The Hidden Worlds

My one word description of THE HIDDEN WORLDS? Tense. The novel starts when a ship is lost at sea, thus dooming Linnea's village that depends on it for its survival. Linnea and her family evacuate the village, going to an overcrowded city where jobs are scarce. Then, Linnea's sister tells her of a family secret in the form of a mysterious cylinder. Linnea takes the secret to a government bureaucrat with whom she has become friendly, and together they hatch a scheme to use the secret as leverage against the Pilot-Masters to compel them to renew a trade contract with her world. In short, she wants to bribe them. Well, it turns out that the government bureaucrat has just the thing she needs to get to Nexus, and it has been waiting for someone in her family to claim it for years. It is a labor contract. With Iain. Who has no idea of its existence. By the end of the novel, I was still not sure of the motives behind the labor contract storyline. But then, neither does Linnea, so I can hardly quibble with that. I found Landon's prose utilitarian, in keeping with the gritty story. Her writing was entirely transparent and her dialog flowed effortlessly. I would call it a character-driven story, except that term usually relates to the protagonist and his or her motivations. The characters who drive this story are definitely the villains. Throughout much of the story, the protagonists seem like driftwood in a maelstrom, almost powerless to resist the forces around them. Through the self-sacrificing actions of those around them, they finally find a way to prevail, at least in a small way. Some nits: the Pilot-Masters live under a set of birth restrictions that I found unrealistic. The plot does address this discrepancy, but it still leaves much a mystery. I can hardly find fault with that, since this book is the first of a series. I must be patient. I'm also interested in finding out why a society of men would agree to the restrictions that they live under, not to mention why women would agree to be shut out, entirely. And as other reviewers suggest, the brutality was often difficult to get through. However, the absolute excellent pacing of the writing made the novel dang-near impossible to put down, and it earns this review four stars. As for the contents of that mysterious cylinder? At the end of the novel, it is still a mystery.

Although I am not an avid follower of the genre of science fiction, "Hidden Worlds" might make me one! Not only is the book a good thriller (it keeps you turning the pages), the world constructed is believable, with enough detail to make it real without getting into pages and pages of descriptions. I specifically like the subtle character development of Linnea, and Iain's human picture. The contrast shown between the worlds is like a parallel of Earth, and reminds us that humanity is humanity, wherever it might be. I like the way the book ended. The story closed for now, but nail-biting anticipation of what could happen next. I can't wait to read the sequel - I am sure there will be one and would request the publisher to make the information available!!

What a joy discovering this book was! I enjoy good science fiction, but frankly it is hard to find works in this genre that don't come off as shallow and/or formulaic. The Hidden Worlds is most definitely neither! It is very rare to find a science fiction story that provides real insights into the human condition, but Kristin Landon has done so in spades. All the characters are three-dimensional; even the villains have levels and depth to them. The hero, Iain, is flawed but noble; appealing yet frustrating. But it is the heroine, Linnea, that really holds your attention. There are no trite happy endings here, and yet the reader is left with the sense that Linnea represents the triumph of the human spirit over all odds. What is really remarkable is that, for all that depth, The Hidden Worlds is a page-turner of the highest magnitude. I lost several nights of good sleep because I just HAD to find out what happens next. Indeed, I still feel that way, and I greatly look forward to what Landon comes up with next. Finally, I have to give big kudos to Landon's imagination. It is not easy to invent worlds that seem vivid and real, particularly worlds in the future. So often when reading science fiction these days the reader is left with the sense of "been there, done that." Believe me, you will not feel that way while reading The Hidden Worlds.

"The Hidden Worlds" is a great science-fiction yarn, full of twists and turns and beautifully written. The worlds come alive as Landon describes them, and the characters are complicated, interesting, and passionate people about whom the reader comes to care very deeply. Linnea, the book's heroine, has run into more than her share of bad luck in recent years: her planet has been nearly abandoned by the Pilots on whom the "hidden worlds" depend for supplies and protection, and her impoverished village loses its boat, its men, and its livelihood in a terrible accident. What's a scrappy, stubborn, technically competent girl to do, with an extended family depending on her to save them? Linnea's quest to rescue her family and find her own way in the world takes her very far from home. On the rich, powerful, and rather sinister planet Nexus, where the Pilots live and train, Linnea will find out just how tough (and tender) a person she can be. And all the while, the nanobots of the Cold Minds are relentlessly approaching the hidden worlds . . . . I read this book in one loooong gulp and with great delight. Kristin Landon is a fabulous writer, and I can't wait for more from her!

The Cold Minds, predatory machine intelligences, rose up and killed most humans and earth itself. Thanks to the jump pilots who work for the guild known as the Line, the only ones who can enter jump space, sent many humans to various planets in the galaxy where they stay hidden from the machines that would kill them if they knew where they were located. The line controls communication and travel between The Hidden Worlds. On one of the poorest world Santandru Linnea destroys her reputation by accepting a bond servant contract with a male of Nexus, home of the Line pilots. She hopes to exchange information her family has on the family Iain in exchange for the Line to sign a contract renewing their services to her planet and taking care of her and the family. Iain knows nothing of this and his father refuses to tell her what he knows. Iain's uncle, the head of the Line makes it appear that Iain, Linnea and his father are engaging in a conspiracy and he wants them killed. Iain believes the Line should rise above their petty squabbles because the Cold Minds have infected one planet. With the knowledge Iain has learned from his father he has the means of guarding the Hidden Worlds if he could avoid getting killed by his family and elude, with Linnea's help, planet politics and enemies. This is the first science fiction thriller in what looks to be a great new space opera series. Iain was kept in the dark about certain truths but he has to put the message out to the governments of the Hidden Worlds if they are to avoid a slaughter by the sentient machines. The heroine has the strength and wisdom to survive against overwhelming odds and as she learns to trust Iain, her fear of men begins to evaporate. She will go to extraordinary lengths to save him and travel with him to other words to deliver their message. Kristin Landon has written a spectacular sci-fi thriller that takes place in the distant future. Harriet Klausner