Paradise

Most books I've read up until now have been cheesy horror novels, so while I love sci-fi movies I'm still quite new to sci-fi books. In fact, this is only the 2nd sci-fi book I ever read. Since then I've read about 3 more and this one remains on top and I highly doubt it will ever lose its hold on the top spot. If it does become 2nd to any sci-fi book I read in the future than I'm sure that's a long way off. It's the first (and so far only) book I've read that actually tapped into my emotions and really made me feel something while and long after I was through reading it. It may be predictable and not completely new, but it still manages to strike a chord and I recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I know for a fact I'll be re-reading this magnificent work of art very soon.

The once-beautiful planet of Peponi is slowly going to hell, and Matthew Breen wants to know why. He spends a lifetime trying to find out, and _Paradise_ tells the story of that search . . . partly through Breen's eyes and partly through the eyes of the people he interviews. That *sounds* like an less-than-exciting basis for a story, but Resnick (possibly the most underrated science fiction writer working today) makes it absolutely gripping. Matthew Breen is a rather bland hero, and there's almost no action (or even overt conflict) in the present-day story, but it doesn't matter. The supporting characters are fascinating and, without exception, more complex than they seem at first. Peponi is beautifully described, and by the time the book is over you find yourself with the same affection for it that the characters have. Above all, there is the puzzle of Peponi's slow decline: a puzzle that Resnick resolves elegantly in the final chapter. Stories about Galactic Empires are a dime-a-dozen in science fiction, but this is different than most. The first reason is that it focuses on a single planet--one small corner of an empire that includes thousands of worlds. The second reason is that Resnick knows a lot about empire-building on *our* world, and uses that history to keep the story of Peponi "real." _Paradise_ is, as a result, full of characters who are neither Good Guys or Bad Guys, and driven by complex problems that don't have simple solutions. Highly recommended for science-fiction fans who like to think while they're being entertained.

This isn't your average sci-fi space opera. There's not a lot of science in it or action, but it was anything but boring for me. The whole story is about ecological disaster brought about by humans colonizing an 'uncivilized' planet. The narrative stays fresh by using a writer that is constantly interviewing people that lived on the planet Peponi as a main character. In some chapters the writer is speaking, in others humans that used to live on the planet, in others natives that have lived through the colonization.I'll definitely checking out more of Mr. Resnick's books in the future.

Paradise will pull the reader into the book. I felt bad for the victims and cursed the villians. The reader will want to scream at the characters, "Don't you see what you are doing?" Then want to plead with Resnick to not take the book in the direction it is going. With Paradise, Mike Resnick offers a likely future of what will happen when man discovers intellegent life on another planet. The tale shows that no matter what the intensions, noble and honest or greedy and corrupt, it would be better off to leave well enough alone. I offer my highest recommendation to this story. Read it and I'll bet you'll be in Paradise. Sorry about the bad pun, but you would have done the same thing.