I was excited when the publisher approved me for a NetGalley copy of Home World by Bonnie Milani. The book sounded great. Earth is in bad shape after centuries of war, the heir apparent to the Earth Protectorship, Jezekiah, negotiated a trade treaty with their former deadly enemies the Lupans and hopes to position his younger sister as the heir by marrying her off to the Lupan warlord prince. Not to mention the book is set in Hawaii with a cast of interesting characters, all with their own plans and secrets.
The first few pages were boring as Jezekiah leaves a merchant ship incognito to escape his sister’s assassin, then it got a little interesting for a few more pages. It was as though the author couldn’t make up her mind whether she was telling a story about people, or about a society or about technology or about plots and secrets. It alternated between pretty good and poor, interesting and boring, plausible and ridiculous, sane and nasty violent.
The author does not explain the backstory and we’re confused for about a third of the book with few clues. I don’t mind books where the backstory is murky or explained in dribbles throughout the story, but Home World had a complex backstory that was critical to the novel.
Technology or Miracles
I don’t usually care what technology gee-whiz things science fiction authors come up with as usually the people are the interesting part of the book. However there were two technologies that were the book’s foundation so let’s talk about them.
Genetic Engineering. Home World envisions multiple planets where the residents are genetically altered for survival on inhospitable worlds. Other people are altered to a Type, trending to certain skills. Some are Sprites, meant to be joy toys, sex objects. Some are Aryans, blond and nasty. There are a few natural humans even on Earth and none elsewhere.
Lupans were genetically engineered with genes contributed from wolves or tigers, with genes from hawks and eagles for eyesight. The resulting people look human but have fangs and other special characteristics. For example the men must Impress upon a female at some point and mate with her or die. Oddly the women may have 4 husbands while the men have one wife.
Aside from the ethical lapses, the genetic engineering is plausible. Author Milani hints at the cultural results but sort of sweeps them under the rug with the rest of the back story.
Real Time Communication Over Light Years. This one was ridiculous. The Van Buren ruling family met real time via hologram across 60-100 light years. In fact the connections were so instantaneous that Letticia was able to make Jezekiah’s hologram respond so the other person actually “felt” his touch.
Overall computer/web/sync forms a huge part of the novel, the bedrock for some plot devices, Lettica’s addiction, the reason why some people can sneak through secure gates. When a technology gizmo is this important to the novel it must make sense or the book falls apart.
Characters
I didn’t like any of the characters. We’re meant to like Jezekiah; he is fighting the good fight, looking for a way to help Earth, avert a war with Den Lupan, looking for love, looking for a way to slide out of his heir status. Instead he is 2 dimensional and boring. Plus he’s a bit whiny and unwilling to commit to either his own wishes or his duty.
Strongarm, the Lupan prince and intended bridegroom didn’t have much personality. His brother-in-law was the most interesting character of them all.
Keiko, whom both Jezekiah and Strongarm desire, seems to flip flop and float from one allegiance to another, just as she is able to slip in and out of the Van Buren manor, and flit between her father’s home and her grandfather’s. Realize her father and grandfather are mortal enemies and you see the problem. She is either incredibly naive or over-confident, accepting Tong star weapons from her grandfather even though they are illegal even to possess and sets up meetings between her grandfather and Strongarm and grandfather and Jezekiah, never thinking those meetings make ideal ambushes.
Letticia is frightened near to death, suspecting everyone of trying to kill her, addicted to Sync, addicted to power games, crude and rude and nasty. Given an advanced society it’s hard to believe no one would have recognized the problem and gotten Letticia mental health care.
Author Milani would have a better story with more likable or interesting characters. Given this is her first novel she may develop her character skills.
Plot and Scenes
Book includes a gang rape scene, a description of how Lupan males kill their families when exposed to the vile sex drug Venus Seed, several violent deaths, a seduction (same female, same day as the gang rape), murders, execution threats, annihilation threats, way too many plots and counter plots.
No one has a moral compass. Strongarm and his brother-in-law casually plan to destroy Earth, render it uninhabitable if they don’t get their treaty sealed with a marriage; Keiko’s father tries to kill her as part of her Samurai trial; Keiko’s gangster grandfather casts her off until she shoots Strongarm.
Then a miracle occurs and Strongarm isn’t dead, Keiko turns out to be an acceptable bride, war is averted, treason accusations rescinded. I really don’t like “a miracle occurs here” plot devices.
Summary
Home World is a good first start for new author Bonnie Milani but I didn’t enjoy most of it. Nonetheless I stayed up till midnight yesterday to finish, partly because I wanted to get the book done, write the review and move on to something better but another reason was I wanted to know the ending.
I didn’t like the characters, unexplained backstory, the fact we’re plopped down in the middle of several high stakes situations without a map, the irritating pidgin, ridiculous technology, lack of morals, chimera species, overly convenient endings.
I did like the sense of excitement in about half the book (did I mention it alternates between boring and good?) and the writing style was reasonably good. I think if the author keeps writing she will become quite good. But please, skip the rapes, pidgin, miracle endings.
3 Stars
I received an advance copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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