Landon, Kristin: The Hidden Worlds
The Hidden Worlds
Writer: Kristin Landon
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 356
Two reasons I picked up this book: the first is the most obvious, a SF debut by a woman writer. Whoot! But the second reason was due to the review I read at SciFi Weekly. Specific details taken out, I read this review and realized that this very well could be the kind of review I receive whenever I get published. The original review is here if you're interested. Anyway, it caught my attention that this writer may be doing some of the same things I'm trying to do in my own work, and I wanted to see how she pulled it off, especially in light of the review.
It's a good, fast read. It started out a little slow for me, and I can't pinpoint why either. The setting was well-realized, the protagonist, Linnea, sympathetic, and the culture interesting if not disturbing (Linnea is 19 and unmarried, and she's not considered an "adult" until she's married). Due to a tragedy that effectively destroys her village, Linnea seeks work to support her newly widowed sister and her sister's children. The search uncovers a family secret that's somehow related to the Pilot Masters on Nexus, and Linnea learns that her home planet is getting cut off from the rest of the human race. Determined to help her sister and save her planet, Linnea accepts a servants contract in order to bargain for her people.
Not everything is as it seems. The Pilot Masters have their own interesting if not disturbing culture (it's men only, and women are obviously second-class), and the politics behind this culture is what drives the story. Iain is denied a rightful promotion, losing to his cousin Rafael, who has abused Iain in the past. When Linnea is sent to him as his servant, the two team up to find out what's really going on with his family, the Pilot Masters, and the possible threat of the Cold Minds, the nanorobotic threat that drove humans away from Earth and to the stars.
Overall, it's a good story. I enjoyed learning how all the conspiracies played out, who was hiding what, and how the characters reacted under pressure. Linnea and Iain's romance is well-played, I think, especially by the end. These two people are broken repetitively through-out this novel, and it's hard as hell for them to put themselves back together. And while some of Landon's plot choices made me cringe a wee bit (I worried about a rape scene, and I'm really sorry Linnea agreed to Rafael's scheme, even though I understand her motivations), I was overall pretty satisfied. I know there's a second novel coming out in 2008, and I'm looking forward to it. The Hidden Worlds resolves the personal, immediate plotline, but there's definitely a larger threat to be dealt with, as well as both characters learning how to live with each other.
I also appreciated how well Landon handled homosexuality within the Pilot Masters. There are those people who exploit others, like Rafael did to Iain, but then there's also true affection between characters, like Iain to his childhood lover, and the Master to Iain's father. Very well played in that regard.
I also got a sense, in spite of the covers, that our protagonists were not meant to be seen as lily-white. Both Linnea and Iain are described as having darker skin, and there's a point made to describe Rafael's sickly whiteness, and I think that's a deliberate choice on the author's part. Granted, in Iain's case, one might make a guess at some kind of Hispanic ancestory (especially given his father's name), but it's a start. I also got some very Japanese vibes in terms of the Pilot Master culture in regards to dress, serving practices, and their ideals, which is also cool.
Sometimes events were a little too predictable, but not often. I'm excited to see how Rafael's story plays out, even though I suspected what would happen before it did. I also predicted Linnea's role by the end of the story, and liked that turn regardless. And while I did have some plot questions--how both Iain's and Rafael's ships were allowed to take off the doomed planet (weren't the Pilot Masters supposed to blast anyone taking off?)--it didn't hinder my reading enough to not enjoy the book overall.
This is a good, political, romantic, SF-lite book. The review criticized that not all of Landon's settings received the same kind of treatment as those did on Santandru, but overall, the settings aren't as important as the story, the intrigue, and the characters, which Landon handles wonderfully. I think fans of Catherine Asaro's Skolian Empire series will enjoy this, if only as a quick read. I know I did. I'm looking forward to the sequel.
Next Up: The Last Mortal Man: Book One of the Deathless by Syne Mitchell