Glory Season

This is, in my opinion, David Brin's crowning work, and one of my favorite books of all time. It is an engaging and entertaining read, with something to offer almost anyone; there are aspects of mystery, fantasy, high seas, romance, adventure, and of course, science fiction. This book follows the story of Maia, a young girl born to both a mother and a father on a world where society is dominated by of clans of specially skilled female clones. It is in part a strange coming of age story, as Maia tries to find her own niche to fill, hoping to found a clan of her own. Her world of Stratos, she finds, has something of a dark past, a past which soon becomes very much a part of her present as she travels over most of the face of her world, meeting a whole host of intriguing characters... including one who may bring their world's past to the present for their entire society. David Brin outdid himself (and most authors) with the detail and complexity of the world and society present in every aspect of this book. The only drawback to this book is that often men will be turned away from it by the 'feminism' of said society; it is extremely woman-based, and many men seem to think this is a slur upon men in general. In this reader's opinion, however, it is just a study on a potential societal development thanks to certain technological advances, and not intended in any way as a slur on anyone, except perhaps the tendencies of human civilization as a whole. Even the length of the book (which is considerable) I cannot in any way consider a drawback. In fact, when I finished it the first time, all I could do was wish that it had been even longer. It is never slow or boring, really, and you continue to want to turn the pages all the way through it. All in all, this is a book I would... and do... recommend to anyone with even the vaguest interest in science fiction.

One reader commented that this book is "not up to Brin's standards." Never having read Brin before, I can't say if that's true, but I can say that if this book is below average for him, his others must be truly amazing. GLORY SEASON is both a tale of high adventure and a thoughtful, mature exploration of where technology and idealism can take us. I'm highly critical of writing style -- especially in SF/Fantasy novels, which can be quite poor -- but the writing here is so smoothly and effortlessly crafted that I never had to think about it. Through 764 pages, it kept me glued to my seat and begging for more, trying to unravel the mysteries before Maia (the smart, stubborn heroine of the tale) could get captured or knocked out or thrown overboard again, and wake up to another piece of the puzzle.This is good stuff: immediate escape reading that leaves you with something to think about. It's not a combination I come across often, or at least not put together so well with seamless writing, fascinating plot, and a strong human interest. Read some good SciFi for a change.

This is one of the best sci-fi books I have ever read, and if you read many of my reviews you will realise that I do not say this lightly, nor do I often award five stars for anything.This is an intriguing and intelligent book set in a world where women dominate life in great families of female clones and where men are the lesser species. Both species are ruled by sexual urges, but at different times of the year, Summer for men and Winter for women. The result is a stagnant population level.We follow two sisters who are of low status because they are Summer babies, not clones, who travel together to pretend they are clone sisters. They run into a man from "normal" humankind who has come to bring this planet back into the human collective and is imprisoned by the great families who do not want their stable society disrupted.This is a great adventure story told against the backdrop of a rich history on a planet that is moving slowly away from technology in a reverse development towards an agrarian existence. The great families of clone sisters are the equivalent of medieval feudal families who kept Europe in stagnant thrall for so long in the middle ages.This book is in some ways like 1984 by George Orwell, where the great families take the role of big brother to keep things stable, but in a feminine, non agressive way.The book is littered with sub plots, each rich and full in its own way, a drug running scam, a war with an extraterrestrial species, the story of setting up the planet and the genetic enhancements required to adapt humans to it, the travels of the sisters and the game of life played by the sailors.The worst thing about this book is that it ever ends. This is a world you want to stay in because it is so full and interesting.

In truth, i read this book and did little else for a couple days (and i have two small children, one big dog, and a husband for which to care). David Brin is among my favorite authors partly because he knows the science he that one can always found weaved deftly into his science fiction. There's almost nothing more off-putting to me then to read some really wrong science "fact" in a scifi novel. Brin always gets his science right AND he is amazingly creative in the invention of his worlds, such as the one he created here, and populated with real-seeming people. This book has some lovely bits in it. For example, the part about Maia finding the truth of her and Leie's names was such a cruel blow and was incredibly well-written as well as furthering the book in an important manner by allowing Maia to begin cutting the strings binding her to the childish dream she and Leie shared. I felt cheated with the ending, however, and wondered if he simply needed to finish it in a hurry. That ending seemed to pat, too easy, dealing death too conveniently, to be the result of careful planning and strategy. The person who died didn't have to, shouldn't have. The conflict and tension between that character and Maia should have been worked out another way. _Glory Season_ left me wishing and hoping i'll stumble across another of Brin's books, unread and unknown to me, soon. Maybe he's finishing another one now ..