13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent sequel to "Resenting the Hero", September 16, 2006
This review is from: The Hero Strikes Back (Mass Market Paperback)
In which Lee and Shintaro have to content with every embarrassment and disaster from unseasonal weather and interfering mothers to treason and plots ...
This will give most pleasure to those who have read the first book in the series, "Resenting the Hero."
Both books are set hundred of years in the future on a colony planet where the population can only be protected against frequent natural disasters by the special talents of two groups of people - "Sources" and "Shields".
Sources can "channel" natural forces and dispel coming disasters: Shields protect the Sources and stop them dying or going insane while they do so. In principle any source can work with any shield, but in practice most sources form a spontaneous natural bond with one particular shield. The bond is involuntary, neither partner having any choice about who they form a pair with, and once formed it lasts for the rest of the life of both partners - it is so strong that the death of either partner causes the demise of the other.
Most pairs form a friendly and professional relationship, some ignore the advice of their training college by becoming lovers, and others find themselves tied for life to someone they can't stand.
Shintaro Karish, who renounced the title of Duke of Westsea in the previous book, is a Source. He is heroic, brave, virile, talented, charming, disgustingly handsome, and apart from being something of a rake, far too good to be true. Every young shield, expecially the female ones, wanted to bond with him, except for the narrator of the stories, Dunleavy Mallorough (Lee), a practical merchant's daughter who wants to work with someone calm, steady, and reliable. So guess who she got stuck with.
In the first book Shintaro and Lee got off to a pretty bad start but by the start of this one they have developed what appears on the surface as a very strong professional relationship and a firm friendship. The author obviously intends you to conclude from the story that Lee is desperately in love with Shintaro but hasn't admitted the fact to herself.
The city where they are posted is no longer experiencing the extreme disasters which Sources and Shields are trained to cope with, but instead is suffering from very unusual weather patterns such as snow in midsummer, which are wrecking the livelihoods of local people. Shintaro and Lee are under strong pressure to find a way to do something about this. At the same time, someone is murdering aristocrats in the area, and Lee is frightened that Shintaro might be their next victim. And both their mothers descend on the pair to promote their plans for their offspring. Lee's mother is trying to find her a husband, which is bad enough, but the Dowager Duchess of Westsea is not merely annoying but downright dangerous. Furious at her son renouncing the title, she is intriguing to get this decision reversed - and as the Empress had made Shintaro promise if he was allowed to renounce the Dukedom he would not seek to change his mind, such intrigues are very hazardous for everyone involved.
Funny, entertaining, and charming, I very strongly recommend this book.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Something wasn't quite right, October 14, 2006
This review is from: The Hero Strikes Back (Mass Market Paperback)
Okay, I liked the book and the writing was good. I've read the first one and enjoyed it and was looking forward to this one for months. I wanted to get that out of the way before I started nitpicking.
I wouldn't say I was disappointed, exactly, but something was wrong with the "ending" and I can't put my finger on it. One reviewer said that it was more like "the ongoing adventures of..." and maybe that's it. This felt more like a middle book in a series instead of standing on it's own. It just didn't feel like an ending, I guess. More like a "stay tuned for the next installment". Yes, I know it's a series, but I felt I was left hanging, like maybe this was just a setup book for the next one.
The other problem I'm having is the POV. It would be nice to get a chapter or two on what someone else (Taro, anybody?) is thinking or how they see events. Frankly, I'm getting a bit tired of Lee doing all the narration. I'd like to see what someone else is thinking and how they see some things that Lee is experiencing.
In the beginning of the book, Lee and Taro act like lovers, but for the rest of the book they're more or less acting like really good friends. It was a bit confusing because their relationship was looking as if it progressed, then it went back to "I like you, but that's all" without explanation. It was... odd.
Okay, I nitpicked. But only because I was expecting better. I'll still be waiting on the third one since I've read the other two but despite the sound of this review, I do like the books (I gave it 4 stars, didn't I?). They're very light and entertaining and the writing is good. This second book has it's moments too, it's just that I'm a little disappointed.
Like another reviewer said, read Resenting the Hero first. If you like it, you'll probably like this one too.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Family matters in more ways than one., October 24, 2006
This review is from: The Hero Strikes Back (Mass Market Paperback)
This is the second in the series and follows Resenting the Hero. Not recommended as a standalone novel. Another very good book that I think is comparable to the books of Dawn Cook.
After their last nasty adventure, Shinto and Lee return to pick up their new lives in High Scape. After a while, the locals start to notice that the weather patterns are just plain wacky and start to call for the Shields and Sources to "fix" things. Now, Shields are Sources are trained to deal with catastrophic events, not regular weather patterns. Things start to get nasty with the local populous and to top it off, poor or landless nobles, like Shinto, are disappearing. To make things more interesting, both Lee's and Shinto's mothers show up. Lee's mother wants to get to know her daughter and although meddlesome, she's rather pleasant. Shinto's mother is like the classic novel noblewoman, who is out to get something for herself and is a social raciest that doesn't even care that Lee is Paired with Shinto because she isn't the right class.
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