Paperback, 330 pages
Czech language
Published May 26, 2020 by Planeta9.
Ledový měsíc Ilmatar leží na hranici poznaného vesmíru. V temných hlubinách se nerozléhá jen všudypřítomné praskání ledu. Hluboká temnota kypí životem. Vědecká expedice na podmořské stanici Hitode zkoumá podivuhodné formy života i prastarou místní kulturu. Ve jménu civilizace ale přichází i další návštěvníci. Moře pod ledem se nečekaně stává centrálním bodem hrozícího mezigalaktického konfliktu mezi lidmi a nepřátelskou rasou Šolenů. Nepatří však ani jednomu z nich, patří Ilmatařanům. Je to Jejich moře.
A three-way first contact story, under an icy ocean, sounded nice enough! But once I started reading I felt like a slob; people competing with "finding the most ways to kill their 'annoying' coworker", anime porn collections and alien genitalia? I'll pass on that. The story itself couldn't give me any motivation to continue with it.
Takova sci-fi ze "stare skoly" (jak sem cetl i jinde). Zajimavy realie i konfrontace mezi trema ruznyma rasama. Fajn. Na druhou stranu si to asi nak dlouho pamatovat nebudu.
A first contact SF narrative where the interpersonal connection comes first, and the fun space battles come second. (That’s a bit of a lie. The whole story takes place on one planet, so the conflict is only a “space battle” if you count “battles that happen on other planets”)
This is a story about two peoples struggling past language and cultural barriers, striving for just a taste of friendship. Interspersed is a horrific worst-case first meeting, distinctly alien aliens, and the classic human refusal to do anything that they don’t want to do.
On a slightly triggering note: one of the minor characters is sexually assaulted. It is not done for laughs and is not swept aside. The horror of the action is a major turning point in the book.
I found the characters and ethical dimensions of the story not too deep (pun not intended, but I'm keeping it), but it does do a nice job of imagining what a civilization that evolved deep underwater might be like.
