The Genesis Quest

They were a kind and gentle alien race. They were also very smart. So when they detected human radio messages, full of mankind's knowledge and culture, they learned quickly. In fact, they were able to re-create humans from the DNA data transmitted from Earth.And they treated humans well. They lived along side humans and wanted to do what was best for them. The problem is that they don't really understand what humans wanted. But the people knew what THEY wanted and some are willing to do anything to get it.Even kill for it.Bram, a human bioenginer is trapped between what he knows is right and what he knows may happen.What will happen? Will mankind turn on the Nar, killing the very race that made them? Or is mankind mature enough to follow their dreams, reach for the stars AND not the knife? Can Bram solve the problems or will he be washed along with the rest of the mob by mad leaders, turning again the Nars?Great first-part of a two-part series. Great alien race, interesting setting, realistic characters and sometimes very touching (if not also sometimes tragic).

Though it wasn't a real page turner til the last quarter or so, I really liked the book. The concept is fresh, the characters believable. Most of the action is planet-based, dealing with the relationships and politics of different beings and their striving to understand each other. I don't really want to make this comparison since I hated the movie - but I saw many similarities to the end of A.I. where the aliens/robot descendants have to rely entirely upon the memory of HJO to build an understanding of the long since dead human culture.I'm off to start the sequel, Second Genesis, now.

I thought the concept of this book was absolutely fascinating ... humans genetically recreated in a distant galaxy by an alien race based on a radio telescope transmission of the human genetic code ... and then to see the new humans' perspective of what life on Earth must have been like and their longing to return "home". I loved it and have read it at least 5 times.