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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating Setting that's Better than the Murder Mystery, May 22, 2008
This review is from: Emissaries from the Dead (Andrea Cort, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
Emissaries from the Dead, Adam-Troy Castro's first science fiction novel set in a world of his own making, carries forward a protagonist and setting from his short stories. The world's wonderfully bizarre, an artificial planet built on the inside of a miles-long cylinder by millenia-old sentient software called the AIsource. Each advanced civilization explores space first with its software, and this code has outlived its coders, joining together with programs from other worlds to form one megabloated Windows release that controls the universe. The software has engineered sloth-like, spider-armed primates who hang from the vines and roots growing on the outer edge of the world, surviving only as long as they can hold on. These creatures are called Brachiators, from the verb brachiate, and they're the most fascinating thing about the novel. "The battlefield was a patch of Uppergrowth indistinguishable from any other, marked only by the thirty nearly immobile figures wrapped in what their species must have considered to be frenetic combat. There were two groups, whose paths prior to this moment in their respective histories were easy to track by the vines they'd shredded in their wake. They hadn't collided head-on, but rather at an angle, joining in battle as soon as both tribes realized that they'd now be competing for the same patch of their world's ceiling. "The fresh, juicy manna pears hanging in bunches from every vine in sight revealed the conflict as ridiculous, as even Brachiators forced into a course change could have found more food than they could possibly eat within an hour's travel, but that didn't matter to them; their armies had met, and their war had to be fought. ... "The Brachiator battlefield looked like an orgy where everybody had fallen asleep in mid-hump." Unfortunately, the Brachiators aren't the focus. The novel's about two murders that take place in the small colony of human researchers sent to the planet. Cort's an unloved diplomat sent to solve the crimes without implicating the AIsource, and the bulk of the 386-page novel consists of her talking to potential suspects and interacting with the AIsource, who pose a constant threat to go all deus ex machina and kill the suspense. Castro's story is all talk, ending with Cort's uninterrupted six-page Scooby Doo monologue on how she solved the crimes. Despite the weaknesses in plotting, Castro's setting carries the book and makes the prospect of another "Andrea Cort novel" intriguing. She just needs a mystery that hangs on a species as compelling as the Brachiators.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Grim, Gripping, and Satisfying, December 4, 2008
This review is from: Emissaries from the Dead (Andrea Cort, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
Adam-Troy Castro has written several novellas set in the richly imagined universe where investigator Andrea Cort does her work. She's not a nice lady. Her bosses are not nice people. The mysterious AIsource is definitely not nice. Pitted against one another, with a group of weary but determined duty-bound human diplomats caught in the middle, it's an exciting ride to find out who's going to win this long battle of nerves. Andrea Cort is a powerful and interesting character. She's strong-willed, bitter, intelligent, deeply weird, and believable. The past horrors she endured are at the core of this story, and whether she can ever overcome them to become...healthier? Hm. To solve a murder mystery, Cort is trapped in an eerie, hostile alien environment that I found entertainingly disturbing -- I cannot even imagine living like that for even a short period! -- among people whose motives are good but whose human flaws are inescapable. Even Castro's minor characters are vivid, including an intriguing pair whose unique situation is portrayed quite engagingly. This first full-length novel is a treat for all of Castro's existing fans and, I hope, many new ones. Oh, and the cover illo is beautiful!
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hard to believe this is Adam Troy-Castro's first novel (4.5 stars), March 11, 2008
This review is from: Emissaries from the Dead (Andrea Cort, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)
Andrea Cort's a Judge Advocate from "Dip" aka Diplomatic Corps headed for a much-needed vacation when she's assigned to a murder on One One One. Looking at monsters is something Cort considers to be her specialty since she considers herself a monster because she was overtaken by madness at eight and committed murder. One One One is a cylinder world created by the AISource, which is not for the faint of heart or those suffering from height issues. Only the forested top portion of the world is habitable, which the bottom is a poisonous concoction. By the time Cort arrives on One One One, a second murder is reported--another woman. Diplomatic Corps advises her that AISource cannot be found guilty of the crimes no matter what--the implications are a war that humanity would not win. Andrea also finds out that she's been handpicked by someone for this treacherous assignment, though no one is telling who. She's not the best choice, since she has height issues which are obvious. Adam Troy-Castro is a master at world-building. One One One is a fascinating creation with characters both frightening and complex. The Brachiators are a created race which will only consider her as a viable emissary if she is at least Half-Ghost. Plus, there are humans who share one personality over psionically linked bodies. My only complaint was that I felt Andrea needed some more development. She's somewhat muted from this reader's point of view and needs to speak more strongly for herself. I like her view of herself as a monster and her inner strength of will is impressive, though. The mystery element was strong and dark. I didn't realize who did it until the end and the end did come as a surprise. My understanding is that a sequel to this novel will follow
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