The Sowing (The Seeds Trilogy: The Sowing All) by K. Makansi - My Review
Summery:
The Famine may be over, but the Resistance has just begun.
When
Remy Alexander is fifteen, her older sister is murdered in a
cold-blooded classroom massacre. When the Okarian Sector hides the truth
behind the attack, Remy's family goes underground to join the
clandestine and growing Resistance movement. Now, three years later,
Remy is beginning to find clues about why her sister was murdered. But
at the same time, Valerian Orlean, the boy Remy once loved, is put in
charge of hunting and destroying the Resistance. As Vale fights to
protect his people and Remy seeks justice for her sister, the two are
set on a collision course that could bring everyone together - or tear
everything apart.
THE SOWING, the first book in The SEEDS
Trilogy, is set in a post-apocalyptic world. In the wake of
environmental destruction and a devastating population crash, the
Okarian Sector was forced to fight to establish a civil society in a
chaotic world. After the loss of seed biodiversity in the destruction of
the Old World, genetic modification and artificial agricultural
techniques are the Sector’s only choice. Science reigns supreme. The
Okarian Agricultural Consortium, a corporation dedicated to perfecting
these modified seeds and providing only the best food and medicine to
its citizens, becomes the government’s most important arm. But even the
purest gold is tarnished over time, and the Sector’s noble goals devolve
into manipulation, control, and oppression.
Written by the
mother-daughter writing team of Kristy, Amira, and Elena Makansi, this
debut post-apocalyptic thriller features romance, enduring friendships,
edge-of-your-seat action, and heart-wrenching betrayal.
The SEEDS Trilogy is set roughly two hundred and fifty years in the
future, after a series of apocalyptic events and global famines
decimated the world’s population. With the world’s climes severely
affected by global warming, and large areas of the continents rendered
unusable because of nuclear radioactivity, agricultural zones have
shifted and the center of civilization has regrown.
In the last one hundred or so years, humans have banded together once
again to create civil society, and today, the Okarian Sector stands as a
shining example of the spirit of cooperation and enterprise. The
capital city of Okaria is ringed by factory towns, centers of industry,
production, and technological growth, and supported by the Farms, which
under the careful guidance of the Okarian Agricultural Consortium, have
once again been able to grow enough food to support the population. The
OAC, a corporation led by scientists and researchers, has been
pioneering the use of genetically modified seeds, which, unlike those of
the Old World, are designed to produce crops that can weather drought,
cold, heat, pests, and disease, all the while maintaining the principles
of biodiversity and natural farming techniques on the Farms.
This map of the Okarian Sector is still a work in progress, and will be updated as we get closer to the launch of the book.
THE TECHNOLOGY
As you read through THE SOWING, you’ll be drawn into a
science-fiction world. Since our characters are trying to rebuild their
world after devastating climate change, we tried to write about
technology that is sustainable, doesn’t rely on fossil fuel, and
incorporates plant-based substances into the designs. Here are a few
examples:
The Sarus, Vale’s airship, runs off of a cold-fusion generator and an
ionic propulsion system. The cold-fusion generator is totally sci-fi;
the ionic propulsion system is science. It’s not in use yet, but it’s
getting there. Here’s an article in Businessweek about it: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-04-08/mit-researchers-fire-up-the-ionic-thrusters and here’s the MIT paper to match: http://lae.mit.edu/?p=2450.
Bolts, which are the weapons that the soldiers in the Sector use, are
neither lasers nor conventional bullets. They’re a form of an
electrolaser, which is essentially a juiced up form of a taser. They
combine the force of a thunderbolt with all the precision of a
conventional weapon. The Sector uses these weapons because they don’t
require mass-producing bullets, and they can be fired via rechargeable
(and renewable) energy sources. Check out more information about
electrolasers on the wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolaser and at this website: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-electrolaser.htm.
The Buzzz...
- We
are thrilled to announce that The Sowing: Book One of the Seeds Trilogy
has been chosen as a Compulsion Reads “Irresistible Read”! This means
they loved the book so much they’re featuring it in a special selection
of books you just have to read. We couldn’t be more pleased!
