- Hardcover: 385 pages
- Publisher: Avon Books (Dec 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0380974568
- ISBN-13: 978-0380974566
- Product Dimensions: 21.6 x 15.2 x 3.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 954,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
With her third SF novel, Maureen F. McHugh continues the dense plausibility and warmly human characterisation that she achieved in China Mountain Zhang and Half the Day is Night. Human settlements on the colony planet Koziko are carefully restricted to appropriate technology for their region. Thus tough heroine Janna grows up in a "Mission" village in frozen northern territory, whose most high-tech product is whisky to be traded with clans of wild, gun-toting herders.
When tragedy strikes and the Mission is wiped out, a village elder gives Janna some advanced biotech implants which are both blessing and curse--summoning airborne help that thanks to the non-interference policy is no help, keeping her alive when she wants to die, and doing something worse that emerges only years after. Janna finds uneasy security in posing as male while wandering the world as refugee, translator, factory worker, fugitive, security guard, gardener and paramedic, forever torn between the mystic, shamanic tradition of her upbringing and the double-edged benefits of off-world technology. Each port of call has the lived-in feel of a real, working community. Janna isn't out to save the world, just to find a home and come to terms with herself; McHugh skilfully makes this modest quest seem as important as any galactic war. Fine, understated SF. --David Langford --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Review
With her third SF novel, Maureen F. McHugh continues the dense plausibility and warmly human characterisation that she achieved in China Mountain Zhang and Half the Day is Night. Human settlements on the colony planet Koziko are carefully restricted to appropriate technology for their region. Thus tough heroine Janna grows up in a "Mission" village in frozen northern territory, whose most high-tech product is whisky to be traded with clans of wild, gun-toting herders. (When tragedy strikes and the Mission is wiped out, a village elder gives Janna some advanced biotech implants which are both blessing and curse--summoning airborne help that thanks to the non-interference policy is no help, keeping her alive when she want )
#NAME? --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
#NAME? --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
One of the best things about Maureen McHugh is her ability to completely immerse the reader in the cultures that saturate her novels. In Mission Child McHugh shows what it might just be like to be in the middle of a culture clash, and what's more, she makes the reader feel as confused and upset as Janna as she moves from place to place, slowly and literally losing the culture she was born to. There isn't much plot to this book, but quite frankly, it doesn't really matter, as the theme is more important.
I was hooked from the third sentence on the first page, and in fact had to reread the opening after the first page because I was sucked in so quickly. Oh, If only I had McHugh's skill - !
Don't miss this one.
Format:Paperback
How is it possible that this book has only recieved one customer review so far? I'ts been out for several years and actually it should be a celebrated classic by now. The author tells us the story of a young woman who is cought in an alien "third world" situation, trying to find her place in a changing society, finding out what it means to be human. Mrs. McHugh approaches Science Fiction just like Ursula LeGuin does: from the human perspective. The story is touching and confusing yet thrilling. Walking with the protagonist will make you laugh and cry. Read this book and understand.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
19 reviews
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
McHugh's best: adventure, tragedy, wit, beauty
26 Jan 1999
Format:Hardcover
Maureen McHugh has already proved herself to be the single best builder of lived-in sf worlds working in the field today. Her talent for capturing ordinary people is stronger than ever in Mission Child, but those ordinary people are living very adventurous lives. McHugh has added a lot of beauty to her always spare and graceful prose. This coming-of-age story features war, guns, reindeer, alien hi-tech, pirates, Laplander cyberpunk, and a cross-dressing shaman who is one of the most memorable characters in SF this decade. My favorite SF book of the last five years.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Great writer who can involve readers in any scene
16 Aug 2004
Format:Mass Market Paperback
A colonized world develops a unique identity and culture. Years later, one of its citizens develops a unique identity as well, adapting to her culture by taking on the identity of a man. Soon, she finds that her gender-blurring actually appeals to her in ways beyond what her situation demands of her.
I love Mission Child as much as McHugh's more popular novel China Mountain Zhang, which received the James Tiptree, Jr. Memorial Award, the Lambda Literary Award, and the Locus Award for Best First Novel.
McHugh is a great writer who can involve readers in any scene, regardless of how much or how little action that scene contains. The language seems descriptive to an extreme, but she still manages to tie those descriptions into the thoughts and feelings of the characters.
Before reading her work, I read reviews that included complaints about her supposedly not focusing on plot. Readers can find countless formulaic, plot-driven science fiction and fantasy novels, but they won't find many original and evocative writers of McHugh's caliber.
McHugh's other novels include Nekropolis and Half the Day Is Night.
I love Mission Child as much as McHugh's more popular novel China Mountain Zhang, which received the James Tiptree, Jr. Memorial Award, the Lambda Literary Award, and the Locus Award for Best First Novel.
McHugh is a great writer who can involve readers in any scene, regardless of how much or how little action that scene contains. The language seems descriptive to an extreme, but she still manages to tie those descriptions into the thoughts and feelings of the characters.
Before reading her work, I read reviews that included complaints about her supposedly not focusing on plot. Readers can find countless formulaic, plot-driven science fiction and fantasy novels, but they won't find many original and evocative writers of McHugh's caliber.
McHugh's other novels include Nekropolis and Half the Day Is Night.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Challenging, consistently engaging novel.
28 April 2000
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This episodic speculative novel is a consistently surprising story about a young woman named Janna, her struggles to find a place in her world, and her identity in that world. A character driven story, it will remind you of LeGuin & Dickens, as Janna winds her way through an interesting myriad of personalities. I really liked the way this author handled the material with such unflinching sincerity and confidence, that she never felt she had to justify or overexplain the world, the social system, the character motivations, or the gender issues that arose. A prophetic book? Possibly. But definately for the thoughtful reader.
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