The Red Storm

Reviewed by Annie Hawe © 2007

Wild Child Publishing.com © 2007

Title of Book: The Red Storm
Author: Zinnia Hope
Publisher: Lavender Isis Press Publishers
ISBN: 978-O-9793674-2-7
Genre: Sci-fi Romance
Length: Novel
Release Date: April 2007
Author's Website: Zinnia Hope's website

Jordanne Saunders' first command of an oceangoing vessel on the planet of Sister Earth is the Red Storm. Previously in charge of only lake and river ships, Jordanne is newly a commander and somewhat paranoid about what she perceives as both governmental interference, and high-placed dislike of her family name. Her late grandmother, Arianna, who had raised Jordanne, had also been an admiral. Arianna had suffered from terrible migraines and it was assumed that she had died from an overdose of migraine medication, after suffering hallucinations and delusions, in addition to rampant paranoia.

On a planet in which lightning storms are severe and usually unexpected, and the ocean monsters called Delphs are extraordinarily dangerous, Jordanne finds she also is fighting against an apparent conspiracy to strip her of her admiralty and command and to destroy her life. Determined to protect those under her command, the only individuals she may be able to trust are her cabin girl Dot, an intelligent adolescent of mixed heritage; Wesley, a private contractor; and Bernice, her grandmother's lifelong friend and herself a retired sailor. But those arrayed against her are powerful and secretive, and soon Jordanne must confront the secrets of her own heritage as well.

The Red Storm seemed to me to get off to a bit of a slow start, but quite soon I had forgotten that and was caught up in the story. The plot is extremely fast-paced from that point on, with highly vivid description of an unusual planet separated by inactive portals from Wasteland Earth {the future of Earth as we here know it}. Author Zinnia Hope demonstrates a gifted imagination for creative world-building, as well as providing characters who are finely delineated and help capture the reader's imagination. I expect that the sights and scenes of The Red Storm will linger in the reader's imagination for quite some time to come; and reading it has inspired this reviewer to seek out more writings from this gifted author.

Rating: 4 Cats

* * *

To find out more about how to purchase The Red Storm visit Zinnia Hope's Website.