Nick Sagan Online

Three New Everfree Reviews

Let's start with the New York Times Book Review, as there's an Everfree review in today's paper.  Not a rave, not a pan.  The reviewer enjoyed the first section of the book (which Hal exclusively narrates), but didn't like the later narrators, calling them "flakier."  She writes:

It's a shame Sagan doesn't stick with Hal a little longer; his gumshoe adages are entertaining, and they even provoke thought about, yes, world peace.

While I wish she'd embraced the entire book, as other reviewers have, I'm very glad Etelka Lehoczky got something out of it.  Good writing should entertain and provoke, and--criticisms aside--that's what she thinks I've done.

In a recent blog entry, John Scalzi astutely points out that writers simply can't make everyone happy, so there's no use fretting about it: Sic Transit Gloria Mundi.  Also, precious little genre fiction ever gets reviewed at the New York Times; that paper has impressive circulation, and I'm thrilled to be one of the lucky few whose work is being recognized over there.

Next up, Mark Graham at The Rocky Mountain News, who gives Everfree an A-.  The review begins:

Hey, I wish I could read every science-fiction novel that passes my way, but sometimes I miss a few. Unfortunately, I came late to Nick Sagan's trilogy and began with Everfree, the final installment in a series that includes Idlewild (2003) and Edenborn (2004). If Everfree is any indication, I wish I had gotten in at the beginning, an oversight I plan to rectify.

It's great to see this, as I spent quite a few sleepless nights writing and rewriting to ensure that each of my novels could be experienced as a standalone, and not just as part of a series.  I wanted readers to be able to pick up Everfree without having read the previous books, and then be compelled to seek those books out--I'm very happy to find that this is the case. 

After setting up the premise of the novel, Mark concludes:

Sagan, who has dedicated the book to his late father, scientist and author Carl Sagan, has succeeded in creating a unique future, that, in light of the fears concerning bird flu and other communicable diseases, combines just the right amount of fear and wonder.

Last but not least, Pauline Finch at Bookreporter, who makes my day and then some with this opening:

Looking back in my mental trivia file, I'm struck by how prophetic Nick Sagan's first claim to fame turned out to be. No, I don't mean his being the son of the last century's most likeable astronomer, the late Carl Sagan. It's young Nick's voice saying, "Hello from the children of planet Earth" on a recording that is still traveling in distant space on NASA's Voyager 1. Those simple, welcoming words connect so powerfully with Sagan's recent emergence from the often thankless role of a Hollywood script and screen writer to become one of the most exciting new voices in science fiction.

"One of the most exciting new voices in science fiction" is huge praise, extremely flattering, and I'll try to live up to that assessment.  After analyzing the plot and themes of Everfree, she writes:

Sagan brilliantly treads the thin ice of futuristic ethical comment, daring to propose scenarios that show us at our all-too-human worst, even as we cling to the shreds of social idealism.

But at the end of the review she takes me to task for not going further with the series:

And that's where the story just stops, leaving the reader on an unresolved chord of anticipation. So if this really was intended to conclude a trilogy, let's hope Sagan changes his mind. He may have become a victim of his own success, but there are far worse fates for a new author! Personally, I can't wait to hear more from his imaginative and quirky post humans.

That readers want more might be the best praise of all.  I do have plans to return to these characters and this universe, but it's a juggling act as there are other stories I want to tell.

(Complete reviews: New York Times, Rocky Mountain News, Bookreporter.  The Bookreporter review is also at the Amazon page for Everfree.)

No Everfree Audiobook

At least, not at this time. HighBridge Audio won't be putting one out, which is a shame because they did a fine job on both Idlewild and Edenborn. I'm told that the past few years have been tough for audiobooks all across the board, and many companies are scaling back accordingly. I'm disappointed, of course, but these things happen. Hopefully, the Everfree audiobook will get the go ahead somewhere down the road, whether from HighBridge or a viable alternative, but it's in limbo for the time being.

If you've yet to discover the audiobooks, you can listen to samples on my website. They're available for purchase at Amazon, Audible, and many other fine stores. Alternatively, you can download them directly onto your iPod by clicking here.

Everfree Article: Sci Fi Wire

SCI FI Wire has a short interview with me, mostly about Everfree. Here I put the trilogy in personal perspective:

The series began with the protagonist, Halloween, struggling to understand who he is and ends with him facing his demons and finding a kind of peace, Sagan said. "That's a personal story to me, as in the course of writing the series I've followed a similar path," he said. "When you grow up in a famous family, you tend to wrestle with your own identity. To now be on the other side of this trilogy with so many people connecting with my characters and themes gives me a tremendous sense of pride. I'm grateful for that."

