Rating: 
Summary: Artificial intelligence discovers true love
Review: Asaro's latest is a stand-alone near-future book (although set in the same world as "The Veiled Web") about AI scientist Megan O'Flannery. Lots of interesting stuff about the field of Artificial Intelligence--and because Asaro is herself a scientist, you feel like you're learning something worthwhile here, not just fluff. Like "The Veiled Web," the heroine is drawn into a complicated and uneasy romance. One thing I will say about Asaro's romance writing is that it is a bit too graphic for my tastes. But a bit of skipping around on some paragraphs and that problem is solved. Good plot twists, interesting subject material and smooth writing make this a fun read while you're waiting for the next book in Asaro's Skolian series to make its appearance.
Rating:
Summary: Artificial intelligence discovers true love
Review: Asaro's latest is a stand-alone near-future book (although set in the same world as "The Veiled Web") about AI scientist Megan O'Flannery. Lots of interesting stuff about the field of Artificial Intelligence--and because Asaro is herself a scientist, you feel like you're learning something worthwhile here, not just fluff. Like "The Veiled Web," the heroine is drawn into a complicated and uneasy romance. One thing I will say about Asaro's romance writing is that it is a bit too graphic for my tastes. But a bit of skipping around on some paragraphs and that problem is solved. Good plot twists, interesting subject material and smooth writing make this a fun read while you're waiting for the next book in Asaro's Skolian series to make its appearance.
Rating: 
Summary: Launch Asaro's Romance SF to another Planet - PLEASE!!!
Review: Being different isn't bad, but I didn't enjoy this book. The mix of romance and sci-fi just didn't work for me. The only character I found interesting was the MindSim android Aris. In particular, the lead male character seemed very wooden. (Perhaps turn-around is fair play given how often male writers portray women as one dimensional) Regardless, the read was easy and the story fast paced. I just couldn't relate to it.
Rating: 
Summary: Not your average sci-fi
Review: Being different isn't bad, but I didn't enjoy this book. The mix of romance and sci-fi just didn't work for me. The only character I found interesting was the MindSim android Aris. In particular, the lead male character seemed very wooden. (Perhaps turn-around is fair play given how often male writers portray women as one dimensional) Regardless, the read was easy and the story fast paced. I just couldn't relate to it.
Rating: 
Summary: Asaro Soars Again
Review: Catherine Asaro continues to give us another excellent Science Ficton novel with a good romantic plot. The novel tells the story of a young scientist, Megan O'Flannery who is offered the chance to develop a self-aware android, Aris. A shy robitics genius, Raj Sundaram, aids her after Aris becomes unstable. The tempo of the book keeps you riveted. I stayed up til 2:00 AM to finish it. An excellent protrayal of an autistic character adds to the realism. I highly recommend the book to anyone enjoys Science Fiction, Robotics, and Romance. Warning: You will not be able to put down the book until the last page is read.
Rating:
Summary: Asaro Soars Again
Review: Catherine Asaro continues to give us another excellent Science Ficton novel with a good romantic plot. The novel tells the story of a young scientist, Megan O'Flannery who is offered the chance to develop a self-aware android, Aris. A shy robitics genius, Raj Sundaram, aids her after Aris becomes unstable. The tempo of the book keeps you riveted. I stayed up til 2:00 AM to finish it. An excellent protrayal of an autistic character adds to the realism. I highly recommend the book to anyone enjoys Science Fiction, Robotics, and Romance. Warning: You will not be able to put down the book until the last page is read.
Rating:
Summary: A bit heavy handed but interesting
Review: I found "The Phoenix Code" to be a bit repetitive and heavy handed throughout most of the middle of the book, but the beginning was skillful enough to capture my interest, and the ending was exciting, well done and sufficiently rewarding that I can recommend this book. The characterization was very well done, with Megan, Ander and Raj quite fleshed out (an android pun?) and believable. The plot was not very complex, but I found it intriguing and worthwhile. All in all, not an important read, but a good one.
Rating:
Summary: Launch Asaro's Romance SF to another Planet - PLEASE!!!
Review: I found Catherine Asaro's "The Phoenix Code" worse than disappointing: it was unworthy. Ms Asaro is capable of so much better than this - see, for example, her excellent short fiction in the SF magazines over the last few years, with one exception - the serialisation of "The Quantum Rose" in *Analog*, which I suffered through three excruciating (and long) parts. Both books have the same problems: the romance. The Mills & Boon women romance/sex scenes and fantasy-fulfilment relationships between powerful, handsome but troubled outsiders and strong but beautiful women (who just need a man to love) are just as silly as the adolescent wish-fulfilment relationships in the dreadful military SF novels infecting our bookstores. Romantic subplots can certainly be incorporated in SF - as in any good fiction - but when romance becomes dominant, watch out for cardboard settings as bad as any on Star Trek. What's going on, Catherine? Your short stories are so much better that they might have been written by a different person!
Rating:
Summary: Another winner!
Review: I found this book thought provoking and hard to put down. The characters are well developed along with twists & turns that keeps you on the edge of your seat! This is my third book by Catherine Asaro and I look forward to more of her sci-fi thrillers. If you haven't read her before, this would be the perfect time. If your worried about a lot of science mumbo jumbo, none of that is present here or should I say that it is not as heavy handed as her previous books. Again, this is a page-turner, I couldn't put it down and I kept thinking about the story, the characters, long after that last page was turned. Excellent story! Bravo Ms. Asaro! Look forward to your next book!
Rating:
Summary: Another winner!
Review: I found this book thought provoking and hard to put down. The characters are well developed along with twists & turns that keeps you on the edge of your seat! This is my third book by Catherine Asaro and I look forward to more of her sci-fi thrillers. If you haven't read her before, this would be the perfect time. If your worried about a lot of science mumbo jumbo, none of that is present here or should I say that it is not as heavy handed as her previous books. Again, this is a page-turner, I couldn't put it down and I kept thinking about the story, the characters, long after that last page was turned. Excellent story! Bravo Ms. Asaro! Look forward to your next book!
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