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The Mount

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 443 ratings · 74 reviews

Charley is an athlete. He wants to be painted crossing the finish line, in his racing silks, with a medal around his neck. But Charley isn't a runner. He is a human mount, the property of one of the alien invaders called Hoots. Charley hasn't seen his mother in years, and his father is hiding out in the mountains with the other Free Humans. The Hoots own the world, but the...more

Paperback, 240 pages

Published March 17th 2005 by Firebird (first published August 1st 2002)

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Future Classics: Best science fiction by women written 2001-2010

50th out of 126 books — 63 voters

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Best Books of 2002

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Sep 06, 2012 Daniel Roy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sf

When I began reading this story of an alien race that has not just conquered us, but turned us into their personal mounts, I expected a heavy-handed metaphor about slavery and social dynamics. What I got instead was part allegory, but also a fully-realized SF world, complete with intricate mechanisms by which an alien invader managed to tame us as a species.

The most surprising and pleasant part of The Mount is how thorough the author is with her explanation of how humans could become mounts to a...more When I began reading this story of an alien race that has not just conquered us, but turned us into their personal mounts, I expected a heavy-handed metaphor about slavery and social dynamics. What I got instead was part allegory, but also a fully-realized SF world, complete with intricate mechanisms by which an alien invader managed to tame us as a species.

The most surprising and pleasant part of The Mount is how thorough the author is with her explanation of how humans could become mounts to an alien invader. This is not simply a matter of humans being treated as properties by an alien race; instead, we get to appreciate the kindness of the Hoots for Humanity, and how they revere humans' strength and dignity. Furthermore, many humans themselves are perfectly at ease with this status as mounts: the protagonist keeps yearning for the dignity and pride of being a good mount, and we get a sense that this domination is so complete and ancient that the slaves themselves accept their status. There's some clever post-colonial commentary in there, that's for sure. It also works as one of the most startling and original alien invasion stories I've read in recent memory.

Where the book falls apart is in Ms. Emshwiller's choice for her protagonist. Charley is a bland character, and a bit dumb to boot. A lot of things happen around him and he fails to capture and convey the complexity and importance of these events. For the most part, he's self-obsessed, constantly yearns to return to his prior status as a prized mount, and pretty dense when it comes to appreciating the conflicts around him.

I can understand why the author chose Charley as a protagonist. For sure, telling the story of Humanity's fate as mounts to superior alien beings should be made all the richer if we can appreciate it from the perspective of a dominated character. Unfortunately, no one else outside of the Hoots themselves wish for humans to remain in bondage. They can't appreciate Charley's situation, and neither can he understand why they yearn for freedom. What's frustrating is that whenever it feels like a character is about to explain things to Charley, that character becomes vague, clams up, or otherwise moves onto something else. It feels as if the writer tried to isolate her protagonist from revelation, for the sake of keeping his disillusion going.

And so, we're stuck with Charley whining his way through the tribulations of his father's people as they try to break the hold of the Hoots. Charley eventually begins to change, but the change is pretty abrupt and a bit too convenient. For the remainder of the story up to that point, we're stuck with Charley's indifference, and it seeps into the tale to the point where we barely care for Humanity's struggle.

Overall, I loved the setting, and the way Emshwiller articulated her world. The Hoots were a truly original and intriguing alien species. The ways in which the Hoots stay in control of Humanity are interesting and nuanced, and their attitude is startling and thought-provoking. But alas, the dramatic arc of the story is bogged down by a protagonist who deflates any attempt to care.(less)

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Jul 09, 2012 Damali rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, aliens

I don't even know what to say.

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Jun 22, 2012 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: aliens, scifi, standalone

It doesn’t take much guess-work to figure out how this wound up on my TBR pile. It’s a rather obvious allegory for animal rights, although instead of apes enslaving people like in Planet of the Apes, it’s an alien species with cat-like ears and weak legs enslaving humans. The concept is a good one, but the execution fell short for me, which is sad, because I wanted to love it.

The structure of the book is problematic. The first chapter is from the perspective of an entirely random Hoot who we nev...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Zvi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What a strange ironic book. It joins the small list of books about an alien race enslaving us and keeping us a pets-- a list that includes Thomas Disch's 'White Fang Goes Dingo' and John Christopher's Tripod trilogy. In this case, the small, big-headed, smart aliens have conquered Earth and keep humans as mounts (they ride on human shoulders) -- there's a rider/ridden symbiotic relationship between humans bred for riding and their alien overlords, known as 'Hoots'.

