SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW: Artemis - Philip Palmer

Release Date: 02/12/11

SYNOPSIS:

Artemis McIvor is a stone-cold killer and a bibliophile. Raised on the library planet of Rebus, she has a love of books in a future where reading is a lost art. But unfortunately, her story doesn't end there. Artemis has been sentenced to incarceration for multiple murders and she's innocent of these, but guilty of many more which haven't yet come to light. Within days of arrival Artemis is planning her escape, but behind this is a darker strategy. She needs freedom to take revenge on those who have wronged her - and her vengeance is mighty indeed. Yet when she is recaptured, she is faced with a surprising choice that turns out to be no choice at all. She'll have her liberty if she becomes a guerrilla warrior, fighting rebels targeting Earth. Despite being part of a motley crew of criminals and psychopaths, she'd be one of the good guys for the very first time, fighting a war that is all that stands between civilization and depravity. Or if she says no, it'll be the last decision she ever makes.


REVIEW:

As a fan of Philips writing, I’d been looking forward to this title for quite some time. I love the worlds he creates, the different situations his characters end up in and of course his writing style which feels quite nostalgic especially when added to the covers that Orbit produces to accompany them.

However that said, I had one major problem with the current release and that was the lead character, I couldn’t stand her and as such it didn’t matter how much work had gone into the rest of the project that one major niggle kept me from enjoying the title to the full potential. Don’t get me wrong, his usual elements are all there but when I can’t stand the principle player, I tend to have a hell of a job reading the title to the end. (I still do it, but it really feels like an uphill slog.)

Sadly for me, I prefer other titles by Philip such as Red Claw and Hell Ship but I won’t let this title put me off and I’ll hope my faith is rewarded in the next book of his to land.