Review: Sanctuary

Sanctuary by Scott Rhine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Book Info: Genre: Science-fiction
Reading Level: New Adult
Recommended for: Fans of sci-fi, those who have been following the series, tech geeks
Trigger Warnings: rape, thoughts of rape, physical violence, war, theft, kidnapping, sexual slavery

My Thoughts: This book was a hard book to love. My rating of this one is based more on the technical merit of the book rather than any actual enjoyment on my part, because honestly... the one guy is just icky. I felt the need to shower frequently while editing this (and so, I have from a reliable source, did the author while writing it). Because I don't want to give any spoilers, I can't even say which character it is that turned me off, but you'll figure it out soon enough, trust me. To make matters worse, the guy is imploding, and no one even notices because they are under a constant need to solve the next problem, to prevent the next catastrophe because, of course, the rest of the world just can not stand that in order to have access to the alien artifact they must sign an ethical agreement to behave in a certain (read: civilized) fashion.

On top of that, there is the whole issue with the CEO's wife and what she does... but again, I can't say, as that would be a spoiler. But I was absolutely appalled that anyone would even think to do such a thing, and worse, to do such a thing for money! Horrible, horrible people.

Now, you would think I would hate this as a result, but just stop and consider for a moment the quality of writing that would make a reader feel so absolutely repulsed by certain characters. To create that visceral, physical reaction in the reader takes a great deal of writing acumen. As always Rhine brilliantly pulls the reader into the story and gives them a reason to react, provides moral dilemmas to solve, and has his characters change throughout the course of the book. Some grow. Some devolve. But none are the same at the end.

Take my trigger warnings very seriously. If any of these things are going to cause you mental distress, you'll probably want to avoid this book, or be around people who can provide you the support you need. However, it's a very good book. If you're a tech geek, you love sci-fi, or you want to know what happens next in the Jezebel's Ladder series, then this book is for you.

Series Information: Jezebel's Ladder series
Book 1: Jezebel's Ladder, I edited in August, 2011, review linked here where formatting allowed.
Book 2: Sirius Academy, I edited in May, 2012, review linked here where formatting allowed.
Book 3: Sanctuary, I edited in May and July, 2013.
More will be forthcoming in the future, but I'm not sure when or how many more.

Disclosure: I edited this book. I do not receive any remuneration based upon sales. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: Mercy Smith leads the team that is building the fastest space shuttle ever. Now her friend Red wants to steal the unstable Tetra-1 because Earth needs the information from an orbiting alien artifact. When Mercy volunteered to ride along to prevent the prototype from exploding, she didn’t count on Chinese and Muslim weapons of mass destruction or corporate spies. After landing on the artifact, she discovers there’s a new world inside, one they name Sanctuary. Although there are vast technological treasures, first the astronauts have to pass a complex test to see whether humanity is fit to enter its next phase—before the missiles arrive. No pressure.

This third book of the Jezebel’s Ladder series is an alien-encounter and coming-of-age story in the tradition of Arthur C. Clarke.



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