Review: Strong story struggling to be told
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 30, 2014
I was recently provided with a copy of Creedor by Gail Morgan McRae free to review.  This novel - or novella, really - is an uneasy blend of fantasy and space opera.  It starts off with what presumably is the series’ antagonist usurping power and has references to wizards and magic.  Then we switch viewpoints to that of a would-be medic bereft of purpose within the new society.  We then turn to a space opera in which unknown spaceships are infiltrating Creedor’s space and stealing valuable resources.  It has a large cast of characters - too large for the novel’s length really - and switches viewpoints too regularly to really get to know the characters well.Creedor is clearly book one of a series.  Within the book itself there is little or no story arc to follow - presumably it feeds into the larger series.  The ending is very weak and comes very abruptly.Despite all of this, there are some strong points to the novel. The world McRae has created holds much promise - if it could decide what it actually is.  The Riders are intriguing - I look forward to hearing more of them.  The characters are interesting - Mara in particular looks as if she could be a strong, determined female character.  I was also really interested in the idea of the disease-free society being a perfect target for biowarfare and the challenges the society could face.All in all, despite its failings, I felt there was a decent story and characters struggling to get out in Creedor and I will likely pick up the sequel.  I gave Creedor three stars out of five.