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Roc Feb 2002, 6.99, 416 pp.
ISBN 0451458680
In the far distant future, wealth and power is concentrated in a few families who use their money to buy and shape whole planets according to their whims. Andrei Mironenko has opened the planet Belarus to colonization and he intends to be the czar of the new and improved Russia before the Bolshevik revolution destroyed the nation.
Andrei has no time to enjoy his dream because his kingdom is beset from without and within. The republic is falling into chaos, with each planet going its own way. With no central government and therefore no trading, the way of life deteriorates. On a smaller, but no less devastating note a super serial killer is on the loose and he always seems to stay one step ahead of the authorities. Andrei is determined that no matters what happens to him or the rest of galaxy, Belarus will go on. This means another war with the planet's former occupants who went into hiding.
BELARUS is an entertaining work that will attract readers who like cutting edge speculative fiction. The different life forms that author Lee Hogan describes so vividly feel very real and believable. There is plenty of action in this novel but it is the characters that make this book several steps above the mundane.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Lee Hogan Scholar
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Overall Review
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Plot
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- science fiction story
Spying & Investigations
Yes
What is main char. doing?
- rescue mission/escape from confinement
Political power play
Yes
Political plotlets
- saving govt/kingdom from external overthrow
- factions fight within govt for control
If an invasion, from Earth/human POV:
- fighting overt invasion (attacking aliens)
- subtle invasion (mind control, lookalikes)
War or Invasion
Yes
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- politician/elected ruler
Age:
- 40's-50's
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- an entire race
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Setting
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body:
- humans in a futuristic society
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?
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
