Sara Creasy

You may also read my review here: http://www.mybookishways.com/2011/03/review-song-of-scarabaeus-by-sara.html

4.5 Stars
Song of Scarabaeus opens with Edie Sha’nim being kidnapped by pirates, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing for her. They want her to use her talent to help them release a couple of Crib serfs, so she goes along for the ride. Then she founds out they’ve created a mental leash between her and one of the serfs, Finn, and her goals abruptly change. If Finn goes out of show more range, the leash will explode in his brain, killing him. If Edie dies, he will too. When Edie finds out that the pirates are stealing Crib technology to help Fringe worlds, she starts to think that maybe working with them isn’t all that bad, but nothing is as it seems, and Edie must make choices that could not only end her life, but Finn’s as well.

I loved this book, just loved it! It reminded me a bit of Ann Aguirre’s Sirantha Jax series, although Edie and Sirantha are very different characters. I’m a relative sci-fi newbie, and usually shy away from hard sci-fi, which this isn’t, but it does have some elements that a newbie might have trouble with at first. No worries though! You get used to the lingo, and Ms. Creasy paints such a full and layered world that will pull you in and not let you go until the last page.

Edie is a talented cypherteck, which means that she has the power to seed and terraform new worlds using biocyph technology. She is a valuable commodity, one that the corporate conglomerate Crib, not to mention the Fringe, will do just about anything to get their hands on. I loved the sexual tension between Edie and Finn and the relationship that the author creates between them is intense, but at the same time tender, and I enjoyed peeling back the layers of Finn’s quiet and strong personality. There’s plenty of adventure here, and the deep space setting serves to make every nuance of the novel that much richer, and foreboding in its complexity. There’s something about good space opera that I absolutely love, and Song of Scarabaeus is a mature and exquisite addition to the genre! It was also nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award, and it's a well deserved nomination! show less

There are some intriguing potentials with this book and the first one in the series... but they are larely lost in a one-note plot that tries to keep up tension by doing the same thing over and over again/
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Edie can be manipulated by threats to Finn. Fine. But when basically the entire plot has her being pressured into cooperating with her enemies because of the same damn threat over and over again... well, it starts to lack the tension necessary to make it interesting. I say "This yet show more again???"

The political set-up of the universe is potentially interesting and plausible. However- as in the first volume- the "tecjh" just doesn't feel plausible to me. Not even as plausible as a good thoughtfully based magical system. There's lots of buzzwords, carefully unexplained, and I did not see any hard-and-fast rules that would make a deus ex machina impossible; rather the opposite. Throwing jargon at something and calling it "tech" does not really work when it's not well-thought-out and lacks an underlying consistency and plausibility.

Also, the characterization is lacking. Everyone is a cliche. Edie is a doormat- OK, there's reasons why, but still. Finn is a cipher. And the rest are yet less vividly drawn; they exists mostly as plot elements.

I read this because I do think the idea of an awakened sentient ecosystem- "Mother Nature" as it were- is fascinating. I wish Creasy had opened her vision wider and explored more there... or even explored more about Edie NOT being a victim of all and sundry. There were various points where she could have used her skills to upend things... but she did not and remained a doormat.

I was disappointed. show less

The premise: ganked from BN.com: Trained since childhood in advanced biocyph seed technology by the all-powerful Crib empire, Edie's mission is to terraform alien worlds while her masters bleed the outlawed Fringe populations dry. When renegade mercenaries kidnap Edie, she's not entirely sure it's a bad thing . . . until they leash her to a bodyguard, Finn--a former freedom fighter-turned-slave, beaten down but never broken. If Edie strays from Finn's side, he dies. If she doesn't cooperate, show more the pirates will kill them both.

But Edie's abilities far surpass anything her enemies imagine. And now, with Finn as her only ally as the merciless Crib closes in, she'll have to prove it or die on the site of her only failure . . . a world called Scarabaeus.

My Rating

Must Have: This book is not the romance you think it is. Not by a longshot. Good news for SF fans who want minimal romance, but that may be bad news for readers who want more romance than not in their SF. That said, I think Creasy strikes a wonderful balance: this is an SF story with solid romantic tension that zigs when you think it should zag, and that's enjoyable when you've got certain expectations about a hero and a heroine being the primary focus of a book. The SF portion of the story is pretty cool and interesting, and Creasy manages to keep the pages turning with just the right amount of action. The only complaint I have is that this book KIND of ends on a cliffhanger. But it's not the kind of cliffhanger that has you furious when you realize there's no more pages, but the kind that clearly resolves the story but you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there's more. And there is: I confirmed it on the author's website. She turned in book two back in August. Now, how long this series is going to be is still a mystery to me, but I won't hesitate to pick up the next installment. The story and the tension seems to be moving along at just the right pace, and the characters are worth following. This book still reminds me of Ann Aguirre's Grimspace in an odd way, but I can't pinpoint why exactly because the stories themselves, let alone the characters, are so different. But I think if you like Grimspace, you'll enjoy this. :)

Review style: The biggest thing I want to talk about is how this book totally defies its cover and how it's more SF than it is romance and why readers should give it a shot. Vague spoilers for the romance, but that's about it. The full review is in my LJ for anyone who's interested, and as always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: Sara Creasy's SONG OF SCARABAEUS

Happy Reading! show less

I would have given this book 4 stars, but I realllllllllly hate unresolved endings, so you get -1 star, Ms. Creasy.

Edie is a cyperteck - she's basically got a computer interface implanted in her brain and can manipulate technology - and biotechnology - with a touch of her hand. When she's kidnapped from her (forced) gig with the ruling government, The Crib, as a bio-terraformer for new planets, she doesn't know if she's jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. "Leashed" to Finn - show more meaning if she either dies or gets more than 2 clicks away from him, his brain explodes - she's forced into an alliance right from the start. The plot is a little uneven - I wish that we had arrived at the planet sooner and seen more action there, as this was probably the most interesting part of the book. But overall I like Edie and I really like the world Creasy's built - the bio-technology parts are really really good and I hope there's more in the next installment (not out until 4/11). show less