Rating: 
Summary: Juvenile
Review:
Girl meets weird, otherworldly guy on the street in the middle of the Los Angeles slums well after midnight. Within minutes, they're in each other's arms. Some 24 hours later, they're in bed. Chapter 2 is devoted largely to a detailed description of that first night's sexual encounter.
Duh...
Give me a break. Sane, mature people just don't behave that way. I don't think the heroine's telepathic powers and instincts about people are a good excuse for setting up such a poor role model.
I picked up this book primarily because I was curious tto see how the author would integrate romance with hard science fiction. Now I'm reminded of why I have so little respect for romance fiction in general.
Rating: 
Summary: 2/3rds of a good book, Asaro leaves us hanging
Review: Catherine Asaro returns to the universe of her first book, Primary Inversion. Tina, a poor Mexican girl living in a Los Angeles similar but not exactly the same as our own, meets the prototypical tall dark stranger while on her way home one night. One problem: the tall dark stranger is a Jagernaut, a highly cyborged combat pilot and empath from a different future. He was supposed to have a meeting in Washington, but in his time and in his universe.
The book follows the attempts of Althor, the Jagernaut, to reunite with his ship and find out who tried to kill him and why. Tina, in a theme also seen in Primary Inversion (Albeit with the sexes reversed), provides a possibly forbidden but also tremendously important (in the galactic sense) love interest.
The biggest problem with this book is the last third. The first two parts flow nicely, with the exception of parts where Asaro, a physicist, attempts to explain both hyperlight travel and the empathic/telepathic powers used by Jagernauts. (As a scientist myself, I find her ideas interesting, but they slow the plot down in places and probably will be impossible for many folks to follow.) The book really ends after Tina and Althor's escape from the Traders, about 2/3rds of the way through. The last part of the book has almost no plot, but spends its time introducing new, major characters, and explaining in great depth the history behind the universe. It leaves unresolved major plot complications (How will the Skolians recapture the 3rd Lock, what will happen to one of the bad guys? ) and is generally unsatisfying. It's clear that Asaro plans to clear these up in future works. (As well as most likely tying in the somewhat unresolved ending of Primary Inversion.)
Still, the first 2/3rds of the book are enjoyable. Asaro has fashioned an interesting universe, complete with truly evil bad guys, complex and imperfect good guys, and enough science that I didn't throw the book away at the first mention of telepathy. I'll be looking forward to more works by her.
Rating: 
Summary: Catch the Excitement
Review: I've been imagining stories my entire life, for as long as I can remember. The stories matured as I grew older, layering on depth and complexity, until I had a large universe with many worlds, many generations of a starfaring dynasty, a history encompassing millennia, and Byzantine intrigues. The main focus of the Skolian Saga books is the Ruby Dynasty. Each family member has several stories., and most of them are stand-alone, including Catch the Lightning. The books have been called space adventure, hard science fiction, and romantic space epics. Tor publishes the Skolian Empire books. Catch the Lightning won the 1997 Sapphire Award and also the on-line UTC Award for best science fiction novel of 1997. The time frame for Catch the Lightning is about seventy years after Primary Inversion. It isn't necessary to read Primary Inversion first however, or any of the other novels. The story of Primary Inversion continues in The Radiant Seas, and the tale of The Last Hawk continues in Ascendant Sun. Nancy Kress, Nebula and Hugo award winner: "Catch the Lightning is space adventure for the twenty-first century. It has all the romantic excitement we loved as kids, made sophisticated with Asaro's fascinating knowledge of cutting-edge science. This book crackles with ideas." William Barton, nominee for the Nebula, Hugo, and Philip K. Dick Awards: "Catch the Lightning combines hard-science speculation with striking, hard-edged characterization in a way that is seldom attempted, much less achieved, by genre writers." Joe Mayhew, Absolute Magnitude Magazine: "Catherine Asaro keeps the wonders tumbling along at the level of sheer delight. She draws her readers into strange intimacies with hard sciences from speculative physics to developmental