Here’s what they had to say:
“The Sowing checks off all the boxes on my
“Nope, not gonna put it down” list. Written from the shifting first
person perspectives of Vale OrleƔn and Remy Alexander, readers get to
ride along as Remy and her teammates fight the system, and as Vale
slowly begins to see through the cracks in his perfect society. Author
K. Makansi douses The Sowing with plenty of science talk that is
surprisingly accessible to non-sciency types like myself. Equally
impressive is that Makansi also writes deep, vibrant characters.
The result is a story that tickles the intellect and pulls on the
heartstrings. By the end of the book, I had truly come to care about
many of the characters in Makansi’s world, especially Remy’s broody,
brilliant and darkly sarcastic rebel teammate Soren (love you Soren!).
As Remy and Soren desperately guard a
dangerous secret that could change everything, Vale’s digging leads to
horrific revelations. How far does the conspiracy go, and what role did
his parents play in that terrible massacre that left Remy’s sister dead?
The Sowing is a brilliant adventure where
war is as much about brain and brawn. The action doesn’t stop for a
single minute. I think I sprained my finger swiping my Kindle so
vigorously trying to get to the next page. Yeah, it’s that good.”
The review will be posted on our official Compulsion Reads page
in a few days, along with an author interview and our bio. We even get a
shiny seal to put on our print covers! In the meantime, now’s the time
to get your own copy. We’ve officially got both print and e-books
available, and The Sowing is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo. Christmas gifts, anyone?
Word of mouth is the best marketing tool! We’d love it if you’d recommend this book on Goodreads,
shared this link on your social media networks, or even just told
someone about how much you loved The Sowing. Help us spread the word!
Thanks for stopping by!
My Review:
The Sowing is a
real page-turner. It is a one of the very best quality sci-fi that I read lately. It's hard science fiction in the sense that it avoids use of magic and
fantasy and extrapolates into the future from current genetic
engineering of crops to how new developments in that science can change
society, politics, and human nature itself. The science of DNA technology is a
central element in the plot and it is a subject that is close to my heart.
After religious wars followed by years of famine decimated the population, the remaining society has evolved and organized itself into a series of farms and research labs--those who come up with the ideas and those who do the manual labor to implement them--to keep the people safe and healthy. The leaders and elite lived in the capital city of Okaria happy and safe, while the farms and factories outside the city hum with productivity.
As you see this world is richly drawn and becomes a platform for
exploring a number of interesting subjects, such as genetically modified
food, man’s impact on the environment, and class dynamics. As much, you can take The Sowing as a fascinating thought experiment: what
if your social circle splits in half, and people you’ve once
loved--friends, teachers, parents--grow to despise you? What is the meaning of genetic modifications? Can you also see the positive in this? ....and Science isn't for itself isn't good or bad.
Remy Alexander and her friends born into the elite meritocracy of the Okarian Sector.
From an early age she and her friends were programmed for intellectual
and physical superiority through specialized dietary regimes
administered by the Okarian Agricultural Consortium.
At first,
we don’t know why the Resistance has broken off from the rest of
society, but they are the group who
have realized that the Sector and OAC have been manipulating their subjects
for years with this genetically modified food, and that they will stop at
nothing to ensure their programs of oppression, forced labor, and
breeding remain in place. The Resistance is outside of the Sector's reach, located among the mysterious and secretive
Outsiders, spreading the news of the Sector's lies and manipulations,
taking shots at the Sector's storage and research facilities when they
can, and working toward a day when the Sector's programs can be exposed
and destroyed, restoring the order of nature and free will among the
people.
That’s the
scenario Remy Alexander and Vale Orlean find themselves in. They are the
two main characters, which were masterfully written. The novel alternates between Remy and Vale’s
points of view and puts them on a collision course towards reuniting.
In the beginning they seemed as the most bitter enemies, but slowly you discover a very
close friends with the promise of more. Remy’s family joined a group of resistance fighters,
while Vale, the son of the Chancellor, was put in charge of their
extermination.
