Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Sholan Side, January 22, 2003
Fortune's Wheel is the second novel in the Sholan Alliance series, following Turning Point. In the previous volume, Kusac uses illusion to get Carrie and himself into the Valtegan base to use their transmitter to alert the Khalossa, the Sholan mothership. After Carrie and Kusac enter the base, his Sholan shipmates and the Keissan resistance attack the Valtegan base as a distraction. Once the message is sent, the attackers destroy as much of the base as possible, including the main antennas, to preclude the Valtegans from detecting the approach of the Khalossa.In this novel, the Khalossa and other Sholan warships attack the Valtegan bases on Keiss and free the colony. The Sholans then initiate first contact negotiations with the humans on Keiss and on Terra itself. Carrie and Kusac have become a Leska Link couple, the first such pairing between different species. A Leska Link forms a deep telepathic bond between telepaths, but the link between Carrie and Kusac is much deeper than normal, allowing them to be constantly aware of each other's thoughts and capable of forming a gestalt with amazing powers. Moreover, both Carrie and Kusac can fight and kill, normally an impossibility for Sholan telepaths. The Leska Link must be consummated by sexual intercourse and the bond must be reinforced by sexual intimacy about every five days so that Contact Deprivation does not cause them to fall into a coma and die. Carry is unaware of the needs of a Leska Link couple, is intimidated by the strength of the lust aroused by the bond, and is shamed by the contempt of her fellow humans. She tries to avoid contact with Kusac and he just waits for nature to take its course. They both are close to death before their friends become aware of the problem and bring them together. The news of the mixed species Leska bond causes a furor on the Khalossa. When Kusac attacks a human taunting Carrie, the Captain informs Alien Relations, who discover that Kusac is the son of their head, Konis Aldatan, and heir to Clan Aldatan. This novel dwells on the conflicts that occur between Carrie and Kusac despite the strong attraction of their link and the ability to perceive each others deepest thoughts. Carrie has the most problems with their relationship, but Kusac is also prone to misunderstandings; after all, they are alien to each other. Recommended for Norman fans and anyone who enjoys stories with strong characterization and interpersonal development.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty good, much better than the first, July 18, 2001
This follow up to "Turning Point" shows dramatic improvement in Norman's writing ability. But she still needs to improve on pacing and character development.First of all, this is not hard core sci-fi, which is nice for a change. This is light sci-fi with a heavy emphasis on romance. A lot of people say this isn't for guys, but I'm a guy and I got into it. I actually apreciate a book that develops a good love story. Kusac and Carrie are really the only reason to read these books. But here's my problem. Have you ever known a couple that you genuenly liked, but you got tired of them always arguing over stupid things and knew that all of their problems would be solved if they would just TALK about it? That's this story. Carrie and Kusac get into three major arguments and it gets tiresome. Carrie's character seems to have become a lot weaker than in the first book and she reeally isn't developed all that much. There's also about ten thousand characters who have similar sounding names, as well as a dozen story lines, yet none of them are really interesting. Several times Vanna's subplot threatens to take over the book and you just get tired of all the extra characters. Not only that, but the pacing is pretty slow. Lot's of things are repeated, and there's tons of unnessecary scenes that could be trimmed down. There really isn't one main story line, this is more like a soap opera that just goes from one event to another with no end in site. The "climax" is based on an event that happens in the last 100 pages and has nothing to do with the beginning of the book. That's actually when the book really starts to come together. The first 500 pages are real tedious and slow. Another reviewer for one of Norman's books hit it right on the head - we never get to see what the characters think. All we here is dialogue, and tons of it. The specific feelings, emotions, and thoughts of the characters are never really revieled, and this is frustrating. Just when you think you're getting somewhere, the scene shifts to another character and you start all over. So why give it three stars? Like I said, the relationship between Kusac and Carrie is the reason to read this, and they are very interesting characters. Most of their scenes are very touching. The story lights up whenever they are together. The same goes for Kusac's family. Early on they aren't too likable, but by the end they're very noble and endeering. Bottem line: the book was too long winded, and too many characters almost derail the rather small story. I'm not sure if I like where the series is going and will give at least the third book a try.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
GRIPPING JOURNEY INTO ALIEN SOCIETY, June 26, 1997
By A Customer
THE BRILLIANT FOLLOWUP TO TURNING POINT IS
FORTUNE'S WHEEL. NORMAN IS A SUPERIOR WORLD-BUILDER THAT REMINDS ME OF CHERRYH AND BRIN. YOU
REALLY BEGIN TO CARE ABOUT CARRIS AND KUSAC AND
THEIR WORLD. I ALSO WAS FASCINATED BY THE SHOLAN
CULTURE. NORMAN NOVEL IS FILLED WITH ENOUGH ACTION
INTRIGUE AND ROMANCE TO SATSIFY ANY SF FAN.
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