Four-Day Planetβ β β ββ
H. Beam Piper A fun frontier/sailing adventure, but nothing special. Sort of Moby Dick in space with everyone based out of a corrupt frontier town.
Usurpationβ β β β β
Sue Burke A different sort of book than Semiosis and Interference, taking place entirely on Earth long after the second Pax expedition returns. Can the bamboo keep humansβ chaotic conflicts in check? Where do the robots fit in? With so many forms of intelligence, who counts as a person, anyway?