Review of Luray
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Ana Chao
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- Latest Review: Luray by Dennis Haupt
Review of Luray
[Following is a volunteer review of "Luray" by Dennis Haupt.]
Luray by Dennis Haupt is set in a possible Earth future, where all of the world's people have integrated under the United Earth Military (UEM). Luray is an analyst who ensures the honesty and productivity of whichever company or government she is sent to investigate. The story itself kicks off when Luray is set off to EE-297, a colony of Earth, to evaluate the threat of the Aurigan Empire. There she meets COmander Kailoon, and days later, disaster strikes, and Luray must once again scheme her way to survival.
The best part of Luray are the characters; Haupt demonstrates a masterful understanding of characterization and the need for human flaws to make them believable. I must admit that of all of the characters introduced in this novel, my favorite is that of Bin, Luray's AI, mainly due to his quick wit and sarcasm as he ascends to higher consciousness. Another positive point of the novel (though it also falls into a negative of the book) is how fast-paced the novel gets in certain sections.
While the fast pace does make it so one falls into the novel quickly, reading through it as more of this world is revealed, it has the added effect of making portions of the storyline a bit unbelievable. In essence, and without giving much away, the use of clones and genetic engineering, while plausible, especially in a futuristic world, seems far-fetched with the amount of time allotted for their development. I can forgive this point as something that may be answered in the sequel, but at this point, and with this book as my sole reference, it appears as a plot hole that the author did not address either with the storyline or her characters. Moreover, this fast pace makes the ending all the more unsatisfying; rather than setting up for its sequel, Haupt's 'final' chapter leaves one wondering if there was a missing chapter not added before its publication.
I rate Lunay a 4 out of 5 stars . As a whole, the book contains an interesting premise, and it delivers on its promise of intrigue, but there are still various points that I find lacking. I know that these questions and doubts can be attributed to Haupt setting up for the sequel or even a lack of knowledge from Luray herself. Still, they are present and enough to have caused me to pause and re-read the book to ensure that I hadn't overlooked any prevalent information. Additionally, while Luray is an interesting read, I cannot consider it the best book I have ever read.
I recommend this novel to those who enjoy intrigue and spies. Luray presents itself more as a James Bond-type film than as its genre of sci-fi/fantasy. Therefore, those who enjoy action will positively froth at the mouth of this novel. I do have to add the disclaimer that there are scenes of torture and body horror which might be triggering or problematic, so reader beware.
******
Luray
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Luray by Dennis Haupt is set in a possible Earth future, where all of the world's people have integrated under the United Earth Military (UEM). Luray is an analyst who ensures the honesty and productivity of whichever company or government she is sent to investigate. The story itself kicks off when Luray is set off to EE-297, a colony of Earth, to evaluate the threat of the Aurigan Empire. There she meets COmander Kailoon, and days later, disaster strikes, and Luray must once again scheme her way to survival.
The best part of Luray are the characters; Haupt demonstrates a masterful understanding of characterization and the need for human flaws to make them believable. I must admit that of all of the characters introduced in this novel, my favorite is that of Bin, Luray's AI, mainly due to his quick wit and sarcasm as he ascends to higher consciousness. Another positive point of the novel (though it also falls into a negative of the book) is how fast-paced the novel gets in certain sections.
While the fast pace does make it so one falls into the novel quickly, reading through it as more of this world is revealed, it has the added effect of making portions of the storyline a bit unbelievable. In essence, and without giving much away, the use of clones and genetic engineering, while plausible, especially in a futuristic world, seems far-fetched with the amount of time allotted for their development. I can forgive this point as something that may be answered in the sequel, but at this point, and with this book as my sole reference, it appears as a plot hole that the author did not address either with the storyline or her characters. Moreover, this fast pace makes the ending all the more unsatisfying; rather than setting up for its sequel, Haupt's 'final' chapter leaves one wondering if there was a missing chapter not added before its publication.
I rate Lunay a 4 out of 5 stars . As a whole, the book contains an interesting premise, and it delivers on its promise of intrigue, but there are still various points that I find lacking. I know that these questions and doubts can be attributed to Haupt setting up for the sequel or even a lack of knowledge from Luray herself. Still, they are present and enough to have caused me to pause and re-read the book to ensure that I hadn't overlooked any prevalent information. Additionally, while Luray is an interesting read, I cannot consider it the best book I have ever read.
I recommend this novel to those who enjoy intrigue and spies. Luray presents itself more as a James Bond-type film than as its genre of sci-fi/fantasy. Therefore, those who enjoy action will positively froth at the mouth of this novel. I do have to add the disclaimer that there are scenes of torture and body horror which might be triggering or problematic, so reader beware.
******
Luray
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Luray by Dennis Haupt
