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Lady Of Mazes by Karl Schroeder
01/05/2007 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
pub: TOR/SciFi Channel. 286 page hardback. Price: $24.95 (US), $32.95 (CAN). ISBN: 0-765-31219-0. Buy Lady Of Mazes in the USA - or Buy Lady Of Mazes in the UK  check out website: www.tor-forge.com
I'm not really sure what to make of this book. Too clever for its own good springs to mind although to be fair, author Karl Schroeder is applying some SF convention but not doing it in an expected manner.
Livia Kodaly has the ability to shift between time zones or manifolds on a colony asteroid belt and having significant influence of the lives about her. As such, she occasionally changes her name and appearance a little because she is regarded as a cultural legend. Indeed, 'The Book Of Livia' is even regarded as their version of the Bible. There are a few others with this ability and with whom she keeps close relations with, often discussing what needs to be done. A lot of the time, it's sorting out threats and leading resistance to unadvised changes.
That's the story in a nutshell without giving away. The real problem tends to lie with the differences between these manifolds. You're just not made that aware of how things have changed over time. From Kodaly's point of view, as we see things, life just goes on. As an outsider looking on, you'd have thought we might have seen more to indicate how times have changed in the different time zones. Instead, there is a lot more dialogue than action. This isn't to say this novel isn't readable but you only continue to find out what is going on rather than why and still come away feeling none the wiser.
I'm hoping that its me rather than the book itself that's at fault but if you're expecting conventional Science Fiction then this one probably isn't for you. I've just seen it done a lot better.
GF Willmetts
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