Rating: 
Summary: Showed a bit of potential, could have been better
Review: This book gets a 2 because it is not re-readable, though I was able to finish it. A 3 is a solid book that's worth a re-read sometime before being traded for used book credit; a 1 is dreck I wasn't able to finish reading; 4 and 5 are books on which I am willing to spend precious shelf space.I really wanted to like this book, but by the end I was left thinking, "That's it?" The story is a Romance with SF trappings, similar to the _Stardoc_ series by S.L. Veil. Another reviewer mentioned the _Rowan_ books by Anne McCaffrey, which I would also recommend, along with _Psion_ or the other Cat books from Joan D. Vinge (one of my favorite writers). What bothered me most was the odd development of the relationship between the lovers. It develops from almost nothing into full bloom close to the end of the book. There is some kind of half-hearted attempt to "explain" this as an effect of their telepathic link, but it reads like she's trying to head off the reader's question of, "Where the heck did this come from?" There are some interesting traits that never seem fully developed in the characters. The main character's codependency and hate/fear of the conquering aliens is never fully explored, being mentioned several times, but not shown and developed. Her furry lover's character was basically a cipher aside from showing protectiveness toward her and a reluctance to use violence except to protect her. Too much of the writing is surface, not enough character building or basis for motivation. I would love to see some development of these characters since they seem to have some potential. I would also have liked some exploration of the culture of both the invading aliens and the catlike potential ally race. We are shown next to nothing of their cultures and so we have nothing to go on in explaining their actions. For instance, what would a reptilian species find attractive in a mammalian species? Why would they ever want to have sex with hairy, sweaty, stinky monkeys that have awkward fat deposits under their repulsively soft doughy skin? I also have some questions about the human culture, like: Why spend precious resources and time--as well as space on the colony ship--on tobacco? Even if it's been modified to do nothing harmful (the author does not mention such a modification) there are a ton of other plants that would be a lot more useful to bring with you. If you want dual-use pleasure/practical plants, coca, cannibis, and opium are less addictive, have far fewer debilitating side effects, and can be used for healing, unlike tobacco which is useful only for causing addiction and cancer.
In this book, it seems like "one damn thing after another" with the action, consequences, and development coming late or not at all. Most of the first half of the book needed to be either completely developed and integrated into the larger story, or just cut. I may try the second in the series sometime, but unless it was done better than this one, I may never finish it.
Rating: 
Summary: Great way to start a series!
Review: This book had me staying up to finish it. I immediately got caught up in the lives of Carrie and Kusac. Carrie is not your standard heroine and her reactions to what is happening to her are very real. Kusac is also not the usual science fiction hero. This makes the plot development twist and turn just a bit out of kilter and really has the reader turning the pages to see what is going to happen next. I could hardly wait to get the next book in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Not great but the series is worth it.
Review: This book was rough and amaturish. There were gaps in the story line and leaps of logic I couldn't believe. Several times I was tempted to just quit reading, something I rarely do. However, I'm really glad I stuck with it. With each sucessive book in the series, Norman's skill noticably increased. The final two (thusfar) were outstanding. The information in this first book is important so read it just for background to the far superior ones that follow.
Rating:
Summary: Not bad, you could do worse.
Review: This book wasn't bad. It wasn't great either. And the ending felt extremely anticlimactic and abrupt. But really, this book isn't about plot, it's about two characters and their relationship. This is both good and frustrating at the same time. Sometimes their personalities and characteristics come of as predictable and trite (The rebelious girl! The reluctant warrior! Oh how original!), but you know what, I was still interested in turning each page. It takes a while to get into it though. It really doesn't get that interesting untill about 100 pages in, but then almost every scene with Kusac and Carrie just draws you in. Although it gets really frustrating as their relationship grows. It keeps hitting all these roadblocks and obsticles, or at least it says it does. I really didn't see any problems, it was as if the characters were holding back for no reason and it got annoying. But it all worked out. As for the plot... well, like I said, this story is about characters, not plot, which is good because not only is the plot boring and lame, it's also predictable and forgetable, not to mention pretty light weight. A lot of the dialogue is bogged down with characters spouting of exposition for no reason but to inform the reader of the plot. And the dialogue can get reeally inane and unintentionally hilarious at times. For some reason I just laughed out loud when Kusac comes out of nowhere and says "I want to brush your hair." I had some other issues, like the whole "Telepathy is everywhere" thing. I was never a fan of telepathy or esp anyway, so I'm biased. Another complaint is the way characters deliver their dialogue. It seems that everyone talks FOREVER, stretching several paragraphs. Sometimes you lose who's saying what. Sounds like I didn't like it at all, doesn't it? I'm only critical because this story does have some real interesting stuff in it and I'm willing to invest myself in the rest of the series to see where it goes. Others have said that the sequels get better and better, and I hope that's true. Like I said, it was good, not great. If you want to read a really, really great work of furry fiction, try Forests of the Night by S. Andrew Swann, which also features a feline hero and a human girl falling in love.
