Beyond the Stars [Paperback]

Phoebe Conn (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Popular Library (February 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0445204184
• ISBN-13: 978-0445204188
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,322,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Complete Mess, August 22, 2006

By 

msbooklady "msbooklady" (Biloxi, MS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beyond the Stars (Paperback)

In fairness, before I say what I felt was wrong with this book, I will say when I started reading this book I felt it had potential. The hero, Aidin and heroine Kara were likeable characters and the theme looked like an interesting one. Unfortunately that's about all I can say is positive about this book.

This book is set in the future where the galaxy is divided into a hand full of empires, the focus of this story being Alado. Alado sends scouts to unpopulated areas of the universe to map them out and look for potential sites for landing strips etc. Kara is a pilot/scout for Alado and gets stranded on 329, an abandoned penal colony. When Kara is unable to reach her mother ship (referred to as MOTHER) she panics, but is convinced it is only a matter of time before MOTHER comes for her. Aidin is the Captain of the Guard for 329, his responsibility is to protect his colony from the moles, who are a group of the descendants of the prisoners of the Penal Colony who resisted the organized structure of 329 and went to live underground and also to protect 329 from Alado and the other empires who brutally abandoned the inhabitants of 329 years ago. 329 is somewhat primitive because of their limited resources and believe women are precious and should be protected by the males.

Aidin finds Kara stranded in the desert and although he is supposed to execute any invador from Alado on sight, he is very attracted to Kara and besides she is a woman and women are considered valuable assets. Kara finds herself attracted to Aidin as well and agrees to let him hide her in his home until MOTHER comes for her. Aidin and Kara begin a sexual relationship and then fall in love and by necessity, marry.

The problem with this book is two-fold (1) It is hard to determine what the plot is supposed to be. You think at first that it is Kara's inner struggle with will she choose Aidin or her career when MOTHER comes for her. Then all of a sudden, although this has been an issue for the first 2/3 of the book, its no longer a problem and all of a sudden in the last 50 pages the pressing issue is the ruling board of Alado is suffering from corruption and they need Aidin's help to fix it.???? (2) The biggest problem with this story is it is a mass of contradictions. We are told that Alado is progressive, men and women are equals, it is non-violent etc...I think not, in the end of the book it comes to light that half the ruling board of Alado are militants. How can that be when they spent 350 pages convincing us that they are a non-violent society. Then on the issue of equality between men and women, it seems the same old story to me. Yes, men and women both can be scouts and the author stresses how sexually free Kara is, but then it comes down to they need a macho man from 329 to bail them out and the women are blackmailed by the men with sex tapes. Well hello, how can the man get away innocent in the tape. If they are equal, how come its just bad for the woman to be on the tape. Also, Kara is horrified by the fact that Aidin's people commit adultery but yet her people are trained in how to make love. This book is about 200 pages too long and I could go on and on about how the author stresses one point only to contradict it later on. It is repetitive and an editor's nightmare. Also, it was supposed to be set in the future but with the exception of a few spaceships, it seems everything runs exactly as it does now. Some of the masters of describing new worlds (Dara Joy-Johanna Lindsey) give us exciting new creatures and races, but not MS Conn. I was totally disappointed in this book and I hope her next book is better.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A stellar experience! Out-of-this-world!, June 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Beyond the Stars (Paperback)

Kara is proud to be a space pilot of the very prestigious Alado Corporation. On a routine flight, she is forced to land at Planet 329--an abandoned penal colony. There she meets Aidan, a descendant of the former criminals sentenced by Alado. Since women are few and rare on his home planet, he is determined to keep his beautiful enchantress for himself. When his feelings for her turn to love, he will brave the outside world and go to other planets to fight for their future.

The story in and of itself was very interesting and exciting. However, I got VERY IRRITATED when Ms. Conn kept HARPING on the fact that her heroine has had a LOT of sexual experience--of which the hero enjoyed but found bothersome. While I'm pretty open about such things, I wish the author would just write some explicit scenes of both characters showing and enjoying the sexual experience without her MENTIONING the heroine's 'vast' experience AT THE MOST INOPPORTUNE MOMENTS. This is a pretty common theme in her Alado books. Catch more of her Alado Series under her pseudonym--Cinnamon Burke.