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21st out of 204 books
—
801 voters
Stardoc (Stardoc #1)
by
S.L. Viehl
Dr. Cherijo Grey Veil leaves Earth and accepts a position as a physician at Kevarzanga-2's FreeClinic. Her surgical skills are desperately needed on a hostile frontier world with over 200 sentient species--and her understanding of alien physiology is nothing short of miraculous. But the truth behind her expertise is a secret which, if discovered, could have disastrous cons...more
Paperback, 394 pages
Published
January 1st 2000
by Roc
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This is shallow, hokey space opera, featuring enough alien species to populate several Mos Eisley Cantinas. The medical stuff is not badly done, once you shrug and accept that the doctor from earth can so easily handle alien physiology. This book contains possibly the weakest (although mercifully brief) attempt to explain faster-than-light travel that I've ever seen.
But the writing is not bad and I was rather enjoying the book until about halfway through, when it began to go rapidly downhill. Th...more
But the writing is not bad and I was rather enjoying the book until about halfway through, when it began to go rapidly downhill. Th...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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8 likes · like · see review
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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4 likes · like · see review
Stardoc is a really great start to a series. Mostly when I read the first book of a series, I feel as if so much time is built telling you about the world, who all the people are, how are they significant to the story, why it is they can do the things they do, and why there is an alien with pink colored tentacles hanging from its face. But Stardoc literally takes off running. S.L. Viehl explains things as she goes and you're never left behind wondering or scratching your head.
Stardoc follows a y...more
Stardoc follows a y...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Stardoc falls most clearly into the genre of sci-fi, but it does have elements of both romance and psychic power, as well as all the aliens you could possibly imagine!
Stardoc is set in the indeterminate future - a future where Earth (called Terra in this series) has joined an alliance of space-faring civilizations. Doctor Cherijo Grey Veil is a brilliant surgeon of approx 30 years of age. Driven by a (unknown to the reader) secret she discovers about her over-domineering father, she leaves Terr...more
Stardoc is set in the indeterminate future - a future where Earth (called Terra in this series) has joined an alliance of space-faring civilizations. Doctor Cherijo Grey Veil is a brilliant surgeon of approx 30 years of age. Driven by a (unknown to the reader) secret she discovers about her over-domineering father, she leaves Terr...more
I found this to be an interesting new take on the sci -fi space story. I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I really liked the main character Cherijo. I liked the way a very human, familiar set of medical protocols were mixed in with the future medicine and alien physiology. While it is all obviously made up, it felt as if this is how it would happen. The other aspects of the story with her origins and her romances and troubles were enjoyable too. I have to say that after the 6th book the main chara...more
I liked it, but the romance between Kao and Cherijo was really rushed, and quite unbelievable to me. It was obvious that the author's true interest was between Reever and Cherijo. I mean, their sex is much more explicit.
Also, i think this is the only novel I have ever read where a rape was ultimately redeemed as "OK" more or less. I am a kinky, sick girl, so I have to admit I kind of liked it. Never-the-less, I couldn't understane WHY this was important to the narrative, what it taught us about...more
Also, i think this is the only novel I have ever read where a rape was ultimately redeemed as "OK" more or less. I am a kinky, sick girl, so I have to admit I kind of liked it. Never-the-less, I couldn't understane WHY this was important to the narrative, what it taught us about...more
I've been on a SFR reading jag lately and just "discovered" S.L. Viehl, who has a pretty extensive backlist focused on the character of Cherijo Grey Veil, an interstellar physician. Stardoc is the first book in the series, basically a fast-paced melding of medicine and science fiction--ER with aliens.
I picked up Stardoc because I'm a fan of romance, SF, and fiction that involves medicine or medical mysteries (Ariana Franklin's series about a medieval forensic investigator is on my auto-buy list...more
I picked up Stardoc because I'm a fan of romance, SF, and fiction that involves medicine or medical mysteries (Ariana Franklin's series about a medieval forensic investigator is on my auto-buy list...more
Stardoc by S. Viehl
This is a series of 10 novels, and I hope we see more. Not all of the books are still in print or have yet been turned into e-books. That is a shame; but it is a series that is well worth the trouble of trying to find them through the other seller’s option on Amazon. This is true Sci-Fi with an underlying theme of romance, but not cloying romance.
Dr Cherijo Grey Veil is a remarkable Doctor. She leaves Earth to use her talents in another world with many different species and t...more
This is a series of 10 novels, and I hope we see more. Not all of the books are still in print or have yet been turned into e-books. That is a shame; but it is a series that is well worth the trouble of trying to find them through the other seller’s option on Amazon. This is true Sci-Fi with an underlying theme of romance, but not cloying romance.
