Review of Primary Inversion
Apr
05
2008

Primary Inversion
by Catherine Asaro
384pp (Paperback)
My Rating: 8.5/10
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5
LibraryThing Rating: 3.63/5
Good Reads Rating: 3.94/5

Primary Inversion, a novel in the Skolian Saga, is the debut novel of Nebula Award winner Catherine Asaro. Although it is not chronologically the first novel in the series, it is supposed to be a good place to start. The series mostly focuses on the story of different members of one family and a few of the books are closely linked (for instance, The Radiant Seas continues the story begun in Primary Inversion and is about the same characters). This partially space opera, partially hard science fiction novel had me hooked from the early pages and proved to be difficult to put down.

The universe is comprised of two main empires that are at war with each other – the Skolians and the Traders (there is also a third empire that is neutral and is not mentioned very much in this book). The Traders, due to a flaw in their engineering, not only can withstand pain but derive great pleasure from it and therefore particularly enjoy torturing the empathic Skolians.

Primary Inversion is told from the first person point of view of Sauscony, otherwise known as Soz, a Jagernaut Primary (a soldier fairly high in the hierarchy with advanced technology making her strong and quick). While on a neutral planet with her colleages, Soz is hit on by a man who is obviously a Trader and most likely of the ruling family. She notices he does not seem like the other Traders, but cannot immediately figure out why.


This novel has almost everything one could hope for in a space opera – interesting technology and societies, political intrigue, and a pretty cool space battle. A lot of the focus in the middle of the story is on Soz, as she deals with the after-effects of her experience as a spy on a Trader planet and some events in the present. Some may find this to be a little too emo, and there is also some romance, although not too much. This book is certainly not a straight romance novel, as I have heard some of the other books in the series are. The beginning and the end (especially the end) are rather fast-paced and make up for what some may consider to be a slow middle.

Soz is an interesting and well-developed character, both because of her life as a Jagernaut and a member of the royal family and her internal conflict. She is an empath, one who can feel others emotions as though they are her own, yet she is in many ways an emotional cripple. Soz has a hard time expressing her thoughts and feelings and being truly close to people. Her character is likable – believable yet flawed.

This book was very easy to read quickly in spite of a lot of technological explanations (particularly in the beginning when much of the Jagernaut technology was explained to a young man in training). It was mixed in with plenty of dialogue and insight into the characters that kept it from being heavy reading.

If you don’t mind some internal struggle and romance but enjoy space opera featuring well-developed characters and societies, I would recommend giving Primary Inversion a shot. It is very easy to begin reading and very difficult to stop reading. I look forward to reading more books in this series.

8.5/10

Thank Goodness It’s April!
Apr
01
2008

March is over and I could not be happier! It was a very hectic month; I think the only weekend I didn’t have to do work was Easter weekend and of course I was busy with the holiday then. Hopefully, now I can get back into reading and reviewing more.

Even without having a lot of time to read, I have 4 books to review (Primary Inversion, The Sparrow, Melusine, and The Virtu). Now I have just started the final book that is out in Sarah Monette’s The Doctrine of Labyrinths series, The Mirador. I can’t wait for the next book; this is one of my favorite recent finds for books. Unfortunately, it’s not supposed to be out until next year, but it could be a longer wait so I shouldn’t complain. It’s one of those superb character-driven series with great characters (although I would not recommend it to anybody offended by language or sexual content).

2008 Hugo Finalists Announced
Mar
21
2008

The 2008 Hugo Finalists have been announced. The nominees for best novel are:

  • The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins, Fourth Estate)

  • Brasyl by Ian McDonald (Gollancz; Pyr)

  • Rollback by Robert J. Sawyer (Tor; Analog Oct. 2006-Jan/Feb. 2007)

  • The Last Colony by John Scalzi (Tor)

  • Halting State by Charles Stross (Ace; Orbit)

The list seems a bit underwhelming, but I haven’t actually read any of those so I guess I can’t say too much about it. I would like to read Brasyl at some point, but I have no interest at all in Rollback or The Last Colony.

I’m hoping either Stardust or the first season of Heroes wins in the category of Best Presentation, Long Form.

Arthur C. Clarke has died
Mar
18
2008

Arthur C. Clarke, one of the few true visionaries of science and science fiction in the twentieth century, died today. Clarke is in a very select category of people, along with a few others like Isaac Asimov and Carl Sagan, who not only showed what the future could be but also worked to help create it. Anything I write would be insufficient to describe his impact on the world we live in, both through influencing others and his own direct contributions, so I’ll just say he will be missed.

Update and Review Previews
Mar
15
2008

I haven’t put up a review in two weeks even though I have two to do. I feel like a horrible reviewer. Unfortunately, I have a big project at work due the end of next week and I knew there was no way I’d finish it on time with all my other projects if I didn’t work extra, so a lot of my spare time has been going into that and I haven’t had time to actually write a review (or read all that much). I’ll just be glad when this month this over.

