What do you think?
Rate this book
Twin-Bred #1
Twin-Bred
Librarian's note: Alternate cover edition of ASIN B005VDVHQ2.
Can interspecies diplomacy begin in the womb? After seventy years on Tofarn, the human colonists and the native Tofa still know very little about each other. Misunderstanding breed conflict, and the conflicts are escalating. Scientist Mara Cadell’s radical proposal: that host mothers of either species carry fraternal twins, human and Tofa, in the hope that the bond between twins can bridge the gap between species. Mara lost her own twin, Levi, in utero, but she has secretly kept him alive in her mind as companion and collaborator.
Mara succeeds in obtaining governmental backing for her project – but both the human and Tofa establishments have their own agendas. Mara must shepherd the Twin-Bred through dangers she anticipated and others that even the canny Levi could not foresee. Will the Twin-Bred bring peace, war, or something else entirely?
This revised edition removes some unnecessary minor character names, relocates a few scenes into more logical places, and divides chapters that lacked focus as originally organized.
Can interspecies diplomacy begin in the womb? After seventy years on Tofarn, the human colonists and the native Tofa still know very little about each other. Misunderstanding breed conflict, and the conflicts are escalating. Scientist Mara Cadell’s radical proposal: that host mothers of either species carry fraternal twins, human and Tofa, in the hope that the bond between twins can bridge the gap between species. Mara lost her own twin, Levi, in utero, but she has secretly kept him alive in her mind as companion and collaborator.
Mara succeeds in obtaining governmental backing for her project – but both the human and Tofa establishments have their own agendas. Mara must shepherd the Twin-Bred through dangers she anticipated and others that even the canny Levi could not foresee. Will the Twin-Bred bring peace, war, or something else entirely?
This revised edition removes some unnecessary minor character names, relocates a few scenes into more logical places, and divides chapters that lacked focus as originally organized.
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 12, 2011
18 people are currently reading
306 people want to read
About the author
Karen A. Wyle
26 books234 followersKaren A. Wyle is the author of multiple science fiction novels, including The Twin-Bred Series: Books 1-3; YA novel Water to Water; and near-future novels Division, Playback Effect, Who: a novel of the near future, and Donation. Her first novel outside the SF category was the afterlife fantasy/family drama Wander Home. She then turned to historical romance with her Cowbird Creek series, including What Heals the Heart, What Frees the Heart, What Shows the Heart, and What Wakes the Heart. She returned to fantasy with 2023's Far From Mortal Realms: A Novel of Humans and Fae. Her novel The Decision/A Novel of Germany is inspired by a crucial incident in her own family history. Her latest novel, That The Dead May Rest, comes out on October 17, 2025 -- a good month for a paranormal story!
Wyle has also published one nonfiction work, Closest to the Fire: A Writer's Guide to Law and Lawyers, a resource for authors or for anyone interested in understanding more about American law. An updated and slightly retitled edition came out at the end of July 2021.
Finally, Wyle has collaborated with illustrators on five picture books: You Can't Kiss A Bubble; When It's Winter; Wind, Ocean, Grass; Where Fireflies Sleep; and A Boy Who Made Music/The Extraordinary Life of Joaquin Rodrigo. There are more to come!
Wyle was born a Connecticut Yankee, but eventually settled in Bloomington, Indiana, home of Indiana University. She now considers herself a Hoosier. Wyle's childhood ambition was to be the youngest ever published novelist. While writing her first novel at age ten, she was mortified to learn that some British upstart had beaten her to the goal at age nine.
Wyle is a retired appellate attorney, dormant photographer, and mother of two wildly creative adult offspring. Her voice is the product of almost five decades of reading both literary and genre fiction. It is no doubt also influenced, although she hopes not fatally tainted, by her years of law practice. Wyle's near-future novels and her upcoming fantasy novel draw on her legal experience in various respects.
Wyle's personal history has led her to focus on often-intertwined themes of family, communication, the impossibility of controlling events, and the persistence of unfinished business.
Wyle has also published one nonfiction work, Closest to the Fire: A Writer's Guide to Law and Lawyers, a resource for authors or for anyone interested in understanding more about American law. An updated and slightly retitled edition came out at the end of July 2021.
Finally, Wyle has collaborated with illustrators on five picture books: You Can't Kiss A Bubble; When It's Winter; Wind, Ocean, Grass; Where Fireflies Sleep; and A Boy Who Made Music/The Extraordinary Life of Joaquin Rodrigo. There are more to come!
Wyle was born a Connecticut Yankee, but eventually settled in Bloomington, Indiana, home of Indiana University. She now considers herself a Hoosier. Wyle's childhood ambition was to be the youngest ever published novelist. While writing her first novel at age ten, she was mortified to learn that some British upstart had beaten her to the goal at age nine.
Wyle is a retired appellate attorney, dormant photographer, and mother of two wildly creative adult offspring. Her voice is the product of almost five decades of reading both literary and genre fiction. It is no doubt also influenced, although she hopes not fatally tainted, by her years of law practice. Wyle's near-future novels and her upcoming fantasy novel draw on her legal experience in various respects.
Wyle's personal history has led her to focus on often-intertwined themes of family, communication, the impossibility of controlling events, and the persistence of unfinished business.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
October 2, 2012
Quoting myself from a previous review, “Human and alien interaction in sci-fi is one of my favorite themes when it’s done in an intelligent manner, such as in C.J. Cherryh’s Foreigner Universe and many others by her, or with humor, such as in the League of Peoples series by James Alan Gardner’s, which began with Expendable.”
In Cherryh’s Foreigner Universe, human and alien contact began eagerly on both sides, as they seemed similar superficially similar, yet the situation precipituously dipped into danger resulting in violence and aggression but eventually ended in a wise stalemate and limited contact between the two groups only through a translator/diplomat. In Wyle’s Twin-Bred, the situation is more ambiguous and the solution far, far more distract.
My question was, since the two groups couldn’t readily communicate and understand each other, how did they come to the conclusion something as intimate as shared fetus pregnancies would be a possible solution? How could the aliens agree? Yet it takes place, which of course, is the theme of the book, clearly though out by the author and intelligently presented.
There were times when the reflection between Mara and her deceased though “present” twin Levi might have been lessened, as I understood the concept through the description of Twin-Bred in the first place, yet I could understand how this relationship was explanatory for other knowledge and emotions experienced throughout, and the scientist’s driving force behind the experiment.
There was believable complexity and conflict in this moderately paced, lengthy novel, and a mature feel to the characters and writing style. None of the truncated or abbreviated feel some books have these days, Twin-Bred is in classic mode, which might certainly be appreciated by those searching for immersive science fiction.
Specifically for Goodreads rating system, I toggled between a 3 and 4 for this book, because I liked it but it is not one I'd likely go back and read, but there was clear enthusiasm by the author within the work. I can appreciate that immensely, which bumped up the score.
Originally posted on my review/interview site http://flyingwithredhaircrow.wordpres...
In Cherryh’s Foreigner Universe, human and alien contact began eagerly on both sides, as they seemed similar superficially similar, yet the situation precipituously dipped into danger resulting in violence and aggression but eventually ended in a wise stalemate and limited contact between the two groups only through a translator/diplomat. In Wyle’s Twin-Bred, the situation is more ambiguous and the solution far, far more distract.
My question was, since the two groups couldn’t readily communicate and understand each other, how did they come to the conclusion something as intimate as shared fetus pregnancies would be a possible solution? How could the aliens agree? Yet it takes place, which of course, is the theme of the book, clearly though out by the author and intelligently presented.
There were times when the reflection between Mara and her deceased though “present” twin Levi might have been lessened, as I understood the concept through the description of Twin-Bred in the first place, yet I could understand how this relationship was explanatory for other knowledge and emotions experienced throughout, and the scientist’s driving force behind the experiment.
There was believable complexity and conflict in this moderately paced, lengthy novel, and a mature feel to the characters and writing style. None of the truncated or abbreviated feel some books have these days, Twin-Bred is in classic mode, which might certainly be appreciated by those searching for immersive science fiction.
Specifically for Goodreads rating system, I toggled between a 3 and 4 for this book, because I liked it but it is not one I'd likely go back and read, but there was clear enthusiasm by the author within the work. I can appreciate that immensely, which bumped up the score.
Originally posted on my review/interview site http://flyingwithredhaircrow.wordpres...
March 8, 2015
In many ways, Twin Bred reminded me of China Mieville's Embassytown. In both, humans have reached out into space, forged a home on a planet already inhabited by another sentient species, and struggled with their limited ability to communicate with said aliens. And in both, the proposed solution is a kind of bioengineering involving twins.
Twin Bred starts with the conception of this project, and proceeds with great leaps and bounds through the following twenty or so years. The sparse style makes it a little harder to engage with the characters, but Mara Cadell, main character and the driving force behind the project, is intriguing enough to pull the reader along with her. In the first few pages we learn that Mara lost her own twin brother, who became her childhood "imaginary friend," and it's this experience that shapes her to propose the Twin Bred project.
Every person and group in this novel has their own agenda, and I'm sure the author must be well-versed in the politics around large Government-funded projects, because the layers of complex scheming seem plausible even in the more far-fetched moments of the plot.
All in all, this was an enjoyable and original read, with a novel take on the difficulties of culture and communication which are bound to plague inter-species contact one day.
Twin Bred starts with the conception of this project, and proceeds with great leaps and bounds through the following twenty or so years. The sparse style makes it a little harder to engage with the characters, but Mara Cadell, main character and the driving force behind the project, is intriguing enough to pull the reader along with her. In the first few pages we learn that Mara lost her own twin brother, who became her childhood "imaginary friend," and it's this experience that shapes her to propose the Twin Bred project.
Every person and group in this novel has their own agenda, and I'm sure the author must be well-versed in the politics around large Government-funded projects, because the layers of complex scheming seem plausible even in the more far-fetched moments of the plot.
All in all, this was an enjoyable and original read, with a novel take on the difficulties of culture and communication which are bound to plague inter-species contact one day.
December 12, 2011
The summary may sound very sci-fi and off-putting to some readers, but this was a very accessible sci-fi story. It is very character focussed, with very likable characters. I may be a bit biased since I love sci-fi, but found it was a great story that should hold wide appeal to readers.
I loved the extended length of time covered in the book. The story was told over decades, which really allowed the reader to see the longer term effects of the project, and the growth of individual characters. I particularly found myself drawn to Judy and La-ren. They were both strong, intelligent, and likable characters.
One thing I found unusual was the lack of a love story. It seems that almost every book you pick up nowadays has a love story in it, and to read a book without one really stands out.
Overall, this was a great read that should appeal to a wide audience. It was an interesting look at twins, and the bonds they have even over species lines. It also looks at discrimination on a level we have never faced yet, with startling and scary results.
I loved the extended length of time covered in the book. The story was told over decades, which really allowed the reader to see the longer term effects of the project, and the growth of individual characters. I particularly found myself drawn to Judy and La-ren. They were both strong, intelligent, and likable characters.