What these humans-as-pets book...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Paul Laxon rated it 4 of 5 stars

What I really love about good science fiction is its ability to suck me into a strange new world and make it believable without a lot of exposition. As a reader you just have to accept the premise and some of the description that doesn't make sense at first. From there you can immerse yourself in this world where conquered humans serve as the means of transportation for the alien invaders.

Charley is a mount for the alien hoots. Hoots have very strong hands, but cannot walk. Charley is a human an...more

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Feb 24, 2011 Suz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, book-club, dystopian, lendable, young-adult, women-sff-authors, science-fiction, award-winner

When I finished this book, I picked up another to read, and just couldn't do it. The "message" in this book is really strong and it takes a bit to digest. Even better, I don't think there is a single message. This short book was written brilliantly, so you can see whatever you want in the relationships.

This story takes place in some future or alternate timeline. Through whatever means, there are aliens living on earth. Emshwiller did a fantastic job describing, not so much what they look like (s...more When I finished this book, I picked up another to read, and just couldn't do it. The "message" in this book is really strong and it takes a bit to digest. Even better, I don't think there is a single message. This short book was written brilliantly, so you can see whatever you want in the relationships.

This story takes place in some future or alternate timeline. Through whatever means, there are aliens living on earth. Emshwiller did a fantastic job describing, not so much what they look like (she did use some descriptors, but except for some fuzzy descriptions, you are left entirely to your own devices to imagine what you would like) as their relationships with and actions towards humans, who have (through, again, whatever means that is not described) become their "mounts" or servants.

I loved that Emshwiller did not bother with details about how they came to Earth, how long ago they did it or how it is they have actually tamed and selectively bred the human species. Clearly, it must have been generations, because the characters in the story were unaware of a lot of these details, and many people have been bred into distinct lines (Seattles, Tennessees). I've read a lot of books slamming her for leaving out these details, but I think it's not the focus, or even remotely important to the book.

This specific story is mostly about a young adolescent named Charley, who has been selected because of his superb breeding and conformation to be the mount for the next ruler. They both start off young to be trained to be the best mount and rider they can be. Charley is rescued by his father, Heron, and is taken to a village in the mountains where Heron is leading be beginnings of a revolution of people, which Charley objects to, but cannot fight. Eventually Charley and the future ruler of all get back to "civilization", changed and in a changed world and begin something new.

This novel lands itself squarely in the "speculative fiction" arena, and it's not so much fantasy or sci-fi, and anyone looking for fantasy/scifi will be very disappointed. The writing is as tight and fantastic as any I have read in a VERY long time. The story isn't plot driven and there is plenty of plot to keep anyone from getting bored. It's about characters and relationships, and this author has packed more relationships into a short book than most could put into an entire series, and the psychology in this book is amazing.

The themes of this book are strong, and consistent: slave/master relationships, slavery and individualism, adolescence and "finding" ones-self, and the struggle between parent and child. Reading the book, I kept thinking of the brainwashing/raising that Charley went through, and how it reminds me of the justifications and Stockholm Syndrome-like behavior of victims who always justify their abusers. Charlie is a pre-teen/early teenager in the book, and he does go through conflicting emotions, thought processes, and behaviors, which might seem inconsistent, but I read it as a conflicted and confusing boy trying to rationalize what was going on and find his place with what little he had to work with.

My biggest quibble with a book is the immensely unrealistic ending, but it's not terrible, it was just a little unbelievable, even though it did leave some questions and unresolved issues.

I really wish Goodreads had a half star system, because I think this book is stronger than four stars, but not quite five stars. Because I really did find it amazing and interesting, I figured I would push it to five stars.(less)

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Feb 13, 2011 Lisa Vegan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who likes speculative fiction, particularly thought provoking stories

Shelves: fiction, novel, speculative-fiction, gr-groups-buddies, reviewed

I read this for a Goodreads book club. I did not vote for it, but I’m so glad that it won. It’s a very, very fast read. I inhaled it over 2 days, and today, the day I finished it, is our last dry day for at least a week, but rather than enjoy the outdoors, I couldn’t tear myself away from this book.

It’s published as an adult book but I think it would be perfect for high school classroom reading too; it reads very much like a young adult book and its main protagonist is a young person.

