This is the sixth book in a series. Gardner’s heroine, Admiral Festina Ramos appears once more, this time with Youn Suu as protagonist. As a direct contrast to Ramos, who has a purple birthmark on one cheek, Youn Suu has a birthmark on the other cheek, and the book makes much of the difference between Western and Eastern philosophy and mythology. Youn Suu is the narrator of this first-person novel. I will not give away the plot twists and turns—which are ample. It’s filled to over-brimming with humanoid and non-humanoid, semi-and fully-godlike characters, all striving for something. Buddhist concepts play a crucial role in the story. While not preaching Buddhism, Gardner uses it to display a “multiplicity of viewpoints.” Specifically, the three main characters, Youn Suu, Festina Ramos, and another Explorer, Tut. Youn Suu consistently takes an Eastern viewpoint on what is happening to the three Explorers trying to save a planet from destruction by semi-godlike beings. Admiral Ramos is the classic pragmatic realist. Tut is a crazy-wise human who happens to have gotten himself a gold-plated face and penis. Hence, Youn Suu presents a “freethinking,” non-conformist Eastern philosophical approach to the death-dealing adventures the Explorers find themselves in, Admiral Ramos the logical Western mind, and Tut the polar opposite, intuitive “crazy” Western mind. It’s a good read. But not, IMO, as good as Expendable, or Ascending, two other books in the series.
This is the fifth book in the Festina Ramos series. Certainly enjoyable, not up to the first 3, but at least as good as the 4th one. Its told from the point of view of Youn Suu, an explorer who meets Ramos when she is sent down on a mission. Whilst on the mission she comes under the influence of the Balrog. From then on its an adventure story on a mysterious planet where the population has lost contact.As I said its an enjoyable, fairly easy read. Similar to the other books. Wish there were more in the series.
Do You like book Radiant (2005)?
More like 3.5 stars. The novel is very well plotted, but suffers by a repeat of plot that happens in a lot of the League of Peoples books - narrator has weird experience and refused to tell Festina about it. Well, here our narrator does, but not soon enough. And, yes, I think even the author realized he may have laid on the Buddhism a little thick, but I agree with him that a varied "multicultural" future is better than some bland uni-culutural polyglot. I'm looking forward to see where he takes this next.
—Booknerd Fraser
The publisher decided to discontinue the series, which was too bad since it was brilliant. A new publisher is unlikely to pick up a series midway through.
—Joey Geraci