Dr Cherijo Grey Veil is a remarkable Doctor. She leaves Earth to use her talents in another world with many different species and t...more
All in all this is a fun science fiction book with an interesting and different plot - lady doctor with over-controlling father on xenophobic Terra takes a job on a space outpost and has to deal with medical emergencies in uncountable species, as well as difficult co-workers and culture shock. There is one thing about the book that really, really bothered me though, and this is, (mentioned in many other reviews, but I want to be tasteful and keep spoilers hidden) (view spoiler)...more
i went into this story expecting a bit of mindless space opera fun like grimspace or gabriel's ghost. maybe, if i was really lucky, something as sophisticated and beautiful as the snow queen. what i didn't expect was a well-thought-out space drama-cum-forensic mystery. seriously, it was like someone took house m.d. and star trek and m*a*s*h and made them into a crackalicious nerd sandwich.
the main character is cherijo grey veil (she's native american, guys, so it's ok that she has a weird name),...more
This was on a very quick path to 5Stars.
A young woman is fleeing her home and Earth, as her father, who is a brilliant and controlling surgeon, has her life all planned out for her.
She flees to a small colony to be part of the medical team. A colony made up of mostly non-Terrans, as humans are called. Did I mention that the controlling father is a leader in a Terrans Only group?
So the young daughter begins her work. Lots of adventures, some romance and then a very large catastrophe on an epidemi...more
A young woman is fleeing her home and Earth, as her father, who is a brilliant and controlling surgeon, has her life all planned out for her.
She flees to a small colony to be part of the medical team. A colony made up of mostly non-Terrans, as humans are called. Did I mention that the controlling father is a leader in a Terrans Only group?
So the young daughter begins her work. Lots of adventures, some romance and then a very large catastrophe on an epidemi...more
I enjoyed the first half of this book, but when the plague storyline started off, it went downhill rapidly. I'm not really quite sure how, but the heorine really started to annoy me and that's usually not a good sign.
I did finish it, but that was mostly because I skimmed the last chapter just to see if I was right about the survival of the good Doc's beloved. (view spoiler). The "love...more
I did finish it, but that was mostly because I skimmed the last chapter just to see if I was right about the survival of the good Doc's beloved. (view spoiler). The "love...more
Stardoc is little more than a bit of fluff. But it is a fun bit of fluff. And it is better laid out than the actual language, the writing. It is the first book in a series. The ending of this first book is almost not an ending.
The characters are too two-dimensional. The bad guys are too assuredly bad, unfailingly so, with only one bad guy turning in his wolf’s clothing for good guy attire. There were parts of the story where the timing seemed to be quite off; a person will die in in a few hours,...more
The characters are too two-dimensional. The bad guys are too assuredly bad, unfailingly so, with only one bad guy turning in his wolf’s clothing for good guy attire. There were parts of the story where the timing seemed to be quite off; a person will die in in a few hours,...more
I really enjoyed this one.
The main character, Cherijo Grey Veil, is opinionated and sassy. So is her cat for that matter -you'll see what I mean if you read the book. :) Utterly dedicated to her profession as a surgeon, she takes no prisoners and does not suffer fools gladly. Personally, I found her very refreshing. The plot is very interesting and exciting -I read this one very quickly!
The only criticism I could bring to this particular novel would be the source of the 'plague' on K2 (I'm tryi...more
The main character, Cherijo Grey Veil, is opinionated and sassy. So is her cat for that matter -you'll see what I mean if you read the book. :) Utterly dedicated to her profession as a surgeon, she takes no prisoners and does not suffer fools gladly. Personally, I found her very refreshing. The plot is very interesting and exciting -I read this one very quickly!
The only criticism I could bring to this particular novel would be the source of the 'plague' on K2 (I'm tryi...more
This and all the stardoc stories I have read so far are quite entertaining. The author seems to have a good grasp of the overall story arc and how each of the books fits into the whole. We learn a bit more with each story.
It is interesting to meet and follow some of the interesting characters and see how they play into the overall understanding of our good doctor.
That said, it is a bit far-fetched how she always comes through some of the most nearly impossible odds...definitely requires suspendi...more
It is interesting to meet and follow some of the interesting characters and see how they play into the overall understanding of our good doctor.
That said, it is a bit far-fetched how she always comes through some of the most nearly impossible odds...definitely requires suspendi...more
I loved the medical drama of this book, how Cherijo figured out the puzzles of anatomy of a variety of species and her ability to adapt to situations when they became dangerous in order to fulfill her oath as a doctor.
