Customer Reviews

Afterburn: Bio Rescue #2

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having not read any other StarDoc novels, I can't say how this novel stacks up in the series. However, having said that, I would say this is an excellent novel - well-written, interesting and thoughtful. Ms. Viehl blends the fantastic elements of space with the down-to-earth aspects of reality. She has created alien characters that are essentially human, and as a reader, you begin to feel for these people - no matter how strange their physical characteristics may be to your own experiences. Additionally, each character is written in the best possible way to draw emotion from the reader. The villians are particularly loathsome; the heroes wonderfully heroic, yet with a touch of humanity. Her powers of description make you feel like you could close your eyes and see the worlds she's describing.

Bravo, Ms. Viehl. Now, I need to go out and buy all the rest of her novels.

Three and a half stars. Afterburn follows Bio Rescue in this series which features the aquatic `Zangians on K-2. (K-2 is the planet that the StarDoc series began upon) Both books in the series were initially released in hardcover. Some of the `Zangians have been modified to breathe air. As such, they patrol space around K-2 and attempt to assist ships that might run a fowl of the League or Hsktskt near the planet. During a mission, Burn, who is cousin to the main character in Bio Rescue, interrupts a raid on an ambassadors ship. The ship is on its way to K-2 for a peace conference. Saving the day, he encounters and instantly takes a liking to the ambassadors daughter, Liana. Some problems crop up in the relationship almost immediately since Liana is from a strict matriarchal society, and Burn is from a society that relies on both partners in relationships. Additionally, people seem to be disappearing and it looks like one of the peace conference attendee's might be killing them.

The Bio Rescue series a bit of a disappointment to me because the Romance elements out-balance the Science Fiction elements. However, unlike the first book, Afterburn is more adult than junior high. Afterburn is a better book than Bio Rescue, but one should probably read the first to bretter appreciate the second.

I really enjoyed the adventures of Cherijo and Duncan. This book and Afterburn take up on K2 after Cherijo saves the settlement from contagion. It was good to see some of the same characters but I had a hard time connecting with this new story. I found it hard to visualize exactly how a marine creature could be transformed into a bi-ped capable of the manual dexterity it would take to fly a spacecraft. I was able to put that aside and enjoy the story but I didn't feel a connection with the main characters.