You can read the complete article here.

Everfree Review: EW

In their June 9th issue, Entertainment Weekly has given Everfree a B-, par for the course for me there, as it's the same grade they gave Idlewild. Faring slightly better, Edenborn got a B. Though I'd obviously have preferred an A+ or a gold star, I'm nevertheless thrilled with this, as precious few books actually get reviewed by EW (especially science fiction and fantasy titles), and I'm thankful for the coverage. Hopefully, it'll bring new readers to check out my writing. Plus, they call Everfree, "smart and fast-moving," which I think is pretty spiffy to have as a blurb. After all, who likes dumb and slow-moving novels? Certainly not me!

New Everfree Review & Article

Kilian Melloy has a great review of Everfree up on EDGE Boston. Here's an excerpt:

Over the course of the novels, Sagan’s writing has developed and matured; he handles the complicated plot of Everfree with seemingly effortless dexterity, and opts for a wide-open canvas and an almost conversational approach, rather than allowing the book to be boxed in and drowned in details. This keeps the story moving along at a brisk, fresh pace without sacrificing anything in the way of tension or character.

It's a very nice compliment--I certainly like to think that I'm evolving as a writer. Self-improvement is important to me. You can read the complete review here.

SPOILER WARNING: If you've yet to read Idlewild, you might want to finish it before clicking on the link.

And Alan Boyle of MSNBC.com has posted an article about me and about Everfree in his Cosmic Log. It's called "Time For Humans 2.0?" Here's an excerpt:

We're capable of so many wonderful things, and at the same time we're a dangerous and shortsighted species that may carry the seeds of our own destruction in our DNA," [Nick] said.

That tone may remind some folks of Nick Sagan's father, who sounded the alarm over the potential for nuclear winter more than 20 years ago.

Today, the Cold War is history — but in this post-9/11, post-anthrax age, there's still enough paranoia to go around. And Nick Sagan's prescription isn't all that much different from what his father would have prescribed.

"I would say that there are skills that are needed to live in a society, and take advantage of the positive and avoid the negative. The most useful tool is a combination of science and skepticism, to be critical of the motives of people who are trying to play on other people's fears," he said.

Good stuff. You can read the complete article here.

SPOILER WARNING: This article touches on some key plot points in the book, so you might want to delay clicking on the link until after you've read Everfree.

Everfree Released!

Suddenly, it's May 18th. This means that several copies of Everfree are in all likelihood available for purchase at a bookstore near you.

How I should feel: Quiet, dignified, filled with a sense of accomplishment, and perhaps a bit wistful.

How I feel: Like the Steve Martin character in The Jerk, jumping around and dancing, shouting, "The new phonebook's here! The new phonebook's here!"

Everfree Review: Books In Heat

Over at Books In Heat, William S. Kowinski has a very thoughtful review of Everfree, and in tackling the book's themes, he raises an interesting question about our evolutionary genetics. By nature are we more like violent common chimps or the more compassionate Bonobos? I say we're closer to our inner chimp; he's more hopeful on the subject. Though we don't see eye to eye on this, I respect where he's coming from, and it's the sort of debate I love, one I remember having with my dad on multiple occasions.

Beyond this difference of opinion, he has wonderful praise for the book.

Here's an excerpt:

This book has all the pleasures of a good adventure story and a science fiction novel, even apart from the previous books. But in context of the trilogy, there are multiple rewards in character as well as action and ideas that pay off in this volume. Everfree is an exciting ride through an imaginative and believable world, with ideas to ponder, characters to wonder about, and good writing to savor. And the ending is definitely worth the ride, though don’t be surprised if you still want more.

You can read the complete review here.

Everfree Review: Sci Fi Weekly

Sci Fi Weekly has a review of Everfree by John Joseph Adams. It's excellent and I'm completely thrilled. Here's an excerpt:

Readers new to Nick Sagan's work probably have some lofty expectations. His father, the world-renowned Carl Sagan, was both a brilliant scientist and the author of many books, including the terrific SF novel Contact. So he clearly has the genes for good writing and smart science; the question is, does he live up to expectations? The answer is yes and then some, and luckily for SF fans, the younger Sagan has his father's gift for storytelling, but has chosen to devote his life not to writing science but to writing science fiction.