This book m...more I read this for a Goodreads book club. I did not vote for it, but I’m so glad that it won. It’s a very, very fast read. I inhaled it over 2 days, and today, the day I finished it, is our last dry day for at least a week, but rather than enjoy the outdoors, I couldn’t tear myself away from this book.

It’s published as an adult book but I think it would be perfect for high school classroom reading too; it reads very much like a young adult book and its main protagonist is a young person.

This book may be perfect for my real world book club; most of us are vegans, and this book is appropriately thought provoking.

The premise and story is extremely inventive. I’m not going to say anything about the plot because I knew very little and I think my enjoyment was magnified because I came in ignorant. It was fun to discover what this book was about as I started reading it.

It’s a political fable and a unique coming of age book. There is a lot to think about and discuss including freedom vs. comfort; free will; bonding and friendship and love; innate capabilities vs. what can be learned; prejudice and bigotry and how we treat others who are different from ourselves and what we consider to be ideal; brainwashing and identifying with the aggressor; and I definitely thought about my perceptions of humans in this book; and the storyline is definitely food for thought about how we treat horses and dogs, and farmed animals, and all domesticated animals.

One of my favorite quotes (possibly not as meaningful without context) is found on page 122 of my paperback edition: “Isn’t it odd that solitary should make a person even more solitary?”

This is a wonderful book for book club discussion or discussion with friends and others also reading it. I can’t wait to discuss it with the group starting March 1st.

For me, this was potentially a 5 star book, but I’m going with 4. The ending (while very satisfying in some ways) was a tad weak, and I think even more could have been done with the story, but I did really, really enjoy it. It’s probably 4 ½ stars for me, just because of how I noticed my perceptions of certain characters because of the way they were presented; it was fascinating and brilliantly done. So, 4 ½ stars.(less)

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Apr 19, 2013 Daniel Edelman rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is probably more of 3.5 star book but that rating isn't possible. It's also more of a Novella than a novel. You get the feeling a lot of the story was left out for the sake of brevity.

It left me wishing for more.. more about the world and the Hoots, more about the relationship between father and son. The very knee jerk ending to the narrative left me feeling a bit unfulfilled. I would however recommend it to anyone looking for a charming book to read on a flight from New York to LA: a nice...more

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Mar 15, 2010 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read Emshwiller's "The Mount" because it is our sci fi book club selection for April. The narrator in "The Mount" is a young human who has been bred to serve as a mount for the alien race called Hoots by the humans. Humans serve like horses for the aliens, providing them transport and also serving as racing animals for sport. The aliens feed the humans with propaganda, but also use brute force and bridals and bits to keep the humans in-line. "The Mount" is a unique and creative work of fiction...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Dan Hart rated it 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this story quite a bit. I love how Carol didn't take an easy path--the story is complicated at every layer. Much like the protagonists, I never really knew which side I was on, other than theirs.

This would be a confident five-star review for me, however the final quarter of the story felt a bit rushed to me, and not as satisfying as I was hoping for based on the awesome build-up in the earlier chapters. It is hard for me to give consistent singular star ratings.

Overall, however, a wond...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Aves rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopia, science-fiction, 3-5-stars

Generations ago, aliens called Hoots invaded Earth. Hoots have very weak legs, so they started breeding humans to use as mounts. Some humans resisted and fled to the mountains where the Hoots don't care to pursue them, but others are still being actively bred and trained in Hoot compounds. There are the muscular Seattles, the lean and skinny Tennessees, and the in-betweens: the nothings, who are of no value to the Hoots.

Charley is a Seattle, the child of some of the most famous Seattles in histo...more Generations ago, aliens called Hoots invaded Earth. Hoots have very weak legs, so they started breeding humans to use as mounts. Some humans resisted and fled to the mountains where the Hoots don't care to pursue them, but others are still being actively bred and trained in Hoot compounds. There are the muscular Seattles, the lean and skinny Tennessees, and the in-betweens: the nothings, who are of no value to the Hoots.

Charley is a Seattle, the child of some of the most famous Seattles in history, and he's proud of it. His life goal is to be the best mount possible, and he's well on his way to his goal when he gets chosen as the mount of his new Little Master, a baby Hoot who happens to be the Hoots' future ruler. But when Charley's home compound is attacked by Wild Humans--wild humans led by Charley's escapee father--Charley's entire life is thrown on its head. Instead of learning to be a good mount, Charley must now learn how to be a good human.

