Book Review: Invisible Sun by David Macinnis Gill

Published March 27th, 2012
Greenwillow Books
384 pages (Hardcover)

Obsessed with MUSE, the clandestine project that created the AI in his brain, mercenary chief Durango draws the ire of the government when he steals part of the secret project data and hightails it with his lieutenant, Vienne, to an ancient monastery. There, he meets the monks who raised Vienne from an orphan and also encounters soldiers working for his old nemesis, the crime lord Mr. Lyme. Lyme controls the territory surrounding the monastery, as well as the datacenters housing the rest of MUSE. Undeterred, Durango and Vienne pull off an ill-advised raid on Lyme’s complex. During the ensuing battle, however, Vienne is captured, and Durango is beaten and left for dead. Now, wounded and shaken, Durango must overcome bounty hunters, treacherous terrain, a full scale civil war, and a warrior monk with an eye for vengeance (not to mention his own guilt, self-doubt, and broken arm) to find Vienne and free her from Archibald, a brain-washing pyromaniac with a Napoleon complex who wants to rule Mars--and kill Durango in the process. (From Goodreads)

I'm going to call this "sci-fi action for people that don't like science fiction".

In this sequel to Black Hole Sun (review), Durango and Vienne continue to be complete and total badasses, until it all backfires and Vienne ends up in the enemies hands.  I don't think there is anything quiet as painful as watching one of your favourite protagonist get beaten and broken down.  We gain a little more back story on Vienne and Durango in this book, and it explores their relationship a little deeper.  I like that the romance still didn't overpower the rest of the story, but was instead a nice undertone that fueled it.

In Black Hole Sun, it took me a long time to get used to the idea of Mimi.  This time round, I grew to really enjoy her.  The banter between her and Durango added a nice layer of humour to all the action that takes place.

I still don't get some of the minor details of the story, like why we are on Mars.  I think I missed something somewhere along the line.  However, the technological aspects of the story are well explained, which is greatly appreciated by a sci-fi newbie like myself.

If you're one to shy away from science fiction, I recommend giving this series a try.  Shadows of the Sun, book three in the series, will be out late March, and you know I'll be checking it out.

Much love, Samantha