The Sum of Her Parts

Tipping Point #3

by Alan Dean Foster

In this thrilling science fiction adventure—the triumphant conclusion to the Tipping Point trilogy— New York Times bestselling author Alan Dean Foster returns to a near future in which genetic manipulation and extreme body modification have changed profoundly what it means to be human.
 
Dr. Ingrid Seastrom was once a respected American physician. Whispr, whose body has been transformed to preternatural thinness, was once a streetwise thief. Now, in a world on the edge of catastrophe from centuries of environmental exploitation, they are allies—thrust together by fate to unravel an impossible mystery—even as they are stalked by a relentless killer.
 
Ingrid and Whispr are hunted fugitives bound together by a a data-storage thread made of a material that cannot exist, yet somehow does. Their quest to learn its secrets—and, in Whispr’s case, sell them to the highest bidder—has brought them to South Africa’s treacherous Namib desert. Beyond its dangers waits a heavily guarded research facility that promises answers, if they can survive long enough to get there. But that won’t be easy, not with Napun Molé on their trail. They’ve already escaped the assassin twice, and as far as Molé is concerned, finishing them off isn’t just a job anymore . . . it’s personal.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Audiobook, Dystopia, Fantasy, Adult Fiction

273 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Bestselling science fiction writer Alan Dean Foster was born in New York City in 1946, but raised mainly in California. He received a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA in 1968, and a M.F.A. in 1969. Foster lives in Arizona with his wife, but he enjoys traveling because it gives him opportunities to meet new people and explore new places and cultures. This interest is carried over to his writing, but with a twist: the new places encountered in his books are likely to be on another planet, and the people may belong to an alien race.

Foster began his career as an author when a letter he sent to Arkham Collection was purchased by the editor and published in the magazine in 1968. His first novel, The Tar-Aiym Krang, introduced the Humanx Commonwealth, a galactic alliance between humans and an insectlike race called Thranx. Several other novels, including the Icerigger trilogy, are also set in the world of the Commonwealth. The Tar-Aiym Krang also marked the first appearance of Flinx, a young man with paranormal abilities, who reappears in other books, including Orphan Star, For Love of Mother-Not, and Flinx in Flux.

Foster has also written The Damned series and the Spellsinger series, which includes The Hour of the Gate, The Moment of the Magician, The Paths of the Perambulator, and Son of Spellsinger, among others. Other books include novelizations of science fiction movies and television shows such as Star Trek, The Black Hole, Starman, Star Wars, and the Alien movies. Splinter of the Mind's Eye, a bestselling novel based on the Star Wars movies, received the Galaxy Award in 1979. The book Cyber Way won the Southwest Book Award for Fiction in 1990. His novel Our Lady of the Machine won him the UPC Award (Spain) in 1993. He also won the Ignotus Award (Spain) in 1994 and the Stannik Award (Russia) in 2000.

Reviews

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK with the end of the trilogy, like always i’ll Review the book and series overall. The book was a good fast paced SiFi/adventure read. Nice and engaging with good story flow. The trilogy overall is very nice SiFi with a ton of futuristic transhuman elements and plot points. Very well done just like you expect from a Foster book. Recommended

[Bob Blob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Signal ist der letzte Teil der Trilogie. Der Erste Band war ganz gut, der zweite wirkte schon etwas umstrukturiert und der dritte jetzt war phasenweise gähnend langweilig und teils sehr vorhersehbar und die Conlusio kam dann sehr überstürzt und wirkte irgendwie stark überhastet. Außerdem und das ist jetzt meine persönliche Präferenz gefiel mir das Ende nicht weil es weder Happy End noch anderweitig inspirierend war.

[Kailey Grannan · Rating 5 out of 5]

the story begins a little hard to follow. However, I will stay that Foster is such a descriptive writer! He paints a clear picture of a theorized future for the world. I find Foster's use of wordplay interesting, joining two words to make a new name for geological and cultural areas. Furthermore, I admire Foster's horoscope of the World in generations to come. The social and economic issue tackled in Foster's novel is not too far from the truth of the present.

[Bart Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a letdown, since I basically guessed the "Big Picture" well before the end of the series. However, Foster simply does not write awful material, so that the descriptions of Melds, locales, fauna, and action carry the story well.

