Songmaster, by Orson Scott Card

Thanks for the tip, Tawn. I probably wouldn't have read one of Card's books without encouragement, since they are sci-fi, but I really enjoyed Songmaster. There were some strange parts, but mostly it was a great book. It reminded me of Lois Lowry's The Giver trilogy (which I also recommend).

I listened to this book, which I recommend--one thing I don't like when reading a book is having character names that I'm not sure how to pronounce. The whole book I feel kind of disconnected from the characters because I'm not sure what their name is. It was only as I listened to the last half hour on my computer that I discovered one character's name is spelled "Rruk"---but since I'd been listening to it, I had no problem pronouncing it.

I have to admit it is fascinating to get someones take on what an alternate reality would be like. Songmaster is set thousands of years in the future, and it mentions the once-huge city of Seattle and how it's become just a small town.

I just realized that part of the reason I resist science fiction is because the mere thought of it brings to mind the few times growing up when I saw Star Trek episodes on TV and how much I didn't like it. I'm scarred for life...