Review by ls1grrrl -- Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)

[ls1grrrl]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)" by Janet McNulty.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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As Solaris Seethes opens, we’re on a planet known as Lanyr, where we are introduced to one of the main protagonists of the story – Rynah, identified as a security officer for the planet’s geothermal lab. An attentive reader will quickly realize that this is an alien race and planet, not just another time and place on the planet Earth. I am not going to spoil the reasons for you, but the action ramps up dramatically, as Rynah is forced to flee on a ship called 'Solaris', which turns out to have been left for her by her grandfather, Marlowe.

In space, Rynah takes on a mismatched crew and they take Solaris on a whirlwind mission to save the galaxy. As the story unfolds, the crew members (and the readers) realize that Rynah is also motivated by a desire for revenge against her former betrothed, who as it turns out, used and betrayed her in the hopes of galactic domination. (Come on girls – we've all had that one guy in our lives, right?)

Rynah and her compatriots are forced to decipher a mythical prophecy passed down by Rynah's forbears, in a race against time. All the while, they’re forced to battle person challenges, space pirates and continually run up against Rynah’s evil ex, who seems bent on gaining maximum power while inflicting maximum destruction.

I would rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. While the general premise of a motley crew thrown together to save the galaxy has been done before, Solaris Seethes manages to set itself apart as a unique endeavor on many fronts. There are hints of other books and movies from the space opera, science fiction and action genres, but I appreciated them more as briefs nods and homages to predecessors, rather than just another rehash.

The book is a light and easy read, with a fast pace, which makes it great for summer or weekend reading. A lack of depth in the worldbuilding leaves me feeling that this book may be better for adolescents or young adults rather than mature, experienced science fiction fans who may be used to the likes of Peter F. Hamilton or similar authors. There is also some strange word usage and sentence structure, which pulled me out of the flow of the story several times and had me thinking about how I would have reworded this or that to make it flow a bit better. However, I did enjoy the plot and pace, and was left wondering what the author has in store for us in the follow-on books in the series.

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Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
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