7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Sequel!, July 31, 2008
This review is from: The Cold Minds (Ace Science Fiction) (Paperback)
Kristin Landon's first book, The Hidden Worlds, was one of the most entertaining and thought-provoking books I've read in a long while. And with The Cold Minds, the second book in the series, she has only improved. The characters are more developed, and the relationships between them more complex, while the plot is gripping, compelling, unpredictable, and yet believable (within the confines of the SF genre of course). While it is obviously still a science fiction book, it really has little in common with most books in that genre, which are almost always full of carboard characters with simple relationships. As much as I wanted to savor the book, I found that I simply couldn't stop reading. The last seventy-five pages went faster than just about anything that I have ever read.
This book can't just be categorized as a SF action-adventure romantic thriller. The characters are too developed, and more importantly the relationships between them are too complex, to pigeon-hole it into any of those categories. I were forced to put it in any particular category, it would "literature". I can't recommend it enough! And I greatly look forward to the next book in the series!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
science fiction, June 17, 2010
This review is from: The Cold Minds (Ace Science Fiction) (Paperback)
Kept my attention through the book. It helps to read the series of books in order. Would recommend.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Gritty SF Adventure, May 26, 2011
This review is from: The Cold Minds (Ace Science Fiction) (Paperback)
I rarely review any genre outside the paranormal, but I am going to make an exception with the The Hidden Worlds trilogy by Kristin Landon. I had seen positive references to it on a few other blog sites. Looked quite interesting. I thought I would read it when I needed a break from all things paranormal. At the time there was no thought to writing a review. That changed when, for no reason I can explain, the publisher sent me a copy of The Dark Reaches (Book 3), the final installment in the series. First thing was to buy The Cold Minds (Book 2), and The Hidden Worlds (Book 1). To understand and enjoy Landon's work the books should be read in order.
The stories mesh together so tightly that I won't even attempt to review each one lest any spoilers pop up. Here is the bare outline.
Alien machines called the Cold Minds have invaded Earth and its solar system. They kill swiftly and without mercy. Much of humanity manages to escape by taking all available ships through other space, a dimension that allows travel through great galactic distances. The heroes are the jump pilots. They are the only ones who can safely maneuver other space. In this way most of humanity escapes. They now live in colonies on the Hidden Worlds.
Ian sen Paolo is one of the elite. He is a jump pilot who lives with those of his kind on the planet Nexus. It is assumed that the members of this exclusive male group are the only ones capable of piloting a ship. The ruling council allows only certain of their pilots to procreate. Only sons are born to them, and the women who bear the children are carefully selected and well paid. They are surrogate mothers who will never see their children again. Pilots consider themselves superior to other humans and, because of their unique gift, that's how they are treated.
Linnea Kiaho comes from one of the poor outer planets. In a desperate move to get money for her family she travels to Nexus carrying with her a secret that could destroy the privileged position of Ian's family, and perhaps the exclusive status of all jump pilots. When she first arrives on Nexus Linnea works as Ian's servant. He is the typically arrogant pilot, but then his world suddenly collapses. Linnea, who knows his secret, is caught with him in the same trap. Out of necessity they learn to lean on each other and from this their love does develop - not easily and not smoothly. There are no hearts and flowers for their romance.
Landon's powerful writing puts you deep into the mind of each character. The reader experiences their joy or pain as if each moment reader and character are one. Landon's imagination has created a vivid universe with gritty realism. Life can be very harsh either because of the physical surroundings or the brutal political power games. The story is so gripping and the characters so lifelike that reading becomes almost an addiction. You desperately want to know what happens next; yet you don't want the story to end.
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