The Other Side of Life (Book #1 / Cyberpunk Elven Trilogy) [Paperback]

So, who here is a perfect snob about not reviewing self-published authors? (**blushes**waves hand**). Yeah, that's me. And guess what? Jess C. Scott's The Other Side of Life schooled me right into the bad kids' corner.

Scott isn't just a decent writer; she's good, as in G-O-O-D. This Other Side of Life isn't just interesting; it's enterprising. You'd think so many different elements - sci-fi, classic fantasy, romance and something of n hero quest (with a twist) - could become jumbled and be too much at once. There's even a hint of a dystopian setting here. Somehow, Scott makes all the distinctions flow together. I didn't have to try to make the mixing work together - the writing makes it seem perfectly natural and the story flows. That's saying a lot when reading about a tall, hot elf walking around in 2035 with a Bond-worthy, high-tech doofatchee on his wrist:

"Nin looked up and around the abandoned stone church, in quiet solace and admiration.

There was something distinctly unique about the building - it felt safe.

He waved a hand in front of the hidden camera situated in a crack in the stone wall, watching the small screen on his N-Gage wrist device. The screen showed the scene at the church - empty - with no sign of him, or his moving hand. Debug: successful, he noted.

An old battered wooden cross hung on the wall, and there were a few pews strewn about the interior. The air was cold. The silence, overpowering."

-The Other Side of Life, page 1

Scott has a great way of weaving unfamiliar elements through familiar settings, and I think is one of the reasons why everything works well together. I think for fans of urban fantasy, this particularly works well.

Then there are the characters themselves. I've introduced you to Nin: he's the leader of his crew which consists of his cousin and good friend. However, as he is self-renounced elven prince, you might think that's a demotion. You'd be wrong. It's a deliberate choice of his to eschew a privileged lifestyle an opt for a much less boring one filled with authenticity and purpose. Together, the elves are working on retrieving an important elven artifact which they hope will solve a major problem that both elf-kind and humankind face (although humans don't know it). To help them, they develop their own technology that helps them find this artifact and to keep their presence in the human world as secret as possible. Hence, the 'cyperpunk' descriptive - they've turned their back on traditional elven wisdom and live in harmony with nature and technology, but not slave to it, as humans seem to be.

Enter Anya and Leticia., the thieving (human) duo. A chance encounter introduces the duo to the elven trio (during a robbery, no less). Anya and Leticia are both 18 year-old college students, but don't come from backgrounds that can afford the expense of education. Hence, they are thieves for hire (can I tell you how much I love that girls are the sneaky 'bad' guys here? Love it when the ladies tease the law on their own intitiative. . . teehee). Despite initial misgivings, the elves hire them to help retrieve the artifact. The elves are stunned at their decision. Traditional elven wisdom states that humans are dangerous and to be avoided. A lovely attraction develops between Nin and Anya. . . the romance mostly feels natural at times and is a sweet and understated part of the book, but occasionally borders on corny. However, Nin and Anya seem to know this themselves and do some self-chastising when it happens.

Those are the bare bones of the story, but I have t tell you, this isn't merely an exciting let's-find-it sci-fi/fantasy adventure (although it's that, too). This is a thoughtful, well-done narrative that incorporates discussion on social distinctions and consequences, environmental irresponsibility, and discussion on how we as a society live our lives. Just when you fear the narrative is going to shift from relevant commentary into pulpit rant, it pulls back and refocuses on the excitement and romance. That's something I really want to praise Scott for: no one element of the story ever overwhelms the other - there was a very nice balance that made everything flow in and out of each part.

Is this book perfect? Nope. There are a few issues here and there. I did notice that Scott is comma happy, and they aren't always needed. There are also some redundant adjectives and descriptions - these are little, nitpicky things that I noted here and there (former journalist - my inner editor comes sneaking out). Nin is in danger of getting too gushy with his elven love poetry at times, but then it's funny because he mocks himself for it. However, it is a testament to how interesting I found the story that theses things did not truly bother me. I adored the first half the book, and enjoyed the second half. I occasionally would get confused during the 'covert ops' scenes, and by that I mean I wasn't always sure if I was picturing what was going on correctly. That being said, I stand in admiration of Scott - she has accomplished a great story as a one-man band. When you think that an author with a major house has both an agent, editor, as well as a marketing and design team for guidance, I think it says a lot for Scott that she's put together a solid story with good characters and interesting plot by herself and on her own terms. I adored the ending. You might be crushed, but I appreciate that Scott stuck by the sad consequences of a selfless choice instead of conjuring up a last minute miracle. Nope, not telling you what happened, but it definitely has me looking forward to book two.

