Three Novels: The Deep; Engine Summer; Beasts

The first book- The Deep. I felt I didn't quite understand the point... also I got confused over the name and players. The second book- Beasts, is very thought provoking and well written.

The Deep
The world of the Protectors is divided into Black and Red factions with the seemingly never-ending struggle between them sometimes turning into war. Protectors are potential targets for a group of assassins calling themselves the Just. A strange, sexless, not quite human, being lands in the midst of one battle and is wounded in the head. He knows he came with a mission, but must learn what it was.

I did lose the thread of this sometimes, forgetting who was who and how they fitted into the various factions and sub-factions. But my curiosity kept me going, to learn what the Visitor's mission was.

Beasts
In the 2070s the United States has split up into different regions and free cities, owing nominal allegiance to Washington, if that. show more The leos are a genetically engineered hybrid between humans and lions, the only mammalian hybrid that is not sterile. But can they find a place in human society other than as the tool of politicians scapegoating or supporting the leos to win themselves popularity?

Good story with fascinating descriptions of the world as experienced differently by hawks, leos, a solitary fox-human hybrid, and an enhanced dog.

Engine Summer
Rush That Speaks grows up in Little Belair, a warren which survived the long-ago collapse of civilisation brought about by a disaster known as the Storm. Curious about the world outside he goes off travelling, hoping to find a saint and a girl who previously left Little Belair.

I got a bit frustrated with this sometimes trying to relate it to the present, or rather the 1970s when it was written. There were definitely times when the characters were under the influence of mind-expanding technology when I really didn't understand it all. show less