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Semiosis: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Sue Burke (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 3,972 ratings

Book 1 of 3: Semiosis

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

2019 Campbell Memorial Award Finalist
2019 Locus Finalist for Best Science Fiction Novel
Locus 2018 Recommended Reading List

New York Public Library—Best of 2018
Forbes—Best Science Fiction Books of 2019-2019
The Verge—Best of 2018
Thrillist—Best Books of 2018
Vulture—10 Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2018
Chicago Review of Books—The 10 Best Science Fiction Books of 2018
Texas Library Association—Lariat List Top Books for 2019

Colonists from Earth wanted the perfect home, but they’ll have to survive on the one they found. They don’t realize another life form watches...and waits...

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

Other Books by Sue Burke
Semiosis duology
Semiosis
Interference

Immunity Index
Dual Memory

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Semiosis

“This is up there with Ursula K. Le Guin: science fiction at its most fascinating and most humane.“―Thrillist

“A fascinating world.”―The Verge

“It makes the reader reexamine ideas about sentience. It is superbly written without an ounce of fat. Very cool indeed and highly recommended. It goes on my pile of books to be re-read.”―Tade Thompson, author of Rosewater and The Murders of Molly Southbourne

“A solid debut.”―SFRevu

“A magnetic meditation on biochemistry and humanity.”―Locus Online

“This first-contact tale is extraordinary.”―Library Journal (starred review)

“Sharp, evocative . . . Semiosis unfolds the old science fiction idea of first contact in ways that are both traditional and subversive.”―The Christian Science Monitor

“A clever, fascinating, fun and unique debut.”―Kirkus

"Burke’s world building is exceptional, and her ability to combine the intricacies of colonization with the science of botany and theories of mutualism and predation is astounding." ―Booklist

“Impressive debut novel . . . lush . . . beautiful.”―Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A fresh and fun perspective on planetary exploration.”―The Bibliosanctum (4 out of 5 stars)

“Filled with questions about the nature of intelligence and how we value it, and humanity’s place within the universe, Semiosis is a provocative novel . . . ”―Fantasy Literature

“A very… different and super engaging novel.”―The Book Smugglers

“A fresh and thought-provoking take.”―Open Letters

“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, award winning author of The Time Ships

"Intelligent, riveting and ultimately uplifting, Semiosis asks big questions and gives satisfying answers."―Emma Newman, author Planetfall

“This is top class SF, intelligent and engaging and I loved every moment of it.”―Adrian Tchaikovsky, winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award for Children of Time

“In Semiosis, 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, author of Earth and Existence.

“A first contact novel like none you’ve ever read. . . . The kind of story for which science fiction was invented.” ―James Patrick Kelly, winner of the Hugo, Nebula and Locus awards

“Sue Burke has created one of the most fascinating alien personae science fiction has seen in this decade.” –David Nichols, early American historian and author of Engines of Diplomacy

“A gripping story of colonization and biological wonders.”―Gregory Frost, author of the Shadowbridge novels

“A fantastic SF debut . . . Semiosis will remain relevant for years to come.” ―Prof. Daniel Chamovitz, award-winning author of What a Plant Knows and Director of the Manna Center for Plant Biosciences at Tel Aviv University.

About the Author

SUE BURKE spent many years working as a reporter and editor for a variety of newspapers and magazines. She is a Clarion workshop alumnus, and she has published more than 30 short stories. Burke also worked extensively as a literary translator, and while living in Madrid, Spain, she headed the long-running Madrid Writer’s Critique Group. Her translations include the fantasy novel Prodigies by Angélica Gorodischer, the bilingual science fiction anthology Castles in Spain / Castillos en el aire, and the script for the science fiction movie Mindgate.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B071RXVGGB
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tor Books (February 6, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 6, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3453 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 326 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #171,827 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #444 in Colonization Science Fiction eBooks
- #517 in Hard Science Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #1,077 in Hard Science Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.3 3,972 ratings

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Sue Burke

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Sue Burke grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, lived briefly in Austin, Texas, y'all, and moved to Madrid, Spain, in December 1999. In 2016, she moved back to Chicago.

