check
out website: www.Tor.com
The second book in a series, 'The Dark Path',
continues the story started in 'The Dark Wing', which I haven't
read - which is, unfortunately, something of a hindrance in this
case.
Mankind has now colonised numerous planets and becomes the Solar
Empire. In the course of their spread from the homeworld, humans
encountered the zor, a winged species whose perception of reality
is radically different from that of humanity.
The two species indulge in a xenocidal war that destroys huge numbers
of both races until a human, Admiral Marais - the 'dark wing' of
the first book, both angel of death and saviour of both species
- betrayed his human heritage to end the war and save both humanity
and the zora'e.
 It's
now several hundred years later and zor and human live peacefully
side by side, literally in some cases, where they share worlds.
On Cicero, "the biggest and most important border base of the
Solar Empire" (p16), Commodore Jacqueline ('Jackie') Laperriere
and her zor Sensitive executive officer, Commander Ch'k'te, are
dropped into the middle of a crisis: two Imperial exploratory vessels
have disappeared without trace or explanation and it's Jackie's
job - or, according to the zor, her destiny - to find out why...
Hmm! Well, the plot isn't
exactly new - then again, what is? - but it's handled deftly. The zor, their innate
mysticism, their physiology and customs which are such a vital part of the story,
are described in sufficient detail to intrigue the reader yet still leave enough
unsaid to leave plenty of room for future revelations. That being said,
I could have done with a more detailed portrayal of the zor's appearance. Wings,
yes, eight fingered with talons, yes, beak-like face, OK, but the description
of them settling on perches summoned up an image of overgrown budgies. Part of
the downside of not reading the first book, no doubt...
Jackie is a
likeable individual. It's good to see a strong woman as the hero (the masculine
form used here with good reason) of the story and she has some depth which unfortunately
can't be said of many of the other characters.
Something I particularly
enjoy in my fiction are little clues and cues scattered through the story which
prefigure what is to come later: there's a lot of satisfaction in the 'Ah, so
THAT'S what that meant!' feeling. Either such cues are lacking here or they're
too subtle or maybe too gross for me to pick up, which is a pity as it lessened
my enjoyment of the book. Then again, that's a personal opinion and this
is only the author's second published work. The story tends to jump around a little
too abruptly for my taste, as well - and the portrayal of the mystical 'Rituals'
isn't sufficiently alien for my liking. Although that may be deliberate in order
to make it comprehensible to humans, both those in the story and the readership.
So...the blurb on the back cover more of less covers it - "A thoughtful
debut, reassuringly familiar in shape with glints of originality". Couldn't
have put it better myself. An interesting read and an author with much potential
- but read the first book first!
Joules Taylor
http://www.wordwrights.co.uk
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