really get a grip on it. OK, but I will admit every time the ship referred to its "seed," I giggled a little in my head.

Three stars! Fans of sci-fi will love this book much more than I did and I would recommend it to any sci-fi fan, young or old. Earthseed is the first book in a trilogy, though I haven't decided if I'll continue on or not.(less)

like · see review

Nov 18, 2012 Samuel Lubell rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, sf

I found this book a bit muddled. The plot is a group of young teens are on alone on a colony spaceship with an AI that takes care of them. As they approach the colony world, they are told to do an exercise where they have to survive in a wilderness simulated area on the ship, away from the AI monitoring. But a group of the teens leave the main village and start stealing from it and take a few prisoner. This prompts Zoheret to go to the ship's computer for help, except she doesn't as she discover...more

like · see review

Jun 26, 2012 Chelleyreads (Michelle&Leslie's Book Picks) marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: z2012-review

I'm not much of a sci-fi fan, but Earthseed sounded like an interesting read so I decided to give the novel and the genre a chance.

When I was reading the novel there were quite a few things that bothered me but after I finished it and thought about it, it was an okay read overall. I am going to break down my review into three parts to explain my thoughts:

First, let's talk plot. It was interesting and different--obviously I kept reading and finished the novel. However, I had a like/dislike relati...more I'm not much of a sci-fi fan, but Earthseed sounded like an interesting read so I decided to give the novel and the genre a chance.

When I was reading the novel there were quite a few things that bothered me but after I finished it and thought about it, it was an okay read overall. I am going to break down my review into three parts to explain my thoughts:

First, let's talk plot. It was interesting and different--obviously I kept reading and finished the novel. However, I had a like/dislike relationship with it throughout. Some parts I would be excited and interested, but in other points of the book I'd be confused and restless. The pacing was uneven and there were events that happened that came out of nowhere without warning. However, there was a lot of action and unexpected plot twists.

Secondly, the characters. There was a lot of different personalities aboard Ship. I thought their actions were logical to their persona and the situations they were in. Together, the group dynamics of the characters were fascinating. But another reason why I couldn't really get into this book was because I couldn't relate to any of the characters, even the main character Zoheret. When I read I like having that character (usually the main character) I can get behind on and root for and sympathized for and I wasn't able to do that here. I think there's no true character development if you look at the characters individually.

Lastly, the writing. It took some getting used to and I honestly couldn't get into it for most of the book. Maybe it's because the novel was written and first published in the 1980s? Although that's not a good excuse. However, I wish it was written in the perspective of Zoheret instead of it being in third-person limited omniscient, or written in third-person but centered on Zoheret. Maybe then I'd be able to empathize with her more.

Overall, despite my problems with it, believe it or not but Earthseed was an admittedly okay read for me. Not great, but not bad either. The main story was fascinating and that's what kept me reading. I think those who love their science fiction novels will enjoy and appreciate this book. They'll easily get into the action-packed, twisty story with an intriguing plot line. Also, I heard Earthseed was recently Paramount and I am interested and excited to see how a movie version of this novel will turn out.

**Reviewed by Leslie for Michelle & Leslie's Book Picks book blog.**(less)

like · see review

Jun 12, 2012 Liviania rated it 4 of 5 stars

EARTHSEED was originally published in 1983 to great acclaim. Paramount Pictures recently optioned the novel, causing Tor to dust off the Seed trilogy and send it back into the world. I can see what made EARTHSEED a YA sci-fi classic, but it's kind of dated.

EARTHSEED is the story of a group of kids on a sentient Ship who have been raised to colonize a new planet. They've spent their entire lives relying on Ship, but now it is time for them to learn how to live on their own. Some aspects of EARTHS...more

1 like · like · see review

May 05, 2012 Kwinks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I grabbed this one off the shelf when I read it was being reissued with a new cover. That said, the version I read is the 1982 original and I am unaware if anything has been changed or updated. I hope it has not been because this book rocked. The technology was very futuristic and does not need to be modernized.
This is a very valuable story that is, at its core, about the human condition. What is our purpose, and why are we the way we are?
A ship full of human kids has been sent into space to f...more

like · see review

Mar 30, 2012 Emma Rosloff rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

On the whole, I liked Earthseed. I think it succeeds in it's creative backstory -- I won't spoil it here, but suffice to say the author does not shy away from explaining the interesting post-apocalyptic circumstances that drove 'Ship's' creators to champion 'the Project'. I commend for her that, it made her book something of a mystery, and made me eager to read on.

