Other Worlds

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Title:	Ammonite
Author:	Nicola Griffith
Copyright Date:	1992
Publisher:	Random House Publishing Group

Brief Summary: Marghe Taishan, an anthropologist, journeys to the planet Jeep to explore a mysterious virus and discover the origins of the planet's inhabitants.
Pages: 397
Setting: The planet Jeep; the future
Plot:
*Contains Spoilers*
Marghe travels to the planet Jeep to test a new vaccine for a mysterious virus and to study the natives. The virus killed all the men from the original colony and only makes the natives sick in infancy. Any of the new women that come to the planet have the potential to get sick and die from the virus, but most stay at Port Central, the military base. Marghe hopes the vaccine will prevent new inhabitants from getting sick. Her secondary mission is to find out how the natives live and reproduce, being only women. She ventures north to reach the fabled beginning point of the native population. On her way she faces several physical and emotional trials before reaching her goal. She also decides to stop taking the vaccine. She gets sick, but lives through it, discovering she has slightly enhanced senses. She finds a woman in Ollfoss who she eventually learns is her soulmate and the two decide to stay together and have children. Reproduction turns out to be an issue of mind over matter. When two women "link" mentally to each other and decide to become pregnant, they do. Marghe also ends up having to be the liaison between the military base and the natives, which she resolves.
Writing: The writing flows well and is easy to read. It is written in third person and contains a lot of description, emotion and dialogue. Most of the story is about the characters' thoughts and feelings, which can get tedious at times. The descriptive passages are lengthy as well. Sometimes it needs more action.
Recommendation: Overall, I found this to be a pleasant read. It's definitely soft sci-fi and I'd only recommend it if you like the more emotional sides of the characters and can deal with lesbian relationships. I've read one other book by Griffith, Slow River and I've found her books to be entertaining and thought-provoking.

Brief Summary:	Marghe Taishan, an anthropologist, journeys to the planet Jeep to explore a mysterious virus and discover the origins of the planet's inhabitants.
Pages:	397
Setting:	The planet Jeep; the future
Plot:	Contains Spoilers Marghe travels to the planet Jeep to test a new vaccine for a mysterious virus and to study the natives. The virus killed all the men from the original colony and only makes the natives sick in infancy. Any of the new women that come to the planet have the potential to get sick and die from the virus, but most stay at Port Central, the military base. Marghe hopes the vaccine will prevent new inhabitants from getting sick. Her secondary mission is to find out how the natives live and reproduce, being only women. She ventures north to reach the fabled beginning point of the native population. On her way she faces several physical and emotional trials before reaching her goal. She also decides to stop taking the vaccine. She gets sick, but lives through it, discovering she has slightly enhanced senses. She finds a woman in Ollfoss who she eventually learns is her soulmate and the two decide to stay together and have children. Reproduction turns out to be an issue of mind over matter. When two women "link" mentally to each other and decide to become pregnant, they do. Marghe also ends up having to be the liaison between the military base and the natives, which she resolves.
Writing:	The writing flows well and is easy to read. It is written in third person and contains a lot of description, emotion and dialogue. Most of the story is about the characters' thoughts and feelings, which can get tedious at times. The descriptive passages are lengthy as well. Sometimes it needs more action.
Recommendation:	Overall, I found this to be a pleasant read. It's definitely soft sci-fi and I'd only recommend it if you like the more emotional sides of the characters and can deal with lesbian relationships. I've read one other book by Griffith, Slow River and I've found her books to be entertaining and thought-provoking.