LitPick Review
Terra Insegura by Edward Willet is a science fiction novel
with a highly original plot. The storyline centres around
the adventures of the Selkie (a modified human meant to
live under water) Emily Wood and her mother along with
those of Victor Hansen (a clone of the Selkie's creator)
and his crew. Marseguro is a water world far away from
earth. The people and Selkies of Marseguro have long been
victimized by the radical religious group that has taken
over Earth, The Body Purified. The Body believe that their
duty is to fulfil the wishes of their God and eradicate
all the modified humans in existence. Emily's mother had
developed a horrific plague that destroyed many of the
Body Purified and devastated Earth.
Now, Victor has come to Earth in order to rescue the
survivors. However, the surviving Body Purified are trying
harder than ever to destroy the mods. Avartar, the Body
leader, Karl the first is convinced that the plague is a
sign from God that the Body haven't been taking their duty
seriously. Now, as all their lives intertwine Earth
becomes a battlefield for the survival of all.
Opinion:
This is an engrossing novel that has many unexpected
twists and turns. In the beginning it is a little hard to
follow, if you haven't read the preceding books, but as
the story progresses it all falls into place and becomes a
fantastic, entertaining and at times nail-biting read that
readers will thoroughly enjoy. Although the end is
satisfying it does come abruptly. Fans of Ender's Game
will find a good read here although this novel is not
quite up to that standard. The characters are quite
believeable and the reader is really able to care about
them and become drawn into their world. Willet's use of
description is great and involved, making the reader
really interested in the events of the story and is
definitely the novel's biggest strength. The vocabulary
sometimes is a little science focused but the context
helps to give the reader its definition. The lack of
explanation is slightly frustrating but didn't really
hinder my overall reading experience. I would recommend
Terra Insegura to all fans of science fiction and even to
those who want to try reading the genre for the first
time.
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