Young
Helen Kley of El Colony, a world dominated by women, doesn't know what to make
of the two young men who suddenly come bursting into her life, rescuing her
from a humiliating kidnap attempt. That they are offworlders, she has no doubt,
that they are corporate agents of some sort, she suspects. Otherwise why do
they withhold their names, giving her only the number of a safe line to contact
them? In the end, she becomes friends with the one she dubs "Pro" (the
other she call "Con" because of their differing attitudes) and simply
learns to think of them as her guardians.
Only when
she comes of age, two years later, and is by custom given her father's name and
an invitation to visit heretofore unknown relatives on his homeworld, does she
learn the truth about her adopted guardians. In fact she learns truth after
truth as she and Pro, whose real name she finally learns, must battle their way
through one adventure after another as they seek her missing father while
avoiding his enemies.
In
the end, she faces not only threats from the outside, but also the need to come
to terms with her own values and background -- to choose and to choose rightly.
Everything she has learned to care about depends on her choice -- her own happiness
and the welfare of those who have become dear to her.
Sunrise on The Ice
Wolf (SF)
By Colleen Drippe
Independent Publishing
Platform
ISBN #978-1542658683
Price $12.49
(Paperback)
304 Pages
Rating 5-Stars
“An Adventure In
Storytelling.”
Young Helen Kley lives
in a planet network where girls have little say in their future. She must wait
until of age to learn who her father is, and her mother could care less about
her. But Helen longs for adventure and to find her dad among the stars. Several
years before she’s reached the age of finding out about her father, she meets
Pro and Con, two offworlders who stop a man from abducting her. Con kills the
man, then they see her safely back to her apartment. For the next several years
they stay in contact, however, and when she’s of age, she learns that her
father was John Heth Wolfbane, from Lost
Rathar, a wild volcanic world, where Pro & Con happen to also be
from. There is a mystery whether or not her father is dead or alive, and to his
exact whereabouts, but Helen is determined to find him and seeks the aid of Pro
(Bis Stephen). Con (Gris Ansgar) has already left for Lost Rathar in search of
her father, but for a different reason than hers.
The journey is a hard
one, and difficult. They must evade a war on one planet, while escaping tigers
in a jungle, and survive near-death injuries. If she lives to find her father,
will the reunion be worth it?
The author’s writing
keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, while at the same time introducing
them to exciting new worlds. Her descriptive narrative will captivate the
reader, as they discover new worlds to explore. Take this passage for instance:
I saw the planet for the first time,
streaked with cloud. Slowly the surface became a marbling of black and grey,
greenish blue and white that I thought must be snow.
We
glided in over the dun-colored ocean half obscured by steam. Presently this
gave way to a low, dismal land of quaking, charcoal colored mud. There were no
signs of habitation.
“This,” Mary Wolfbane volunteered, “is
the bogland. There is much volcanism on Lost Rythar and most of the surface is
unstable – uninhabitable. This part is often hot, not just literally, but
somewhat radioactive. And there are gases from the ground.”
The author’s writing
also tends to have a religious slant, conforming to the author’s background as
a Catholic. Priests, called Star Brothers are found in each of her SF novels so
far, their duty is to carry Faith to the star colonies. The people of Rathar
are Christian, and hold fast to their belief in a Crucified Lord. That doesn’t
mean they are perfect, however, as most have killed or committed some other
sin. SF readers will enjoy this tale of a young girl becoming a woman among the
stars. Highly recommended.
Tom Johnson
Author of WORLDS OF
TOMORROW
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