Vigilant [Paperback]

James Alan Gardner (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Eos/HarperCollins, Dresden, Tennessee, U.S.A. (1999)
• ISBN-10: 0380802082
• ISBN-13: 978-0380802081
• ASIN: B001QHVHIU
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,585,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable., June 17, 2004

By 

The Feisty Curmudgeon (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vigilant (Hardcover)

James Alan Gardner is one of the few male authors I've read who does a good job when it comes to telling a story from a woman's point-of-view. I loved his first novel "Expendable", and was pleased to see the protagonist, Festina Ramos, show up in "Vigilant". Festina is more of a supporting character here; the first-person narrative is told by Faye Smallwood, a 40-something woman living on the planet Demoth in the 25th century. Faye becomes a member of "The Vigil", a watchdog organization that ferrets out government corruption, and the story takes off when Faye becomes a target of assassins who are killing off members of The Vigil.

I had a few minor problems with "Vigilant". Faye's first person narrative annoyed me in a few places. I found it odd that a 40ish-year-old woman living in the 25th century kept using 20th century slang. In several places, I felt the story was underdeveloped, particularly when it came to Faye's relationships with her family. It was interesting that Gardner didn't take the easy way out here and have Faye's "group marriage/commune" life-style fade away as she got older, but Faye's spouses were barely mentioned and when they were, I could never remember which one was which. I would have liked to have gotten to know them better.

I also would have liked more background on the how the human/alien Oolom relationship developed on Demoth. The Oolom settled on Demoth first and far outnumbered humans, and yet the Oolom had adapted many human mannerisms instead of the other way around.

Overall though, "Vigilant" was a fun read and quite a page-turner. I enjoyed it.