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Confederated Star Systems #1
Harmony
The launch of a brand new series that blends the best elements of science fiction and fantasy.
The world of Harmony, along with its close-knit colony planets, long ago isolated itself from the rest of the universe. But in a universe where the human-based Confederate Star System fleet finds itself hard-pressed to stand against ever-increasing attacks by the alien Marillon Empire, the Harmonic Empire cannot be left alone. For if the CSS cannot win an alliance with Harmony, the Marils will surely find a way to invade the planet and seize control of the unique and invaluable metal, which only the Harmonites can produce.
Yet invasion is far from the only threat the people of Harmony face. The gulf between rich and poor, rulers and ruled continues to widen, threatening to destroy the very structure of their society—while the planet itself is becoming increasingly unstable. In this time of crisis, one young woman
The world of Harmony, along with its close-knit colony planets, long ago isolated itself from the rest of the universe. But in a universe where the human-based Confederate Star System fleet finds itself hard-pressed to stand against ever-increasing attacks by the alien Marillon Empire, the Harmonic Empire cannot be left alone. For if the CSS cannot win an alliance with Harmony, the Marils will surely find a way to invade the planet and seize control of the unique and invaluable metal, which only the Harmonites can produce.
Yet invasion is far from the only threat the people of Harmony face. The gulf between rich and poor, rulers and ruled continues to widen, threatening to destroy the very structure of their society—while the planet itself is becoming increasingly unstable. In this time of crisis, one young woman
400 pages, Hardcover
First published August 5, 2008
9 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
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November 15, 2015This blend of fantasy with a science fictional overlay, first published in 2008, was polished by the author for its rerelease. The SF is pretty much a veneer of the Star Trek kind, the fantasy element being far stronger as Sissy, an ordinary worker has visions that catapult her into prominence at the top of the religious hierarchy of Harmony, primary world of a troubled empire.
Sissy is determined to be true to her vision as she struggles to deal with the bureaucracy of the temple, a job made more difficult when she starts finding evidence of historical significance that would profoundly affect Harmony's worldview.
She finds unexpected aid from Jake, a wild car element sent on a covert op to investigate Harmony by his manipulative and untrustworthy spymaster. Jake finds unexpected sympathy with Sissy, and his scorn for the religion-heavy culture takes some hits when things happen that cannot be rationally explained.
The author is better known for fantasy with romantic elements; the reader who likes soft sf with a strong romantic and fantastic element should enjoy this fun, fast read full of interesting characters.
Sissy is determined to be true to her vision as she struggles to deal with the bureaucracy of the temple, a job made more difficult when she starts finding evidence of historical significance that would profoundly affect Harmony's worldview.
She finds unexpected aid from Jake, a wild car element sent on a covert op to investigate Harmony by his manipulative and untrustworthy spymaster. Jake finds unexpected sympathy with Sissy, and his scorn for the religion-heavy culture takes some hits when things happen that cannot be rationally explained.
The author is better known for fantasy with romantic elements; the reader who likes soft sf with a strong romantic and fantastic element should enjoy this fun, fast read full of interesting characters.
January 22, 2009
A fun quick read. Not fluff, but you don't have to pay attention to get the point. Transitions tended to be a bit choppy, but the plot and characters were engaging. I'll be interested to see how Ms. Bentley grows in her writing style.
December 17, 2017
Kosmoseooper. Ühendab elemente "Valgest preestrinnast", Barrayari saagast ja ilmselt veel poolest tosinast raamatust. Mu meelest keskpärane, A-le hirmsasti meeldis. Järge küll ei viitsiks lugeda.
January 24, 2016
Sissy du Maigrie pu Chauncey's story starts straight into the action. Working in the factory placing delicate Badger Metal crystals into military nav units, she believes this is her life. She is a worker in the working class on the planet Harmony, with no ambition above working her highly technical job, she just wants to help her family pay the rent. Then her whole life is up heaved when a massive earth quake hits the capital city and she takes it on herself to somehow save her fellow factory workers, only to save the whole city in the process.
Turns out she is the One ancient prophecy speaks of with the ability to communicate to the Goddess Harmony herself. Gifted with seeing resonant frequencies and its energies, Sissy is able to tune her voice to that of the planet itself. Safe to say that when the High Priestess dies in the earth quake, the Temple Staff take Sissy in to become the next leader of their world and the 6 colonies.
