Fragile Bond by Rhi EtzweilerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I read Fragile Bond last night and wanted to write the review while it was fresh in my mind. I read, A LOT, but this book caught my eye and went on to my wishlist when it came out. I finally got a chance to read it, uninterrupted, and it kept me interested start to finish.
The synopsis of the book actually sums up the story quite well, in my opinion, without giving too much away. Several of the plot elements have been used in science fiction books I've read before, like the pheromones, mistaken status of non-sentient creatures for sentient beings, and a first contact/military character.
Still, I enjoyed this ebook quite a bit. I felt the tawnies, aka furrs, were amazing characters. We got several glimpses into their society and social structure throughout the story, enough to get a detailed picture of their culture. The sensory perceptions of the world, or Soma as Hamm named the planet, were amazing and it was nearly visible to my mind's eye. Hamm and Marc's bonding was confusing and arousing and not neat and tidily wrapped up in a bow-which I fully appreciated.
However, I did still have a few issues with the story. The human culture made ZIP sense. We didn't get much explanation of the 'Mother Commander', or their ship, or their evolution. I'd have loved it if the author had seen fit to share more of that since to me, the reader, both cultures were foreign, not just the 'aliens'. It was integral part of the story that I felt was missing. I also disliked the rapid head hopping between multiple characters, though that was more the 'style' not any sort of mistake, and while I'm not alone in my aversion to it, it's a style preference more than anything.
Overall, a good story, but one that I had to really focus on to understand-especially at the end with the large cast of characters-to follow and understand. It was an intriguing plot, and I loved the poignancy at the end which really capped off the story well. Even with my quibbles I completely enjoyed this eBook. A definite recommendation with a 4 out of 5 star rating.
View all my reviews
I also enjoyed this story. Marc's learning curve with the furrs really grabbed me, especially early on. The story weakened for me when the humans got involved, in great part because some of it made no sense to me. I wanted to know more, not less, about what the humans were all about. That never did come into focus. :( The ending left me unsatisfied, too, because I didn't really feel it. But it was a fascinating book and I give it really high marks for being the kind of first contact science fiction I enjoy.
ReplyDeleteOh, and the head-hopping...yeah. A bit too much of that for me. Like you said, it's a style thing, and it doesn't always bother me. But I figure if I start to find it noticeable and irritating, then that's not a good thing.