2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson

The year is 2312 and the exodus from earth has begun. With the discovery of terraforming and interplanetary travel, humanity has colonized the solar system in an attempt to preserve their ways of life. Swan er Hong has lived her life on Mercury as an artist, often using her own body as a canvas. When her grandmother dies, she inherits data on a little-known conspiracy and is launched on a dangerous investigation with strange new allies. And all the while she must grapple with the implications of the modifications she's made to herself over the years, modifications which now may threaten the integrity of her investigation.

Kim Stanley Robinson was first brought to my attention by a guest post on this blog, and when I saw 2312 on the list of Nebula nominees (and since I had a hankering for some hard SF) I nominated it for my book club and it was selected. Fast forward to now: my hankering for hard SF has been sated, and I'm reminded why I often stay with YA and fantasy. 2312 was interesting--I got through its 561 pages in about a week, which says something about the quality of the writing--but I'm left without a really strong impression of the story, which says something else entirely.

Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle

Sandy and Dennys Murry, the "normal" Murry children, accidentally interfere with one of their father's experiments, transporting themselves back into human history. Waking up, Sandy and Dennys discover that they've arrived in a prehistoric human settlement, where mythical creatures exist. Unwittingly, the twins are caught up in the drama surrounding Noah, the builder of the Biblical ark, and the nephilim, fallen angels living on earth. It's a story of the power of love, where Sandy and Dennys are challenged to rise above the greed inherent in humanity.