By Julie E. Czerneda.
This is an odd book in so many ways.
Dr. Mackenzie Connor is a biologist and salmon researcher who doesn't have much interest in anything outside her narrow little research world. She doesn't give a crap about traveling to other planets, she doesn't care too much about hanging with other alien species, she pretty much has her head in the sand about stuff. This annoys her best friend Emily, a lot more than Emily has been letting on. However, Mac gets targeted for a very ominous investigation of the Chasm, an area of the universe where every scrap of life has been extinguished. She's approached by Brynm, a Dhryn archaeologist. Brynm is the first of his species to ever visit Earth, and he's here to get Mac's help. Because the Dhryn are a really static species, who has banned the study of life and they don't even HAVE medicine there ("either a Dhryn is robust, or he is not."). Socially, you're just supposed to ignore well... everything that might be upsetting.
Brynm isn't the sort to take that lying down, especially when he thinks the destruction is coming for Earth and Dhryn. When a third alien species, which appears to be a destructive one, starts attacking the Norcross Salmon Research Facility, things get dicey. Emily disappears and Mac finds out that Emily is somehow involved in some strange conspiracy. After the aliens (called the "Ro" by Dhryn) really attack the joint, Mac is forced to flee with Brynm to the Dhryn homeworld, where the Ro have never been and hopefully she can be safe and figure out... something.
And I haven't even gotten to mentioning Nikolai Trojanowski, the secret agent sent along with Brynm who is attracted to Mac. That doesn't really get off the ground too much, given the demands of the plot. I wasn't sure what to make of their uh, connection exactly. I liked Emily--what little you see of her-- but darned if I know exactly what she is up to. Of course, I'm not supposed to know because this is the first book of a trilogy. I will also admit that I am still at kind of a loss as to why a salmon researcher would be who you'd get to figure out this problem...but unlike the author, I am not a biologist, so I guess I wouldn't get that.
I hate the "Portent" intercalary chapters, which are too vague and obscure to make any sense at all and I finally just skipped them all in a giant fit of "wtf?" I hate vague prologue-y things anyway and that was bad, even if they were usually a page long. I also thought that Mac's journey to Dhryn-- and especially how long she spends cooling her heels before she's let out-- started to drag on after awhile.
What did I like? Mac's coming out of her salmon-only bubble. I liked how she started adapting to the Dhryn customs, especially where she figures out a loophole to get out of doing something that could have been very bad. I thought Brynm was a total sweetie. And when the plot is moving, I kept being interested. And I'll say this: it's got a hell of a twist ending... which is also extremely horrifying and sad, so be forewarned.
I'm not sure if I want to read more books in this series or not. It's odd for me, but intriguing. Three stars overall.
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