Who wrote this sci-fi book?

May 8, 2007 5:43 PM

Who wrote this science fiction book about colonialists, furry bipeds and a weird plant-like intelligence?

A couple of years ago I read a great space-opera book and want to read more by the author, but can't remember their name or the name of the book. It might have even been a trilogy. (aren't they all!)
Plot: a group of colonists is setting up on a new planet. During their aerial surveys, they observe a number of groups of furry bipeds, all acting a little oddly, in different ways. Later, two of the colonists take off in a spaceship flown by a plant-like intelligence and figure out how to communicate with them. They get back to the planet some years later, and there is a battle of some kind with the furry bipeds. In the end, the plant-like intelligence saves the day.

(See why I couldn't google this one?)

posted by lazy robot to writing & language (14 comments total)

This sounds almost but not quite like Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card (the second of a quasi-tetralogy). Or is that not it?
posted by birdsquared at 6:08 PM on May 8, 2007

I don't think I'm right, but the later books in Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game series involved a planet called Lusitania where human colonists coexist with the pig-like pequininos who require a virus (that kills humans) in order to transform into adulthood -- which involves becoming some sort of intelligent tree.

Over the course of the series, a superintelligent computer consciousness and the hive queen work with the trees in order to transport various people to other worlds and other crazy stuff.

Ring any bells?
posted by i love cheese at 6:14 PM on May 8, 2007

Hm, I think there might be several books like this. However, if it isn't one of the books in the Ender's Game series, it might be Nimisha's Ship by Anne McCaffrey.

While it doesn't completely fit your description, the main character is sucked through a wormhole to a planet that has small, furry bipeds that act strangely. If I remember correctly, there were colonists that had crashed on the planet before she arrived, and tree-like creatures were involved somehow. Also, the main character and one of the colonists go away for a while, and then return to the planet, at which point they save the day.
posted by biscuitsticks at 6:36 PM on May 8, 2007

Might be A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge.
posted by 31d1 at 7:07 PM on May 8, 2007

Seconding A Fire Upon the Deep if it's possible that the "furry bipeds" you're remembering are actually vaguely wolf-like creatures who communicate telepathically so as to function as a single entity. Ring any bells? Hello? Hello?
posted by not that girl at 7:24 PM on May 8, 2007

vaguely wolf-like creatures who communicate telepathically

Acoustically. That's what their tympanums are for, and why they hates filthy echoeses.

And it isn't quite right to say that the plantlike creatures save the day. Hexapodia is, after all, the key insight.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:29 PM on May 8, 2007

It's not Ursula K. Le Guin's The Word for World is Forest, is it?
posted by infinitywaltz at 8:38 PM on May 8, 2007

Is it one of the Little Fuzzy books?
posted by Caviar at 8:51 PM on May 8, 2007

I was going to say Ender's Game too. And if it's not that, then I'd be interested in reading it since I just finished the Quadrilogy (Enders Game plus the three sequels) and this story sounds interesting.
posted by johnstein at 11:25 PM on May 8, 2007

It has similar elements to Grass by Sherry Tepper, but I don't think that's it (but I read Grass a long time ago).
posted by OmieWise at 3:48 AM on May 9, 2007

You may be (partially) thinking of Sundiver by David Brin. It's the first part of the excellent Uplift saga.

One of the main characters is Fagin, a Kanten (plant intelligence). Fagin ends up playing a large role in saving a ship from destruction inside the sun. Replace furry bipeds with torus-shaped star-creatures (they are observed in different groups, acting oddly).

Maybe I'm totally wrong. David Brin is awesome though ;]
posted by gaiamark at 4:40 AM on May 9, 2007

To me it almost sounds like "The Mote in God's Eye" By Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. But for the life of me I can't remember the plant-like intelligence you are talking about. Rest sounds familiar though.
posted by Anizev at 1:18 PM on May 9, 2007

I believe you are referring to Crossfire by Nancy Kress.

I liked it too, and there is a sequel (which I haven't read): Crucible.
posted by jamjam at 3:27 PM on May 9, 2007

Thankyou!
posted by lazy robot at 5:14 PM on May 10, 2007