2 out of 4 stars
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In short, Solaris Seethes is a sci-fi / fantasy hybrid--written by Janet McNulty--and the first in a series of four books wherein the main character, Rynah, must take to the stars aboard Solaris (who is both ship and artificial intelligence) on a quest to save her people, and many others, from total annihilation. Beset by villains all around, Rynah and Solaris must work together alongside prophesied heroes--gathered from across time and space--to collect the crystals that will save the galaxy.
One of the two aspects I enjoyed most about this book was that it stayed true to many of the fundamental ideas outlined by Joseph Campbell in his work, The Hero's Journey. Regardless of whether or not this was intentional, McNulty at least shows a theoretical understanding for story-telling in one of the oldest and most well-known forms of the art. The second thing I liked was Solaris. Despite being an A.I., this was perhaps this most believable and fleshed-out character in the book. "Her" modes of expression were arguably more communicative than those of her organic companions--and where McNulty's attempts at humor were most often successful.
There were, unfortunately, many things that I simply couldn't overlook. I won't list them all, but will instead identify some key points. Despite being edited for grammar and spelling consistently (this was something I did like--for the record), there was more that could have been done with the overall context. For example, transitions between points-of-view were abrupt and interchangeable, which sometimes caused a bit of confusion as I read.
My major dislike was a lack of research. McNulty seemed to have written based on her own general knowledge, instead of more closely examining what she seemed to have felt were some key elements; e.g., blacksmithing. (In one scene, a steel sword is described as being of "high-purity".) Many such descriptions left me both scratching my head, and quite often brought to mind Billy Crystal's line from "Throw Momma from the Train" (1987): "[. . .] when you write a novel that takes place on a submarine, it's a good idea to know the name of the instrument that the captain speaks through."
All things considered, I would rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. Despite my literary criticism, I recognize that others might enjoy reading the fusion of Superman's origin story combined with major plot-point developments from "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989) and "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back" (1980). Others, however, wouldn't as likely be inclined to join Rynah and her crew if they expected deep levels of characterization in addition to a broader sense of purpose and understanding from a book that could have, otherwise, been written and edited with more finesse.
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Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
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