Passion Play by Sean Stewart, a retro review
Three stars. Passion Play is science fiction murder mystery in Christian fundamentalist America. A great actor is found dead and detective Diane Fletcher is called to investigate, who is the protagonist. She is a shaper, she can read people’s emotions and emotional patterns after some interaction. Sadly her ability is explored only perfunctorily. The interesting parts of the book discuss people’s lives in fundamentalist society.
What I liked the most in the book was describing fundamentalists as quite normal and real people, not cardboard cutouts, their motivations are realistic, even if not to my liking. In this respect the books ending leaves something to be desired. I liked the descriptions of Diane’s professional problems in a phallocentric world, where she was doing what was considered a man’s job. The clashes between her job and social life is quite good.
The structure of the plot is typical for a murder mystery as it Diane slowly unravels the facts, talks to witnesses and the deceased’s friends and co-workers. I really liked the way her investigation caused her to change the image she had of the dead actor.
Diane’s ability as a shaper isn’t discussed in depth, Stewart shows more than he tells. Yet it remains murky, whether it is anything else than good emotional intelligence, sensitivity and intuition or something more. I think that more experienced author(Passion Play was Stewart’s debut) would have made it clearer.
On the whole I found the book to be a little unengaging, Diane Fletcher just didn’t draw me into the story. This was simply a cute little story, quick read for a rainy afternoon or train trip, despite all the moral questions that the story handled.
Tags Passion Play, review, science fiction, Sean Stewart, thrillerRelated Posts:
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