Playing God

by Sarah Zettel

Book Overview

From a bright new star comes a fast-paced galactic adventure with the depth and complexity of Frank Herbert's bestselling Dune series. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446523224
• ISBN13: 9780446523226
• Release Date: November 1998
• Publisher: Aspect
• Length: 417 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Good, original, hard sf

Bias alert: Sarah Zettel is a friend of mine (or at least an acquaintance), and I think I can lay claim to having the very first Sarah Zettel autograph (on her first story in Analog). But on to the review.The Dedelphi are a mess. They're a quick-tempered, tribalistic, genetically inbred species who have a murderously narrow definition of "stranger." On top of that, they're violently allergic to humans - not sneezes and itching allergic, but anaphylactic shock allergic. And in one of the many wars on their planet, someone let loose a genetically engineered plague that instead of just killing off the targetting tribe, escaped to the wild, interbred with its natural equivalent, mutated like fruit flies in a nuclear reactor, and began killing indiscriminately.Into this ongoing disaster steps Lynn Nussbaumer, universe-class bioremediator, who accepts a challenging assignment from Bioverse Incorporated. Bioverse has gotten all of the major Dedelphi tribes to agree to a temporary peace (an accomplishment in itself) and to move off their planet into spaceships while humans clean up the place and eliminate the plague once and for all. Nussbaumer's job is to make it all work.To say it's a challenge is a massive understatement: many of the Dedelphi are quick to assume that it's all a plot, that the humans are in league with those walking vermin, (fill in the blank with their worst enemies), to use the program to eliminate their own tribe. Other Dedelphi see it as a golden opportunity to eliminate their enemies. And all this is on top of the incredible logistical challenge of getting an entire sentient species off of their planet for a couple of years. At times one wonders why Nussbaumer doesn't just throw up her hands and leave.Saying much more about the plot would give it away. Let me just say that Nussbaumer not only has her hands full, but she also gains wisdom from the experience. Also, once you reach about page 300 (when the action really takes off), don't expect to be able to put the book down till you're done. I'd also like to praise Zettel's gift for detail. She has a marvelous imagination for the little touches that convince you that "we're not in Kansas any more." Much of the book is written from the viewpoint of the alien Dedelphi, and they are alien indeed: driven to fight at almost a genetic level, and all of the intelligent ones are female. (Apparently, the females' brains fall out--almost literally--when they reach a certain age, and they become male. Since Sarah is happily married, I'm assuming this does not reflect her opinion of men in general.) Anyhow, her characters, alien and human, are very convincing. All in all, this is an exciting, gripping read and one of the best hard sf novels I've read in quite a while.

Well written and satisfying.

A charming book with a faintly Cherryhish flavor; if you liked "Playing God", then you might like the Foreigner and Chanur series. The way Zettel captures emotions and pins them down to ink and paper is nothing less than a miracle. Very much recommended. --S.L-S.

Destined for a place among the classics of sci fi!

"Playing God",by Sarah Zettel is what sci fi lovers crave. Truly believable characters, a wonderfully complex alien society, a lot of love, a lot of violence, a lot of hard-hiting action, but nothing cliche. This is not fluff!Ms. Zettel obviuosly has a grasp on political science, psychology, and a true vision of future science (the implants, for example).Bravo, Ms Zettel! Please keep these incredible page-turners coming. And may you win a Hugo or Nebula, as you deserve...