I agree with others though... character development felt lacking. I could get behind Zoheret, but even then, just barely... the story...more

like · see review

Jan 24, 2012 Literatta rated it 3 of 5 stars

I found this in the library and decided to check it out despite the aging, cheesy cover. I liked the story and felt it moved along well. I didn't feel particularly drawn to any one character and felt that the author sacrificed deep individual character study for in depth group dynamics, which was still interesting but left me not caring who lived or died, or even who got with who in the end (I was confused who to root for, Dmitri? Alexandre? Manuel? Anoki? and it wasn't a good confused like Peet...more

like · see review

Aug 28, 2012 Tracy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: hs

HS: I didn't like this one as much as I liked the Dom Testa novel, Comet's Curse, but that's because Earthseed is so dark. It left me feeling hopeless for mankind and I really don't need any more reasons to do that. I did like the plot twists of adding unknown groups to the population.

An Earth group has created an asteroid ship that will take genetic material far away, and when the intelligent computer finds a habitable planet, it will raise human babies to seed the new world. The story begins j...more

like · see review

May 23, 2012 Lydia Presley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, fiction, scifi, young-adult

To be honest, when I first looked up Earthseed by Pamela Sargent on GoodReads I choked a little bit with laughter seeing it's original, 1983 cover. It was cheesy, embarrassing, and frankly everything I remember reading when I was 10 years old in the 80's.

Thankfully, the edition I received from TOR Teen featured an updated cover and, after reading a few reviews, I dove into the story with hope.
After just a few pages I was immediately reminded of Beth Revis' Across the Universe - which was not a...more

like · see review

Nov 30, 2011 Danielle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, young-adult

I read this when I was eleven or twelve (I was an advanced reader and it was easily geared more for sixteen - eighteen year olds) and loved it. I've been trying to recall the name and author for years, and it was only when I stumbled on a description of the movie adaptation and the main character's name that it clicked and went, "YES!" I love it when I solve book mysteries - there are so many titles from way back when that have been lost to me.

The main female lead is complex, diverse and strong...more I read this when I was eleven or twelve (I was an advanced reader and it was easily geared more for sixteen - eighteen year olds) and loved it. I've been trying to recall the name and author for years, and it was only when I stumbled on a description of the movie adaptation and the main character's name that it clicked and went, "YES!" I love it when I solve book mysteries - there are so many titles from way back when that have been lost to me.

The main female lead is complex, diverse and strong-willed. I loved reading about a female character that was practical, even-headed, yet still compassionate. So many books that I read growing up cast girls/women as either passive/nice/good, or proactive/mean/bad. As the saying goes, good girls rarely make history. As lame as it may strike some, the realization that (counter to many teachings) strong does not equal bitch was a revelation for me in my teens that has helped me survive horrible events in my life and deal with reality as it is. This story certainly helped in creating that dawning realization that if I want things to get better, I have to make that happen myself. This is an excellent book for parents to give to their teens.

As for content, as far as I can recall, relationships are 'adult' in that crushes are formed and explored, but there is no sexual content. The focus is on the main character's struggle to devise ways to survive and help her companions on Ship, during an intense survival simulation aboard their star craft, before it lands on their new home planet. The lack of adult characters is reasonably explained - older people have old ideas, which clearly did not work on Earth, and so to avoid tainted perspectives and failed ideologies, they've been left behind. This is much more thought out than a lot of bump-off-the-old-farts/parents plots/explanations that I've come across. If I read about one more car accident that claimed both the main characters' parents, who were their only living family, I will lose my mind.