Rating:
Summary: A solid series kickoff
Review: This is the first book in a series, still incomplete, which now stretches to about 7 volumes. "Turning Point" is a quick read, under 300 pages; the remaining installments are mostly considerably longer. Carrie Hamilton is a resident of a colony world in its first stages which has recently been conquered by the alien Valtegans. She is also a psychic with a powerful link to her twin sister; but the psi skills make her seem bizarre in the conservative farming community she lives in. After her sister dies, she forms a new link. She soon discovers that her new connection is also a first contact with a non-human, Kusac, a trained psychic of the feline Sholan species, which also has had colonies overrun by the Valtegans. The resulting story is filled with familiar elements: dangerous treks, mutually suspicious allies, and a dramatic mission into the planet's main Valtegan base. The story does explore a theme which is relatively rare in written SF, the problems of interspecies sexuality. The greatest weakness of the book is the villains, undeveloped and uninteresting. The Valtegans are mysterious nasties about which we learn almost nothing; presumably this is remedied in the sequels. The other villain, a xenophobic Sholan, is equally bland and not especially formidable. THe weaknesses are significant, but the main test of a series starter like this is whether it draws me in enough to be interested in the subsequent volumes. I do want to read more about Carrie and the Sholans, so the book gets a good, if not exceptional, rating.
Rating:
Summary: A solid series kickoff
Review: This is the first book in a series, still incomplete, which now stretches to about 7 volumes. "Turning Point" is a quick read, under 300 pages; the remaining installments are mostly considerably longer. Carrie Hamilton is a resident of a colony world in its first stages which has recently been conquered by the alien Valtegans. She is also a psychic with a powerful link to her twin sister; but the psi skills make her seem bizarre in the conservative farming community she lives in. After her sister dies, she forms a new link. She soon discovers that her new connection is also a first contact with a non-human, Kusac, a trained psychic of the feline Sholan species, which also has had colonies overrun by the Valtegans. The resulting story is filled with familiar elements: dangerous treks, mutually suspicious allies, and a dramatic mission into the planet's main Valtegan base. The story does explore a theme which is relatively rare in written SF, the problems of interspecies sexuality. The greatest weakness of the book is the villains, undeveloped and uninteresting. The Valtegans are mysterious nasties about which we learn almost nothing; presumably this is remedied in the sequels. The other villain, a xenophobic Sholan, is equally bland and not especially formidable. THe weaknesses are significant, but the main test of a series starter like this is whether it draws me in enough to be interested in the subsequent volumes. I do want to read more about Carrie and the Sholans, so the book gets a good, if not exceptional, rating.
Rating:
Summary: A Telepathic Bonding
Review: Turning Point is the first novel in the Sholan Alliance series. It is the story of two telepaths: the human Carrie Hamilton and the Sholan Kusac Alda. Carrie is a colonist on the planet Keiss, which has been conquered by the alien Valtegans. Carrie is tightly linked to her sister, Eloise, so much so that she takes away Eloise's pain. When the Valtegans torture Eloise to death, Carrie not only feels the pain, but displays the wounds inflicted on Eloise. When Eloise dies, the mind link is transferred to Kusac, a fifth class telepath in the Sholan fleet. Kusac is a castaway on Keiss, his ship having been shot down by the Valtegans. When Kusac was wounded by Valtegans at the crash site, his shipmates left him behind to follow at his best pace. In his dazed state, Carrie's mind link has drawn him to her house, where she tends his wounds and nurses him to health. Carrie, with a little help from his talent, does not recognize that he is an alien, rather believing him to be a native forest cat. Neither does she associate the peculiar thoughts appearing in her mind with the wounded creature. Carrie is being forced into an unwanted marriage by her father. Rather that submit, she runs away with her forest cat. When she is attacked by Valtegans in the forest, she discovers that the cat is definitely not native nor is he very tame. Once she recognizes him as a thinking person, Carrie join forces with Kusac to rejoin his crew and to alert his mothership of the presence of the Valtegans on Keiss. This novel is very much like Andre Norton's SF in scope, plot and characterization. An alienated human with psionic talents bonds with an alien with psionic talents against just about everybody else. The sexual content, however, is much more explicit than Norton was allowed to explore. While this book was not as polished as the sequels, I did find it to be mostly enjoyable. Check her out. Some reviewers have said that this novel is the worst that they have ever read. They must not have read some of the dogs that I have tried to read; this work may be somewhat rough, but it doesn't have glaring errors of fact, terrible syntax, and deadly dull dialogue. I enjoyed it despite its minor flaws and I have also enjoyed the sequels; what more could I ask for than good entertainment? Recommended for Norton fans and anyone who enjoys a strong couple of telepaths fighting for their own place in the universe.
Rating:
Summary: Get that cat OUT of my HEAD!
Review: Turning Point was a nifty little ditty that I was able to pickup, read through and put down in just over a day. How did I feel when finished? Unfulfilled.
Hey, don't get me wrong... I liked it a lot. Good plot, character development, etc... Why unfulfilled? because it really didn't end. The primary issue was resolved, but so many other issues were left up in the air..
On the other hand, I'm now halfway through the second book in the series, and I take it all back.
Good as a book alone. Great as the beginning of a wonderful series of novels.
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