Week 5

Week 5 ~ Jan 29-Feb 4, 2007

Rebel Ice
by S.L. Viehl
(science fiction)

This book (#6 in the Stardoc series) was a bit of a let-down for me. I had been greatly enjoying the series up to this point, and then found out prior to reading this one that the author moved from first person to third person tense for this book. Now, from short stories set in this world, I knew that I loved Duncan Reever from his own POV as well as from Cherijo’s, so I was really looking forward to getting more of that. Well, I was pleased with the Reever bits I got, but less-than-pleased with the plot twists in Cherijo’s life. I can’t really say more without spoilers, so I’ll stop there.

The book itself is well executed, with lots of unexpected twists that – if less well explained than their counterparts in previous books – would probably stand up to a re-reading without making the reader feel like the wool has been pulled over her eyes. The clues to the puzzle are there, just hidden. As a lover of books, it kept me occupied and had some neat premises. As a lover of the specific characters, however, I hated it.

I do highly recommend the previous books in the series, however. As long as you can suspend disbelief enough to let yourself become absorbed in a fun sci-fi (as opposed to a technical sci-fi) you should love the series, at least up to book #5. Book #6… I’ve heard mixed things about. Most fans seem to hate it. I will not be buying Rebel Ice (it was a library book for me) but I will be reading book #7, A Plague of Memory. This is one where I think it’s up to each individual reader to decide.