This is an interesting story about an egocentric reporter on a mission to find a renowned doctor and medial researcher who has disappeared (intentionally) on a backward and poorly explored planet. Much more description of the plot than that would necessitate spoilers so I’ll stop there.
Although I found this book entertaining it felt as if the science fiction elements were tacked on. This is more like a story about deepest, darkest Africa from the late Nineteenth or early Twentieth Century than a science fiction novel. Everything from the characters’ beliefs and perceptions to the colonial mindset of the government remind me of those in a Tarzan novel.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing and the book is an enjoyable, light read. It may leave speculative fiction fans cold though because it really doesn’t stretch the imagination or provoke serious thought.
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