A fantastic read. An amazing blend of science fiction and romance where the story balances out both expertly. It was a groundbreaking enough story that I have read every sincle Skolian Empire novel Asaro has written since...and not been disappointed. ( )

After reading this book, the first thing I did was to go and look up the author to see if she knew what she was talking about.

She does.

She has an MA in physics from Harvard and her publications include - "Complex speeds and special relativity," Catherine Asaro, Am. Jour. Phys. April 1996

So, I think I'll read the space propulsion section of the book more carefully next time around - because this is a book that would repay a second reading even without the physics.

The novel has a few minor glitches in the writing style, especially early on when there's rather more 'telling' than 'showing'. This soon smooths out a lot, and besides, it was her first novel.

This novel shows us a complex future in which empathic abilities are closely tied into the operating of ftl craft. This creates a cruelly ironic world where the people necessary to be the really high-tech military are also those who most feel the pain of another person's death.

Asaro works this neatly into her work and this alone would make a good novel. However, what I really enjoyed was that she wrote a romance that avoids the clichés. There was a point early on where I groaned and thought: "Oh Lord, standard romance cliche number four coming up - and it didn't happen!" I found the avoidance of the clichés greatly increased my enjoyment of the book as I was unable to predict what would happen next.

This is a book that I'll happily recommend to anyone who wants hard SF with a dash of romance.

Primary Inversion can be legally read online - http://www.webscription.net/p-811-pri... ( )

http://yet.org/2008/09/point_dinversi... ( )

Soz is a jagernaut, one of the elite warriors for the interplanetary Skolian empire, who are also empaths and telepaths. Soz is a little different from her team as she's also one of the Imperial Heirs. Ten years ago she was captured by one of the enemy Trader Aristos, who get off on torturing empaths, and she's never really dealt with that trauma. Now she's just met an Aristo who is not like the others - he's actually more like herself and her family.
This was really good - space opera mixed with psychic abilities and a strong female main character. I'll be looking for the others in the series, particularly any which involve Soz, as this series is more of a saga dealio.

This novel has almost everything one could hope for in a space opera - interesting technology and societies, political intrigue, and a pretty cool space battle. A lot of the focus in the middle of the story is on Soz, as she deals with the after-effects of her experience as a spy on a Trader planet and some events in the present. Some may find this to be a little too emo, and there is also some romance, although not too much. This book is certainly not a straight romance novel, as I have heard some of the other books in the series are. The beginning and the end (especially the end) are rather fast-paced and make up for what some may consider to be a slow middle.

To read the rest of this review:
http://fantasycafe.blogspot.com/2008/...