I got a copy of this novel through the Library Thing Early Reviewer’s group, which means I have to review it. That’s not to say I’m doing it grudgingly, though. Just wanted to make sure it was known. Should be pretty spoiler free, too.

Mistress of Molecules by Gerald M. Weinberg.

I wasn’t entirely sure how to take this book, from the capsule text on the back. The ‘extraordinary powers of chemical synthesis’ concerned me somewhat. While I have no problem with alchemy, it didn’t seem like it was meaning that. And it wasn’t; all it’s talking about, is that she’s a very good chemist. This book is firmly set in the sci of scifi.

The world is nicely defined, without being full of exposition. It’s all worked into the text. This does mean that you hear about things that aren’t defined until later, but all you have to do is hold them in mind.

While it is a 70 chapter novel, most of the chapters are pretty short, flip flopping between the first person perspective protagonists, and the third person chapters, covering antagonists.

It’s not science fiction of the epic space opera style. There aren’t any big space battles. There’s a very personal narrative, and the narrative of a lone revolutionary. Eventually they merge. They don’t, however, get much bigger than that, even when they come together. But that’s just fine.

All in all, it’s a pretty good read. I’ll be watching out for the sequel.