Book Review: Semiosis by Sue Burke

At first, this book felt like a sequel or prequel for The Day of the Triffids classic. Having that same kind of feeling and idea. I’m not sure if it is only because of the plant-centric sci-fi book, or was it also down to the writing style? Then it turned into a colonizing story, morphing into generation shift, and then into “who done it” story and finally into a wider conflict. And I couldn’t help but think this book was a bit all over the place, making it hard to attach to the story and the characters.

That said, there is this beautiful world-building, especially when it comes to plants, making Semiosis a fitting name for the book. I hope the writer expands this science feeling and answers questions like how the alien planet’s ecology evolved? How the plants gained sentience? And so on. For now, most of what was explained was only scratching the surface.

Semiosis is a good start for a series. Not having a character to concentrate on makes it difficult to read, as in general, readers are motivated by humans and their destinies. Still, something was alluring about the alien environment, making me keep listening to the story.

Thank you for reading! Pat a plant and feel the love!