Review: Intriguing
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 14, 2012
Earthlings have abandoned Earth and settled on a planet inhabited by a humanoid species, the Phoenicians. The two species generally do not interact; the results are usually tragic when they do. There is one exception:  Shayla has lived with the humans for half her life, and it hasn't been the happy part either. Human society has developed a rigid caste system, one that Shayla abhors. Her closest assistant, Raif, is part of a group who are viewed as disposable lesser being, to be used as their employers wish.Conditioned Response is the 2nd book in the series by Marjorie F. Baldwin. Unfortunately, #1 is not out yet. So the first couple chapters were a catch-up on what I assume would be included in #1. Because of that, and the fact that I haven't read a classic SciFi book in ages, I found the first few chapters a bit off-setting (just warning you here). Plus I personally like tighter dialogues, while Baldwin's style includes some lengthy conversations. But once the introductions were done and I got into the style, the book began to pick up. The interactions and unfolding histories of the characters were intriguing. I fell in love with Raif who was, to me, the one who really stood out as a deep and admirable person. There were several interwoven stories and mysteries and about half way through the book, these began to take off and kept me hooked. If you're looking for spaceships and adrenalin action on every page, this is not your book. (However, the last third of the book was definitely fast action, not to mention an emotional rollercoaster). If however you like the more classical SciFi stories that analyse social issues through futuristic eyes and require a sharp mind to keep up with the details, then this might be the book for you. I'm certainly intrigued to read more in this series.