Remy is a talent artist, smart and loving character, but she also very angry, bitter and confused. She had a very good reasons to be such - When
she was fifteen, her older
sister Tai is murdered in a
cold-blooded classroom massacre. The Okarian Sector hides the truth
behind the attack, and Remy's family (her parents used to be prominent officials in the Sector) goes underground to join the
clandestine and growing Resistance movement suspecting a foul play. Among the Resistance It's a difficult and dangerous life, and over three years, Remy has become a hardened and seasoned rebel fighter. Three years later, she begins to find some clues to why her sister murdered.
Valerian Orlean, is the son
of the two most powerful people in the Sector, the chancellor and the
head of the OAC. Vale was raised for
success and leadership; his life has been one of privilege and luxury,
He just been appointed as the director of a
new program aimed at breaking the Resistance and he takes his training very seriously and determines to do what is
necessary to preserve the stability of the Sector, even if it means
finding out Remy Alexander and
turn her over to the authorities for punishment. But when Remy and Vale
come face-to-face during a rebel mission gone horribly wrong, neither of
them will ever be the same again. Forced to consider that everything he
has ever known has been a lie, Vale must decide where his loyalties
lie . Because he is haunted by the memory of his friendship with Remy and he was determined to find out why she disappeared. He discovers as an inherently a good person
trying to do the best that he can while watches everything that he know and believe, collapse around him as he slowly begins to see through the cracks in his perfect society. .
The middle chapters of the
book provide some of the most intense moments of Feelings - guilt, betrayal, and indignation.
The
rest of the characters flesh out a rich world, from the surly biologist
with a mysterious past (he made military weapons-grade flowers) to the
brilliant sidekick caught up in the escape and along for the ride. It appear that there is a love triangle forming - Her
Resistance friend Soren is aloof, condescending, and shady, though for
all of that he seems to have an attachment to her.
About the author
K. Makansi is the pen name for the mother-daughter writing team of Kristy, Amira, and Elena Makansi.
Kristina
Blank Makansi – Born and raised in Southern Illinois, Kristina has a
B.A. in Government from University of Texas at Austin and a M.A.T. from
the College of New Jersey and an opinion on everything. She has worked
as a copywriter, marketing coordinator, web and collateral designer,
editor, and publisher. In 2010, she co-founded Blank Slate Press, an
award-winning small press focusing on debut authors in the greater St.
Louis area, and in 2013, she co-founded Treehouse Publishing Group, an
author services and assisted-publishing partnership. She firmly believes
that traditional genre boundaries should not apply to great writing. In
addition to The Seeds Trilogy, she is hard at work revising her
historical fiction, Oracles of Delphi, set in ancient Greece.
Amira
K. Makansi - Amira graduated with honors in three years from the
University of Chicago. She earned a BA in History and was a team leader
and officer for UChicago Mock Trial. She has served as an assistant
editor and has read and evaluated Blank Slate Press submissions since
the press was founded. She is an avid reader and blogger who also has a
passion for food, wine, and photography. She has worked at various
wineries in Oregon and France and is approaching fluency in French.
Along with working part-time for BSP, she currently works for a wine
distributorship in St. Louis. In addition to The Seeds Trilogy, she
reviews books and blogs about writing, food and wine at The Z-axis.
Elena
K. Makansi – Elena is a rising senior at Oberlin College where she is
focusing on Environmental Studies especially as it relates to her
passion–food justice. She’s also studied studio art and drawing and has
had her work featured in several college publications. While in high
school, she won numerous writing and poetry awards, was awarded a
scholarship to attend the Washington University Summer Writing Institute
and attended the Iowa Young Writers Studio. She also won a scholarship
to represent her Amideast cohort as the “resident” blogger during her
study abroad in Amman, Jordan. She and Amira backpacked through Europe
together and share a passion for cooking, baking–and, yes, eating. Elena
maintains a Tumblr and a blog, Citizen Fiddlehead, about food and other
topics
No comments :
Post a Comment