A review by felinity
Undercity by Catherine Asaro
4.0
4.5 stars
Major Bhaajan, former military and now a private investigator, is hired by a mysterious client. Forced to return somewhere she'd rather not go, she's also forced to confront things she'd rather stayed in the past if there's to be any hope in the future.
This is the first I'd read by [a:Catherine Asaro|34854|Catherine Asaro|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1246654947p2/34854.jpg], so it's worth noting that I have just added the first of her Skolian Empire series - in the same universe as [b:Undercity|21412186|Undercity|Catherine Asaro|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394422279s/21412186.jpg|40713197] - to my to-read list. People who have already explored that series will probably find the Characters & Family History section at the end interesting; I just paged through to avoid potential spoilers, as none of it was relevant to me.
The intricate cultures Asaro created here, the history of the characters, the issues they have to deal with, and the cultural conflicts all echo recognizable pieces from our culture. Moral debates about validity of lifestyle choices, "saving" people from themselves and the narrow-mindedness of the privileged class (who devalue and dismiss marginal societies while not thinking past trite beliefs about poverty) all resonated strongly with me.
The tech was visible but not intrusive, just enough to make it interesting and to add a small flavor of cyberpunk without diverging from the main plot. The three parts could almost stand on their own as novellas, but seemed to me more like acts in a play, underscoring the events of each part.
Very enjoyable and educational, and I look forward to reading the rest of this series!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Major Bhaajan, former military and now a private investigator, is hired by a mysterious client. Forced to return somewhere she'd rather not go, she's also forced to confront things she'd rather stayed in the past if there's to be any hope in the future.
This is the first I'd read by [a:Catherine Asaro|34854|Catherine Asaro|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1246654947p2/34854.jpg], so it's worth noting that I have just added the first of her Skolian Empire series - in the same universe as [b:Undercity|21412186|Undercity|Catherine Asaro|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394422279s/21412186.jpg|40713197] - to my to-read list. People who have already explored that series will probably find the Characters & Family History section at the end interesting; I just paged through to avoid potential spoilers, as none of it was relevant to me.
The intricate cultures Asaro created here, the history of the characters, the issues they have to deal with, and the cultural conflicts all echo recognizable pieces from our culture. Moral debates about validity of lifestyle choices, "saving" people from themselves and the narrow-mindedness of the privileged class (who devalue and dismiss marginal societies while not thinking past trite beliefs about poverty) all resonated strongly with me.
The tech was visible but not intrusive, just enough to make it interesting and to add a small flavor of cyberpunk without diverging from the main plot. The three parts could almost stand on their own as novellas, but seemed to me more like acts in a play, underscoring the events of each part.
Very enjoyable and educational, and I look forward to reading the rest of this series!
Disclaimer: I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.