Too many interludes

It makes the book feel interminable. Every other page in some spots is an interlude. It broke the narrative flow for me.

Plus, some of the characters I like are now off screen without a clear resolution.

This is not a good introduction to the Trade Pact Universe. ( )

How did I never find Julie Czerneda before now? She is a Canadian science fiction writer of roughly my age but until I read a Big Idea piece she wrote for John Scalzi's blog about her latest book I had not only never read anything by her but never heard her name. Thank goodness that's now been put to rights.

This book is called Reunification #1 but it is really the seventh book in The Clan Chronicles which Czerneda started in 1997 with her debut novel [A Thousand Words for Stranger] (which is #4 in the Clan Chronicles because she wrote 3 prequels a decade later). In some ways I wish I had read those earlier books before reading this one but this was the earliest one I could find in my library system. A few things about the Clan took some time to sort out and I am still not sure I understand the Choosing process but that didn't keep me from enjoying this book. The Clan are a small group of humanoids living in the Trade Pact worlds who have the power to travel through space without using spaceships. Although they have been living among humans and other species for several generations many people view them with suspicion because of their special powers and their wealth. A few citizens have come up with a plan to eliminate all the Clan. They are almost successful but Sira di Sarc, a very powerful Clan female who has chosen a human, Jason Morgan, as her mate, manages to save some who have been hidden away from the notice of humanity. Sira takes all of those to a world that she believes the Clan originated on and they do find other Clan members living there. But there are also two other sentient races on the planet and there is conflict between the different species. So this world may not be a safe haven for her Clan members.

I thought this was a really interesting book and I am anxious to read more. ( )

This is the first book of a trilogy, but that trilogy is the third trilogy in a larger series. Despite that, while it's a bit confusing at first, enough backstory is salted in along the way that even coming to it cold I was able to catch up and enjoy the story.

We begin with a very dark scene, with individuals of some power and status within the various races of the Trade Pact meeting in secret. They're there to plot the destruction of the Clan, a race newly invited to join the Trade Pact. The Clan are a mysterious race, who can pass for human and live in secret among humans--and can "port" themselves and objects from one place to another. They can also control the minds of others, and erase memories. Terrifying, right?

And then we switch, in the next scene, to the first person perspective of what turns out to be our protagonist--Sira Morgan, a woman of the Clan, married to Jason Morgan, trade ship captain and pilot. They're preparing for a "baby rainshower," Jason's plan to celebrate the coming birth of the child of Sira's cousin Barak and his Chosen, Rudy, at a restaurant run by a turtle-like alien called Guido, an old friend of Jason's.

This is, of course, where everything hits the fan.

The Clan has, due to some extremely bad political decisions and a desire to breed them selves to ever-increasing levels of power, in fact bred itself to the edge of extinction. Barak and Rudy's baby is very important--and the secret plot to destroy the Clan by some within the Trade Pact doesn't wait on family parties. It's not long before Sira is reeling from the deaths of hundreds of the already-endangered Clan, while scrambling to get the survivors, including Barak and Rudy, to someplace, anyplace, safe.

And this involves navigating some very stormy family and political waters, and being willing to try something very, very dangerous.

Along the way, they find more questions than answers, and more new problems than solutions.

This is a very fast-paced story, and Sira, Jason, and many (not all!) of their family and friends are likable as well as interesting. After nearly bouncing off that first chapter, I was really drawn in by the rest of it.

Structurally, the story alternates between chapters seen from Sira's first-person viewpoint, and "interludes" told in third person from other characters' viewpoints. It's nicely layered and very enjoyable.

Standard disclaimer when reviewing audiobooks: In many cases, I'm guessing at the spellings of names.

Recommended.

I received this book from Audible free in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I would have enjoyed a Night’s Edge story much more. Too effective enemies,jumpy action, ineffective friends, ancient working (literally swamped) spacecraft, when the experiment has seemingly overrun. I’m not sure I like our main characters either. ( )

After I got through the prelude, which I found difficult to follow, and back to Sira's story, I found this book as wonderful as all of Julie Czerneda's others! ( )