Review: 4.5 stars. I wanted to know a little more (spoilers)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 30, 2011
4.5 stars. *** spoilerish ***Mike and Sergei are on two different sides of the same war. Sergei is the assistant to the general of the invaders of the planet Cirokko. Mike is supporting the resistance of the natives. When Mike takes a picture revealing a glimpse of the improper relationship between Sergei and the general, he is ordered to seduce the young captain to gather useful information to organize an attack against the invaders.Sergei is young and his behavior is ruled by the Doctrine - a sort of philosophy and moral law - that shapes and conditions the mind of Sergei and the people living under it. Sergei's homosexuality goes against the rules and he feels inadequate and defective, abnormal maybe, so the Doctrine and performing the duty established by its rules is the only way the young captain can feel he belongs somewhere and his existence is worth of living and productive. Sex with his superior is forbidden, but obeying is more important, so that's the way he can stand the abuse.When Sergei meets Mike and knows real passion and a measure of liberty and free choice and freedom to express himself, Sergei begins to question his education and his way of life and he tries in a way to resist the abuse by his general. The general, faced eventually with a man who is not perfectly obedient and compliant anymore, arranges for his deployment to the most dangerous part of the planet, in order to fulfill a desperate mission. Sergei knows what that means, he is perfectly aware of his dire situation, but he obeys.Mike is next to Sergei on his mission, employed as a translator, and he tries to be as close to the young soldier as possible, even if he knows that the difficulties the other man is facing, the vicious attacks of the natives, the weaknesses they are exploiting, all depend on his activities as a spy, on the betrayal of an enemy he has begun to love. Worse than that, his ultimate betrayal is necessary to save the life of the man he loves.When Sergei comes back to his native planet broken in body and spirit, he has to be investigated, since the circumstances of his liberation are not clear. At the same time, Mike is in danger for having saved Sergei and he has to face his guilt, while being held prisoner by the sleazy general. Even when they are separated, the two men can't help thinking about each other with passion, guilt and regret, because they are both living in a situation where their needs as individuals are trampled upon by outside forces.Rhianon Etzweiler is a new author for me, but I appreciated Aleksandr Voinov writing in many occasions. I must say that superficially this book reminded me of Special Forces - Soldiers, the first book in the Special Forces saga: Cirokko, with its tribal system and forbidding nature, is very much like Afghanistan and one of the main characters is an officer of the invading army and the other is fighting with the natives. But as I said before, it's very superficial because while in Soldiers the protagonists knew clearly that they were enemies, in this book there is an element of deception that makes you hurt when you read how Sergei opens up to his deceiver and makes you feel sorry when Mike has to reveal himself for what he is. Moreover the conditioning of the Doctrine is much more pervasive of Sergei's mind than Communism for the Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan. Of course, the setting is fast-forwarded to the future and to an other-world, and this provides technological devices and strange creatures that give new elements to play with.The Doctrine and its influence on individuals reminded me of 1984 and its dealing with the needs and aspirations of individuals versus the greatest good of society. In this respect I don't think Sergei and Mike's situations were so different, in fact Sergei's is more in the open. In order to be himself, Sergei has to deny the Doctrine, to go against what he's learned so far, to commit a sort of sin against his people. Mike tries to make him understand that there's something wrong in a society that sacrifices the desires of even one of his members for its own good, but even Mike in my opinion places his mission before his desires as he reveals his true identity to Sergei only when it's inevitable. While Mike fulfills his mission and betrays Sergei, Sergei fails his mission but he remains true to himself, even if it's a warped kind of being true.The book is very intense, because the feelings expressed by the protagonists, the moral dilemmas they have to face, the attraction, the trials, the investigation, the recovery, each moment places both Sergei and Mike in constant danger. They are always in a hostile environment, except when they are alone and the more desperate the situation the more the word love makes its appearance. Their intimacy is tinted with a sort of desperation, because Sergei and Mike, for different reasons, know that they know what they have won't last. This is maybe more clear to Sergei, because the indoctrination is deeply rooted within him, so much so that the alternative of leaving everything to be with Mike seems the way of a traitor. He is probably the most complicated character and he is my favorite, I loved being in his head, even if it was heartbreaking.I liked the writing, the way the protagonists let us follow what they were seeing, doing and believing. There were moments when I felt I was there with them, seeing their surroundings through their eyes, how they affected them and then plunging into their minds and feelings.There's something that left me a bit perplexed. *** VERY SPOILERISH *** There are a few hints of something peculiar in the relationship between the Interior investigator Nikishin and the Colonel Ulyanov which was left a bit said and unsaid as the final confrontation between Mike and one of the lizards. I also felt that there wasn't really closure for Sergei. I wish there were some sort of follow-up to what happened in the Coalition's ranks after what happened to Sergei, because one way or the other I think it was such an important part of Sergei's life that it deserved more space to be developed. We get to see Sergei take his decision, but not its effect, so I don't know if he was really able to deal with the Doctrine. Will he be happy, really really happy? I adored him and I am still worried about him.*** END VERY SPOILERISH***I think this book is much more than your typical romance, because the struggle of the main characters with their conscience, with their idea of honor, is probably more important, but there's no doubt that love is what changes the world in both Sergei and Mike.Galley received via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.