Thrust into a world where history and politics clash, where ceremonial robes and high-heel shoes are god-awful to wear, and where Sissy has no contact with her large family, she soon becomes overwhelmed with all that sweeps over her. Then someone starts trying to kill her and those under her care.
Meanwhile, Jack Hannigan, a space fighter pilot of the Confederated Star Systems ends up blackmailed into becoming a spy for the CSS spy division. He is tasked with stealing the process for creating Badger Metal so their military can create space ships with stronger hulls for fighting their long time enemy the Marillon Empire. In his attempt to fulfil his mission as an under cover military cast law enforcer on Harmony, he inadvertently saves the new High Priestess’s life twice and becomes her new body guard.
There is loads of politics in this book, and I often struggle with it, but this story kept the political play interesting enough that it didn't bog me down. I am happy to say that I enjoyed the story, the character development with the two main characters and I enjoyed the unfolding of the mystery that creates the conflict in the first place. Was a little political heavy but enjoyed it all the same.
4 stars out of 5, will read the next two in the series at some stage too.
Turns out she is the One ancient prophecy speaks of with the ability to communicate to the Goddess Harmony herself. Gifted with seeing resonant frequencies and its energies, Sissy is able to tune her voice to that of the planet itself. Safe to say that when the High Priestess dies in the earth quake, the Temple Staff take Sissy in to become the next leader of their world and the 6 colonies.
Thrust into a world where history and politics clash, where ceremonial robes and high-heel shoes are god-awful to wear, and where Sissy has no contact with her large family, she soon becomes overwhelmed with all that sweeps over her. Then someone starts trying to kill her and those under her care.
Meanwhile, Jack Hannigan, a space fighter pilot of the Confederated Star Systems ends up blackmailed into becoming a spy for the CSS spy division. He is tasked with stealing the process for creating Badger Metal so their military can create space ships with stronger hulls for fighting their long time enemy the Marillon Empire. In his attempt to fulfil his mission as an under cover military cast law enforcer on Harmony, he inadvertently saves the new High Priestess’s life twice and becomes her new body guard.
There is loads of politics in this book, and I often struggle with it, but this story kept the political play interesting enough that it didn't bog me down. I am happy to say that I enjoyed the story, the character development with the two main characters and I enjoyed the unfolding of the mystery that creates the conflict in the first place. Was a little political heavy but enjoyed it all the same.
4 stars out of 5, will read the next two in the series at some stage too.
January 21, 2013
I really enjoyed this one. It was good sci fi fun!
Good points: The world building was intricate and believable. For instance, the notion that a bunch of fundamentalists would go out to settle a new world so as to be able to live out their beliefs is quite believable (this kind of thing has already happened in human history, minus the space and new planet aspect) and the fact that some individuals would try to select their subjects' future personalities (on the probably mistaken hope that submission would be an inheritable trait) is not too farfetched either.
The main characters were also quite believable: from Sissy (i.e. the High Priestess of Harmony) who sought to change her world for the better, Jake (a spy who fell in love with Sissy and sought to gain peace for both their peoples), and Laud Gregor the evil High Priest (whose motivations were quite believable in that he did not see himself as evil but had long ago convinced himself that what was best for him was also best for everyone). I quickly found myself caring for the characters, whose backstory was established through gradual revelations during the progression of the novel. The secondary characters were also very well done.
The motivations of the various political entities, including the potential complexities relating to the current enemy of humanity (i.e. the Marils, an avian species) and the history with humans on Harmony which was revealed during the novel were detailed in a highly believable and engaging manner.
The plot was very interesting and kept me reading until the end -I will certainly read the sequel! I greatly enjoyed the moments of drama and excitement tempered with moments of character exploration.
Bad/not so good points: I have very little to say here. There were some punctuation and spelling issues within my copy of the novel, which were rather annoying. I did however enjoy the novel despite this.
Good points: The world building was intricate and believable. For instance, the notion that a bunch of fundamentalists would go out to settle a new world so as to be able to live out their beliefs is quite believable (this kind of thing has already happened in human history, minus the space and new planet aspect) and the fact that some individuals would try to select their subjects' future personalities (on the probably mistaken hope that submission would be an inheritable trait) is not too farfetched either.
The main characters were also quite believable: from Sissy (i.e. the High Priestess of Harmony) who sought to change her world for the better, Jake (a spy who fell in love with Sissy and sought to gain peace for both their peoples), and Laud Gregor the evil High Priest (whose motivations were quite believable in that he did not see himself as evil but had long ago convinced himself that what was best for him was also best for everyone). I quickly found myself caring for the characters, whose backstory was established through gradual revelations during the progression of the novel. The secondary characters were also very well done.
