Jonathan Lethem has written a number of books which can be categorized as sci-fi or at least heavily sci-fi influenced. Among them are Amnesia Moon, As She Crawled onto the Table, and Girl In Landscape. All are enjoyable, but I found the latter to be particularly appealing because of the way he entertwines the genres of "coming of age novel" , "fish out of water" stories, Westerns, and sci-fi. The novel tells the story of a teenager, Pella Marsh, newly relocated to a distant planet to escape the pitiful last stages of environmentally ravaged Earth. The world is inhabited by a set of devoluted indigenous beings who are the descendents of a nobel race of civilized "arch builders". The current population is less than impressive. There are some mystical aspects of the place as well. As can be expected, the rag-tag bunch of Earth expatriates have conflicts with the locals as well as with themselves, and the girl finds herself situated in the middle, with the added problems of moving into adult womanhood to boot. The book is interesting and vivid, with the plots and subplots engaging even for non sci-fi fans.
Click here for a review of the book from NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1035917
Click here for a review of the book from NPR: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1035917
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