Kris Longknife
Mike Shepherd
Ace Science Fiction, Ace
Books
October 2011 / ISBN: 978-1937007034
Science Fiction
Amazon
Reviewed
by Jan Fields
Daring
is Mike Shepherd's ninth book featuring Kris Longknife. Jumping
into a series with the ninth book is always a bit bewildering --
and doubly so with science fiction. As a result, I managed to stay
a bit befuddled for the first couple chapters sorting out all the
relationships and politics involved, but then I found my sea legs
as Kris Longknife and the brave people she served with completely
caught me up. In Daring, Kris Longknife is heading into uncharted
space to answer a single question: What is out there making exploration
ships vanish? Although she is expecting trouble, Kris never expected
what she stumbled upon.
As a science fiction
fan, I loved all the technical bits in the book -- how they made
a kind of artificial gravity, the many uses of Smart Metal, and
the charming sentient computers. I also liked the very limited viewpoint.
Kris is encountering
a new species. She has ONLY the limited information available to
her to make decisions. And the readers only know what she knows.
This feels a little frustrating, but it also brings us closer to
the characters because that frustration we're feeling is the same
one they are.
We might second guess
Kris, but we cannot know which of us is right.
Ultimately, a fascinating book but really -- if you've not met Kris
Longknife before, you might want to begin a smidge earlier in the
series.
|