Semiosis
A novel of first contact
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Semiosis
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Narrated by:
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Caitlin Davies
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Daniel Thomas May
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By:
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Sue Burke
About this listen
‘Up there with the best of Le Guin in terms of beautiful, engrossing, brilliantly imagined sci-fi’
VULTURE
‘SEMIOSIS combines the world-building of Avatar with the alien wonder of Arrival, and the sheer humanity of Atwood. An essential work for our time’
STEPHEN BAXTER
NOMINATED FOR THE ARTHUR C. CLARKE AWARD
Escaping conflict on Earth, an idealistic group of settlers arrive on a distant planet – Pax – with plans for a perfect society.
The world they discover is rich with life, but this is not the Eden they were hoping for. The plants on Pax are smart – smart enough to domesticate, and even slaughter, its many extraordinary animals.
To survive, the colonists realize that they must strike bargains of their own. But if they are to make Pax their home, they must go further, searching for a way to communicate and coexist with these utterly alien intelligences.
©2018 Sue Burke (P)2018 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
BEST BOOKS OF 2018 – THRILLIST, VULTURE, THE VERGE, CHICAGO REVIEW OF BOOKS, NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
LOCUS RECOMMENDED READING LIST 2018
‘This is top class SF, intelligent and engaging and I loved every moment of it’
Adrian Tchaikovsky, award-winning author of CHILDREN OF TIME
‘Sue Burke blends science with adventure and fascinating characters, as a human colony desperately seeks to join the ecosystem of an alien world.’
David Brin, award-winning author of THE POSTMAN
‘A magnetic meditation on biochemistry and humanity’
LOCUS
‘A clever, fascinating, fun and unique debut’
KIRKUS
What listeners say about Semiosis
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Chris
- 12-06-24
interesting concept
an interesting concept laboured to the point of ridiculous. too many coincidences and plants with the ability to suddenly make chemicals that magically solve problems...that said. for those that don't already know that life is a complex and delicate web of competition and symbiosis... it might make an interesting read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 05-06-20
Pleasantly surprised
After reading a few negative reviews about the narration I was cautious about Semiosis, but i found no issues with any of the narration and the story itself is great.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Dan C Amazon Customer
- 12-06-20
Intriguiging
The story was entirely consistent in the world it created and I loved how the story developed.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Becky
- 09-07-22
Interesting idea told without pomp
If you enjoyed children of time I don't know why you wouldn't enjoy this. An interesting concept that you don't need a degree in botany to understand. Left me wanting more.
Narration was excellent, they were both able to use a range of voices and noises to capture the characters and languages.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michela
- 10-12-19
A riveting story with a great concept
The main idea and one of the main characters in this novel are utterly fascinating : what if a plant were as intelligent and self-conscious and civilised as humans? What if plants' chemistry and biology were tools as flexible and powerful as human technology and science? What if a plant could shape life and evolution on a planet? The story is far more complex and intriguing than that, as humans from a future Earth lands on a faraway planet and learn to adapt and evolve their lives and civilisation according to their new environment, trying to coexist with the (quite smart) animals and plants on it, and finally with the remaining members of an ancient civilization, all in the name of that peace that on Earth could not be maintained. Brilliant interpretations of the narrators, as humans' and plants' points of views alternate in the novel.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs L Jones
- 24-04-19
Good read
Really enjoyed this book. Kept me gripped as to what was going to happen next. The first story I have come across that writes about the ecosystem of a new planet.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- kb.barr88
- 07-10-23
really grabs you
loved this really makes you think about animals vrs plants would recommend to all sci-fi fans
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Rosemary White
- 06-09-19
Good concept
Three narrators, one superb, two.... not so much. I very much liked the whole concept of the storyline and it rolled along nicely but towards the end became somewhat lacklustre and the end, I thought , had no impact or real meaning. Maybe I had unrealistic expectations, but that's why I haven't rated this book highly.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sean Kearon
- 27-06-20
Outstanding
The story makes you think and opens your horizons. It is also brilliantly performed by Caitlin and Daniel, Simply outstanding!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- paul sparks
- 16-05-19
Original and enjoyable
Really interesting premise and excellent narration make this a must listen book, can’t wait for the sequel
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