The choice to have an adult-free environment seems to be motivated by a desire to illustrate that these teens' success and lives depend solely on their ability to think, provide and act in responsible and humane ways. This is a much different plot motivation than, say, absenting the adults because they interfere and are uncool.

I have read that there are two more sequels, released more than 20 years after the original, and I'm super interested in picking them up. (less)

1 like · like · see review

May 31, 2011 Rosa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Entertainment Weekly included this book in their "the next Hunger Games?" list (popular YA fantasy/sci fi books that have been optioned into movies), so I was intrigued. I thought Earthseed was really good for maybe 3/4 of the way, to where I had a hard time putting it down and was already bossing the husband to get ready to include it on his assigned-by-me reading list. But towards the end of the book, the plot machinations and even the myriad interpersonal/intergroup dynamics (which I usually...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 11, 2012 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an older YA sci-fi genre book. It's considered "older" YA because of the amount of smex (nothing graphic) mentioned and violence. However, it makes sense since it is a group of teens that have never had adults to learn from, only a "ship" who is really just a personable voice to them. They were born in a lab.

Within the ship they are sent to a part where it is "wild" with nature and wild animals. They are there to learn how to survive because the goal is to "seed" other areas of the unive...more

like · see review

Feb 23, 2012 TheBookSmugglers rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: apocalypse-dystopia-keepers, science-fiction-awesomeness

Originally Reviewed on The Book Smugglers

Earthseed begins with a familiar premise: after mankind has wiped out the majority of Earth's natural resources and damaged its ecosystem over the centuries, humans turn to the stars for a new home. These human survivors have thrown their hopes on a distant system in deep space, creating an artificial intelligence powered space ship, loaded with the history of human culture, knowledge, and the genetic material to create new humans, crops, and animals. As...more

3 likes · like · see review

Aug 15, 2011 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ongoing-series

This reads a bit like Ender's Game with a female lead. A massive ship (known as "Ship") is charged with seeking out and seeding a new planet with specimens from Earth. After centuries of hurtling through space, Ship finds an appropriate planet and hatches a bunch of kids, which it then raises and prepares for life on this new Earth. As teenagers, the kids are sent into "the Hollow," a huge space on the ship that simulates a surface environment (grass, tress, lakes, bears), to practice their surv...more

like · see review

Oct 05, 2012 George rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

Thanks Goodreads and Tor! This will be my 1st FirstReadsReview!!!

I was very excited to receive this book in the mail, and I received within a week of receiving the winning confirmation email, you're quick guys!

I hadn't noticed at first this is a novel that is geared towards the young adult audience, and I was a little apprehensive about reading it. After reading it, I feel that although the character development and individuality were a little lacking, the story is very engaging.

The main chara...more

like · see review

Jul 12, 2012 Chapter by Chapter rated it 4 of 5 stars

Earthseed was…amazing! Seriously, it was so good. It’s no wonder that Paramount Pictures has teamed up with Melissa Rosenberg (the adaptor of the Twilight films) to release Earthseed through Tall Girl Productions as a major motion picture. I am so curious to see what they will come up with!

When I first read the synopsis, I thought that Earthseed was going to be a read similar to that of Beth Revis’ Across The Universe. Although there are a few similarities, Earthseed stands up on its own. Think...more Earthseed was…amazing! Seriously, it was so good. It’s no wonder that Paramount Pictures has teamed up with Melissa Rosenberg (the adaptor of the Twilight films) to release Earthseed through Tall Girl Productions as a major motion picture. I am so curious to see what they will come up with!

When I first read the synopsis, I thought that Earthseed was going to be a read similar to that of Beth Revis’ Across The Universe. Although there are a few similarities, Earthseed stands up on its own. Think of a story that is a mixture of Across The Universe meets Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies.

Earthseed follows the lives of a group of teens aboard a spacecraft that they lovingly call “Ship”. Ship acts as the parental figure in the lives of these teens. With them from their birth, and guiding them as they grow up, Ship is a huge figure in their lives. With sensors scattered all throughout the space craft, Ship is able to monitor the activities that occur onboard, and is always available for guidance when needed.

