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Catherine Asaro
PRIMARY INVERSION
book cover

Skolian Empire Book 1
Tor
Buy from Amazon.com (hardcover)
Buy from Amazon.com (mass market paperback)


Who recommends: Preeti, JW, Robin, Lori, Barbara, Laurie, Linda, Shelley, Lynn, Kathleen, Isabel, Suzanne, Leila, Margaret, Julie
Who discommends:

I finally read Primary Inversion over the weekend - really enjoyed it. I am looking forward to reading Radiant Seas (which has been staring at me from the TBR pile ever since I finished PI <g>).

I really enjoyed getting to know Soz and her journey to know herself. The scenes in the book where she is talking to a counselor really moved me and I thought they were very well done and I loved how 3 dimensional all the characters in the book were - good people had flaws, characters were connected to their surroundings, family relationships and past relationships were still affecting decisions made by the characters. A pet peeve of mine is when two characters make decisions completely independantly of anything that went on before they met each other and disregarding any other ties they might have - in other words, all the other characters you run across in the story are there as props.

I do have to say - and this is a little bit of a spoiler (although I think I am one of the few who had not read PI), so I am putting a space.

***S P O I L E R - A L E R T*** I am very happy I read this after the sequel was released - the one part of the book I did find frustrating was how much time our H/H spent apart and how little time they had to make a very final decision. Wondering what had happened to them after being exiled would have driven me batty if I did not have the next installment at hand. Now you know why I will occasionally buy the entire trilogy or series before starting to read!!--Shelley

I liked PRIMARY INVERSION all the way through, but I really loved it when young Jaibriol Qox enters the picture late in the story. He's the enemy who's captured Soz, and he's not just beautiful, he actually forms an unbreakable mental bond with Soz. A pretty rushed and charged relationship ensues. Great for us suckers of 'mental-bond' love stories.--Preeti

Asaro seems to enjoy mixing heart-wrenching events with her romance, but it really works well in this.--Kathleen

I enjoyed this but I thought Soz and what's his name were separately a little too much for a satisfying relationship.--Isabel (31 Jul 99)

My favorite of Asaro's books and I really enjoyed the romance. I have 2 problems with her books though - all of them have the problem of pseudo-scientific gobbledy-gook. If I try to ignore it, it is irritating and unecessary clutter. If I try to understand it I get get confused and lose track of the plot. I also dislike the persistent theme of slavery and of the slave owners gaining sexual gratification from torture.--Margaret (09 Mar 00)


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