Bio Rescue [Paperback]

In this novel, Commander Jadaira mu T'resa is the leader of a squadron of strafer craft flying a routine patrol which encounters a passenger freighter caught within a Hsktskt displacer blockade. The vessel is leaving a wide debris trail, but refuses assistance from the K-2 ships. Dair rescues the vessel anyway.

The pilot of the damaged vessel is Rushan Amariah, a religious personage among the Skartesh. His people are refugees from their own home world, which was rendered uninhabitable by the Hsktskt. Shan, as the Salvager, is thought to be the long prophesied savior of the Skartesh people, destined to lead them back to a restored home world.

The Skartesh are not well liked by other groups on K-2. They are often referred to as the Skittish due to their habit of avoiding physical contact with other species. Moreover, they have been gathering in enclaves on K-2 for some time and have been bringing political and legal pressure on the government to forward their own goals. They are also hydrophobic, sweat heavily in the damp climate on K-2, are prone to a fur disease somewhat like mange, and have the custom of urinating on each other. Thus, many individuals of other species are repelled by their appearance and stench.

In this story, Dair and Shan have a complicated relationship, mixing a certain amount of appeal with a great deal of repulsion. Just to make their relationship more complicated, Dair's second in command, Lieutenant Onkar, has selected her as his future mate. Sometimes Dair finds herself barely able to keep Onkar from killing Shan (and other times she herself is filled with killing rage at the Skarkesh).

Normally Dair and Shan would have little to do with each other, for Dair is a native Kevarzangian, an amphibious species who spend most of their time underwater. However, Dair and the rest of her squadron are SEALs (Surgically Enhanced/Altered Lifeforms), with bodies modified to allow them to spend much longer intervals away from the sea while on patrol.

Dair, however, is even more modified, for she had almost died with her mother after the Core infection attacked the pregnant female. Dair's mother held on to life long enough to expel Jadaira from her body, but the premature infant was kept alive only by the urgent efforts of the Terran scientist Teresa Selmar. Using available Terran biomass to supplement the immature 'Zangian organs and other body parts, Teresa created a very humanoid body for Dair.

Teresa provides a strong contrast with Dr. Joseph Grey Veil in the StarDoc series. Both saved a child's life by dint of heroic biosurgical intervention, but Doctor Grey Veil considered that such effort made Cherijo his possession. Teresa, however, felt that her efforts made Dair her responsibility. She formed a close emotional attachment to the young 'Zangian and then to the father, Dairatha; eventually Teresa became Dair's stepmother.

This story presents a series of cultural conflicts between the 'Zangians and the other species on the planet. For example, 'Zangians never try to save their injured, for the slightest trace of blood in the waters causes the sea raptors to congregate in a feeding frenzy, so the concept of a medical rescue service is a puzzlement to most of the natives. Indeed, they see little need for medicine itself.

The 'Zangians are not only puzzled by the Skartesh, but also downright offended by their mores and customs. How can they trust something that is afraid of water? Some of this confusion comes from the wide differences between a desert mammal and a deep sea amphibian, but there are also severe conflicts in religious attitudes, for the 'Zangians have little in the way of an organized religion while the Skartesh are governed by their religious authorities.

This new duology promises to be very entertaining, for social conflicts and misunderstandings abound and the Hsktskt are always waiting in the wings to tide over the dull spots. The author is not among the greats of the field, but she does keeps the reader's attention throughout the book. Hopefully this storyline will expand to more than two volumes.

Recommended for Viehl fans and for anyone else who enjoys light tales of humans and exotic aliens living together in turbulent, conflicted, yet hopeful relationships within a very mixed society.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Different species of colonists live on land, the majority of which are a cult of the Skartesh whose world was destroyed by the Hskskt. Leading the Skartesh is Shan who is looked upon as a messiah by his people because they believe a sacrifice on his part will restore their home world. Dair, the half native - half human leader of the SEALS, risks her life to find thousands of Skartesh that have vanished but uncovers a conspiracy that targets a take over of all the inhabited worlds in her sector.

S.L. Viehl is a terrific world builder who takes the mermaid legend and integrates it into a very serious space opera. The heroine, different since birth due to the surgeries and the human DNA in her system, is a natural leader and though people follow her into battle, xenophobics fear her and the colonists look upon her as someone who doesn't belong. She has the strength of mind to ignore their prejudices and save their lives when an enemy threatens them and in doing so finds that she belongs wherever she chooses to be. BIO RESCUE is another great work by a gifted writer.

Harriet Klausner

Dair and her squadron provide planetary patrol for the Pmoc Quadrant. Soon they agree to team up with medical personnel as a Bio Rescue unit. They respond to off-planet emergencies. But there is opposition in the forms of Onkar, her lieutenant who is overly Alpha Male, some council members, and a lupine alien species on land. Who knew that simply piloting a medical rescue team could cause so much trouble?

***** An awesome beginning to what could easily become a series of stories involving Dair and those around her. However, as a stand alone title, it is just as superb as this author's earlier release called "Blade Dancer".

This novel catches the reader on page ONE and refuses to release the imagination until the last page has been turned. I simply cannot recommend this title highly enough. BRAVA! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.