Review: Interesting beginning.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 4, 2013
Binary Cycle promises to be the type of science fiction story that I enjoy the most. Mankind working to adapt to a new environment is more interesting to me than space wars or tyrannical governments. Adaptation is required in a rather big way for the colonists in this book. I find the world depicted here to be fascinating, with two suns, reduced gravity, and hostile wildlife. This first installment of the series describes the history of the colony, introduces a few characters, and outlines the differences between this new world and Earth. Some of the details are sketchy as yet, but there is enough world building to present a decent picture of the settled portion of the planet. Both planet and colony are in danger from an as yet unspecified natural disaster that appears to recur on a regular cycle, though a rather long one. I am intrigued by the premise, and certainly want to read what comes next.That said, there were contradictions that caused me to stop reading and say "what?" One character suffers a fall that breaks her pretty severely, and is healed near instantly by "light surgery" with a specialized tool. This indicates tremendous advancements in medical treatment. But another character, at the ripe old age of 55, suffers constantly from aches, pains, and joint dysfunctions that apparently are not congenital. Those two scenarios seem to be incompatible.Skyia is an entirely positive character - there are no bad things in her world. At the age of twenty, she has no friends, no social life, no ambitions, and no goals, and she's happy with that. Her only friend is her mother. Unless she has some undisclosed psychological disorder, that is not credible.Jonathas is an entirely negative character - there are no good things in his world. He is discriminated against for unexplained reasons, and feels his intelligence and skills are deliberately disregarded. His described working and living conditions sound little better than indentured servitude, quite a giant step backward culturally. Apparently, he can't just say "I quit" and walk away. I found this puzzling.This is all entirely my opinion, of course, which formed as I read. As this is just the beginning of this story, additional information may well resolve the issues. Mr. Davies has chosen to present a complicated saga containing many different elements. Overall, I enjoyed reading this, and will look forward to reading the next part of the story.Three and a half stars would be my choice, so I've rounded up to four stars, for potential.