Review by Ian Braidwood
By the end of the first paragraph you know you like Sarah, the protagonist
of this story. She has worked out that she can use her parents' indecision
to expand the horizons of her independence and this she does very
well.
In this future - the emortal one - people wear organic clothing which
as well as providing protection from the cold and minor knocks, can
filter out toxins and do lots of other useful things.
Sarah takes the initiative to have her suitskin augmented with a tasteful
rose, which puts out scent to attract hummingbirds and the nectar
of the title to feed them. Eager to experience her first hummingbird
visit, Sarah leaves her window open all night, but attracts visitors
of a less attractive kind.
Her investigations lead her to the seedy backroom of the Dragon Man and
her first encounter with mortality.
Brian has done several stories featuring young girls and boys learning something
about the world around them. What Can Chloë Want? and The Facts
of Life come to mind as similar rite of passage stories written for
a teenage audience. To my mind, What Can Chloë Want? is still
the finest of these and one of Brian's finest of all. However, Nectar
is still a good example and I am a long way from being a teenager,
so what would I know?
