4 out of 4 stars
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While reading Janet McNulty’s Solaris Seethes, I was struck by how she deviates the characters from traditional science fiction genre. Ms. McNulty crafts a nuanced and complicated universe with deeply flawed characters that must confront, not only difficult circumstances, but their own understanding of their place in the cosmos. Instead of one or two flaws, each character has a unique and crippling flaw that would otherwise stop them from achieving results on their own.
The book quickly grabs your attention as Rynah is under attack from rebels on her home planet. The attack is led by her fiancée, Klanor which quickly draws you into the story with Rynah panic and betrayal. Once fleeing with her sentient ship, Solaris, the two quickly gather four humans from the barbaric planet of Earth. Tom, Alfric, Solon, and Brie join Rynah and Solaris, but each member is from a different time and culture. The differences cause fighting and discord for most of the book and repeated Odin pleas. While the deep personal flaws may inhibit closeness, they do allow each member to bring unique strengths and insight in the fight to save planets.
Despite how well the flaws bring realism, sometimes it was difficult to read how harshly Rynah would describe or talk to Brie. Rynah worked in security and rarely seems to fear physical confrontation. Brie has experienced the devastating effects of confrontation in the loss of her father in war. Neither sees the other in a particularly good light and Rynah would like nothing more than to replace Brie with someone, anyone, who would be braver and fight back. Solaris may be a ship, but she brings her own ideas of how the two should behave and often needs to police their squabbles.
I liked how each character’s backstory was crafted in a way to explain their current behavior. Solon is a scribe who loves to read stories and experience life, but he never wanted to be a fighter, while Alfric is from a warrior and unashamed of his belief in Odin. I do wish the character of Tom would have been crafted to the same extent so that it would explain how he is so adaptable in every situation. Tom is from a generic “future” and seems to be comfortable in every scene.
I greatly enjoyed reading the book and it is easy to imagine the world Ms. McNulty crafts. The story does an excellent job of introducing each character and showing their journey of self-discovery. My biggest problem with the book is that it acts more as an introduction to each character without propelling the main story line. By the end of the book, the group has a long way to go in stopping Rynah’s enemies and has made no appreciable success or plan in how they will save the planets from Klanor’s attacks. I gave the book a 4 out of 4, despite this because it was an engaging and well written first part of a series. The book had well thought out characters and plot lines and was proofread well. I would recommend people read this book if you like science fiction.
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Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
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