Stuart Hopen

It's unusual, at least in my experience, to find any mention of current mainstream religions in science fiction stories. And most sci-fi adventures have very few women. But this book is very much about (Orthodox) Judaism and has three strong female main characters, who are better in many ways than their male counterparts. The book is full of well written battles and adventure, but it also slows down occasionally for some serious talk. I admit that I did not really understand the ending. I show more found the author's website, and he says that there is a new edition with a new ending.

SPOILER: I think the author may have been saying that the way to break free from a slave mentality is to obey what someone wants, not what they ask for. So Moses frees the slaves from Egypt by giving them a different set of command(ment)s to follow? Adam Hirsch, the founder of a religious movement, says that just as people are spiritual beings in physical bodies, the universe is G-d's body and people's actions are how He tries out ways of improving Himself. (If I got that right.) Somehow, prayer---of any religion---helps God make the world better.

The first time something definitely Jewish is mentioned it is the Midrash about G-d threatening to drop Mount Sinai on the Jewish people if they don't accept the Ten Commandments. I wonder how many readers know the story and that it is not in the Bible. I think he uses the story so that he can later talk about a mountain-sized area destroyed by lasers. I was troubled by the reason for the destruction: I think intent and the fact that you can't control the actions of others made the verdict of the Jewish court unreasonable. show less

An enjoyable, though not very original, science fiction novel. Magen Hirsch is an assassin who must go up against a slavers guild to rescue her husband. Fast paced, good amount of action. Worth reading if you can find a copy.