Steal across the Sky

This novel appeared in 2009 and was a near-future story set in a now-alternate past that didn't happen. I now wish I'd read it when it was new, but the cover was just so dull looking that I kept putting it off. It's a very well written and thought-provoking book, though the setting changes are kind......more

I didn't really intend to read Steal Across the Sky all in one evening, it just sort of happened. It's the first of my books for a challenge which I might or might not fully participate in, the Worlds Without End female writers challenge for 2013. I've meant to read Nancy Kress for ages, and I actua......more

The Atoners are an alien species that have taken up residence on our moon. They are recruiting humans as "witnesses" to travel out to new planets on their behalf. In her candidacy interview, Camilla O'Kane (Cam) asks two questions which the interviewers choose not to answer. Why send humans? And, wh......more

I wanted to love this book, because I highly value Nancy Kress' books on writing--I use them a lot. But based on this novel only (it's the only one of hers I've read) she's showing the "John Gardner" syndrome--when a writer's books about how to create good fiction are, in fact, superior to her ficti......more

Mysterious aliens come, set up base on Moon, put a Web ad: "need 21 humans to send as Witnesses/Observers in groups of 3, 1 on each of a twin planet, 1 to coordinate from orbit; we kidnapped humans 10k years ago and set up colonies on those worlds but also we committed a grievous wrong against human......more