Endurance

Rating:
Summary: Endurance is what you need.
Review: Absolutely loved the first two books, read them straight through without stopping. When I came to the cliffhanger at the end of the second book, I came unglued and could hardly stand the wait for this third installment to come out. This third book however, had me very frustrated at the main character Cherijo. For all her intelligence, she was being extremely obtuse this go around. If she gave any thought to the words Duncan said and his actions, she would realize that he was trying to keep her alive. Her stubborness created most of her troubles, which got a bit old over and over again. Despite my frustration with this particular volume in the series. It is a must read, the story wouldn't be complete without it and I look forward to the saga continuing. This author is fantastic.

Rating:
Summary: The Doctor As Hero
Review: As a genre, the good healer as hero has been done to death, so much so that it's a recognizeable figure of fun. On the other hand, I happen to like it, and believe in the doctor as hero. So I have a predisposition to like this book. And I do.

Endurance is good fun, and the heroine's tribulations are quite interesting. The bad guys are really bad, which means that when they get their come-uppance, you feel good. As a caveat, I don't believe that the baddies would tolerate Cherijo's interference as often as they do. Some characters you think are going to be horrible turn out to be sympathetic. There is, if you've read the two before this, the expected character with whom Cherijo begins in conflict with, and becomes allied to. There are further revelations about Cherijo's attributes as a genetic construct, one of which led to a question - which I leave you to guess at.

Biggest complaint: Cherijo's supposed to be smart, and there's a plot twist which I figured out the second time we saw the character. I don't know if other readers will, but I spotted it coming.

Over all, this is good, innocent fun. You won't suffer by buying this, and you'll have a pleasant time.

Rating:
Summary: she's one of the special ones
Review: As a writer myself, I can tell you how difficult it is to suck it up and just tell the story the way it is, without shrinking from the tough parts. S.L. Viehl does that. It isn't easy to write about torture and slavery, but how realistic would it have been if she had glossed over those parts of the story? I've been a fan from the very first StarDoc, and can't wait for the next one. Cherijo is an interesting, funny, tough character. So she doesn't have the best instincts about men; I know a lot of very bright women who are like that. And as it turns out, her instincts weren't far off.

It isn't every writer who can make me care about a blue guy, a spider, or cry when a lizard dies. I hope the Cherijo series goes on a long, long time.

Rating:
Summary: Good! 'Spunkiness' over the top in parts.
Review: Endurance is the third novel in S.L Vieh's fantastic Stardoc Series, featuring the trials of Doctor Cherijo Jorin. This latest installment, sees Cherijo captured on a slave world betrayed by her ex husband, emotionless, cold-hearted Reever. This novel was an emotional roller-coaster ride, as Cherijo, now being forced to minister to the sick and injured, is universally reviled by her captors, the other slaves, and her would-be friends.

As per most romance novel heroines, Cherjo goes through a lot in order to make everyone liker her. Despite this its not enough. Throughout the book, she is beaten, abused, harassed assaulted and tortured, and almost eaten. The man who loves her remains emotionally detached and (seemingly) distant.

While the beatings, torture and maiming were incredibly distasteful, Cherijo's reaction (wise-cracking comments, snappy come-backs, and karate punches), made some of the scenes unrealistically comical instead of serious. I would like to have seen Cherijo use her brain, for once, and THINK before acting. Instead, half the time, Cherijo charges into danger half-cocked like Don Quixote on his donkey forcing half of the male crew to rescue her. (Please girl! This is a sci-fi, not a bodice ripper!)

I know, I'm making some negative comments, but I really did like the book. Viehl writes in a way that makes you overlook the fact that there isn't a /huge/ amount of substance to the middle portion of the novel, and that parts of the plotline are largely repetitive. I recommend this book for fans of the series, although there wasn't a huge amount of character development until the end.

This series continues with "Shockball" the latest Stardoc novel.

Rating:
Summary: The torture of this reader
Review: I had high hopes for an enjoyable third installment of Cherijo's adventures as Stardoc. After the third detailed description of her being tortured I had to put the book down. I do not find it entertaining to read about heroines being harmed when it adds nothing to the story. More could have been explored with interspecies dating, friendships and the issue of how dumb is Cherijo when it comes to men. I found the character Cheijo not as entertaining in this book, she is stuck hating her mate, being hurt, hating her man and then at the very end she is happy and well as if this was an insipid romance novel. I recommend the first two books in the series for introducing a likable and strong female character. Skip this one.

Rating:
Summary: A very good read!!
Review: I loved it!! Although, I think it might be harder for some readers to love it as much because it's easy for people to keep comparing it to the other two instead of judging it on it's own. I specially liked the fact that there wasn't a cliffhanger in this book because I don't like having to bite my nails while waiting for a book to be published(I rather like pacing instead).