Talk about affirming! After all, I have lofty expectations of myself, so independent confirmation that I'm living up to them feels like years of really good psychotherapy (but without the whole lying on couches, staring at inkblots, talking about dreams, and spending thousands of dollars thing.)

You can read the complete review here.

Everfree Review: Trek Nation

Jacqueline Bundy mostly reviews Star Trek novels, but because I'm a Trek alum, she's been kind enough to review Everfree over at Trek Nation, calling it, "an exceptional and thought provoking read" and "a riveting story that takes a hard look at humankind's predatory and rapacious nature."  Here's an excerpt:

The themes explored in Everfree reverberate clearly as page by page you are drawn into Sagan's richly imaginative future. Ultimately though, Everfree leaves you feeling hopeful that we, as a society, might one day overcome the need to mindlessly pursue conflict.

You can read the complete review here.

Early Everfree Reviews

I'm happy to report that Kirkus Reviews has given Everfree a rave:

Sagan's mind-blowing post-apocalyptic trilogy comes to a satisfying, terrifying conclusion. Having successfully weathered the trials and tribulations of Idlewild (2003) and Edenborn (2004), the PH (post-human) trailblazers genetically designed in the last dark days of the humanity-annihilating Black Ep plague are finally putting their species back on track. In the ostensibly comforting confines of Cambridge, Mass., the PHs, raised in virtual-reality environments and boasting plague-resistant immune systems, carefully begin to thaw out those who went into cryofreeze during the plague in hopes that science would stop Black Ep. It did, and all should now be set for humanity to slowly rebuild itself from the ground up, avoiding the mistakes of the past. Easier said than done, since those who had the money to be frozen were the wealthy tip of the American socioeconomic iceberg, meaning that humanity is now mostly composed of former CEOs, tycoons and politicians flush with ideas of carnivorous capitalism and jostling for control in the newly virgin world. Sagan relates these developments via the cynical narration of Gabriel Hall, ill-tempered protagonist of Idlewild, who is now in charge of security in Cambridge and has zero faith in the ability of these chest-beating alpha males to reconstruct society. Unsurprisingly, the humans foment trouble with the peaceful, globally minded PHs, cloaking their naked power grabs in the faux-populist, laissez-faire lingo of dog-eat-dog 21st-century capitalism. Sagan loses some steam halfway through, splitting the middle of the novel into a hodgepodge of narration provided by other PHs, but he brings the story to its end with a refreshing grace and palpable sadness rare in fantasy of this kind. A powerful plea for sensible human cooperation delivered via a knockout story.

Reviews like this are deeply gratifying. When reviewers use words like, "mind-blowing," "powerful" and "knockout," I find myself with an extra spring in my step and a giddy grin on my face. Needless to say, this puts a real crimp in my "walk around all angst-ridden and scowly" agenda.

Publisher's Weekly found it just a bit overwhelming:

Though Sagan's latest future thriller is supposed to complete a trilogy that began with Idlewild and Edenborn, it's stuffed with ideas that veer off into fascinating but underdeveloped tangents. The genetically altered young Post Humans of Sagan's first books have gone through their bloody personal crises and now have settled down to revive the people who had themselves frozen to escape a deadly universal plague. Since the ones who could afford cryogenic sleep were the most "successful," they tend to be insanely competitive, unwilling to be guided by their saviors. And so factions begin plotting to take control of the new utopia and to revive private armies for rival communities. The book ricochets through its complicated plot in short, snappy chapters, most of them dictated by Hal, the Post Humans' chief of security. Hal's an agreeably cynical observer, and his lively sections summarize the action well. However, so much is going on and flying off in so many directions, that the book finally reads like a tantalizing summary of a really interesting novel.

Many positives here ("tantalizing," "fascinating," "stuffed with ideas"), with too much too fast as the complaint. As negatives go, that's not a bad one to have. I wonder if it's simply a function of my writing style? Jampacked and unputdownable are always among my goals, and I imagine there are readers who prefer books that take a little more time to smell the roses. Ah, if only my roses weren't bursting with a swarm of belligerent venom-stingered bees...

Last one for today: Booklore has given Everfree a 9 out of 10, calling it, "a great story that nicely rounds off an amazing trilogy." You can read the full review here. I like how the reviewer asks:

Mankind is a predatory species bent on self destruction. Regardless of cost we pursue our own agenda without thought for those around us. Can mankind survive itself?

That's an excellent question.