Drowning World
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4.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
“A fast, fun read for fans of Foster’s fantastic alien worlds . . . Driven by political intrigue and wilderness adventure, this is SF of noble vintage.”—Booklist
Fluva, the Drowning World, is a rain-drenched planet on the fringes of the Commonwealth whose indigenous species, the warlike Sakuntala, and its immigrant species, the hardworking Deyzara, stand on the brink of civil war. The wettest place on Fluva is Viisiiviisii, an immense jungle thriving with exotic plants and deadly predators. Endless rains have made the jungle a treasure trove of rare and valuable botanicals. A man can get rich there. Or die trying.
Bio-prospector Shadrach Hasselemoga has come to seek his fortune—if he survives the terrain once his sabotaged ship goes down. When a Sakuntala and a Deyzara are dispatched to rescue the unfortunate soul, their ship crashes, too. Now, in order to survive, the three unlikely allies must do something that no one has ever done before: escape the Viisiiviisii before it consumes them. . . .
“[A] rousing SF adventure packed with action, intriguing human and alien characters, and a message of strength through diversity.”—Library Journal
“Surefire entertainment . . . The author’s mastery of his exotic setting cannot be denied.”—Publishers Weekly
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bestseller Foster's latest Commonwealth novel (Diuturnity's Dawn, etc.) offers the kind of sure-fire entertainment that keeps his fans coming back for more. On the distant planet Fluva, torrential rains that leave it barely habitable also make it a treasure trove of rare botanical specimens. When the human prospector Shadrach Hasselemoga crashes in a remote area, the only crew available to search for him is the warrior Jemunu-jah, one of the native Sakuntala, and the immigrant Deyzara trader, Masurathoo. This exceedingly odd couple culturally different and physically repulsive to each other promptly crash also. While the rescuers and the rescued are all slogging it out of the ultimate rain forest, the reptilian AAn empire is fomenting bloody trouble between the Sakuntula and the Deyzara. This leaves Commonwealth administrator Lauren Matthias in the hot seat, with refugees swarming in to her limited facilities and the bodies of the innocent piling up, with few resources to help. But it's the survivors of the rain forest who bring new knowledge that helps save Fluva, along with quick work by Matthias. The human characters are notably less developed than the aliens, and the AAn Empire is something of a straw foe these days, but the author's mastery of his exotic setting cannot be denied.
Customer Reviews
Not bad
Cool elements of world-building, a little sluggish with regard to story. Seems like a bloated short story.