Title: Andromeda Stories Vol 2
Author: Keiko Takemiya
Publisher: Vertical
ISBN: 9781932234855
May Contain Spoilers
Prince Jimsa and the Queen have escaped into the desert, where they have been living in hiding. When they are attacked, they are saved by the Elder and his people, who have been waiting for the 8th generation of the Ayodoyan line to defeat the Enemy. Declaring Jimsa the Sun King, the descendant of combined Murat, Ayodoyan, and Cosmoralian blood, they prepare to make their move against the invading machines. Will they be able to convince Jimsa that accept his role as their leader before it’s too late?
I am finding that it’s rather difficult to like Jimsa. Besides his creepy devotion to his mother, he treats everyone else with a superior attitude, one that’s disdainful and suspicious at the same time. Now that he’s been taken in by the Murat descendants, he’s even more on his guard. He and the Elder clash constantly, and the older man tries to exert control over Jimsa, even while he calls him the ruler of his people. Their constant wrangling grew tedious after a time, as neither is willing to deviate from their position. Instead, they both stubbornly follow their already determined paths, unwilling to compromise or even consider other options.
While Jimsa and the Elder set off to visit the other bases, the Enemy sends out wave after wave of bombers to destroy the human outposts. Oops, that’s got to put a kink in their plans for resistance. During his escape, Jimsa discovers two abandoned robots, which he repairs and insists on taking with him. This causes more contention between the prince and the Elder, and gives Jimsa something else to abuse. If they do betray the humans to the Enemy, it will probably be to get away from Jimsa.
The story line that I’m most interested in was barely touched on here. Jimsa’s twin brother, Affle, is now living with nomads, hiding his true appearance under a layer of dirt. With his red dragon mark, will he be the one to change the tide of the invasion? Not if he’s only in ten pages of the book!
The Enemy have been busy recreating the planet into their version of paradise. Mechanical creatures are killing real ones, and soon they’ll be the only ones remaining. They are slowly terraforming the planet, preparing it for mechanization. If something isn’t done quickly, there won’t be anything left for the humans to save. They are a formidable foe, and it’s starting to look like victory against them will be impossible. With Jimsa unable to get along with any human but his mother, it doesn’t seem like he has much hope defeating them.
While I am enjoying the sci-fi trappings of this story, I don’t like the characters, and that’s making it difficult to cheer them to victory. Like the previous volume, that pacing seems very rushed, with character development sacrificed for rapid action sequences.
Grade: B-
Rated for 13+
Review copy provided by Vertical Inc
