A Final Exam

Anax has spent her life studying for this moment: she faces a grueling three-day Examination which will determine whether she is to become a member of the ruling Academy. Genesis, a slim, intelligent science fiction novel by Bernard Beckett, tells the story of her Examination: the questions she is asked, the answers she gives, and the judgment that she faces when it is all over. In this way, the story of her civilization is also told: the way one society ended and another began, all because of the actions of one man, Adam Forde. Was Forde a very great hero or a despicable villain? And why do the Examiners keep returning to that question?

The Examination format makes this book highly suspenseful: will Anax pass the test? And what will that really mean? Like most good works of science fiction, it also raises all sorts of thought-provoking questions. The Examination reveals much about who Anax is, and who the Examiners think she ought to be.

That's an awfully vague summary -- sorry about that -- but it's best if this wonderful little book reveals its own secrets. If you like clever and well-written sci-fi, or if this review has intrigued you, pick up Genesis.