Customer Reviews

Fearful Symmetries: The Return of Nohar Rajasthan (Moreau, Bk. 4)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The moreau books can be read individually, but this is the only direct sequel in the series (so far). Picking up about 15 years after the first, things start off bad and only get worse. Swann seems to have a bit of a formula here, and his books are almost predictable in ther chaotic messiness, but you know what? It works.

My heart sank when I found out that my favorite part of the first book, Nohar and Stephie's love story, didn't make it. But the book was still next to impossible to put down. I read it and the first book in just a few nights and was exausted. The tension just sucks the life out of you. And if you thought the first book was intense (and painful), HA! You haven't seen anything yet. The punishment Nohar takes in this book is unreal. You practically have bruises just from reading it.

Secrets and people from the past emerge to make Nohar's life hell, and as a character I feel that he grows just as much here as he did in the first book. And while the future looks bleaker than ever, there still seems to be a ray of hope.

If you've read the three previous books in the series ("Forests of the Night", "Emperors of the Twilight" and "Spectres of the Dawn"), you know about what to expect - a mystery plot that leads to several twists and surprises, and a lot of action and suspense, all set in the late 21st century Earth where many of the inhabitants are genetically engineers animal-morphs (Moreaus) who were originally created to fight wars but who still survive and are treated as second-class citizens by most humans. In case you haven't read the previous installments, Swann does a pretty good job of filling in the relevant background information, but be aware that much of that information will be spoilers if you later go back and read the first three books, especially the first, "Forests of the Night", which also features Nohar Rajasthan as the lead character (the other two have different main characters).

The book was hard to put down, and all the action and plot twists worked pretty well, to a point, but starting somewhere around three fourths of the way through the book it felt like the author was overreaching, trying too hard to escalate the tension, pushing things too close to the edge, and as a result the ending didn't work as well for me as it could have. But boy!, what a thrill ride this book was. If you like sci-fi action thrillers, read this book. Read the other three of the series while you're at it.

Oh,it's so -good- to have another book about Nohar Rajasthan. And this is a real page-turner, too. Body and mind, Nohar is one of the most interesting beings to come up the pike in some time, and I'm really glad to see him back. He takes a lot of punishment in this one, and he's getting old--Swann had better work on that age problem. I'd like to see Nohar go on and on.

This book is the fourth in a series, but you don't have to have read the others to enjoy this one. The books opens with a bang and ends with one. The twists and turns will keep you guessing, but the author does play fair and gives you all you need to figure out what is going on if you pay attention and read between the lines here and there. This is not a good book to read if you want a pick-me-up. This story is dark and does not paint a very cheerful picture of the world or humanity. I happen to love these sort of books, and Andrew Swann's in particular. As long as you know what your getting into I can't recommend a book much better than this.

This is the first time I have read any of the "Moreau" series by S. Andrew Swann, and I was duly impressed. Nohar Rajasthan is a noble and quixotic character, for I think he is only trying to survive a world where moreaus are only considered 2nd-class citizens by the very beings that created them: humans. The situation that Nohar finds himself in and the subsequent discovery of his "mule" son Manuel is filled with believable tension. The ending is great too, and I hope to read more of Swann's "Moreau" books in the future.

Nohar Rajasthan is no human. He is a genetically mutated tiger, a moreau. He is a predator, designed to fight by humans who did not want to risk their own in the bloody wars. But once the wars were over, the moreau had to be tolerated by the humans who created them. So now they are second class citizens. Nohar makes his living as a detective, serving only the moreau, never touching a human case but once. And once was enough. He learned his lesson.

Now, retired at forty, and feeling his age more every day, Nohar is approached by someone who wants to hire him, a young crossbreed moreau. Nohar refuses, which leads to his home being destroyed, which leads to Nohar seeking out the man who contacted him, only to find him dead. And all of this leads to a shocking discovery. Nohar has a son, and his son is in danger.

S. Andrew Swann has a knack for making the unbelievable seem believable. Fearful Symmetries humanizes Nohar to the point that he becomes a completely believable hero, while retaining his exotic differences. Engrossing.

Rickey R. Mallory

What a great book! I totally enjoyed this from beginning to end. It had just the right amount of suspense, action and humor. As well as wonderful characters. S Andrew Swann truly has created the greatest fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatures to be had anywhere. A great read, animal lovers, members of the Furry Community, sci-fi buffs, everyone should read this book and the rest of the series! Yes, start with Forests of the Night and work from there! Nohar, what a guy, my hero. *siiiigh* Ahem...uhh..err...READ!

Let's see. We've got genetic engineering, action, millitary tech and strategy, gripping characters, and a strong plot line. Swann writes some powerful stuff. The plot line (for which you will have to buy the book and read for yourself) would not only be believable if it were set in the present, but also would work with human characters as well. Though it seems that Swann believes that genetically engineered animal human hybrids are a given for the near future, I tend to disagree (then again, seeing as scientists have succeeded in cloning sheep, and developing mice with human antibodies and pigs with human blood, he might be right). Nonetheless, I like the book. I like Nohar's character even more. I am eagerly waiting for the next book.

In this return of the character Nohar the Tiger/ Human hybrid ( Moreau), the author kept the paced going from very beginning. Nohar used his skills to overcome incredible odds, despite his growing physical detriments due to age. I liked the way the author focused on the evils and corruption that humans can do without the aid of alien manipulation, as was done in the previous 3 books.

i would have liked a little more wind down at the end of the book, as there were many unresolved issues that would have been nice to tie up.

The tiger is ex-private eye Nohar Rajasthan, and he's only part tiger and part part man, a rare natural descendent of moreaus - animal-human chimeras designed for war. It's been 17 years since the events of Forests of the Night (Daw collectors No. 918), seven years since Nohar left his human wife Stephanie. He lives on a homestead in California, part of a government program designed, in the wake of massive moreau-human violence, to get moreaus away from urban areas. He lives a simple life of hunting deer. His joints aching in the morning, his stripes faded, he knows he won't live long.

But, after he turns down a generous offer from an anonymous client to find a missing moreau and a hit team descends on his cabin, he has no choice but to return to Los Angeles and confront his past and the world he left.

In some ways, this is not only the shortest but most contemplative of Swann's moreau books. While it still has plenty of action, it also has Nohar confronting not only the fearful symmetries of his created purpose but also memories of his early life and the similarities between his own, distant father and the murderous forces he must combat.

While Swann again adds another chapter in the troubled relations between human and moreau and even shows us the first moreaus to be created, this is not a good entry point in the series. It depends too much on resonances from early books. But, after finishing those early books, it is definitely worth reading.