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Eric Reitan
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So Eden Sank to Grief Paperback – February 27, 2024

by Eric Reitan (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 16 ratings
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“So Eden Sank to Grief is a brilliant science-fiction parable. If the human species were reborn on a spaceship, could they escape the violence and ignorant cruelty that has warped so much of human history on Earth? Eric Reitan has written an exciting, thought-provoking tale that tackles the biggest questions in the most entertaining way."

— Mark Alpert, internationally bestselling author of The Doomsday Show

Caleb and Sally are young, in love, and alone together in paradise—like Adam and Eve, except their Eden is a giant greenhouse adrift in space. And though they have no memory of how they got there, they keep being assailed by visions of a scorched Earth.

When other people start waking up, Caleb and Sally keep to themselves. But they know it’s only a matter of time before they’ll need to confront the mystery of what’s happened to them. What they don’t anticipate is the act of brutal violence that sends them running for their lives.

As conflict rages among Earth’s other refugees, the lives of everyone may depend on Caleb and Sally finding a way to communicate with the elusive alien creators of their artificial world.

Content Warning: This novel addresses themes of violence, including sexual violence, and the social forces that fuel them. It includes scenes in which a character is targeted by a sexual predator, experiencing abusive physical contact and threats of r*pe.
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  1. Print length
    263 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    February 27, 2024
  4. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.66 x 8.5 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1957007877
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1957007878
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Quoir (February 27, 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 263 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1957007877
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1957007878
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.66 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 16 ratings

About the author

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Eric Reitan

Eric Reitan

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When he isn't hiding his kids' noses behind the furniture, playing his fiddle, or teaching philosophy at Oklahoma State University, Eric Reitan is writing. He is the award-winning author of scholarly articles, short stories, and four books, including the Choice Outstanding Academic Title IS GOD A DELUSION? A REPLY TO RELIGION'S CULTURED DESPISERS and, most recently, the science fiction novel SO EDEN SANK TO GRIEF.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
16 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

K. Reitan
5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking sory
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2024
Verified Purchase
I love when a good book straddles multiple genres and has layers of meaning. Caleb and Sally are nuanced, complex characters who find themselves on a spacecraft with all kinds of human habitats and basically everything they need to live in a new garden of Eden. Caleb is a band geek still in high school who connects with and falls in love with Sally, a super star sprinter. Both have heavy pasts and struggle with visions and flashes of memory — did the earth end and they are among the survivors rescued by aliens or were the aliens destroying the earth and abducted some specimens for a zoo exhibit? The other characters in the book, with the exception of Malachi and Karl, are less developed characters meant to support and develop the plot that has some echoes of Lord of the Flies. I immediately felt a connection with Sally and Caleb and respect for the unknown aliens. I definitely rooted for them over the bullies who were exploiting their strength.

The cross genre is the mystery part — I am left guessing, suspecting, detecting, pondering throughout what is real, what is truth, and what is fantasy from the characters experience. Even at the end there is enough ambiguity, to support any reader’s interpretation. That’s where this book has parable and allegorical qualities. Some folks may want neat and tidy endings with everything explained. While that’s important in a crime novel, it’s not in this genre-crossing book. It leaves us with much to ponder, much to consider, as any good read should.
What may not be known from the lack of biography about Eric Reitan is that he is a philosophy professor, a parent, a pacifist, and an award-winning short story writer. This book reflects the depth of the author’s mind and creativity.

Strengths of the book from my perspective - good, descriptive writing; nuanced and intermingling themes; lots of food for thought(still thinking about the book a day later); imaginative; original with enough surprises and subtle plot twists; depth of story.

Things that might not draw in all readers - many ambiguities; genre-hopping; many under-developed characters who are stereotypical (intentionally so I believe); plot is not linear; some scenes of violence and threats of violence toward female character (this is a spoiler I feel safe in giving — Sally is never violated. I kept worrying she would be.); it deals with themes of our times as much as science fiction themes.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Immersive and thought provoking!
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2024
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So Eden Sank to Grief balances a page-turning plot with well-developed characters and lush prose for an accessible yet richly layered read that reflects on the best and worst aspects of humanity. This story made me think about Lord of the Flies or the TV series Lost and the myriad ways humans could respond to being abandoned in an unfamiliar place with no escape. Would we devolve into savages? Take advantage of the opportunity to create a fairer, more just society? I suppose the bigger question is, are humans inherently selfish and violent? And if we wake up on a spaceship a million miles from Earth, can we escape our pasts? Or have our experiences thus far inevitably shaped us? I love a book that makes me think beyond the page yet keeps me grounded and caught up in the narrative. So Eden Sank to Grief delivers on both counts.
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LM
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a thoroughly enjoyable book
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2024
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So Eden Sank to Grief is not my genre, but after reading a review I was intrigued and decided I would take a chance on something different to read. Once I started reading it I couldn't put it down, it is that good. The characters are interesting, the plot is thought-provoking, and the story moves at a good pace.
This well written book is meaningful, suspenseful, and inspirational and I think it would be a great choice for a book club. It is the type of book that will likely provoke different opinions and it would be interesting to discuss.
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Reviewer
5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly deep page turner
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2024
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I wasn't sure whether I was going to like this book—a garden of Eden story isn't usually my kind of thing—but "So Eden Sank to Grief” is a book of surprising depth that also keeps you hooked.

With few spoilers as possible, we center on Sally and Caleb who find themselves naked in a strange habitat and plagued by visions of catastrophe. The main protagonists' story arcs are gripping, though I found myself even more drawn in by the interwoven plot of Malachi, whose letters are presented as foundational scripture of a new religion.

All in all, this was a great read, and I recommend it to any fans of SFF, or of allegory. There are also deep issues lurking in the background that reward further thought. I look forward to more from Reitan.
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Scott G.
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read -- the plot, the prose, and the ideas
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2024
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As a voracious reader (I read more than 50 novels per year), I don’t expect to begin reading a novel and three hours later discover that it’s after midnight, well past my bedtime. Yet that’s what happened when I first opened When Eden Sank to Grief. I don’t know what I enjoyed more, Reitan’s beautiful prose, the plot, the characters, or the deep, subtle, and profound explorations of the human condition, love, evil, and other topics.

The story takes place on a huge spaceship, replete with mountains, forests, rivers, and deserts. The earth has been destroyed, and some select people somehow made it to the spaceship and have the opportunity to begin again, to repopulate the human species. The two main characters, Caleb and Sally, experience love, extreme violence and many things in-between on the spaceship, and they discover that their only savior is somehow communicating with aliens that live in an underworld in their new world.

As I was reading When Eden Sank to Grief, at times I’d have to put down the book and reflect on a beautiful sentence or a philosophical exploration of love, what is evil, the drive to power, or many other issues. But I couldn’t do so for long as I needed to find out what would happen next. I just couldn't put it down and leave it alone. I imagine that those interested in science fiction, philosophy, ethics, love, evil, or just an exciting story would find When Eden Sank to Grief to be an excellent read.
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