Endurance (A Stardoc Novel) (Paperback)

by S.L. Viehl (Author) "Wishful thinking, Hippocrates old pal..." (more)
Key Phrases: crying chambers, prep unit, confinement pit, Duncan Reever, Gael Kelly, Detainment Area (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
Entertaining...the adventure and quirky mix of aliens and cultures makes a fun combination. -- Locus

I just loved it-I hummed with enjoyment while reading it. Don't miss this one! -- Catherine Coulter

Splendidly full of new characters. -- Anne McCaffrey

Product Description
The further adventures of Cherijo, a genetically-enhanced human engineered to be the model of perfection-if she can survive....

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Roc (January 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451458141
• ISBN-13: 978-0451458148
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #126,896 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More fun from Ms Viel, January 23, 2001

By	Mfitz... "Mfitz..." (Cincinnati, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

If you have not read any of the Star Doc books you are in for a real treat. The books are an equal blend of good old wiz-bang space opera and romance. I think that this book like the rest of the series will appeal mostly to women, but if you are not a Romance fan do not let that keep you away. This book owes more to books like White's Sector General series as it does to the world of bodice rippers.

"Endurance" is the third installment in the adventures of Cherijo Grey Veil, genetic construct and intersteller surgon. The book starts right where the last one ended and it ends with a cliff hanger of its own, but don't let that put you off because there is enough action in this book that it will leave you wanting more.

The only flaw in the book is that it becomes harder and harder to believe that someone as smart and savy as Cherijo could be as stupid about men as she is. I think that Ms. Viel still has cards to play in the increasingly disfunctional relationship between Cherijo and Duncan Reever the series hero/villain/general mystery man, and I hope she playes them soon or that relationship will begin to get old. At this point you are still rooting for them to get together, but their chance of happiness seems dim through most of this book, at least untill the ending.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best book in the series., January 19, 2001

By	AlleyWriter.com (Naperville, IL) - See all my reviews

While Cherijo's commitment to "do no harm" remains firmly in place, she takes a step away from being the Doctor Saint. And for those of you who (like me) detest Reever, there's a treat or two in store for you. Throughout the Stardoc series Cherijo gets dumped on more often than a city landfill. Usually she mouths some tough talk, then forgives the dumper and pretends nothing ever happened. In "Endurance" she's been beaten into a corner and if she wants out she's got to fight back. She's also gotten a little tired of being the constant dumpee and starts to do something about it. What does she do? Oh no, I couldn't possibly tell you that. That'd be cheating, but you won't be disappointed. As another reviewer mentioned, the story IS violent, but consider two things. First, the nature of the HskTsk. They're brutal; feared throughout the known universe because of their unrelenting and usually unprovoked violence. They don't just rob a colony when they raid, they murder every living sentient they find. Second, look at the violence in real life prisons. The level of desperation is generally far less than is the case on the HskTsk slave colony. Keep those two things in mind, and you'll see that if anything Viehl held back, including only the violence required to advance the story. To have included less would have been a disservice to the story and to Veihl's readers. After reading the scene with Cherijo and Noarr alone on his ship I'm wondering if Cherijo might have a sister, and if so, where can I email her! Oh, right, she's an only child. Curses. The depth of "Endurance" exceeds both of the previous Stardoc novels. The relationships are firmer and more complex, the setting is generally more vivid, the drama is more intense. What does that mean? It means that "Endurance" is Viehl's best book to date. I found myself staying up till the wee hours of the morning, not willing to set it aside until I was too tired to keep reading. I took it to work with me. I made my wife drive when we went out. I read it every spare second I had. I wanted to know right that very second what came next, and next and next. This went on until I'd read the very last word.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Survival Tactics, February 11, 2001

By A Customer

I've been reading this series since the first book came out, and this author still shocks me. The latest of Dr. Cherijo's adventures takes place as she becomes a slave of the Hskskt. She and the League soldiers captured at the end of the second book are taken to a crystal prison where they wait to be sold. Cherijo is forced to become a slave doctor to keep the Hskskt from executing the sick. Even though she joins up with an alien freedom fighter, she also operates on guards and makes friends with one of them. There is romance and more betrayal in this book, but not what you'd think. I didn't expect the plot twists at the end of the book at all, in particular the ones about Helen and Noarr. I admire that Ms. Viehl didn't back away from describing the suffering endured by the slaves in this novel. There is plenty of her usual humor, but she doesn't use it to joke about slavery. I would have been offended if she had. Because there is some graphic violence, I rate this one PG13 for parents. It isn't fluffy sci-fi for the middle class, who want to pretend things like this don't happen. This is the real deal. My only complaint about this series is why do we have to wait until Nov. for the next one?