One thing I found unusual was the lack of a love story. It seems that almost every book you pick up nowadays has a love story in it, and to read a book without one really stands out.
Overall, this was a great read that should appeal to a wide audience. It was an interesting look at twins, and the bonds they have even over species lines. It also looks at discrimination on a level we have never faced yet, with startling and scary results.
December 3, 2012
Twin-bred certainly wins points for complexity and intricate plot development. It wasn't the easiest book to read and Karen recognizes that as she has included a handy appendix at the back of the book outlining the list if characters and puts them in groupings that make sense.
I am not a twin, but there are twins in my family and I found the description of the bond between twins to be both fiercely strong and delicate at the same time. It was truly a beautiful read.
I would class this book as a good one for teens to read, it could be used to show them some aspects of conflict resolution, and dealing with being different. The Twin-bred were exceptional children/young adults. Both highly educated and also with mature-beyond-their-years heads on their shoulders.
Well worth reading! Thanks Karen!
One thing I noticed:
46% - 'H (He) announced his identity, as Henry had asked the Tofa students to do.'
NOTE: I receieved a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review
I am not a twin, but there are twins in my family and I found the description of the bond between twins to be both fiercely strong and delicate at the same time. It was truly a beautiful read.
I would class this book as a good one for teens to read, it could be used to show them some aspects of conflict resolution, and dealing with being different. The Twin-bred were exceptional children/young adults. Both highly educated and also with mature-beyond-their-years heads on their shoulders.
Well worth reading! Thanks Karen!
One thing I noticed:
46% - 'H (He) announced his identity, as Henry had asked the Tofa students to do.'
NOTE: I receieved a copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review
February 21, 2012
Twin-Bred is not my usual type of reading. When I grasped where the story was going I became absorbed in it.
The planet of Tofarn. Humans and Tofa trying to live side-by-side. Lack of communication and social understanding makes them incompatible. One woman's experiment to enable both species to co-exist in harmony.
Filled with characters you can engage with and intricate detail, Karen Wyle has written an edgy story that quickly takes off and makes you believe in the possibilities.
This story is a gem that shines brightly and I hope for a sequel.
The planet of Tofarn. Humans and Tofa trying to live side-by-side. Lack of communication and social understanding makes them incompatible. One woman's experiment to enable both species to co-exist in harmony.
Filled with characters you can engage with and intricate detail, Karen Wyle has written an edgy story that quickly takes off and makes you believe in the possibilities.
This story is a gem that shines brightly and I hope for a sequel.
November 4, 2013
Karen takes you on a journey that really grips your imagination. I enjoyed it!
November 6, 2017
Twin-Bred was a very interesting read. I started it as something to read while my niece was sleeping. At first, it was hard to get into the story as the formatting for the kindle app on the PHONE was horrible. Once I had it on my actual Kindle paperwhite, I was able to following the plot and characters more easily. And there's a lot of plot and a lot of characters. There's a handy list of characters at the end of the book, but I didn't know that when I was halfway through.
The actual story is a fascinating one. The world of twins has always fascinated me and I love the sci-fi twist that Karen Wyle takes on intertwin communications. I really got emotionally invested in the kids involved in the Twin-Bred project. It was a little harder to get on board with Mara, but that might just be me. The inclusion of the Shakespeare play at the end was an interesting addition. It definitely clarified an angle of the story, but may have been a bit on the nose for some readers.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, but the phone formatting was misery. I almost gave up!
The actual story is a fascinating one. The world of twins has always fascinated me and I love the sci-fi twist that Karen Wyle takes on intertwin communications. I really got emotionally invested in the kids involved in the Twin-Bred project. It was a little harder to get on board with Mara, but that might just be me. The inclusion of the Shakespeare play at the end was an interesting addition. It definitely clarified an angle of the story, but may have been a bit on the nose for some readers.
Overall, I enjoyed this book, but the phone formatting was misery. I almost gave up!
January 28, 2018
This sounded interesting on here, and then it happened to be free on kindle at that moment, and it was great. It really pulled me in. Only problem was how it switched characters too suddenly and left me confused a lot.
February 22, 2012
From the blurb:
Can interspecies diplomacy begin in the womb?
In Twin-Bred, the human colony on Tofarn and the indigenous Tofa have great difficulty communicating with and basically comprehending each other. Scientist Mara Cadell, who lost a fraternal twin in utero, proposes that host mothers of either or both species carry twins, one human and one Tofa, in the hope that the bond between twins can bridge the gap between species. Mara has secretly kept her own twin, Levi, alive in her mind as a companion and collaborator.
Mara succeeds in obtaining governmental backing for her project – but both the human and Tofa establishments have their own agendas. Mara must shepherd the Twin-Bred through dangers she anticipated and others that even the canny Levi could not foresee. Will the Twin-Bred bring peace, war, or something else entirely?
Twin-Bred is a fantastic debut novel, set on the planet Tofarn where a human colony is struggling to communicate with and live along the indigenous Tofa. The differences in their species, not only in communication, but also expectations, habits and way of life, coupled with hesitation towards and suspicion of each other, are preventing a harmonious co-existence.
Enter 'mad' scientist Mara Cadell, who lost her own twin Levi before birth but has secretly kept him alive all these years in her mind. Mara suggests a radical project, where human and Tofa mothers are impregnated with twins, one human and one Tofa fetus, in hopes that the special bond and communication methods formed between twins in the womb will help bring about a better understanding and bridge the differences between the two species down the road.
The early chapters of this epic novel are a little difficult to get through, as POVs and time frames jump back and forth while the author gives background history of the humans and the Tofa.
Once the project receives government approval and is underway, the novel really delves into its genre. Human eggs are harvested, not only from the host mothers, and fertilized while the Tofa bring frozen embryos to be implanted into the host mothers. From the get-go, the project runs into difficulties and setbacks, and the reader must pay good attention to all the various subplots that run through the chapters as every little bit of information provided may become important towards the end of the novel. Things that seemed odd to be mentioned had purpose that wasn't revealed until the final chapters.
There are conspiracies against the project, both from the human and Tofa side, though the Tofa seem much more subtle in their approach. And about 60% into the novel, things turn violent.
In the end, the project is successful and fails at the same time. It's successful in proving the bond between twins, even those of different species, but it fails in uniting the humans with the Tofa.
While this may be billed as a sci-fi novel, and some of the plot points certainly qualify it for that, the book's underlying theme is also very much applicable to numerous conflicts throughout history and even today.
In every situation where a group of people land on foreign shores, the communication with the indigenous people is going to be difficult. An approach full of suspicion will only lead to conflict in the long run. I was reminded of the "White Man" coming to America and being confronted with the Native Americans whose customs and habits and language were certainly different. I was reminded of conflicts today where nations are torn apart by religious conflicts.
Karen A. Wyle weaves a richly imaginative tale of interspecies relations that is, despite its futuristic setting, perfectly applicable to days gone by and even today. The book's descriptive storytelling, as well as the author's extraordinary ability to add numerous thought-provoking concepts throughout made me want to give this debut novel 5 stars. Unfortunately, the anti-climatic ending fell really flat for me and I am thus removing one star. At the same time, the ending, while completing the main story, leaves room for possible extension into another novel, which I'd be very interested in reading, if the author chooses to go that route.
I very much enjoyed reading this book and am glad that I pushed my way through the early chapters. This is one I'll gladly re-read down the road.
Please be aware that I received a complimentary copy of the electronic version from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Can interspecies diplomacy begin in the womb?
In Twin-Bred, the human colony on Tofarn and the indigenous Tofa have great difficulty communicating with and basically comprehending each other. Scientist Mara Cadell, who lost a fraternal twin in utero, proposes that host mothers of either or both species carry twins, one human and one Tofa, in the hope that the bond between twins can bridge the gap between species. Mara has secretly kept her own twin, Levi, alive in her mind as a companion and collaborator.
Mara succeeds in obtaining governmental backing for her project – but both the human and Tofa establishments have their own agendas. Mara must shepherd the Twin-Bred through dangers she anticipated and others that even the canny Levi could not foresee. Will the Twin-Bred bring peace, war, or something else entirely?
Twin-Bred is a fantastic debut novel, set on the planet Tofarn where a human colony is struggling to communicate with and live along the indigenous Tofa. The differences in their species, not only in communication, but also expectations, habits and way of life, coupled with hesitation towards and suspicion of each other, are preventing a harmonious co-existence.
Enter 'mad' scientist Mara Cadell, who lost her own twin Levi before birth but has secretly kept him alive all these years in her mind. Mara suggests a radical project, where human and Tofa mothers are impregnated with twins, one human and one Tofa fetus, in hopes that the special bond and communication methods formed between twins in the womb will help bring about a better understanding and bridge the differences between the two species down the road.
The early chapters of this epic novel are a little difficult to get through, as POVs and time frames jump back and forth while the author gives background history of the humans and the Tofa.
Once the project receives government approval and is underway, the novel really delves into its genre. Human eggs are harvested, not only from the host mothers, and fertilized while the Tofa bring frozen embryos to be implanted into the host mothers. From the get-go, the project runs into difficulties and setbacks, and the reader must pay good attention to all the various subplots that run through the chapters as every little bit of information provided may become important towards the end of the novel. Things that seemed odd to be mentioned had purpose that wasn't revealed until the final chapters.
There are conspiracies against the project, both from the human and Tofa side, though the Tofa seem much more subtle in their approach. And about 60% into the novel, things turn violent.
In the end, the project is successful and fails at the same time. It's successful in proving the bond between twins, even those of different species, but it fails in uniting the humans with the Tofa.
While this may be billed as a sci-fi novel, and some of the plot points certainly qualify it for that, the book's underlying theme is also very much applicable to numerous conflicts throughout history and even today.
In every situation where a group of people land on foreign shores, the communication with the indigenous people is going to be difficult. An approach full of suspicion will only lead to conflict in the long run. I was reminded of the "White Man" coming to America and being confronted with the Native Americans whose customs and habits and language were certainly different. I was reminded of conflicts today where nations are torn apart by religious conflicts.
Karen A. Wyle weaves a richly imaginative tale of interspecies relations that is, despite its futuristic setting, perfectly applicable to days gone by and even today. The book's descriptive storytelling, as well as the author's extraordinary ability to add numerous thought-provoking concepts throughout made me want to give this debut novel 5 stars. Unfortunately, the anti-climatic ending fell really flat for me and I am thus removing one star. At the same time, the ending, while completing the main story, leaves room for possible extension into another novel, which I'd be very interested in reading, if the author chooses to go that route.
I very much enjoyed reading this book and am glad that I pushed my way through the early chapters. This is one I'll gladly re-read down the road.
Please be aware that I received a complimentary copy of the electronic version from the author in exchange for an honest review.
February 13, 2012
Twin-Bred involves travel into a fantastically inventive world of aliens, twins, and super-science. My review copy of Twin-Bred was oh-so-generously provided by the author, Karen Wyle.
