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Rating: 
Summary: An Average Read in an Excellent series
Review: As a fan of the series, this installment was rather light and not as complex or full of the confusing science fiction jargon that most readers have a hard time understanding. This would be a great book to start with for those who have never read Catherine Asaro. In the prequel, Asaro gives us more background information or fleshes out the characters that helped establish The Ruby Dynasty, a family of psions who have the one advantage over their Eubian adversaries and that is acess to the web. It is this one advantage that keeps them from being completely destroyed. Roca and Eldri's romance is more in the forefront and the politics that so dominates the series as with the previous books plays a minor role here. We do learn more about Kurj and his relationship to his mother and the demons that continue to plague him along with his strenous relationship with his step-father, Edldri. I did like this book overall but wanted more depth, more complexity to the story that was presented here. For those readers who have never read Asaro, this would be the book to start with and for those who are already familar with the history of the Ruby Dynasty will learn nothing new in this book. I do look forward to TRIAD and hope it is a book with more depth and intrigue and suspense, all that was missing in this installment. My grade, C+.
Rating:
Summary: lacks the punch of previous works, but still a decent read
Review: Basically the story of Roca and Eldrin, fleshing in the story of the older generation of Clan Skolia.
Almost superficial at times, you really never feel engaged with the protagonists.
Worth the read for die hard Skolian fans, but definitely not Asaro's best effort.
Rating: 
Summary: Like a newbie
Review: Catherine Asaro cannot make up her mind. I am sure from her point of view it keeps her from being bored. I prefer the science fiction side of her writing, but I admit, I liked this romance. It filled in some past/future gaps in the ongoing Skolian story and, unlike The Radiant Seas, was an easy read. But still the characters did not always ring true to themselves as described in other novels, especially Eldri. I had a hard time believing him to be so impulsive and hot-headed as a young man. The character's edges were not as hard and sharp as they were in Primary Inversion. The intensity of the Rhon connection that I felt with other Asaro lovers like Soz and Jai, Vryl and Kamoj, or Althor and Tina, was missing. This story is tamer. If this is your first time with Catherine Asaro's Skolian Sagas it is a sweeter, softer place to start. But my personal favorite will always be Primary Inversion. Forget having babies, I love it when the Skolian women kick ....
Rating: 
Summary: Lusty Romance in the Future Past
Review: Catherine Asaro cannot make up her mind. I am sure from her point of view it keeps her from being bored. I prefer the science fiction side of her writing, but I admit, I liked this romance. It filled in some past/future gaps in the ongoing Skolian story and, unlike The Radiant Seas, was an easy read. But still the characters did not always ring true to themselves as described in other novels, especially Eldri. I had a hard time believing him to be so impulsive and hot-headed as a young man. The character's edges were not as hard and sharp as they were in Primary Inversion. The intensity of the Rhon connection that I felt with other Asaro lovers like Soz and Jai, Vryl and Kamoj, or Althor and Tina, was missing. This story is tamer. If this is your first time with Catherine Asaro's Skolian Sagas it is a sweeter, softer place to start. But my personal favorite will always be Primary Inversion. Forget having babies, I love it when the Skolian women kick ....
Rating:
Summary: Back to the beginning
Review: In this chilly prequel the extraordinary Catherine Asaro takes us back to How It All Began.
Roca, on the lam from her son Kurj, who's trying to ignite hostilities between the Traders and the Skolians while Roca's trying to prevent them, ends up on a low-tech backwater planet, Lyshriol (where part of story related in "The Quantum Rose" will take place), and the next thing you know she's carried off to a castle by the "barbarian" Eldrinson, who Roca quickly realizes is a powerful "psion." You don't have to have read any of the other books to guess what's going to happen next.
But this is a Catherine Asaro book and as always she can take the most hackneyed of situations and make something fresh from them.
The treat here is not what happens, or when; but how. That's where the suprises come in.
