Review: Engrossing
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 4, 2013
Parts of this book reminded me of the Hunger Games. They aren't anything alike plot wise, but Marlee and her people having to do everything by hand and cook over a fire was very much like District 12 in the Hunger Games books despite both books being science fiction.We don't see that much of Tyris' world, Urslat, before we get Marlee's POV and then Tyris in the ship near her planet but it's clear that the tech is far beyond ours (the space ship is kind of a giveway, really). We see him getting a letter saying that he has to get a contraceptive chip implanted because of overpopulation and his criminal record (due to a protest he went to when he was younger).I loved that the ships needed something special to make them travel faster. I don't read that much science fiction, but I've never seen that before. Either it flies or it doesn't. I also loved both Tyris and Marlee, which is rare for me.Tyris landing on Marlee's planet was a huge culture shock for him. I found it quite amusing that he was so surprised by her being able to make bread. There wasn't much mention about how they are from two very different worlds (literally) until close to the end of the book, when Marlee was wondering about what she would do when they got to Urslat.The main conflict in the book was mostly related to Marlee's planet and the lack of people there (they have ferility problems due to the anysogen in the air, which is what Tyris was looking for). Couples are alllowed to stay together for 18 months, unless the woman gets pregnant. If she's not pregant at the end of the that time they have to split up. I understood the reasons for it (more children are needed, since there's only about 100 people on the whole planet - if you want the backstory for that, read the book), but I can't blame the younger generation for being angry about it.