Where the beginning
Kate Wilhelm is sometimes called a true Renaissance woman. During the years of her activity, she wrote poetry, edited texts, co-founded the Clarion writing workshops, wrote detective novels and – of course – fantasy, science fiction. Her various texts have been translated into over twenty-one languages, and her work has been honored with many awards (Hugo, Jupiter, Nebula, Locus). Her name appears in the Science Fiction Hall of Fame, and this is also due to Where the Bird Sang Formerly – a book that was recently published by the Rebis Publishing House in the “Time Machine” series. It is worth noting that the anti-utopia appeared in Poland for the first time in 1976, so you can also try to find it in your bookcases!
Threat of unification
Rapid global changes are exacerbating social anxiety. People fearing for their own future strive to sustain the species at all costs. The end of the world that comes unexpectedly (as it happens in dystopias) is also the beginning of something new. The rich Sumner family creates a science center that is supposed to be the only place safe for people. Researchers quickly discover that female fertility is declining, but hope that natural methods of procreation will be possible again someday. Meanwhile, their focus is on cloning. The main plot of Wilhelm’s novel, however, recedes when the reader reflects on the ethical (moral) issues that have been strongly emphasized in the book. Unification is potentially the only possible solution for humanity to survive.
Three parts of the same story
Wilhelm decided to divide the book into three parts (chapters). Each of them has a different, unique narrator, but they connect with each other in their story. In the first chapter, we read about the situation of people who decided to clone individuals. It quickly turns out that most people have managed to remain fertile, which gives hope. However, the experiment undertaken by researchers quickly becomes a huge threat to all living. The remaining parts of the book are completely different stories of the heroes who have to live in a world of eco-apocalyptic scenery. The novel reads very quickly because the author consistently builds up tension. The cloning process has been carefully described so that everyone can imagine the details of the experiment. William strips the presented world of potential understatements or doubts.
Visually
As I mentioned before, this is not the first edition of Where the Bird Sang Formerly . And this begs the question – will the current offer of the Rebis Publishing House attract your attention in the bookstore? If you have seen (own) older editions – no, and if this is your first contact with the novel – you have no choice! Unfortunately, the cover proposed by the Rebis publishing house is not very successful. I dare say it doesn’t fit in with the excellent content it otherwise hides. Only after reading the novel did I try to guess what Igor Morski (the author of the cover illustration) meant. Nevertheless, I encourage you to take a look at this proposal. The ridge Where the bird once sang looks promising!
