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Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang Audiobook
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(3.00) - 2,836 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
When the first warm breeze of Doomsday came wafting over the Shenandoah Valley, the Sumners were ready. Using their enormous wealth, the family had forged an isolated post-holocaust citadel. Their descendants would have everything they needed to raise food and do the scientific research necessary for survival. But the family was soon plagued by sterility, and the creation of clones offered the only answer. And that final pocket of human civilization lost the very human spirit it was meant to preserve as man and mannequin turned on one another.
Sweeping, dramatic, rich with humanity, and rigorous in its science,Where Late the Sweet Birds Sangis widely regarded as a high point of both humanistic and hard science fiction. It won science fiction’s Hugo Award and Locus Award on its first publication and is as compelling today as it was then.
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"Michael Saxton Mostly it's a 4.5 but I tend to round it up, because I feel this is a really well-written book. The description of the wilderness and the various effects in the novel are crystal clear. I enjoyed the three different stories connected by a sense of place. I didn't connect well with the first part but the second and third stories, more than made up for it. That being said, this book did creep me out. Gotta love thinly veiled criticism of Communism during the 70's."
— Michael (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Kate Wilhelm’s cautionary message comes through loud and clear.”
— New York Times -
“The best novel about cloning written to date.”
— Locus -
“One of the best treatments of cloning in SF.”
— New Encyclopedia of Science Fiction -
“Tracing an isolated community’s perilous experiments in cloning, Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang may be very much of its moment, but it also has strong warnings—and hopeful messages—about human nature and humanity’s future in the wake of an environmental cataclysm.”
— Portalist
Awards
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Winner of the 1977 Hugo Award for Best Novel
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Winner of the 1977 Locus Award for Best Novel
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Nominated for the 1976 Nebula Award for Best Novel
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A Portalist Pick of 10 Mind-Bending Hard Science Books by Women
Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang Listener Reviews
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" Brilliant! I couldn't put it down. A superbly crafted book that delves deeply into human psyche and our rapidly approaching expiry date on this planet. Groundbreaking literature and a must read! "
— Sven, 2/18/2014 -
" Very good - and did NOT feel dated. Focus was on clones and potential affects on human society/psyche. Quite good. "
— Robert, 2/12/2014 -
" This was not what I was expecting. I've read Kate Wilhelm's mysteries and so didn't read the summary because I liked the title and sort of knew what to expect from Wilhelm. Well, it wasn't what I was expecting but I still enjoyed it. This is a dystopian novel where some of the characteristics that separate humans from other animals may be lost in cloning of the survivors continues. I found some things very unbelievable but it was all intriguing. "
— Wonderbunny, 2/5/2014 -
" Not my favourite book, but definitely my favourite book about cloning. "
— John, 2/4/2014 -
" A beautiful piece of concise and poignant writing. "
— Retarius, 1/22/2014 -
" This is my second reading of this book. I read it the first time when it was first published back in the mid-seventies. and then decided to read it again. The span of about 40 years from my first reading to this I was afraid that the book would suffer. Even though some of the technology described it the book was now outdated, the story survived. This is a book that still deserves thought. "
— doug, 1/22/2014 -
" if you like scifi like i do then this is a must. "
— Lizlog, 12/31/2013 -
" Very confusing prose. "
— Isk, 12/9/2013 -
" started DULL but became much more interesting "
— Martin, 8/24/2013 -
" I thought it was a okay book. Some of the chapters were kind of boring in my opinion but the plot was good. "
— Francine, 3/23/2013 -
" I found this book to be very enjoyable. I thought at first it was kind of like P.D. James' Children of Men, only taking place in this country. The main character was kind of amusing, though. "
— David, 4/10/2012 -
" Looks like I have to track down more Kate Wilhelm books. This was possibly one of the best post-apocalypse books I've ever read. Tightly paced and well-crafted, this book was one of the best I've read this year. "
— Steve, 4/25/2011 -
" I found this book to be very enjoyable. I thought at first it was kind of like P.D. James' Children of Men, only taking place in this country. The main character was kind of amusing, though. "
— David, 4/19/2011 -
" Forgettable. It reads like toothless Simak. "
— Aaron, 3/24/2011 -
" Interesting. A good storyline, makes you think a bit. I wasn't a fan of the frequent sex references, however. That was just disturbing. "
— Krysta, 3/18/2011 -
" very good - and did NOT feel dated! "
— Robert, 12/19/2010 -
" I know this is a sci-fi classic, but I like her Barbara Holloway books much better. "
— Donna, 8/22/2010
About Kate Wilhelm
Kate Wilhelm (1928–2018) was the bestselling author of dozens of novels and short-story collections. Among her novels are the popular courtroom thrillers featuring attorney Barbara Holloway. Her other works include the science fiction classic Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang.
About Anna Fields
Kate Fleming (a.k.a. Anna Fields) (1965–2006), winner of more than a dozen Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award in 2004, was one of the most respected narrators in the industry. Trained at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, she was also a director, producer, and technician at her own studio, Cedar House Audio.