This Alien Shore

by C. S. Friedman

Years after the colonization of space was halted due to the genetic mutations that began afflicting the colonists, the secret of space travel has been rediscovered and made safe. Due to their specific mutation, only pilots from the colony world of Guera can operate the new ships, thus making the shipping guilds of Guera very rich and very powerful. As various political and corporate groups struggle to bring down this newly born empire, a young woman--an orphan--is told that she will be instrumental in the future of the Earth and its colonies. A "New York Times" Notable Book for 1998.

Editions of This Alien Shore

	ISBN 9780886777999	Binding/Format Paperback	Publisher Daw Books	Date 1999	Price $1.00	Good
	ISBN 9780886777982	Binding/Format Hardcover	Publisher New Amer Library	Date 1998	Price $1.00	Good

Publisher Notes

In the first age of Earth's colonization of space, the FTL drive that powered the starships caused severe genetic damage in the colonists. Generations later, a new mutated race arises, one which can safely conduct people between the stars. But since they use their ability to tightly control all interstellar commerce, rival interests soon seek to break the monopoly. And when a lab-raised young woman narrowly escapes kidnapping, even as a rogue computer virus wreaks havoc on the interstellar "Net," she must flee into "alien shores," evading her pursuers while attempting to uncover the secrets of her own existence.

Media Reviews

"In "This Alien Shore"..., C. S. Friedman borrows some big ideas from writers like Cordwainer Smith, Frank Herbert, and Samuel R. Delany, and runs with them. Instead of stumbling under the burden, she succeeds in making the recycled material her own....In interweaving the many threads of her narrative, Friedman has created a potent metaphor for the toleration of diversity--an ever-evolving society where 'the genes of wild genius' are acknowledged as necessary for survival."

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