Monday, June 8, 2015

Review: Jade Darcy and the Affair of Honor by Stephen Goldin (The Rehumanization of Jade Darcy, Book One)

Synopsis: Planetary brawls were an easy way for Jade Darcy to earn her keep as the only human on the planet Cablans. As one of the top bouncers at Rix's Place - where any alien that could walk, crawl, slither, roll, or otherwise arrive with enough energy unit to its credit was welcome to food, drink or its native equivalent - Jade had often used her military skills to keep the peace. But when another human suddenly turned up on this farthest outpost of the universe looking for her, Jade was sure her worst nightmare had finally caught up with her. And so she sought escape from her human past on a suicide assignment against the most violent alien conquerors this sector of space had ever known - a mission of honor to launch a one-woman, interstellar war. (from the back of the book)

Review: Goldin created an interesting character in Jade. Computer-augmentation, a fierce intelligence, and years of military training have made her tough, nearly invincible in a fight. And yet, she lives in fear - fear of the past, fear of discovery, fear of other being hurt or betrayed. This makes her vulnerable in ways she doesn't see. It takes a rich businesswoman and a man with honor and nothing else to help her see herself for real. The book starts slow, it seems, with details about Jade waking up, getting dressed, eating breakfast. It seems like it would be boring, but it wasn't. I enjoyed reading about her life, her work, her character. Goldin put the same depth in his secondary characters - creating multiple alien species, as well as the two main secondary characters. The author is creative, to say the least. Plots and Pace are both good, with action, adventure, mystery, and emotion. But in the end, it's the character of Jade that kept me hooked. The books ends when several unanswered questions, but since there is a sequel, I expect to find the answers there.

Bookmarks: 8 of 10

Awards: None

ISBN: 0-451-15613-7
Date Finished: 6-2-2015
Pages: 254

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