Catherine Asaro

Bhaajan, who used to be a Major in the Imperial Army and who is now a private investigator, is hired by the Majda family when one of its precious princes disappears. The case will be a challenge in many ways.

First of all, the Majdas are one of the most powerful families in the Imperialate with many serving as ranking officers in the army. They are wealthy beyond counting and demand excellent service. Second, finding the missing prince means that Bhaajan will have to go back to the Undercity which she left to join the military. That means reconnecting with old friends and old enemies and going home to a place she had never meant to see again.

When she finds the prince and learns that his kidnapper had planned to sell him to the Imperialate's enemies, she finds herself in the middle of a big political deal above ground and a war between rival drug gangs below ground.

Bhaajan also finds that she can no longer abandon the Undercity which was her home. She needs to find a way to reconcile its culture with that of the above ground city. Those above ground, especially the Majdas, want to help but Bhaajan knows that their kind of help will destroy the unique culture that exists in the Undercity.

Bhaajan learns that she'll have to be an envoy for her people if she wants them to survive especially since they now have something that the rest of the Imperialate wants.

I enjoyed this story which starts as a mystery and ends as something else. It is great space opera. It is a part of Asaro's Skolian Empire series which consists of quite a few books, but it stands alone well since it is about a unique event and person only peripherally connected to the huge political picture.

Suzy Jackson's narration did a good job with all the characters and with the mood of the story.… (mais)

I enjoyed this science fiction story. Megan O'Flannery is a research scientist whose specialty is artificial intelligence. She is a leader in her field. Currently working at MIT, she gets a chance to work at MindSim which is developing an android for military use.

Raj Sundaram is a genius in the field of robotics who has made millions consulting with companies attempting to build human-like androids. He is also a recluse and a difficult personality -- to everyone except Megan who understands and enjoys him.

When the two get a chance to work together in the desert of Nevada on an android who names himself Ander, things get quickly out of hand as the android goes rogue kidnapping them and determines to find the androids who were made in a rival project. The story moves from the desert of Nevada to the lights of Las Vegas to a retreat in California. There are assorted villains along the way who have their own uses for a human-like android.

I liked the science, the action, and the romance between Megan and Raj. The story raises all sorts of questions about making androids and the consequences of doing so.… (mais)