Ammonite

by Nicola Griffith

Paperback, 416 pages

English language

Published April 29, 2002 by Del Rey.

ISBN:: 978-0-345-45238-2
OCLC Number:: 49734896

(22 reviews)

Change or die: the only options available on the Durallium Company-owned planet GP. The planet's deadly virus had killed most of the original colonists -- and changed the rest irrevocably. Centuries after the colony had lost touch with the rest of humanity, the Company returned to exploit GP, and its forces found themselves fighting for their lives. Afraid of spreading the virus, the Company had left its remaining employees in place, afraid and isolated from the natives.Then anthropologist Marghe Taishan arrived on GP, sent to test a new vaccine against the virus. As she risked death to uncover the natives' biological secret, she found that she, too, was changing, and realized that not only had she found a home on GP -- she herself carried the seeds of its destruction . . . WINNER OF THE LAMBDA AND TIPTREE AWARDSFrom the Paperback edition.

7 editions

Kalle Kniivilä reviewed Ammonite by Nicola Griffith

Dystopia more credible than utopia

2 stars

For some reason is seems easier to come up with a credible dystopia than a credible utopia. The Company which seems to be running a lot of planets in this universe is all too similar to a lot of companies in the existing world, and the first half of the book would easily get four stars from me. But the people of Jeep are just too much fantasy for me to digest. Mysticism thinly veiled as "science". Could have bought the societal part, but genetic memory and healing with psychic fields or whatever was just too much. Oh well, probably I'm just too boring for this book.

Geoff reviewed Ammonite by Nicola Griffith

Review of 'Ammonite' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

Ammonite starts slow and thoughtful, exploring interesting and surprising ideas about its science fiction universe. And then it builds to an engaging plot-driven story that’s hard to put down.

I almost wish I had read Griffith’s explanation of what she was trying to do first (in my edition this was an afterword) because I think it would have made me more attuned to some really compelling aspects of the book more quickly. But this is not to say it doesn’t succeed. It absolutely does.

I loved the world, the people, and then fictional science here. It was original, fascinating, and really fun to read. And I especially loved the complex and diverse cast of female characters.

laprunminta reviewed Ammonite. by Nicola Griffith by Nicola Griffith

Review of 'Ammonite. by Nicola Griffith' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I loved so much of this, even if the plot was a little weak at times. I loved how at the very beginning, you feel the danger of walking into the contaminated zone. I loved the descriptions of the beautiful but primitive furniture and buildings. I loved getting in the head of a commander trying to make the right decision.

Zivan reviewed Ammonite by Nicola Griffith

Review of 'Ammonite' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This gem from 30 years ago was recommended to me by The StoryGraph.

I had no idea such great women characters were available back in the early 90s.

The setting on a quarantined planet where only women survived a plague lends itself to a wide gamut of women characters that defy gender roles and allows the work to age well since missing technologies can be attributed to the isolation.

There are some echoes of the movie Alien and themes from the Bene Gesserit of Dune, but this is in no way Alien or Dune

moving to outside.ofa.dog reviewed Ammonite by Nicola Griffith

Ammonite

4 stars

Content warning Ammonite (whole book)

I enjoyed this book a lot, and it's the kind of juicy food for thought that I've spent the week since finishing it digesting. Elements of it felt like an homage to The Left Hand of Darkness, but not heavily enough that to get in the way of Griffith having her own story to tell. There's also a big echo of the stories of early European colonies losing people because they either couldn't handle the environment they were trying to colonise or "went native", liking the cultures they were supposed to subjugate better than their own.

It's beautifully written too, but at times some of the human interactions felt implausibly easy. We get the protagonist almost dying a few times, but she seems to settle in to a wholly alien culture quicker & more easily than I've managed moving between countries on one planet. And the resolution at the end of the book feels too convenient.

SFFBookClub