Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not a bad start to a sociological SF series, September 3, 2002
I picked up this book on a whim while checking out at Fred Meyer. I have never read any Charles Ingrid, and I must say I found the first volume of this two-volume series to be fairly good. Not smashingly good, for it had its problems, but good just the same.Hard SF fans probably won't like it, as the science behind the book is rubbery at best. The bahdur of the Choyan race seems like nothing so much as magic, and throughout the book there is little to dispell this impression. Like George Lucas's epic Force that dominates the galaxy in Star Wars, the Talent and bahdur of the Choyan race is an unexplainable plot device that allows the Tezar pilots to wield supernatural powers, for good or evil. If you're annoyed by the Science Fanciful, then this book is probably not for you. Otherwise, the inhabitants of Cho are drawn in gripping, livid detail, and the central character Palaton is sympathetic and engaging, as a hero should be. I was refreshed in that humans, for the most part, remain on the fringes of the central story, though it seems obvious they will take a far greater role in the second volume. The Abdrelik and Ronin adversaries are drawn in convincingly predatory strokes, while the carnivorous politics of the Compact give the reader the impression that the barriers keeping the various races from each others' throats are paper thin. I think my biggest beef is that Ingrid is not much of a battle scene writer. Several of the most climactic moments focus on what should have been huge battles. The invasion of Arizar and the ultimate showdown between the Abdreliks and the Choyan on Cho itself, are compressed into a few pages, as if they are mere afterthoughts. The events of the Two Day War over Cho should have been the highlight of the book, with whole chapters expended upon them, but are instead are rushed through as if the writer can't be bothered with the hard-hitting prose. In this sense the book is basically about relationships. The push and pull of duty versus desire, good versus evil, loyalty versus adventure, etc. The meat of the book involves the characters and how they relate to each other. I picked up the second volume and am reading it now. So Ingrid obviously hooked me in enough to want to read the whole thing through to the conclusion.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Similar Patterns, September 3, 2003
This is the second volume in the PATTERNS OF CHAOS series, comprising the third and fourth original books. I reviewed the first volume a short time ago, and what I wrote in that review holds true for this volume. In short, I found the plot was pretty good and the characters sympathetic and appealing. There were three aspects of it that I was critical of. First, the not-so-alien aliens. Second, the author's use of a psi power called "bahdur" as a plot device. Finally, I thought that potentially compelling action situations in the story were glossed over. See my earlier review for a more complete discussion of these issues.This volume generally has the same strengths and weaknesses as the first. In fact, the use of "bahdur" becomes ever more outrageous. Sometimes characters can tell who the attacking pilot is in another flyer through it, others times they are not even aware of enemies right outside their door until it's too late, or are unaware of the nearby presence of a close friend or ally. Besides the above, however, there is one additional criticism I will add in regard to this volume. It has a very abrupt ending. The story builds toward a final confrontation, but as I got into the last twenty or thirty pages it seemed that there was still a lot that needed to happen. I actually went back and looked to see if there was another volume in the series. I didn't think the author could possibly wrap everything up in the few pages that remained. The bad news is, he doesn't. The climactic scene is pulled off and a brief denouement follows, but a lot of loose ends are just left dangling. PATTERNS OF CHAOS held my interest all the way through both volumes, but I was disappointed in the ending and, at the same time, glad it was over by the time I got there. It's a mildly entertaining read, especially if you can overlook the weaknesses and inconsistencies, but it ends up being just mediocre, given the shortcomings. If you've already read the first volume, you'll probably want to read this one just to see how it all comes out, but I can't recommend it.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Patterns Pro And Con, August 9, 2003
What we have here is a four-part series consolidated into two volumes. This is the first volume and comprises the first half of the full story. It revolves around an alien race that inhabits a planet called Cho. The Choyans are a leading race in an interstellar compact of races. Their power rests on a monopoly over faster-than-light travel. Any ship that must travel interstellar distances requires a Choyan pilot and his/her little black box. Other races are anxious to acquire the secret of the Choyan technology, but the real secret is that the black box is a red herring. In truth, the Choyan ability to navigate the "patterns of chaos" (that is, the ftl environment) rests on a secret psi power called "bahdur". Moreover, not all Choyans have bahdur. Thus, on one hand the compact has a scarcity of pilots for ftl travel while on the other, Choyan society is two-tiered, with have and have-not castes. Humans are a newly-discovered and lightly-regarded race.The upside of this book is a plot laden with political intrigue and peopled with engaging characters. It held my interest from start to finish. Unfortunately, the story also has what I consider to be three glaring weaknesses. First (and this is a problem that I find with most sci fi), the aliens aren't very alien. The Choyans, aside from their bahdur, are essentially human. The differences Ingrid puts in are, at best, only superficial. Choyans are basically humanoid in structure, culture, and emotions. Their planet has "insects", "pine trees" and a full range of earthlike characteristics. The chief "bad guys" are little more than humanoid amphibians. Second, I have never been a fan of stories based on far-reaching (and far-fetched, in my opinion) mental powers. Such powers are typically just a convenient device to allow the author to take liberties with the plot. And that seems very much the case here. Bahdur is a vague and undefined power that allows the possessor to do whatever Ingrid finds useful at any given point in the story. As the events proceed, bahdur allows its possessors to do more and more things besides navigate chaos. Further, though apparently genetically based, it can be stolen by, or transferred to, other characters. Finally, as noted by other reviewers, Ingrid bypasses some of the potentially most action-packed parts of the story. Major battles are given short shrift in this tale. Admittedly, the story revolves around its personal and political conflicts, but some expanded action sequences wouldn't have hurt. In sum, this book has some interesting aspects. Plot and characterization are fine. Enough so that I will read the second volume since I've come this far. It is hurt by several shortcomings, however, and these detracted from the experience. It's a mediocre effort and I can't really recommend it. For those who can overlook the problems, it's not a bad tale, but there are lots of better books out there.
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