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by C. J. Cherryh Library Journal A brilliant young scientist rises to power on Cyteen, haunted by the knowledge that her predecessorand genetic duplicatedied at the hands of one of her trusted advisors. Murder, politics, and genetic manipulation provide the framework for the latest Union-Alliance novel by the author of Downbelow Station. Cherryh's talent for intense, literate storytelling maintains interest throughout this long, complex novel. Highly recommended. JC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. (c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Kirkus Not a sequel to, but a story taking place in the same far-future universe as, Cherryh's well-known Downbelow Station, churning with political intrigue and heavyweight powerbroking, thick with knotty conspiracies and plots. Cherryh's backdrop is a complex and thoughtful one. In 2300 A.D., Earth's farflung colonies and space habitats have won their independence after a long struggle. Genetically-engineered humans--programmed by computer for any desired orientation, loyalty, and function--are commonplace. At the top of the human ant-heap are the Specials, supergeniuses subject only to self-imposed restraints. Hostile alien planet Cyteen is slowly being terraformed; its labs and industries are at the heart of Ariane Emory's political-military-industrial empire. Ari, a Special, appears to be at the height of her power--yet various almost-as-powerful factions oppose her plans to launch another wave of human expansion across the galaxy. Then Ari turns up murdered. Whodunit? Well, Special and psychogenesis (""mind-cloning"") expert Jordan Warrick confesses--even though he's not guilty--as part of a convoluted power-play. Meanwhile, Ari's people start to grow a clone of Ari, which, thanks to Ari's own brilliant research, will grow into an exact duplicate of the dead Ari--as a prelude to an even more ferocious struggle. There are drawbacks: not enough action, spindly characters, sheer density and length (a whopping 680 pages). Still, aficionados of futuristic imaginary power-politics, and those intrigued by the possibilities of human-biological manipulation, will find much to ponder here. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission. Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission. |