Review: Sci-fi adventure with depth
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 11, 2014
Assassin's War ranks with the true spirit of science fiction in it's ability to do two things simultaneously: tell a fantastic tale that offers inventive ideas about the future, other species or similar topic, while at the same time giving us relevant themes to apply to contemporary life. I love how Vann is able to brilliantly excel in both veins in this novel.On the story level, Assassin's War is a winner. We're thrown right into it, as it the time of war, and there is a specific need for a murder to be avenged. The lethally-trained Tien, whom the Udek desperately need to deploy, first needs to be resurrected, though. And in his resurrection, of course he wants his wife to be reborn. Those who can do this transfer are the Bodhi, and neither they nor Tien know if they will be protected by the Udek after the war. All of this creates friction as power plays line up against in other and play out.The action and adventure is exciting and compelling, the battle maneuvers are fierce and strategically thrilling and the one-on-one work brutal. Then what's incredibly engaging is the levels below the story. What does it mean to be or have a soul? How would it change us to be in another body, or truly experience another way of life? Do we carry karma from past deeds? Are we all just one step removed from animals--are any of the species in the book any better than any others? Shared consciousness/mental connections is a theme that returns in several different ways, and you can't help but be captivated by the big questions raised by the Bodhi's neo-Buddhist rituals and transfer process.As experience wears holes into Tien's training and conditioned belief systems that justified his brutality for the Udek, he evolves and we as readers have to question where we have similar growth to do.  In all, this is a highly rewarding read that packs a galaxy-sized punch.