Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Daring
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.

Reviewer Jan Fields is the editor of Kid Magazine Writers emagazine and has written dozens of stories and articles for the children's magazine market.
Reviewed 2011
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