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The Gist: Ahni Huang is on the trail of her brother’s killer. Ahni is the daughter of a leading powerful Taiwanese business family and she’s a class nine empath. She feels it is a duty to her family to find this killer.
The trail leads to the low Earth orbital station New York Up where she finds a wholly different culture and world. Ahni soon finds that she is caught up something much bigger than just her brother’s apparent murder.
She runs into NYUp’s resident “gardener” Dane Nilsson who maintains the expansive gardens of NYUp. Dane has been protecting a group of humanoids that appear to be the next genetic step in the evolution of humans in space.
Dane is also the leader of NOW, an organization that is moving for autonomy for the platforms. He has plans but they are being sabotaged by someone else’s political agenda. Dane’s plate is full dealing with NOW, his gardens and the family of humanoids that he is watching over.
These humanoids appear to have been genetically manipulated by Dane but in reality they are the next stage of evolution for humanity in space.
The Good: The story is fast paced and has lots of twists, turns and lots of political intrigue. You never know who the main character should trust.
The story has many familiar themes, overbearing governments, the desire to be free from oppressive ideas, the human fear of change in both ourselves and our ideals, the balance of the environment and basic change.
I enjoyed the cultural rules and differences that were displayed on the orbital stations. The melding of different cultures and “space living” rules of politeness.
The Bad: Everything wraps up rather conveniently at the end of the book. It all falls together just as the characters plan.
The Ugly: Nothing ugly at this point.
This story, at its roots, is about change. Politics, humankind’s place in space and how people who inhabit space are changing. The orbitals want autonomy, the government of Earth wants to maintain control and some want the destruction of both. I recommend picking this book up and enjoying the story contained.
Horizons, by Mary Rosenblum
Published by: Tor Books (November 14, 2006)
ISBN: 0765316048
Genre: Science Fiction
