Allreaders.com
Author David R. Palmer booklist (click here)

Book Review By Joy F.
Emergence by David R. Palmer

Eleven-year-old Candy Foster-Smith is a genius, a prodigy, and due to her unauthorized exploration of the family bomb shelter, possibly the only survivor of a Russian bioweapon attack (note: published 1984). Upon emergence from the shelter, Candy finds evidence that she represents another form of emergence--that of a new species, Homo post hominem, consisting of the best and brightest as well as the most dangerous malcontents, but all possessing a natural immunity to most human disease, and therefore likely to have survived the biowar. With only her hyacinth macaw, Terry, for company, and armed with only her karate black belt, Candy sets off across the country to find others. Her journey leads her from the depths of loneliness, through soaring (literally) adventure, and ultimately to a decision point: when is it necessary to kill--or to die--for those one loves, and for those one has never even met? Told in the form of journal entries, the book's abbreviated, yet surprisingly rich, writing style takes some getting used to, but is well worth it.


Plot & Themes
Tone of book - very upbeat -
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Explore/1st contact/ enviro story Yes
Explore:
Magical Beings/Mental/Magical/Powers Yes
magical powers:
Inner Struggle Yes
Plotlet: - - search for identity/new understanding
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Profession/status:
Age: - a kid

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status:
Eccentric: Yes
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
Earth setting: - 20th century -
Spaceship setting: - primative (present, near future) human spaceship
Takes place on Earth? Yes
Takes place in spaceship? Yes

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - an average amount of scientific explanation
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references only -
How much dialogue? - significantly more descript than dialog
Back To Main Menu