An Alien Light

by Nancy Kress

Overview

In this epic science fiction tale by an award-winning author, two warring tribes are the subjects of a strange alien experiment.

Epic in scope, peopled by characters from every strata of profoundly different societies, An Alien Light is an unflinching look at the strengths and weaknesses of the genetic, evolutionary, and historical inheritance that all of us share.

Arys, a glassblower and outcast.

Jehane, a skilled female warrior.

Dahar, with a deeply inquisitive mind.

Grax, an alien with profound doubts.

These four and hundreds of others are thrown together in an experiment to determine the fate of humanity, both on Earth and in her galactic colonies. For the Ged, the stakes are nothing less than the outcome of a war. For the humans, ignorant of the larger situation, the rewards for participating are incredible riches. But no one except the alien Ged understands the criteria for being chosen.

When that knowledge comes, there is no agreement about if, how, or when to use it. Some will betray others. Some will sacrifice. Some will die. And some must succeed, no matter the price.

Praise for An Alien Light

“This heady mix of fantasy and sf explores humanity’s infinite capacity for change. Highly recommended.” —Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781680573411
Publisher:	WordFire Press
Publication date:	02/03/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	503
Sales rank:	421,528
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Nancy Kress is the author of thirty-five books—twenty-seven novels, four collections of short stories, and three books on writing. Her work has won six Nebulas, two Hugos, a Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. Her most recent works are a stand-alone novella about genetic engineering, Sea Change (Tachyon, 2020) and an SF novel of power and money, The Eleventh Gate (Baen, 2020). Nancy’s fiction has been translated into nearly two dozen languages including Klingon, none of which she can read. She has taught writing SF at various venues including Clarion, Beijing, Leipzig (as a visiting lecturer) and the annual two-week intensive workshop Taos Toolbox with Walter Jon Williams. She lives in Seattle with her husband, writer Jack Skillingstead, and Pippin, a Chihuahua puppy who chews everything.

Editorial Reviews

A perennial chestnut on old SF television shows involved the handful of humans who, when locked up by aliens puzzling over our aggressiveness, followed their instincts and fought among themselves. That's the kernel of this first SF novel from fantasy writer Kress, who recently won a Nebula Award for one of her SF stories. The Ged are an old, advanced, rational race shocked by the human violence and unpredictability that is erupting in their peaceful galaxy. To better understand their adversary, they choose the isolated, technologically regressed human colony on Qom, where they offer scientific knowledge to two warring nationsbut only if their representatives get along. This becomes the story, then, of the few people whose minds are opened despite the social, political and cultural barriers they inherited. Although the characters and their actions tend to the melodramatic, the background is well drawn and the conceptual breakthroughs are nicely handled. (January 18)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

The warring cultures of Jela and Delysia become subjects of a complex experiment by an alien race who must understand the human race before they can defeat it. As Jelites and Delysians play out their violent natures under constant scrutiny by the inhuman Ged, a Delysian glassblower and a Jelite sister-warrior discover a truth that will force their peoples to work together or die. This heady mix of fantasy and sf explores humanity's infinite capacity for change. Highly recommended. JC

Library Journal