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Primary Inversion - Catherine Asaro Book Review

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Review Summary
Sauscony Valdoria is a Jagernaut Primary, a rank equivalent to Admiral, a Rhon Psion, and a member of the Ruby dynasty. She and her fellow cyberfighters, and empaths, have landed on Delos for R&R and are having a difficult time handling the fear of the population. When they encounter a group of Eubian bodyguards, one invites Soz out for a drink, but this only initiates flashbacks to a time when Soz became a provider to a Highton Aristo while undercover in an intelligence operation.

The Eubians, also known as Traders, run an empire based on Slavery, hence the name Traders. Aristos, the ruling class of the Eubian empire, are stunted Psions who can only receive feelings of fear and pain from other psions, but experience pleasure at the sensations. Thus, they are all sadists, basking in the pain of others, particularly the Rhon empaths, who generate stronger feelings of pain and are therefore called providers for the intense pleasure they provide to the Aristos.

Soz Later comes to the realization that the Aristo who hit on her didn't generate the usual empty feeling that is characteristic of an Aristo. Soz investigates further and finds something very strange. Not only is the Aristo the heir to the Eubian throne, Jabriol Qox II, but he is also a Rhon Psion.

The Skolians maintain their only advantantage in the war against the Traders because of the psiberweb, known as Skol-Net. The Skol-Net can only be accessed directly by psions and can only be run by Rhon Psions. We later discover that the Cox line has been working to create a Rhon Psion to access the psiberweb and either destroy it, or control it themselves.

Soz and Jabriol are drawn to each other, because they are both Rohn, but Soz won't run away with Jaibriol. So they walk away from each other feeling that they've found their love buddies only to discover it can never be. Then Jaibriol is captured by her people and Sauscony has to choose. Will she give up the throne for the man she loves?

Madd, Resident Scholar

This is one of the first books in the Saga of the Skolian Empire. Sauscony meets Jaibirol Qox on the planet Delos and realises that the enemies and former captors of her people, the Traders, have devised a human weapon against the Skolians and the psiberweb. This book in followed by the Radiant Sea, in chronological order of the narrative events, or by Catch the Lightning,(events in Catch the Lightning take place seventy-years after events in Primary Inversion) in publication order.
Christine G., Resident Scholar


Detailed literary breakdown of Primary Inversion
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 25%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 15%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 50%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 10%




Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Romance Yes
Romance plotlets: - falling in love with the enemy
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Profession/status: - infantry soldier - fighter (air/space) pilot
Age: - 40's-50's - long lived adults
Has magical/special powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main character: - mind reading - super strength - is very quick - can read emotions - healing
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic

Main Adversary
Identity: - an entire race
Age: - long-lived adults
Profession/status: - slaver
Has magical powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - super strength - is very quick
Eccentric: Yes - obsessed
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an average amount - a lot
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic

Setting
Spaceship setting: - one or two man fighter/scoutship
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a futuristic society
Planet outside solar system? Yes
Takes place in spaceship? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 1st - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment - moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - an average amount of scientific explanation - a significant amount of technical jargon
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references only - descript of kissing - major character becomes a sex slave - rape/molest (yeech!)
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
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