Yesterday’s Kin by Nancy Kress is the first book I’ve read by the author, mainly because she is primarily published in the US. While in this day and age of e-readers and the seeming availability of pretty much anything you want, that’s not really an excuse on my part. However, after Yesterday’s Kin came to my attention and I read the blurb I knew it was a book that I needed to move to the top of the stack. And I wasn’t disappointed either, Yesterday’s Kin not only hit the right spots, it also added Nancy Kress to an ever-growing list of authors I need to read more from…
Synopsis from the publisher:
Aliens have landed in New York.
A deadly cloud of spores has already infected and killed the inhabitants of two worlds. Now that plague is heading for Earth, and threatens humans and aliens alike. Can either species be trusted to find the cure?
Geneticist Marianne Jenner is immersed in the desperate race to save humanity, yet her family is tearing itself apart. Siblings Elizabeth and Ryan are strident isolationists who agree only that an alien conspiracy is in play. Marianne’s youngest, Noah, is a loner addicted to a drug that constantly changes his identity. But between the four Jenners, the course of human history will be forever altered.
Earth’s most elite scientists have ten months to prevent human extinction—and not everyone is willing to wait.
Yesterday’s Kin is a relatively short novel, but one packed with plenty of inventiveness, and more than a few surprising revelations. Because of these it’s quite difficult to discuss much of the finer story elements without venturing deeply into spoiler territory. I’ll try and keep it short and sweet, and avoid too much detail wherever I can.
Focusing on the Jenner family and the effect the arrival of aliens has on them as a group and as individuals, Yesterday’s Kin feels comfortable with a fairly narrow viewpoint, but this is far from the case. Marianne Jenner is the main driving force behind the narrative, and while initially she doesn’t seem to be an integral part to the wider picture, events move along to disprove this initial assumption. Much the same could be said for Noah Jenner, though his is a thread that is interesting in so many ways, particularly his use of the designer drug that changes the personality of the user each time, never repeating.
The alien Denebs are interesting in that their arrival is for one specific purpose: to gain humanity’s help in designing a vaccination for the deadly spore cloud that is heading towards both Earth and their homeworld. With two of their colonies already wiped out by these spores they have a heavily invested interest in helping develop a vaccine, but there is clearly more to their motivations than is first observed.
The revelations that come through as the story develops are interesting and not unexpected. Kress handles them well, not dwelling too long on irrelevant details, nor bringing any implausibility to the tale. Her dealings with the characters are also well done, each of them feeling very real with plenty of depth and motivations.
In short, Yesterday’s Kin was a joy to read. Not only was the prose easily digested, but the scientific speculation and facts behind the story really helped in raising enjoyment. A thoroughly recommended novel.
Publisher: http://tachyonpublications.com
Author: http://www.sff.net/people/nankress
September 2014, 192 Pages
Paperback, ISBN: 9781616961756
Review copy received from the publisher
© 2014 Mark Chitty
