Assaria 7 (The Seed Cycle) (Volume 3)

The Seed Cycle saga continues in Book 3, Assaria 7. The Seed Cycle, Book 3 – Assaria 7. Bubba may have had the best of intentions when he took his children to the stars, but he failed to take the Caretakers into account. The feud has been going on too long, their fear and hatred has become so deeply ingrained that even extinction seems preferable. Years pass. Attempts to bring the two settlements together have only driven them further apart, and the few successful unions have become a subdivision unto themselves. Tensions rise even further when one of Bubba’s brothers, Andrew, rapes a newly-Changed Suscrofa. The clone loses his ‘procreative capacity’ before severing all connections to either settlement. The consequences of that rape divide the embattled society even further and soon there are subdivisions within subdivisions. However, nature intercedes and cracks in the seemingly solid façade start to appear. Co-mingling of young people from both camps is encouraged by some influential Caretakers, but with limitations outlined by the opposition. Smiths make the short journey between the settlements on a daily basis until someone crosses the now-blurred line. Meanwhile, malcontents in the Smith camp have failed to find mates or satisfying occupations and seek alternatives off-world. The personal stories of three of the surviving clones, all of whom experience both introspection and remorse, are interwoven with the larger struggle. Robert and Andrew had been repeatedly forced to witness the Corporation’s merciless slaughter and now must pay the emotional toll. Assistance from unsuspected sources helps them survive self-destruction. The youngest clone, who has not been as severely damaged as his brothers, discovers a hidden talent that may allow him to escape a similar fate. Assaria 7 chronicles the struggle between perceived good and evil, between technology and nature, and between dogma and reality. It is also about the ability of the human spirit to not only survive, but surmount potentially soul-crushing conditions and become stronger in the process.