Scattered Suns: The Saga of the Seven Suns Book 4 by Kevin J. Anderson Review
Warner Books, July, 2005Hardcover, 476 pages
ISBN: 0446577170
In this fourth entry in the fantastically addictive epic SF series from Kevin J. Anderson, the unbelievably violent and massive war between the hydrogues and the faeros shows no signs of abating. And the violence is spreading. The new Mage-Imperator of the Ildiran Empire, Jora'h, is facing a civil war as well as potential destruction by the hydrogues. His only hope is his human-Ildiran daughter, who is sent on a risky mission of peace. Meanwhile, the human worlds are also facing annihilation, both from internal and external threats. Terran Hanseatic League Chairman Basil Wenceslas has grown quite mad with power, refusing to listen to anyone who doesn't agree with his every idea, and branding anyone who disagrees with him a traitor. Perhaps the most terrifying threat of all are the robots called the Klikiss, who have already wiped out one civilization, and seem quite enthusiastic about destroying humans -- and all flesh and blood life-- for an encore. Basil won't listen to King Peter, who has always thought that the Klikiss shouldn't be allowed to be integrated into human civilization.
Kevin J. Anderson's epic SF series is so vast in scope, with so many characters and worlds, that the story would have fallen apart by now in a lesser author's hands. But Anderson easily and skillfully weaves all the different threads together, to jaw-dropping effect. He also manages to make each of the main plots equally interesting. Anderson neatly avoid the "mid-book sag" effect that seems to afflict so many multi-volume epic series. Scattered Suns is just as thrilling and inventive as the first three books in this excellent series.
--Claire E. White
Ordering information: Amazon.com
Return to the August 2005 issue of The IWJ.