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A review by katmarhan
Diamond Star by Catherine Asaro
4.0
Diamond Star is a stand-alone book, but it also is part of a collection of books, novellas, and short stories that Catherine Asaro has written about the Skolian empire/universe. I also have to disclose that this is the first of Asaro's books that I have read.
The book is strong enough to encourage me to read more of her books, especially from the Skolian empire series. The book is weak enough that I almost didn't get far enough to come to that conclusion. Let me explain:
The first third of the book is very focused on introducing us to Del and his baptism into the world of the music business of the future. Other than references to fancy equipment and the fact that Del was from a planet other than earth, I felt like it was a book about a wannabe rock singer of the 1960s or '70s, and I wasn't very intrigued.
But as the reader gets to know Del and some layers of background are unpeeled, the story becomes more complex and compelling. I found the last half of the book to be engrossing, fun, scary, and thought-provoking, and I found the ending to be heart-wrenching. I was surprised I had come to care so much about Del and his relationships with family and friends, but I had. That's the mark of a good writer.
I will be interested to see how some of Asaro's other Skolian books compare to Diamond Star. I am especially interested to read about some of the other members of Del's family to better understand how they became the people they are in this book.
If we could give half-stars, this book would be 3.5. I bumped it up to 4 rather than down to 3 because of the strength of the second half of the book.
The CD that goes with the book is quite good--not music I would normally listen to, but I received it with the book and have listened several times. Kudos to the band Point Valid.
The book is strong enough to encourage me to read more of her books, especially from the Skolian empire series. The book is weak enough that I almost didn't get far enough to come to that conclusion. Let me explain:
The first third of the book is very focused on introducing us to Del and his baptism into the world of the music business of the future. Other than references to fancy equipment and the fact that Del was from a planet other than earth, I felt like it was a book about a wannabe rock singer of the 1960s or '70s, and I wasn't very intrigued.
But as the reader gets to know Del and some layers of background are unpeeled, the story becomes more complex and compelling. I found the last half of the book to be engrossing, fun, scary, and thought-provoking, and I found the ending to be heart-wrenching. I was surprised I had come to care so much about Del and his relationships with family and friends, but I had. That's the mark of a good writer.
I will be interested to see how some of Asaro's other Skolian books compare to Diamond Star. I am especially interested to read about some of the other members of Del's family to better understand how they became the people they are in this book.
If we could give half-stars, this book would be 3.5. I bumped it up to 4 rather than down to 3 because of the strength of the second half of the book.
The CD that goes with the book is quite good--not music I would normally listen to, but I received it with the book and have listened several times. Kudos to the band Point Valid.