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Games Of Command by Linnea Sinclair
01/05/2007 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
pub: Bantam Spectra. 525 page paperback. Price: $ 6.99 (US), $ 8.99 (CAN). ISBN: 978-0-553-58963-4. Buy Games Of Command in the USA - or Buy Games Of Command in the UK  check out websites: www.bantamdell.com and www.linneasinclair.com
Having wandered through three books by Linnea Sinclair in recent months, its not difficult to see discernible patterns. Strong female lead, playing around with military ethics, love interest with actually strong male characters although they also tend to carry the flaws.
This isn't necessarily formula as none of her stories are set in the same reality but Sinclair has at least established what she knows works for her. It would be interesting to see her write an SF story with less of a love interest and playing more with less orthodox solutions. At present, Sinclair's work falls neatly into space opera, neatly using the trappings but not expanding too much beyond them.
Take 'Games Of Command'. Admiral Brendan Kel-Paten is a cyborg, equipped with all the hook-ups that allow him to take over the guidance of any space vessel. Much of the time, unless stripped and spotting the scars, the only real difference is in how his eyes light up when he's in operational mode. Physical attributes make him stronger and faster with little need for extended sleep and can be re-programmed. There aren't many like him and his life is pretty much a lonely one.
In contrast, there is Captain Tasha Sebastian, a former undercover operative who went by the name of 'Lady Sass' who was Kel-Paten's nemesis when she was involved in some smuggling operations. She and some of here selected team, including Dr. Eden Flynn, are crewed to Kel-Paten's flagship where she will eventually take sole command.
Both she and Flynn own a pair of telepathic teleporting furzels - which look a lot like cats. Kel-Paten has strong feelings for Tasha, which she discovers when investigating his safe fearing he has made a connection to her past. Things are turned on their head when a captured mercenary, Jace Serafino, is discovered to have a device in his skull that controls him. Flynn disengages it but both she and Tasha have a hard time convincing the Admiral that he isn't the enemy.
When all four of them are on a shuttle, they are attacked and jump space into unknown territory where they slowly put together the conspiracy that is threatening to take down the Alliance. There is a mix of trust and distrust of whom to believe in all of this.
Linnea Sinclair certainly writes interesting page-turning stories. If I have to be overtly critical, I couldn't help feeling the last few chapters seemed, well not so much rushed, but events moved across a long time frame than the rest of the book. It was almost like Sinclair realised she was reaching her page quota and abbreviated things down a bit. It does make me wonder what would have happened had she had another fifty pages.
It's very easy to get hooked into Sinclair's writing style and with each book a different adventure, hopefully she'll expand what she can do.
GF Willmetts
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