[NB Feb 13: I was just informed by the author that Twin-Bred is now part of KDP Select, which means Amazon Prime members can borrow the book for free, at least from now until May 10, 2012 or so, and everyone will be able to download it for free from Amazon on February 15-16. Happy Reading!! J-E]
This book was fab-you-less. I had a feeling it would be right up my alley when I first saw the blurb describing it. When you start gathering together strings of words that include interspecies diplomacy, intriguing, government, enigma, and ever-cynical (and those are just from the blurb!), you’re sure to catch my eye. When you couple that with compelling writing, complex and interesting characters, a plot heavy on intrigue and drama (heavy, that is, without being melodramatic) and a unique setting, well, you’re sure to catch much more than my eye. You’ll also catch my interest and my admiration.
Wyle’s story has it all – laughter, tears, head-shaking, double-takes (literally, teehee), righteous indignation, a teensy bit of shame at the use-it-and-find-a-new-one attitude of all too many people… Twin-Bred is primarily the story of Dr. Mara Cadell, a scientist with a personal interest in twins that leads her to develop a strategy to save the planet.
Not Earth, mind you, we humans abandoned that one ages ago in Wyle’s clever creation. No, I’m talking about Tofarn, her decidedly original alterna-world which the humans invaded – wait, um, I mean, moved onto – after the Earth was no longer habitable (you can guess why – humans are humans in every context, unfortunately, even science fictional ones). The Tofa and humans are having issues (surprise, surprise), and the good doctor’s plan is aimed at resolving the ever-growing tensions between the races. Tensions that are, in large measure, due to the difficulties of inter-species communication as a result of the Tofa lack of what humans consider a face.
Neato keen, eh?
The aliens are unique, and the world they inhabit is as well. So is the good doctor’s plan. She has decided that the solution to the communication gap is to genetically engineer a race of Twin-Bred – twins consisting of one human and one Tofa that are implanted in human and Tofa birth mothers. Why she thinks this will work is one of the more fascinating elements of the story – she bases her belief in the powers of twin communication on the “relationship” she has with her own twin, Levi. Why “relationship” you ask? Well, um, Levi died when Mara was a wee small baby.
Double neato keen, eh? I couldn’t agree more.
Nothing like a little dead-twin communication to spark scientific creativity, eh? Then again, is Levi really “dead”? Wyle cleverly weaves a psychiatrist into the mix in a manner that leaves the reader wondering exactly what Levi’s status is in this world (or any other) – wonder that only grows as the story develops and the plot thickens.
This is a truly unique trip into a novel, intriguing, and reader-friendly world that is populated by a mixture of good guys, bad guys, and aliens – and believe me, you will shake your head more than once along the way as you try to decide which characters fall within which categories. There are some twists and turns I didn’t see coming (regular readers already know this, but if you are new to my reviews/opinions, let me say this: there is no higher praise from me than when I acknowledge that an author threw me for a loop; when you read as much as I do, that doesn’t happen near often enough for my taste!), and the plot moves along at a brisk yet not over-quick pace. There is a nice balance of science and fiction, with an emphasis on the latter. I read a lot of sci-fi, and occasionally find myself lost in the technicalities; Wyle managed to give enough technical details to keep me feeling like I was following why things worked/happened, but not so many that I ever felt adrift in a sea of overwhelming terminology/concepts.
She also sets the ending up nicely for a sequel – and boy oh boy do I hope she’s writing one! Don’t miss this one kids, I promise you’ll enjoy it…
[NB Feb 13: I was just informed by the author that Twin-Bred is now part of KDP Select, which means Amazon Prime members can borrow the book for free, at least from now until May 10, 2012 or so, and everyone will be able to download it for free from Amazon on February 15-16. Happy Reading!! J-E]
This book was fab-you-less. I had a feeling it would be right up my alley when I first saw the blurb describing it. When you start gathering together strings of words that include interspecies diplomacy, intriguing, government, enigma, and ever-cynical (and those are just from the blurb!), you’re sure to catch my eye. When you couple that with compelling writing, complex and interesting characters, a plot heavy on intrigue and drama (heavy, that is, without being melodramatic) and a unique setting, well, you’re sure to catch much more than my eye. You’ll also catch my interest and my admiration.
Wyle’s story has it all – laughter, tears, head-shaking, double-takes (literally, teehee), righteous indignation, a teensy bit of shame at the use-it-and-find-a-new-one attitude of all too many people… Twin-Bred is primarily the story of Dr. Mara Cadell, a scientist with a personal interest in twins that leads her to develop a strategy to save the planet.
Not Earth, mind you, we humans abandoned that one ages ago in Wyle’s clever creation. No, I’m talking about Tofarn, her decidedly original alterna-world which the humans invaded – wait, um, I mean, moved onto – after the Earth was no longer habitable (you can guess why – humans are humans in every context, unfortunately, even science fictional ones). The Tofa and humans are having issues (surprise, surprise), and the good doctor’s plan is aimed at resolving the ever-growing tensions between the races. Tensions that are, in large measure, due to the difficulties of inter-species communication as a result of the Tofa lack of what humans consider a face.
Neato keen, eh?
The aliens are unique, and the world they inhabit is as well. So is the good doctor’s plan. She has decided that the solution to the communication gap is to genetically engineer a race of Twin-Bred – twins consisting of one human and one Tofa that are implanted in human and Tofa birth mothers. Why she thinks this will work is one of the more fascinating elements of the story – she bases her belief in the powers of twin communication on the “relationship” she has with her own twin, Levi. Why “relationship” you ask? Well, um, Levi died when Mara was a wee small baby.
Double neato keen, eh? I couldn’t agree more.
Nothing like a little dead-twin communication to spark scientific creativity, eh? Then again, is Levi really “dead”? Wyle cleverly weaves a psychiatrist into the mix in a manner that leaves the reader wondering exactly what Levi’s status is in this world (or any other) – wonder that only grows as the story develops and the plot thickens.
This is a truly unique trip into a novel, intriguing, and reader-friendly world that is populated by a mixture of good guys, bad guys, and aliens – and believe me, you will shake your head more than once along the way as you try to decide which characters fall within which categories. There are some twists and turns I didn’t see coming (regular readers already know this, but if you are new to my reviews/opinions, let me say this: there is no higher praise from me than when I acknowledge that an author threw me for a loop; when you read as much as I do, that doesn’t happen near often enough for my taste!), and the plot moves along at a brisk yet not over-quick pace. There is a nice balance of science and fiction, with an emphasis on the latter. I read a lot of sci-fi, and occasionally find myself lost in the technicalities; Wyle managed to give enough technical details to keep me feeling like I was following why things worked/happened, but not so many that I ever felt adrift in a sea of overwhelming terminology/concepts.
She also sets the ending up nicely for a sequel – and boy oh boy do I hope she’s writing one! Don’t miss this one kids, I promise you’ll enjoy it…
May 9, 2012
After 70 years of colonizing on the planet of Tofarn, humans and native Tofa still can't find a way to communicate or learn about each other in order to live in harmony together. Blended Tofa / Human communities have not done well, some have formally disbanded and others are on the verge of falling apart. Because of continued misunderstandings and communication failures, a new way to learn about each other is needed. Dr. Mara Cadell, a scientist comes up with a plan proposing to have Human and Tofa host mothers carry twin fetuses (one human, one Tofa) in the hope that the Twin-Bred will initiate interactions and communication in utero that will bond them together and bridge the gap between future generations of Humans and Tofa on Tofarn. Mara names the project LEVI (Long-Term Emissary Viviparous Initiative) after her twin brother that died in utero, but to others it is referred to and called "The Project." Will Mara's project succeed as she had planned? Can the Twin-Bred forge a new community of Humans and Tofa that will be able to communicate and understand each other enough to co-exist and live in harmony? Or will the individual plans of the Human and Tofa establishments only serve to destroy both communities and possibly have an irrevocable impact on Tofarn?
Twin-Bred is a unique science fiction novel with an intriguing concept of whether Twin-Bred species can form a bond in utero and when born, use this twin bond to help create a harmonious society for future generations to come. This imaginative storyline encourages the reader to ponder this concept as they turn the pages. The author creates a lot of interesting characters in the story, in fact I felt the need to write them all down so I wouldn't get confused. It was interesting to follow the characters throughout the story, their individual stories added depth and intrigue, it seems like each of them had their own agenda for "The Project." I liked Mara's complicated and complex character the most, you couldn't help but feel for her as you learn about her own tragic story. The author does a good job of providing the reader with more than just a typical sci-fi story, she provides a thought provoking look into social, political and scientific aspects of humanity.
While science fiction is not one of my favorite genres of books to read, I did enjoy reading Twin-Bred. I typically do not like far-fetched stories, but with this story I found myself engaged by the intriguing concept of twin-bred species. Twin-Bred is the story of a scientific attempt to promote a stable, peaceful and harmonic society between two species. Twin-Bred is a very intriguing and thought provoking novel that Sci-Fi fans should put on their reading list!
RATING: 3 STARS *** (My Rating) / 4 STARS **** (Amazon Rating)
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in hosting a virtual book event on my book review blog site.
Virtual Book Event: On Wednesday, May 9, 2012, author Karen A. Wyle participated in a virtual book event with an Author Interview on Jersey Girl Book Reviews.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot...
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot...
Twin-Bred is a unique science fiction novel with an intriguing concept of whether Twin-Bred species can form a bond in utero and when born, use this twin bond to help create a harmonious society for future generations to come. This imaginative storyline encourages the reader to ponder this concept as they turn the pages. The author creates a lot of interesting characters in the story, in fact I felt the need to write them all down so I wouldn't get confused. It was interesting to follow the characters throughout the story, their individual stories added depth and intrigue, it seems like each of them had their own agenda for "The Project." I liked Mara's complicated and complex character the most, you couldn't help but feel for her as you learn about her own tragic story. The author does a good job of providing the reader with more than just a typical sci-fi story, she provides a thought provoking look into social, political and scientific aspects of humanity.
While science fiction is not one of my favorite genres of books to read, I did enjoy reading Twin-Bred. I typically do not like far-fetched stories, but with this story I found myself engaged by the intriguing concept of twin-bred species. Twin-Bred is the story of a scientific attempt to promote a stable, peaceful and harmonic society between two species. Twin-Bred is a very intriguing and thought provoking novel that Sci-Fi fans should put on their reading list!
RATING: 3 STARS *** (My Rating) / 4 STARS **** (Amazon Rating)
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in hosting a virtual book event on my book review blog site.
Virtual Book Event: On Wednesday, May 9, 2012, author Karen A. Wyle participated in a virtual book event with an Author Interview on Jersey Girl Book Reviews.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot...
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot...
March 12, 2012
Big thanks to the author for entrusting me with an honest review.
From the moment I first saw the cover, I knew this book would freak me out. I'd admit I was kind of scared. Hey cover art is a VERY powerful thing. I've been known to love a book far more then it deserved or pass it up completely as because of the creativity invested in that one single image. But Fear? Fear is an entirely NEW emotion. Therefore true to my nature, no way was I going to let an eerie drawing, as they used to say in my old neighborhood, "punk" me. So I, with much effort, steered my eyes to the synopsis: THIS PEEKED MY INTEREST.
