Pale Blue (Blue Gemini #3)

The following review is a advanced reader copy.

The Blue Gemini Trilogy
By Mike Jenne

Having read the Blue Gemini trilogy over the past 12 months, I have to admit that I was hooked early in the first book, Blue Gemini. Mike Jenne’s style of writing ranks up there with some of the best authors I have read over the years. His character development makes the reader feel like they actually know the character, so much so that like in real life you can almost predict some of the future reactions of those characters, but to a point. Minor characters have been developed enough to where you feel you know them even if their role is limited. It’s that attention to detail that gives the serious reader everything they need to understand how the character, no matter how minor, will affect the flow and outcome of the story. I get annoyed reading books where minor characters are just thrown in and out again without understanding anything about them. It’s almost like an afterthought with some authors to keep the story line moving. Some may say that there’s too much detail with character development, but I appreciated it in the Blue Gemini series. I found even the most minor character interesting regarding their life and what motivates them. It was just that “little bit of extra” that some of us crave.
The books are highly detailed from a technical point, but not to the point where the reader doesn’t comprehend the technical aspect that the author is trying to convey. I thoroughly enjoyed the technical details of the books. There was nothing that I didn’t understand which is a tribute to the author’s writing ability. This series filled a lot of gaps in my understanding of how spacecraft systems work and the perils of space flight without all the “engineer speak”, and it was entertaining too.
As I mentioned during a review of the first book, Blue Gemini, these books are not for the lazy reader. Going into the series knowing Blue Gemini was the first of three books, I appreciated the time the author took to develop characters who role wouldn’t be brought to the forefront until the second novel Blue-Darker Than Black or the third novel Pale Blue. A few critics complained about the “loose ends” and the character development where the character didn’t have a major role or seemingly disconnected role. I liked the early development because it kept the two later books flowing right along since the characters were already developed in the first book. It may not be everyone’s preference but I found it worked very well for my taste.
What I didn’t expect in reading the Blue Gemini series was how I would feel as the reader about a number of characters as the story line progressed. There was a lot of character evolution throughout the series. Without giving away the story line, there were a number of characters that I liked at the beginning of the series who I disliked at the end as well as several who I disliked at the beginning of the series who I actually liked at the end and actually felt a sense of sadness at their passing. I can honestly say that this is the first trilogy or book series that I read where through the plot line I actually changed my perception on not one but several of the characters. The transformation was gradual. People I liked in Blue Gemini I started to feel a detachment to in Blue – Darker than Black to darn right disdain in Pale Blue. The transformation for me was gradual but very evident.
Congratulations to Mike Jenne for a very well written, well thought out, reader grabbing cold war thriller. My favorite volume was the final, Pale – Blue, that tied all the loose ends together. (Some resolution was not to my liking but the series is about the culture of the time, not each individual but rather how those individuals reacted within the culture of the sixties and early seventies.) I’m looking forward to reading future novels by Mike Jenne although in my opinion, the Blue – Gemini series is going to be one tough act to follow.
Chris Rottiers