English teacher Brandon Kendall is currently reading “House of Suns” by Alastair Reynolds. It is a science fiction novel designed for space and mystery lovers.
“This whole idea of having clones and space travel are interesting,” Kendall said.
The novel takes place billions of years in the future, where cloning is a common practice. The two main characters are Campion and Purslane Gentian, clones of Abigail Gentian. However, Campion and Purslane have violated the one rule that all clones have: do not get romantically involved.
The main plot is them visiting their annual Gentian family reunion, where all the clones discuss what information they have gathered while exploring space throughout the year. Once the two arrive at the reunion site, they are informed that the rest of the Gentians have been killed by unknown attackers. It is now Campion and Purslane’s job to find out who killed their family line and why.
“My best friend, who’s massively into science fiction books like I am, recommended it, so that’s how I heard about it,” Kendall said.
Alastair Reynolds is from Wales and was born in 1966. Later in life he studied physics and astronomy at the University of St. Andrews. Reynolds first book, “Bryad Land Six,” was published in 1995. Reynolds has won a Segium, Sidewise, European science, and a Sturgeon award. Altogether Reynolds has written 20 novels and over 70 short stories.
“House of Suns” is a coming-of-age book that shows the importance of community and problem solving skills while exploring the cosmos.