So naturally, I agreed to review the book. From the moment I received the ebook via email, my husband and I were is constant discussion. It reminds me of my high school days on the debate team. This is a debate worthy book. There's alot of themes that's keep your mental wheels turning and launching random conversations with strangers long after the story's over. I won't analyze every political or scientific study depicted in the book. However one rendition that was apparent was the L.E.V.I. or Twin-Bred project. It has such similarities and symbolism to the Biblical story of Jacob and Esau. The "two nations, or species in this case, in the womb" as a means of all the motives posed was genius. The personal and psychological and the public and national dimensions of the twin-bred union between the two species are awe inspiring noteworthy.
This story is told in third person point of view. This was both a positive and a negative. The positive is it allowed an insider view of every mechanic of the story and character. The negative is it made the characters look one dimensional. Even after reading the entire story, I still don't feel as if I know the characters very well. In terms of believable, everyone acted too weird to be considered normal. Heck even the main scientist Mara Cadell was kind of "off her rocker". But I won't get into all that. Mara Cadell was great lead character. She a lonely, crazy, smart, lady engrossed in her work. You can't help but love her.
Overall I liked this story. The ending was very unexpected. The reason I can't give it 5 is because it was slow in places; and I'm an action-loving kind of girl. In Summary: Tofarn is the planet the Humans fled to after they used up Earth. The story doesn't really focus on Tofarn, so you'll only get snipids of this new world. But anyway, they land and see that this safe haven is already populated. Needless to say, there is no peace. The Twin-Bred project was created to link the bridge: one human, one Tofu embryo placed in the womb of a human or Tofu host. The experient follows the twins from before IVF to adulthood. If you're wondering how this experiment progressed socially and politically. you'll have to read this to find out.
I would recommend this to sci-fi fanatics and adults. YA readers may enjoy it also, but there's very little normal teenage content to relate.
3.5 hearts
From the moment I first saw the cover, I knew this book would freak me out. I'd admit I was kind of scared. Hey cover art is a VERY powerful thing. I've been known to love a book far more then it deserved or pass it up completely as because of the creativity invested in that one single image. But Fear? Fear is an entirely NEW emotion. Therefore true to my nature, no way was I going to let an eerie drawing, as they used to say in my old neighborhood, "punk" me. So I, with much effort, steered my eyes to the synopsis: THIS PEEKED MY INTEREST.
So naturally, I agreed to review the book. From the moment I received the ebook via email, my husband and I were is constant discussion. It reminds me of my high school days on the debate team. This is a debate worthy book. There's alot of themes that's keep your mental wheels turning and launching random conversations with strangers long after the story's over. I won't analyze every political or scientific study depicted in the book. However one rendition that was apparent was the L.E.V.I. or Twin-Bred project. It has such similarities and symbolism to the Biblical story of Jacob and Esau. The "two nations, or species in this case, in the womb" as a means of all the motives posed was genius. The personal and psychological and the public and national dimensions of the twin-bred union between the two species are awe inspiring noteworthy.
This story is told in third person point of view. This was both a positive and a negative. The positive is it allowed an insider view of every mechanic of the story and character. The negative is it made the characters look one dimensional. Even after reading the entire story, I still don't feel as if I know the characters very well. In terms of believable, everyone acted too weird to be considered normal. Heck even the main scientist Mara Cadell was kind of "off her rocker". But I won't get into all that. Mara Cadell was great lead character. She a lonely, crazy, smart, lady engrossed in her work. You can't help but love her.
Overall I liked this story. The ending was very unexpected. The reason I can't give it 5 is because it was slow in places; and I'm an action-loving kind of girl. In Summary: Tofarn is the planet the Humans fled to after they used up Earth. The story doesn't really focus on Tofarn, so you'll only get snipids of this new world. But anyway, they land and see that this safe haven is already populated. Needless to say, there is no peace. The Twin-Bred project was created to link the bridge: one human, one Tofu embryo placed in the womb of a human or Tofu host. The experient follows the twins from before IVF to adulthood. If you're wondering how this experiment progressed socially and politically. you'll have to read this to find out.
I would recommend this to sci-fi fanatics and adults. YA readers may enjoy it also, but there's very little normal teenage content to relate.
3.5 hearts
April 16, 2012
Mara Cadell is a human scientist on Tofarn. Like every other human, the Tofa, Tofarn's indigenous inhabitants, are a mystery to her. But it's become clear that humans and Tofa are on the path towards conflict if a way of communicating and mediating disputes isn't found. She begins the LEVI project, named after her long-dead twin (who she has kept alive in her mind), in attempt to forge a bridge between species. Human and tofa children will share a uterus and be raised together, in an attempt to create mutual understanding.
Twin-Bred has an interesting premise, but that's where my appreciation of the story ends. Each chapter opens with a snippet of one of Mara's reports on the LEVI project, but Karen A. Wyle may as well have written the whole book in report-form for all the excitement it engenders in readers. The book is written in such a flat, clinical way that I was unable get excited about anything that happened. I was praying for war just so some suspense would be created.
I'm a master at suspending my disbelief, but the plot had so many holes that I just couldn't pull it off for this book. I cannot accept that humans and Tofa are still so ignorant of each other after several generations of co-habiting the same planet. I cannot believe that a random science experiment is the first real attempt at communication. It's just stretching belief too far. Wyle has underestimated her characters and the people who make up her fictional world. If they're smart enough for interstellar travel, they're smart enough to know that good communication is the basis for their survival on Tofarn.
As for characterization, there's both too much and not enough. It seems as though every test subject in the LEVI project gets a chapter. But most of these characters are nothing to readers; readers don't care about them. It becomes painfully monotonous reading the dry conversations between these filler characters. And don't get me started on the authorial choice to create such a terribly boring species as Tofa. They have no facial or body expressions, they don't have sex, and they don't seem to form personal relationships. What kind of entertainment value can a book with Tofa making up half the cast of characters have? There are some moderately interesting characters (Mara, and two of the human host mothers), but you only get to see them on occasion, and they don't really seem to grow or change over the course of the story; their interactions are almost as lifeless as the Tofa's.
If I had been editing this book, I would have told the author to pick a few characters and chronicle their lives during the project, so that readers could see the difference between human life, Tofa life, and twin-bred life, and have the chance to form an emotional bond with the characters. I didn't get to speak to the author, but I do get to speak to you, and I say pass over this one.
To read more of my reviews, visit my blog, StarLit.
Twin-Bred has an interesting premise, but that's where my appreciation of the story ends. Each chapter opens with a snippet of one of Mara's reports on the LEVI project, but Karen A. Wyle may as well have written the whole book in report-form for all the excitement it engenders in readers. The book is written in such a flat, clinical way that I was unable get excited about anything that happened. I was praying for war just so some suspense would be created.
I'm a master at suspending my disbelief, but the plot had so many holes that I just couldn't pull it off for this book. I cannot accept that humans and Tofa are still so ignorant of each other after several generations of co-habiting the same planet. I cannot believe that a random science experiment is the first real attempt at communication. It's just stretching belief too far. Wyle has underestimated her characters and the people who make up her fictional world. If they're smart enough for interstellar travel, they're smart enough to know that good communication is the basis for their survival on Tofarn.
As for characterization, there's both too much and not enough. It seems as though every test subject in the LEVI project gets a chapter. But most of these characters are nothing to readers; readers don't care about them. It becomes painfully monotonous reading the dry conversations between these filler characters. And don't get me started on the authorial choice to create such a terribly boring species as Tofa. They have no facial or body expressions, they don't have sex, and they don't seem to form personal relationships. What kind of entertainment value can a book with Tofa making up half the cast of characters have? There are some moderately interesting characters (Mara, and two of the human host mothers), but you only get to see them on occasion, and they don't really seem to grow or change over the course of the story; their interactions are almost as lifeless as the Tofa's.
If I had been editing this book, I would have told the author to pick a few characters and chronicle their lives during the project, so that readers could see the difference between human life, Tofa life, and twin-bred life, and have the chance to form an emotional bond with the characters. I didn't get to speak to the author, but I do get to speak to you, and I say pass over this one.
To read more of my reviews, visit my blog, StarLit.
May 15, 2013
When considering the possibility of alien contact, I worry how humanity will behave. As a species, we have frequently proven to be intolerant or hostile when confronted with difference (of race, gender, culture, nationality etc.). Sf has frequently used the alien as a metaphor for the other, exposing and critiquing modes of prejudice and oppression. Less socially conscious tales often reveal our assumptions about the other; consider the stereotype of aliens kidnapping humans for experiments or how many sf stories are about violent alien invaders, portraying other intelligent species as our enemies.
Twin-Bred by Karen A. Wyle is a case of humans behaving badly towards an alien whose motives and culture they do not understand because they can’t or won’t speak to them. It’s an almost embarrassing portrayal of close-minded people encountering a race of technologically inferior beings who might turn hostile.
In the novel, a human colony has been living on the planet Tofarn for 70 years. They share the world with the indigenous Tofa, a race of inscrutable four-armed aliens who don’t have any facial features except a blank pair of eyes. The humans do not know how to communicate with the Tofa, and after seven decades of co-habitation the two races still don’t understand each other. So far, this hasn’t been too problematic and the Tofa didn’t seem accepting of the human presence on their planet. But every now and then a conflict arises: the Tofa pack up and leave a village for reasons the humans cannot discern; they complain that humans are shaking hands in public or wearing the colour blue; they make a noise to prevent the humans sleeping at night.
Mara, an ambitious but emotionally dysfunctional young scientist, comes up with a solution: breeding human and Tofa twins. They will not have any genetic relationship; instead, a host mother (human or Tofa) will be implanted with both a human and a Tofa foetus. Mara believes that sharing a womb will forge a unique bond between the twins, finally enabling the two species to communicate. The humans will be able to learn about the Tofa, and the twins will be trained to resolve inter-species conflicts.
Mara’s idea is the result of her bond with Levi, her own twin who died in utero. Mara has secretly kept him alive in her mind as an entity who is also her only friend and confidant. Mara even names her twin project after him: the Long-Term Emissary Viviparous Initiative or L.E.V.I.
The Project gets government backing, probably because the government officials all have their own agendas, hoping to use the twins and their abilities to gain power and influence. Even the Tofa seem to be plotting something, not that any of the humans have the means of finding out what they’re up to.
Read the full review on my blog Violin in a Void.
Twin-Bred by Karen A. Wyle is a case of humans behaving badly towards an alien whose motives and culture they do not understand because they can’t or won’t speak to them. It’s an almost embarrassing portrayal of close-minded people encountering a race of technologically inferior beings who might turn hostile.
