Semiosis: A novel of first contact

(Paperback)

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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.

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

Author Bio

Sue Burke spent many years working as a reporter and editor for a variety of newspapers and magazines. A Clarion workshop alumnus, Burke has published more than thirty short stories in addition to working extensively as a literary translator. She now lives in Chicago.