"Accept, Obey and Serve [..] A flora may not make Wax for she is impure, nor work with Propolis for she is clumsy, nor may she ever forage for she has no taste, but only may she clean, and all may command her labour".
Flora 717 is one such flora-kin bee, deemed as the lowest of the low within the hive hierarchy, and only fit to carry her dead sister bees to the morgue or clean in Sanitation. In a community where "only the Queen may breed", this novel follows Flora's life from her hatching in the 'Arrivals Hall' as, one-by-one, she smashes each of the laws which determine her class and role - often leading her into scrapes, from which she must escape or risk death.
This novel is so well-written, and the language so lyrical, that it was so easy to identify with Flora 717, the author's bee-eye view offering a different perspective on issues which affect our environment and wildlife (such as insecticides), and the effect that these chemicals can have on the production of honey and the survival of the bees. Suddenly other insects and birds become enemies, even the slow slug, and the wars fought between the bees and these predators - as well as the 'civil wars' within the hive - make this book a real page-turner. I was hooked and sacrificed many hours' sleep just to find out what was going to happen!
I'm glad that I read this book - it is wonderful. It's different, but that is part of its charm and what makes it so memorable. The characters may be bees, but many of their issues have parallels in our human world: class and power struggles, attack, deception, working all hours in order to provide for families, and the emotion of love and sacrifice.
A fantastic debut novel! I don't think I will ever see bees in the same light again from now on.
Flora 717 is one such flora-kin bee, deemed as the lowest of the low within the hive hierarchy, and only fit to carry her dead sister bees to the morgue or clean in Sanitation. In a community where "only the Queen may breed", this novel follows Flora's life from her hatching in the 'Arrivals Hall' as, one-by-one, she smashes each of the laws which determine her class and role - often leading her into scrapes, from which she must escape or risk death.
This novel is so well-written, and the language so lyrical, that it was so easy to identify with Flora 717, the author's bee-eye view offering a different perspective on issues which affect our environment and wildlife (such as insecticides), and the effect that these chemicals can have on the production of honey and the survival of the bees. Suddenly other insects and birds become enemies, even the slow slug, and the wars fought between the bees and these predators - as well as the 'civil wars' within the hive - make this book a real page-turner. I was hooked and sacrificed many hours' sleep just to find out what was going to happen!
I'm glad that I read this book - it is wonderful. It's different, but that is part of its charm and what makes it so memorable. The characters may be bees, but many of their issues have parallels in our human world: class and power struggles, attack, deception, working all hours in order to provide for families, and the emotion of love and sacrifice.
A fantastic debut novel! I don't think I will ever see bees in the same light again from now on.
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