I kinda want to go fangirl on this one. This isn’t your dad’s sci-fi. This book blurs some genre lines, makes a heroine out of an academic linguist, and delivers a book that is just as appealing to women as it is men. I’ll admit, I saw the beautiful cover and thought it was going to be old-school, hardcore sci-fi with lots of technobabble and women in service roles rather than command ones. By the time we got into space I was hooked, and only got more engrossed the further I went.Sci-fi and space opera that include a female audience is a hot trend on the brink of happening. Jennifer Foehner Wells and other authors like Rachel Aaron are on the front edge of that trend. Geek girls and the men who love them are a burgeoning market just waiting to be found. As a total trekkie, recovered gamer, and big fan of science, I am all about waving my phaser rifle and going warp speed into this movement. (Too much? Couldn’t control the geek-out, sorry.)Characterization and badasseryJane Holloway is a linguistic phenom, and an unintentional badass. She doesn’t orchestrate the events in her life that result in her leading others and saving lives. Yet she has a tendency to do that when the chips are down and tensions are high. It’s great to see an academic getting a chance to be a hero, as it doesn’t happen very often.Plot and pacingThere’s no flab in this book. It starts out strongly and each scene is carefully considered in how it develops the characters and advances the plot. The pitch rises gradually until leveling off at the end, just as it should.Prose and editingThe prose is straightforward and lets the reading just flow. Dialogue made sense and there weren’t too many narrative sequences. Again, Jennifer Foehner Wells has taken care in crafting a balance of elements.There are some editing errors, but no more than you might find in a trade published book. Actually, I’ve seen some trade books that were far worse. There was nothing that detracted from the book.HumorWhen you’re on an alien spacecraft and you don’t know what slimy thing is about to jump out at you, and you don’t know if you’ll be alive in five minutes, you really don’t have time to plan your comedic timing. Very much humor in this book would have diminished the sense of stress and urgency in the book, which is a vital factor.Favorite Quote“She hated it, hated its shrouded body, its way of moving, always upright, always in a single plane.” (I love this whole scene. The perspective shift is brilliant.)SummationI only have two nits to pick with this book. One is the approach to guns onboard space vehicles. It seems energy discharge weapons would make far more sense than traditional projectile weapons. Klaxons and “hull breach” notifications would be the obvious result. The other nit is the ending, which didn’t quite hit the right note of completion. A setup for the next book in the series is necessary, but it feels like this book kind of coasted to a stop. There was no real delineation between the end of this story and the beginning of the next one.But these nits don’t really bother me. This is a pretty special book. It’s a modern take on sci-fi, and has a lot to offer. There’s a light romantic subplot, a first-contact scenario, and a high-stakes situation that seems unclear, then clear, then unclear again. This story isn’t predictable and it doesn’t rely on any timeworn tropes. Fluency is something new in fiction, and that always excites the hell out of me. Having just finished reading Fluency by Jennifer Foehner Wells I am left with one question: When will the next book be published?This SciFi book is a page turner that is peopled with such vibrant and lifelike characters that you find yourself drawn into the story right from the start and held into it until the end. Fluency is full of adventure, excitement, mystery, and revelations that are blended together in such an engaging style. The author teaches us something about humanity while introducing us to a broad galaxy! Here is an author worth following. Read this book and you'll be eagerly anticipating the next book just as I am!
What do You think about Fluency (2014)?
The end of the book seemed quick. Tons of questions to be answered in a future book in this series.
—iiii
Brilliant Science Fiction, smoothly written and engaging. I'm sorry the story is over. I miss Jane.
—GracenScott
Looking forward to the Confluence series and anything else from this author.
—mkmikmi
