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thistlechaser's review
5.0
If you told me a book that included bestiality (is sex with insects still called bestiality?) and mpreg could get a five star rating from me, I would laugh at you. And yet this book did.
Set on an alien planet, a woman named Kesbe is delivering an old airplane. It crashes in a storm, and she encounters the planet's natives -- descendants of a lost Native American tribe who took to space to escape the problems of a dying Earth. Being of Hopi blood herself, she feels a kinship to these lost people, and tries to join their society.
There were so many interesting themes in this story. Accepting yourself (as a person, as a woman, as a member of a group). Love, no matter the shape the other individual takes.
The characters were so realistic and believable. The "bad guy" (not really bad, just an interesting shade of grey) had motives that were completely realistic and believable.
The worldbuilding was jaw-droppingly amazing. The writing in all aspects was outstanding.
Rereading books I loved when I was younger is risky. Tastes change, and if I dislike the book on second reading, then that ruins my memory of it. Luckily, in this case, I think I liked it even more than when I was younger. The main character was an adult woman, and I could more easily relate to her now that I'm an adult as well.
I really, really wish I could have been rereading it for the first time though. I remembered some of the twists ahead of time, and knew how the whole thing ended. Still, this was one seriously enjoyable read.
It pains me to have to include that this book had any problems, but unfortunately it did have one: There were a couple dozen typos, misspellings, and grammar issues. That does not at all take away from my strong recommendation of this book.
Set on an alien planet, a woman named Kesbe is delivering an old airplane. It crashes in a storm, and she encounters the planet's natives -- descendants of a lost Native American tribe who took to space to escape the problems of a dying Earth. Being of Hopi blood herself, she feels a kinship to these lost people, and tries to join their society.
There were so many interesting themes in this story. Accepting yourself (as a person, as a woman, as a member of a group). Love, no matter the shape the other individual takes.
The characters were so realistic and believable. The "bad guy" (not really bad, just an interesting shade of grey) had motives that were completely realistic and believable.
The worldbuilding was jaw-droppingly amazing. The writing in all aspects was outstanding.
Rereading books I loved when I was younger is risky. Tastes change, and if I dislike the book on second reading, then that ruins my memory of it. Luckily, in this case, I think I liked it even more than when I was younger. The main character was an adult woman, and I could more easily relate to her now that I'm an adult as well.
I really, really wish I could have been rereading it for the first time though. I remembered some of the twists ahead of time, and knew how the whole thing ended. Still, this was one seriously enjoyable read.
It pains me to have to include that this book had any problems, but unfortunately it did have one: There were a couple dozen typos, misspellings, and grammar issues. That does not at all take away from my strong recommendation of this book.
teawolf's review
4.0
"People of the Sky" was a very interesting book... in all honesty, I'm not really sure how to review it. I'll try, though.
Kesbe is a strong, realistic character. All the characters are. Their actions and reactions to events are believable. The Pai are a strong, original culture with ways both admirable and detestable, but as the story moves on you start to appreciate even the incomprehensible and, well, sci-fi-ish faces of the Pai way. As with Clare Bell's other stories, it is near impossible to fully predict what will happen later in the story. If you make a guess about anything other than the base plot, you will likely be wrong. You read something and think "Ohh, that must be referring to this." Of course, it doesn't. I was pleasantly surprised by most of the story.
Once the plot starts getting really involved, the strange things happen. They did make me feel a little bit uneasy at first. What is first perceived as a gross and rather unimaginable event leads to a rather beautiful conclusion. If I gained anything from this book that I can put to use for the rest of my life, it's that I can more easily accept what it means to be female.
I wouldn't recommend this book for anyone below high school, mostly for the content. If you can deal with movies such as Alien, you'll probably be fine. Also, you should be able to appreciate elements of exotic cultures that most might find horrifying. If you can, you will be able to appreciate this book much more. I did. :)
Kesbe is a strong, realistic character. All the characters are. Their actions and reactions to events are believable. The Pai are a strong, original culture with ways both admirable and detestable, but as the story moves on you start to appreciate even the incomprehensible and, well, sci-fi-ish faces of the Pai way. As with Clare Bell's other stories, it is near impossible to fully predict what will happen later in the story. If you make a guess about anything other than the base plot, you will likely be wrong. You read something and think "Ohh, that must be referring to this." Of course, it doesn't. I was pleasantly surprised by most of the story.
Once the plot starts getting really involved, the strange things happen. They did make me feel a little bit uneasy at first. What is first perceived as a gross and rather unimaginable event leads to a rather beautiful conclusion. If I gained anything from this book that I can put to use for the rest of my life, it's that I can more easily accept what it means to be female.
I wouldn't recommend this book for anyone below high school, mostly for the content. If you can deal with movies such as Alien, you'll probably be fine. Also, you should be able to appreciate elements of exotic cultures that most might find horrifying. If you can, you will be able to appreciate this book much more. I did. :)
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