Semiosis
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**Human survival hinges on an bizarre alliance in Semiosis, a character driven science fiction novel of first contact by debut author Sue Burke.**
Forced to land on a planet they aren't prepared for, human colonists rely on their limited resources to survive. The planet provides a lush but inexplicable landscape – trees offer edible, addictive fruit one day and poison the next, while the ruins of an alien race are found entwined in the roots of a strange plant. Conflicts between generations arise as they struggle to understand one another and grapple with an unknowable alien intellect.
Only mutual communication can forge an alliance with the planet's sentient species and prove that humans are more than tools.
**Content warning: Describes sexualized violence**
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The first several chapters were not that appealing to me; I'm glad I gave it ‘one more chance' because the plot got interesting and then all of a sudden I was caught by surprise to see I was near the end of the story.
I see this is a series, I may / may not continue; there's so much else to read.
Halfway through chapter two I really thought I was going to quit, but alas here I am recommending this to folks who are looking for a unique, hard sci-fi. Maybe it's not unique, but for me this seven-generation humans-colonize-a-new-planet story was unexpected and unlike anything I've read. I thought this was going to be about plants (it was killing me) but it really got into the complicated dynamics of the people and their relationships to the native species, about which I was often wondering what are their intentions?! Although I didn't like “Children of Time” I can see this working for those who liked it and vice-versa.
