Narcissus (Five Star Science Fiction & Fantasy) [Hardcover]

Don D'Ammassa (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The second Sandor Dyle interstellar murder mystery (after 2004's Scarab) finds the laconic pattern analyst and his ex-cop associate, Marym Dunnis, among the passengers on a huge spaceliner making its maiden voyage. Also on board is much-hated former dictator Magnus Mercator, accompanied by his children and a handful of employees, all with their own secrets and agendas. Soon after a bomb destroys the ship's controlling AI, disabling security surveillance, Mercator is brutally murdered. At the captain's request, Dyle and Dunnis start untangling the puzzle in the manner of traditional detectives, using a series of examinations and interviews to unmask hidden identities, discover unexpected connections and discard faulty assumptions. D'Ammassa sticks to a conventional whodunit approach, avoiding futuristic jargon and basing his characters' behavior more on their emotions than on the high-tech gadgets they wield. The result doesn't break new ground, but is instead a pleasant, comfortable read about an intriguing team of detectives. (Oct.)
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From Booklist

The second Sandor Dyle science-fiction mystery, following Scarab (2004), builds on the strengths of the first and corrects a glaring error, too. This time out, Dyle, the interplanetary detective, must solve the murder of one of the galaxy's most reviled men. The tale is constructed something like an Agatha Christie mystery: a closed environment (in this case, a luxury starship on its maiden voyage); an assortment of potential suspects; and plenty of deceit, double-dealing, and plot twists. As Dyle investigates, we recognize that he is a shrewd, imaginative detective and that his creator is a shrewd, imaginative writer, more than up to the tricky task of genre bending. Best of all, this time D'Ammassa keeps the identity of the villain a secret until it's time to spring it on us (in Scarab, he let slip this vital piece of information long before he should have). A thoroughly enjoyable novel, better than its predecessor. Pitt, David

Product Details

• Hardcover: 319 pages
• Publisher: Five Star (October 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159414608X
• ISBN-13: 978-1594146084
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,215,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Don D'Ammassa was born in 1946 and was reading adult fiction by age six. He has been accumulating books ever since and his library is now approaching 60,000 volumes. He began reviewing science fiction and fantasy in the 1960s and sold his first novel, Blood Beast, in 1988. Since then he has sold well over one hundred stories, six more novels, and three reference books. He currrently lives in Rhode Island.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Murder-Mystery on a Luxury Starliner, December 15, 2007

By 

A. Lee (L.A., CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Narcissus (Five Star Science Fiction & Fantasy) (Hardcover)

The more things change, the more they remain the same. Despite interstellar travel and advanced artificial intelligences running the ships and catering to the passengers, there are still very human faults and emotions that lead to mysteries and death.

Sandor Dyle may be styled as a famous pattern analyst who does consultations, but we can easily recognize him as kin to all those private consulting detectives in fiction. And to prove it, even when sabotage disrupts the computing systems so that his usual figures and statistics are unavailable to him, he still uses the little gray cells to solved the mysteries: both of the sabotage and of the murder of one of the passengers--an infamous former planetary dictator with a dark past and many enemies.

The mystery itself was satisfying. There was the sabotage and the murder and a cast of usual and unusual suspects. There were clues enough to be able to solve it if you wished, or just go along for the ride. All the conventions one expects in a traditional murder mystery are there, enough to make one feel at home. And there was the futuristic setting, which was comfortable for any reader of SF, but fun to see in juxtaposition with an old-fashioned mystery.

There are not many chances taken here, and not a lot of new territory, but this, also, is acceptable in such a formulaic murder mystery. I have to say that it was nothing amazing, but still a solid read and I'd be interested in reading more, which is about all I can ask of a book.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic double mystery science fiction thriller, October 18, 2007

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Narcissus (Five Star Science Fiction & Fantasy) (Hardcover)

Sandor Dyle is a galaxy famous patterns analyst who has solved some very high profile cases. At the moment he is on vacationing traveling on the starship Helen of Troy with his friend and companion Maryum Dunnis. There are two artificial personalities on board; Mennor who has the personality of a grouchy old man and Eco who deals with the public evoking the image of a sexy siren. Dyle wakes up one night and feels something is wrong and the room is ominously quiet.

The Captain asks him to help identify a saboteur-killer on board. He accepts because of the challenge and because he doesn't want any more trouble on board. While investigating the sabotage, one of the passengers Magnus Mercator, hated throughout the galaxy because of his war crimes committed when he and the Lysandrans took over his world of Cathanor. He became their puppet leader and when the aliens were thrown out, Mercator was exiled. The thinking is that Eco, who has the ability to watch over anyone on the ship, was destroyed in the explosion so that someone could kill Mercator. Dyle isn't so sure so he studies the patterns seeking to hone in on the killer.

Don D'Ammassa writes a fantastic double mystery science fiction thriller. The differences between artificial personalities (AP) and Artificial Intelligences (AI) play a crucial role in the resolution of the mystery even though it doesn't reveal which being committed the sabotage. The description of the ship with all its advanced technology enables readers believe they are visiting a time in the future in space. The author is a great worldbuilder who will appeal to fans of mysteries and science fiction.

Harriet Klausner