I really liked this book. It was good solid sci fi with ethical dilemmas. Written in 3rd person from the the POV of the main character, Edie Sha'nim, a woman whose job is to terraform worlds. I liked the plot and that terraforming was a problem and not a panacea for expanding into space. In that there was plenty of conflict for the characters to overcome. I like characters who are not all powerful but who have to struggle to overcome their obstacles.

The only problem was that in places the science parts were a bit dense. But better a bit dense than so simplistic that even old English majors like myself could scoff at the science as being unrealistic. This was a minor quibble though and didn't impact my enjoyment of the book at all. I just place this stuff under my willing suspension of disbelief file and move on.

The characters were well written and believable and I liked that these two didn't just jump into a romance but that the focus stayed on the action of the story. One of the things I found outstanding about the book was the character of Haller. Everytime he went beserk and snapped, I was surprised and I love to be surprised by characters. I
think in my mind I expected him to act a different way as perhaps other writers have conditioned me to expect. I kept telling my husband, boy I wouldn't want to serve under that XO.

I'm looking forward to seeing Edie and Finn's romance develop, to learning more about Finn and to reading about their adventures saving worlds. I hope there will be many more installments of their story as they go from planet to planet.




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So in the end I *did* like this book. I'm writing this over a week after I finished it so this it's bullet time:

- I didn't have a huge problem with the idea of slavery that was introduced in this world, mostly because it was just an element of their life. Some people treat the serfs like slaves, non-people, while others are uncomfortable with that.
- That little bitch of a commander deserved his disgusting death. Agreed with Finn on that one.
- Speaking of Finn... Didn't get him. He was almost a non-entity to me for all the personality he seemed to display. A few angry moments, some take charge-ness near the end, a hazy history as what amounted to an assassin mercenary. That was about all I got.
- Edie, meanwhile, made me want to slap her all over the place at multiple points. She never seemed to understand how important she was to the mission... If they treat you badly, just refuse. What can they do? Hurt Finn? Then you *really* aren't going to cooperate. Pfft, whatever.
- Scarabaeus... Woah. That was Little Shop of Horrors on cocaine steroids. Freaking as hell, especially when the plants... Did what they did. Shudder.
- In the end though, I'm not interested enough in the characters that I want to read the next book and find out what they do about that whole implant thing. Curious, yes. But in a cliffnotes kinda way. ( )

I would have given this book 4 stars, but I realllllllllly hate unresolved endings, so you get -1 star, Ms. Creasy.

Edie is a cyperteck - she's basically got a computer interface implanted in her brain and can manipulate technology - and biotechnology - with a touch of her hand. When she's kidnapped from her (forced) gig with the ruling government, The Crib, as a bio-terraformer for new planets, she doesn't know if she's jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. "Leashed" to Finn - meaning if she either dies or gets more than 2 clicks away from him, his brain explodes - she's forced into an alliance right from the start. The plot is a little uneven - I wish that we had arrived at the planet sooner and seen more action there, as this was probably the most interesting part of the book. But overall I like Edie and I really like the world Creasy's built - the bio-technology parts are really really good and I hope there's more in the next installment (not out until 4/11). ( )

Awesome story, I loved the world and the characters. I would definitely shelve this with my favorite sci-fi books by Anne McCaffrey, Elizabeth Moon and Ann Aguirre. I've now pre-ordered the sequel, [b:Children of Scarabaeus|8435074|Children of Scarabaeus (Scarabaeus, #2)|Sara Creasy|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1287695515s/8435074.jpg|13298586], and can't wait to see how the story completes for Edie and Finn. Sara Creasy mentioned in an interview that there won't be a book 3 for these characters, so I can only hope she will come up with another interesting story for her eager readers soon. ( )

SONG OF SCARABAEUS is a winner. I don't usually like sci-fi, so I cottoned onto the book despite its genre, not because of it.

It's got some killer twists and turns, and Creasy set up her two leads - Edie and Finn - as opposites in every way. That makes the development of their relationship interesting as they feel one another out, and makes them a very strong team when they work together.

The plot sets off like an avalanche, and the pace is quick and exciting all the way through. But Creasy makes time for character development and backstory, too. At the beginning, Edie is abducted and her captors set a course for the planet Scarabaeus. A key event in Edie's past took place there, and the closer we get, the more we learn about what she did and why. Once they arrive on Scarabaeus, the biggest shock isn't finding out who the bad guy is. It's seeing the consequences of choices Edie made years before.

These plotlines, one extending forward and the other back, weave together really well and work as a whole. The romance element is strong, but not dominant. The writing itself is elegant, a pleasure to read, and the worldbuilding imaginative and interesting, without ever crowding out the story.

Highly recommended.
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