Keywords:
Support Local Bookstores!
Join PWP!
Subscribe to
PWP Listserv
PWP members only, please.
Non-members, read content here.
Books by tom A. Wright
| | | | | | PWP Member Book Reviews Drowning World
Alan Dean Foster Review by Tom A. Wright I'd just finished reading a book that deals in part with the political troubles in the Middle East, and found it an interesting coincidence that the next book I picked up is a science fiction version of the Israeli / Arab situation. On the planet Fluva, a world where it rains almost constantly, humans are stationed as part of the Commonwealth, bringing the warlike native race, the Sakuntala, some advantages of membership. But conflict arises with the timid but hardworking Deyzara, a race that accompanies humans. Over a century later, the Sakuntala want the Deyzara off their planet because they're more financially successful. With off-world assistance, the more violent of the Sakuntala implement a devastating plan. With advanced Commonwealth weapons, they drive the Deyzara out of their homes and destroy their property. Because the Commonwealth cannot take military action since there is very little personal violence against the Deyzara, the local Chief Administrator must deal with housing and feeding the homeless while attempting to find a peaceful resolution. As the crisis deepens, a discovery in the wilds of the most hostile part of Fluva sends shockwaves throughout the planet. Drowning World is a good read with believable characters and a rich world. As with far too many books, the ending falls short of its potential. The excitement comes to a boil in the middle, but only simmers in the climax. Still, Drowning World was a great place to read about., though not a place I'd wish to call home.
Tom A. Wright was the first PWP Webmaster (1998-2005) and served as PWP President in 2004. He and his family now make their home in Arkansas. In addition to writing, he and his wife Annette also raise pygmy goats. Tom is the author of two sci-fi novels, Distant Ties and Broken Ties.
Return to List of Reviews |