The motivations of the various political entities, including the potential complexities relating to the current enemy of humanity (i.e. the Marils, an avian species) and the history with humans on Harmony which was revealed during the novel were detailed in a highly believable and engaging manner.
The plot was very interesting and kept me reading until the end -I will certainly read the sequel! I greatly enjoyed the moments of drama and excitement tempered with moments of character exploration.
Bad/not so good points: I have very little to say here. There were some punctuation and spelling issues within my copy of the novel, which were rather annoying. I did however enjoy the novel despite this.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 6, 2011
This book touched me in so many ways a that fantasy/ sci-fi book usually does not.
Sissy feeling in tune to the crystals of the planet Harmony is only the beginning of the journey. Even she does not know what her gift mean. She is born a lower class then the priestesses whom she now lives with and they do not know what to make of her but only know of the prophecy of a child born with call caste/or marking of class. This person is Sissy. A girl who doesn’t want the the responsibilities that come with her power with Harmony because she doesn’t feel good enough.
Then there is Jake a guy down on his luck. Likely to be killed unless he does what he is told by people with power from another planet. they want what is special to Harmony. A Crystal or metal made on the planet. Jake pretend to be someone on Harmony and find his destiny lies with Sissy. Together they find truths about Harmony and themselves.
I found the fantasy of this story That melded into truths we don’t see and the lies that are told to hide the truths to be and inspiring read. As Sissy and Jake fight for the family they have made they bring hope to Harmony. I am eager to know what happens in the sequel to this book which is called Enigma.
Sissy feeling in tune to the crystals of the planet Harmony is only the beginning of the journey. Even she does not know what her gift mean. She is born a lower class then the priestesses whom she now lives with and they do not know what to make of her but only know of the prophecy of a child born with call caste/or marking of class. This person is Sissy. A girl who doesn’t want the the responsibilities that come with her power with Harmony because she doesn’t feel good enough.
Then there is Jake a guy down on his luck. Likely to be killed unless he does what he is told by people with power from another planet. they want what is special to Harmony. A Crystal or metal made on the planet. Jake pretend to be someone on Harmony and find his destiny lies with Sissy. Together they find truths about Harmony and themselves.
I found the fantasy of this story That melded into truths we don’t see and the lies that are told to hide the truths to be and inspiring read. As Sissy and Jake fight for the family they have made they bring hope to Harmony. I am eager to know what happens in the sequel to this book which is called Enigma.
September 23, 2009
I usually enjoy when someone is un-expectantly placed in a position where they are not qualified, nor necessarily want to be, but must handle the fact that the are there.
In this case a factory worker ends up in the highest position of her world. She doesn't have the background to understand the politics, or even the environment, going on around her.
It started just a little slow, then built up the story quickly and just kept moving.
The ending seemed a bit longer than it needed to be, but when it finally reached its conclusion I had two reactions. One, I like leaving an unresolved question, in this case a "how did they know that" type question. The other was, it ended but there was a bit too much to assume to call it quits.
So I looked, and yes, there is a sequel. I don't know if this is an open ended series (which it could easily be). I do know I'll read the next one when one of the libraries I use finally gets it in.
One thing to note. The editor must have been half asleep at times. Some sentences make no sense, missing words, fragmented, etc. That happened enough to be noticeable/annoying. It could have been tighter construction also.
In this case a factory worker ends up in the highest position of her world. She doesn't have the background to understand the politics, or even the environment, going on around her.
It started just a little slow, then built up the story quickly and just kept moving.
The ending seemed a bit longer than it needed to be, but when it finally reached its conclusion I had two reactions. One, I like leaving an unresolved question, in this case a "how did they know that" type question. The other was, it ended but there was a bit too much to assume to call it quits.
So I looked, and yes, there is a sequel. I don't know if this is an open ended series (which it could easily be). I do know I'll read the next one when one of the libraries I use finally gets it in.
One thing to note. The editor must have been half asleep at times. Some sentences make no sense, missing words, fragmented, etc. That happened enough to be noticeable/annoying. It could have been tighter construction also.
