Shivering World (Tyers, Kathy)
by Kathy Tyers
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Book Summary Information
Author: Kathy TyersEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-03
ISBN: 0764226762
Number of pages: 398
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Book Reviews of Shivering World (Tyers, Kathy)
Book Review: Believable worldbuilding makes for a solid read
Summary: 4 Stars
"Shivering World" is a Christian sci-fi novel set on the distant colony Goddard, a world being "terraformed" by the Gaea Corporation to make it a habitable, earth-like planet. Graysha Brady-Phillips is a newly-arrived scientist who has been drawn to Goddard hoping that the illegal human genetics research conducted there will help her Flaherty's Syndrome, an inherited disease that will eventually lead to her death. Unfortunately, the colonists suspect that she's a spy because her mother, Novia, is head of the Eugenics Board, an agency devoted to stopping all manipulation of human genes.
Two things stand out about this novel. First, the characterization is excellent. All the major characters are believable, and their dialogue, behavior, and motivations are very realistic. Graysha is an especially well-drawn and sympathetic character, one that the reader can easily feel for and root for.
Second, Kathy Tyers' creative worldbuilding makes the harsh and forbidding planet Goddard feel like a real place. She does an excellent job of explaining the political and religious dynamics of this futuristic society. There is advanced technology in the story, but it's not so advanced that it borders on magical; instead, it seems like something that scientists could actually come up with in the future. You may have to suspend disbelief a bit to buy into the concept of terraforming, but Tyers gives us just enough scientific detail about the process to make it plausible without bogging down the plot. I guess that's why they call it SCIENCE fiction!
There are some weak spots in the novel. The plot is somewhat slow-moving, although the tension definitely picks up toward the end. In other words, it's not the type of story that will keep you up till the wee hours because you just HAVE to see what happens next. I would describe the plot as interesting rather than compelling. I did really care what happened to the characters, though, which made it bit disappointing that the story ends on something of a mini-cliffhanger. It's almost as if this were meant to be the first book in a series because the fate of the colonists is still uncertain as the story ends.
As is common in Christian novels nowadays, the Gospel was fairly weak, though I thought that the spiritual themes of the novel were woven into the story quite smoothly (although it's only toward the end that the religious element becomes more pronounced).
Anyone looking for well-written science fiction should check out "Shivering World". Believable characters in a memorable setting make this a good read.
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