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Drive by review -- Finders Keepers
Oct. 19th, 2006 01:21 pmI've been stuck in a reading pit of despair. Well, not despair, but boredom. I worked my way through Linnea Sinclair's Finders Keepers while commuting this week.
I've now read two Sinclair books -- the other being Gabriel's Ghost, a RITA winner. I think she does a great job with her female characters. They are independent, kick-ass women in the best sort of way. Meaning that they kick asses and take no prisoners, but that they also know their own limitations and are human. [An example of a character who used to be kick-ass in a good way but isn't any longer: Anita Blake. She was awesome at first, but has degenerated into an all-powerful egomaniac who must fuck anything that moves near her.] Sorry, back to Finders Keepers.
What else did I like? The action. It flowed pretty smoothly and wasn't jarring. And all of the action made sense. Nothing seemed thrown in just to bump of the adrenaline; it belonged in the plot.
What didn't I like? Sinclair's world building. I get the feeling that she has an entire world and universe set up in her mind, but it wasn't conveyed very well here, IMO. I had the same problem in Gabriel's Ghost -- I felt like I was dropped into the middle of the series and missed the introduction of all of the players.
She also used deception of the heroine by the hero as to who/what he was (biologically and identity-wise), which is very similar to GG. IfI read another book by her and find the a similar deception as a major plot point and conflict point for the h/h, I'll add her to my "repeats characters/themes" list.
All in all, the book worked much more for me as a space opera than as a romance. Which is fine, because I think it was published as science fiction, not romance.
B-/C+ from me.
Losers Weepers
Independent trader Trilby Elliot is making some not-quite-legal modifications to her starfreighter, when an unexpected visitor falls out of space. Literally. He's crashed onto the uninhabited planet of Avanar in a crippled 'Sko fighter -- the last place you'd expect to find a Zafharin military offers because the 'Sko and the Zafharin have been a war as long as Trilby can remember.
Rhis Vanur is your typically arrogant Zafharin. But to Trilby's surprise, he doesn't look down on her or her slapdash ship. Still, Trilby's learned teh hard way that even though she found Rhis, she can't keep him. She's just a low-budget jump jockey as far as men like him are concerned. She's not falling for his offer to help . . . until Port Rumor reports her best friend missing and Trilby leanrs that the 'Sko are hunting both her and Rhis. No they're in it together for better, for worse -- or till death blasts them to oblivion . . . .
I've now read two Sinclair books -- the other being Gabriel's Ghost, a RITA winner. I think she does a great job with her female characters. They are independent, kick-ass women in the best sort of way. Meaning that they kick asses and take no prisoners, but that they also know their own limitations and are human. [An example of a character who used to be kick-ass in a good way but isn't any longer: Anita Blake. She was awesome at first, but has degenerated into an all-powerful egomaniac who must fuck anything that moves near her.] Sorry, back to Finders Keepers.
What else did I like? The action. It flowed pretty smoothly and wasn't jarring. And all of the action made sense. Nothing seemed thrown in just to bump of the adrenaline; it belonged in the plot.
What didn't I like? Sinclair's world building. I get the feeling that she has an entire world and universe set up in her mind, but it wasn't conveyed very well here, IMO. I had the same problem in Gabriel's Ghost -- I felt like I was dropped into the middle of the series and missed the introduction of all of the players.
She also used deception of the heroine by the hero as to who/what he was (biologically and identity-wise), which is very similar to GG. IfI read another book by her and find the a similar deception as a major plot point and conflict point for the h/h, I'll add her to my "repeats characters/themes" list.
All in all, the book worked much more for me as a space opera than as a romance. Which is fine, because I think it was published as science fiction, not romance.
B-/C+ from me.
