Survival (Species Imperative Series #1) by Julie E. Czerneda

From Barnes & Noble

The Barnes & Noble Review
Survival marks a milestone for Canadian science fiction writer Julie E. Czerneda: Not only is it the first book in her Species Imperative trilogy -- which examines the impact of alien species' innate biological drives in a universe where humankind coexists with dozens of sentient races -- it is her very first hardcover release!

Doctor Mackenzie "Mac" Connor is the co-administrator of the Norcoast Salmon Research Facility in British Columbia. The reclusive scientist loves her job studying local populations of salmon but when her work is unexpectedly interrupted by a visit from a seven-limbed, blue, alien archeologist; her world is turned upside down within a matter of hours. The alien, named Brymn, informs Mac that she is the only hope not only for the survival of humankind but also, potentially, for several other sentient races as well. According to Brymn, a race of destroyers that has mastered stealth technology known as the Ro has created the Chasm, a far-reaching swath through space where all life forms on life-capable planets have been eradicated. When Mac's best friend is kidnapped and her research facility attacked, she reluctantly joins forces with the blue alien to unravel the mystery of the Ro -- but what she finds is more terrifying than she could've ever imagined.

Plain and simple: This is Czerneda's best work to date. Paul Goat Allen

From the Publisher

When her Field Base is mysteriously attacked, Dr. Mackenzie Connor must flee for her life. Joining forces with an alien archaeologist, she escapes to his planet on a quest to find a defense against the unknown agressor-before they launch a full-scale invasion of Earth.

Publishers Weekly

Must one species' evolution ensure another's extinction? Canadian author Czerneda (To Trade the Stars) attempts to answer that loaded question by focusing on the unique but dangerous relationship that biologist Mackenzie "Mac" Connor forges with Brymn, a Dhryn archeologist and the first of his race to visit Earth, in this imaginative, if somewhat slow-moving not-so-distant-future novel set in the Pacific Northwest and the far reaches of space. The story comes alive whenever the workaholic, emotionally withdrawn Mac interacts with the seven-armed Brymn, "a giant bearlike being," who at one point applies makeup to go diving with salmon. Trouble arrives in the form of the alien Ro, who kidnap Dr. Emily Mamani Sarmiento, a colleague of Mac's at Norcoast Salmon Research Facility. Blamed for creating the Chasm, a zone of space littered with worlds that have been sucked dry of all life forms, the Ro also want Brymn and Mac. The Interspecies Union's representative, Nikolai "Nik" Trojanowski, whose mysterious attraction to the straight-laced Mac adds romantic heat to the proceedings, helps the two escape to Haven, the Dhryn homeworld. Unfortunately, Brymn and Mac soon find no place is safe from one species' imperative to survive at any cost. A planned sequel may try to answer the next vital question can friendship evolve to forgive the ultimate betrayal? (May 1) Forecast: The old-fashioned jacket art, with its appealing images of Mac and Brymn, will signal that this book, with its minimal sex and violence, is suitable for young teens and high schoolers. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Donna Scanlon - VOYA

Czerneda's hardcover debut begins a new science fiction saga. Mackenzie Connor, better known as Mac, is a biologist passionately dedicated to the study of salmon at a research station off the Pacific Northwest coast. She and colleague Emily Mamani are camped on the bank of the Tannu River, awaiting the first salmon run of the year. The last thing that Mac expected was an alien and his diplomatic escort to appear in the middle of camp. The alien is Brymn, the first Dhryn to visit the planet, and he needs the assistance of a biologist, a discipline forbidden to all Dhryn. He wants help with his archeological study of the Chasm, a region of space left lifeless by unknown forces. Mac is not interested until another alien race, the Ro, attack the base and kidnap Emily. She and Brymn escape to the Dhryn planet of Haven, but the Ro are not finished with them yet. This novel bears the hallmarks of Czerneda's earlier books: strong, complex, and appealing characters and a thoughtful, intricate plot. The pace is somewhat slow while the plot on Earth unfolds, but the character development is fascinating, particularly the relationship between Mac and Brymn. Czerneda creates an original and terrific alien species, and Brymn-large, blue, and given to wearing sequined eyeliner-is no exception. The pace picks up once off-planet, and the plot is packed with vivid images and events. Czerneda is a masterful storyteller and one of the best of the recent voices in science fiction. Her books deserve a place in just about any young adult collection. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P J S A/YA (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, definedas grades 10 to 12; Adult-marketed book recommended for Young Adults). 2004, DAW, 401p., Ages 12 to Adult.

Product Details

• ISBN: 0756402611
  
• ISBN-13: 9780756402617
• Format: Mass Market Paperback, 496pp
• Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
• Pub. Date: May 2005
• Edition Description: Reprint
• Sales Rank: 136,361
• Series: Species Imperative Series, #1

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents