Lear's Daughters

In the latter part of the twenty-first century, the ecosystems on Earth are dying and the climate is running amuck. Flora, fauna and oil are gone and humanity is using coal which adds to the heavy pollution. People live in mega cities that are overcrowded and medical help is very expensive when it is available. The search is on for planets that are rich in lithium, an element needed to produce clean energy. The Corporation ConPlex is funding an expedition to Fiix in the Byrnham Cluster, which seems to be rich in lithium. There is a primitive civilization on the planet which has natives that have our Dna. A periodic table of elements with elements not found in the human one is discovered and there is a complex system that brings energy safely for heating and cooling and for a variation of other reasons. The Sawl's myths say the weather is so poor and dangerous because the twin Sister-goddesses are at war. Stavros Ibia the ship's linguist immerses himself in the Sawl culture and believes the Sister-goddesses are not myths, but are real be they machines , people, or A.I.'s playing games with the weather and causing hostilities and devastation with heat and rain. ConPlex's representative Dr. Emil Clausen finds lithium in abundance and cares nothing about what the Sister-Goddesses really are if anything. He searches for ore mine and leads an expedition that is split in two with one side seeking ore for the earth and the other looking for a loophole the Sawl's world to continue to continue without interference. His endeavor leads to violence. LEAR'S DAUGHTERS is a reworking of two books published in the 1980s (THE WAVE AND THE FLAME and REIGN OF FIRE). The new saga updates the science with new information on climate and weather on the planet. The story line is a cautionary science fiction thriller that indirectly paints a dark view of a future earth six decades from now through the conversations between cast members. Readers are immersed in the Sawl culture and want to know more about the Sister-goddesses: whether they are myths or if real whether they are sane as earthlings define the term. This is an intriguing massive tome that will fascinate readers as the future looks bleak in the Kellogg realm. Harriet Klausner

A group of Terran scientists plus a mining expert representing the funding behind the expedition land on a planet with a seemingly primitive population and bizarre weather. Freak storms strand the Terrans for far longer than planned, and as tensions rise among them and some build close ties with the locals, they begin to discover that there is far more to the "simple natives" and the weather than they could have ever imagined. A nice, fat book for those who like rich characterization, believable relationships, and plenty of descriptive detail. Kellogg deftly weaves all the seemingly disparate threads into a satisfying ending. There's a nice sprinkling of hard science, but not enough to be daunting.