The Bees

Throughout the history of the genre, authors have written dystopian views of highly regimented societies where everyone is assigned a place from birth and must stick to that role. Well we share our planet with a species that is organized exactly like that, and yet we don*t make them the subjects of such dystopias. Until now. The Bees is the story of Flora 717, born to be a member of the lowest caste in the hive. But Flora has a dangerous flaw, curiosity. It leads her to defend the hive in times of trouble, and earns her the right to serve the Queen directly. But it also leads her to break the most sacred law of all, and that brings on the powerful enmity of the fertility police and the high priestesses. Why it*s on the list: This is a superbly written debut novel that is by turns thrilling, touching, spectacular and witty. It does what all the best science fiction should: it makes an alien society both engaging and comprehensible.