[amazon_link id=”0345534050″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]Title : The Best of All Possible Worlds
Author : Karen Lord
Genre : Science Fiction/ Romance
Publisher : Del Rey
Source : Netgalley/Publisher ARC
Pages : 320
Rating : 3.5/5

Karen Lord’s new sci-fi novel is set in the future when humans have colonized new planets. When the planet Sadira is destroyed, it’s natives, the Sadiri, seek refuge at Cygnus-Beta. Civil servant Grace Delarua is assigned to help the highly evolved Sadiri transition to their new home, and she must work with Dllenahkh, the Sadiri leader. The remaining Sadiri wish to repopulate their new home, New Sadira, and are looking for potential mates from the taSadiri, descendants of the Sadiri settled on Cygnus Beta. As Delarua, her boss Dr. Qeturah Delaney, Dllenahkh and his second-in-command Jolan mount missions to different parts of Cygnus Beta to collect genetic, anthropological data and to find compatible people for the Sadiri, we are treated to a description of their adventures.

By and by, we get to know the characters better – Grace is an impulsive, intrepid explorer, while Dllenakh, her eventual love interest, a comparatively introverted savant. Once I realized that Delarua was female – she’s referred to in the beginning as “Delarua” with nary a reference to her gender – the pieces fit together. This is a soap opera style romance set in a future world. I cannot call it science fiction because the futuristic world and all it’s accoutrements are mostly a prop for the slowly developing love story.

Sadira, New Sadira (which the remaining Sadiri hope to populate) and Cygnus Beta are wondrous new worlds indeed, with advanced human races, but are sparsely described. As a result I do not know what these worlds look like – are they similar to earth or much removed? Do the people look the same? And how do advanced races like the Sadiri differ from the “melting-pot”, less evolved races of Cygnus Beta? What do they eat? What do their homes look like? How has their technology advanced? There is mention of handhelds and shuttles, advanced telepathic and psi ability (psychic ability to influence/touch minds), but little is detailed.

I did like how the romance between Grace and Dllenahkh developed, slowly and organically, and I read more quickly once I realized where this was going. I might have read too many Amar Chitra Kathas as a child, but I imagined Dllenakh as a tall gaunt man, with a Brahminical top-knot, almost monk-like, with a cold, stern attitude to match. Grace seemed more “human” because she displayed more emotion, formed attachments, gave out humorous commentary and mused over past events. We also know more about her because she is the narrator of the tale, and it is her point-of-view that we see. There are a few smaller chapters in the third person, where we also get to see Dllenahkh’s point of view. Over the course of the book, Dllenahkh and Grace begin to appeal as potential soul-mates and I was invested in seeing them get together. The other characters – and there were many – seemed adequately developed.

This book is a good read as a romance novel. I have to say though, that while it presents a pleasant love tale, it is somewhat stilted writing, and transitions in the story are a bit jarring. We wander from one part of Cygnus Beta to another learning about the flora and fauna and the people and getting details on Grace’s side of the family. While it can be argued that these “diversions” are necessary to adequately “show” us the different facets of Grace and Dllenahkh’s personalities (and they do), I found myself itching for a quicker pace and lesser unrelated detail.

I would recommend this book for those of you who are looking for a strong story-based romance. “The Best of All Possible Worlds” might have bits of “chick-lit” in it, but they are well-entrenched in a futuristic tale of anthropology and culture.