The main objective for this mission from Earth is to take the “seeds” of the people and scatter them throughout space on other liveable planets. Ship must travel throughout space in search of habitable land that does not have intelligent life on it yet, where this group of teens must learn to live and create a new world.

Among the teens on board, Earthseed focuses primarily through the eyes of female protagonist, Zoheret, a strong character that I loved reading about. We watch her interaction with the other teens on board, and are introduced to the ways of life aboard Ship. As is human nature, groups of kids have become closer with others forming their own clique. And as it is in high school, a teen story is never complete without its own fair share of bullies. Enter Manual and Ho. Using their strength and influence to get what they want, everyone knows to stay on their good side, doing their biding.

As it is done every year, Ship holds a type of competition among the group, whether it be through Q & A, or physical exertion. This year’s competition is one of significant importance. Aboard ship, there is an area known as the Hollow. And it is in this Hollow that the groups must traverse from one end of the Hollow to the other. Sounds simple enough…but with the need to win, groups will stop at nothing to come out the victor. And it is from this competition that former alliances break down and turn into something darker.

At the completion of the competition, Ship informs the group that the time for their decent to a new land is fast approaching, and they must learn to live on their own as a tribe. They must learn how to grow their own food, become civilized in an unknown land, and learn to live with each other and co-exist. And with this experiment, Ship has agreed to not monitor the Hollow allowing them to fend for themselves. This is just an experiment waiting to go wrong… I only wish that rather than start a new “part” in the book, that we could have seen the beginning days of their new way of life.

This book was completely unput-downable. I completely devoured it! The multiple twists and turns that author, Pamela Sargent, has put in the pages kept me up late at night. I needed to know what was going to happen the minute a plot twist presented itself. There were various parts in the book that I did not even guess was coming! I was shocked on multiple occasions. Sargent has poured in so much emotion into the characters of this book that all of them will stand out and won’t soon be forgotten. The world building that was found in the pages was amazing. I could see the different images clearly in my mind as I was reading…the movie playing out in my head. Broken down into 3 parts, each part surpassed the one before. I am totally looking forward to reading the next installment to this trilogy, Farseed.

Fans of Sci-Fi and Dystopian reads will completely devour Earthseed. For those who like to read the book before the movie comes out, don’t hesitate on this one. You won’t be disappointed.(less)

like · see review

Mar 20, 2012 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There's not a whole lot one can really say about this book. As a whole, the idea and plot are pretty freaking original, which is different, considering it's genre is Young Adult. I'm not saying that all books in the YA section are unoriginal, it's just that after a while, a lot of them blend together with similar topics, the love triangles, ect...

Considering this book was actually written a few years before I was born may be why it was a book I picked up so quickly at the book store.

It wasn't ju...more

like · see review

Sep 29, 2012 Staci rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book! Being an 80's child I wonder how I ever missed this great find before now. I am excited to read the other 2 books in this trilogy. The character development and mixture of science and emotions are perfectly done. Pamela Sargent has a wonderful intriguing mind! Passing this book on to my teens as a must read and giving Earthseed and bright 4 stars!

My rating system is as follows:

5 stars - Excellent, Worth Every Penny, Made It Into My Personal Library!
4 stars - Great book, but no...more

like · see review

Jul 02, 2012 Misha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found this book in the gift shop at the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, CA, while waiting for our tour group to be called. This was back in 1988! I couldn't even wait till we got home from our 2-hour drive to crack it open and start reading; the back cover synopsis was so intriguing.

