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Siberia
 
 
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Siberia (Paperback)

by Ann Halam (Author) "The little girl and her mother get off the train at a deserted platform in the middle of nowhere ..." (more)
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 192 pages
  • Publisher: Orion Childrens (7 Jan 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1842551299
  • ISBN-13: 978-1842551295
  • Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.6 x 2.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 770,989 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Amanda Craig, THE TIMES
'...remarkable...'

Review
Despite mixing fantasy and fairy-tale creatures, Siberia is a story full of human drama. Set in snowy wastelands, Sloe sets off on an epic journey to be reunited with her magical mother. (Funday Times 16.01.05 )

It's a great read with a terrific central character - resourceful, brave, loving and challenged beyond endurance - and the ideas, so chilling and so provocative that I can't get the story out of my head. (Wendy Cooling )

"Siberia is proof that teen fantasy can deal with complex and difficult themes as adequately as adult fiction. The story resonates, Sloe's fate matters and the awardwinning Gwyneth Jones, writing as Ann Halam, strips betrayal, hope and the corruption of politics and ideals down to simple sentences. A quietly impressive book." (Jon Courtenay Grimwood Guardian, 15 Jan 05 )

The story is truly original. .. This is a terrific read: a dystopian creation of endless winter and ultimate hope that avoids the cliches of environmental nightmare genre. From its dust jacket, to its Goethe quote: "Seed corn must not be ground" this is a lean, effective and moving book. I loved it and admired the clarity of thought and the elegance of its delivery. (GAye Hicyilmaz TES )

Siberia by Ann Halam (Orion, 8.99) is not a place, it's a state of mind, says the author's note at the back of the book. Part dystopian thriller, part science fable, Siberia is set in the frozen wastes of a future where the families of criminals and dissidents are banished to Settlements, and wild mammals have become extinct. Sloe's mother, a disgraced scientist, has brought her up from an early age with the knowledge that she is the guardian of strange "seed kits" - the genetic material of d (Dinah Hall SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )

Ann Halam's depiction of a wilderness world... take on parable proportions; the images stay with the reader long after the book is finished. Equally powerful are her visions of an outcast society, scavenging and betraying their neighbours for survival. Halam pulls a tight thread of tension on every page. (Helen Ryan INIS )

'...remarkable...' (Amanda Craig THE TIMES )

'one of those books that keeps you thinking after you have finished reading it.' (John Millen SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST )

'a vividly imagined, though very bleak vision of the future. It is also a nail-biting adventure which should appeal to boys as well as girls.' (Rosalind Kerven THE NORTHERN ECHO )

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The little girl and her mother get off the train at a deserted platform in the middle of nowhere. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
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4 star:
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3 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Idea for a Story, 18 April 2005
By Chrestomanci (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)      
I read this book a month or two ago - but have been delaying writing the review, uncertain as to whether I enjoyed it or not. It's always easy to write reviews for those books you either love or hate - but in this case I merely liked it ... I think!

There's certainly nothing amiss with the writing, which is smooth, efficient and evocatively conveys the bleakness of the icy cold setting. I did find it slightly odd that the opening (set in the narrator's past) was in the present tense, while the main narrative, (set in her present) was in the past tense; strange!

I thought the basic idea for the plot - that the heroine has to guard minute living 'seeds' of extinct animal species - a truly brilliant concept. However, on reflection, I realised that it was the brief lifespan of these Lindquists that I found rather undermined the plot for me. Each little creature, secretly brought to life, rarely lived longer than a single chapter - then, having fulfilled its plot function, died. I found this a continual disappointment as I really bonded with and warmed to these beautiful miniature life forms, and would've preferred their ongoing involvement in the narrative rather than brushing them aside to make way for the next one. In many respects, I can see that their demise is integral to the plot (each with a different natural skill to help their guardian out of danger) - but it would've been nice if at least one could have lived all the way through.

Even the human characters that Sloe (the main protagonist) meets during her travels tend to be somewhat transient. So, the overall impression I was left with was that of not quite getting to know any of the characters in any depth except, perhaps, Sloe herself, and I didn't find her the most compelling of heroines.

In summary: an okay-ish book, a pleasant enough story - but with such a fantastic idea, I think it could have been so much more.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A powerful futuristic fantasy., 24 April 2008
By S. Barnes (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Siberia (Paperback)
A futuristic fantasy, set in a time where, due to climate change, much of the world is covered in snow and ice for most of the year, thawing for just a short time - just enough time to grow some essential fruit and veg.

Rosita is a little girl of about 4 years old, and she and her mum arrive at a settlement camp way out in the wilderness on the back of a tractor. Rosita has no idea what has happened to her Dadda. She's too little to really understand what's going on, but she and her mum are shown to a small bare hut with a concrete floor, a place for a bed, and a workshop. It's a prison camp, but there's no need for wire fences or high security - there's nowhere to escape to.

Rosita is a lonely little girl as her mum has to work hard in her workshop all day making nails. But then one day her mum shows her some 'magic' and Rosita's life takes on new meaning. When she gets older she goes off to school and has to change her name to the more common 'Sloe'. An accident leaves her with a severe limp. Life is really tough in the camp, even tougher in the corrective boarding school she's sent to, but all the while Sloe is aware of the destiny she must one day fulfil.

The day comes sooner than she thinks when Sloe, at age of 13, must take charge of her mum's 'magic', little seeds that are the last remnants of the wild animals of the world. These little seeds, called Lindquists, are precious and every so often they must be given nutrients and grown in a little pod. They then naturally die after a while and their remains are harvested for new seeds, to the start the cycle anew. This has to be kept going until the wild animal seeds can reach their intended destination. Each time the growing process is started, Sloe can decide to grow an animal to it's full state to check that the seeds are still of good quality... but this is a risky business when there are death warrants for these wild creatures. Zoe faces a long and treacherous journey in the bitter cold, to try and get these seeds to safety.

This is a well-written book, and Sloe is a skilfully crafted main character. Perhaps at times a little far-fetched in its outlook, it certainly does highlight one area of risk with global warming - another ice age - and raises numerous important questions about environnent and technology. A worthy read for young adults+.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful futuristic adventure, 20 Mar 2006
By A. Craig "Amanda Craig" (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Siberia (Paperback)
I agree with some of what the previous reviewer says about how it would be good if we'd got to know more of the characters in-depth, but in the end it didn't matter because the heroine, Sloe, is so interesting. The daughter of an exiled scientist, she learns the secret of the case her mother carries, which has the "seeds" of the last real wild animals left on earth. Once a monht, the seeds need to be fed "new treat" (nutrient)to be kept alive, and even be allowed to grow into fully formed animals before collapsing back into seed form. Sloe gets into trouble and is sent away from her mother to a horrible boaridng school, from which she eventually escapes, half-crippled. Her mother has gone, but the case is still there, and Sloe has to find her way to freedom, where she may rejoin her mother. One by one, the tiny animals are brought to life to help her, until there is only one left - and her mother's mortal enemy in pursuit.
This is a novel that would make a fantastic film. I thoroughly recommend it for 12+
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5.0 out of 5 stars Definately worth Buying
The Story- When she was younger sloe (her new name) and her mother were taken to a small settlement in the middle of nowhere until she and her mother decide to get away, Little... Read more
Published on 17 Mar 2005 by albaldrewy

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