Book Reviews and More: Plant Life

Friday, 1 November 2024

Plant Life - Cedar Sanderson

Plant Life

Cedar Sanderson

StonyCroft Publishing

ASIN B008BMBF6W

This is the twenty-sixth volume from Sanderson’s masterful pen that I have read. To start at the beginning I first encountered the works of Cedar several years back in Cracked: An Anthology of Eggsellent Chicken Stories, and after reading her piece there knew I had to track down and read more from her pen. I was asked recently why I keep mentioning this anthology in my reviews of Cedar’s books, in part it was just an excellent anthology, in part there are several contributors whom I am trying to read all their books now, and in part because I am so thankful to have stumbled upon Cedar’s works in it!

To date everything I have read has been entertaining and some have just been amazing stories. I since found out that she is friends with a number of authors I love and respect. I am working my way through her back catalogue. This is another great story in a classic Science Fiction story.

The description of this volume states:

“If a being can appear human and act human, how alien is it? When an entire planet has a voice, what does it speak for? A quartet of planetary scouts must make the call — but judging another’s humanity means evaluating their own. A novella.”

About Cedar at the back of this volume we are informed:

“Cedar Sanderson, mother of four and aspiring author, grew up without television in the Alaskan bush. This and learning to read at age four have skewed her world toward books. A house full of books and a part-time librarian job keep that going to this very day. She writes what she wants to read herself, and hopes someday her children will like her books. Until then, they all live together on a farm in New Hampshire and read late into the night. She writes because she can't help it, gets a story stuck in her head and has to write it out or it bothers her. Which has led to enjoying the crafting of stories over the years, but she didn't seek to become published for a long time - she was content just to write. Now, she'd like to share some of her work. She has been published in the ezine Something Wicked.”

The chapters in this novella are:

Feeling Watched

Plant Princesses

Verdant Ambassadress

Incorruptible Body

I always enjoy when stories, books, and novellas have chapter or section headings. And in this case they lay a clear map for us of where the story is going. After starting it was possible to predict some of what was about to happen and some was a surprise. It is a first contact with an alien species, and one that has powers well beyond our own. But one that appears to have never left its planet. It is open to cooperation with humans, but it has some expectations of us as well. It is a story about love, friendship and not realizing what we have right in front of us. It is wonderfully written.

I can easily recommend this story, especially if you like it a story told in a classic science fiction manner. In some ways in reminds me of Frank Herbert’s The Green Brain or The Eye's of Heisenberg. But in others it feels a bit like a mashup between Solaris and Blade Runner. In it Sanderson has delivered another masterful story! I can easily recommend this novella for fans of science fiction, or to be honest anyone who just loves a great story!

Books by Cedar Sanderson:

Lab Gremlins

Warp Resonance

The Dwarf's Dryad

One-Eyed Dragon

Memories of the Abyss

Little Red-Hood and the Wolf-man

The Violet Mouse

Stargazer

The Eternity Symbiote

Plant Life

Sugar Skull