The last third of the book, which takes place mostly back in the high tech Skolian Empire with a bit of crosscutting, is emotionally wrenching and the climax is no bed of roses. As usual with Catherine, there's hardly a wasted word in the book's 307 pages (plus appendixes).
Rating:
Summary: Like a newbie
Review: Not up to her usual standards. Barely got through it. Usually buy without seeing reviews. Love her other works a lot. Seems like a first novel, a poor first novel. Don't waste your money or if you must buy it used.
Rating: 
Summary: The Skolian Imperialate Backstory
Review: Skyfall is the ninth novel in the Skolian Imperialate series, but is the first in internal sequence. Around 4000 BC, a group of humans were transported from Earth by aliens to the planet Raylicon and, over the next twelve centuries, built an interstellar empire. This empire was ruled by the Ruby Dynasty, a line of empaths and telepaths. They achieved a level of technology that was capable of rearranging solar systems and of modifying the genetic structure of their colonists. The collapse of the Ruby Empire left the colonies isolated from Raylicon.After more than four millennia, the Raylicons began to regain their lost technology and reattained interstellar flight in 1843 AD. Shortly thereafter, genetic experiments by Doctor Hezahr Rhon created a new breed of psions, the Aristos, who could receive but not transmit. Moreover, these Aristos experienced pleasure when receiving the pain of others. The Aristos separated themselves into a new polity, the Eubian Concord, and started conquering Raylicon planets and enslaving the populations. In 1904 AD, Lahaylia Selei founded the Imperialate in opposition to the Eubian Aristos and activated an ancient Lock to restore the Kyle interstellar web, thereby giving the Skolians the huge advantage of instantaneous communications. After two centuries of reigning as the Pharoah and sole Ruby psion of the Imperialate, Lahaylia found and married another Ruby psion, Jarac, who activated a second Lock to increase the power and scope of the Kyle web. Jarac became the Imperator, the commander of all Imperialate armed forces. Their marriage produced two daughters, Dyhianna and Roca. In this novel, three centuries after the founding of the Imperialate, Roca is trying to evade the agents of her son Kurj in order to return to Parthonia for the debate and vote on invading the Platinum Sectors. The Eubians have brashly taken over the entire region against the prior claims of the Imperialate and the metals in those sectors are urgently needed to maintain Imperialate technology. Roca is against the invasion plans. However, Kurj has her proxy and is determined to keep her from attending the session so that he can use her votes to support the proponents of the invasion. Kurj has been so warped by his mistreatment by his abusive stepfather and by later experiences with the sadistic Eubians that he is totally opposed to any accommodation with the Eubians. Moreover, he will do anything to protect his mother, even if she doesn't want him to do so. In her flight, Roca is stranded on Capsize, an antiquated spaceport that doesn't even have foul weather guidance systems. Her only transportation is a rusty bucket of bolts that looks like it can't get off the ground unassisted. However, it holds together long enough to take her to Skyfall, where she should be able to transfer to another ship going in the right direction. Her first glimpse of Skyfall is captivating; it has blue clouds in a lavender sky. The grasses propagate by releasing bubbles that float away on the breeze. The local inhabitants reside in a storybook castle. Unfortunately, the reality is somewhat less picturesque: the water contains harmful chemicals and the castle is necessary for protection from raiding neighbors; however, the grass is benign. The Allied administrator, who is the entire staff of the spaceport, is friendly and makes her comfortable. She learns that Skyfall is a low tech world with a feudal-like society. Although the Allied Worlds of Earth have claimed the world, it is obviously an ancient colony of the Ruby Empire. As they are talking, a crowd of locals ride up on their animals and surround the port house. In the ensuing conversation, the locals get excited, their leader Eldri lifts her up onto his lyrine, and the whole party gallops away. Eldri is a strong psion, probably with Ruby Dynasty genes. Her first glimpse of him floods her mind with his feelings and thoughts. Although he doesn't know what is happening, he too receives her feelings and an inkling of her thoughts. They are immediately infatuated with each other, but Roca forces him to behave and almost