Rating: 
Summary: A new author to alternate with CJ Cherryh--
Review: Finally! CODE gives SF fans who demand strong characterization something wonderful to read when there's no new Bujold or Moon novel. In Jani Kilian, we have been given a heroine both ruthless and curiously compassionate, a woman who has survived tragedy and may yet redeem humankind. And there's a bonus--the most fascinating alien culture since Cherryh's FOREIGNER series. More Jani! More Tsecha! More Kristine Smith!
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting ideas but very slow moving to me
Review: I am puzzled by the fact that the ideas and characterization in this book are very good, but it seemed to drag as I plodded through it. I suspect that the plot did not intrigue or excite, and the few days taken by the actual story seemed very long indeed.I liked Jani Killian, the augmented mystery woman, but her capabilities and purpose were never clearly revealed. Likewise, the somewhat renegade idomeni alien Tsecha was a curious and intriguing character, borne on tidbits of information about his peoples and history, but not fully realized. This book feels like a promising appetizer to what I hope is a tighter and more satisfying second course.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting ideas but very slow moving to me
Review: I am puzzled by the fact that the ideas and characterization in this book are very good, but it seemed to drag as I plodded through it. I suspect that the plot did not intrigue or excite, and the few days taken by the actual story seemed very long indeed. I liked Jani Killian, the augmented mystery woman, but her capabilities and purpose were never clearly revealed. Likewise, the somewhat renegade idomeni alien Tsecha was a curious and intriguing character, borne on tidbits of information about his peoples and history, but not fully realized. This book feels like a promising appetizer to what I hope is a tighter and more satisfying second course.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling read
Review: I had great difficulty putting this book down to take care of the (in comparison) mundane details of my work day. A fascinating novel that slowly reveals the truths about its characters, its events, and its universe. More!
Rating:
Summary: Good Science Fiction
Review: I thought good Science Fiction was dead. Thanks to Kristine Smith Science Fiction, good Science Fiction that is, is alive still. This is very good reading. I keep my copy on my night table and try to read as much as I can each evening before I turn in. It's a really good book. I was very surprised.
Rating: 
Summary: good ideas; no follow through
Review: I was very disapointed with "Code of Conduct". The back cover's promise that the main character was changing into a blending of races was a bust -- all inuendo and uncertanty, no substance or traits. By the end of the book, the reader has NO proof that Jani is anything other than a normal human with an obscure illness. The book moved too slowly. Evan's personality and actions appeared inconsistent, as were Jani's interactions with him. The main alien was practically a separate story, barely interacting; lots of phillosophy but no action. All of the way through, I kept feeling like something exciting was just about to happen, but it never did.
That said, I though some of the future technology of human enhancement was interesting, and the bit-part personalities well developped (e.g., Lucien, Steve, Berta).
Rating:
Summary: Clear as mud, but it covers the ground
Review: I won't go into details about the characters, plot, etc. Other reviewers already have. I rate this book as good, but not great. Her main character is very interesting, as is the situation she finds herself in, and Smith can write well, so far as style, voice, etc. The problem is that she throws you in over your head in deep water and leaves you to sink or swim on your own. There is no explanation of what's going on. At the very least, I would suggest the inclusion of a glossary of terms, characters, and organizations. Her aliens, the Idumeni, seem interesting, but we are given almost no background about them: where are they from? How did we meet them? What do they look like? (They're obviously humanoid, but why? How is it that they happened to evolve in ways so similar to humans?) The second book (yes this is part of a series), while a lot easier to read (because you did all the work reading this first book) still does not explain these things! Maybe I've been spoiled by reading (and re-reading) Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan saga.
Rating:
Summary: Clear as mud, but it covers the ground
Review: I won't go into details about the characters, plot, etc. Other reviewers already have. I rate this book as good, but not great. Her main character is very interesting, as is the situation she finds herself in, and Smith can write well, so far as style, voice, etc. The problem is that she throws you in over your head in deep water and leaves you to sink or swim on your own. There is no explanation of what's going on. At the very least, I would suggest the inclusion of a glossary of terms, characters, and organizations. Her aliens, the Idumeni, seem interesting, but we are given almost no background about them: where are they from? How did we meet them? What do they look like? (They're obviously humanoid, but why? How is it that they happened to evolve in ways so similar to humans?) The second book (yes this is part of a series), while a lot easier to read (because you did all the work reading this first book) still does not explain these things! Maybe I've been spoiled by reading (and re-reading) Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan saga.
Rating: 
Summary: Promising.
Review: It's disconcerting to begin in the middle, as in this book, and the best bits involve alien thought processes -- humans seem harder to understand. Promising, nonetheless.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant buzzing confusion
Review: Kristine Smith's first novel is a propulsive if confusing and over-plotted noirish science fiction adventure that in the end frustrates. She's a great writer (although she seems at some point to have undergone some aversive therapy that prevents her from using the word "like," even when it's ok to do so). On the very first page she writes about a cat that "poured to the ground and vanished into an alley." What a perfect description of feline behavior. Unfortunately the book's far from perfect--it's flashback filled and confusing: something to do with this ex-service woman named Jani, who got mixed up in an alien civil war, got herself killed, or so they think, but who's actually been fixed up with an "augmented" body--and everybody's looking for her and somebody finds her and brings her back to Earth to find out who killed his wife and she sets out to do so and all the good guys turn into bad guys and vice versa. Whatever. At the end, I knew who did in the wife and (I think) why they did it, but I never did figure out why she killed her commanding officer, or did she? Just a wild guess, but maybe Smith developed this out of a writing class exercise in which the instructor assigned the class to write a story using flashbacks. I expect she got an A if that's the case. And that's fine for learning your craft, but for readers, it's like picking up the second volume of a trilogy first. But no doubt about it--Smith's future is bright. And if she decides to go on with Jani's story, I'll probably go along for the ride.
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