City of Pearl by Karen Traviss

Happy Earth day to all our lovely readers. Those of you who have been following our blog know that my partner and I have been doing a monthly themed read this year. We alternate picking books that fit the listed themes in the photo above and we read, discuss, and review them in our book journals. This month it was my partner’s turn to pick for April (either comedy or earth day related books).

I fully admit that I was judgmental about his book selection from the start and thought he was trying to play an April Fool’s joke on me. The kitschy cover and description of both the book and the author (“her work on Halo, Gears of War, Batman, G.I. Joe, and other major franchises has earned her a broad range of fans”) did nothing to make me feel better about the prospect of reading it. My initial reaction was to question how a science fiction book about aliens had even the remotest connection to an earth day theme. Science fiction is my least favorite genre, well maybe second to romance novels. After a few weeks of silent pouting and self-pitying, I pulled myself together and read the book.

Did I survive it? Keep reading to find out.

City of Pearl by Karen Traviss
Published: 2004
Rating: ★★★.5
Order/Purchase it here: City of Pearl

Not only did I survive reading this book, but I actually really enjoyed it. City of Pearl is the first novel in the Wess’har wars series. Set in the years between 2198 and 2374, it tells the story of Environmental Hazard Enforcement officer Shan Franklin and a group of scientists and marines sent on a mission to an alien planet where years earlier a small colony of fundamentalist humans had disappeared. Upon arrival, the group discovers that not only did the colony of humans survive on the planet, but the planet was already home to an intelligent alien species and is at the center of conflict involving other aliens. The Wess’har are one of the alien species involved in the conflict. They are a matriarchal society whose primary interest is to maintain balance on the planet and prevent natural resources from being depleted. They also possess a secret that would be disastrous if it fell into human hands. The beings living on the planet live according to the Wess’har’s rule – they use resources carefully, don’t eat meat or use animal products, and they live by the principal of minimalist living and respect for nature.

Turns out this was quite a good selection for earth day. Cavanagh is of interest to multiple species due to it resources and conditions on their respective home planets. Earth’s resources have essentially been laid to waste. Massive corporations own patents on seeds (sound familiar??) and other resources, and overpopulation has made situations critical for humans left on earth. Parallels are drawn between the actions and self-interest of humans and those of one of the alien species fighting to colonize the planet. The book, while at times a bit overly preachy, raises interesting ethical questions.

I read this book while I was back home in Costa Rica. And I was reading all the vivid descriptions of the natural world whilst sitting in a place full of natural beauty. The novel definitely reads a bit like a movie or screen play and I typically don’t go for books like that. However, I did enjoy the the author’s creativity and ability to build this fantastic alien world while at the same time connecting it so well to some of the socio-political issues we are facing in our own world. It was a perfect book to read at the beach (some photos below to show you the environment I was sitting in while reading) but it wasn’t just mindless entertainment. I found myself thinking about ethics in research and environmental issues.

So, I was wrong in my initial judgment. It was a solid pick for earth day and I surprised myself by how invested I felt in the planet and the characters. I’d probably even be interested in reading more in the series (gasp)!

We want to hear from you. Does this sound like a book that you would enjoy? Are there books you thought you would hate but ended up liking? What did you read this month for Earth day?

Next month (May) it’s my turn to pick so I’m open to good recommendations for mystery/thrillers. Send them my way.