A science fiction epic.
It began with Crossfire: a far-future novel of planetary colonization and alien first contact. Jake Holman, a man trying to escape a dark past, brought together a diverse group of thousands to settle on a new world. But instead the humans found themselves caught in the crossfire of a galaxy-spanning war between two disparate species: aggressive, militaristic humanoids known as Furs and passive, plantlike creatures known as Vines.
Having cast their lots with the peaceful Vines, humanity faces all-out war against the technologically superior Furs. Our only hope? A virus designed by the Vines to remove all aggressiveness from the Furs. Can it spread fast enough to save not only Holman's colony, but the rest of humanity? And at what price to the Furs?
Driven by strong ideas and deep moral questions, and peopled with real-as-life characters, Crucible shows Kress at the top of her form, amply demonstrating why she has been one of science fiction finest authors of the past twenty years.
"Kress is equally adept with hard science, alien contact, planetary colonization, and action, and at combining those four elements with exceeding, possibly unique flair. A must for SF collections."
--Booklist, Roland Green
"Kress has a real gift for portraying the persistence of the irrational, perverse, foolish and destructive in our behavior… as is generally the case with her work, the resonances remain after the book is finished."
--Russell Letson, Locus
"Kress's sequel to Crossfire explores human preconceptions of right and wrong, good and evil, friend and enemy. Emotional depth and strong characters make this a strong addition to most SF collections."
--Library Journal
It began with Crossfire: a far-future novel of planetary colonization and alien first contact. Jake Holman, a man trying to escape a dark past, brought together a diverse group of thousands to settle on a new world. But instead the humans found themselves caught in the crossfire of a galaxy-spanning war between two disparate species: aggressive, militaristic humanoids known as Furs and passive, plantlike creatures known as Vines.
Having cast their lots with the peaceful Vines, humanity faces all-out war against the technologically superior Furs. Our only hope? A virus designed by the Vines to remove all aggressiveness from the Furs. Can it spread fast enough to save not only Holman's colony, but the rest of humanity? And at what price to the Furs?
Driven by strong ideas and deep moral questions, and peopled with real-as-life characters, Crucible shows Kress at the top of her form, amply demonstrating why she has been one of science fiction finest authors of the past twenty years.
"Kress is equally adept with hard science, alien contact, planetary colonization, and action, and at combining those four elements with exceeding, possibly unique flair. A must for SF collections."
--Booklist, Roland Green
"Kress has a real gift for portraying the persistence of the irrational, perverse, foolish and destructive in our behavior… as is generally the case with her work, the resonances remain after the book is finished."
--Russell Letson, Locus
"Kress's sequel to Crossfire explores human preconceptions of right and wrong, good and evil, friend and enemy. Emotional depth and strong characters make this a strong addition to most SF collections."
--Library Journal