[Joe Jungers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok - so that wasn't the ending I expected.

The ending seemed a little rushed, but I can see how the protagonists ended up where they did.

Not a bad read.


Also - Meercats rock.

[Brendan Powell · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay series. I really felt it could have been just one book rather than a trilogy...

[Greg Ory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty fun story, a nice conclusion to the series, took some turns that I wasn’t expecting, ya I enjoyed it. Glimpses of a possible future are always interesting.

[Stefani Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been a difficult book to rate. Once again I find myself torn in between a not so good two stars and a very good four stars, which ultimately leads to the conclusion that three stars is the most accurate. I had an interesting journey with this book and it made it difficult to form my thoughts on this. Now I will share that journey with you. Now, to start, I do want to point out that this is the conclusion to a trilogy. I did not know this when I received the book for review and I have not read the previous two books.

Not reading the prior books led me to my first problem with this book. In the entirety of the novel there is literally no recap of the major characters or plot points in the previous books. For dedicated readers that might not be a big deal, but for a reader who may have forgotten or a new reader to the book this is vital. I was thrust into a world with its own language, its own geography, its own rules and I had nothing to guide me in that world. When a character would say something like, “Remember what happened in X?” And all I could think was, no I don’t please tell me. But I never got told. Certain things I stumbled through and figured out, like that manip meant a body modification procedure. Or gengineering was genetic engineering. But all I knew of the plot was that Whispr got his hands on a data thread and went to Ingrid for help deciphering it. This led them on a journey to a very dangerous place to try to find out what was on the data thread, and for some reason an assassin was hired to get the thread back and eliminate them. The why, how, and when of all this I have no idea.

However, even without any recap of the prior books, I found myself drawn in. The characters were very well crafted and enjoyable to read. Whispr made me laugh and quite frankly was often the voice of reason when Ingrid had me rolling my eyes at her naivety. I was drawn into their journey and even though I didn’t know why this data thread was important I was rooting for them to figure it out successfully. I loved this story! I was so enthralled with it that I no longer cared about my initial confusion. I loved this world and the people in it. I got shivers when the bad guys showed up, and I laughed at the absurdity of some of the happenings. I mean, come on, how can you not giggle at murderous genetically modified sentient meerkats? That’s hilariously creative! I fact, I think the meerkats might have been my favorite characters! I enjoyed this story so much that I was preparing my purchase of the first two books so that I could read the entire journey. And then I got to the ending and I was no longer sure that I wanted to read the entire journey.

The ending of this book made me feel incredibly ripped off and like I wasted my time. At first it was alright because it was just Ingrid being an idiot, Whispr had always been my favorite anyway and he still kept his brains about him. I was so angry that they figure out this mystery they have risked their lives for and then….just threw their hands in the air and went “okay, we’ll go with that.” No, no and no! Then Whispr fell into it too! I was so angry and I felt like I had just read all this for nothing. If I was a dedicated reader of the entire trilogy I would have been severely disappointed that it all ended that way. So for that reason, I don’t think I want to read the rest of the trilogy knowing that it ends so badly. Luckily this book had enough good things in the middle to keep me relatively happy with the story in general. And so I write this review torn, disappointed, and yet still vaguely amused by those meerkats.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Del Rey!

This and other great reviews at my blog, Stefani's World of Words

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad I finally got to finish this series.
The ending was not what I expected...

*SPOILERS*


I liked their journey to Nerens, the desert was interesting, and Whisper
and the Doctor were finally really getting along, but the end felt disappointing.
Foster had this great trilogy going and I was so into it, especially through the first 2 books...
The aliens ruined this story for me, similar to the last Indiana Jones movie, just ruined the
thrill of the unknown factor in the plot...

[Facedeer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I shelved this as "gave up on" because I only skimmed through it lightly to get the gist of how the series concluded. Having powered through the first two books I at least wanted to find out what the MacGuffin really was and whether I should have cared about it or any of the characters.

Spoilers, I guess:


The "distributor" thread is how those little micro-implants Ingrid discovered way back in the first book are transported. So literally nothing new is learned when the MacGuffin is explained.