biology, while inserting genuinely feminine romance, color, and detail. Asaro writes from a womanÕs point of view, but in a way which will surely capture rugged action adventure lovers. " Melinda Helfer, Romantic Times, December 1996: "The spectacular talent of Catherine Asaro blazes even more brilliantly in her new book, CATCH THE LIGHTNING (4 1/2). ... Ms. Asaro's Skolian Empire is a truly masterful accomplishment of world-building, an example of consummate craftsmanship and an impeccable feel for the technical and social possibilities that lie ahead of us. Hard science fiction fans can rejoice--the next superstar is here--while fans of great storytelling can rejoice in one of the best books of the year." Gary K. Wolfe, Locus, December 1996: "Asaro's narrative begins with a compelling opening line: 'I last saw earth in 1987, when I was seventeen.' The narrator, Tina Pulivok, is an immigrant of Mayan descent living in the Hispanic community of Los Angeles in a curiously altered 1987 (instead of the U.S.A., for example, her country is called the 'Federated States of America'; we later realize this is a tale of alternate universes rather than time travel). She meets a golden-skinned stranger named Althor who claims to be a space pilot, and with whom she immediately feels a mysterious kinship--especially after he rescues her from a neighborhood thug. Asaro gets credit for launching unapologetically into the development of this unlikely relationship, and the growing romance between Tina and Althor--who turn out to share both ancestry and empathic psychic powers--is what gives the first half of this book its considerable charm (Althor's idea of romantic swooning consists of lines like 'Your influence has migrated to all of my processors.'). ... Asaro takes us along for the ride." James Schellenberg, Challenging Destiny Reviews: "You'll have to read this book for yourself to find out why the blurb on the inside of the front cover is so funny. It says: "A young girl from Earth falls in love with a handsome stranger -- and becomes a pawn in an interstellar war." That's like saying Gone With the Wind is just another "boy meets girl, boy loses girl" story or 2001 is about an unbalanced computer. In Catch the Lightning, there is indeed a handsome stranger, and there is in fact an interstellar war going on, but Asaro uses these elements to soar far beyond such a reductionist description. This book is highly recommended, and will bring you a few solid hours of delight if you've had a rough day. ... Creating a book that is so highly readable is not as easy as it sounds, by any means. I'm looking forward to following along wherever Asaro goes next. " Larry Woods, Bookpage, January 1997, "Space adventure in the twenty-first century is a noble although hazardous enterprise in Catch the Lightning, the second hard science/science fiction novel by physicist Catherine Asaro.... this is a universe of intriguing characters. Avoiding the usual problems common to many hard science fiction novels, author Asaro succeeds in developing the reader's empathy for her characters and their future."
Rating: 
Summary: William in California
Review: This book is a gem. Exciting and imaginative. I couldn't put it down. It was at first a surprise to be reading a story told first person by a woman, but the character, Tina, compelled my interest. She is a far cry from the plastic dolls that fill in as love objects in some fiction. Her husband, Althor, is believable too, a hero in the real sense of the word, a man who faces problems in his life and overcomes them. Although this is a hard science fiction book, the style of the writing sometimes feels like that of Latin American writers who do magic realism.
I wasn't surprised to read in the cover blurbs that Asaro is a scientist; that comes through, most of all in the physics and genetics. Some chapters take place in space habitats, which are done with realism. The scenes describing the approach to the habitats make you want to go there. The world building also piqued my interest. The detail is enormous and if anything Asaro tries to do too much. She has enough to fill many books.
Another reason to read this book is the love story. Asaro isn't afraid to show genuine love between her characters. The scenes are tasteful, but also sensual, a refreshingly mature treatment. The combination of hard science and love story caught me by surprise, but it works. I hope Asaro continues in this vein, as there is no one else who seems to do it, except Ursula Le Guin.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic blend of hardcore scif & romance. I loved it!
