4.5 stars for The Disappeared (Retrieval Artist book 1) by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
It is hard to come by a science fiction fantasy novel which I am able to enjoy immensely. So you can imagine how pleased I am to have picked this book and the first of a series at that out of my ever growing list of to-be-read. It is with great pleasure as I write my review to share.
Written in third person narration, The Disappeared kicks off in bits and pieces in a world with no obvious linkage to the co-existence of humans and aliens. Fortunately, I do not have to wait for long as the pieces of puzzle fall into place pronto and by the end of chapter 4, about one fifth into the story, I am able to see the dots connecting the overall plot in my mind's eye.
As cryptic as the book title goes, the story tells of the price the humans are paying for interstellar commerce. Trade agreements with aliens across the known worlds have led to some people living on borrowed time, that is until the ghosts of their past resurface to haunt them all over again. These people soon learn that when an ugly past catches up with its owner, be it of one's own makings or otherwise, there is pretty much no choice to be had let alone to choose from.
Set in Armstrong Dome, one of the colonies on Moon, two detectives are hard at work dealing with the various alien cultures that exist in their part of the universe. Miles Flint, newly promoted to detective from space cop, together with his partner, Noelle DeRicci, are dragged into a mystery surrounding space yachts of the same make, model and year arriving on Armstrong Dome with no identification. This enigmatic case is but the tip of the iceberg that leads to a series of investigation that require both detectives to deal with the subtleties of interstellar law and the vast differences between races and cultures, of which at the end of the day, shake the very foundation of their beliefs in the laws they have sworn to uphold.
Smooth flowing and well written, the author pulls off an increasingly intense narrative by weaving skilfully the subplots which not only integrate well into the main plot but are easy to read and understand. Rich is the imagination as the writer introduces not one, not two but three (with a hint of more to come) very different groups of aliens with their unique code of ethics. We have the Disty from Mars, the Rev from Revina/Revnata and the Wygnin from Korsve. I find it relatively easy to relate to the cases these extraterrestrials bring forth against the humans as the ignorance and/or innocence of the parties on the receiving end tug at my heartstrings.
Last but not least, I think Retrieval Artist is a brilliant name for this science fiction series. This is, after all, a story about the art of disappearing without a trace. And where there are disappearance services available, there are bound to be equivalent services rendered of the exact opposite nature.
Publisher: WMG Publishing, Inc.
Publication date: 6 Feb 2011
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The Disappeared is Flint’s very first adventure, the story that turns him from a police detective in the Armstrong Dome on the Moon into a Retrieval Artist.
In a universe where humans and aliens have formed a loose government called the Earth Alliance, treaties guarantee that humans are subject to alien laws when on alien soil. But alien laws often make no sense, and the punishments vary from loss of life to loss of a first-born child.
Now three cases have collided: a stolen spaceyacht filled with dead bodies, two kidnapped human children, and a human woman on the run, trying to Disappear to avoid alien prosecution. Flint must enforce the law—giving the children to aliens, solving the murders, and arresting the woman for trying to save her own life. But how is a man supposed to enforce laws that are unjust? How can he sacrifice innocents to a system he’s not sure he believes in? How can Miles Flint do the right thing in a universe where the right thing is very, very wrong?
*Blurb from author's website*
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