In the novel, a human colony has been living on the planet Tofarn for 70 years. They share the world with the indigenous Tofa, a race of inscrutable four-armed aliens who don’t have any facial features except a blank pair of eyes. The humans do not know how to communicate with the Tofa, and after seven decades of co-habitation the two races still don’t understand each other. So far, this hasn’t been too problematic and the Tofa didn’t seem accepting of the human presence on their planet. But every now and then a conflict arises: the Tofa pack up and leave a village for reasons the humans cannot discern; they complain that humans are shaking hands in public or wearing the colour blue; they make a noise to prevent the humans sleeping at night.
Mara, an ambitious but emotionally dysfunctional young scientist, comes up with a solution: breeding human and Tofa twins. They will not have any genetic relationship; instead, a host mother (human or Tofa) will be implanted with both a human and a Tofa foetus. Mara believes that sharing a womb will forge a unique bond between the twins, finally enabling the two species to communicate. The humans will be able to learn about the Tofa, and the twins will be trained to resolve inter-species conflicts.
Mara’s idea is the result of her bond with Levi, her own twin who died in utero. Mara has secretly kept him alive in her mind as an entity who is also her only friend and confidant. Mara even names her twin project after him: the Long-Term Emissary Viviparous Initiative or L.E.V.I.
The Project gets government backing, probably because the government officials all have their own agendas, hoping to use the twins and their abilities to gain power and influence. Even the Tofa seem to be plotting something, not that any of the humans have the means of finding out what they’re up to.
Read the full review on my blog Violin in a Void.
February 3, 2012
Having exhausted Earth's resources, humans have been forced to find another planet which will sustain them. Crossing galaxies, they finally come upon one that looks as if it'll be able to do just that. Unbeknownst to them, another indigenous race already lives there. Nonetheless, the humans will not be deterred and are determined to live amongst these weird, yet intelligent, beings whom they have learned are called Tofa.
Colonizing the new planet is not easy. Relationships between the two races are strained as both seek to govern the other. Communications between both species are practically non-existent as tensions increase and war soon breaks out. The governing power knows that something needs to be done in order to maintain peaceful relations, yet they're unsure of what to do.
Mara Cadell, a scientist in her own right, steps in and suggests that they experiment on whether human and Tofa mothers can carry a set of twins, a child from each species, within their wombs in hopes of broadening their limited communication with the Tofa. She believes that the pairs will allow them to form bonds that may transcend life as they know it so that they can learn more about the perplexing race. Yet what they don't know is that she also has a reason behind wanting to conduct the experiment - one she hopes will help her come to terms with herself and the past she's tried to leave behind.
The experiment is soon underway but the strains between the Tofa and humans continue to escalate. Mara and the surrogate mothers bond with the children, helping them grow along the way. Their plan is to slowly integrate them into society in hopes of gaining a better understanding on how the two races can co-exist.
Yet no one imagined the repercussions of such actions. Mistrust builds on both sides and lives are lost in the process as the scientists seek to better command the already shaky boundaries. Despite this, strong bonds are forged along the way that allow Mara and her subjects to remain close in the face of such adversity.
This was such a unique and quite riveting story. I enjoyed every minute. Karen did a remarkable job in fleshing out her characters and the world they live in. So much so, in fact, that it left me wanting to read more.
Mara's story is very heart-felt and I think we can all relate to losing someone at one point or another. She shows us, though, that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
The story and history behind the Tofa was also endearing, even if they frustrated Mara and the others, at times, with the fact that they refused to communicate as needed. All in all, it's quite a great read and I truly recommend it to others for reading.
Colonizing the new planet is not easy. Relationships between the two races are strained as both seek to govern the other. Communications between both species are practically non-existent as tensions increase and war soon breaks out. The governing power knows that something needs to be done in order to maintain peaceful relations, yet they're unsure of what to do.
Mara Cadell, a scientist in her own right, steps in and suggests that they experiment on whether human and Tofa mothers can carry a set of twins, a child from each species, within their wombs in hopes of broadening their limited communication with the Tofa. She believes that the pairs will allow them to form bonds that may transcend life as they know it so that they can learn more about the perplexing race. Yet what they don't know is that she also has a reason behind wanting to conduct the experiment - one she hopes will help her come to terms with herself and the past she's tried to leave behind.
The experiment is soon underway but the strains between the Tofa and humans continue to escalate. Mara and the surrogate mothers bond with the children, helping them grow along the way. Their plan is to slowly integrate them into society in hopes of gaining a better understanding on how the two races can co-exist.
Yet no one imagined the repercussions of such actions. Mistrust builds on both sides and lives are lost in the process as the scientists seek to better command the already shaky boundaries. Despite this, strong bonds are forged along the way that allow Mara and her subjects to remain close in the face of such adversity.
This was such a unique and quite riveting story. I enjoyed every minute. Karen did a remarkable job in fleshing out her characters and the world they live in. So much so, in fact, that it left me wanting to read more.
Mara's story is very heart-felt and I think we can all relate to losing someone at one point or another. She shows us, though, that anything is possible if you put your mind to it.
The story and history behind the Tofa was also endearing, even if they frustrated Mara and the others, at times, with the fact that they refused to communicate as needed. All in all, it's quite a great read and I truly recommend it to others for reading.
October 23, 2011
TWIN BRED is the fantastic debut novel by Karen A. Wyle, about the human colony on Tofarn as it struggles to interact with the native Tofa. The two species can barely communicate, and fundamentally do not understand each other. But Mara has a solution.
Mara is a scientist who lost her twin brother, Levi, in utero. She always knew about him, and over the years, kept his memory by imagining him as he would have been. As a result of this connection, Mara believes that communications between the species can be improved by implanting one human and one Tofa embryo into host mothers of both species, creating ‘twins’ designed to act as liaisons between communities. It works.
The story follows Mara and the children as they grow and mature, facing challenges that none had anticipated. Deep-seated prejudice on both sides threatens the project and the twin-bred’s lives.
Characters: *** 3 Stars
There were simply too many points of view in this novel. Mara and Levi were great characters, both well-developed with distinct voices, and the two primary host mothers and their children are fantastic additions to the story, but at times I got lost in all of the voices and it could be difficult to remember all of the relationships involved.
Plot: **** 4 Stars
I loved the concept of TWIN BRED. The plot was both imaginative and well-designed. My only complaint really goes back to the characters, because I would have liked to have had longer sections from the main points of view, and could have done without some of the lesser points of view. In addition, the beginning background could have been a little better interwoven with the overall story.
Setting: *** 3 Stars
I wanted more description. The Tofa were described in detail, and certain of the surroundings were beautifully rendered, but overall I felt the setting wasn’t built into the story with enough frequency. I kept imagining Earth, and would get shocked in a scene when things suddenly didn’t match up to my vision.
Relationships: **** 4 Stars
There wasn’t any romance built into the story, at least not in the traditional sense, so for this review I’m looking at the relationships between characters. In particular, I thought the depth of emotion and familial love was fantastic between the twins and their families. Mara and Levi were prominent in this, of course, but so were many of the twin-bred, particularly Judy and La-ren, and Jimmy and Peer-tek.
Genre – Science Fiction: **** 4 Stars
This was a great novel for a debut science fiction. Karen A. Wyle thought outside the box and developed a fantastic story with fun characters. I can’t wait to read the sequel!
Mara is a scientist who lost her twin brother, Levi, in utero. She always knew about him, and over the years, kept his memory by imagining him as he would have been. As a result of this connection, Mara believes that communications between the species can be improved by implanting one human and one Tofa embryo into host mothers of both species, creating ‘twins’ designed to act as liaisons between communities. It works.
The story follows Mara and the children as they grow and mature, facing challenges that none had anticipated. Deep-seated prejudice on both sides threatens the project and the twin-bred’s lives.
Characters: *** 3 Stars
There were simply too many points of view in this novel. Mara and Levi were great characters, both well-developed with distinct voices, and the two primary host mothers and their children are fantastic additions to the story, but at times I got lost in all of the voices and it could be difficult to remember all of the relationships involved.
Plot: **** 4 Stars
I loved the concept of TWIN BRED. The plot was both imaginative and well-designed. My only complaint really goes back to the characters, because I would have liked to have had longer sections from the main points of view, and could have done without some of the lesser points of view. In addition, the beginning background could have been a little better interwoven with the overall story.
Setting: *** 3 Stars
I wanted more description. The Tofa were described in detail, and certain of the surroundings were beautifully rendered, but overall I felt the setting wasn’t built into the story with enough frequency. I kept imagining Earth, and would get shocked in a scene when things suddenly didn’t match up to my vision.
Relationships: **** 4 Stars
There wasn’t any romance built into the story, at least not in the traditional sense, so for this review I’m looking at the relationships between characters. In particular, I thought the depth of emotion and familial love was fantastic between the twins and their families. Mara and Levi were prominent in this, of course, but so were many of the twin-bred, particularly Judy and La-ren, and Jimmy and Peer-tek.
Genre – Science Fiction: **** 4 Stars
This was a great novel for a debut science fiction. Karen A. Wyle thought outside the box and developed a fantastic story with fun characters. I can’t wait to read the sequel!
June 7, 2013
The novel, “Twin-Bred”, investigates a problem that has plagued mankind, and the animal kingdom, for centuries. Author Karen A. Wyle takes the reader into an ingenious idea that is put forth by a human scientist on the planet Tofarn.
Tofarn is the world that humans settled on after leaving Earth and have lived side by side with the planets native race the Tofa. The problem the humans have had with their neighbors is there is a large communication gap. Over the many years of cohabitation on the planet the humans have had a hard time communicating with the alien Tofa.
The communication gap is not the only issue as the Tofa may resemble humans in way, but are alien. The race has some differences. Those being things like 4 arms and they are tall. They also seem to react to scents differently than humans. There are other differences but to find those you must read the book.
The story revolves around a project started by scientist, Mara Cadell. A woman who has a brilliant idea of bridging the language gap, but at the same time is flawed. Mara has a psychologist to help her through some of the flaws and she has her twin prober to help her. There is one problem with her twin. Her fraternal twin, Levi, has passed away.
Mara uses this odd relationship with her dead brother to come up with the idea behind the project.
The project is to use the strength of twins to create a bond between human and tofa. The plan is to impregnate both human and tofa mothers with a human and tofa embryo. This would mean when the time came the mothers would give birth to a child of each species.
The plan that Karen A. Wyle lays out in the novel is something that could be used to solve issues back her on Earth. How many different groups see someone who looks different and automatically distrusts them? There have been wars and other conflicts for ages due to simple differences. So you must understand the importance of the project upon the characters in, Twin-Bred.
The story can be enjoyed by fans of Sci-fi and those who are also fans of speculative fiction. The story does not leave out some intrigue as there are those behind the scenes who want something from those within the project. It’s possible those who allowed the project to take place had secret motives. Those individuals may not be the only ones with another plan as it could go down to the participants in the project. The key thing about Twin-Bred is it’s a book that will open your eyes to different thoughts and methods of dealing with conflict and just living together.