talks him into returning her to the port. However, his charming personality and the Ruby pheromones overcome her resistance to the point that she agrees to ride with him to his home and return the following day. Unfortunately, his castle is located in the nearby mountains and the weather turns to snow. Lots of snow. So much snow that she misses the supply ship for which she is waiting. Now she is stranded on Skyfall for at least a year. Meanwhile, back on the Orbiter, the mobile command post of the Imperialate armed forces, Kurj is quietly going crazy over his mother's disappearance. He knows that she has fled because of his actions and he is desperately hoping that she has not come to any harm. He has all available intelligence resources searching for her and he himself spends hours at a time in the web checking obscure databases for references to her. Unfortunately, his mother was a famous dancer even before she became a high level politician and the sheer number of references is overwhelming. In this story, Roca and Eldri fall in love and, despite her nanomeds, she becomes pregnant. Then a local enemy lays siege to Windward, Eldri's castle. Moreover, Eldri is having grand mal seizures which are coming at more frequent intervals and threaten his life. This story starts slowly, but builds momentum to the point that the ending seems to flash by in an instance. The politics is frustrating, since it impels characters in unnatural directions. However, the call to duty is finally beat into subservience and the Skolia family members stop tormenting themselves over ideology. While the ending is not entirely a happy one, there is reconciliation, acceptance and rapport. Highly recommended for Asaro fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of couples overcoming their own misconceptions and environmental obstacles to achieve happiness within a complex society. -Arthur W. Jordin
Rating:
Summary: The Skolian Imperialate Backstory
Review: Skyfall is the ninth novel in the Skolian Imperialate series, but is the first in internal sequence. Around 4000 BC, a group of humans were transported from Earth by aliens to the planet Raylicon and, over the next twelve centuries, built an interstellar empire. This empire was ruled by the Ruby Dynasty, a line of empaths and telepaths. They achieved a level of technology that was capable of rearranging solar systems and of modifying the genetic structure of their colonists. The collapse of the Ruby Empire left the colonies isolated from Raylicon. After more than four millennia, the Raylicons began to regain their lost technology and reattained interstellar flight in 1843 AD. Shortly thereafter, genetic experiments by Doctor Hezahr Rhon created a new breed of psions, the Aristos, who could receive but not transmit. Moreover, these Aristos experienced pleasure when receiving the pain of others. The Aristos separated themselves into a new polity, the Eubian Concord, and started conquering Raylicon planets and enslaving the populations. In 1904 AD, Lahaylia Selei founded the Imperialate in opposition to the Eubian Aristos and activated an ancient Lock to restore the Kyle interstellar web, thereby giving the Skolians the huge advantage of instantaneous communications. After two centuries of reigning as the Pharoah and sole Ruby psion of the Imperialate, Lahaylia found and married another Ruby psion, Jarac, who activated a second Lock to increase the power and scope of the Kyle web. Jarac became the Imperator, the commander of all Imperialate armed forces. Their marriage produced two daughters, Dyhianna and Roca. In this novel, three centuries after the founding of the Imperialate, Roca is trying to evade the agents of her son Kurj in order to return to Parthonia for the debate and vote on invading the Platinum Sectors. The Eubians have brashly taken over the entire region against the prior claims of the Imperialate and the metals in those sectors are urgently needed to maintain Imperialate technology. Roca is against the invasion plans. However, Kurj has her proxy and is determined to keep her from attending the session so that he can use her votes to support the proponents of the invasion. Kurj has been so warped by his mistreatment by his abusive stepfather and by later experiences with the sadistic Eubians that he is totally opposed to any accommodation with the Eubians. Moreover, he will do anything to protect his mother, even if she doesn't want him to do so. In her flight, Roca is stranded on Capsize, an antiquated spaceport that doesn't even have foul weather guidance systems. Her only transportation is a rusty bucket of bolts that looks like it can't get off the ground unassisted. However, it