Catherine Asaro

The second Major Bhaajan mystery takes Bhaaj deep into the Undercity which has been inhabited by her people for years. Only recently, the Majda and other residents of the City of Cries learned that the residents of the Undercity have a much higher than normal number of psions.

Psions are essential to the survival of the Imperialate on its vast network of planets. But Bhaajan is determined that her people not be exploited. She wants help because they live in poverty and suffer from birth defects because of their millennia of inbreeding but she wants the help in a way that fits in with the culture of the Undercity.

When the Jagernaut accused of murdering a man flees to Raylicon and the Undercity, the Ruby Pharaoh hires her to find the woman. But the search leads Bhaaj to a much more dangerous thing than one out of control Jagernaut. An EI is waking up and has the goal of wiping out humanity. Its waking is disturbing the Psions in the Undercity and wreaking havoc with the mental network that runs things.

Bhaaj, the Ruby Pharaoh, and an order of monks must find a way to defeat the EI which calls itself Oblivion before all humanity is destroyed.

This was an enjoyable and exciting second episode in the series. I like seeing Bhaaj's growth as she comes to terms with her past and begins to build a new future for herself and for her people.… (meer)

Major Bhaajan's next case has her investigating the disappearance of a woman from a gala where she was set to announce the winning of a major and lucrative contract. Bhaaj was at the gala because her employers - the Majdas - asked her to attend to look for anything suspicious. She is immediately sympathetic toward the woman's bewildered husband and is especially so because another investigator is so certain that he is guilty.

Things heat up when someone tries to kill Bhaaj as she investigates. Bhaaj isn't at all certain that it isn't her employers. But, no matter who wants her dead, Bhaaj isn't going to rest until she figures out what happened to Mara Quida. Things get even more complicated when another woman vanishes in the same way that Mara did. Only this one was an old friend of her employer Colonel Lavinda Majda who is third in line for the Majda throne.

I love the world building in this story which takes place on Raylicon - a dying world with a lack of fresh water and only two cities. The City of Cries is where all the wealthy, powerful, and beautiful live. The Undercity is where Bhaaj is from. The people there have their own culture and language and have little to do with the people from Cries who look down on them. However, it was recently discovered that the people in the Undercity have a much larger percentage of psychic gifts than the general population and those gifts are need to keep the galactic civilization working.

Bhaaj left the Undercity to join the army and then retired back home when her enlistment period was up. She came back with a galactic education, many physical enhancements, and a desire to help the citizens of Undercity survive and flourish in the greater galactic culture.

Her investigation takes her from Cries to the Undercity and out into the desert to the three ships that brought the original settlers from Earth to Raylicon thousands of years in the past and are now a scientific treasure guarded by the army.

An Appendix at the end of the book lets the reader see some of the ways this story and its science grew. Asaro has a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics which means that reading it seemed like magic to this math-challenged reader. The real math and science was no less magical than the science and math in the story. Luckily, readers can enjoy the wonderful, detailed and engaging characters whether or not math is a language they speak.… (meer)

Major Bhaajan's next case has her investigating the disappearance of a woman from a gala where she was set to announce the winning of a major and lucrative contract. Bhaaj was at the gala because her employers - the Majdas - asked her to attend to look for anything suspicious. She is immediately sympathetic toward the woman's bewildered husband and is especially so because another investigator is so certain that he is guilty.

Things heat up when someone tries to kill Bhaaj as she investigates. Bhaaj isn't at all certain that it isn't her employers. But, no matter who wants her dead, Bhaaj isn't going to rest until she figures out what happened to Mara Quida. Things get even more complicated when another woman vanishes in the same way that Mara did. Only this one was an old friend of her employer Colonel Lavinda Majda who is third in line for the Majda throne.

I love the world building in this story which takes place on Raylicon - a dying world with a lack of fresh water and only two cities. The City of Cries is where all the wealthy, powerful, and beautiful live. The Undercity is where Bhaaj is from. The people there have their own culture and language and have little to do with the people from Cries who look down on them. However, it was recently discovered that the people in the Undercity have a much larger percentage of psychic gifts than the general population and those gifts are need to keep the galactic civilization working.

Bhaaj left the Undercity to join the army and then retired back home when her enlistment period was up. She came back with a galactic education, many physical enhancements, and a desire to help the citizens of Undercity survive and flourish in the greater galactic culture.

Her investigation takes her from Cries to the Undercity and out into the desert to the three ships that brought the original settlers from Earth to Raylicon thousands of years in the past and are now a scientific treasure guarded by the army.

An Appendix at the end of the book lets the reader see some of the ways this story and its science grew. Asaro has a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics which means that reading it seemed like magic to this math-challenged reader. The real math and science was no less magical than the science and math in the story. Luckily, readers can enjoy the wonderful, detailed and engaging characters whether or not math is a language they speak.… (meer)

Major Bhaajan is called to Selei City to investigate three very mysterious murders. There are no clues, and there seems to be no reason these people would be targeted. The case becomes political really fast...and Bhaaj hates politics.

With five major political parties, fingers are pointed at each and tensions between them threaten the stability of the government. Bhaaj calls in two of her Undercity Dust Knights to help her with her very complex case.

Bhaaj herself was born in the Undercity and used her intelligence and determination to find her way out via the military. When she left the military, she became a private eye who works for the very powerful Majda family. But Bhaaj has never forgotten her Undercity roots and is determined to help her people improve their lives.

The story is filled with action as Bhaaj survives a bombing and is kidnapped. But the strength of the story is the great worldbuilding which includes Evolving Intelligences who assist people and other unusual technologies. Bhaaj has all sorts of body mods that give her abilities that helped her as a soldier and still help her as a private investigator.

I really enjoyed this story.… (meer)