Review: Strong Sci-Fi Intrigue with a Dash of Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 20, 2013
Being introduced to new peoples and worlds is the best part of Science-Fiction or Science-Fiction Romance.  When it includes a bit of intrigue and espionage, that is just a bonus.  Seeing the blurb on this one made me realize that this was going to be one of those.This novella-length tale follows the first person account of a bitter, washed-up military guy who is given another chance to be a part of active service and earn his way into a comfortable retirement- maybe even go back to his home world.His assignment is to hunt down a double agent with morphing capability thought to be heading back into his home space.  Kyle agrees to the assignment to hunt down Kshar and bring him back dead or alive to gain what he stole.Kshar is suspected to be aboard a mercenary space craft so Kyle manages to get aboard too.  That's the easy part because how does one really hunt down a being who can morph into any person they want.  Kshar could be hiding or he could be one of the crew.  Kyle is drawn to the pilot whom he really hopes is not his quarry.The plot was packed with a wealth of good ingredients considering the length of the story- nicely paced story line, well developed characters, intrigue and a sprinkling of romance.  Truthfully, I wish the story had been novel length just to tease out more of the relationship and world-building aspects along with some more of that fun intrigue.I found the choice of first person narrator a good one because it left everyone else- the suspects- deliciously shadowy with their thoughts and motives kept secret.  It was a treat to be inside Kyle's mind too.  He was so well-drawn that I almost had all those aches and pains with him.  His mental outlook on his life rang so authentic too- easy to believe that he had been a soldier who served faithfully and then when injured, finds himself patched back together, set aside and forced to exist on very little.  He thinks his injury washed him up and made him useless. I was glad to see this change for him as the story progressed even though he is a hard sell when it comes to believing it.  The romance level was perfect too.  Due to the intrigue and Kyle's physical and mental state it developed slowly and was therefore much more believable.In the end, this was a very enjoyable Sci-Fi Romantic Intrigue.