By then, she'd become a certified translator, Spanish into English, and had come to know the science fiction community in Spain and its many extraordinary authors. She won the 2016 Alicia Gordon Award for Word Artistry in Translation from the American Translators Association.

She has worked for fifty years as a professional writer, initially in journalism, both as a reporter and editor. She also writes poetry, essays, translations, and fiction, especially science fiction.

Her perfect day would consist of writing, reading, translating, editing, and cooking. And maybe a walk along Lake Michigan.

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4.3 out of 5

3,972 global ratings

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Tracey Overton

Be prepared for a thinking book disguised as an adventure into human nature as it could be.

Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2018

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Excellent book. I read these reviews and decided to take a gander at it. Im not usually this type of book reader as i prefer a total fantasy escapism. However, the idea of a plant being the superior being kinda got my gears turning. Amazing. And how this plant grew throughout the book from an egomaniac to a true pacifist. He totally grew to even understand humor and emotion. The different voices of the generations was perfect. I loved the perspectives. And the duality between the power driven choices versus the decisions used to save Pax as a whole. Each voice drew me into the character as if I could really be that character facing the challenges a new world brings. I read the book in two and a half days. Devoured it. With all of the ecology, biology, politics, humanity... All the ideas... And it wasnt pretentious at all. I read in the reviews that a possible sequel might be in the making left by the opening at the end of the book. But i love the somewhat ambiguous ending. After the journey and adventure this book took me on... Im just totally wanting to know more. To be completely emersed in this world again. But maybe that would take away from it. Maybe all it needs is a novella. Just something to let me know how they end up a hundred then several hundred years after. This was a great book. I would totally recommend it. It makes your brain reel on so many levels. Thank you Sue Burke for a real insightful look at survival.

25 people found this helpful

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Munkykween

Interesting and enjoyable story.

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2019

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I really enjoyed this book. It's well-written, engrossing, and well-paced. I particularly enjoyed how chapters were from a certain character's perspective, giving an interesting view on the progression of the people. I'm definitely going to read the next one!

As a side note from someone who reads constantly, both mainstream big names and Indies, this novel was edited very well which is nice co spidering how many big names I've read lately that were not.

Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2024

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A satisfying tale of phyto-intelligence , with some biochemistry stirred in , science fiction with that is both SCIENCE-fiction and science-FICTION

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Ardis Louise Ramey

but we can aspire to the use of practical wisdom to seek joy, love

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2018

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“Grateful for this opportunity to create a new society in full harmony with nature, we enter into this covenant, promising one another our mutual trust and support. We will face hardship, danger, and potential failure, but we can aspire to the use of practical wisdom to seek joy, love, beauty, community, and life.”

