Why I picked up this book:

I found this book years ago buried in a used bookstore. It was one of those times where I just needed something, and most of the science fiction and fantasy section was a lot of the same stuff I’d already read, or book blurbs that sounded dry and uninteresting. I really wasn’t even sure about this book until I opened the cover. No title page, no acknowledgments, but a one page peek into what I’d find in the interior. Hook, line, and sinker.

This book has since become such a favorite that I keep two print copies in my house (because it’s out of print). And someone has not yet converted Cat’s books to digital formats (for shame). If I could find any other pen name these two authors write under, I’d probably read everything else they wrote. Even if it’s just a laundry list.

This review may contain spoilers.

The Eyes of Light and Darkness
	In the shadow of an asteroid field drifts an abandoned spacecraft. Aboard the wreck, a small party of humans find that the ship is abandoned–but not empty. And now its cold metallic halls echo with the unholy sound of an awakening terror. This is a SF psycho-thriller which will appeal to anyone who enjoyed the movie Alien.

    

First… let’s just put ^100 stars on the board.

What I loved:

I loved every single thing about this book. It’s a fantasy world far away from Earth (though the old home world is mentioned a time or two), it has a derelict space ship, there’s monsters, aliens, archaeology, tension, conflict, conflict, oh… and have I mentioned conflict? This story is a gorgeous tale that pulls together so many elements into a crazy thrill ride that I still angst for Cat to write a second one – something that drives backwards in time to the fuzzy pyramids when they first started losing their rote.

Marshal Walker is my book boyfriend. I absolutely love the complexity of his personality and how he interacts with his co-pilot Nis.

Nis and the fuzzies… oh I just want to cuddle them up. I adore the diversity of color patterns, personality, and the way their ears and expressions do a lot of the talking. The silent conversations woven into the story give it such a heart-wrenching and fantastic depth.

And the point when the pod is returning to the mining station, from that point on I couldn’t sleep. Or put the book down. It really is like reading Aliens, because these creatures are smart, fast, and predatory. There is no escape, but flying through zero-g trying to escape Regnant on your tail while globules of furnace lava are floating in the corridor toward a doomed ship… all the YES!

Areas needing a touch of refinement:

If I’m going to be super nit-picky, and I mean nit-picky… I wouldn’t have minded a little more sensuality from the love scene. The human love scene. But this is purely subjective.

Overall:

This is one of the few books I recommend to pretty much anyone ever. I read this story once a year because I love it that much, and even as a writer, it’s hard to miss Cat’s and Sarvari’s command of the prose as they tug you along on a wild ride. To DAW Books, please do not let this beauty fall through the abyss of digital content. It’s a wonderful read for anyone who loves SF Thrillers in a twisted fantasy world, and a beacon for writers to learn how craft done right can live forever in someone’s heart.

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