Tofarn is the world that humans settled on after leaving Earth and have lived side by side with the planets native race the Tofa. The problem the humans have had with their neighbors is there is a large communication gap. Over the many years of cohabitation on the planet the humans have had a hard time communicating with the alien Tofa.
The communication gap is not the only issue as the Tofa may resemble humans in way, but are alien. The race has some differences. Those being things like 4 arms and they are tall. They also seem to react to scents differently than humans. There are other differences but to find those you must read the book.
The story revolves around a project started by scientist, Mara Cadell. A woman who has a brilliant idea of bridging the language gap, but at the same time is flawed. Mara has a psychologist to help her through some of the flaws and she has her twin prober to help her. There is one problem with her twin. Her fraternal twin, Levi, has passed away.
Mara uses this odd relationship with her dead brother to come up with the idea behind the project.
The project is to use the strength of twins to create a bond between human and tofa. The plan is to impregnate both human and tofa mothers with a human and tofa embryo. This would mean when the time came the mothers would give birth to a child of each species.
The plan that Karen A. Wyle lays out in the novel is something that could be used to solve issues back her on Earth. How many different groups see someone who looks different and automatically distrusts them? There have been wars and other conflicts for ages due to simple differences. So you must understand the importance of the project upon the characters in, Twin-Bred.
The story can be enjoyed by fans of Sci-fi and those who are also fans of speculative fiction. The story does not leave out some intrigue as there are those behind the scenes who want something from those within the project. It’s possible those who allowed the project to take place had secret motives. Those individuals may not be the only ones with another plan as it could go down to the participants in the project. The key thing about Twin-Bred is it’s a book that will open your eyes to different thoughts and methods of dealing with conflict and just living together.
January 23, 2012
Twin-Bred: A Richly Imaginative and Thoughtful Look into First Contact
Rating: 5 of 5
Author: Karen Wyle
Format: Paperback, Kindle
Communicating with the planet's indigenous species - the Tofa – was close to impossible for the human colony. As a result, it was inevitable that tensions between the two races continued to escalate. If there was going to be long term success and at least a neutral if not successful partnership between Tofa and Humans, something different needed to be tried. One scientist - Mara Cadell - suggests something radical - an experiment of sorts - but one that could forever change the interaction between species and potentially create a new ruling class. Working on the theory that twin born children share a special bond of communication due to their unique shared experience, Cadell hypothesizes that a human / Tofa twin pair could potentially form bounds, empathy, and communications not otherwise possible. But Dr. Cadell has a secret that neither the Tofa or Human know - a secret that could either spell success for her experiment or result in its failure.
Karen Wyle's “Twin Bred” is a richly unique and imaginative look into the challenges of first contact with an alien species. This is not a laser gun, spaceship, shoot ‘em up popcorn flick of a novel, but a well paced progression into an intriguing situation of two species hesitant and more than just a little suspicious of one another. Wyle crafts a tale following the grand experiment first through the chosen mothers of each species then the eventual birth and cohabitation and maturation of the offspring and their challenges. Though there is little in the way of action to drive the plot forward, I could not put down Twin-Bred in much the same way I was addicted to Nathan Lowell's Trader Tales series.
The story’s uniqueness and Wyle’s ability to carefully inject numerous thought provoking concepts were the reasons I had to give this five stars though I would have liked a stronger climax and ending. And while the main story arc is complete, I see how a series could be made from this concept (which I would gladly read). If you like works from Heinlein and Lowell, I think you will definitely enjoy Twin-Bred.
Note: A complimentary copy this novel was provided in return for a review.
Rating: 5 of 5
Author: Karen Wyle
Format: Paperback, Kindle
Communicating with the planet's indigenous species - the Tofa – was close to impossible for the human colony. As a result, it was inevitable that tensions between the two races continued to escalate. If there was going to be long term success and at least a neutral if not successful partnership between Tofa and Humans, something different needed to be tried. One scientist - Mara Cadell - suggests something radical - an experiment of sorts - but one that could forever change the interaction between species and potentially create a new ruling class. Working on the theory that twin born children share a special bond of communication due to their unique shared experience, Cadell hypothesizes that a human / Tofa twin pair could potentially form bounds, empathy, and communications not otherwise possible. But Dr. Cadell has a secret that neither the Tofa or Human know - a secret that could either spell success for her experiment or result in its failure.
Karen Wyle's “Twin Bred” is a richly unique and imaginative look into the challenges of first contact with an alien species. This is not a laser gun, spaceship, shoot ‘em up popcorn flick of a novel, but a well paced progression into an intriguing situation of two species hesitant and more than just a little suspicious of one another. Wyle crafts a tale following the grand experiment first through the chosen mothers of each species then the eventual birth and cohabitation and maturation of the offspring and their challenges. Though there is little in the way of action to drive the plot forward, I could not put down Twin-Bred in much the same way I was addicted to Nathan Lowell's Trader Tales series.
The story’s uniqueness and Wyle’s ability to carefully inject numerous thought provoking concepts were the reasons I had to give this five stars though I would have liked a stronger climax and ending. And while the main story arc is complete, I see how a series could be made from this concept (which I would gladly read). If you like works from Heinlein and Lowell, I think you will definitely enjoy Twin-Bred.
Note: A complimentary copy this novel was provided in return for a review.
March 11, 2013
Karen A. Wyle has created a whole new world in Twin-Bred. In this futuristic novel, humans are now living on a planet called Tofarn where they must co-exist with the Tofa species that was already there. Of course this is never an easy thing to do, particularly when there are communication issues and huge biological and sociological differences. The main character, Mara, is a human who comes up with a plan to try to get humans and Tofa to understand each other better. The Project is then born, where both human and Tofa host mothers carry twins in utero—one human and one Tofa.
While I found the story to be very creative and unusual, I honestly had some trouble getting into it at first. The book spans a long period of time starting at the beginning of the Project and then showing the twins as they grow up into adolescence. There are so many characters presented that it was hard for me to really get to know any of them. However, Mara was definitely an interesting character, being that she still talked to her twin who died in utero. There were some characters that I wanted to see more of, such as Laura and Veda, and I also found it was hard to distinguish the personality of one Tofa from another. Just as they looked like each other, they all seemed to act the same as well. Each scene was so short that it felt like it was over almost as soon as it had begun so it was difficult to invest in what was going on.
That being said, I still believe that Karen A. Wyle is a very talented writer. Her descriptions of the world and of the bizarre characteristics of the Tofa were nicely done. It was a mainly dialogue driven novel that did not have an overabundance of detail, which I enjoyed since dialogue is usually my favorite aspect of reading.
While it took awhile for anything of major significance to happen (after the Twin-Bred were born), there were some intense moments later on in the story. Prior to that, I was just waiting for something to go wrong. How could anyone possibly think this Project would work out as planned?
If you are looking for a fast-paced sci-fi novel with lots of action, then this not the book for you. But if you are interested in reading an imaginative story that shows how difficult it is for anyone different to live peacefully among others, then this might be one you’ll want to pick up (or download)!
While I found the story to be very creative and unusual, I honestly had some trouble getting into it at first. The book spans a long period of time starting at the beginning of the Project and then showing the twins as they grow up into adolescence. There are so many characters presented that it was hard for me to really get to know any of them. However, Mara was definitely an interesting character, being that she still talked to her twin who died in utero. There were some characters that I wanted to see more of, such as Laura and Veda, and I also found it was hard to distinguish the personality of one Tofa from another. Just as they looked like each other, they all seemed to act the same as well. Each scene was so short that it felt like it was over almost as soon as it had begun so it was difficult to invest in what was going on.
That being said, I still believe that Karen A. Wyle is a very talented writer. Her descriptions of the world and of the bizarre characteristics of the Tofa were nicely done. It was a mainly dialogue driven novel that did not have an overabundance of detail, which I enjoyed since dialogue is usually my favorite aspect of reading.
While it took awhile for anything of major significance to happen (after the Twin-Bred were born), there were some intense moments later on in the story. Prior to that, I was just waiting for something to go wrong. How could anyone possibly think this Project would work out as planned?
If you are looking for a fast-paced sci-fi novel with lots of action, then this not the book for you. But if you are interested in reading an imaginative story that shows how difficult it is for anyone different to live peacefully among others, then this might be one you’ll want to pick up (or download)!
May 3, 2016
Colony Year (C.Y.) 49, 55, 61, 67, 70.
Both the blended human & Tofa communities seem to be doing quite well.
Fast forward Mara Cadell (1/2 human 1/2 Tofa, Elizabeth’s daughter) is all grown up & now has 2 PhD’s,
Mara has claimed she has a twin named Levi Thomas.
Mara (scientist) was appearing before Councilman Alan Kimball (Chairman) presenting her updates on the Project.
Siri O’Donnell also informed Alan about Dr. Cadell involvement with the Project entitield Long-Term Emissary Viviparous Initiative (LEVI).
40 Tofu & human (20 each) host mothers will be required to supply embryos for fertilaization.
Dr. Tanner & Levi are also working with/on the Project.
Fast forward Laura Hanson is 1 of the host mothers. Her twins are Judy & La-ren.
Chief Nurse Harriet Gaho was doing her observations on the Tofu babies.
Dr. Annabelle Bloom (biogenetics specialist) wondered what bizarre twin-bred concaucsions might have been created.
What would Levi’s final Executive Summary report state?
Who is Siri O’Donnell?
There seemed to be way too much of what I call excessive chapter fillers (pages of nothing but blah, blah, blah).
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A fairly well written dystopian or sci-fi book. It wasnt very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish, but never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great sci-fi movie, animated cartoon, or a mini TV series. It started out with a bang but then it wandered off the path. That said I will have to rate it at 3/5 stars.
Thank you for the free Goodreads; Making Connections; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
Both the blended human & Tofa communities seem to be doing quite well.
Fast forward Mara Cadell (1/2 human 1/2 Tofa, Elizabeth’s daughter) is all grown up & now has 2 PhD’s,
Mara has claimed she has a twin named Levi Thomas.
Mara (scientist) was appearing before Councilman Alan Kimball (Chairman) presenting her updates on the Project.
Siri O’Donnell also informed Alan about Dr. Cadell involvement with the Project entitield Long-Term Emissary Viviparous Initiative (LEVI).
40 Tofu & human (20 each) host mothers will be required to supply embryos for fertilaization.
Dr. Tanner & Levi are also working with/on the Project.
Fast forward Laura Hanson is 1 of the host mothers. Her twins are Judy & La-ren.
Chief Nurse Harriet Gaho was doing her observations on the Tofu babies.
Dr. Annabelle Bloom (biogenetics specialist) wondered what bizarre twin-bred concaucsions might have been created.
What would Levi’s final Executive Summary report state?
Who is Siri O’Donnell?
There seemed to be way too much of what I call excessive chapter fillers (pages of nothing but blah, blah, blah).
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A fairly well written dystopian or sci-fi book. It wasnt very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish, but never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great sci-fi movie, animated cartoon, or a mini TV series. It started out with a bang but then it wandered off the path. That said I will have to rate it at 3/5 stars.
