From the Bookshelf of The Alternative Worlds…

Ammonite

Nicola Griffith

Start date: November 1, 2011

Finish date: November 30, 2011

Discussion: A-F Book Discussions Archive

Why we're reading this: Open selection November 2011
[close] Open selection November 2011

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What Members Thought

Feb 26, 2014 Simon rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sf-masterworks, sf, sf-mistressworks

This book started well but, for me, ran out of steam a little during the middle and never fully recovered.

It was an interesting premise and I was gripped by the story for the most part. An anthropologist (Marghe) seizes and unique opportunity to study a people on a planet that was colonised hundreds of years ago but which contained a virus that killed all of the men (and some of the women). Their colony survived due to the remaining women somehow gaining the ability to have children without men. ...more

13 likes · Like · see review

Dec 06, 2011 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: sf, gender, queer

A beautiful spin on the old Planet of Women trope. Everything about Jeep is richly imagined, from the people and their lore to the plants and animals. The characters are distinctive and fascinating to follow, and the action is thrilling. There was a very LeGuin-ish feel to some of it - the observer in the midst - but this story was more emotionally accessible and moved at a quicker pace despite its length. I say that as someone who always finds LeGuin's books rewarding, but often has a hard time ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 07, 2011 Tamara added it

Shelves: sociology, author-female, soft-sf, political, sf, ideologically-annoying, female-protagonist, distant-planet, lgbt-content, gender

This book utterly outwore my patience. Not much plot and lousy characters. And, of course, the politics. That women are people is fine sentiment, but I think it would take more than one real character to get that across. The main characters personal-growth-via-embracing-ancient-wisdom-of-natives story is not somehow less annoying and reductionary if they're all women. In turn, it makes women less - the lack of any characters who do something other than tell Marge how wonderful she is makes the s ...more

2 likes · Like · see review