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Watchstar #2
Eye of the Comet
A young girl, living on a comet world, is assigned the task of returning to her home planet Earth to act as a bridge between the two very different cultures.
275 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
About the author
Pamela Sargent
163 books209 followersPamela Sargent has won the Nebula Award, the Locus Award, and has been a finalist for the Hugo Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, and the Sidewise Award for alternate history. In 2012, she was honored with the Pilgrim Award by the Science Fiction Research Association for lifetime achievement in science fiction scholarship. She is the author of the novels Cloned Lives, The Sudden Star, Watchstar, The Golden Space, The Alien Upstairs, Eye of the Comet, Homesmind, Alien Child, The Shore of Women, Venus of Dreams, Venus of Shadows, Child of Venus, Climb the Wind, and Ruler of the Sky. Her most recent short story collection is Thumbprints, published by Golden Gryphon Press, with an introduction by James Morrow. The Washington Post Book World has called her “one of the genre's best writers.”
In the 1970s, she edited the Women of Wonder series, the first collections of science fiction by women; her other anthologies include Bio-Futures and, with British writer Ian Watson as co-editor, Afterlives. Two anthologies, Women of Wonder, The Classic Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1940s to the 1970s and Women of Wonder, The Contemporary Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1970s to the 1990s, were published by Harcourt Brace in 1995; Publishers Weekly called these two books “essential reading for any serious sf fan.” Her most recent anthology is Conqueror Fantastic, out from DAW Books in 2004. Tor Books reissued her 1983 young adult novel Earthseed, selected as a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association, and a sequel, Farseed, in early 2007. A third volume, Seed Seeker, was published in November of 2010 by Tor. Earthseed has been optioned by Paramount Pictures, with Melissa Rosenberg, scriptwriter for all of the Twilight films, writing the script and producing through her Tall Girls Productions.
A collection, Puss in D.C. and Other Stories, is out; her novel Season of the Cats is out in hardcover and will be available in paperback from Wildside Press. The Shore of Women has been optioned for development as a TV series by Super Deluxe Films, part of Turner Broadcasting.
Pamela Sargent lives in Albany, New York.
In the 1970s, she edited the Women of Wonder series, the first collections of science fiction by women; her other anthologies include Bio-Futures and, with British writer Ian Watson as co-editor, Afterlives. Two anthologies, Women of Wonder, The Classic Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1940s to the 1970s and Women of Wonder, The Contemporary Years: Science Fiction by Women from the 1970s to the 1990s, were published by Harcourt Brace in 1995; Publishers Weekly called these two books “essential reading for any serious sf fan.” Her most recent anthology is Conqueror Fantastic, out from DAW Books in 2004. Tor Books reissued her 1983 young adult novel Earthseed, selected as a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association, and a sequel, Farseed, in early 2007. A third volume, Seed Seeker, was published in November of 2010 by Tor. Earthseed has been optioned by Paramount Pictures, with Melissa Rosenberg, scriptwriter for all of the Twilight films, writing the script and producing through her Tall Girls Productions.
A collection, Puss in D.C. and Other Stories, is out; her novel Season of the Cats is out in hardcover and will be available in paperback from Wildside Press. The Shore of Women has been optioned for development as a TV series by Super Deluxe Films, part of Turner Broadcasting.
Pamela Sargent lives in Albany, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 7, 2011
Short version: this series is fantastic and all my science fiction reading friends should try to dig it up.
I read the first book in this series when I was a kid, and had no idea there were more books. I loved this book now, but wish the younger me could have read it; I would have identified a lot with Lydee.
Sargent expands on the worlds she created in the first novel. However, she doesn't focus too much on the world-building aspect; the emphasis is given to the relationships between the characters, both positive and negative.
Warning - spoilers ahead!
Many of the characters as portrayed here are uncomfortable. Sargent is content to have her character's flaws be upfront and center. Daiya is just as prickly as she was in the first book; Reiho is captive to his fears; Etey is still cold; Silla has become very angry and somewhat bloodthirsty; and Lydee is bullheaded with a strong angry streak (not unlike her sister in the first book).
Though most of the characters go through transformation in this novel, not all of them are "fixed" by the end of it. I think this is one of the strengths of Sargent's writing; she's willing to put the characters in an uncomfortable yet realistic place, to allow them to be flawed when she could tie up everything in a neat and happy ending. Sometimes I found that frustrating; I was sad that none of Lydee's friends chose to join her on Earth after Lydee's experience was over. I'm hoping that some of them will have changed their mind by the third book.
I love the way Sargent portrays people's struggle with change - and in this book, she adds in struggles with the meaning of life. Very well done.
I read the first book in this series when I was a kid, and had no idea there were more books. I loved this book now, but wish the younger me could have read it; I would have identified a lot with Lydee.
Sargent expands on the worlds she created in the first novel. However, she doesn't focus too much on the world-building aspect; the emphasis is given to the relationships between the characters, both positive and negative.
Warning - spoilers ahead!
Many of the characters as portrayed here are uncomfortable. Sargent is content to have her character's flaws be upfront and center. Daiya is just as prickly as she was in the first book; Reiho is captive to his fears; Etey is still cold; Silla has become very angry and somewhat bloodthirsty; and Lydee is bullheaded with a strong angry streak (not unlike her sister in the first book).
Though most of the characters go through transformation in this novel, not all of them are "fixed" by the end of it. I think this is one of the strengths of Sargent's writing; she's willing to put the characters in an uncomfortable yet realistic place, to allow them to be flawed when she could tie up everything in a neat and happy ending. Sometimes I found that frustrating; I was sad that none of Lydee's friends chose to join her on Earth after Lydee's experience was over. I'm hoping that some of them will have changed their mind by the third book.
I love the way Sargent portrays people's struggle with change - and in this book, she adds in struggles with the meaning of life. Very well done.
March 6, 2026
As the middle of a trilogy, "Eye of the Comet" pays enough attention to the event of "Watchstar" and lays the ground for "Homesmind" that it can be considered a success. The tempo and tone of the narrative feels more middle school than high school level in 2026, having just started high school in 1984 when the book was released, I would have felt the same way then; that's a flaw because it may feel too simple for what the target audience is living. However, within the context of the restricted life that main character Lydee has lived since she arrived to the comet that is a traveling world for descendents of Earth, the simplistic tone makes sense.
For those of you who read "Watchstar," some of your questions will be answers in this book, but many more will open up.
I feel the need to issue a warning as well that while there is no explicit sexual content, there is implied contact between adults and teens and that may be triggering or icky for some folks to encounter. Simply ignore this book if that applies to you.
For those of you who read "Watchstar," some of your questions will be answers in this book, but many more will open up.
I feel the need to issue a warning as well that while there is no explicit sexual content, there is implied contact between adults and teens and that may be triggering or icky for some folks to encounter. Simply ignore this book if that applies to you.
September 29, 2015
Good story, character driven sci-fi
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews