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Star Sojourner #6
TangleRoot
TangleRoot pits astrobiologist, telepath, adventurer and all-around nice guy Jules Rammis against mafia bad guys and a race of aliens that doesn't like to share. But not to Jules has his ever-faithful team by his side. With them is his new love interest, the exotic Sophia Rella, who refuses to stay at home. Jules will not only have to tackle "The Family" but also Blackroot, an insidious alien plant-animal that spreads like wildfire and munches people for snacks, but has spectacular properties that can endow humans with a very long lifespan. Tangleroot takes you on a wild ride across the galaxy, as Jules travels from Earth to the distant planet Equus and back again in pursuit of the spreading root system - and tries to stay a jump ahead of the mafia bad guys who are after him. This is a standalone novel, and can be enjoyed even if you haven't read the previous books in the Star Sojourner series.
202 pages, Paperback
First published July 29, 2014
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 27, 2020
An omnivoracious alien plant Blackroot/bristra gets away from Jules' lab and the fun hunt starts. Blackroot is something out of a nightmare, since it not only harms other plants but is 'having domestic and wild animals for lunch':
Q:
... a black branch snapped free of its ground holds and raised up, exposing pink stubs that lined its underside, where clods of earth still clung wetly, and a circle of teeth like a Lamprey eel's mouth. Yellow flowers suddenly sprouted along its sides like tiny fists opening to attract insects. (c)
Of course, some interested parties immediately start believing that Blackroot is something they'd like to have. Yeah, who wouldn't like to have a teeth-studded liana with an outsized appetite at home?
Jules is still being irresposible to the point of comical:
Q:
Guess I shouldn't have left Althea with a baby and gone to the primitive planet Syl' Tyrria to look for emerging mammals. (c)
Huff, the polar bear alien, being huffy:
Q:
“Jesus Christ!” Chancey said. “How do you put up with him?”
“Did you ever consider, Chance…how he puts up with us?” (c)
And as telepathic as ever (along with 2 other telepathical alienforms we've got to meet!):
Q:
I extended a light telepathic probe across four men inside the vehicle… (c)
Q:
I had stretched my powers to the point of achieving distant probes, seeing visuals of surroundings through the minds of others, and the death blow that burned through the brainstem. (c)
The world-building is as quirky as ever, the character building has quite a lot of cardboardiness to it. Also: damsels in distress identified (that's a minus). The boatloads of general angst set it off a bit (that's a plus). Some interesting religion is set in the background, all set with reincarnation, the Great Mind, Spirit and more interesting stuff. So, the overall rating would be 4 stars.
Some more religious talk in this installment (am I getting Zadig vibes here?)
Q:
“When you go past the rituals and customs of any true religion, we all meet at the Gates of Heaven.” …
“A Buddhist will tell you to shed ego and follow the right path. A Muslim will say that the real jihad is to conquer your own negative base desires. A Christian will say to follow the Ten Commandments.”... “In the end, what difference?” …
We strive to arrive at the same Gates.” (c)
Q:
... a black branch snapped free of its ground holds and raised up, exposing pink stubs that lined its underside, where clods of earth still clung wetly, and a circle of teeth like a Lamprey eel's mouth. Yellow flowers suddenly sprouted along its sides like tiny fists opening to attract insects. (c)
Of course, some interested parties immediately start believing that Blackroot is something they'd like to have. Yeah, who wouldn't like to have a teeth-studded liana with an outsized appetite at home?
Jules is still being irresposible to the point of comical:
Q:
Guess I shouldn't have left Althea with a baby and gone to the primitive planet Syl' Tyrria to look for emerging mammals. (c)
Huff, the polar bear alien, being huffy:
Q:
“Jesus Christ!” Chancey said. “How do you put up with him?”
“Did you ever consider, Chance…how he puts up with us?” (c)
And as telepathic as ever (along with 2 other telepathical alienforms we've got to meet!):
Q:
I extended a light telepathic probe across four men inside the vehicle… (c)
Q:
I had stretched my powers to the point of achieving distant probes, seeing visuals of surroundings through the minds of others, and the death blow that burned through the brainstem. (c)
The world-building is as quirky as ever, the character building has quite a lot of cardboardiness to it. Also: damsels in distress identified (that's a minus). The boatloads of general angst set it off a bit (that's a plus). Some interesting religion is set in the background, all set with reincarnation, the Great Mind, Spirit and more interesting stuff. So, the overall rating would be 4 stars.
Some more religious talk in this installment (am I getting Zadig vibes here?)
Q:
“When you go past the rituals and customs of any true religion, we all meet at the Gates of Heaven.” …
“A Buddhist will tell you to shed ego and follow the right path. A Muslim will say that the real jihad is to conquer your own negative base desires. A Christian will say to follow the Ten Commandments.”... “In the end, what difference?” …
We strive to arrive at the same Gates.” (c)
Displaying 1 of 1 review