The Mount is a hard book to rate. It's an uncomfortable book that takes a very hard look at predator-prey and symbiotic relationships, where humans are on the losing end of the relationship, and it's a book where you never quite know who to root for. Do you root for Charley, the brainwashed preteen who feels more comfortable with his Hoot host than his own people, and who touts his own lineage while simultaneously looking down at everyone who doesn't fit into his worldview? Do you root for Charley's father, a man who can never really articulate his feelings and motivations and who remains something of a mystery throughout the entire novel? Or do you root for Little Master, who as a Hoot and an alien would technically be a villain?

The Hoot's treatment of humans, and Charley's internalized distaste toward everyone who isn't a purebred Seattle, parallels some very prominent human tendencies, but it does so in a way that is both fascinating and slightly uncomfortable to read about. The book is written to highlight how a mount thinks, and it does this well. But the writing style disengages you at the same time. You can't really relate to the main character, because the character himself isn't allowed to relate to anything aside from how he has been taught is the proper way to think. This makes the book a surprisingly unemotional read. But the writing is strong, which I think makes up for it.

This wasn't a perfect book by any means. As mentioned, the disengaging writing made it hard to immerse myself in the story. Some of the technological parts seemed fairly unlikely as well (view spoiler), but none of these really detracted from the book. For me, at least. This is definitely a book where you have to read it for yourself to see what you can take away from it.(less)

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Jul 21, 2010 Kerry rated it 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely love Emshwiller. I loved her book, Ledoyt, which I read years ago. So I was willing to give her a chance on anything. Even a book with an odd picture on the cover, an odd plot, etc. I really liked The Mount. I focused more on the humanity side of the issue. Can we get along. What does it mean to be human. What are the pluses and minuses of any given situation. This was explored in the context of a master/slave relationship, but I felt Charley's struggle to be human. And to love. I f...more

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Feb 12, 2010 Eric rated it 2 of 5 stars

I read this book because it promised to play out a recurring daydream of mine. It was somewhat satisfying in that regard, but the same concept could have gotten a much more sophisticated treatment by a better writer, or maybe if written from a different perspective.

The daydream/plot: What would happen if advanced aliens invaded or captured us and made us their beasts of burden and/or pets like we've done to horses, and there was nothing we could do about it because they were as much more advanc...more I read this book because it promised to play out a recurring daydream of mine. It was somewhat satisfying in that regard, but the same concept could have gotten a much more sophisticated treatment by a better writer, or maybe if written from a different perspective.

The daydream/plot: What would happen if advanced aliens invaded or captured us and made us their beasts of burden and/or pets like we've done to horses, and there was nothing we could do about it because they were as much more advanced than we are as we are than horses? What would happen to us on the psychological level as individuals and as a species? Would we just have to give up at some point? And after generations this way, with no education, no memory of what we once were, dominated, controlled by punishment and reward, would we come to think of it as normal? I guess we saw this to a substantial degree with slavery in real life, but this would be more extreme and permanent, and the aliens would have even less reason to be sympathetic to our plight.

That's the concept of this book, though that's really more the setting than the plot. The plot is really a 12 year old boy's struggle to understand freedom and independent living after having grown up as a subservient mount for the weak-legged aliens. He has only ever wanted to be a good mount thanks to his brainwashing and domination since birth, but he is freed by wild and escaped humans (that's not really a spoiler). From then on, the events of the story aren't particularly important, just his reactions to them, and the back and forth in his mind between the creature comforts, praise, and order of life in the stables vs. the messy freedom of a democratic life in the wild.

The story is told from the child's perspective, and therefore all of the information we get is conveyed via childlike thoughts. And they aren't just the thoughts of a child, but a child who has grown up as a kept animal. While it's not grunts and lizard brain stuff, it's still very basic and simplistic. That may be authentic in this setting and a technical accomplishment, but it drags after a while and greatly limits the story.

On the plus side, the aliens in this book are original and interesting. I still can't quite picture one, but their various features are intriguing and it's fun to speculate on their origin and history. On the downside, a number of the major transitional events and arcs in the story are not only a little unclear due the odd speechways of the aliens and/or a lack of explanation, but don't seem to happen for convincing reasons. In the past I've wished for a book that truly communicated the impenetrable alien-ness of aliens rather than just sticking pointy ears and green skin on what are otherwise essentially humans. I suppose the lack of explanation here did that to a small degree, but I think it was unintentional and really more due to sub-par story construction.