I found the title intriguing, and I really loved how well it tied into so many different aspects of the story. The Other Side of Life relates to everything from having a worldview different from the one you are raised with, to knowing what it's like walking in someone else's shoes, to knowing what literally happens when our consciousness passes from this one existence to another. This book is an entertaining, enlightening and engaging read. In particular, if you liked The Unidentified by Rae Mariz, Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder and are anticipating Memento Nora by Angie Smibert, I think you'll enjoy this one, too. I know I did.

"In your wanderings and dealings, neglect not - the Other Side of Life.'"
-2nd Poem, pg. 41, The Other Side of Life

Creative and stylish in theory, but lacking in execution, it has been the hardest book to review thus far, and I'll tell you about why.

First of all, the bad.

There are a number of mistakes (okay, you can call them creative license, I still call them mistakes) the author has made here that made the book hard for me to read. For starters, the POV is all over the place, jumping from character to character, and then into an omniscient state. We're never fully in one person's head for long enough to really understand any of the characters, and in sections where multiple people are together and talking, it can actually be hard to know who said what until you're three or four lines down the passage. I found myself having to constantly go back and reread things and kind of "force" myself into the narrative, especially in the first 25%. This is the opposite of what you want, i.e., a book well written enough that grammar and technique are playing in the shadows while you fall into the story! Additionally, and more minor, Scott throws in a bunch of extra commas, meaning that I'm pausing mentally when I shouldn't be.

Another thing I had a major issue with was character motivation. While Scott *does* give us insight into why her characters do the things they do, I find the explanation to be thin, hard to believe, and lacking - both for minor actions, like "Why do Anya and Nin initially each other," all the way to major things, like, "Why is Anya risking her neck to help Nin in the first place?" I would have really liked it if the thought processes that led up to the actions were better explained - either through memories, pieces of backstory, or a more detailed description of feelings." I also (and this one may just be my fault) didn't really understand how the rules of this new universe worked, especially in how characters suddenly "knew" incredibly complicated and important pieces of knowledge. Like, how does Julius understand that he can choose between his own welfare and Leticia's without anybody telling him or giving him a clear sign? Did he sense it from the "tree's" force? If so, that needed to be better explain. This was a pattern I found repeating itself throughout the course of the novel; I just kept saying - How did they know that?

The final complaint that I had with this book is that at times, it felt like a diatribe with a novel pasted on top of it. I understand that cyberpunk is all about being against commercialism, the machine, and the danger of misusing technology, but there were entire, oddly timed passages, that espoused these viewpoints without really weaving them into the story. It was frustrating; while writing with a meaning is important, it should always (in my opinion) fall second to the flow and development of the narrative itself.

Oh, and minor point. The Mayans were the first with Cocoa as in "chocolate", coca leaves as the forerunner to cocaine were actually an Incan/Quechua device.

The Good:

Wow, that felt mean. Unfortunately, it also felt honest. Luckily, there are also quite a few good things to say about this work that will help pull the punch.

For starters, it's pretty imaginative, and it has many of the elements we all look for with a good story. There's a plucky heroine, a dreamy hero, a loyal sidekick, and an evil but redeemable villain (revealed only after a nice plot twist!) Nobody is invulnerable and everybody is quite human.

There are also passages where the author manages to stay in just one POV for long enough to create some real human meaning; my favorite is where the main character is giving her mom an, um, package at the mother's place of employment. The mother's concern and unspoken thoughts were both real and touching, and it was a definite point of light in the work.

And the author should be applauded for weaving her beliefs and a deeper message into her work, even if the execution isn't always perfect. She's definitely attempted something that we don't see everyday, both stylistically and in her intended message, and she gets full points for bravery in that regard.

Finally, there is a lot of creativity in both her descriptions of the near future and in some of the things we see in the Elven domains. I was pretty excited at both the presentation of Nin's homeland and in the unique method of transport that was discussed, although I felt like these things should have been developed an explained further.

Final Score: 3.2 stars. An interesting read that misses the mark of greatness, but an excellent start for this author. I look forward to see how she might handle these issues in the future.

Reviewed for Maria Violante's Review Site: [...]

This book is marketed as cyberpunk but, for those drawn to more traditional reads, don't let that label scare you off. Within these pages, we're treated to fantasy, suspense, mystery and romance. The characters, both elven and human, are vivid, feel real and immediately drew me right in to the story. They made me care, which ensured that I would follow them wherever they led me.

The plot is intricate and incredibly well crafted. At the same time, it is not so complicated that a reader would have difficulty keeping up with the details. So much is right within this story, from the three-dimensional characters to the subtle (and maybe not so subtle) messages about our current society. My only complaint is that I have to wait for book 2.

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