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leelah's review against another edition
3.0
3,5 stars
Ok, first some info: [b:Undercity|21412186|Undercity (Major Baahjan, #1)|Catherine Asaro|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394422279s/21412186.jpg|40713197] is extended version of [b:The City of Cries|12847303|The City of Cries (Major Baahjan, #0)|Catherine Asaro|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1417108699s/12847303.jpg|17998452] novella, but added content is rather linear, since this book is basically continuation of novella. Hence, we have Part I (TCoC) and Part II (added content).
First part is a straight forward detective novel- Bhaajan is a former major with the Imperial Space Command turned PI and she's contacted by a mysterious client. It turns out, secrecy is well deserved since Bhaajan is hired to find one of the most important men in Skolian empire: youngest Majda Prince. Majdas are second most influential family in the Empire. Majdas are financial moguls; their matriarchs are by tradition Generals of Pharaoh's army, but Majda women also dominate imperial fleet and space command branches. They are also following old rules religiously: their men are kept in seclusion- which means they are in complete lock-down, hidden behind walls under heavy protection. Touching a Majda prince is considered to be an offense punishable by death. So, to say that Bhaajan is under high pressure to solve this is an understatement. But,she is uniquely qualified to do it, since prince's trail leads to Undercity, pipe system where Bhaajan grew up as an orphan and one place she didn't want ever to come back to. And she needs help from people she left behind.
Mysterywise - this wasn't too complicated. Bhaajan pretty much found the prince soon as she went to Undercity, but events of this case triggered a bigger problem Bhaajan is handling in Part II. First part is also important for getting to know Majdas and rigidity of rules they followed for centuries. They are also pried of their sense of fairness and honor.
It's a picture of Raylicon on microlevel that gains real importance in second part where perspective is switched and we get a bigger social structure picture. In second part, Bhaajan and Jax are trying to break gun smuggling operation and war between gangs of Undercity where the ones who need most help are in biggest danger: little orphans, called dust rats Baahjan and Jax once were.
*This disparity between Majda and poor people living in pipe system is so huge I found it a bit of a stretch: it is written to show the most simple social system model: only two social classes are shown where one has everything and other nothing and as such it's completely unrealistic. Society is more complicated and there is more layers to it, but we don't get to see it at all. Baahjan's investigation is happening only in Majda's households and in Undercity and I personally missed seeing what's in between. Hence, I think Asaro smoothed this over little too easy and simple.
I am also not sure how this reads if reader is not familiar with other novels set in Skolian Empire. Timeline follows the events of [b:Skyfall|672950|Skyfall (Saga of the Skolian Empire, #9)|Catherine Asaro|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316130019s/672950.jpg|1441653] since missing prince was engaged to Roca Skolia before she goes and meet Eldrinson. But it's not just that: seclusion would be more clear if reader knows that Empire is matriarchal society and that Majdas are applying old rules strictly for more reasons: their men are not just beautiful and intelligent, they also seem to carry and are able to pass further gene that gives their children psychic powers. It's a great gift and a valuable weapon against Traders. Psyons are mentioned and I guess it's not difficult to understand but the importance of it gets a whole another meaning when you are familiar with setting.
Romance plot is a given when it comes to Asaro, so it happens here as well. ;)
I think resolution happened to early in the novel and the whole story lacks suspense by the end. It left us on a weird note since there is nothing to dislike about it, but there is also not much to like and remember once you finish.
It has potential and I will pick up next in series. ;)
*ETA 12/23/2104 - Rephrased after thoughtful comment from fellow reader. :)
tylepard's review
3.0
Super fun sci-fi book set in a world that's run by a matriarchy. Lots of typos, but otherwise a good, quick read full of action.
royalmilktea's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
veronica87's review
2.0
I was hoping for more from this book. I was in the mood for some cool science fiction but this turned out to be just okay, hence the two star rating. It wasn't bad but none of it blew me away either. The heroine, Major Baahj, could basically do anything with her tech-enhanced body and whatever she couldn't accomplish physically her Artificial Evolving Intelligence computer system handled effortlessly. The changes that Baahj brings about in such a short amount of time, in a system that has been in place for millenia, seemed a bit unbelievable and bordered on the Mary Sue trope. The whole thing with the Undercity children and the Dust Knights should have been touching but instead it came off as cheesy. There is also a romance element of the reconnecting-old-lovers variety and it was okay but, again, nothing that blew me away. Overall it was all just...meh.
alesia_charles's review
4.0
Excellent space opera, and a nice change of pace from Asaro's previous work, which focused on Imperial scions as the main characters. I read a number of those earlier novels years ago, and frankly got bored with the princes and politics and so forth. Major Bhaajan, however, is just a retired military police officer with an interesting past.
Asaro is still a bit heavy-handed with her themes, but I feel the whole Skolian Empire idea benefits from a lower-level perspective on things. Here's hoping that this new series continues to stay fresh and avoid most of those rarified levels of politics and war that I got tired of before!
Asaro is still a bit heavy-handed with her themes, but I feel the whole Skolian Empire idea benefits from a lower-level perspective on things. Here's hoping that this new series continues to stay fresh and avoid most of those rarified levels of politics and war that I got tired of before!
ahsimlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
I am on the hunt for strong female characters written by female authors and this definitely delivered. As the first in a new series in the Skolian Empire world, this is a great place to start. Bhaajan is a former military P. I. who is called back to her home planet where she once roamed with the "dust rats," the often orphaned kids in the aqueducts under the grand City of Cries. In this world, women rule and fight wars while princes in royal families are kept under lock and key and have little power over their lives in marriage. I enjoyed the chatacter development, the romance and the collective/community aspects that Bhaajan starts to build in the old stomping grounds she thought she had left behind. A great set-up at the end for more to come. I will definitely be reading more Asaro.
bookadventurer's review against another edition
3.0
In this latest addition to the Skolian Empire series, Asaro takes readers back a bit in time to a point when Roka Skolia has just recently married her Consort, with whom she raises her dynastic brood, many of whom have appeared as main characters in earlier (published) books.