I'm still glad I read it, just to breathe some life into one of my daydreams. I hope somebody will now write a fantasy/sci-fi book about another of my daydreams: a guy who has the power to make the garbage take itself out instantly with just the snap of the fingers and has a magic refrigerator in which things never go bad.(less)

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Dec 03, 2010 Shirari Industries rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: antispeciesists, people who like horses, anticapitalists

Recommended to Shirari by: io9

Shelves: animals, useful-animal-rights-books

The Mount is set in a scifi future in which humans have lost our top spot on the planet. Small aliens with superior technology have taken over and convinced us that serving them is now our best option. So the aliens ride on humans' shoulders, using training and tack to keep us in line, just as humans do with horses. The story focuses on one human and one alien who forge a special bond and help the others of both species to change this situation for the better. The protagonist's father, an "untra...more The Mount is set in a scifi future in which humans have lost our top spot on the planet. Small aliens with superior technology have taken over and convinced us that serving them is now our best option. So the aliens ride on humans' shoulders, using training and tack to keep us in line, just as humans do with horses. The story focuses on one human and one alien who forge a special bond and help the others of both species to change this situation for the better. The protagonist's father, an "untrainable" human treated badly until he's very broken, helps our hero to see that the aliens are not as kind and gentle as they always insist they are. Their words pacify humans, while their actions control and abuse us.

I thought Emshwiller did a beautiful job writing these characters and their world - while the plot might sound pretty far-out, it's basically like reading any old story about humans and horses, except we're in a different role than we're used to. I found the book very interesting from an animal rights point of view. It's a lot like Black Beauty, a story about animal husbandry which is really a story about slavery, because these two practices are part of the same set of oppressions. Swap out the protagonist for someone of any species and you get the same narrative: treating someone else sentient as property, even property to be treated kindly, is not respectful - it is oppressive. I'm curious if non-vegans find that this book challenges their speciesism. (My own vegan conclusion: Don't ride anybody of any species, even if they've been bred to "like it". They probably have better things to do, and your treating them like a vehicle is getting in the way of their self actualization.)

It's also compelling if you look at it as an allegory for capitalism. The aliens fill the role of the ruling class, with the press and the police as its mouthpieces, and the humans fill the role of the working people. We try our best to keep our masters happy, and suffer when we fall short. Like "The Mount" we want our clean stall and our racing trophies and nice running shoes. Like him we're happy when our masters pat us and give us strawberries. And we don't even know what we're missing! As the wild humans our hero meets in the hills show us, we have alternatives, but the messy hair and foraged food and ramshackle DIY housing of freedom isn't very attractive to our propagandized eyes. If the world of "Tames" in "The Mount" is a shopping mall, the world of the "Wilds" is a crusty anarchist freestore.

Whether you're looking at this book from a human social justice angle or as an animal rights role reversal, it provides great solutions. Like all of Emshwiller's work, you might read it for the novelty, but you'll come away at the end with ideas to help heal the world.(less)

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Mar 02, 2011 Cindy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi, female-authors, aliens, own, book-club, dystopic-or-apocalyptic, ya-childrens-etc

Such a funny little book. I bought the book partly because of the cover. I was expecting something more grim. Also, I'm labeling this one as YA, even though the publisher hasn't designated it that way. It would be excellent for someone learning English, or who struggles with reading. The story is told from the point-of-view of a pre-teen human "mount."

And no, not "mount" in a pervvy way! Imagine humans as a cross between a horse and a slave, and little alien creatures are perfectly physiologica...more

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May 02, 2008 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: speculativefiction, weird-fiction

At first, I hated this book, and even to the end I had to work to get past the premise. The book takes places on earth in a future where a small but highly intellegent race of alines (Hoots) have conquered and enslaved humanity. They use and treat humans exactly as we use horses -- the Hoots ride their Mounts by sitting on their shoulders, fitting the humans with bits, keeping them in stalls, feeding them apples and other fruit, and racing them for entertainment. This plays out as the least subt...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Bethany rated it 4 of 5 stars

I saw this book in a "best sci fi of the decade" list, and when I read the synopsis I had to pick it up immediately. I used to have this exact imaginary game all the time when I was a kid - that human beings were really just horses (mounts) for small aliens who were smarter than us. It was a fascinating premise, and convincingly written from the point of view of a young man who was bred for obedience, beauty and service and grew up knowing and aspiring to nothing else.

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Oct 17, 2011 Joe Reese rated it 3 of 5 stars

Set in a post-apocalyptic world where miniature aliens ride humans like horses, The Mount asks us to imagine our place on Earth as subordinate to a physically weaker but supposedly intellectually superior race.

