Emissaries from the Dead (Andrea Cort, Book 1)

by Adam-Troy Castro

Book Overview

Two murders have occurred on One One One, an artificial ecosystem created by the universe's dominant AIs to house several engineered species, including a violent, sentient race of sloth-like... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061443727
• Release Date: February 2008
• Publisher: Voyager
• Length: 387 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 1.0" x 4.3"

Customer Reviews

Original and Entertaining

This novel is pure sci-fi/mystery goodness. The cast of characters includes a tramatized, emotionally stunted main character, an all-knowing, eons old Artificial Intelligence, a group of quirky scientists living in an engineered bio-habitat, and a newly created species of sentients that are trying to live their lives and be polite to their wierd, bi-pedal neighbors. This novel is a murder mystery, a diplomatic dance, and a search for self that is unique and vivid. I look forward to future installments, and highly recommend it to those who don't often venture outside of their "comfort authors".

well-crafted

I especially liked how he designed an alien theology based upon their world-view. Immense depth to his world. The plot was almost superfluous to his world-building. Yet, it too was meaningful and convoluted. Until the 'Heckler' is actually named I was still guessing. My only complaint is that the title seems to imply a series, but the end of the novel wraps up too many loose ends (or at least foreshadows the resolution). This is one of the strongest 'first' novels I've read in a while.

splendid space mystery with all the trimmings

I bought this book as a shot in the dark - strong woman character, intriguing premise, cool cover (yes, they do convince sometimes), so why not. Well, what a joy to find that this first novel from Castro was such a finely crafted, absorbing bit of SF fun. It's dark, yes, and creepy, but in spite of my initial assumptions, Castro rewards the reader with ribbons of hope and joy without saccharine or pat resolutions to the deeply broken character of the protagonist. Castro also manages to bring in the good moments without turning the main character into someone else; she stays flawed, but even the flawed get to have a little fun sometimes. Happily, unlike some space mysteries, this novel does not fall prey to the mystery-over-the-world-building problem, nor vice versa. I was completely hooked on the mystery, but the nature of this galactic setting was equally engaging and made me want to know more about it. A final comment: many male authors who write female main characters (especially in first person) seem to have a bit of trouble keeping them both believable and female. Too often the "woman" reads more as some weirdly sexed version of a man. Castro does a very nice job of keeping Andrea Cort consistent, strong, and definitely believable. This entertaining escape into the world of Andrea Cort is SF just how I like it: lots of character, great setting, and a keep-you-guessing plot.

Hard to believe this is Adam Troy-Castro's first novel (4.5 stars)

Andrea Cort's a Judge Advocate from "Dip" aka Diplomatic Corps headed for a much-needed vacation when she's assigned to a murder on One One One. Looking at monsters is something Cort considers to be her specialty since she considers herself a monster because she was overtaken by madness at eight and committed murder. One One One is a cylinder world created by the AISource, which is not for the faint of heart or those suffering from height issues. Only the forested top portion of the world is habitable, which the bottom is a poisonous concoction. By the time Cort arrives on One One One, a second murder is reported--another woman. Diplomatic Corps advises her that AISource cannot be found guilty of the crimes no matter what--the implications are a war that humanity would not win. Andrea also finds out that she's been handpicked by someone for this treacherous assignment, though no one is telling who. She's not the best choice, since she has height issues which are obvious. Adam Troy-Castro is a master at world-building. One One One is a fascinating creation with characters both frightening and complex. The Brachiators are a created race which will only consider her as a viable emissary if she is at least Half-Ghost. Plus, there are humans who share one personality over psionically linked bodies. My only complaint was that I felt Andrea needed some more development. She's somewhat muted from this reader's point of view and needs to speak more strongly for herself. I like her view of herself as a monster and her inner strength of will is impressive, though. The mystery element was strong and dark. I didn't realize who did it until the end and the end did come as a surprise. My understanding is that a sequel to this novel will follow

A somewhat suprising novel

Honestly, after reading the first few chapters, I didn't know what to expect of this book. After reading half the book, I still didn't know. Having completed the book, I can't wait for the next Adrea Cort novel. Cort is styled in the role of the typical Film Noir detective - jaded, dark, smarter than everybody around her but fundamentally broken. The change the she goes through during the novel could be hackneyed and irrelevant if Castro didn't handle it with such a delicate touch and its a testament to his writing skill that the very last chapter of the book made me both cry out in pain and laugh with joy.