I’m not sure if I actually receive more fantasy books than science fiction ones to review, or if it just feels like it. I’d have to go through my list of books and categorize each one to come up with a number. That said, when I do receive a science fiction book, it tends to stand out, which Splintergate certainly did. This review was published in the November 15, 2019 issue of Booklist. Shortly after I read it, I found myself in line for a rollercoaster at Six Flags talking to some other geeks, and highly recommended the book to them.
Deborah Teramis Christian returns to the world of the Sa’adani with Splintegrate, following the interwoven stories of Hinano Kesada (Kes), a professional dominatrix; Janus, a cartel triumvir; and Metmuri Esimir, a brilliant scientist. Their destinies converge when the Emperor’s right hand, Ilanya Evanit (Eva), embarks on a mission to assassinate Janus just after he travels offworld on a business trip. With assistance from the local authorities and the Imperial Navy base where Esimir explores splitting different facets of a person’s personality into separate clones, Eva rearranges Kes’s world and Esimir’s project to suit her assassination plan. As Eva’s plan reaches its apex, Kes’s life begins to unravel around her, a casualty of a political war she is completely oblivious to. Esimir is impressed with the results of his experiment, yet simultaneously appalled at Eva’s warped approach in using his process, which he realizes matches the Navy’s plan. There is never a dull moment in this thoroughly developed science fiction novel; the adventure and background will delight readers, with cultures and subcultures, science, and interspace politics explained throughout.