Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang: A Novel

Author - Kate Wilhelm ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Paperback Book item from Orb Books was reviewed on 23-Oct-2008.

Search ISBN:0312866151 offer from Abebooks or used books from Alibris. Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang: A Novel Reference Book. Classifications : General AAS United States World Literature Literature & Fiction Subjects Books Wilhelm, Kate ( W ) Authors, A-Z Science Fiction & Fantasy Subjects Books General AAS Fantasy Science Fiction & Fantasy S . Click the following link to view the cover of Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang: A Novel.

Related topics: General AAS. United States. World Literature. Subjects. Books. Wilhelm, Kate. ( W ). Authors, A-Z. Subjects. Books.

1) Paperback Book Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang: A Novel by Orb Books. Willhelm has written an interesting take on the implications of cloning and the loss of human individuality. Set in a world where environmental factors have forced a large extended family to create a kind of end-of-the-world compound where they can work on curing the eventual sterility of the entire human race by cloning, the author explores what it means to be human, and the importance of natural sexual reproduction. The 3 main storylines deal with subsequent generations of this family clone farm.

Most chilling is her hypothesis on what status "breeders" will hold in a world where everyone can be genetically manipulated for a particular job (yes, there is a little Brave New World flavor here). Those who bear children are looked at more as cattle to keep the gene pool diverse than as the revered few able to reproduce. In the end even the clones become like cattle to those who can control human reproduction with a few twists of a dial and then use conditioning to turn them into whatever kind of human (or non-human) bests suits the needs of the "community".

Overall Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang is an enjoyably quick and thought-provoking read, with a bit of a fable-like quality throughout.
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2) Paperback Book Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang: A Novel by Orb Books. I read this book back when it was first published in the late 1970´s and it has gripped my imagination since that time. I am an avid reader of all type of materials and few stay in my mind like this book. I have reread it several times over the years and currently am reading it again. It deals with what could happen after war/disease or some other disaster lays waste to most of the world and its population. The science is well done enough to be believable- but I think the best part of the book is the human interactions between the "Elders" and the Clones. I find it a very well written book and would highly recommend it to anyone. If you are hard core science then try to overlook the scientific portion about cloning and just enjoy the ride.¤

3) Paperback Book Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang: A Novel by Orb Books. American literature of the 60´s and 70´s has a distinctive flavour of individualism, partly as a product of the worship of the individual heroes (Washington, Davey Crockett, etc.) that explored and/or created the country, and partly as a reaction to the perceived "homogeneity" of communism. By definition, the theory went, a person could not possibly be happy unless he was first free. This award-winning book by Kate Wilhelm is a parable of the triumph of individualism over the collective.

This is not a new theme for science fiction - the Original Star Trek series had a number of such episodes, and the Grand Master Robert Heinlein visited this topic numerous times. "Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang" has similarities to the Classic Trek episode "The Apple" and Heinlein´s "Farnham´s Freehold." But mainly I was reminded of Robert Silverberg´s "A Time of Changes" - in both tales a society is developed and then from within that society arises an individual who must destroy the complacency of the society to save its people. In Wilhelm´s book, an ecological catastrophe (and a development of human infertility) destroys the human race except a group of scientists that propogate themselves in the only way possible - by cloning. Thus a society of clones: family groups are a batch of 6-10 identical clones raised as a unit. Wilhelm introduces the notion of genetic ESP - basically accepting the supposed (but unproven) link that twins feel for each other (e.g. when one is hurt, the other senses something is wrong). Unfortunately, by cloning the exact same genetic material over and over, subsequent generations of clones become more and more specialised (one group is doctors, one group builds barns, etc.) until no one in the society has any initiative or imagination.

Into this society is introduced an anomaly - actually two. A woman has a traumatic experience that allows her latent individuality to surface. She is impregnated and gives birth to a son - the only "singleton" child in the entire human race. The book mostly follows the lives of these two characters as they rebel against their society and the fear they bring. They know, but no one else can see, that the society is a dead end and they must destroy the cloning system in order to free the potential of the surviving members of the human race.

Wilhelm´s book is not perfect - as others have pointed out, the science is pretty simplistic (if not wrong!). You also get the uncomfortable feeling that she hates her creation (the clone society), which leads to an overly "black and white" interpretation: individuality = good, collectivism = bad. But I think this book is meant to be a parable, and as such need not be realistic or subtle. Wilhelm´s writing is concise, suspenseful, and very enjoyable. While I think "A Time of Changes" covers much of the same material and does it better, there is no doubt that "Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang" is an easier and more enjoyable read.¤

4) Paperback Book Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang: A Novel by Orb Books. Those familiar with Wilhelm´s large catalogue of mystery novels probably don´t even know that she won the Hugo Award for best science fiction novel in 1976/77 with this entry. Although this falls into the science fiction genre, it really is able to transcend all the normal SF stereotypes and ends up being a fantastic read.

The book is about a post-holocaust community that aims to perpetuate the human species through cloning. The book is divided into three sections with the first being the best and this could stand alone as a novella by itself although I wouldn´t say the book is entirely uneven.

Despite what other reviewers have posted, I think there is some basic cloning science in this but its comprehension in needed to fully appreciate the book. Wilhelm is smart not to delve too hard into the science as capturing the humanistic side of her characters is clearly her strength.

The book expounds on the individual vs. the collective theme and this is one of the reasons why it doesn´t feel dated. With cloning on the technological horizon, this book provides an interesting fictional take on the pitfalls of scientific procreation vs. natural childbirth.

Bottom Line: A short book about cloning mixed with a strong dose of humanity. A great book for non-sf readers looking to expand their horizons. A must read for anyone who likes to read the Hugo winners.¤

5) Paperback Book Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang: A Novel by Orb Books. What a great story. I vould not put it down. Maybe a bit dated (written in 76 or 77) but a marvellous post-holocaust story. The woman can WRITE!!¤

6) Paperback Book Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang: A Novel by Orb Books.

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 20-Nov-2008, 03128661519780312866150, 510-820-850-861-261-721-8

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