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Down Came a Blackbird - Barbara Karmazin Book Review

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Review Summary


Atlantic Bridge, 2001, 264 pages
ISBN: 1931761043

Cait O'Keefe is the ultimate half-breed of literally star-crossed lovers. Her father was a Sidhe, a race that comes from a devastated planet. Her mother Briget O Keefes is a bigamist in earth terms having two husbands Nathanial & Shiloh Harker at the same time with both living with her, but that is the way of much of the Sidhe, who the natives have called fairies or leprechauns, etc. Being an empath, Cait knows how others feels and shares a mental telepathic link with her twin brother Kevin whose father is Shiloh and Cait's is Nathaniel.

Cait decides to join an expedition to an asteroid that the astrophysicists believe is actually the remnants of an exploded planet because she believes this rock might contain clues to her solar heritage. Meanwhile, Cait takes charge of her dormant love life with two men she met at the lunar station who are also on the expedition she has joined. Soon this trio will have more than just sexual encounters to deal with, as a big brother corporation begins to exploit the miners and the asteroid.

Cait is a fabulous lead protagonist who serves as the center of this delightful outer space science fiction fantasy. The action-packed story line is fun to follow especially as Cait goes on an excellent adventure that fans of science fiction with bit of a fairy tale twist will appreciate. This deep coming of age tale introduces the Sidhe to an appreciative audience who will believe in their existence and demand more such novels (with less emotional eavesdropping by the heroine during the erotic moments) perhaps back on the home planet prior to its destruction.

Harriet Klausner


Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar


Detailed literary breakdown of Down Came a Blackbird
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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 - 50%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20%




Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Romance Yes
Spying & Investigations Yes
What is main char. doing? - unraveling a conspiracy
Mental/magical powers focus Yes
magical powers: - good magical powers hunting non/weaker magical(s) (fantasy)
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
If enemy is a group... - big corporation
Human/magical couple? Yes

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Profession/status: - scientist
Age: - 20's-30's
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - an organization
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
Spaceship setting: - futuristic human freighter/transport
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
Most similar books to Down Came a Blackbird
Heart Thief by Robin D. Owens
Ride the Stars by Autumn Dawn
Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold
Precursor by C.J. Cherryh
The I Inside by Alan Dean Foster




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