The Eyes of God

The Pinch #2

by Mark Kreighbaum

In the second of a vivid new series, Mark Kreighbaum returns to the alluring, terrifying future world he and bestselling author Katharine Kerr created in Palace.

On a planet wreathed in perpetual mist and scarred by a bloody uprising, the fragile peace between the arrogant humans and the oppressed Leps hangs upon a few key survivors. Vida, now a power in Palace's ruling family, tries to bridge the gap between the species, only to find her brilliant destiny threatened by a devastating secret. Her lover Rico, powered by cyberdrugs, races against time on the back roads of the virtual Mapspace to trap the Lep terrorist Riva. Meanwhile, in the city catacombs, Dukayn, Government House's security chief, steps up his sadistic interrogations, fueling the fire...until suddenly the threat of civil war is all too real.

Now, as Riva plots to unleash the most dangerous Lep of all time, Vida and Rico find themselves locked in a perilous battle to recover a lost biotech that holds monstrous death . . . or the very keys to life itself.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Ebooks

480 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Cait]

I know it seems odd that I'd be interested in the sequel to a book I only rated with two stars, but my chief complaint with the first book (Palace) was how thoroughly unfinished its story felt -- I'd like to see if a sequel can provide a satisfying conclusion.

[Eran · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm very ambivalent about this one, on the one hand it took away the magical feeling of the first book, on the other hand it is good to read a continuation and conclusion to the story.

The plot is here is good, but it's missing the things that made the first book so immersive and wonderful to read. The writing and description of the world is more matter-of-fact and less interesting. The characters are more direct and less surprising, less real in a sense.
The twist that Riva is an AI isn't bad, but not really that much of a turn around.
While the one with Wan's character from before being an act is surprising, but also lacking, it moves the plot but it's not a compelling character except in some stereotypical fantasy-story character way. Vida seems weak and flat. And everything is geared on some fight or the other (whether actual fighting like Wan and Karlo, or the space battle; or a mental battle like Jevon and Dukayn; or a ideological battle for freedom or against Riva, or a fight against the self in Roha's character). All in all it lacks the artfulness of making those points more than just plain.

Towards the end it was a slow read that took effort to get through.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have literally waited decades to read this book. At first, I did not even know it existed and simply felt that Palace was sorely in need of a sequel. Later it was near impossible to find at a price which was even remotely reasonable for a paperback. So, it languished for even longer and the suspicion grew that this would really not be any good at all and this was the reason this burgeoning series came to a halt.

However, that is not the case. While the prose is not quite what it was in Palace it is certainly not bad, and apparently what is lost of Kerr's style is gained in Kreighbaum's focus. I was surprised at how well this book wraps up the unanswered questions from the previous one, and how swiftly and satisfying the plot advanced. Having re-read the previous book as well ahead of this to refresh my mind on details and characters, I was also pleased to see the characters remaining very true to the way they were originally written and the two parts of the story go together very well.

Very enjoyable. Itch finally scratched.

[Станислав Атанасов · Rating 5 out of 5]

Palace was good enough book ... The Pinch series is something else!

The Eyes of God is one verry special book that tels a story of life ...

Zhu-i ... We flow ...

[Tiaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it, not as much as Palace but it was worth reading.