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Crossover: A Cassandra Kresnov Novel by Joel Shepherd
01/11/2006 . Source: Tomas L. Martin 
pub: Prometheus. 456 page paperback. Price: $15.00 (US). ISBN: 978-159102443-9. Buy Crossover: A Cassandra Kresnov Novel in the USA - or Buy Crossover: A Cassandra Kresnov Novel in the UK  check out website: www.pyrsf.com
Joel Shepherd's Cassandra Kresnov trio of books has already been released in his native Australia but in the US, the futuristic tale of a synthetic human has now been published by Prometheus.
With a tone that feels very political and gritty, Shepherd's 'Crossover' introduces Cassandra 'Sandy' Kresnov, an artificial 'GI' - human in appearance but created to be stronger, smarter and an altogether more dangerous soldier for the rebellious League's fight against the Earth-centric Federation.
After years of producing capable but unimaginative artificial soldiers who were easily killed by a lack of initiative and creativity, Cassandra is the first of a new breed of experimental creations. More capable of imagination, lateral thought and original ideas so as to lead the special force teams of the League.
However, the experiment backfires and Kresnov leaves the League, morally troubled by its practice after the destruction of her commando squad in a mission doomed to failure, essentially killing them off once they were unneeded. The advanced creativity given to her leads her to abandon her creators and set off to live in Callay, one of the cities of her previous enemy, the Federation.
Cassandra hopes to live in relative peace in the city of Tanusha, a bright, busy centre of commerce and business. She tries to live a normal life but as is often the case, life has other plans for the artificial woman. When the militant group FIA kidnap her to dissect and study her inner workings, she is rescued by the local government.
The problem lies in the fact that the local government doesn't consider Cassandra to be a person and its only when the FIA attempt an assassination that she is released from custody. As she develops trust amidst the ranks of local law enforcement, Cassandra becomes more and more vital to the survival of a world that higher powers have decided will be the fighting ground in a galactic power struggle.
'Crossover' is a very intriguing first novel. The politics of the world feel real, complicated and full of power struggle. Shepherd has obviously gone out of his way to not make this a typical android/human story and Cassandra acts like a real person would, instead of pages of existential talk. This definitely helps the character feel fresh despite the number of times a similar effort has been tried.
The prose is crisp but perhaps a little too tight, as the simple language occasionally leaves things a little too unexplained. I was constantly enjoying and wanting to read on but the political spectrum, while fascinating, needed better explanation earlier in the story to keep things coherent.
The climax of 'Crossover' is fantastic and the fact that Cassandra enjoys being stronger and more powerful rather than wanting to be simply human is of great credit to the book. She sees herself as an improved human and that seemed far more real to me than an artificial human wishing they were truly 'alive'.
For a first novel, this is a very good one and with more books to follow Shepherd is definitely one to watch. Give this one a whirl and you'll enjoy it.
Tomas L. Martin
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