By Sandy Amazeen Jan 12, 2009, 1:01 GMT
First in a trilogy, Reeve’s debut packs a sense of history and intertwined warring cultures as extremists holding a long-standing grudge threaten a pending treaty. Matt, controller of the prospecting ship Aether’s Touch, had reason to wonder what hold the Consortium of Autonomous Worlds had over his pilot, Ariane Kedros. She frequently went off on secret, usually dangerous missions, returning a physical and emotional wreck. Their latest exploration yielded a most unexpected discovery but before Matt can do much about it, Ariane is called back into service.
In an effort to protect her from the Terran Expansion League, Ariane’s background is a well executed but complete fabrication. She was piloting the ship that obliterated a populated solar system. Fifteen years later, those remaining members of that mission are being murdered and Ariane must determine who is responsible before they get to her while making sure the treaty isn’t derailed.
Old secrets, political agendas and bitter betrayal are the main themes of this complex, well-conceived space opera. The byzantine political intrigue slows the otherwise quick pace, a minor flaw as it creates a nice level of credibility. The response of shipraised personnel to “real” food is entertaining while further emphasizing the typically human “them vs. us” mindset. A mysterious object Matt and Ariane discovered remains something of a mystery and their relationship will undoubtedly progress with the assistance of a developing AI in future installments. A strong debut and a promising series.
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