Reviewer: Robyn Roberts
Title: Arien
Author: Sarah Dickson
Publisher: Triskelion Publishing
ISBN: 933471-07-7
Release Date: May 2005
Genre/Sub-genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi Romance
Year/Setting: Present day Arien
Overall rating: 3.75
Sexual content rating: Sensual
Sarah's Website:
www.sarahdickson.com
When the incumbent Emperor plots to take over Arien with the aid of a rogue immortal, her father (a man she has never met), Ikara must stop both of them.
Once mortal and now an immortal Mandrake, Sekai has lost his humanity. Only when he returns to witness the succession of the incumbent Emperor, does he fully understand what's at stake. To have any chance of success, Ikara must trust Sekai, who initially appears as self-serving as her father. Little does she know he battles a deeper problem. For Sekai to have any hope of aiding her, he must first regain his humanity. Not easy when he's 5,000 years old, and has lost everything he cared about, long ago.
Arien is a unique kind of Fantasy Romance. While we are in present day Arien (the planet), many of the customs and rituals look like pre-industrial age earth. However, they can fly their spaceships and have advanced healing arts.
While this futuristic type of romance is not normally my cup of tea, I did find many enjoyable things in Arien. Ms. Dickson writes strong characters who draw you into their time and customs. I found the first part of the book to be confusing for me as I tried to acclimate to the different customs and setting. I really started to enjoy the book as I grasped Ms. Dickson’s concept of "lines of passage". It’s as if there are parallel time threads and her unique way of tapping into that source of energy was fascinating.
I thought Sekai was a real jerk at first. He didn’t strike me as the hero of the story and he surely didn’t seem appropriate for Ikara. She’s such a feisty lady who is totally grounded in her own world and knows who she is. I loved her for being a strong woman, yet gentle enough to love others. As we get to know more about Sekai, he becomes easier to understand and Ms. Dickson gives us the total picture of who he is, where he has come from and why he is the way he is.
The book starts twisting and turning more than Space Mountain as we head toward the conclusion. There are surprises galore and intrigue pops up in unexpected areas. While this genre isn’t my favorite overall, I have to applaud Ms. Dickson for making this book into something I could enjoy.
I can’t believe the amount of creativity that Ms. Dickson has to come up with the thought powered ships. Not to mention the role of healers in this society. It was mind-boggling to me to even think along those lines; yet, Ms. Dickson has created a novel filled with these things as if it is commonplace.
For those who like Fantasy or Sci-Fi Romances, I promise you’re going to love this book.
Robyn
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