Well, ETHAN OF ATHOS is the first disappointment I encounter in my survey of Lois McMaster Bujold's inventive world. Even if the story gives us the opportunity to understand certain mechanisms of this future society, one will vainly search in these pages some food for the mind. So if ETHAN OF ATHOS is quickly read, the book is also forgotten in a few hours. Too many characters appear and disappear without leaving to the reader a durable impression.

One will perhaps remember a few jokes about the virile macho world of Athos, an interesting explanation about the way a space station can feed its inhabitants ( in fact, the movie SOYLENT GREEN had already treated this theme 13 years before Mrs Bujold ) but the rest is pure first degree action that will only please, at least I suppose so, die-hard fans of the writer or readers having to kill four hours during a trip.

A book exclusively reserved to Bujoldmaniacs.