It was probably one of the first few real sci-fi books I'd read, and I enjoyed it, because it was so different from the other things I was reading at the time (a lot of teen fiction, and the SVH series - don'...more

like · see review

Apr 29, 2012 terpkristin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, audiobook, re-read, sci-fi, ya

Audiobook from Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Narrated by Amy Rubinate
Length: just under 8 hours

I'm reasonably certain that I read this book when I was a lot younger. When I saw that the entire Seed trilogy was coming to audio, I looked into them and thought I'd read Earthseed. I know I didn't read the other two books in the series, Farseed and Seed Seeker (the last two were written much later). Regardless, it's understandable why this book is getting attention again, almost 30 years since it was written...more Audiobook from Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Narrated by Amy Rubinate
Length: just under 8 hours

I'm reasonably certain that I read this book when I was a lot younger. When I saw that the entire Seed trilogy was coming to audio, I looked into them and thought I'd read Earthseed. I know I didn't read the other two books in the series, Farseed and Seed Seeker (the last two were written much later). Regardless, it's understandable why this book is getting attention again, almost 30 years since it was written: it's another YA book that is similar (ish) to The Hunger Games.

In Earthseed, the reader is introduced to Zoharit (spelling? I dunno, I listened to the audio book), one of many teenagers aboard a ship traveling through space. Zoharit, and her ship mates, were all "born" on the ship, created by the ship (known as "Ship") from DNA samples of Ship's creator. Ship was sent from Earth with samples (and programming) from "the last of humanity on Earth," set with a mission to find another world where no intelligent life exists and "seed" the world with humans. Ship raised these kids (about 50ish in total) from birth, teaching them, fulfilling a parental role. We enter the story as the kids, now teens, are getting ready to spend time in the "holo" (I presume it's "holo" and not "hollow," either way, it's a wilderness environment on-board the ship) to train for what it will be like on the surface of the planet. At this point, I'm sure you're thinking that some Lord of the Flies-type story is going to happen (I know that's what I thought), and in fact there are some parallels between Lord of the Flies and Earthseed. However, Sargent does a wonderful job of making the story engaging with some surprising twists and turns along the way. While listening, I felt myself making excuses to listen to more of the story, not wanting to stop. I won't spoil the story, but I will say that at the end, Ship's residents find themselves making a life on the surface of the new planet and Ship goes off to seed another world.

I think it's worth mentioning briefly that I thought Amy Rubinate's narration was superb. I normally don't care for female narrators. Usually they sound too dramatic. But Rubinate did a great job. I could always distinguish the voices of the characters, whether it was two females, two males, or a male and a female talking, and at no point did I feel like it was overdramatized. Also, the voice she used for Ship was a perfect matronly but somewhat robotic voice.(less)

like · see review

Sep 19, 2012 Angela rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is one of my all-time favorite books and the one that turned me onto Sci-fi when I was in Junior High. I took this one out of the public library once every 4 months to reread until I was well into High School, and was disappointed to find that it had been removed from the shelves by the time I was in Grade 12. I was unaware that it had been republished with a new cover, hardly surprising given the rise of dystopian YA novels in recent years.

Written in the 80s, this book stood alone amongst...more

like · see review

Jan 14, 2013 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Zoheret and her fellow shipmates were born and raised on Ship, a massive spacecraft built into an asteroid, traveling through the universes in search of a system capable of supporting human life. The teens on board have been preparing for their mission all of their lives. They know that they will be leaving Ship's protection soon and this means they will have to relocate to the wilds of the Hollow -- an Earthlike portion of Ship that will be their final chance to learn to fend for themselves bef...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 13, 2012 Danielle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: early-reviewer, young-adult

This novel has the feel of old YA novels...a.k.a novels that read more adult-like and doesn't have as much romancy bits but rather has more adventure and deceit. But this book can also very much be catagorized as sci-fi. I didn't realize until I looked up Pamela Sargent, that she also wrote books in the Star Trek series. So I think she is definitely a Sci-Fi oriented author. With that said, I think this novel falls nicely into that genre even though, by the look of the book, it seems as if the p...more

like · see review

May 13, 2012 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-read, science-fiction, young-adult

Like a lot of the YA books published years before, Earthseed has been repackaged with a new cover by the publisher. When I first heard about Earthseed, it reminded me of Across the Universe since I saw some similarities between the two just from reading the summary.

