About the book
A work with four books. It depicts a world where human can modify their genes to get strong enough to survive in the outer space. However, the modification can also bring disasters. So people split into different groups (empires) by their genes. A women with pure human gene, without memory fell in love with an official of mixed genes. Comparing to Liu Cixin, this may not be that 'hard' for the SF part. On the other hand, love is not the only topic. We can see the growth of a woman, the destiny of both people and nations, the impact technology made on people, and conflicts between different groups of human.
The last book of this series won '2018 Best Book of China', a very high honor for books, especially for a book originated from web novel. From the very first day till the finale, this work was warmly discussed on Weibo ( Chinese Twitter).
Synopsis
The novel tells the story of a future world in which Earth’s environmental degradation
has forced mankind to explore other galaxies in search for habitable planets. In order
to make humans survive in this new environment, scientists have carried out a genetic
research that has helped create humans that can live longer, are more resilient and
more capable of adapting to extreme living conditions.
However, these genetic modifications have brought with them a series of diseases that have been aggravated with the passage of time and the crossing of genes from different species. This finally made governments introduce laws prohibiting gene editing.
A group of humans with modified genes –despectively known “heterogenic"– end up rising up against the discrimination and become independent, creating the Odin Federation. The Federation is in conflict with the Arhl Empire, whose inhabitants retain the purity of their genes and are highly sought after for arranged marriages.
The story starts when a mysterious woman who has lost her memory wakes up in a wasteland of the Empire. She sees an apple tree far away, and picks up two fruits that she eagerly devours. Then a ship appears and some soldiers come out to arrest her. She is then sentenced to prison accused of "DNA theft", since the genetic material of the apples belongs to a very valuable variety from the so-called "Ancient Earth”.
Unlike the rest of the citizens of the Empire, who at birth are given a DNA test and have a microchip with all their data inserted under their skin, the protagonist does not have an identity number. This leads her to be considered a foreign spy, and her crime goes from "DNA theft" to "threat to the security of the Empire" and the court that judges her decides to sentence her to death. The doctor in charge of executing the sentence visits her to propose a deal: he will save her life in exchange for her pretending to be Princess Luolan of the Arhl Empire and marrying the Duke of the Odin Federation, a marriage previously arranged thanks to the ceasefire agreement between both parties that will allow the Federation to study the pure genes of an inhabitant of the Empire.
The woman, who ends up adopting the identity of the princess, comes to the Federation and marries Duke Chen Sha. After celebrating the marriage and meeting the highest authorities of the Federation, Luolan befriends Feng Lin, head of a genetic research laboratory of a military base. She invites her to visit the laboratory, where she meets Qianxu, one of the soldiers in charge of the experiments, with whom she establishes a deep friendship and later has a romance. From that moment on we witness Luolan's conflicts with Chen Sha and her romantic relationship with Qianxu, as well as the protagonist's efforts to integrate into the Federation society.
An important element of the plot are sudden genetic mutations that in the blink of an eye turn humans into monsters without consciousness that attack other people. This hidden threat in the genes of the inhabitants of the Federation forces people to always stay alert to defend oneself by killing those who transform. Qianxu himself falls victim to this mutation before the astonished eyes of Luolan, who cries inconsolably after the death of the man she loves.
Samples
Awards & Honors
Best Books of China (vol.4)
About the Author
- Tong Hua（桐华）, is a writer and a producer. She has written more than 10 works . Each work consists of at least two books, either costume stories or modern stories. Almost all her books have been or are going to be adapted into movies, TV series or even Yue opera (a traditional Chinese opera following Peking Opera). She is very good at writing love and romance, shaping strong and independent women characters. So she has a large number of women fans in China. The last book of this series won '2018 Best Book of China', a very high honor for books, especially for a book originated from web novel. From the very first day till the finale, this work was warmly discussed on Weibo ( Chinese Twitter) .Tong Hua is not a typical SF writer, more of a bestselling author, an excellent story teller. Readers are always immersed with the characters and worlds she creates, fascinated with deep and strong emotions.
