Law of Survival

Rating:
Summary: Set aside time,its gripping!
Review: Smith's stories remind me of C. J. Cherryh, taut text fraught with tension and rapid discovery of characters and events that scream along the plot line in often unexpected directions. These are involving characters depicted with "real" dialog. The fascinating mix of medicine and aliens, the mingling of the cultures provides intersting explorations and depth of universe to adventure in. Good, intelligent read you won't want to put down. I liked the whole series for much the same reasons.

Rating:
Summary: Law of Survival
Review: This is an excellent conclusion to Smith's SF series. It returns to the complexity of the first volume, and so the plot isn't quite as clear as it could be -- but it's an interesting one with plenty of action. Worldbuilding is strong, and characterization excellent. Few writers could create Lucien Pascal and make him a sympathetic character and a sociopath at the same time. Pierce has become less dangerous, which saddened me a little, but I still find him wonderful and wanted to see more of him. Jani herself remains an especially vivid creation. I recommend this series to people who like emotionally powerful, vividly realized, intelligently conceived fiction.