Lisa (Harmony)

This is what I'd call a "popcorn book." It's pleasant, I enjoyed it, it was a light undemanding read but not very...flavorful? It wasn't so much the book as a related series, <i>The Emperor's Edge</i>, that was recommended to me, which I understand is much stronger, so that this didn't make a strong impression won't deter me from trying that series, although I'm not sure I want to continue the two direct sequels.

The book blends several genres: romance, science fiction and fantasy. Indeed that blend of magic and science is one of the distinguishing characteristics, reminding me of the <i>Darkover</i> books by Marion Zimmer Bradley and the Pern books by McCaffrey I loved as a teen. Unlike those two series though this world isn't a "lost colony" of Earth but a world seemingly unrelated to ours once visited by an advanced alien race and now in the midst of an industrial revolution--so you could categorize this as Steampunk. The tech of the militant Turgonian Empire is science-based, while a lot of the nations that oppose the empire use "magic"--or at least paranormal talents such as telepathy and telekinesis. Our heroine Tikaya is a cryptologist who broke the Empire's code, thwarting the invasion of her island nation. She gets involved with the enemy, and the setup and plot reminds me quite a bit of Lois Bujold's <i>Shards of Honor</i>, and like this, that was the first book of a series, one that got stronger and more impressive in later books.

Except I immediately took to that book's Cordelia while, Tikaya... Well, she's likable, as is the love interest. I'm not sure what leaves me cold. Is it that we're continually told she's a genius who knows dozens of languages while in the story she doesn't show much smarts, at least none crucial to the story? Is it that she's a prodigy in archery who nevertheless has an annoyingly Bella Swan-like ability to trip over her own feet? The romance didn't do much for me either. Maybe just too rushed, the hero too... perfect? My favorite characters were secondary ones. But then from what I understand one of those minor secondary characters that intrigued me is precisely who we'll see more of in <i>The Emperor's Edge</i>, so I won't give up on Buroker yet. And though I might seem to be damning with faint praise, I <i>did</i> enjoy this. It's a fast-paced and action-packed adventure story.