16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Debut, April 27, 2010
This review is from: Song of Scarabaeus (Mass Market Paperback)
Prodigy Edie Sha'nim was trained at a young age to program technology called biocyph. But when she is kidnapped by mercenaries wanting to exploit her gift, she is given a taste of actual freedom away from the forced labor of the Crib government. Edie is assigned a bodyguard, Finn, who has no choice in the matter. But the two must work together to fight for their freedom against the mercenaries and the Crib.
Creasy has created a fascinating universe of advanced technology with debatable repercussions. Edie and Finn have great chemistry and are a bit of an "odd couple," being complete opposites. Edie is naturally submissive and highly emotional. Whereas, Finn is stoic and rebellious. With subtle description, the characters and landscapes jump off the page. And within the first few chapters, I was pulled into the story.
This was a highly impressive science fiction novel from a promising new author. The technology was described enough to seem believable, yet not enough to get bogged down in explanation. And its blend of technology and moral ethics was surprisingly fresh. With plenty of mystery, danger, suspense, intrigue, and alien life - fans of the genre will definitely enjoy this exciting debut. Ending in a mild cliffhanger, readers like me will be eager for a sequel.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A treat!, May 2, 2010
This review is from: Song of Scarabaeus (Mass Market Paperback)
Other reviewers have summarized the plot, so I'll content myself with saying Song of Scarabaeus is a thoughtful, well-written book that manages to combine immensely appealing lead characters (Edie, the strong-willed but generous kidnapped cypherteck) and Finn (her bitter but intensely moral bodyguard) with great science and quite a bit of believable fast-paced action.
The plot--and here I give no quarter--stands up to 99% of scrutiny (with just a little fudging over data storage in the resolution). All in all, Song of Scarabaeus is of the best SF books I've read in years. Can't wait for Sara Creasy's next book!
Note: The book has a very cool trailer posted on a well-known video-upload site that I'm apparently not supposed to link to <g>.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Sonnet Review (from All-Consuming Books), June 6, 2010
This review is from: Song of Scarabaeus (Mass Market Paperback)
"Meet Edie. She's a cypherteck who works
with terraforming seeds called BRATs (a brand
of bio-engineered sci-bomb which jerks
a planet's ecosystem into shape and
preps it for new colonists). She's kidnapped
by rovers (space pirates) who need her aid
in fixing dying Fringe worlds. Since her apt-
itude is rare and vauled, Finn is made
into her bodyguard--can't leave her or
he'll die. Tension ensues. Now Edie must
survive assassinations, restore
planet Scarabaeus, and earn Finn's trust.
Romantic subplot's swwet and feels legit--
I only wish that there were more of it."
I picked up this book because I was looking for another read like Ann Aguirre's Sirantha Jax series--modern, mostly positive, science fiction written with a female audience in mind. I'm a big fan of science fiction, but I've mostly read very guy-centric SF, like cyberpunk, and I've recently grown more interested in SF stories that feel like a counterpoint to urban fantasy--action, intrigue, some humor, and no Big Messages about how We Are All Doomed, like a lot of dystopian SF has delivered in the past. Well, author Sara Creasy sure knows her science fiction, because Song of Scarabaeus is both brilliantly imagined and deeply entertaining.
Edie's abilities are interesting and well-rendered, and she's also a very believable character. She grew up as an outcast on her primitive backwater world, but now she has skills that are vauled throughout the galaxy. But she doesn't let pride get to her. When Finn, a slave who was incarcerated for fighting on the wrong side during a galactic war, is assigned to her as a bodyguard, she thinks of his wellbeing, though everyone else treats him like an intelligent animal. Finn's boundary chip keeps him from leaving her (or else his head will go kaboom), and the two of them have to learn to work together under various hostile circumstances.
This book only just narrowly missed a "A" rating because I felt that second half of the novel didn't live up to the promise of the first half--which is to say, that not everything unfolded like I was expecting. But Sara Creasy is now on my autobuy list, because if this lovely piece of excitement is what she produces for a debut, I can't imagine how awesome subsequent novels will be.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
