Review by SydneyPearl94 -- Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga...

[SydneyPearl94]

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

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2 out of 4 stars

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Rynah’s planet Lanyr has been destroyed by Klanor and she must follow an ancient prophecy to save the universe from being destroyed. Rynah’s mission is to race against Klanor to collect six crystals hidden throughout the galaxies that have the power to form together into a weapon of mass destruction. According to Lanyr’s ancient text she will need the help of four Earthlings – a warrior, an inventor, a philosopher, and a lover. The five of them embark to save the six crystals on Rynah's sentient space ship Solaris. Janet McNulty’s Solaris Seethes is great for those who love science fiction.

There are many things about this book that are inconsistent and the more it happened, the more I became annoyed. For example, Rynah claims that Klanor does not know of Earth, but then tells her four human companions that if they do not help her he will destroy Earth. Except, how could he do that if he has no idea it exists? Furthermore, Rynah and Solaris transport four people from different time periods on Earth onto a space ship without any warning. Not even one of them reacts as if something crazy has happened for longer than about a page. They accept their fate as saviors of the universe without a second thought and move on to help Rynah in what could only be some kind of fast-acting Stockholm Syndrome. Rynah and her companions spend the rest of the book flying aimlessly around space looking for the six crystals hidden throughout space and they somehow know exactly where to go with only bits and pieces of their ancient texts to help? It makes no sense and it’s too easy!

Finally, the thing that I found the most frustrating is a small detail, but it keeps nagging at me. Everyone from Lanyr treats the story of the six crystals as a myth. They cannot fathom the possibility that it is true. However it was common knowledge that one of the crystals is used to keep Rynah's planet Lanyr alive. An entire planet knows that this crystal is the reason their planet is habitable, but has trouble believing there are others like it? McNulty tries to address this at the beginning of the novel, but her explanation borders on "because I said so".

Surprisingly the talking space ship Solaris is the most thought-out and tolerable character in the novel. The four humans Brie, Alfric, Solon, and Tom are exactly what their prophecy says they are, but nothing more. Solon, the philosopher of the prophecy, does nothing except offer advice in the form of clichés. The Viking Alfric (the warrior), does little except fight off every enemy the group faces and offer some advice on how to not be afraid in a fight. Brie (the lover) cowers from everything in overall uselessness and then cries about it later. Tom (the inventor) never invents or builds anything and doesn't do much except pilot Solaris when Rynah is busy. Rynah was the worst of the characters though. She was bratty, self-righteous, and a bully who throws a fit every time something does not go her way.

Despite these things Solaris Seethes was a fun read, especially for a sci-fi lover like myself. It kept me intrigued the entire time and I never knew what was going to happen next. The best part were the various planets and their landscapes, which were rich with detail. Solaris’s snarky, yet caring attitude was a highlight for me and I am glad that she was there to balance out Rynah’s childishness.

I give Solaris Seethes 2 out of 4 stars. While its premise is great and for the most part, it was not a very bad science fiction book. However, there are a small amount of minor editing errors, much of McNulty’s story is not fully consistent and nearly all her characters lacked any depth beyond their basic, stereotypical personalities.

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Solaris Seethes (Solaris Saga book 1)
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[Manang Muyang]

Hi, SydneyPearl94! How is everything down under? (I assume you are from Australia, mate.)

It's sad the book did not thrill you that much. I hope the author does better in the succeeding books.