Trickster - Steven Harper Book Review

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"Trickster"
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Review Summaries

" Roc Nov, 2003, 6.99, 368 pp. ISBN 0451459415 Slavery is common and legal on certain planets in the universe. The most valuable of all is the Silent because they can enter dreams and send communications as well as conduct commerce over several light years. When the Despair came and over ninety percent of the Silent could no longer enter the Dream, they become ever more valuable. The children of Irfar, a silent nomadic order, is trying to rescue as many of the lost silent as possible. Father Kendi Weaver, temporary captain of the spaceship Poltergeist, intends to rescue two of his family located on the planet Drin. Before he makes that attempt, he snatches his crewmate's son out of slavery. When they arrive on Drin, they discover his brother and sister have been kidnapped by a mega conglomeration Silent Acquisitions. Kendi and his crew have to figure out a way to rescue them, an almost impossible task but one that can be accomplished by those ready to risk everything on one roll of the dice. This is the third book in the Silent Empire series and it continues the stories of characters of the previous two books. Kendi and Ben are now a couple; Kareen has her son restored to her after her spouse sold him into slavery; and Kendi has a chance of reuniting with part of his family. All is not roses because Ben discovers his true biological heritage and unless someone can figure out a way of bringing the Silent back into the Dream, a future civilization will cease to exist. Steven Harper is a genius when it comes to believable world building. Harriet Klausner "
Harriet Klausner, Resident Steven Harper Scholar

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Overall Review

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 10%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20%

Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Repressive society story Yes
Inner Struggle Yes
Plotlet: - coping with mental/magical powers
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Family relations Yes
Who's a slave/repressed? - discrim against people with mental powers

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - champion of justice
Age: - 20's-30's
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - mastermind
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
Spaceship setting: - really, really giant spaceship/station
Takes place in spaceship? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only) - some scientific explanation
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript

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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

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