Synopses & Reviews
One of the most respected writers of hard SF, it has been more than ten years since Joan Slonczewski's last novel. Now she returns with a spectacular tour de force of the college of the future, in orbit. Jennifer Ramos Kennedy, a girl from a rich and politically influential family (a distant relation descended from the famous Kennedy clan), whose twin brother has died in an accident and left her bereft, is about to enter her freshman year at Frontera College.
Frontera is an exciting school built with media money, and a bit from tribal casinos too, dedicated to educating the best and brightest of this future world. We accompany Jenny as she proceeds through her early days at school, encountering surprises and wonders and some unpleasant problems. The Earth is altered by global warming, and an invasive alien species called ultraphytes threatens the surviving ecosystem. Jenny is being raised for great things, but while she's in school she just wants to do her homework, go on a few dates, and get by. The world that Jenny is living in is one of the most fascinating and creative in contemporary SF, and the problems Jenny faces will involve every reader, young and old.
Review
Praise for Joan Slonczewski:
"Filled with intellectual and emotional fireworks."
--The New York Times on The Children Star
"A story that is not only exciting but also filled with memorable characters: human, alien and sentient machine."
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Thoughtful and thought provoking science fiction novels that mix cutting-edge biological issues with attempts at nonviolent conflict resolution."
--Minneapolis Star Tribune
Review
Praise for
The Highest Frontier:
"This hip, smart tip of the hat to Heinlein's young adult novels hits all the right notes. It's got a plausible near future, optimism, savvy characters who move into action swiftly. This novel takes us to a place we haven't been in a long time—and I, for one, miss a lot.”
—Gregory Benford, author of Timescape
"And as you might expect from a scientist/novelist, the book is filled with all sorts of technical innovations…this in the story of Jenny Ramos Kennedy, a gifted high school athlete whos lost her genetically engineered twin brother and is trying to make the best of her first year at college. And wouldnt you know it, unlike most of our freshman years, this delightfully brilliant novel has the future of Earth hanging in the balance."
—All Things Considered, NPR
"[The] first novel in a decade from a respected author of hard SF (A Door into Ocean, The Children Star) brings out the complexities and anguish of the teen years while portraying a bold community of the future with all its strengths and weaknesses…. SF fans of all ages should enjoy this glimpse into a possible future at once disturbing and exciting by a graceful storyteller."
—Library Journal, Starred Review
"Slonczewskis world-building has always gone deep; she gives the profoundest thought to how biology, culture, social structure, language, politics and economics combine to shape the future."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Unique characters, witty scientific and societal extrapolations, and a complex, mind-blowing setting make this sedately paced narrative a delightfully amusing read."
—Publishers Weekly
"The Highest Frontier is an unnervingly brilliant novel, one which skewers relatively impartially almost every aspect of present human culture in a future coming-of-age story, with a deep, if cynical, understanding of the future implications of the world we are already beginning to build, but with that cynicism balanced by the realistic idealism of the protagonist."
—L. E. Modesitt, Jr., author of The Saga of Recluce series
“Crammed into this relatively short book are dozens of nifty, gee-whiz-cool-future geegaws that would make any science fiction lover swoon.”
—Locus
Synopsis
The first SF novel in more than ten years from the scientist and author of A Door into Ocean. A girl goes to college in orbit, in a future transformed by technology, global warming, and invasive species.
Synopsis
In the 22nd Century, Jennifer Kennedy, the shy and tongue-tied counterpoint to her charismatic brother Jordi, is left stunned when Jordi drowns in a flood brought on by advanced climate change. Bereft and fearful, Jenny departs Earth to enter her freshman year at Frontera College, based in the worlds first permanent and self-sustaining space habitat.
In a future when the deadly microbes that caused AIDS and anthrax have been modified to power elevators and cure disease, Jenny just wants to study and play slanball in peace. But as the endless war on the ultraphyte, an invasive alien organism, rages on, Jenny begins to notice that things arent quite right—not with her socially disabled roommate, nor at the college, nor in American politics. An accidental discovery reveals that “ultra” has infiltrated to shocking levels of society. Reluctant as she is to enter the spotlight, Jenny must step up to save her school, her country, and the world.
Synopsis
The first SF novel in more than ten years from the scientist and author of A Door into Ocean. A girl goes to college in orbit, in a future transformed by technology, global warming, and invasive species.
About the Author
JOAN SLONCZEWSKI lives in Gambier, Ohio and chairs the department of biology at Kenyon College.