''Salt'' is a novel by British science fiction author
Adam Roberts.
Plot
Two communities of settlers from Earth set out for the planet of Salt, but once on the planet, which has minimal natural resources, the two colonies – the Senaar and the Als – descend into war over old tensions. The events of the novel are alternately narrated by Barlei, a military dictator beholden to the Senaar's strict hierarchy, and Petja, an Alsist who grows to resist the Senaar military campaign.
Critical reception
Reviewing the novel for
Infinity Plus
''Infinity Plus'' (sometimes stylized as ''infinity plus'' and ''infinityplus'') was a science fiction webzine active from 1997 to 2007, , Stuart Carter writes, "
Doris Lessing
Doris May Lessing (; 22 October 1919 – 17 November 2013) was a British-Zimbabwean novelist. She was born to British parents in Iran, where she lived until 1925. Her family then moved to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where she remain ...
and
Iain Banks
Iain Banks (16 February 1954 – 9 June 2013) was a Scottish author, writing mainstream fiction as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, adding the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies (). After the success of ''The Wasp Factor ...
collaborate to rewrite ''
The Dispossessed
''The Dispossessed'' (in later printings titled ''The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia'') is a 1974 anarchist utopian science fiction novel by American writer Ursula K. Le Guin, one of her seven Hainish Cycle novels. It is one of a small number o ...
'', and do a better job of it than anyone might reasonably hope! OK, so it's not exactly a blockbuster by-line but, please, trust me on this one—''Salt'' is a moving, intelligent and great book." He adds that Petja and Barlei
Greg L. Johnson, at
SF Site
SF may refer to:
Locations
* San Francisco, California, United States
* Sidi Fredj, Algeria
* South Florida, an urban region in the United States
* Suomi Finland, former vehicular country code for Finland
In arts and entertainment Genre ...
, writes:
John C. Snider, reviewing for
SciFiDimensions
''SciFiDimensions'' was an online science fiction magazine published monthly between February 2000 and February 2010, when it went on hiatus. It was edited and published by John C. Snider, a long-time genre fan who lives in Roswell, Georgia. ''Sci ...
, writes, "It's not just that these two parties don't see eye-to-eye—it's that their cultures are so alien to one another they don't know ''how'' to see eye-to-eye. The story of ''Salt'' is told, ''
Rashomon
is a 1950 Jidaigeki psychological thriller/crime film directed and written by Akira Kurosawa, working in close collaboration with cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa. Starring Toshiro Mifune, Machiko Kyō, Masayuki Mori (actor), Masayuki Mori, and ...
''-like, through dueling oral histories. ... The reader is forced to interpret these opposing viewpoints, to piece together the 'real' truth if he or she can. And like 'real' life, the reader will find that there are no easy answers and no neat endings."
Awards and nominations
*Shortlisted for the 2001
Arthur C. Clarke Award
The Arthur C. Clarke Award is a British award given for the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year. It is named after British author Arthur C. Clarke, who gave a grant to establish the award i ...
.
See also
*
Adam Roberts
*''
Gradisil''
References
External links
*
{{Adam Roberts
2000 British novels
2000 science fiction novels
British science fiction novels
Works by Adam Roberts (British writer)
Victor Gollancz Ltd books