|
Jasmine Storm is the last of her kind, the last Cyborg in the galaxy since they were wiped out with a virus used during their civil war. She’s made a life for herself amongst the humans, and works diligently to better understand their strange ways and emotions. She has made tremendous progress understanding their practices, and even become adept at anticipating human reaction, but the nonsensical emotions are still a mystery to her Cyborg brain. That all changes when an unexpected encounter with rebel leader Devin Cartell fires feelings inside her that she never could have anticipated in her wildest dreams – if Cyborgs dreamed, that is. But one kiss from Cartell leaves her completely shaken, and her emotions (emotions??) spin out of control. To top it all off that one kiss was caught on video and has the Regime convinced that the last Cyborg is in league with the Rebel Uprising, and they will stop at nothing to capture her. Cartell still isn’t sure what exactly possessed him to kiss the strange Cyborg – he’s already bound to his mate, his supposed Kerabal. But he knows with growing certainty that Jasmine is his true Kerabal, even as he knows that they can never be together… But when they are left for dead by his people and hunted by the Regime, what do they have to lose? I have read Candice Gilmer’s work before, in the Aphrodite’s Apples anthology titled Spellbound, and was duly impressed then. Unified Souls is the first full length novel I have had the pleasure of reading from her. I loved her short story, but this book blew me away! This story had everything a Science Fiction nut like me could ask for, and exposed the author as a kindred spirit… Who else could write a compelling story about a Cyborg with such passion and intensity? But Unified Souls is far more than just a story about a lost Cyborg trying to make her way in the world of humans. Gilmer has created a spectacular universe with a rich landscape (if you can call it that in space! LOL) Her plot is rife with subplot after subplot, or (as a Mentat from Frank Herbert’s Dune saga might say) “plans within plans”… Just when you think you know where the story is headed, the author introduces an entirely new layer you never expected and raises the story to even greater heights! I will readily admit that although it is rare a story manages to surprise me, Unified Souls managed to do so more than once – and raised my estimation of the book each time. In the end, although it is a Science Fiction tale with a Cyborg in the starring role, it is a very human story. Experiencing Jasmine’s struggle to determine her own origins and make sense of emotions she never thought possible for her is soul-wrenching. Seeing Fate throw her and Cartell together again and again, demanding they fall into a forbidden love is heart-breaking. Through it all, Gilmer sprinkles the dialogue with words specific to her world, never letting you forget that you are in a futuristic Science Fiction world. Even without a glossary, however, Gilmer’s use of her galaxy’s special vernacular is incredible, leaving no mistake as to the various words’ meanings simply by effortlessly judging their context in the sentence. And this minx of a novelist knows exactly how to leave you begging for more… She finishes Unified Souls with cliff-hangers worthy of the original Star Wars movies. If the sequel had yet been released, I’d have it in my hot little hands at this moment, and be contemplating calling in sick tomorrow so I could stay up to read it!
Reviewed by Jennifer
Copyright © 2006-2008 CK2S Kwips and Kritiques. All rights reserved. |
Unified Souls
|
|