However, her relationship with Kao was severely underdone. They meet once "on screen" and then only a few times afterward (not shown) and suddenly, they're in love? Suddenly, Kao would like to Choose her, as a lifetime mate? It doesn't compute. I didn't feel any sort of emotional...more
However, her relationship with Kao was severely underdone. They meet once "on screen" and then only a few times afterward (not shown) and suddenly, they're in love? Suddenly, Kao would like to Choose her, as a lifetime mate? It doesn't compute. I didn't feel any sort of emotional...more
Such fun! I grabbed this off the shelf in my friendly local library, mostly on a whim. What a nice surprise; it's basically E.R. in space. The main character is a woman(?) with an interesting past which she's trying to escape. She's a physician (obviously) who's skills on earth may or may not translate to the highly inter-species colony world she runs to. Fairly good characterization, good plot points, and perfectly serviceable prose. Perhaps it's not the height of literature, but damn if it isn...more
It belongs in science fiction, even if it has a lot in common with urban fantasy it clearly belongs on a different category.I read it because the autor is Lynn Viehl, using a different pseudonym. The main character is very interesting. At the beginning seems to be anything but strong, but she keeps surprising you all the time. I still need to work out all the political and ideological implications. (They are there, II just have not had much time to think about it since I'm currently looking for...more
I liked it well enough, barring a few misgivings. There were a few tropes used that made me roll my eyes, and Cherijo seems like she can do no wrong, but overall I enjoyed the book. As long as you don't come to the book (series) with the expectation of something--I don't want to say 'more serious' because it's not like the book is comical, but it does have a definite lighter feel to it than other science fiction books I've read. There is a large emphasis on the romantic life of Cherijo, which is...more
I liked the style. It felt a lot like an old Star Trek novel in a lot of ways. The various aliens and supporting characters were quite good (especially her cat, Jenner, I'm not just a dog person). But I had a lot of issues with the emotional decisions. Somehow, although Terrans are fanatical bigots, and she was raised by one of the worst, Cherijo is completely open-minded to the point that she never even questions whether or not getting involved with a member of another species is ok. She's a we...more
This is chick-lit set in space. If you are a woman you are more likely to like it better than I did. I didn't identify with the characters. In parts it was OK. The author obviously knew a lot about the medical field, but for me a lot of it felt forced and contrived (the scifi part, not the medical aspect). It would pass for a writing student's project, but I didn't think it was ready for prime time. Sometimes it was slightly preachy. Much of the time it seemed whiny. I didn't care about her rela...more
Really enjoyed this book. The world building was inventive, and the day-in-the-life style of writing with the main character in an alien free clinic was refreshing and entertaining. I did feel that the romance angle was a bit incoherent--I never really got a clear picture in my mind of who Kao was and the scene during the epidemic with Reever was confusing at best. I think their connection could have been explained better.
All in all though a very entertaining read.
All in all though a very entertaining read.
It took me awhile to get past the awkward, irritating patois the author uses at the beginning of the book, but once I did I actually began to enjoy it. There's potential here, even if some of the characterization struck me as broad-brush--particularly the romantic subplot bits. Not spectacular, but certainly entertaining. My only real irritation is the alien character names, which are mostly letter-salad. The medical setting was a nice change of pace.
My second time reading this book, although it has been 10 years since my first read it was still familiar and still as wonderful. Cherijo Grey Veil is a surgeon, extremely talented and gifted, much like her cold, remote father. When she learns a secret of her fathers she knows she needs to leave Earth, quickly and quietly and she takes a position as a emergency room surgeon at the free clinic on the planet Kevarzanga-2 (K2). But trouble follows her there, the head surgeon and one of the other cl...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Before reading this book, I had no idea that there was such a subgenre as "medical SF", but now I know better. I'm definitely going to take a look at the next book in the series in a little bit. Overall, I enjoyed the narrator's voice a great deal, and though I found a few parts slightly unconvincing, I liked reading it, and it has some interesting thoughts about sentience.
I've had this book on my to-read list for ages, but it was out of print and tricky to find. I'm glad I discovered you can get the ebook for Kindle! It's not often you get science fiction stories about medicine on the space frontier, full of aliens, exotic diseases and medical case solving -- that alone would have made it interesting. I'm looking forward to reading the series.
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Also see Lynn Viehl, Gena Hale, Jessica Hall, and Rebecca Kelly.
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May 24, 2010 10:25am