Rating: 
Summary: Just a nice sf romance novel with some added cleverness
Review: "...a science fiction author who is not only a talented writer but an accomplist scientist"; "A deeply romantic novel set in space that was also an allegory for quantum physics..."; and "Wow, what a fabulous story!" I had heard so many wonderful things about the Skolian Empire Saga (and its brilliant author) that I just had to give The Quantum Rose a try. Catherine Asaro invented a universe in which humans had spread among the stars ages ago through time travel. Some colonies, such as the one on planet Balumil, had been lost to their parent civilizations long enough to forget their origins, regressing into a sort of dark ages as their ancestors' technology slowly faded. Kamoj Argali is a beautiful young ruler of a province on Balumil who is being forced by circumstances into marriage with another governor who could only be described as a sociopath. Without warning Vyryl Lionstar steps in and claims her away from her sad fate; he has fallen in love with her at first sight. In the days to come Kamoj learns some uncomfortable truths about not only her planets' people, but the civilizations beyond. Now, it looks as if Lionstar needs her to stretch her psychological endurance to its limits so that together they can save the Skolian empire together. I got almost what I had expected from this novel. Yes, it is a romance. Yes, it is science fiction. Yes, it is an allegory for quantum physics, employing clever wordplays and terms to complete the analogy. There is plenty of adventure among the stars, interesting cultural speculation and psychology explored in The Quantum Rose. The problem is, although I am otherwise well-educated I have never taken a physics class in my life and I cannot remember much about high school chemistry. Let's just say that the clever physics allegory flew right over my head, leaving me with...a nice romance that did an abrupt about-face in the middle and turned into a pedestrian interstellar adventure. Maybe if I'd had a better head for mathematics and science I would have found the alleged brilliance in this book more than enough to make up for its lack plot originality. As it is however, I can only judge TQR on its storytelling merit, which was just average in my opinion. Asaro deserves credit for well-thought-out universe building and unusual insight into the complex relationships between her characters. I think of her writing style as having the potential to become very good, but unrefined here. Indeed, maybe her later books show improvement. The romance plotline was nice and standard, but gratifying to somebody who would like to see more such good sci fi/romance hybrids make it into the mainstream. BUT, unless you're a chemistry/physics/mathematics wiz, there is nothing particularly special about TQR beyond that.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle
Rating:
Summary: Just a nice sf romance novel with some added cleverness
Review: "...a science fiction author who is not only a talented writer but an accomplist scientist"; "A deeply romantic novel set in space that was also an allegory for quantum physics..."; and "Wow, what a fabulous story!" I had heard so many wonderful things about the Skolian Empire Saga (and its brilliant author) that I just had to give The Quantum Rose a try. Catherine Asaro invented a universe in which humans had spread among the stars ages ago through time travel. Some colonies, such as the one on planet Balumil, had been lost to their parent civilizations long enough to forget their origins, regressing into a sort of dark ages as their ancestors' technology slowly faded. Kamoj Argali is a beautiful young ruler of a province on Balumil who is being forced by circumstances into marriage with another governor who could only be described as a sociopath. Without warning Vyryl Lionstar steps in and claims her away from her sad fate; he has fallen in love with her at first sight. In the days to come Kamoj learns some uncomfortable truths about not only her planets' people, but the civilizations beyond. Now, it looks as if Lionstar needs her to stretch her psychological endurance to its limits so that together they can save the Skolian empire together. I got almost what I had expected from this novel. Yes, it is a romance. Yes, it is science fiction. Yes, it is an allegory for quantum physics, employing clever wordplays and terms to complete the analogy. There is plenty of adventure among the stars, interesting cultural speculation and psychology explored in The Quantum Rose. The problem is, although I am otherwise well-educated I have never taken a physics class in my life and I cannot remember much about high school chemistry. Let's just say that the clever physics allegory flew right over my head, leaving me with...a nice romance that did an abrupt about-face in the middle and turned into a pedestrian interstellar adventure. Maybe if I'd had a better head for mathematics and science I would have found the alleged brilliance in this book more than enough to make up for its lack plot originality. As it is however, I can only judge TQR on its storytelling merit, which was just average in my opinion. Asaro deserves credit for well-thought-out universe building and unusual insight into the complex relationships between her characters. I think of her writing style as having the potential to become very good, but unrefined here. Indeed, maybe her later books show improvement. The romance plotline was nice and standard, but gratifying to somebody who would like to see more such good sci fi/romance hybrids make it into the mainstream. BUT, unless you're a chemistry/physics/mathematics wiz, there is nothing particularly special about TQR beyond that.