The plot revolves around Roka’s intended husband, young prince Dayj, who, desperate for escape from the loneliness and isolation of his prison in the palace, runs away – only to disappear. His family call in a mercenary/bounty hunter type, our heroine, Baaj, who is retired from the Pharaoh’s Army – which is led by the matriarch of Dayj’s royal family, the Majdas. Told in parts, the novel follows Baaj’s search for the prince, her investigation into criminal activity in the Undercity, and the resolution of the conflict between Undercity dwellers and Above-City citizens. A smaller arc develops the romance between Baaj and her former lover, disreputable Undercity kingpin, Jak.
One of the things I love about science fiction is that it explores issues like gender equality and cultural supremacy/superiority in imaginative environments that can change a reader’s perspective and worldview. In Undercity, Asaro explores gender equality in a flipped culture that contends that men are the “delicate,” “protected” sex. While much of the society has moved beyond such gender bias and inequality, in the royal palace of the Majda, the princes are imprisoned, restricted, hidden. Much like the women in harems.
The main characters, following the majority of the progressive society, demonstrate a preference for and belief in gender equality, deploring Dayj’s situation. Through this perspective, the author reveals her own belief in gender equality. The resolution of this plot line further emphasizes the importance of freedom and equality. Caring for others means letting them choose their own path in life, allowing them to make their own decisions (even mistakes), and giving them space to grow. The heroine points out this truth to the Majdas, opening their eyes to Dayj’s unhappiness. Ultimately, the story contrasts true love (familial-style, not One-True-Love-style) and possessive love.
A small gem really stood out, when Baaj talks with an AI computer that posits why one of the princes, a man who lived a normal, free life before marrying a Majda princess and giving up that freedom, would be one of the strongest advocates and supporters of the seclusion and imprisonment of other princes. Why should anyone else have the freedom he willingly gave up, the AI asks. This is one of the many examples when the societal norms are explored on a deeper, personal level – and the author does an excellent job of explaining individual motivations that feel true and natural.
Read the full review and find Similar Reads at The Book Adventures around (American) Thanksgiving, 2014.
The plot revolves around Roka’s intended husband, young prince Dayj, who, desperate for escape from the loneliness and isolation of his prison in the palace, runs away – only to disappear. His family call in a mercenary/bounty hunter type, our heroine, Baaj, who is retired from the Pharaoh’s Army – which is led by the matriarch of Dayj’s royal family, the Majdas. Told in parts, the novel follows Baaj’s search for the prince, her investigation into criminal activity in the Undercity, and the resolution of the conflict between Undercity dwellers and Above-City citizens. A smaller arc develops the romance between Baaj and her former lover, disreputable Undercity kingpin, Jak.
One of the things I love about science fiction is that it explores issues like gender equality and cultural supremacy/superiority in imaginative environments that can change a reader’s perspective and worldview. In Undercity, Asaro explores gender equality in a flipped culture that contends that men are the “delicate,” “protected” sex. While much of the society has moved beyond such gender bias and inequality, in the royal palace of the Majda, the princes are imprisoned, restricted, hidden. Much like the women in harems.
The main characters, following the majority of the progressive society, demonstrate a preference for and belief in gender equality, deploring Dayj’s situation. Through this perspective, the author reveals her own belief in gender equality. The resolution of this plot line further emphasizes the importance of freedom and equality. Caring for others means letting them choose their own path in life, allowing them to make their own decisions (even mistakes), and giving them space to grow. The heroine points out this truth to the Majdas, opening their eyes to Dayj’s unhappiness. Ultimately, the story contrasts true love (familial-style, not One-True-Love-style) and possessive love.
A small gem really stood out, when Baaj talks with an AI computer that posits why one of the princes, a man who lived a normal, free life before marrying a Majda princess and giving up that freedom, would be one of the strongest advocates and supporters of the seclusion and imprisonment of other princes. Why should anyone else have the freedom he willingly gave up, the AI asks. This is one of the many examples when the societal norms are explored on a deeper, personal level – and the author does an excellent job of explaining individual motivations that feel true and natural.
Read the full review and find Similar Reads at The Book Adventures around (American) Thanksgiving, 2014.
jameseckman's review against another edition
3.0
I like this book, it's a better than average take on the hoary PI story with a bit of Baker Street irregulars thrown in. It can be read on its own without reading any other of the Skolian books. Book 0 in this series seems to be the first half of this book.
glennisleblanc's review against another edition
4.0
I've read a few of Ms Asaro's earlier books but I haven't kept up with all of them. This book is great that you can read it and not need to know that it fits into a larger universe. Bhaajan is a retired Major who is now working as a private eye and has just taken a very large payment to see if she would be interested in a case. Turns out the case is off planet and is actually from her home world and she needs to rescue a missing prince. Lots of “old home week” as she catches up with old friends that she left behind when she enlisted. The story is actually in a few parts and the initial case is not the entire plot of the book. A good fun read and a great place to step into a new universe if you haven’t read them before. There is also a handy readers guide to the chronology of the stories if you want to see what fits where all the books available.
Digital copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
Digital copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
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