ISBN: 0-380-80784-X Order from: Amazon.com
A tense, at times paranoiac plot with a distressed protagonist, the sympathetic characters and solid political environment provide entertainment slightly reduced by the weak plot.
Reviewed by David on November 18, 2000
Genre: Science Fiction (Mystery, Intrigue, Aliens)
Synopsis: Jani Kilian had once barely survived getting caught between human corruption and Idomeni civil war. Having lived through an explosion that killed her troops, Kilian has deserted and been on the run for years.
Unfortunately, Kilian's injuries render her vulnerable, and despite her best attempts to be private, she is apprehended and is thrown once more into dangerous political games. Under threat of a court-martial, her rare Idomeni knowledge distrusted, and plots and cover-ups going on around her, Jani does her best to survive and protect the innocent, both dead and alive.
Full Review: Kristine Smith has written another novel with a taut, tense plot dominated by the distrustful, medically distressed and very sympathetic Jani Kilian. Her fear of authorities, mostly justified, combined wih her flashes of courage, and impressive liguistic and deductive skills make for an excellent viewpoint character.
The constant medical distress, while a useful trick to keep up the suspense and avoid excessive competence, is becoming a bit repetetive. Fortunately, there are some hints it may be heading towards abatement, if not resolution. The periodic view-hopping, and the abundance of red herrings, is distracting and occasionally annoying.
Perhaps the greatest flaw in the novel becomes apparent at the end: the challenges overcome in the book are not very significant, and are at least partly self-imposed. While "saving the universe" does not make a particularly good story, some significence to the struggle is useful, whether in an enemy to overcome or in a crime to be solved.
In general, despite some flaws, this is a very enjoyable book, well-written, with a good heroine, and pleasantly-solid political and cultural backdrop, with structures under strain. There is certainly enough ammunition here to make the next book or books in the series very good indeed.
Overall: 6; Plot: 4.5; Characters: 6.5; Style: 6; World-building: 6; Originality: 5.5;
Copyright date 2000, HarperCollins (Eos), September 2000, Mass market paperback, 373 pages
ISBN: 0-380-80784-X Order from: Amazon.com