Review of Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
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Juniper Finch
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- Latest Review: Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1) by Janet McNulty
Review of Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
[Following is a volunteer review of "Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)" by Janet McNulty.]
Rynah is in charge of the security team tasked with protecting the rare crystal that balances the magnetic field on her planet, Lanyr. When terrorists attack her base and steal the crystal to destroy the planet, her shock is only multiplied by the realization that her fiance, Klanor, is their leader.
She manages to help the last few stragglers off the planet but gets stranded in the process. Luckily, she finds Solaris, the sassy sentient ship that had been her grandfather’s pet project in the years before his death.
After escaping the dying planet, Solaris tells Rynah about an ancient legend that may hold the key to stopping Klanor and saving the galaxy. Then she - the ship, that is - abducts four humans from vastly different eras who fit the description of the prophecy.
Rynah is vocal about her skepticism, but despite her reservations, she has to learn to work with these humans if she’s going to save the galaxy from Klanor’s destruction and tyranny. Fortunately, Solaris is there to guide Rynah with artificial intelligence, attitude, and tough love - yes, love.
Solaris Seethes by Janet McNulty is a modern take on the classical epic framework. Rynah and her team of humans from Earth embark on a series of quests to recover the other crystals before Klanor does. Every stop on a new planet moves the story forward and keeps things interesting with a new mini-plot. It took me longer than expected to get into the plot, but once I did, I was hooked.
The four humans - Solon, Alfric, Brie, and Tom - and even the artificially intelligent Solaris are all likable and intriguing. Rynah is a little prickly, and her thinly veiled disdain for her unlikely companions makes her more challenging to like, but her growth arc as she learns to admire them and their unique qualities makes for an endearing character study.
The narrative voice is too flowery for my liking. It reminds me of an excessively descriptive fantasy novel, but the dialogue is humorously casual. The juxtaposition of both styles was off-putting. I would prefer a more consistent tone between the dialogue and narrative and less embellishment overall.
The author uses entirely too many semicolons, lengthy parentheticals, and meandering hyphenated asides, sometimes squeezing several unrelated and irrelevant tangents into a single sentence. The flow becomes less tangled as the novel goes on, but the narrative sections were sometimes a chore to get through, especially in the novel's early chapters.
Finally, some problematic elements in the plot are worth noting. At one point, Rynah instructs Brie - a teenage girl - to dress like a prostitute to appease a group of pirates. Sexualizing a minor this way was completely unnecessary to the plot.
In fact, Rynah’s overall treatment of Brie, the only other female on the ship, includes outright berating her for perceived incompetence. I was outraged on Brie’s behalf at Rynah’s apparent internalized misogyny, as she shows none of the same disdain for the rest of her abductees.
Overall, I have to give Solaris Seethes 3 out of 4 stars. Despite the novel’s flaws, the cliffhanger ending left me wanting more, and I’ve often thought back to the plot since finishing the book. I have a hunch that, with some distance, I’ll end up going back to read the next installment of the series eventually.
I recommend Solaris Seethes to sci-fi fans looking for more strong female representation in their literature. You'll be in for a fun and fascinating ride if you can get past the awkward prose as the plot builds.
******
Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Rynah is in charge of the security team tasked with protecting the rare crystal that balances the magnetic field on her planet, Lanyr. When terrorists attack her base and steal the crystal to destroy the planet, her shock is only multiplied by the realization that her fiance, Klanor, is their leader.
She manages to help the last few stragglers off the planet but gets stranded in the process. Luckily, she finds Solaris, the sassy sentient ship that had been her grandfather’s pet project in the years before his death.
After escaping the dying planet, Solaris tells Rynah about an ancient legend that may hold the key to stopping Klanor and saving the galaxy. Then she - the ship, that is - abducts four humans from vastly different eras who fit the description of the prophecy.
Rynah is vocal about her skepticism, but despite her reservations, she has to learn to work with these humans if she’s going to save the galaxy from Klanor’s destruction and tyranny. Fortunately, Solaris is there to guide Rynah with artificial intelligence, attitude, and tough love - yes, love.
Solaris Seethes by Janet McNulty is a modern take on the classical epic framework. Rynah and her team of humans from Earth embark on a series of quests to recover the other crystals before Klanor does. Every stop on a new planet moves the story forward and keeps things interesting with a new mini-plot. It took me longer than expected to get into the plot, but once I did, I was hooked.
The four humans - Solon, Alfric, Brie, and Tom - and even the artificially intelligent Solaris are all likable and intriguing. Rynah is a little prickly, and her thinly veiled disdain for her unlikely companions makes her more challenging to like, but her growth arc as she learns to admire them and their unique qualities makes for an endearing character study.
The narrative voice is too flowery for my liking. It reminds me of an excessively descriptive fantasy novel, but the dialogue is humorously casual. The juxtaposition of both styles was off-putting. I would prefer a more consistent tone between the dialogue and narrative and less embellishment overall.
The author uses entirely too many semicolons, lengthy parentheticals, and meandering hyphenated asides, sometimes squeezing several unrelated and irrelevant tangents into a single sentence. The flow becomes less tangled as the novel goes on, but the narrative sections were sometimes a chore to get through, especially in the novel's early chapters.
Finally, some problematic elements in the plot are worth noting. At one point, Rynah instructs Brie - a teenage girl - to dress like a prostitute to appease a group of pirates. Sexualizing a minor this way was completely unnecessary to the plot.
In fact, Rynah’s overall treatment of Brie, the only other female on the ship, includes outright berating her for perceived incompetence. I was outraged on Brie’s behalf at Rynah’s apparent internalized misogyny, as she shows none of the same disdain for the rest of her abductees.
Overall, I have to give Solaris Seethes 3 out of 4 stars. Despite the novel’s flaws, the cliffhanger ending left me wanting more, and I’ve often thought back to the plot since finishing the book. I have a hunch that, with some distance, I’ll end up going back to read the next installment of the series eventually.
I recommend Solaris Seethes to sci-fi fans looking for more strong female representation in their literature. You'll be in for a fun and fascinating ride if you can get past the awkward prose as the plot builds.
******
Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Latest Review: Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1) by Janet McNulty
