Vicky Peterwald: Target by Mike Shepherd

7Jul. Kindle.

Let me see, what was most annoying about this book? Hard to say - lots of annoying things. Ending in the middle is always annoying. The thread of near porn running throughout was annoying. It seemed to me that killing the first male sex object was unnecessary, except that it gave Vicky the opportunity to kill a bunch of people. His replacement was essentially a clone - minus the duelling scar. The whole situation is utterly assinine. Maybe the "emperor" is being drugged by his trophy wife. Even that makes it difficult to understand how someone raised to rule could allow his empire to be systematically destroyed around him.

And then there is Vicky. Who/what is Vicky? There seem to be several versions of her that switch in and out without warning. Is she the slut with one thing only on her mind, calculating wardrobe malfunctions for maximum effect? Is she the naval officer having difficulty with her dual role as Lieutenant and Grand Duchess? Is she the woman concerned about the fate of the populations of the planets that her stepmother is destroying economically? Is she jealous of Kris Longknife or worshipful?

And when Vicky is smuggled off the homeworld - what happens to her faithful staff? I don't believe Miss Vicky spared them a thought. I suppose they were simply left behind to be tortured and murdered by the Empress's myrmidons. Granted, they had never developed the character status that Kris's entourage has.

I have been known to complain that the Kris Longknife stories all seemed to have the same plot. Maybe the plot of this one was supposed to be "Vicky Peterwald grows up," but he didn't do much of a job of it. I suspect that he was much to fond of the spoiled slutty bad girl to enjoy making her into a strong thinking woman. Of course, he never gave her a chance. How could she possibly measure up to the amazing Kris Longknife, and he compares them continually - usually through Vicky's own words and thoughts. I think it is appropriate for an author to like his/her character - but there are limits. This was supposed to be about Vicky - and it was still just a Kris showcase. At least he didn't have one of her sex partners accidentally call her Kris - he did slip and call the main character in another book Kris.