E-book, 333 pages

English language

Published Feb. 5, 2018 by Tom Doherty Associates.

ISBN:
978-0-7653-9137-7
Copied ISBN!

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (28 reviews)

Human survival hinges on an bizarre alliance in Semiosis, a character driven science fiction novel of first contact by debut author Sue Burke.

Forced to land on a planet they aren't prepared for, human colonists rely on their limited resources to survive. The planet provides a lush but inexplicable landscape – trees offer edible, addictive fruit one day and poison the next, while the ruins of an alien race are found entwined in the roots of a strange plant. Conflicts between generations arise as they struggle to understand one another and grapple with an unknowable alien intellect.

Only mutual communication can forge an alliance with the planet's sentient species and prove that humans are more than tools.

Content warning: Describes sexualized violence

7 editions

reviewed Semiosis by Sue Burke (Semiosis Duology, #1)

Not many books have chapters narrated by bamboo.

5 stars

Semiosis is a fascinating take on space colonization, intelligence, and language. The multi-generational story starts with the founding of a small human colony on an alien world where, as they soon discover, plants have evolved intelligence and use animals for tools. Needless to say, things don't work out the way the colonists intended, and their descendants find ways to adapt to a world where they can't forget that they're only one part of the ecosystem -- and not a necessary part, either. And the plants have their own ideas!

Each chapter picks up a character from a different generation. Burke gives them all distinct voices and attitudes, and while each looks back at the previous narrator from this new perspective, their stories are their own.

I found the middle chapters the most interesting. At this point the colony has established itself, and all the founders have died off, leaving only …

reviewed Semiosis by Sue Burke (Semiosis Duology, #1)

I wasn't expecting to love this book, but I did.

5 stars

I just read Semiosis and Interference by Sue Burke and REALLY liked them much more than I was expecting to. I don’t know that I’ve ever encountered books quite like them. The physical science is a little vague and soft but the biological science is really cool (and totally inspired by all that stuff you’ve read about how the roots and fungus in an acre of forest have more chemical connections than the human brain has synapses). The first book is like a series of short stories, set on a planet where the plants are sentient (and some are sapient) and the human colonists form a symbiotic relationship with them over the course of 100 years or so. Also, lots of pacifist political philosophy (if that doesn’t intrigue you, it will probably seem heavy handed, as an anarcho-pacifist myself, I quite enjoyed this aspect). Funny enough, I probably would have …

reviewed Semiosis by Sue Burke (Semiosis Duology, #1)

Great read! Realistic and yet positive and hopeful.

5 stars

Loosely a Cli-Fi but with out any unbearable dread. Not usually a fan of that specific scifi subgenre (not because it isnt good but because you know..the whole world.), and kind of exhausted with generation ship or space colonies, but damn the action kept coming and the world building was amazing. Loved all of the characters and felt attached to their hardship, struggle and success. Would highly recommend. Also good for plant lovers 🌿🌿🌿🌿!

Great idea, poor execution

2 stars

A multigenerational story of mankind having to become symbiotic with life forms beyond its understanding to survive, this is marred by pedestrian prose, a narrative structure that leaves no room for characters to feel for, and a take on an alien, vegetable life form that has all the charm of a chemistry lesson. Read Children of Time if you like the idea done well.

reviewed Semiosis by Sue Burke (Semiosis Duology, #1)

Review of 'Semiosis' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

Really fun story with really lovely flaws in the characters. And that's just the best positive of this story.

It's a story about building a community and it spans several human lifetimes. It's also a story about relationships and learning and it has the nicest (still flawed) beauty bush I've ever encountered.

Honestly, it feels like very much the old sci-fi that I read as a child where there were really wild things happening that mostly taught me about what humans can be like.

I also love the sound of the word fippokat.

Review of 'Semiosis' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

What if intelligent alien life was plant-based? The settlers of Pax are ready to create a new life, when they discover the plants of their new home might be less than friendly. The group tried to escape war on Earth, have they landed in a different kind of battleground?

I loved the concept behind Semiosis. Each section follows a member of a different generation of settlers, allowing jumps in time, perspective and culture, as well as evolution. It explores how plants evolve to take advantage of animals and in return become useful. In biology this is called mutualism and it's mentioned a lot.

It did over-explain some things and didn't leave much space for coming to your own conclusions. I suppose it's understandable that not every reader is going to come at this book with any botany knowledge, but I found it irritating at times.

Stevland is a sentient bamboo. …

reviewed Semiosis by Sue Burke (Semiosis Duology, #1)

Review of 'Semiosis' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

One of the more interesting books I've read this year. Left me wondering if the way we look at nature with "alpha predators" and ranking animals, plants, etc in the way we tend to in the way we talk about them, is really appropriate. Maybe we should just respect each other.

It's good, it's thought provoking, and it's a different colonisation novel.

Reminds me of [b:The Word for World is Forest|276767|The Word for World is Forest|Ursula K. Le Guin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1283091038s/276767.jpg|3256815] or maybe [b:Remnant Population|96284|Remnant Population|Elizabeth Moon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320407954s/96284.jpg|92804].

avatar for imbrandon

rated it

4 stars
avatar for armamix@books.infosec.exchange

rated it

4 stars
avatar for oisin

rated it

4 stars
avatar for msub2@books.theunseen.city

rated it

4 stars
avatar for whami

rated it

4 stars
avatar for erinmalone

rated it

5 stars
avatar for yallah110

rated it

2 stars
avatar for sebastost

rated it

5 stars
avatar for johnke

rated it

4 stars
avatar for gtco

rated it

3 stars
avatar for sablebadger

rated it

4 stars
avatar for samsterby

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Cform

rated it

5 stars
avatar for flying_cookie

rated it

4 stars
avatar for paulfidalgo

rated it

5 stars