Title Mists of the Ages Series --- Author Sharon Green Cover Art Ken Kelly Publisher Daw - 1988 First Printing Daw - 1988 Category Science Fiction Warnings None Main Characters Dalisse Imbro (Inky), Serendel, Lidra, Chal Main Elements Aliens

Stellar Intelligence had a mission for which only the best would do. And in Dalisse Imbro, expert in the fine art of theft, they had found the best woman for the job. Her assignment was to travel to the planet Joelare, where, along with two other part-time agents of S.I., she would challenge the top-level security surrounding the exotic vacationland know as the Mists of the Ages to obtain secret documents vital to S.I.

It should have been an easy mission, but in this mist-shrouded land where vacationer's fondest fantasies could come true, harmless holiday entertainments were suddenly becoming deadly death traps. And when Dalisse found herself paired by the planet's tour organizers with a famous gladiator on a secret mission of his own, she was caught in an adventure where the terror was all too real - a living nightmare from which even her own unique talents might not prove enough to save her...

I found this book through a book exchange, I was all exciting to find anything science fiction there...but I guess there was a reason why someone wanted to exchange this book for another.

We start with Inky, a thief that is seeking revenge for the death of her mentor, but gets sucked into an espionage gig on a pleasure planet where in the Mists they recreate worlds and cultures that no longer exist (a kind of historical amusement park).

However the two cultures we get to see both involve treating women as property and the male needs to protect them, gag. And it's an excuse for people to have sex with each other, and in particular to reward the hero for saving you. Now this future world people are more free about having sex with strangers that we are, but still is bugged me.

But fine, we're going to get to see some good thievery, that should make up for it, right? Nope. Out of a 317 page book, Inky only starts in on her secret mission around page 300. Yeah it gets mentioned along the way so we don't forget that there is a mission, but yeah...a whole 20 pages for the mission, and that includes the wrap up of the book so more like what 15 max?

The rest of the book is Inky telling the sexy gladitor that every other woman throws herself at, NO not interested. Until through annoying persistence she becomes interested and can't keep her hands off him, because he's a total jerk, and she hates people that tease, but man, she's in love with him and has to make out with him every possible moment. Like ten seconds after nearly dying there they are making out yet again. And then he's all injured and he can barely stand upright, he gets bandaged and then, yep, apparently the blood loss didn't affect that body part. Sigh.

And then after I managed to drag my way through this eye rolling romance where the main characters spend all their non making-out time insulting each other and being insulted, we find out that it ends with a cliffhanger, but the author never finished what was apparently meant to be a trilogy. I mean I get it, only a certain type of reader would manage to get through this book in the first place, so why invest in two more novels? But AARRRGGHH, I suffered through that for nothing???

And did I mention that the gladiator, the moment he found out Inky's profession dropped her like a hot potato? You know he kills people for entertainment right? And then Inky has a meltdown because of it (you know, she even thought to herself, in the middle of the mission with guards approaching, this isn't the time or place to tell him, so she does anyway, since she never listens to her own good advice, EVER, and then because he rejects here she totally forgets how to be a thief and ends up caught...yeah, all that was in that precious 15 pages involving the actual mission...) Frankly most of the action takes place because Inky is being stupid, stubborn and just wants to spite other people. I have no idea why anyone would pick her to do a professional super important super secret mission, she's completely incompetent and emotionally unstable.

But then I guess it wouldn't be a romance novel...ugh.

Well, this book goes back to the book exchange. Maybe a romance fan will enjoy this more than an SF fan did.