June 25, 2016
This book has some decent reviews, although it doesn’t have the highest overall rating I’ve seen online. Still, a number of people like it. That said, a number of, oh… sci fi “vets” tend to view it as sci fi lite, shall we say? Here’s a quote from a review: “Adolescent wish fulfillment. There will be some young people who will love this book. I won't read the sequel….” That’s pretty much what I got out of it. Juvenile effort, juvenile story, juvenile writing, juvenile pseudo-mystical/spiritual plot, etc. Not your top of the line sci fi, in other words. I’m not even going to waste my time going into details here. I often do when I trash books I’ve wasted time on. Fortunately, I didn’t waste too much time on this one, so I’m not going to trash it. I’m just going to give it one star and state that I do not recommend it, except for some adolescent sci fi readers.
January 24, 2009
I learned I should always wait until the series is finished before I start reading a book. The ending, WHY!?!
Great Author, most of the time when I read an authors first (Published) book I have to separate my critical mind and just enjoy the story so I do not get caught up in the small plot holes and logic flaws, while reading this book I did not need to. That is not to say it was flawless, there were a few small things that I noticed but only after a perspective switch so the issues could usually be explained away as the new character did or learned something while we were watching someone else that caused the issue.
Great Author, most of the time when I read an authors first (Published) book I have to separate my critical mind and just enjoy the story so I do not get caught up in the small plot holes and logic flaws, while reading this book I did not need to. That is not to say it was flawless, there were a few small things that I noticed but only after a perspective switch so the issues could usually be explained away as the new character did or learned something while we were watching someone else that caused the issue.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2014
En el planeta Harmony, la sociedad se divide en 7 castas. Nacen con un tatuaje en la mejilla de acorde a su casta hasta que una joven aparece con las 7 marcas, con el don de la profesía y capaz de salvar el planeta de terribles catástrofes naturales debido al desequilibrio espiritual por el que atravieza su Era. Además, Harmony sufre la amenaza de invasión alienígena del Imperio Marillon, y el espionaje de la CSS que busca el secreto de los cristales negros, imprescindibles para que una nave no se pierda en el hiperespacio.
Me gustaron los personajes, van creciendo y enfrentando dificultades, tomando decisiones. Es largo, pero interesante.
Me gustaron los personajes, van creciendo y enfrentando dificultades, tomando decisiones. Es largo, pero interesante.
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July 31, 2011I saw this book in the new release section of the library, the cover seemed interesting so I picked it up. It's one of the better books I've read for a while.
the story centers mostly around the planet of Harmony, the capital of a coalition of seven planets. The society is caste based, each person bearing a mark of his or her caste. the books follows the rise to power of Sissy, a girl born with all seven caste marks who is thrust into the role of High Priestess. it's a good story with plots within plots and political schemesafoot. Highly recomended
the story centers mostly around the planet of Harmony, the capital of a coalition of seven planets. The society is caste based, each person bearing a mark of his or her caste. the books follows the rise to power of Sissy, a girl born with all seven caste marks who is thrust into the role of High Priestess. it's a good story with plots within plots and political schemesafoot. Highly recomended
December 16, 2009
Adolescent wish fulfillment. There will be some young people who will love this book. I won't read the sequel, but I think that the author is a good writer in this particular genre.
There were some good parts and some good ideas, but ultimately the book was disappointing to me (an old guy who has been reading sci-fi and fantasy for nearly 50 years). By the time I was close to finishing I only kept going because of the time that I had invested in it.
There were some good parts and some good ideas, but ultimately the book was disappointing to me (an old guy who has been reading sci-fi and fantasy for nearly 50 years). By the time I was close to finishing I only kept going because of the time that I had invested in it.
October 26, 2011
This was an easy read, and fairly pleasant, but I never really got caught up in the characters. I don’t know quite how to respond to it, because she wrote a really interesting world, and the fact that it was a thick tome that nonetheless flowed quickly shows that she knows how to put a story together. I suppose I’d say read it if you’re a spec fic fan who wants a pleasant weekend read, but don’t expect to get hooked.
November 5, 2018
This is a great entry level SciFi novel with interesting worlds, social structures, and political machinations. I enjoyed how Bentley spun the tale to show how the Harmonite culture changed over time and would recommend this book.
October 19, 2008
Just plain badly written.
May 12, 2009
If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would, I loved it!!
September 5, 2009
Read from 7/29 - 8/3
February 22, 2010
Enjoyable fluff.
May 22, 2011
I'm finished with Harmony: I have never felt so relieved to get to the end of a book and discover that there is a sequel to it
May 28, 2012
A good yarn.
November 9, 2015
Interesting ideas, plot, character development, settings and magic system. Bentley beautifully combined sci-fi and fantasy, action and political intrigue.
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July 9, 2017Another did-not-finish.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews