Review: Engrossing, action packed saga.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 30, 2011
First I highly recommend this book. I read the first of the series and enjoyed that one so of course I wanted to read what came next. I was not disappointed although at times I was overwhelmed with the adversity that these characters faced. The main character grows but not as one would expect. She experiences her growth as the need arises. Her protectors grow as well. At times the hardships are a bit much but then just as quickly a shift occurs that seems plausible and you just accept it as a part of what is for this story. It's not a happy easy read book but it grows as do the plots, subplots and those who play smaller but necessary parts in the whole. No one except the writer knows what will happen next but I was seldom if ever disappointed. The story is compelling as it describes this world, its mores, and its inhabitants, requiring  the reader to pay attention as the story continues and refers back to characters and events that have already occurred. The descriptions allow the reader to actually see a different world in which things happen sometimes logically as the story continues and sometimes because life is that way on this world in this story. Though science fiction, the mythology and faith in this book requires the characters and the readers to go beyond in search of a better self and acceptance of what is. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm not one for describing characters and events, as for me that often defeats the purpose of reading the story. If you like science fiction and like to see characters develop as the story line continues, this is a book you will enjoy. Though simple in some ways it, it is clear that there was a more  advanced technological time when life was at its peak in this world and greed and vanity wiped out things that could have beneficial to all. It even tell how some beliefs came into being and why.As this book is a continuation of the first, if you liked the first one you'll like this one as well. Of course there is a third that I've already purchased and began reading before I took the time to put these words on paper.I like your work Mr. Rathbone and look forward to reading more from you in the future