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I think Veihl is trying to keep the readers here, and answer as many questions as she can in this book, before they start to lose interest. It feels like too much is put in, and simultaneously not enough.

This is darker than the previous two novels, as Cherijo becomes a slave for reptilian creatures. Throughout it seems that Duncan, her on-and-off-again lover, is frankly evil, and in league with the slavetraders. And his evil nature is never adequately resolved in the book. He is supposed to have this amazing telepathy with Cherijo- and yet he never uses it once to explain his actions to her, and there is never once an explanation as to why he doesn't! Veihl throws everything together literally in the last chapter, and acts like everything is fixed. It is, if you don't understand human nature, philosophy, or basic psychology. Which is disappointing, considering how well characters have been painted and built up in the previous two novels.

I don't want to read extensive litanies of torture (of which there are several) or detailed descriptions of bizarre sexual practices. I'd like to explore beliefs and philosophies- something science fiction is an ideal medium for. But in this book, I am trying to figure out why in the world Cherijo is making the choices she is, and why the author doesn't realize that these choices don't bear semblance to reality. I think the only way they can is if it turns out in the last book that Cherijo's psychology has been substantially altered along with her genetic code. So I'll read the fourth book, to find out if this is explained, and what happens to Cherijo. But I'm looking forward to it with less relish.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I think Veihl is trying to keep the readers here, and answer as many questions as she can in this book, before they start to lose interest. It feels like too much is put in, and simultaneously not enough.

This is darker than the previous two novels, as Cherijo becomes a slave for reptilian creatures. Throughout it seems that Duncan, her on-and-off-again lover, is frankly evil, and in league with the slavetraders. And his evil nature is never adequately resolved in the book. He is supposed to have this amazing telepathy with Cherijo- and yet he never uses it once to explain his actions to her, and there is never once an explanation as to why he doesn't! Veihl throws everything together literally in the last chapter, and acts like everything is fixed. It is, if you don't understand human nature, philosophy, or basic psychology. Which is disappointing, considering how well characters have been painted and built up in the previous two novels.

I don't want to read extensive litanies of torture (of which there are several) or detailed descriptions of bizarre sexual practices. I'd like to explore beliefs and philosophies- something science fiction is an ideal medium for. But in this book, I am trying to figure out why in the world Cherijo is making the choices she is, and why the author doesn't realize that these choices don't bear semblance to reality. I think the only way they can is if it turns out in the last book that Cherijo's psychology has been substantially altered along with her genetic code. So I'll read the fourth book, to find out if this is explained, and what happens to Cherijo. But I'm looking forward to it with less relish.

Rating:
Summary: Survival Tactics
Review: I've been reading this series since the first book came out, and this author still shocks me. The latest of Dr. Cherijo's adventures takes place as she becomes a slave of the Hskskt. She and the League soldiers captured at the end of the second book are taken to a crystal prison where they wait to be sold. Cherijo is forced to become a slave doctor to keep the Hskskt from executing the sick. Even though she joins up with an alien freedom fighter, she also operates on guards and makes friends with one of them. There is romance and more betrayal in this book, but not what you'd think. I didn't expect the plot twists at the end of the book at all, in particular the ones about Helen and Noarr. I admire that Ms. Viehl didn't back away from describing the suffering endured by the slaves in this novel. There is plenty of her usual humor, but she doesn't use it to joke about slavery. I would have been offended if she had. Because there is some graphic violence, I rate this one PG13 for parents. It isn't fluffy sci-fi for the middle class, who want to pretend things like this don't happen. This is the real deal. My only complaint about this series is why do we have to wait until Nov. for the next one?

Rating:
Summary: More fun from Ms Viel
Review: If you have not read any of the Star Doc books you are in for a real treat. The books are an equal blend of good old wiz-bang space opera and romance. I think that this book like the rest of the series will appeal mostly to women, but if you are not a Romance fan do not let that keep you away. This book owes more to books like White's Sector General series as it does to the world of bodice rippers.

"Endurance" is the third installment in the adventures of Cherijo Grey Veil, genetic construct and intersteller surgon. The book starts right where the last one ended and it ends with a cliff hanger of its own, but don't let that put you off because there is enough action in this book that it will leave you wanting more.

The only flaw in the book is that it becomes harder and harder to believe that someone as smart and savy as Cherijo could be as stupid about men as she is. I think that Ms. Viel still has cards to play in the increasingly disfunctional relationship between Cherijo and Duncan Reever the series hero/villain/general mystery man, and I hope she playes them soon or that relationship will begin to get old. At this point you are still rooting for them to get together, but their chance of happiness seems dim through most of this book, at least untill the ending.