Subject: Review: Orion Arm by Julian May

From: "Aaron M. Renn" <[email-masked]>
Date: 25 May 2000 11:15:56 -0400

Orion Arm, Julian May
	Review Copyright (c) 2000 Aaron M. Renn

Conclusion: Worth Reading

Readers may recall that I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked
May's light adventure "Perseus Spur."  She's back with a second
installment in the continuing adventures of Asahel Frost aka Helmut
Icicle.  This one, dare I say it, is even better than the first.

Frost is back on Kedge-Lockaby living as Icicle, having left Rampart
Starcorp in disgust after a violent disagreement over how to handle what
was learned about the threat of the alien Haluk in Perseus Spur.  Someone
tries to kill him again, which really pisses him off, especially since
he's pretty sure it's an agent of Galapharma AC, a corporation headed by
the detested Alistair Drummond.  Asahel "I try to get out but they keep
pulling me back in" Frost captures the assassin then goes on a quest to
get to the bottom of things.

This is light entertainment, but pretty darn tasty light entertainment.
Just the kind I like.  I was all ready to slam the book for being too long
at nearly 400 pages, but quite honestly I breezed through it so fast I
didn't even notice the length.  The only thing that really annoyed me
about the it was the continuing references to late 20th century cultural
elements.  But I think that's clearly a matter of taste.

Immediate problems are resolved, but I'll tell you right now that even
more so than in the last book, May sets us up for a sequel.  Expect at
least one more to turn this one into a Rampart Worlds Trilogy.

%A May, Julian
%T Orion Arm
%I Del Rey
%D 2000-04
%G ISBN 345-39519-0
%P 378 pp.
%O mass market paperback, US$6.99

Reviewed on 2000-05-17

Aaron M. Renn ([email-masked]) http://www.urbanophile.com/arenn/