Subject: Review: _Cataract_ by Tara K. Harper

From: Howard Tayler <[email-masked]>
Date: 12 Sep 1997 19:20:50 GMT

_Cataract_ by Tara K. Harper
		Review Copyright 1997 Howard Tayler

[Despite being a review of the second book in a ?series? avoids spoilers
for the first volume.  --AW]

This was the book that I was hoping for. When I read the prequel, _Cat
Scratch Fever_ I was a little disappointed at how little the cats actually
figured into the story (I am a felinophile). _Cataract_, however, did not
let me down.

But first a little background: the protagonist, Tsia, is a former member
of the Guides guild, which means she was infected with a "gate" virus that
would establish a telepathic/empathic link between her and a randomly
selected family of animals. It might be bacteria, it might be this
planet's equivalent of killer whales.

Felines, however, are supposed to be off-limits. The Guides used them
heavily during the exploration of the planet, and afterwards drew up the
"Landing Pact" which released that family of animals from any future human
interference. Unfortunately for Tsia, her gate links her to the cats, and
there is nothing she can do to change that.

Tsia is now 10 years past the events in the prequel, and has been working
with the mercenaries guild for that time, hiding from her past with great
success. She is currently working a contract with several other mercs, and
things are starting to go wrong.

The first thing that goes wrong is that Tsia decides to rescue a drowning
cougar cub. This "cub" turns out to be over a year old and already way too
big to be a pet. After its rescue it bonds with Tsia, and she can't get it
to go away. It interferes with her concentration, and if she links with it
and starts trying to make use of the nuisance in her head she is breaking
the law in a Big Way.

Well, things continue to go wrong for this band of mercenaries, and the
book never lets up. The events in the story take place in close to the
same time frame as the average reader will read them, assuming breaks for
meals and sleep (the entire story spans little more than a day and a
half). Depending on how easily wrapped up in stories you are, you may need
neither.

The plot elements include some very basic, human concerns like love,
trust, and the lack of either, as well as some finer points of Ms.
Harper's technology that will require the reader to think about what is
being presented and try to figure out the implications from there. I
really like the setting the author has created -- the technology is
believably workable, and predictably fault-intolerant. Machines have
better safegaurds on them than ours do, but employed incorrectly or
jury-rigged carelessly they can still kill you.

Just like real-life. If you've ever blown a tire on the freeway, or had a
chainsaw jump at a knot in the log, you'll understand.

Reasons to Read:
-Solid characters on a solid stage: this book will stand up to
re-reading,
-While not quite non-stop, the action will keep fans of adventure happy.

Reasons to Not Read:
-Reading _Cat Scratch Fever_ is probably a prerequisite, and I did not
enjoy that book as much.

Visit http://scifibooks.miningco.com this week for an exclusive online
interview with Tara K. Harper.

%P Del Rey Books.
%O Cover art by Rowena.
%G ISBN 0-345-38052-5

Howard Tayler -- [email-masked]
http://scifibooks.miningco.com
"Reality is a crutch for people who can't cope with Science Fiction."
(Robots can't figure out the NOSPAM domain, but I bet you can . . .)