This book was WONDERFUL! From the futuristic aspects to the strong faith threads, everything about this book was so fascinating and gave me MANY hours of enjoyment as an audiobook. Also, I absolutely shipped the slight romance that appeared in this story and was so intrigued by all the different space/science elements and also the cultural phenomenons that occur from trying to build an entirely new civilization.
There's deep conflict, mortal danger, new creatures, fascinating science, and touching romance all wrapped up in one epic story.
My one utter, crushing, melting disappointment was the ending. It is a massive cliffhanger and (I suppose) meant to encourage the readers to complete parts of the story in their own minds, but I was so expecting more and utterly crushed when I found out that was it. However, I suppose even my deep disappointment was a testament to the wonderful storytelling in this awesome book.

The main character , Graysha, has a genetic disease that is shortening her life and preventing her from having children without passing along the disease. She has searched for a cure but genetic tampering is outlawed. As a last ditch effort she signs on to go to a planet called Goddard where an attempt to terra-form the planet is underway. Rumor also says that among the colonist living on Goddard is a group of geneticist who could help find her a cure. The problem is her mother prosecutes people who dabble in gene editing because it is illegal. So the group refuses to help and everyone mistrusts everyone and the planet itself is not responding to the terra- forming and the story becomes a giant conundrum. The story is hard science fiction with a lot of science included, There are also political and religious problems involved. At the base of all is a touching story of a woman trying to get help and trying to survive, This is an excellent read.

Kathy Tyers of Firebird fame offers a compelling storyline of flawed characters seeking something larger. An engaging read.

Graysha accepts a terraforming position on a hazardous planet with the hope that rumors about illegal genetic research are true. However, Graysha's mother is the head of the Eugenics Board, and getting the locals to trust her is seemingly impossible. Without the research, Graysha's genetic disorder will continue to slowly kill her.

This was a very well developed world with full, rich characters. The story was well paced and kept me reading long into the night. I look forward to reading more from this author. Highly recommended.

Although well written with an interesting story, this book just didn't work for me. I wasn't invested in the characters or plot and so I had to push myself to finish.

The planet of Goddard is in just the beginning stages of terraforming. Current residents are the Gaea Consortium scientists working on getting the planet stable and the Lwuite colonists, a religious sect with all sorts of rumors about them. Graysha Brady-Phillips is the newest Gaea employee to arrive. Outwardly she’s there because the former soils specialist died and she needed a good paying job. Secretly she’s hoping that some of the rumors about the Lwuites are true and they do illegal genetic engineering that could give a woman with Flaherty’s syndrome hope. Unfortunately, Graysha’s mother is the infamous lead crusader on the Eugenics Board that hunts down any such illegal activity. As soon as Graysha arrives on planet she’s suspected of being a spy for her mother. Not only that, but something is going on with the terraforming on Goddard and Graysha’s predecessor might have been killed because of it. Graysha may be just too smart for her own good and now she has multiple groups out to get rid of her one way or another. And as if that weren’t enough drama for one startup planet, the colonists are having sudden elections to decide their leader and a stowaway arrives who has a big and powerful father with a history of leaving places his son tries to hide at in smoldering piles.

I was attracted to this by the description. It took me a few days to realize I already had an older copy of this book on our library shelves, with a darker cover. I’m glad it is getting a revamped cover because the old one was obviously not attracting much attention. This was a fascinating read with a lot going on in it. The science aspects are very well done and make you feel like terraforming is a practice that Tyers actually observed to be able to write about in such detail. All the power plays at work on the planet certainly make this an edge-of-your-seat read. I wasn’t sure for quite a while how things were going to work out. Even right up until the end there was a lot unsure. I’m kind of hoping that the re-release means that Tyers has a sequel coming out because I would like to know more about what happens after that final page. Don’t get me wrong. It’s still a great read as it is, but more would be great too. If you like scifi that’s rich in actual science and/or very believable near-future science give this a try. Also a good choice for those who like Christian speculative fiction (some of the Lwuites are religious, in fact Christian, and some of the politics revolves around a don’t tell don’t ask law about religion, and the Eugenics Board claims their principles are based on Christianity but it is really more of a cult that has picked and chosen what is convenient for them). And you can also hand this to those who enjoy political thrillers.

Notes on content: No language issues. One guy tries to seduce women on a regular basis but he’s viewed as a slime ball and there are no details. There is some kissing but nothing more. There are several murder attempts (none gory) and one past murder (but it isn’t described). Some bruises and scratches described and one surgery vaguely described.

