Ammonite

Winner of the Lambda Literary Award Winner of the Tiptree/Otherwise Award Winner of the Premio ItaliaFinalist for the Arthur C Clarke Award Finalist for the Locus Best First Novel Award Finalist for the British Science Fiction AwardA knockout . . . Strong, likable characters, a compelling story, and a very interesting take on gender.Ursula K. Le GuinAmmonite, by Nicola Griffith, is the first novel of a major talent. Denver PostUncompromisingly packed with nondogmatic feminist and queer ideologies... Griffith reveal[s] herself to be fluent in presenting realistic science and its implications, capable of cinematic clarity in her prose, insightful with emotions and character. Washington Post Book WorldNicola Griffiths first novel, Ammonite, flies all the banners of traditional sf but beneath the banners, it is armed to the teeth against convention. InterzoneAmmonite represents a major, no, make that a revolutionary change...a remarkable departure from the commonplace. LocusA serious assault on conventions so enormous that it is very much more dangerous, sometimes, than writing about lesbianism. Dorothy AllisonPays homage to Ursula K. Le Guins Left Hand of Darkness without inviting invidious comparisons. New York Times Book ReviewMs. Griffith is an astonishingly gifted writer... Her work is of the very best in the lesbian and gay literary field. Allen GinsbergAmmonite is utterly believable, and at times heartwrenching in its emotional power; the characterisation is impeccable. New Statesman and SocietyGriffith is in possession, most decidedly. Ammonite is science fiction, and it is in her hands: like a coiled spring; a secret, many chambered fossil, round and snug and tight. Colin Greenland, FoundationIn many ways, and certainly deliberately, Ammonite recalls the fictional and metafictional Utopia Whileaway... But unlike Whileaway the planet Jeep remains a real place where people are to liveif the world will let them. Buy it and enjoy it. Dream on. But be warned, Nicola Griffith is going to remind you that dreaming doesnt make the problems go away. Gwyneth JonesIt charts a new and different kind of womens space. Atlanta MagazineNicola Griffith is a promising successor to Ursula K. Le Guin and James Tiptree, redesigning gender and power relations in alien milieux. The FaceChange or die. These are the only options available on planet Jeep. Centuries earlier, a deadly virus shattered the original colony, killing the men and forever altering the few surviving women. Now, generations after the colony lost touch with the rest of humanity, a company arrives to exploit Jeepand its forces find themselves fighting for their lives. Terrified of spreading the virus, the company abandons its employees, leaving them afraid and isolated from the natives. In the face of this crisis, anthropologist Marghe Taishan arrives to test a new vaccine. As she risks death to uncover the womens biological secret, she finds that she too is changingand realizes that not only has she found a home on Jeep, but that she alone carries the seeds of its destruction. . . .Ammonite is an unforgettable novel that questions the very meanings of gender and humanity. As readers share in Marghes journey through an alien world, they too embark on a parallel journey of fascinating selfexploration.Ammonite is a selfassured, unselfconscious, convincing depiction of a world without men...doing what only SF can do, and doing it with skill and brio. Ursula K. Le GuinA powerful story of connection, allegiance, and obligation. Read Nicola Griffiths bookand keep an eye out for her name in the future.Vonda N. McIntyreA marvelous blend of high adventure and mindboggling social speculation.Kim Stanley Robinson