holds together long enough to take her to Skyfall, where she should be able to transfer to another ship going in the right direction. Her first glimpse of Skyfall is captivating; it has blue clouds in a lavender sky. The grasses propagate by releasing bubbles that float away on the breeze. The local inhabitants reside in a storybook castle. Unfortunately, the reality is somewhat less picturesque: the water contains harmful chemicals and the castle is necessary for protection from raiding neighbors; however, the grass is benign. The Allied administrator, who is the entire staff of the spaceport, is friendly and makes her comfortable. She learns that Skyfall is a low tech world with a feudal-like society. Although the Allied Worlds of Earth have claimed the world, it is obviously an ancient colony of the Ruby Empire. As they are talking, a crowd of locals ride up on their animals and surround the port house. In the ensuing conversation, the locals get excited, their leader Eldri lifts her up onto his lyrine, and the whole party gallops away. Eldri is a strong psion, probably with Ruby Dynasty genes. Her first glimpse of him floods her mind with his feelings and thoughts. Although he doesn't know what is happening, he too receives her feelings and an inkling of her thoughts. They are immediately infatuated with each other, but Roca forces him to behave and almost talks him into returning her to the port. However, his charming personality and the Ruby pheromones overcome her resistance to the point that she agrees to ride with him to his home and return the following day. Unfortunately, his castle is located in the nearby mountains and the weather turns to snow. Lots of snow. So much snow that she misses the supply ship for which she is waiting. Now she is stranded on Skyfall for at least a year. Meanwhile, back on the Orbiter, the mobile command post of the Imperialate armed forces, Kurj is quietly going crazy over his mother's disappearance. He knows that she has fled because of his actions and he is desperately hoping that she has not come to any harm. He has all available intelligence resources searching for her and he himself spends hours at a time in the web checking obscure databases for references to her. Unfortunately, his mother was a famous dancer even before she became a high level politician and the sheer number of references is overwhelming. In this story, Roca and Eldri fall in love and, despite her nanomeds, she becomes pregnant. Then a local enemy lays siege to Windward, Eldri's castle. Moreover, Eldri is having grand mal seizures which are coming at more frequent intervals and threaten his life. This story starts slowly, but builds momentum to the point that the ending seems to flash by in an instance. The politics is frustrating, since it impels characters in unnatural directions. However, the call to duty is finally beat into subservience and the Skolia family members stop tormenting themselves over ideology. While the ending is not entirely a happy one, there is reconciliation, acceptance and rapport. Highly recommended for Asaro fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of couples overcoming their own misconceptions and environmental obstacles to achieve happiness within a complex society. -Arthur W. Jordin
Rating:
Summary: entertaining since fiction romance
Review: Twice married and widowed, Roca, heir to the Ruby Dynasty's pharaoh, seeks freedom from the manipulations of her son Kurj. He sees his mother as a tool to use in furthering the empire's goal of eliminating the Skolian Empire enemy, the Aristos. Desperate, she in a bid for freedom from her overbearing, manipulative son, Roca flees into space, but ends up stranded on the backwater planet, Skyfall. Local ruling bard Eldrison captures Roca He takes his sky fallen prisoner to an isolated sanctuary. However, he soon finds himself enthralled with his prisoner. She quickly becomes his advisor and ultimately his spouse. As he teaches her to trust, she shows him what a woman can be when love allows her to soar. SKYFALL is a stand alone entertaining since fiction romance that focuses on a clash of cultures between a highly advanced race and a more primitive people. Fans of Catherine Asaro must realize that this tale may be set in the same galaxy as her classic tales, but is quite different when compared with her previous Saga of the Skolian Empire works as this tale is a bit thin in terms of the physics that turn her thrillers into action packed cerebral gems. Still this warm tale of love between diverse cultures is another winner from one of the best writers the genre offers. Harriet Klausner
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