Last Hawk
- Book Review,
by Catherine Asaro
From Library Journal
In 2258 A.D., Kelric, a fighter pilot, crashes on Coba, an off-limits planet. He discovers a thriving civilization headed by women managers of 12 estates who want to keep their world hidden and free of domination by the Skolian empire. Choosing to spare his life, they detain Kelric as both honored concubine and prisoner for 20 years. As he is traded or sold to different estates, his knowledge of the physics-based quis dice game that governs Coba increases his value and power. Set in the same universe as Primary Inversion (LJ 2/15/95) and Catch the Lightning (LJ 11/15/96), this intriguing novel combines hard speculative science (Asaro is a physicist) with romantic adventure. Like the other two novels in the Skolian empire saga, it can stand alone. Recommended for larger sf collections.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From AudioFile
This third novel of the Skolian Empire is a classic tale of power and conflict, with a twist. The leaders of Coba, a kingdom essentially untouched by the influence of the empire, are all women, and men are firmly treated as biologically inferior and subservient. When Kelric, an heir of the imperial family of the empire crashes on Coba, events begin that threaten its political stability and safety. Anna Fields narrates with her usual control, while maintaining the subtlety of the characters and plot. Each of the powerful matriarchs who becomes intrigued by Kelric is powerful but distinct in personality and manner. Fields draws each member of the large cast of supporting characters clearly. She sets a strong pace that supports the intensity of the plot and never lags. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
From Kirkus Reviews
Another yarn set in Asaro's far-future Skolian Empire (Catch the Lightning, 1996, etc.). This time, Jagernaut Kelric Valdoria, the Emperor Kurj's half-brother, is attacked and disabled by Traders; he crash-lands on Coba, a planet run by women and protected by treaty from imperial incursions. For various reasons (not least because she falls in love with him), Coban Manager Jeha Dahl is reluctant to turn Kelric over to the Skolians. Independently intelligible but likely to appeal most to existing fans. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Analog, Tom Easton
Catherine Asaro's The Last Hawk is not quite the usual sort of thing, for it hybridizes SF with romance, turns the mix on its head, and makes it all work quite well.
Review
"Well-written, entertaining, classic science fiction fun."--Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Rising star Catherine Asaro exploded onto the science fiction scene with all the blazing glory of a supernova with her first book called Primary Inversion. Now, in the third tale of the Skolian Empire, we see not only the powerful characterization and intriguing scientific concepts of the first two books, but also an elegant subtlety and a far-reaching sense of destiny that carries her to the highest rank of master storyteller."--Romantic Times
"The Last Hawk is a true gem, with believable hard science, human drama, and people and events that will draw in any perceptive reader. Impossible to put down, The Last Hawk embodies excellence in prose and science fiction, an excellence all too rare in any era."--L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Review
"Well-written, entertaining, classic science fiction fun."--Cleveland Plain Dealer
"Rising star Catherine Asaro exploded onto the science fiction scene with all the blazing glory of a supernova with her first book called Primary Inversion. Now, in the third tale of the Skolian Empire, we see not only the powerful characterization and intriguing scientific concepts of the first two books, but also an elegant subtlety and a far-reaching sense of destiny that carries her to the highest rank of master storyteller."--Romantic Times
"The Last Hawk is a true gem, with believable hard science, human drama, and people and events that will draw in any perceptive reader. Impossible to put down, The Last Hawk embodies excellence in prose and science fiction, an excellence all too rare in any era."--L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
Book Description
When Kelric, a scion of the imperial family of Skolia, crash-lands his fighter on the off-limits planet of Coba, he figures it will be only a short time before he makes his way home. But he fails to account for the powerful matriarchy of Coba, the mistresses of the great estates who do not want the Empire to know about their recent cultural advances.
First they take him prisoner.
Then, one by one, the most powerful women on the planet fall in love with him!
From the Publisher
"The Last Hawk is a true gem, with believable hard science, human drama, and people and events that will draw in any perceptive reader. Impossible to put down, The Last Hawk embodies excellence in prose and science fiction, an excellence all too rare in any era." --L.E. Modesitt, Jr. "Well-written, entertaining, classic science fiction fun." --Cleveland Plain Dealer
About the Author
Catherine Asaro was born in Oakland, California and grew up in El Cerrito, just north of Berkeley. She received her Phd in Chemical Physics and MA in Physics, both from Harvard, and a BS with Highest Honors in Chemistry from UCLA. Among the places she has done research are the University of Toronto in Canada, the Max Planck Institut für Astrophysik in Germany, and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Her research involves using quantum theory to describe the behavior of atoms and molecules. Catherine was a physics professor until 1990, when she established Molecudyne Research, which she currently runs.
A former ballerina, Catherine has performed with ballets and in musicals on both coasts and in Ohio. In the 1980s she was a principal dancer and artistic director of the Mainly Jazz Dancers and the Harvard University Ballet. Catherine still teaches ballet in Maryland.
Catherine's fiction is a successful blend of hard science fiction, romance, and exciting space adventure. She has published more than ten novels, almost all of which belong to her Saga of the Skolian Empire, including The Quantum Rose, which won the Nebula Award for best novel of 2001
Her husband is John Kendall Cannizzo, an astrophysicist at NASA. They have one daughter, a young ballet dancer who loves math.
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