The implants are sort of explained, at least. Turns out they're made by aliens who are trying to help humanity "mature" as a species and gain a more cosmic and altruistic perspective, to ensure that we don't get wiped out by some sort of natural disaster before we have a chance to join the larger galactic community. SAEK is being used as a front organization for that. The characters don't really discover this through the course of the book, though, they're just told about it by the aliens themselves at the end.

Once again, the worldbuilding is an inconsistent failure. It's been established since the first book that humanity already has several offworld colonies, on Mars and Titan, and that they're apparently large and prosperous enough that it's not completely out of the ordinary to see colonists from there visiting Earth. And we don't seem particularly at risk from the climate changes and whatnot that have afflicted Earth so far. Methinks the aliens are rather late to the party.

At least I was kind of right when I kept withholding judgement on the "villainous" nature of SAEK. I guess. They do still do a lot of flagrant brutal murders. But Ingrid immediately decides to join their noble cause so I guess that's not considered as bad a thing in that society as I would have expected.

Anyway. This series was a huge waste of time. Very disappointing from Foster, whose work I've enjoyed in the past.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Sum of Her Parts (The Tipping Point Trilogy Book 3)
Alan Dean Foster
This is the final segment of a 3 part story. The picture of the world that was portrayed in the first book, "The Human Blend" was quite intriguing. The future was one where global warming had fulfilled all of the dire warnings we have been hearing for years. The oceans had risen which flooded the low-lying coastal cities. To combat the rising water, some cities had been built on stilts or floats. The warmer climate had driven tropical animals toward what had formerly been the temperate regions. More powerful tropical storms hit the coastlines more frequently. They had fashioned large moveable shields to divert the winds. And the most engaging part of the new world was the dramatically improved ability to adjust ones self. To have any sort of modification to your body that you could imagine, as long has you could pay for it.
This was the world in the first book. The third book takes place entirely in the desert of South Africa, on the lands of a South African company, SAEC. The two protagonists of this series, Dr. Ingrid Seastrom and Whispr continue on their quest to discover what the metallic thread found in the first book, has hidden inside of its encrypted data. They are trying to break into the SAEC research facility, which is in the middle of a large heavily guarded and patrolled desert.
I was hoping that Mr. Foster would be using the setting that was developed in the first book as a basis for many more stories, but the ending of this book makes that very unlikely.
If you have started reading the series, you will want to finish it. I think that the series had more promise than it delivered. I give this 3 out of 5 stars.
I received this book for free from Net Galley.

[Mandeep’s reads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sc-fi set in the near future on earth. Urban sc-fi? This review is for the series as a whole. I think the 3 books would have worked better if they were condensed into 1 book. There were a lot of characters, information about randomn melds, and senseless killing (for ex. Mole burning down an apt building) that I could have done without. The overall story is about a family doctor who discovers an impossible metal chip like device in her young patient's brain, and a street thief who steals a thread made of the same impossible metal from a mark (killed mark). They go on a quest to figure out what this metal is, why it's showing up in teens' brains, and what it's worth. Of course they are doing this while being on the run. The main opponent hunting them is Napun Mole, a chilling sociopath. Their adventure takes them to various off the grid information experts, into South Africa, on a safari, and then the Namib desert. It got repetitive after awhile and I found myself skimming. For ex. during the safari the reader is inundated with names of resurrected previously extinct species for no reason. The ending to book 3 felt abrupt, but it was alluded to earlier. Having said all this I did enjoy parts of the story, just wish it had been shortened.

[William Bentrim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sum of Her Parts by Alan Dean Foster

This is volume three of the Tipping Point Trilogy. My biggest complaint is that I haven’t read the previous two books. This is a quest for truth in a desert populated by widely varied mutants.

Dr. Ingrid and Whispr, a meld, spend a lot of time ducking and weaving through an enormous number of adversaries. A meld is apparently a genetically or surgically reconstructed being. I would know for sure if I didn’t have another complaint. That complaint would be almost a total lack of back story. Although the book stood alone quite well, it would have been better with some back story. For example, I would know precisely how melds are created.

The creativity Foster exhibits in his characters and plots is to be applauded. I have read much of his work and have been uniformly pleased. This story is no exception. Anthropomorphism is involved and if you have read any of my posts, you are aware of how much I enjoy that.