Sue Burke’s Semiosis tells the story of a group of colonists, departed from Earth and dedicated to peace above all else, as they survive on a foreign planet generation by generation. As the back cover promises, their survival will hinge on a bizarre alliance – with a new kind of sentient life.
While the premise is excitingly promising, I’m afraid that, as far as I could tell, it never quite managed to deliver on that promise.
The whole “sentient alien plant” concept intrigued me from the moment I first heard of it, and I wondered more than once (in the four months between when I pre-ordered the book and when I was finally able to read it) just how Burke would present not just a non-human sentience but one that was truly alien. In this, I think, Burke did a wonderful job.
Where I think Semiosis fails to fulfill its potential is in the peculiar structure Burke chose to portray her narrative, as it progressed through the generations. Each chapter is told from one character’s perspective, one character per generation. While this is a fine way to approach storytelling, and served the story well structurally, Burke chose vastly differing voices for each of her characters. I found the switch from voice to voice jarring to the point of disorientation.
It took me until the third chapter to decide that the incongruity in the voice was intentional characterization instead of clumsy writing, and by that time Burke had already lost me. I think, had I been prepared for this narrative quirk from the onset, I would have had a better chance at enjoying the book.
The thing is, I really want to write this up as a fascinating and well-executed technique. Each chapter is written from a different character’s point of view – one per generation (or near enough). Not only are all people different, these people are changing (socially, culturally as well as biologically) in response to the challenges they face and the requirements of their environment. That Burke convincingly represents the POV of multiple very different people in order to assemble her IS an admirable accomplishment. I can’t tell you why it hurt the narrative instead of helping.
That’s hardly the book’s only issue, however. Notably, Semiosis falls victim to what you might call the “Prometheus problem”. Particularly in the first two generations, the decisions of these premier scientists can be downright baffling. Time after time they make terrible calls – beginning before they even leave Earth. For scientists that are supposed to be incredibly smart and thoroughly prepared, it was their repeated failures to think critically or act reasonably (within the bounds of Burke’s established universe) that almost demolished my ability to buy in.
I will say that once I powered through those first few generations, I began to notice some wonderful techniques. Burke pays particular attention to the cultural relationships between generations, knitting them together through graceful and delicate touches. Seemingly small events or symbols from one chapter appear in another as tradition, fable, or law.
Additionally, the colonists’ dedication to “peace,” even generations after the opposite was anything other than an academic concept, is explored and even employed to great effect throughout the book. Themes of identity, intergenerational communication, and the struggle one generation faces as it tries to pass both its knowledge and its priorities on to the next all feature prominently and are well explored within these pages.
All-in-all, I expect Semiosis to pop up on many readers’ “Best Of …” lists, and I absolutely see why. I’m very glad I read it, but a part of me will always yearn for the story I imagined Semiosis would be.

114 people found this helpful

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William S. Morris

Different

Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2019

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The story reads in the first person from different perspectives, and progresses through various generations. We have 50 people set off to establish a colony on a world they know nothing about, and they are so ill prepared that they allow their equipment to deteriorate without any ability to replace or rebuild. The world they land on Is controlled by plants that control animals by altering the food provided. By the way, this colony comes with the idea of adapting to the food of the new world which they name based upon earth similarities. They find that they are not the first outerspace aliens to come to the world in the same stupid unprepared manner. The rest of the book concerns adapting coming to mutually cooperative relationships with animals, plants and aliens. The book is we'll written with few errors. It is interesting, but it reads slow. Although there are battles and people die I could not get involved with the action. Despite the first person narrative, it was more that I was just an observer. I still recommend the book for its different take on how future society could develop.

One person found this helpful

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Bernardo Camargos

Really interesting view on other evolutionary paths

Reviewed in Canada on August 17, 2022

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Really interesting view on other evolutionary paths

Dolf

A little different

Reviewed in the Netherlands on March 12, 2024

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Interesting to see a scifi book with less technology and more biology. I haven't finished it yet, but over halfway and it's been bending my mind somewhat... Good read.

AT3

Very interesting concept and riveting story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2023

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Really loved this book. I was prompted to read this after hearing Sue on BBC Radio 4 talking about this book on a Pod Cast called Stranger than Sci Fi and immediately had to read it. I was not disappointed and immediately bought the sequel as well.

One person found this helpful

R and N

Amazing

Reviewed in India on February 8, 2020

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Very well written! Interesting and engaging. A truly unique story. I did start looking at plants differently after reading it though...

One person found this helpful

Laurent JEGOU

Un roman profond, plaisant.

Reviewed in France on October 26, 2019

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Une histoire très prenante, qui se développe de chapitre en chapitre en offrant des angles de vue variés, avec des thèmes SF classiques mais envisagés de manière originale et en croisant de nombreuses idées. Beaucoup de personnages, certes, mais on suit ainsi le développement d'une civilisation. On prend plaisir à découvrir progressivement des thématiques subtiles et à comprendre des personnages sans qu'ils soient explicitement décrits, c'est un texte qui ne se moque pas de son lecteur et lui propose une grande profondeur de lecture.

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