Relentless Inquiry

I don't recall who recommended Catharine Asaro, but I finally got around to reading some. Now I'm plowing through the series via my local library.

I really enjoy discovering a mature series with a half-dozen or more books spanning a long period of authorship. There's often a happy circumstance where a 'new' book by the author serves as both a character and chronological introduction to a series. No exception here: the book that caught my eye was “Schism”, subtitled as the first book of a pending trilogy. It tells of the youth and training of Sauscony Valdoria Skolia, who will someday become Imperator of the Skolian Empire.

The writing style is rich and lyrical, full of detail, and dwelling on various members of what is clearly a very important family in the series. It's a 'revisit' novel for the author, who can now satisfy her, and her readers', desire to hear the story of how various characters came to be the way they are and were set up for the choices they made in her early novels. A novel like this is a great way to 'meet' the characters of a series, told with the fully developed voice of the author and setting up vital backstory for later work.

I started Lois McMaster Bujold's 'Vorkosigan' series with “Cordelia's Honor”, a 2 volume republishing of the story of Miles Vorkosigan's parents, Aral and Cordelia, meeting and making their place in their society. It was a great place to start.

There are a couple of key entry points to the Skolian Empire series. I started with “Schism”, and then proceeded to “Skyfall”, which is the story of Soz' parents Roca and Eldrinson meeting. Skyfall was clearly an earlier attempt at a 'revisit' novel, and the writing lacks the polish of “Schism”. If I'd started with Skyfall, I might not have stuck around– but now I know these people and want to find out what happens. Technically you could just start with “Radiant Seas”, telling the story of the Radiance War when Soz is already Imperator. I know it must be good, as it started the whole thing rolling. Have at!