Review: Great second book in series
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 25, 2011
Set several years after Space Junque, many of the characters reappear. Durga, a young woman chosen by the goddess Asherah must serve as a chalice, one of the few fertile women in the world. She must conceive a child with a political leader to help repopulate the world with souls. But love isn't supposed to be part of the deal. Jake heads a city-state with Char at his side. The political situation dictates he must have a child with a chalice to further develop his city. Can he survive the political waters, and will his relationship with Char survive?Another short novella, this one managed to tell both Durga's story, as well as Jake and Char's. I preferred reading about Jake and Char, only because I found Durga offsetting. She wasn't a very likable character, and I had a hard time believing her capable of love.I found the further development of the world very interesting. It was easy to see how the situation had evolved from the first book. It was interesting, and yet slightly repulsive as fertile women were basically become prostitutes. Even though they were supposedly picked by the goddess to be honoured, it felt like a poorly dealt hand for the women.I found the reactions of some of the non-fertile women to be amusing. Particularly Char's view on child birth. Living in a world without natural childbirth, she found the idea of it horrifying. When she expressed her thoughts on the subject, I found myself giggling because really, if you only heard about it as tales from the distant past, it could be discribed as horrible.This was a great second book. Complete in itself, yet part of the larger story. Can't wait to read more.