Zoheret is one of those characters who will take action when she sees or knows that something isn’t right. She’s stubborn and not willing to stand by and give up even if it means getting into trouble or possible danger. So she become...more

like · see review

Mar 12, 2012 P.J. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book first came out way back in the 80s (1983 I think, but I'm not exactly sure of the date), and sure, at the time, I wasn't reading YA because I was more stuck in that infinite Nancy Drew/Trixie Beldon loop. So I never heard of it and totally missed it. But now it's been re-released (and optioned for film by Paramount), and I was thrilled to get a copy after hearing it pitched at ALA Midwinter.

EARTHSEED by Pamela Sargent (Tor Teen, February 28, 2012)

What did I love about EARTHSEED?

1) Okay...more This book first came out way back in the 80s (1983 I think, but I'm not exactly sure of the date), and sure, at the time, I wasn't reading YA because I was more stuck in that infinite Nancy Drew/Trixie Beldon loop. So I never heard of it and totally missed it. But now it's been re-released (and optioned for film by Paramount), and I was thrilled to get a copy after hearing it pitched at ALA Midwinter.

EARTHSEED by Pamela Sargent (Tor Teen, February 28, 2012)

What did I love about EARTHSEED?

1) Okay, it was written quite a while back, but even with that, it felt fresh. The science and emotions and adventure totally fit into today's young adult market. I'm actually awed at how well the author managed to do that.

2) It's like space and THE HUNGER GAMES all blended into one. These kids are on board a spaceship, but then they need to make sure they can survive on their own. And so they go to this part of the ship where it's like the outdoors. And it's so cool because I got just an amazing sense for how huge this ship had to be for this to happen.

3) The range of emotions these teens go through is vast (even bigger than the ship). Because when it comes right down to it, these are teens even though they have to learn to live on their own. And as teens, they have these crazy thoughts and emotions and do the most impulsive things. Even if you put the science fiction part of this novel aside, these characters are real and worth caring about.

4) Did I mention the author has won both the Nebula and Locus award?

5) A final thing that really makes EARTHSEED stand out among other YA books out there is the diversity. This ship has seeded people from everywhere on Earth, because in starting a new Earth on other planets, all races need to be represented, and I love how simply this is accomplished. Diversity at its best!

In short, I loved this book! EARTHSEED has it all, and the author has crafted a beautiful story of teens discovering who they are while facing the challenges of living in the real world with no one to guide them but themselves.

Highly recommended for girls and boys, seventh grade and up, fans of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, THE HUNGER GAMES, and GLOW.

Source of book: From publisher
(less)

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 56 57 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
What's The Name o...: YA about the last of the human race on a space ship [s]	3	19	Feb 09, 2013 10:33pm

combine
Other Editions (14)

More editions...

Genres

Young Adult

41 users

Science Fiction

36 users

Science Fiction > Dystopia

9 users

Apocalyptic > Post Apocalyptic

4 users

Young Adult > Teen

3 users

Adventure

3 users

Young Adult > Young Adult Science Fiction

2 users

Fantasy

2 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

2 users

Childrens

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Pamela Sargent

Pamela Sargent has won the Nebula Award, the Locus Award, and has been a finalist for the Hugo Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, and the Sidewise Award for alternate history. In 2012, she was honored with the Pilgrim Award by the Science Fiction Research Association for lifetime achievement in science fiction scholarship. She is the author of the novels Cloned Lives, The Sudden Star, Wa...more

More about Pamela Sargent...

Books by Pamela Sargent

A Fury Scorned (Star Trek The Next Generation, No 43)

Women of Wonder, the Classic Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1940s to the 1970s

Women of Wonder, the Contemporary Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1970s to the 1990s

Women of Wonder: Science-Fiction Stories by Women about Women

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Earthseed

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Earthseed

“Nature often allows a person only one mistake.” — 4 people liked it

“The weapons are held to the head of all the world, and the world behaves. No one has an advantage; no one can win.” — 1 person liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Earthseed
avg rating	preview: Earthseed Goodreads rating: 3.62 (341 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/171865.Earthseed?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312231203l/171865.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/171865.Earthseed?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Earthseed by Pamela Sargent[/url]

Earthseed (Seed #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website