Overgrowth

Hardcover, 480 pages

Published by Tor Nightfire.

ISBN:
978-1-250-76823-0
Copied ISBN!
(3 reviews)

This is just a story. It can't hurt you anymore.

Since she was three years old, Anastasia Miller has been telling anyone who would listen that she's an alien disguised as a human being, and that the armada that left her on Earth is coming for her. Since she was three years old, no one has been willing to listen.

Now, with an alien signal from the stars being broadcast around the world, humanity is finally starting to realize that it's already been warned, and it may be too late. The invasion is coming, Stasia's biological family is on the way to bring her home, and very few family reunions are willing to cross the gulf of space for just one misplaced child.

What happens when you know what’s coming, and just refuse to listen?

2 editions

Pod People

I did like this book, but not as much as I'd expected to.

At the level of plot, it's like Invasion of the Body Snatchers. On a character level, it's about trying to go through life knowing you're different from everyone around you. And thematically, it's about friends and family vs. the world, and vs. each other, and figuring out where the lines are between who you can trust and who you can't.

The prologue is not for the squeamish. But the rest of the novel is more eerie sci-fi and less horror.

It's mostly told from Stasia's (the plant person) point of view. Most of the other characters aren't...well, maybe I shouldn't say "fleshed out" when half of them are plant people, but while Stasia's puzzlement over their motivations supports the story thematically, it makes it less engaging. Though there is an interesting shift in perspective as the …

War of the Worlds Meets Little Shop of Horrors

Overgrowth is a sci-fi horror novel about what it means to be human narrated by Stasia, an alien plant wearing a human skin suit. The novel, while being about an impending invasion on the surface, has a beating heart that delves into the nuances of found family, identity, human rights, and marginalization. The prose is inviting and free of frills, and the characters are diverse and eclectic. If you love descriptions of alien ships, biology, and telepathic communication, you're in for a real treat.

My only complaint refers to the repetition throughout; quite a few plot points are heavy handed in their distribution, being spelled out over a dozen times each. While this isn't an inherent issue, as the story is told from Stasia's point of view and spotlights the repetition of actual thought processes, I would have appreciated less redundancy.

If you're looking for a story akin to War …

avatar for esteboix

rated it

Subjects

  • Horror
  • Science Fiction
  • Fiction
  • Plants