Subject: Review: Primary Inversion, by Asaro

From: [email-masked] (HKlaus6073)
Date: 12 Nov 1998 14:09:59 -0500

THE RADIANT SEA by Catherine Asaro
	Review Copyright 1998 Harriet Klausner

[may be considered a spoiler for the previous novel, PRIMARY INVERSION  --AW]

The rivalry between the two great intersteller empires (the Skoalian
Empire and the Traders Empire) remains ugly. However, as nasty as that
competition for control of the galaxy might be, it cannot stop the love
between the Skoalian heir Sauscony and her spouse, Trader Heir Jaibriol.
Still, the pair are forced to go into hiding in order to stay together.

Their idyllic world abruptly changes when Jaibriol's father dies and his
widow abducts the heir to use as her front while she rules the Highland
Aristos segment of the Traders Empire. Somehow Sauscony and their children
must rescue her beloved husband from his own people while leaving everyone
clueless about their true relationship.

THE RADIANT SEAS is a radiant speculative fiction that picks up the action
from the well written PRIMARY INVERSION. At first glimpse the story line
that mirrors "Romeo and Juliet" in outer space might seem far fetched, but
in the capable hands of Catherine Asaro, the plot turns into a non-stop
interstellar thriller. The universe feels real due to the depth of
background material and the characters, especially the two heirs, feel
genuine.  Ms. Asaro has sky-rocketed towards the inner sanctum of the
great sub-genre writers.

Harriet Klausner

%T THE RADIANT SEA
%A Catherine Asaro
%I Tor
%D Dec 1998
%O $26.95
%P 512 pp.
%G ISBN 0-312-86714-X