Review: Ahhh, what a satisfying book. If only everything I read were this good, well, I'd probably never get anything done! This is the second book in Catherine Asaro's Skolian Empire Saga and is also another not-to-be missed read for hard-core scifi fans and romance readers looking for a well-written futuristic love story. Ms. Asaro has created another extraordinary heroine and hero while maintaining a non-stop action filled read. I now know why these books appeal to so many different types of readers - there's adventure, romance, political intrigue and interesting future societies and theories that boggle the mind. The best thing about this book for me was the characters. If I can't care about them I just won't be able to get into a book, no matter how interesting others may find it. The author takes as much care developing her characters as she does her plot which makes this book so special. Tina may only be seventeen but she was forced to grow up early and her actions, and responses to the unbelievable situations she's thrust into are very realistic. She's vulnerable and tough, smart and easy to like. Althor is a perfect match for her, he's strong, sensitive and moody and with her strong empathic abilities she's probably the only one who would be able to fully understand and love him. My only complaint, and it's a minor one really, that can probably be attributed to the fact that I don't read much hard scifi, is that sometimes the book lapsed into long technical explanations that jogged me out of the story and because I read this book immediately after finishing PRIMARY INVERSION some of the explanations didn't seem necessary to me so I skimmed them. Despite that nit I can't recommend this one highly enough. The characterization is flawless - you'll love and route for these people as they face impossible odds.
Rating:
Summary: Asaro's weakest novel is still worth reading
Review: Catch the Lightning came as a suprise to me, since I read it immediately after completing Primary Inversion. I wanted a novel which continued the plot of Primary Inversion, which was written eventually. The novel contains more romance compared to her other novels, and the plot's focus drifts. Although the book gives us a glimpse of the greater Skolian timeline, it stands alone very well. I would recommend Primary Inversion over Catch the Lightning.
Rating:
Summary: Catherine Asaro is a breath of fresh air to science fiction!
Review: Catch The Lightning is one of those books you just can't put down! The characters are so real and the story so compelling that when I got to the end of the book, I was looking for more! How often does an author come along who can enthrall the often deadly-critical science fiction readers with a universe that is most likely not only possible, but makes you want to live there and struggle side by side with its characters? Another thing that makes Catherine's book both unique and enticing is the realistic detail and emotional display of the characters. I would have to say that if -I- met a strange, gorgeous man on the street who 1) saved me from being raped (possibly killed), 2) who could feel my thoughts / emotions AND 3) was SENSITIVE to them...I'd go for him! :) Truely, Asaro is one of the best science fiction authors of this century and I hope to learn more and more about the Skolian Empire and it's people from her. Also, I think that her content and writing style could become a cornerstone to future science fiction...not only interesting those of us intrigued by futuristic societies, space travel, technology, etc...but those interested in adventure, mystery, and good old fashion romance. I give Catherine an ecstatic two thumbs up and on a scale of 1-10, a 10+! p.s. I was just as thrilled by Primary Inversion as well! :)
Rating:
Summary: Escape reality, without abandoning your brain.
Review: Catherine Asaro has a wonderful talent for creating characters that strike a chord and keep your interest. More than just "eye-candy", the far futuristic/ alternate reality aspects of the setting are built on firm scientific extrapolation that keep your brain cells working.
Rating:
Summary: Awsome book
Review: Catherine Asaro is my favorite author I have read all her books and there all great. I will always be a devoted customer and reader to her book and I cant wait to read the Moons Shadow her latest book. Catch the Lightning is one of my favorites but all her book are great I recommend this book to all readers espeacially the was that like Sci-fi books, romance books, and drama books because Catherine puts all of those together and makes the fit perfectly making her books even better then they are. Catherine is a well talented person.
Rating:
Summary: Awsome book
Review: Catherine Asaro is my favorite author I have read all her books and there all great. I will always be a devoted customer and reader to her book and I cant wait to read the Moons Shadow her latest book. Catch the Lightning is one of my favorites but all her book are great I recommend this book to all readers espeacially the was that like Sci-fi books, romance books, and drama books because Catherine puts all of those together and makes the fit perfectly making her books even better then they are. Catherine is a well talented person.
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