The story's strength rests on its central relationship between alien master and human mount, with a teenage narrator delivering a somewhat skewed snapshot of what the world has become.
However, without strong, overpowering or intelligent actions by the aliens themselves, it is a wonder how...more

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Mar 23, 2009 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to give this four stars because the concept is so original and the social commentary so sharp. Unfortunately, the prose style (admittedly necessary since the narrator is the main character, who is a child) really annoyed me and the last fifty pages were terribly rushed, leaving the ending to fall flat. If this had been fifty pages longer and a bit more mature, it really could have been something special.

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May 04, 2012 Maria rated it 2 of 5 stars

Is this YA fiction? If so, probably worth reading to tweens, but this review comes from reading it purely as an adult.

The story is told from the first-person viewpoint of a boy between 11 and 14, and the author makes the decision to write the whole book in that voice. It's a writing style I don't enjoy, thus the low rating.

Otherwise, the plot is interesting--humans enslaved by aliens as riding mounts. There's potential there, but it doesn't really have the time or depth pan out.

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Oct 29, 2011 Stacy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It is thought-provoking and the ending is really lovely. I am becoming a big fan of Carol Emshwiller. Something in her prose style reminds me a bit of Donald Barthelme, who was probably the most exciting writer I was introduced to in college (so long ago). Emshwiller's writing sparks for me in a similar way. Love it.

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Sep 16, 2009 Phair rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

An interesting but slightly weird book. Unfortunately, the humans treated as horses thing kept making me think of one of the erotic s/m Sleeping Beauty books by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice) so that put an *entirely* different vibe in there that I had to keep at bay. The cover art on the paperback is really horrid.

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Jul 22, 2011 Shel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: animal-rights, tiptreeaward, utopias, to-reread

Brilliant! Brilliant! But what is this book about?

How we treat our pets? Specieism and animal rights? Democracy? A utopia where the slaves revolt and create their society in the hills? What happens after an alien invasion? Classism? Are we the ruling class or the revolutionists? Are we the ones who can't walk or the ones who can't see? Cultural conditioning. The dangers of adaptation. Privilege. What it means to be free. Balance of power? A coming of age story: falling in love? Familial love? Ki...more

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Feb 26, 2010 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've never read anything else focusing the internal conflicts someone who's been "liberated" from an oppressor can have. There's a lot to think about here, regarding our relationships with our species as a whole, slaves, and pets, as well as the excuses we allow destiny to provide.

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Apr 03, 2009 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The concept was very interesting and the characters well fleshed out. I enjoyed it but somehow felt that the world the author created felt flat and two dimensional. While this didn't detract from the interesting concept and obvious allegory, it kept me from giving it 4 stars.

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Jul 31, 2009 Loewyn Young rated it 4 of 5 stars

A very original story and an interesting exploration of the slave mentality. A little too simply written for me, but it was told in the perspective of a 12 year old (who has been bred in captivity by space aliens to be the human equivalent of a speedway scooter).

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Sep 14, 2010 Libby rated it 4 of 5 stars

An interesting coming-of-age novel set in the future. A race of lemur-like beings have taken over and use humans as a means of transport. The previous sentence makes it sound stranger than it is; worth reading.

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Dec 18, 2009 Kari Hilwig rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I didn't think much of the book when I read it four or so years ago. I remember liking it, but not loving it. However, years later I will still recall this book and the effect it had on me. Creepy and chilling.

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Apr 23, 2009 Alissabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, sci-fi-fantasy-ya

An amazing book - the best sort of sci-fi fable that refuses to go where I kept thinking it had to. Must read for anyone who loves a riveting quick read that has the depth to keep you thinking long after you've blazed through it.

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Jan 17, 2013 Dave Morris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not just another "aliens have conquered the earth" entry - this allegory asks us consider to what degree we have exchanged true freedom for comfort, and whether there can be a way that sees cooperation better than competition

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About Carol Emshwiller

Carol Emshwiller is an American writer of avant garde short stories and science fiction who has won prizes including the Nebula and Philip K. Dick Awards. Ursula K. Le Guin has called her "a major fabulist, a marvelous magical realist, one of the strongest, most complex, most consistently feminist voices in fiction." In 2005, she was awarded the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement. Her most r...more

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Report to the Men's Club and Other Stories

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The Mount

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