An interesting tale of humanities first contact with alien life. I liked the narrative but I found the many of the characters rather flat. The author also continuously pulled on stereotypes of black folks in order to create the character of Sissy.

Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.Tomorrow’s Kin by Nancy Press is a first encounter science fiction story which expands on the author’s Nebula Award winning novella Yesterday’s Kin. While it has some explosive events and normal alien conspiracy elements to it, this story is more focused on its main character, Dr. Marianne Jenner, and the cutting-edge science at its heart.Four months ago, an object heading toward Earth was discovered to be an alien spacecraft. Thankfully, the extraterrestrials

So, this is more of a 2.5. From my column:Tomorrow’s Kin, by Nancy Kress, starts off with a strong, intriguing angle. Theoretical geneticist Dr. Marianne Jenner makes a seemingly minor discovery that catches the interest of aliens camping out in New York. They inform her that she and a team of human scientists will be crucial in preventing a disaster in 10 months that could end humanity. The first half of the book swells with promise and interesting ideas, but by the middle, it grows soggy with

This had a great premise but the story kinda loses focus about 40% in. It's ok and I'll read the next installment.

I enjoyed the book a lot, and a big part of that was because I could relate to the main character. She is an academic, so am I. She does basically obscure research that no one outside her field cares about, which occasionally (and apparently randomly) gets a lot of public attention. That's my job in a nutshell. She also has to deal with a lot of bullshit from people who should really know better, or who should at least be more considerate. Welcome to my life.I found the story very engaging, and

Excellent book! Great, realistically flawed characters. An truly uncommon protagonist. Great book!

Aliens have landed on Earth and stationed their ship at the New York Harbor. They've communicated that their own world is very different from Earth and they cannot leave their ship but are willing to talk with the United Nations about their arrival. This is of course causing a bit of fear and panic among citizens wanting to know more and why the aliens are here. Dr. Marianne Jenner had made a discovery that got her name on the map but while attending a faculty event someone arrives stating that

A mature female scientist protagonist who is a grandmother who works. She isn't/ hasn't been a perfect mom, or maybe she has ? She hasn't been the perfect wife or girlfriend, or maybe she has ? She isn't/ hasn't been the perfect friend or co-worker, or maybe she has ? Why is it so hard to know? Because life's not perfect and neither are the people we love, depend on, armoire or even envy. Why? Because good days follow bad days, but sometimes not in that order. She's a unique heroine and i'm glad...

This was an interesting book. I really liked the alien plotline and the mystery of them unfolding. Finding out that they are humans and when it’s discovered they lied to humans, it genuinely pissed me off. Marianne is an interesting protagonist and it’s really sad to see people like Evan die or Noah go to space. The only thing that bugged me about her is that she didn’t find it to be a big deal that the aliens lied about the spore cloud. Like this caused mass hysteria. I’m sure thousands of peop...

Tomorrow’s Kin is Kress’ expansion of her award-winning novella Yesterday’s Kin. The plot is a first contact/soft invasion story, in which aliens come to earth to warn humanity of an impending disaster and to help us develop the technology to stop it. There is a catch, of course (no spoilers here), that calls into question the aliens’ motives for helping us (or possibly, questions whether they are here to help us at all).The premise of Tomorrow’s Kin is a strong one – worthy of Arthur C. Clarke

This was sort of OK as it blended the problems of a global virus, an alien race related to humans, and climate change all in a strange potpourri. I was unable to fully connect with Madeline and her three kids (especially not Elizabeth but not the other two either). It was sort of Avatar in the Age of COVID. The plot was just ok and the tech was sort of interesting but not extravagant. I dunno, this one just didn't do it for me.

Notes:Currently on Audible Plus- Cool concepts but tried to do too much in a limited amount of pages. The end result comes across as haphazard, disorganized and did not completely flesh out the characters or key plot elements.

4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/08/05/...I’m always up for a good tale of alien first contact, and Tomorrow’s Kin definitely fit the bill. Expanding upon the author’s Nebula Award-winning novella Yesterday’s Kin, this book is told in multiple sections, first chronicling the arrival of the extra-terrestrials before exploring the far-reaching repercussions in the latter parts of the novel.It is New York City, sometime in the near future. Humanity now knows for cert...

I thoroughly enjoyed this, gobbling it up, and cannot wait for book 2! 4.5 stars.

First book in a trilogy. Nancy Kress is a science fiction author I have a lot of respect for. She writes good "touchy-feely" science fiction. This book is a good representative of her work.Sorry. I have written a lot of reviews lately and am tired. I bought this book, so don't feel the need to give it a thorough examination.

Ahoy me mateys! Grab your grog! Here is book 1 of the sixth installment of the 3 Bells trilogy showcase.Well, this was not yer usual alien first contact story but it sure was engaging. To start with, the aliens are already on Earth when the book begins. In fact, they have been there for months and no one really knows what they want or why. Speculation is rampant. But the aliens will only deal with the UN and then only under specific guidelines. They say they come in peace.The book follows Marian...

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!I've read a lot of Nancy Kress, going way back to the Eighties and Nineties when she was a regular in Asimov. I'll be honest and say that I was amazed by her debut novels. Some of the later ones, though? Not so much. I know that this novel isn't going to get a super-glowing review, but I can tell you that it's solid novel. Very solid.As with a lot of Kress, we get a lot of single or at most dual high-science concepts taken all the way as the grand arc for a novel,...

2.5 StarsI was originally very excited for the premise of this story, but unfortunately I was quite disappointed by the execution. The synopsis sounded very similar to the basic setup of Arrival/Story of Your Life. However, this book was completely different and it would be unfair to compare it to that masterpiece work.For me, the downfall of this novel started with the marketing, which setup the wrong expectations for the reader. This book is advertised as hard science fiction, which was not at...

Tomorrow's Kin is the first novel in a new trilogy expanding upon Nancy Kress' excellent Nebula Award-winning novella Yesterday's Kin. The first third is the previously published story, and the rest of the novel follows what happens after the end of the original novella. Though I did think the novella was the strongest part, I found the novel as a whole to be smart and engaging. I also enjoyed following the main protagonist, Dr. Marianne Jenner, a mother, grandmother, and geneticist who makes an...

A first encounter sci-fi story. Dr Marianne Jenner discovers something unusual in the human genome and receives an invite to visit an alien Embassy ship which is floating over New York Harbour. Here she discovers how her work relates to the aliens and an imminent disaster that is threatening the planet.There was plenty of science in this book to keep me entertained, from genetics, physics, ecology etc. and aliens with possibly shady motives to give me the conspiracy theory thrill. I loved that t...