So I thought in the meantime I’d take a little break from my project and write a few brief thoughts on the books I’ve read recently before I get to review them. These are not reviews and my brain is pretty much mush right now, but hopefully it will at least give an idea on the books since I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to actually write in-depth reviews of them.

Catherine Asaro’s Primary Inversion, the first book in the Skolian saga, took me about 1 1/2 days to start and finish. This space opera was very easy to get absorbed in from early in the novel, and it kept me wanting to find out what happened. It may be a bit angst-filled for some people’s taste (and it had some romance, although the romance was not the entire plot or anything). It reminded me somewhat of a more connected version of C.S. Friedman’s In Conquest Born with it’s slightly telepathic race of empaths and empires at odds with one another. I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in the Skolian Saga.

Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow was good, but a little disappointing after all I had heard about it. I had heard that the characterization was wonderful, but even though I liked the characters in the story, I felt they lacked something. I’m not sure what, though, since there were certainly a lot of gray areas and the depictions of their motives are problems were very real. There were a few elements of the story that I found hard to swallow even for science fiction – for instance, using an asteroid as a transport vessel to Alpha Centauri. The writing was ok, but nothing exceptional. The mystery of what had happened was riveting, but at times, the story dragged a little. This story was worth reading for the way it brought up interesting questions about religion and how it depicted Emilio’s descent from a godly priest to a bitter man with a bad reputation.

Now I am back to fantasy and reading Melusine by Sarah Monette a little in the evenings when I have time. So far, it is very promising although I’ve only read the first three chapters.

Review of Breath and Bone
Mar
01
2008

Breath and Bone
by Carol Berg
464pp (Paperback)
My Rating: 9/10
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5
LibraryThing Rating: 4.61/5
Good Reads Rating: 4.33/5

Breath and Bone is the second half of Carol Berg’s latest set of books, The Lighthouse Duology. It picks up where its predecessor leaves off, so it is necessary to read the first part Flesh and Spirit before attempting to read this book. This means that this review may contain some spoilers for Flesh and Spirit since it would be rather difficult to discuss even the basic plot without giving away some events from the end of the first book.

The sorceror Valen, who has a talent for finding people and the realms of the magical Danae, is still bound in the service of Prince Osriel, the bastard prince with a frightening reputation. Watched constantly by an almost inhuman warrior, Valen is frustrated by his inability to help rescue the boy Jullian from the clutches of a man who had been posing as one of the monks he is was staying with. In an attempt to find one of Jullian’s missing friends, the monks put a sleeping potion in the water of those watching over Valen so he can use his abilities to help them find him. They find his body in the well of the Danae where Valen again sees the same Dane who keeps appearing to him.

In spite of his many flaws – a rebellious reputation, illiteracy, and an inability to perform fundamental magic spells – the priestess Sila Diaglou also shows an interest in Valen and would like to obtain him from the prince. Valen finds the idea of being in the clutches of Sila Diaglou, who thirsts to banish knowledge from the world, even more abhorrent than serving the prince, who may not be quite as bad as Valen had feared but is still rather unnerving.


The highlight of this story is its characters. Although this story is told in the first person perspective from the point of view of Valen, all the characters are very well drawn and real. Valen’s personality drips off the page with every thought and observation, simultaneously humorous and thoughtful. He is a very gray character who undergoes many changes since we were first introduced to him in Flesh and Spirit, and in many ways, this novel is about Valen coming to terms with himself.

The character of Osriel is also well done as Berg reveals there is more to the prince who practices dark magics than it may appear. His actions may at times be evil, but he has a vision and is doing his best to do what he believes to be right. Even the extreme fanatic Sila Diaglou has motives that almost make her seem understandable when she talks about her viewpoint. The characters come alive and that has always been Berg’s strength – crafting characters the reader can really care about. Valen has struggles with his family and his relationships that are problems almost anyone can identify with, yet he has more intense issues such as his addiction to a drug that is so heart-wrenching anyone can identify with the emotions portrayed if not the situation itself.

The world of the Danae is also more fully revealed in this story and the descriptions of it are lovely. However, it is not perfect – their picturesque beauty is contrasted with their treatment of others and some rather ugly societal beliefs and practices.

This novel begins at a quick pace with several big revelations occurring within the first few chapters. After that, it slows down a bit, which makes the pacing seem a little bit off since some of the most interesting questions built up in the first book are answered so early in this book. This is not a big flaw, though, since the characters and well-written prose keep you reading.

Breath and Bone is an improvement over the first book, which was a little difficult to become immersed in early on. The conclusion more than makes up for the slow start since Valen’s development would not have the same impact if it had not been shown in the first book.

I would recommend The Lighthouse Duet to anyone who enjoys characters who leap off the page into your imagination with some politics and magic thrown in.

9/10

Excerpt from Breath and Bone
Author’s Website

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