Thank you for the free Goodreads; Making Connections; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
October 25, 2012
This was a complex book with quite a long cast of characters. It was just a little too complex for me, and whilst the sci-fi/fantasy genres are comfortably settling themselves onto my bookshelf, this didn’t enthral me as much as I hoped and is probably a novel for true aficionados of the genre.
The story is about humans cohabiting with the Tofa on their planet, Tofarn. The Tofa are quite an enigma, and neither race fully understands each other. Mara is a scientist who proposes a selection of host mothers carry twins: one human, one Tofa. Her theory is that the natural bond between twins will help both races learn more about each other and lead to a more integrated—and peaceful—existence between the races. Mara herself is a twin, but her brother died before birth. However, he is alive and well in her imagination and becomes her mentor and counsellor. The project has a promising future: on paper, it seems a feasible and sound plan, but of course, it’s never wise to underestimate obstinacy, narrow-mindedness, selfishness or controlling opposition…
For me personally, however, the story lacked action. I found it very hard to get close to any of the human characters (I don’t think one was expected to feel much for the featureless, four-armed Tofa), and my head spun with new characters who just kept on appearing: but thank you, Karen, for alerting us to the handy cast list at the end of the book.
There were things I did like about this book: first I was extremely impressed by Karen’s writing. It’s articulate, fluent and quite distinct. The concept of the story is imaginative and ‘well packaged’: five gold stars for its editing—every single aspect. How refreshing to find not one comma out of place or omitted. I didn’t emit one single ‘tut-tut’! The complexity of the plot is from a very intelligent and organised mind and for that reason, whilst this novel didn’t quite hit the spot, I'm certainly looking forward to reading more by this author.
The story is about humans cohabiting with the Tofa on their planet, Tofarn. The Tofa are quite an enigma, and neither race fully understands each other. Mara is a scientist who proposes a selection of host mothers carry twins: one human, one Tofa. Her theory is that the natural bond between twins will help both races learn more about each other and lead to a more integrated—and peaceful—existence between the races. Mara herself is a twin, but her brother died before birth. However, he is alive and well in her imagination and becomes her mentor and counsellor. The project has a promising future: on paper, it seems a feasible and sound plan, but of course, it’s never wise to underestimate obstinacy, narrow-mindedness, selfishness or controlling opposition…
For me personally, however, the story lacked action. I found it very hard to get close to any of the human characters (I don’t think one was expected to feel much for the featureless, four-armed Tofa), and my head spun with new characters who just kept on appearing: but thank you, Karen, for alerting us to the handy cast list at the end of the book.
There were things I did like about this book: first I was extremely impressed by Karen’s writing. It’s articulate, fluent and quite distinct. The concept of the story is imaginative and ‘well packaged’: five gold stars for its editing—every single aspect. How refreshing to find not one comma out of place or omitted. I didn’t emit one single ‘tut-tut’! The complexity of the plot is from a very intelligent and organised mind and for that reason, whilst this novel didn’t quite hit the spot, I'm certainly looking forward to reading more by this author.
November 30, 2011
Long years ago humans colonized a planet already occupied by Tofa. The parallels with Europe invading America are obvious and delightfully underplayed. The science fiction aspects of a brave new world, genetic engineering, and ordinary people pursuing ordinary lives under extraordinary circumstances are enjoyably low-key and convincing. With misunderstandings between human and Tofa abounding, scientists and politicians look for solutions, and in Karen A. Wyle’s Twin Bred, bereaved twin Mara offers one that just might work.
The idea, to engineer human-Tofa twin births with surrogate parents, may sound somewhat odd, but the author soon makes it make sense, using Mara’s prenatal link with her twin as catalyst. The author details social, political and scientific aspects of Mara’s experiment very logically with excellent pacing, interspersing a wealth of characters and motivations and letting those characters grow. Soon the twins are growing too, both human and Tofa. Misunderstandings continue to proliferate, and a sense of mystery builds alongside the reader’s curiosity. How will these children develop? Will they be able to make a difference?
The novel follows the closed society of twins, parents, human, Tofa and scientists as the project continues. Set-backs, deliberate and accidental, steps forward, threats and imaginative solutions propel the tale. The characters all seem very real, even to the alien-human twins and their familial bonds. Karen Wyle’s Twin Bred is a fascinating sci-fi epic with enjoyably convincing science, sadly plausible politics, and all the social mis-cues such a mixed society might expect. It’s a truly enjoyable and exciting read with lots of twists and turns, plots and sub-plots, ethical dilemmas, and an alien race worthy of Orson Scott Card. A truly enjoyably scientific science-fiction story.
Disclosure: I received a free ecopy of this book from Bewitching Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
The idea, to engineer human-Tofa twin births with surrogate parents, may sound somewhat odd, but the author soon makes it make sense, using Mara’s prenatal link with her twin as catalyst. The author details social, political and scientific aspects of Mara’s experiment very logically with excellent pacing, interspersing a wealth of characters and motivations and letting those characters grow. Soon the twins are growing too, both human and Tofa. Misunderstandings continue to proliferate, and a sense of mystery builds alongside the reader’s curiosity. How will these children develop? Will they be able to make a difference?
The novel follows the closed society of twins, parents, human, Tofa and scientists as the project continues. Set-backs, deliberate and accidental, steps forward, threats and imaginative solutions propel the tale. The characters all seem very real, even to the alien-human twins and their familial bonds. Karen Wyle’s Twin Bred is a fascinating sci-fi epic with enjoyably convincing science, sadly plausible politics, and all the social mis-cues such a mixed society might expect. It’s a truly enjoyable and exciting read with lots of twists and turns, plots and sub-plots, ethical dilemmas, and an alien race worthy of Orson Scott Card. A truly enjoyably scientific science-fiction story.
Disclosure: I received a free ecopy of this book from Bewitching Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.
February 26, 2013
This review is for the Kindle edition ebook.
Disclosure: I was offered a copy of this book by the author as a review copy.
Fraternal twins, born together, sharing a bond, diplomats between species.
Twin-Bred is about the ability of twins to communicate with each other. It is also about the inability of humans to get along with anyone different from ourselves. This book is very much about the struggle to understand and communicate with others who may be so radically different speech is impossible.
I enjoyed the interaction of the twins in this book. I found the theory presented very plausible. It seems to represent the current struggle of mankind to get along, while maintaining separate identities of each country. The possibilities of earthlings to travel to another planet and learn to interact with another species is always fascinating to read about. Unfortunately, the sometimes difficult to follow time periods in the book made the early reading more difficult than it should have been. Possibly adding date and time slots to the paragraph heading would help with that.
Karen A. Wyle presents us with a fascinating journey to the possibilities of twins becoming diplomats to solve a communication issue. Having read enough science to know it is believed there is an incredible bond between twins, this is a story that I got swallowed up by. Like all great science fiction, it leaves the mind wandering in the story, and even allows room for the reader to decide how plausible the theory is.
I can easily recommend this book to science fiction readers looking for something besides the usual “lost in space” book. I also think twins would enjoy reading this, because to me it represents much of what a twin should be. I look forward to more by this author and have picked up another of her books.
Disclosure: I was offered a copy of this book by the author as a review copy.
Fraternal twins, born together, sharing a bond, diplomats between species.
Twin-Bred is about the ability of twins to communicate with each other. It is also about the inability of humans to get along with anyone different from ourselves. This book is very much about the struggle to understand and communicate with others who may be so radically different speech is impossible.
I enjoyed the interaction of the twins in this book. I found the theory presented very plausible. It seems to represent the current struggle of mankind to get along, while maintaining separate identities of each country. The possibilities of earthlings to travel to another planet and learn to interact with another species is always fascinating to read about. Unfortunately, the sometimes difficult to follow time periods in the book made the early reading more difficult than it should have been. Possibly adding date and time slots to the paragraph heading would help with that.
Karen A. Wyle presents us with a fascinating journey to the possibilities of twins becoming diplomats to solve a communication issue. Having read enough science to know it is believed there is an incredible bond between twins, this is a story that I got swallowed up by. Like all great science fiction, it leaves the mind wandering in the story, and even allows room for the reader to decide how plausible the theory is.
I can easily recommend this book to science fiction readers looking for something besides the usual “lost in space” book. I also think twins would enjoy reading this, because to me it represents much of what a twin should be. I look forward to more by this author and have picked up another of her books.
March 19, 2012
I was very satisfied with how Twin-Bred turned out. It was a very unique story. Don’t expect a lot of action though. This book is more about character relationships and growth. It follows the project, from how the plan started to the inevitable conclusion that comes. We learn about what happens from third person POVs from many different characters as well as “status reports”.
The author did a ridiculously good job with the characters. Mara was just so strong even though she had so much loss in her life. She has no patience for fools and like to throw things around whenever she can’t yell at them directly. Levi is the foil to Mara and I can’t help but like his attitude. Stan is, more or less, a minor character but he was another one of my favorites. Seeing his cringe whenever Mara is raging has always been a sadistic joy of mine. The author has also proven to be very skillful in changing the story’s mood. There are funny moments sprinkled here and there (“Do Tofa have loins?”) and plenty of sweet moments that’ll make you smile (especially the ones with Levi and Mara).
There is nothing I particularly didn’t like about this book but there are some things readers might want to be aware of. First off, Twin-Bred is pretty longwinded for its page length. There are chapters devoted to daily life of certain characters. You can even think of it as a TV drama. There are also a lot of characters and I admit that I had trouble keeping track of them all.
Overall, I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good story that’s more about the characters than anything else. However, keep in mind that it is a slow-paced book. It takes a while before things happen. This book is a great reminder that science fiction is not always about space battles or brutal alien invasions. It's also about the "little" people caught in between.
The author did a ridiculously good job with the characters. Mara was just so strong even though she had so much loss in her life. She has no patience for fools and like to throw things around whenever she can’t yell at them directly. Levi is the foil to Mara and I can’t help but like his attitude. Stan is, more or less, a minor character but he was another one of my favorites. Seeing his cringe whenever Mara is raging has always been a sadistic joy of mine. The author has also proven to be very skillful in changing the story’s mood. There are funny moments sprinkled here and there (“Do Tofa have loins?”) and plenty of sweet moments that’ll make you smile (especially the ones with Levi and Mara).
There is nothing I particularly didn’t like about this book but there are some things readers might want to be aware of. First off, Twin-Bred is pretty longwinded for its page length. There are chapters devoted to daily life of certain characters. You can even think of it as a TV drama. There are also a lot of characters and I admit that I had trouble keeping track of them all.
Overall, I recommend this book to anyone looking for a good story that’s more about the characters than anything else. However, keep in mind that it is a slow-paced book. It takes a while before things happen. This book is a great reminder that science fiction is not always about space battles or brutal alien invasions. It's also about the "little" people caught in between.
February 12, 2012
Who Is "Us" and Who is "Them"?
