The Book List

Another Heaven, Another Earth

Author:: H. M. Hoover
Pages: 217
Setting: Xilan. (It's a planet.)
Means of Aquiration: Borrowed from Home.
Level of Sci-Fi Technogeekoscity: Pretty much nonexistant.

Another Heaven, Another Earth is one of those books that I've always seen around...but I never read it. I saw it at the bookshelf at home when I was there for the weekend, and since it was one of the few books there that I had yet to read, I grabbed it and took it back to the cities with me.

All I can say is: It's about time!

I wish I had read it earlier. Not because I would have enjoyed it more (I enjoyed it perfectly well at age 19), but because the earlier I read it, the more time I would have to enjoy it. It really is a good book. And it's one of those great books where science fiction is the setting, not the whole story. I got the feeling that H.M. Hoover really cared about her characters--they were not just the eyes through which we saw the "gimmick" happen, which was good. (That happens too often in science fiction--the characters (and story) end up secondary to the MacGuffin that the story revolves around. And let's face it: we don't want to care about Macguffins.)

Anyway, it's a very human story, with several pleasant surprises.

Very recommended. I almost want to sit down right now and read it again.