A surprisingly engaging sci fi story about an anthropologist sent to a planet that is host to a terrifying virus that kills all men and most women. A guinea pig for a new vaccine which should prevent her from catching it, Marghe gets to the planet and quickly leaves the tightly guarded military post in order to meet the natives who have somehow survived the virus and inexplicably managed to procreate in the absence of any men.
There is plenty of action and the “secrets” of this world are slowly revealed. There is a bad “Company” who cares far more about profits than people, but happily (for me) the Company really only appears as necessary to nudge the plot a bit. Far more focus on the evolving culture of the planet and its all female inhabitants.
The author mentioned in her notes that she was sick of books that generalized males or females to be all of one kind — aggressive males, nurturing females blah blah blah. She wanted to create an all female culture that had as many variations among its populace as it would have with two sexes. She did a great job. I appreciated how this all female world evolved without having to have any anger at or fighting with men. They just were irrelevant to the story.
I’m surprised that I enjoyed this as much as I did —I think the character and culture centric nature of the speculation is what did it. I really do get bored with pure action 🙂
Books to look forward to ... 