Humans and Tofa share a planet but don't understand each other. Tofa make loud noises night after night. They object to the color blue at election time. We only know the human viewpoint but assume the Tofa don't understand humans either. Universal translators don't fix this perplexing relationship. The "evil aliens" aren't trying to wipe us out. In this classic "Us or Them" story, "Us" isn't who you think it is, and neither is "Them."
Mara Cadell lost a twin brother before birth but still talks to him. Levi is a prankster, a sounding board and her only friend. She is in therapy for that. (The real secret about Levi is an extraordinary one). Mara wants to implant pairs of embryos, one Tofa and one human, into birth mothers. The "Twin-Born" should understand each other better and help their two races become more understanding.
Initial co-operation degenerates into strange and later ominous behavior, far beyond misunderstandings and mutual annoyance. Is the project doomed to failure? Is the project and its success or failure the real point of the story? No. More about that in a moment.
The morality of the experiment is never questioned except for a vague sense of "did we have a right to choose these children's lives for them?" The truth about Levi might cause discomfort. Teaching the children about worship provides some amusing comic relief but it is not respectful or tolerant of religion. There is no sex and no "onscreen" violence. It is a heavily female-dominated story, good "guys" and bad "guys." Men barely matter.
Everybody has an agenda in this story. Real understanding isn't about races or sexes or cultures. In this story people ignore possible agendas, and that's when they learn the real meaning of "Us" and "Them."
Humans and Tofa share a planet but don't understand each other. Tofa make loud noises night after night. They object to the color blue at election time. We only know the human viewpoint but assume the Tofa don't understand humans either. Universal translators don't fix this perplexing relationship. The "evil aliens" aren't trying to wipe us out. In this classic "Us or Them" story, "Us" isn't who you think it is, and neither is "Them."
Mara Cadell lost a twin brother before birth but still talks to him. Levi is a prankster, a sounding board and her only friend. She is in therapy for that. (The real secret about Levi is an extraordinary one). Mara wants to implant pairs of embryos, one Tofa and one human, into birth mothers. The "Twin-Born" should understand each other better and help their two races become more understanding.
Initial co-operation degenerates into strange and later ominous behavior, far beyond misunderstandings and mutual annoyance. Is the project doomed to failure? Is the project and its success or failure the real point of the story? No. More about that in a moment.
The morality of the experiment is never questioned except for a vague sense of "did we have a right to choose these children's lives for them?" The truth about Levi might cause discomfort. Teaching the children about worship provides some amusing comic relief but it is not respectful or tolerant of religion. There is no sex and no "onscreen" violence. It is a heavily female-dominated story, good "guys" and bad "guys." Men barely matter.
Everybody has an agenda in this story. Real understanding isn't about races or sexes or cultures. In this story people ignore possible agendas, and that's when they learn the real meaning of "Us" and "Them."
November 5, 2011
Concept/World
The idea that twins have such a strong bond that it would transcend even difference of species is an interesting one. People of strong anti-abortion or religious views might find some aspects of The Project controversial. There is also a moral question as to whether it is justifiable to create “abnormal” babies either for scientific or social purposes. Those issues make this a powerful, thought provoking book.
Story
The story covers a broad range of time, alternating narrative with excerpts from scientific reports. This works well, giving both an overview of the experiment and an intimate view of individuals involved in it. The pacing is good and I liked (no spoilers!) that things did not work out as expected.
Characters
It’s difficult to create really believable aliens but Karen Wyle achieves it with the Tofa. They are incomprehensible despite every effort of humans to communicate with them. I liked that some mysteries remained unsolved. Mara, the scientist carrying out the experiment, was complex. I too wondered at times whether she was disturbed. She’s certainly obsessive and driven. There were a lot of minor characters – I felt at times that some of them could have been condensed and I’d have liked more focus on perhaps just one family.
Overall
This book is intriguing, scary, funny and sad. I found myself reading parts of it with detachment, considering the scientific and moral issues raised. At other times I was laughing out loud, then shocked and upset. This is definitely a book that you will remember reading.
The idea that twins have such a strong bond that it would transcend even difference of species is an interesting one. People of strong anti-abortion or religious views might find some aspects of The Project controversial. There is also a moral question as to whether it is justifiable to create “abnormal” babies either for scientific or social purposes. Those issues make this a powerful, thought provoking book.
Story
The story covers a broad range of time, alternating narrative with excerpts from scientific reports. This works well, giving both an overview of the experiment and an intimate view of individuals involved in it. The pacing is good and I liked (no spoilers!) that things did not work out as expected.
Characters
It’s difficult to create really believable aliens but Karen Wyle achieves it with the Tofa. They are incomprehensible despite every effort of humans to communicate with them. I liked that some mysteries remained unsolved. Mara, the scientist carrying out the experiment, was complex. I too wondered at times whether she was disturbed. She’s certainly obsessive and driven. There were a lot of minor characters – I felt at times that some of them could have been condensed and I’d have liked more focus on perhaps just one family.
Overall
This book is intriguing, scary, funny and sad. I found myself reading parts of it with detachment, considering the scientific and moral issues raised. At other times I was laughing out loud, then shocked and upset. This is definitely a book that you will remember reading.
October 19, 2011
Initially I found the book a bit hard going as the concept is quite complicated, but as you get further into the book and more is explained about "The Project" things become much clearer and you soon become attached to the main character Mara and of course the twin-bred themselves. Mara is a complicated character and at times you wonder if she has made up an imaginary friend whom she talks to and then you learn her true tragic story. You learn about the Tofa, the race that the planet really belongs there, then you learn about the humans who landed on the planet and are trying to take over. The story is of "The Project" and how both Tofa and Humans have their own agendas for this project. There are brilliant and poignant life stories within the actual main story. There are tragic deaths in the book too both Human and Tofa and how those affect the Twin-Breds who seem to belong no where. They are literally treat as out casts as they are neither Human nor Tofa in the eyes of those races. The story shows the issues of trust and different races learning to live together in peace. I could go on more and more about this book but do not wish to include spoilers, but I would compare this book to Across the Universe by Beth Revis. I hope that ther is a book two as I know i would read it and want to know what happens to the Twin-Bred and Mara and the other Humans. It is definitely worth reading!
November 10, 2011
On Tofarn, the human colony and the indigenous Tofa have great difficulty communicating with and basically comprehending each other. Scientist Mara Cadell, who lost a fraternal twin in utero, proposes that host mothers of either or both species carry twins, one human and one tofa, in the hope that the bond between twins can bridge the gap between te species. Mara has secretly kept her own twin, Levi, alive in her mind as a companion and collaborator.
Mara succeeds in obtaining governmental backing for her project - but both the human and Tofa establishments have their own agendas. Mara must shepered the Twin-Bred through dangers she anticipated and others that even the canny Levi could not foresee.
Will the Twin-Bred bring peace, war or something else entirely?
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Twin-Bred! It was beautifully written, and as a result it was captivating from start to finish! Twin-Bred was full of quirky, heartwarming moments. Mara quickly became one of my favourite characters, because of her faith in creating The Project to improve relations between the Tofa and humans, despite her personal problems. The Twin-Bred were also my favourites because of their quirky characteristics and mannerisms. I love the cover of Twin-Bred by Karen A. Wyle, it's a wonderful representation of the story within.
Mara succeeds in obtaining governmental backing for her project - but both the human and Tofa establishments have their own agendas. Mara must shepered the Twin-Bred through dangers she anticipated and others that even the canny Levi could not foresee.
Will the Twin-Bred bring peace, war or something else entirely?
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Twin-Bred! It was beautifully written, and as a result it was captivating from start to finish! Twin-Bred was full of quirky, heartwarming moments. Mara quickly became one of my favourite characters, because of her faith in creating The Project to improve relations between the Tofa and humans, despite her personal problems. The Twin-Bred were also my favourites because of their quirky characteristics and mannerisms. I love the cover of Twin-Bred by Karen A. Wyle, it's a wonderful representation of the story within.
February 10, 2017
As a young human girl growing up on planet Tofarn, Dr. Cadell saw the unrest that results from the inability of two species to successfully interact. As a young woman, she vowed to make it her life’s mission to bring the planet’s native species, called the Tofa, together with humans. The idea she proposes is radical: what if a select group of human and Tofa females agreed to carry twins—one of each species—to term? What if the resulting children were raised together, educated in the same school? With enough diplomatic training, these “Twinbred” just might bring about a lasting peace to the planet…
First of all, major points to Wyle for creating an alien species that is both completely believable, and completely inhuman. While many authors craft aliens that are simply humans with green skin and extra arms, Wyle manages to make the Tofa everything that humans are not: they have no system of writing, no creative impulse, and even perceive colors much differently than we do (the color blue, apparently, makes them drunk). With differences like these, no wonder the two species have trouble getting along! However, the cast of characters is quite large, and not everyone gets the fleshing out that they deserve. Therefore, I wouldn’t recommend it for lovers of character-driven fiction. But for devotees of Asimov, Heinlein, and other classical science fiction authors? Look no further!
First of all, major points to Wyle for creating an alien species that is both completely believable, and completely inhuman. While many authors craft aliens that are simply humans with green skin and extra arms, Wyle manages to make the Tofa everything that humans are not: they have no system of writing, no creative impulse, and even perceive colors much differently than we do (the color blue, apparently, makes them drunk). With differences like these, no wonder the two species have trouble getting along! However, the cast of characters is quite large, and not everyone gets the fleshing out that they deserve. Therefore, I wouldn’t recommend it for lovers of character-driven fiction. But for devotees of Asimov, Heinlein, and other classical science fiction authors? Look no further!
December 22, 2011
Wyle offers us an interesting twist on the alien contact genre, putting Humans on another planet, but in a situation where their own impatience/intolerance makes war a seeming inevitability. In order to ward off that conflict, Mara Cadell comes up with the radical proposal of intentionally developing fraternal twins, one human and one Tofa, in order to create a bond. Of course, such a bond is only as good as the intentions behind it, and when the government believes in knowing the enemy . . . well, you can imagine the consequences.
This is a really well-written classic science fiction novel, thoughtful and full of ideas. The aliens here are truly alien, similar enough to humanity that we can relate, but unique enough that we never shake the novelty of them. Smartly, considering the potentially huge scope of the ideas being explored, Wyle draws us into the story on an intimate level, focusing primarily on the development of one set of twins. There are a lot of characters, and some frequent changes in point of view, but the different voices are distinct enough that you never get lost in the narrative. As for the setting, the alienness of Tofa is subtle, almost masked by human intervention, but quite remarkable when it comes through.
This is a really well-written classic science fiction novel, thoughtful and full of ideas. The aliens here are truly alien, similar enough to humanity that we can relate, but unique enough that we never shake the novelty of them. Smartly, considering the potentially huge scope of the ideas being explored, Wyle draws us into the story on an intimate level, focusing primarily on the development of one set of twins. There are a lot of characters, and some frequent changes in point of view, but the different voices are distinct enough that you never get lost in the narrative. As for the setting, the alienness of Tofa is subtle, almost masked by human intervention, but quite remarkable when it comes through.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews