Landon, Kristin: The Cold Minds
The Cold Minds (2008)
Written by: Kristin Landon
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 293 (Mass Market Paperback)
It doesn't seem that long since I read Landon's debut, The Hidden Worlds, but in truth, it's practically been two years. And I bought the sequel, The Cold Minds, when it first came out, so how sad is it that I finally read it a year after the purchase date, and just a week before the release of the third book in the series, The Dark Reaches?
Sad, I tell you. But I think we all know, at this point, that I buy books and store them like a squirrel does nuts for the winter. I want them as soon as I can get my grubby little paws on them, and then, they'll WAIT. Such an ominous fate...
At any rate, my brain seems to be in SF reading-mode, so I'm catching up on the SF books that are languishing on my shelves and on my floor. So without further adieu...
The premise: in this second book of Landon's series, years have passed since Linnea Kiaho and her lover Iain sen Paolo escaped the Cold Mind infestation on the planet Freija, since they learned that Linnea had the talent to fly. Now, they must recruit and train other Pilots, outside of the Line, because the Line refuses to acknowledge the Cold Mind invasion, and is content to let the poorer worlds rot. Linnea, who pines for her home, won't let that happen, even though the situation seems hopeless with an enemy that's impossible to destroy and allies who are content on destroying themselves.
Review style: this review is divided into two sections, what I liked and what I didn't. I'll avoid specific spoilers.
What I Liked
One of the somewhat jarring yet enjoying things about Landon's debut The Hidden Worlds was just how many devices she used that I'd already seen before. The innate ability to pilot ships, and of course, the nano-robot infestation. Then there's the love story. However, in The Cold Minds, all of these elements that really stood out as familiar in the first book become melded together into a setting and story that feels more organic. I'd hazard that Landon's become more comfortable with this world and the story she's telling, because everything feels far more natural, though it could also be that I'm simply familiar with the world-building, its rules, and the characters, and the comparisons I'm drawing are to the first book, not other books by other authors.
Whatever the case, this book was a smoother read for me. While still there in shades, The Cold Minds lacked some of the mind-numbingly infuriatingly close-minded value systems that drove me half nuts in the first book. Linnea, while having to deal with the ignorance of the Pilot Masters, is able to stand her own and act when necessary in spite of their assholery, and she encourages other women to look beyond their traditional roles to do the same. Her friendship with Zhen was quite refreshing, as was the relationship we saw with her sister Marra (who was, admittedly, a little frustrating, but who isn't when they've been sheltered with a certain point of view?).
Also enjoyable is that the world, and I mean that in the general universe sense, doesn't stay stagnant. Like the two main characters of Linnea and Iain in The Hidden Worlds, the world and political system must undergo a radical, painful change, and this is a welcome thing (especially given how unhealthy it was to start with).
I also like the sense that in some ways, this book--while leading into a third book in the bigger, more vague picture--has a self-contained story. That doesn't mean that if you haven't read The Hidden Worlds that you can just skip it and go to this one. It does mean, though, that Landon doesn't leave you with a cliff-hanger, and she tells as complete story as she's able. This is a good thing.
What I Didn't Like
Here's the weird thing: I started out feeling like the world, the characters, the story were all welded together in a much stronger, better way. But I reached a point, closer to the end, where that fell apart for me. It's taken me a while to process why, but I think I can put my finger on it:
1) Too many unnecessary POV's. It didn't drive me completely crazy, but I would've been happy with just Iain's and Linnea's POV, and when necessary, maybe ONE POV of a necessary viewpoint on planets where Linnea and Iain just aren't at. But some POVs, like the children at the end, were completely unnecessary and slowed down the story. And Rafael's POV was just disjointed to the point of near-nonsense. I could barely understand what was happening and why, which makes sense when you consider his brain has been eaten by the Cold Minds AND drugs, but it didn't add anything to my reading at all and only frustrated me.
2) My damn memory: I remember certain things from The Hidden Worlds, and I particularly remember the end. However, I don't remember certain details, like the notion that Linnea was convinced Rafael was dead, nor did I remember the specifics of what he did to her. So many little things I don't remember that are referenced or explained in THIS book, and rather than clicking like such things ought to, my brain went, "That happened? REALLY?" It may be a function of the fact that I read the first book TWO STINKING YEARS AGO and therefore my own fault, but I was jarred nonetheless.
3) Character motivation: I loved in the first book how Linnea and Iain truly evolved and CHANGED during the course of the first book. Here, I don't feel it. Everything feels circular in terms of motivations. Linnea doesn't change at all, and her encounter with Rafael--while brave--wasn't compelling because I didn't remember the specifics of what he did to her in the first book and we weren't in her POV. And Iain was the biggest disappointment of all. I'm not believing his change of heart nor his choice at the end because for some reason, his devotion to what he lost was SO CONSISTENT through-out the book that the change just felt . . . I don't want to say wrong, because he needed to change, but I'm not sure he earned it. Also, his "plan" to get the Pilot Masters to essentially work for HIM was essentially the same plan given to him by the Pilot Masters: the end result was the same, it was just bickering about who was in charge. All of it became moot later, but sometimes the motivations just didn't make sense to me (and maybe that was intentional, but . . .) I also didn't like how certain pivotal moments were skipped in favor of another character discovering the actions of another. I leave it at that, but this happened a couple of times during the book, and it distanced me.
4) Sloppy adverb usage. Don't ask for examples, as I don't mark my books while I read, but there were some uses of adverbs that had me rolling my eyes.
5) For a while, at the start of the book, I thought these characters might have narcolepsy. They kept sleeping and waking up and sleeping and . . .
My Rating
Give It Away: if you enjoyed the first book, The Hidden Worlds, then this is worth the cash. But if the first book gave you serious problems, I'm not sure you'll want to keep reading. There's no doubt that Landon is more comfortable here with her setting, her characters, and her story (and I do love the sense of hopelessness that pervades the story), but overall, the book didn't click for me, and it's because I had trouble buying character motivation and swallowing the supposed changes the characters underwent during the course of the book. Maybe it's middle-book syndrome, if this is in fact a trilogy (I don't know, but the third book, The Dark Reaches will be released June 30, 2009), and I do like the fact that while I don't buy the character changes, I do buy the changes made in the overall world and political system. Also notable, but not affecting my enjoyment in a negative manner, was how this second installment doesn't count at all as SF-Romance, whereas I felt the first book, The Hidden Worlds, did. The relationship between Linnea and Iain is far more strained and also more believable in this book, and that was refreshing, as it allowed the author to really focus on the bigger picture. And while this book didn't click for me, I'm still interested in reading forward, in getting the third book, especially since its premise looks like it'll really push the story forward. And I will also say that this is a trilogy (or series) worth checking out, but you definitely need to start with the first book, The Hidden Worlds, because while The Cold Minds tells its own complete story, I feel readers will be lost without the first book under their belt.
Cover Commentary: it's nice. While a part of me wished the coloring was of cooler tones (to go with the title of The Cold Minds), the cover is an excellent installment that matches that of the first book perfectly (the cover can be seen here). What I like how these covers so far is there's enough there to paint them as SF (especially here, with them posing beside a spaceship), but there's also a subtle hint that the books have a romantic element. Maybe it's having both a hero and heroine on the front, I don't know, but that's my feeling, and I'm sticking to it. Oh, and one more thing: I think the heroine looks like Famke Janssen with black hair, which is cool.
DON'T FORGET: have you seen the latest giveaway in this LJ? I want it to be the biggest, best yet! So if you haven't entered, please do, and pimp it until your eyes bleed! Okay, maybe not until your eyes bleed, but still. I'm giving away a total of THREE BOOKS, so you don't want to miss out. To enter, click here!