The Book of Flora

Flora does not fit into the postapocalyptic landscape the world has become after a series of plagues known as the Dying decimated society. Females are a precious commodity in this world, where birth is rare and highly prized, and they are traded and enslaved. Flora will never conceive a child. Not in the underground city of Ommun, where refugees have gathered to find shelter, nor in the all-female city of Shy, where she hoped to find a place for herself and others. As Flora and her companions head out to find a place to call their own, along the way, she adopts a child, Connie. Aboard a ship, whispers of a hope for the future of humanity arises: reproduction may take root in a new way. Yet that same hope creates a rift in Flora's created family, and she's forced to make choices between the place and the people she loves. Alternating between the present and flashbacks, Flora's history intertwines with those of previous characters to create an intriguing sf tale.