Review: Joel Shepherd

Title: Crossover Author: Joel Shepherd Format: MM Available Formats: TP Page Count: 455 Genre: Sci-Fi Publisher: Pyr Pub. Date: May 26, 2009 ISBN-13: 9781591027379

According to Shepherd's website the cover illustration was done by Stephan Martiniere. Wowza. If not for Martiniere's beautiful, dynamic cover art, I'd never have picked up this novel.

Crossover is the story of Cassandra Kresnov. Cassandra (called Sandy) is not a "real" person, that is to say...Sandy is not an organic creature. Rather, she was synthetically made to fight for the League in an interstellar war against the Federation. However, the League gave Sandy the too human characteristic of being able to think and feel. After the League betrays those closest to Sandy, she feels she has no choice but to leave and try to start a new life on Callay, amidst those who were once her enemy--and who would not even recognize her humanity if they knew what she was...

The political aspect of Crossover is the majority of what makes the novel interesting. I particularly enjoyed and appreciated the questions that Shepherd was addressing. I only wish some themes had been explored in further detail. The themes of a soldier transitioning to civilian, in particular, I liked, but was left wanting more. Otherwise, the other major question is explored a little more fully: exactly how close to human does something--Sandy--have to be to deserve the same rights and respect as a "normal" human?

Otherwise, Crossover was an action-packed, fun read. The characters are more or less forgettable, minus Vanessa and Sandy (and although the emphasis on sex seems a bit forced at times, I truly ended up liking the straightforward and sexy aspect of both characters).

Finally, here's an excerpt that not only showcases what Shepherd's writing style is like, but also gives Sandy's personality and dilemma in a nutshell:

She flicked through her records one last time, scanning the numbers, the names, the images. April Cassidy. Which was not her name, but it was the name she wore for now, while it suited her. [...] A registered citizen of the Confederacy, subject to its various rules and principles, recipient of its evident benefits. Both parents killed in the war against the League. No brothers or sisters, or close family of any kind. Raised under the legal guardianship of a war orphanage now disbanded, owing to Confederacy cutbacks on repatriation expenditure, now that the war was over. There were other things, too--social security number, birth certificate, credit cards, records of employment and company details ... she was a cognitive software expert, self-employed--a journeyman, headed wherever work was available. And, of course, she had plenty of money, and generous terms of credit from her bank. It was an interesting life. She thought about it for a while, disconnecting the hand-unit and letting the coil retract inside. She wondered what such a person would be like, this April Cassidy, with her orphanage past and her software skills. Sometimes she fancied she empathised, particularly over the lack of parents, a home life, a childhood. At other times she thought the deception might well be beyond her, this woman, with her civilian thoughts and peaceful upbringing, no matter how disrupted. She sat cross-legged in the bright pool of sunlight that fell across her bed, thinking about this life she had borrowed, as the city awoke from a light, almost-slumber, and a new day began.

Quick and Dirty: Puppy Love.
A fun, action-full sci-fi novel that dips its toes in some deep social questions before stepping back. I'm just hoping to see further development both in the characters and in the themes in the next installment. All around verdict? Good stuff, keep it coming.