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| Review Summary |
Tor, Feb 2003, 24,95, 364 pp.
ISBN: 0765304678
The end days seem apparent for the troubled earth so Mira Corporation CEO Jake Holman and his company manager Gail Cutler decide to build a starship The Ariel to escape. They sell passage to six thousand wealthy patrons from an assortment of earthlings. The group travels through space before establishing Mira City on the planet Greentrees.
The settlers meet the Furs, who are also from off world. Subgroups of Furs behave extremely different from others with some violent and some passive, but no mixing of behavior within a subgroup. Not long afterward, an alien ship arrives containing the Vines. Though the colonists' military wing attacks the newcomers in vain, the Vine remains peaceful and seeks talks. The expatriate earthlings learn that the Vines and the Furs are at war. Soon a Fur ship attacks the Vine vessel and captures Jake, Gail, and other humans. To keep Mira City and Earth safe from a Fur assault Jake (and company) must destroy the force field that protects the Vines' homeworld.
Though not quite at the level of the Probability trilogy, CROSSFIRE is a terrific first contact tale loaded with action as the three species seem genuine and the key characters whether human, Fur, or Vine seems real. However, what makes this action packed outer space tale so strong is the competing battle of philosophies as ideas are fully discussed yet interwoven so as not to slow down the hyperspeed pace. Though the ending will disappoint some readers, Nancy Kress will once again take the genre by storm with her usual cerebral action adventure thriller.
Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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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 - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 30%
Tone of book
- suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- science fiction story
Explore/1st contact/ enviro story
Yes
Plotlets:
- colonizing/homesteading another planet
Political power play
Yes
Political plotlets
- saving govt/kingdom from external overthrow
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Cultural problems, alien culture
Yes
Culture clash-
- one culture tries to impose its culture on another group
Intense exploration of society's culture?
Yes
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
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an entire race
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Setting
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body:
- humans in a futuristic society
- inhabited by friendly aliens
- unfriendly aliens
Planet outside solar system?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only)
- a fair amount of scientific explanation
How much dialogue?
- significantly more dialog than descript
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