-Andrea, aka Merribelle
Rating: 
Summary: A Scientific Romance
Review: "The Quantum Rose" is another winner in Catherine Asaro's provocative and compelling "Skolian Empire" series. This one doesn't advance the saga all that far-it's more of a gapfiller than anything else--but it has a kick to it. The tale starts out as yet another take on "the culture that the galactic civilization forgot, and which has regressed" and has gone medieval. Sounds familiar? But be not afraid, Toto. We're not in Darkover any more. Asaro has a new angle on the old idea, filling it with romance, high tech, low tech, dance, horselike critters (two brands) telepathy, and oh yeah. Quantum physics. There's enough action for the space opera fans; steamy romance for the romantically inclined; and hard science for those who like their science fiction to emphasize, well, the science (an early version of the first half, we're told, appeared in _Analog_). At heart, though, the story is about growing up and taking charge, as young Kamoj, torn between two men, Vryl of the Skolians and Jax of her own world, eventually finds love in all the right places, and grows as a person. So, in the end, the story is more about the development of character than anything else. And how many genre novels can you say that about? There's enough material here for a 1200-page by-the-numbers trilogy, but Asaro, with her lean, mean, prose style, doesn't waste our time--she keeps things down to a reasonable 403 pages (plus appendixes). This is a must-have for Asaroistas although newcomers would probably be better off starting with _Primary Inversion_ , which led off the series, before they tackle this one. All in all another example of what science fiction can be in the right hands.
Rating: 
Summary: Best One Yet
Review: Asaro has really hit her stride in this new saga in her Skolian universe. She successfully blends not just romance and hard science, but politics, genetics, cultural expectations and change--and gives us complex, fascinating characters. Her villian is absorbingly complex; as she delves deeper into the ramifications of the Trader culture, Asaro is creating tensions and conflicts within what once were easy villains to hate--but at the cost of complexity. With THE ASCENDANT SUN and now this book, the Traders are coming into focus as individuals, some of whom are beginning to realize that they are part of a culture gone morally bankrupt, if powerful in every other sense. (One wonders what Jax is going to think, once he travels...) Yes there is sex, all well-written, sometimes harrowing, other times graceful, with scintillants of humor. Reaching the last page leaves the reader torn between a desire to reread more slowly--and to have the next book NOW! Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Writing level isn't professional, strangely.
Review: I am a faithful Asaro fan who dutifully buys her hardbacks as soon as they come out. I expect to love her work, and so came to this book with high hopes. I was _really_ puzzled when I realized about a hundred pages into it that it was boring, meandering, confusing, and just plain sub-professional, writing-wise. I am only giving _Quantum Rose_ two stars as opposed to one out of respect for the author, who has done much better with other tales. Please: if you haven't bought the book yet, consider holding off from doing so. It's not a page-turner, the plot is not compelling, and kudos to you if you can finish it. I could not, and I'm really sad about it. I have to wonder if multiply-published authors get a free pass with their subsequent books, no matter how bad. I also am wondering if this book was written BEFORE some of the others, as I know Ms. Asaro has published other books in a different order than they were written in. I would not be surprised if she had written this book first, at the beginning of her writing career -- I KNOW she is currently a much better writer than this.
Rating:
Summary: A Surprising Choice For A Nebula Award
Review: I bought this book because I had heard it won a Nebula award, but I should have been forwarned by the blurbs that were not from SF sources but rather from the Romance Novel set. This book had a number of major problems. 1) There are a number of major plot holes. The heroine make sacrifices becuase of the love of her country (of which she is queen) but the country and her knowledge of it are hardly developed at all. 2) I had a few laughs over the names of the 2 males in the triangle. Vyrl and Jax. Hmmm... 3) The naming of other characters after quantum states and terms in physics as also a bit of a stretch. 4)The central section of the book is tedious in the extreme, and I thought not terribly coherent or entertaining. Ultimately co-dependent pathologic relationships are a downer. In short if you are a SF fan that likes a logical story and interesting ideas, you may not find this the book for you.
Rating:
Summary: the saga continues...
Review: I had the privelege of copyediting this book. I discovered Ms. Asaro when I was assigned her first book, Primary Inversion--the first time a book I worked on made me cry. As her fans know, she specializes in a tantalizing combination of razor-sharp hard science fiction and shockingly real human emotion. Her insight into the nature of addiction is impressive, and her masterful imagery is as moving as ever. I turned in this manuscript late because I was enjoying reading it so much! But then, what else do you expect from a quantum physicist/ballet dancer...
Rating:
Summary: May be upsetting to sensitive readers
Review: I thought that this book was well-crafted, but I didn't enjoy it. The main character, Kamoj, is abused by one of her lovers - I won't say which. It seemed to me that she never escapes a victim mentality or truly learns to stand on her own two feet. For this reason, I found the book very upsetting.
I do believe that the issue of abuse should be addressed in literature, but I don't think this is the way to do it. I didn't feel the book gave enough resolution to the issue it raised. I have to wonder why something like this would be given the Nebula. What does that say about our culture?
Rating:
Summary: Not up to Ms. Asaro's usual standards.
Review: I was somewhat disappointed in Ms. Asaro's "The Quantum Rose". I can't quite put my finger on it, but the story never really captured my attention as her previous novels have. I understood why, but I got very tired of the submissiveness of the heroine.
Rating:
Summary: Not up to Ms. Asaro's usual standards.
Review: I was somewhat disappointed in Ms. Asaro's "The Quantum Rose". I can't quite put my finger on it, but the story never really captured my attention as her previous novels have. I understood why, but I got very tired of the submissiveness of the heroine.
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