Blade Dancer

Almost no book has drawn me in to such a degree that I can not put the book down for four days. This book did that to me. I read this every chance I got, drawn into the world, the characters, the storyline. The ending did seem a little predictable, which is why I ended up with only four and a half stars, but the draw was getting to the predictable ending, rather than just the ending itself. This book taught me things about my writing, as well.

It was okay to start. It got better, and became actually good in the middle. Closing in on the end, the descriptions of blade dancer fighting techniques got quite good, and a definite tension in the story developed, heightening the anticipation for the climax and resolution.

Unfortunately, the main character quickly became a highly dependent bystander, ultimately physically crippled and unable to really participate in the climax in a direct way other than as an ingénue to be saved. None of the most personal goals in the story actually got addressed directly by the main character except the one she had rejected in an otherwise laudable, ongoing declaration of individual identity.

The best thing about the character got undermined in every show more way possible. Suffice to say, I found it disappointing. I'm still uncertain whether it deserves two or three stars. At first, I gave it three because of the good parts. Next, I downgraded it to two because the ending was just too damned disappointing. I'm a little iffy on that, but that's how I lean now. show less

This book had some promising middle sections, but I figured out the "mystery villain" in the early chapters. I kept reading to find out how the grand unveiling and the final battle would go. It was thoroughly disappointing. The whole climax was told from the point of view of the character who was unconscious for 90% of the action! That kind of writing cop out makes me mad!

I did not see any effective character growth in anyone, just some folks learning new physical tricks and skills. I think the book was supposed to have some moral about all peoples being equal, but it came off very shoddily. There was a lot of praise for the characters' home planet recanting decades worth of hatred for a handful of half-breeds-- but they did it because show more the half-breeds survived a disaster! It felt very random and unbelievable. show less

I enjoy the Stardoc universe and I liked this stand alone one. It had a strong romance in it and a very simpathetic main character. There were a couple of editing errors where people's physical descriptions changed over the course of the book. Still I like to reread this one. Strong plot and world building.

I like this one. It does remind me of Star Wars - only Luke Skywalker is a seven foot woman with retractable claws ( I wish I had claws... ) and a healthy libido. The action is fast paced allthough somewhat predictable. The author seems to subscribe to the politics of "neutrality = your better be the one that can really kick butt - cause it won't work otherwise" To bad that most of the time being able to kick butt means you are looking to practice on the neighbors. I'm going to let Mom read it and hope the street attitude and libido thing don't piss her off.

When shockball star Jory Rask gets caught burying her dead mother in a shallow grave, the repercussions don't exactly surprise her - after all, her mother's an alien, which makes Jory a halfbreed. And persona nongrata on Terra. A promise to her mother takes Jory to Joren, where she locates five others like herself - Jorenian halfbreeds, children of Honor - and sets all six on a collision course interstellar politics. Assassins school may never have been so deadly - and it will certainly never be the same!

A stand-alone novel set in the Stardoc universe, this can safely be read without the preceding volumes. Although it will certainly make more sense with the background information they provide.

Space opera at assassin school. Reading it made me want to read the rest of Viehl's StarDoc series, but they turned out to be a disappointment. I like this as a stand-alone novel.