I really enjoyed the book, the extreme diversity and complexity of the characters and the ending which was not predictable.

I recommend the book.

[Dianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Sum of Her Parts is book three of a trilogy and unfortunately I haven't read books one or two, but, I did read the blurbs, reviews for those books and with statements made in this book, get the idea that being human in this futuristic world means, mostly likely, you have had 'manipulation' or melding done to make you 'more' than before. Scientist Dr. Ingrid Seastrom and Whispr, a professional thief who has been altered to be cadaver thin are on a quest to find a super secret compound that holds means to save the planet, or in Whispr's case, get rich!

These two have an interesting relationship, often full of sarcastic barbs, Whispr is secretly longing for the beautiful, determined and brilliant Ingrid. There is trouble all along the way, from dangerous animal attacks, to near drownings, to being hunted by the evil hired killer, Napun Molé, a psychopath tracking them on their African trek.

Interspersed throughout the action is some dry humor, which brings more life to this book! Fascinating read for those who enjoy sci-fi, human enhancements! A story well-told!

This edition was provided by Netgalley and Del Rey Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

[PopcornReads - MkNoah · Rating 4 out of 5]

You need to read the first two books in this trilogy before reading The Sum of Her Parts. There is no recap and there are no flashbacks to prior events to help readers new to this world. It’s possible to understand what’s going on in this third book without reading the other two books but it’s frustrating enough that I wouldn’t recommend it. And it’s such a good story that it’s worth reading all three books. If a sci-fi, dystopian, near-future, mystery/thriller about futuristic genetic modification and body manipulation interests you then you’re going to love this trilogy. And, of course, my review contains some spoilers for the first two books. Read my review at http://popcornreads.com/?p=5088.

[Jens Walter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es ist geschafft. Ich habe, allen Phasen, in denen ich einfach aufgeben wollte, zum Trotz, tatsächlich die Reihe abgeschlossen. Und wie befürchtet, ist es ganz am Ende noch mal interessant geworden. Die letzten 40 oder 50 Seiten. Von 350. Des letzten Bandes der Reihe.

Was den drei Büchern gut tun würde, geht über eine Kürzung weit hinaus: Foster hätte aus der Idee einen gestrafften Band machen sollen. Das wäre dann auch kurzweilig gewesen.

Der dritte Band macht Anfangs das weiter, was sich durch den gesamten zweiten Band zog: Elend lange Reiseberichte, in denen die Protagonisten von einer Situation in die andere stolpern und sich nicht ein einziges Mal aus eigenem Antrieb ihrer Probleme entledigen, und stereotype Charaktere, die kein bisschen Entwicklung in ihrer Denkweise durchmachen.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story goes on and on...and finally, suddenly, ends. IMO, this trilogy could have used less middle and a longer ending. Our odd couple of protagonists goes on and on in their ill-conceived quest. They encounter all sorts of diverting people and critters, and various bad guys manage to get put out of the way. It's so full of logic gaps that you just have to suspend disbelief. Then they reach their objective and get their answers, all in the last 40 pages. Loose ends are tied up, but I didn't find it all that satisfying - it was all formula. This is Alan Dean Foster, so sure, the world, settings, and characters are pretty cool. But it's nowhere near his best.

[Mark Isaak · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was not completely satisfying. It did not focus on the main "body shaping" SF theme of the books, but switched to a different, more moralistic theme. And it made parts of what went before seem pointless by showing that something the heroes struggled to avoid was really to their favor. Still, it was an entertaining read with interesting ideas.

[Elyse · Rating 3 out of 5]

glad to finish the series but still think it would have made one good book - turning it into three diminished its story. if he put it all in one book, he would have left out the junk.

all in all, I liked all three

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this conclusion of the trilogy, but things just came together too neatly and too quickly at the end of the book.

[Trey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The end of the trilogy. Great un expected ending. The aliens and all. The series dragged at moments. but overall a lot of fun to read. DR. Ingstom a great character

[Al Menaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Third and lest in this trilogy. Pretty good, but weirdo ending.

[Mary Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely done and enjoyable tale although I have not read the prior stories in this saga. Well written as other Alan Dean Foster books. Enjoy!

[VJ DeLisle · Rating 4 out of 5]

part of Human Stain series