The Highest Frontier

Biology professor and author Slonczewski (the Elysium Cycle) projects science, society, and technology from our present into a near future when Earth is under attack by alien cyanide-emitting plants. The oceans have risen, and information is available instantly, displayed right before your eyes. Plant biologist and EMS volunteer Jennifer Ramos Kennedy, whose twin brother died when the New York seawall ruptured, chose Frontera College for its misfit-accepting policies, safe environment, and unique locale: a spacehab tethered to the Earth. Slowly she gets used to being at school, befriends her quirky humanity-hating autistic roommate, falls in love, and endures the social plights that come with being the famous scion of a powerful political family. Unique characters, witty scientific and societal extrapolations, and a complex, mind-blowing setting make this sedately paced narrative a delightfully amusing read. (Sept.)