<i>I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Rarely in Speculative Science Fiction do I find myself so quickly and so completely invested in a main character or her world. This is hard science fiction that focuses on personalities, relationships, politics, and faith while walking the fine lines between entertainment and commentary.

With much of the plot concerned with the danger the settlers are in should the truth of their genetic manipulations, Graysha's rare genetic disorder that has led her to the terraformed world of Goddard, and the eugenics policies that dominate this future, I was immediately reminded of a favorite university course subtitled "Science Fiction and the Future of the Body" where I first learned about the history of eugenics and was fascinated by the frontiers being explored in science fiction.

At 480 pages, this novel is longer than I've typically been reading, but I was left wishing it had been longer. I requested a galley of this book through NetGalley before I was aware that this is a revised reprint, and that the original publication date was 1991. The revisions, adding or enhancing the faith content, appear seamless to a first time reader.

Kathy Tyers manages to tick so many boxes with this novel - including science that is thoroughly researched and related in an understandable way and a very interesting take on a future relationship between feminism and "genegineering." Definitely one I'd like to add to my physical shelves (particularly with Enclave’s fabulous new cover) for future rereading.

This review refers to a NetGalley e-galley read courtesy of the publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.

Fascinating book. Graysha moves to a world being terraformed in hopes of finding a genetic cure for her terminal illness. The snag is that genetic manipulation is illegal with terrible and terminal consequences. I enjoyed the details about terraforming and the biology involved. The characters and their storylines are interesting and believable. I enjoyed the book.

Writing: 3 Plot: 4 Characters: 4

Fast paced sci-fi novel about the various people involved in trying to create a new viable planet (Goddard) through terraforming in the year 2134. In this universe, gene manipulation is both illegal and considered a denial of “the perfection of God’s creation” by the Universal Church. However, the Hwuite colonists have long been suspected of maintaining the technology to do just that. Women form the majority of the governing bodies as men have been deemed “too aggressive” to be fit leaders. And the Religious Liberty Act has made it illegal to proselytize any religion without a duly registered inquiry.

Graysha Brady Phillips suffers from a genetic disorder which both limits her lifespan and makes it inadvisable to have children. She goes to Goddard as a soils engineer in the hopes of unearthing illegal gene manipulation techniques that might save her — or at least enable her to have children without passing on the defect. What she discovers, however, is a viper’s nest of clashing agendas and a terraforming effort that appears to be going horribly wrong. Goddard appears to be cooling, rather than heating up.

Each character is the star of their own story, with their own goals and their own approaches toward others who don’t share those goals. No “good guys” vs “bad guys” (though some characters are a lot more irritating than others). I was originally put off by the “Christian / SF fiction” billing but was pleasantly surprised to find that it was mostly SF with a smattering of philosophical and heart felt Christianity. I loved the pioneer spirit embedded in the colonists.

A good read for fans of Kim Stanley Robinson, Tyers combines science (terraforming, gene manipulation, hostile planet survival) with political and cultural clashes to make for a compelling narrative. Plenty of surprises throughout.

The plot is right up my alley but in its execution there is so much banal character activity that it becomes a real challenge to stay engaged. Apparently this is an OOP novel from the ‘70s that the author reworked to add more about personal faith. I’m certainly ok with that but I was reading sci fi in the ‘70s and even then this would’ve been a slow one.

ARC Copy...It was a long read but interesting read offering a complex narrative on the nature of the human self + spirit in relations to natural and the "unnatural" facets of radical genetic-engineering. I did like the female protagonist is very much strong in fortitude despite her genetic flaws and the workings behind the genetics feel solid.

Incredible hardcore science fiction tackling topics like genetics, terraforming, and outer-world politics. Tyers has a mastery over the concepts of world building and science that makes reading her work realistic and vibrant.

What a thrilling story! I enjoyed reading about a terraforming planet’s life or death struggle to survive amidst gene manipulation and murder! Grayla has an incurable disease that shortens her life span is sent to Goddard, a planet that is freezing cold most of the time, but it is trying to grow cold - tolerant plants and animals that can withstand cold temperatures.
The colonists who live on Goddard have secrets, some of them can live 120 years or more, they are digging for ore that can run spaceships and their gene manipulation secrets may be able to cure Grayla if she can gain their trust.
But there are people who want the planet of Goddard to fail, they will try to sabotage the terraforming and kill whoever gets in their way.
You will enjoy this thriller!

Finished Shivering World by Kathy Tyers, a good scifi book that is not light and fluffy, this was definitely a book that is more complicated than your average read. Felt it was worth it and I did enjoy it. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for giving me a chance with this book.