Want to review or comment on this book?
Click here to login!

Need a FREE Reader Membership?
Click here for your Membership!

Reader Reviews for "The 5 Moons of Tiiana"

Reviewed by Robert Cherny	8/27/2012
A review of the 5 Moons of Tiiana by Paul T. Harry ISBN 978-0615528311 An electronic copy of this book was sent to me in response to a review request on the LLBook review site. I liked the book in spite of its flaws. The author posted the following teaser on LLBook: THE 5 MOONS OF TIIANA is a kick-butt story and rollicking adventure. Captain Rez Cantor is a diplomacy officer in the Imperial Army, and personal attaché to Princess Leanna, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the Emperor, and sole heir to the Melelan throne. On the eve of a treaty signing ending the twelve-year-war between the alien-hybrid Relcor and the Empire, Rez Cantor learns that the Imperial family has been slated for death. Under orders from his Queen, Rez is given his final command–save the Princess at all costs. Overcoming incredible odds, Rez abducts Leanna, and the two flee Melela along with others of the Imperial guard. Unfortunately, their ship is nuked as it enters warp creating an event horizon that sends the ship 128,000 light years across the galaxy to the Moons of Tiiana. It is on one of these moons that Rez awakens on a beach–injured and alone–without the Princess. So begins the sojourn of Rez Cantor upon the Moons of Tiiana: Five moons stagnating from a 2000 year-old war that has left its alien races in limbo and decay. Five moons that crave a hero bold enough to lead its people out of the darkness. Five moons that hold the future of the Melelan Empire deep within the ashes of war. I give the book four stars all around. Four stars for plot, four for characterization, and four for writing style although the technical execution was flawless. I found no typographical or spelling errors. The story moves relatively well in spite of its frequently wordy and awkward sentence structure. It is a classic tale of the valiant good soldier rescuing the princess and saving the empire (can you say Star Wars?) but since it is told in the first person, it has a more personal feel than most space epics. For those who follow the Joseph Campbell philosophy of plot structure, this is close but not slavishly adhered to the “hero” format. The story holds together as it moves from place to place and the hero faces one test after another. The tests make sense. The obstacles provide needed experience for the final outcome to work. Characterization is erratic. Rez, being the first person narrator, is deep and well-thought through. While Princess Leanna is reasonably well drawn, I would like to understand more of her motivations. The line about Rez not understanding the thinking of a thirteen year old girl in love helps fill in her character, but it is not enough. Let me digress to clichés. There are lots of them. How much do you care? Ahska, the wise old woman and Oolat, the Wookie-like companion, are classic characters. The Dolla are an analogue for the earthly dolphin. I guess I would have hoped for something more original. I lost track of how often “time was of the essence” at one critical juncture or another. The character I most wanted fleshed out was Philip Golan. His character is tantalizing in the details given, but he remains an enigma even in the end. This is a very interesting complex character and I think he deserves more time than he gets. The most serious failing in this story is its wordiness. The author uses too many passive sentences where active sentences would be better. The following quote is an example: My hands were sore from climbing over piles of rock, but I was almost to the docks. I could hear the roar of the ocean, the waves beating against the shoreline–I wondered if I would find anything there. I was not overly optimistic. There had been nothing two years ago, why would it be different now? I ascended a hill of rubble, pulling myself up over the loose rock, hoping for a better view. Suddenly my attention was drawn to my rear. I heard an old familiar sound–a cascade of scurrying rat noise followed by low growls and yelps. I looked behind; it was like déjà vu. On the debris-laden streets below was a large pack of rodent dogs converging together into a cohesive unit. There were perhaps forty to fifty of the filthy, slathering vags following my trail. I pulled my blaster from my hip–I’d waited a long time for this. Without wasting a second I fired, centering my aim on the densest portion of the pack. I was eager to repay the disgusting wretched creatures a hundredfold for the pain they’d inflicted on me. My first shot obliterated at least half of them, and sent the rest scattering like leaves in the wind. I looked at the smoldering, burnt carcasses that lay in the dirt. Seeing the bulk of them dead felt good. I put my blaster back in its holster and made my way further up the hill–I knew the others would be back. I certainly hoped so. I wanted to kill every last one of them. The best part is that I believed it. I believed in Rez and what he was doing. Except for the mass migrations toward the end, it retained my suspension of disbelief, and for me, that is hard to do. I hope I have not dissuaded you from reading this book. I enjoyed it, but it’s not Azimov.