Translucid is an easy to read sci fi adventure featuring a strong female protagonist. Although yes, this character has a wife, the romance is non-existent here with the focus being on the mystery of whether our heroine was in an accident or was the target of an assassination. While the book is enjoyable, I did find the pacing to be very off and tone surprisingly passive considering the nature of the revelations as they unfolded.

Story: Eme is the head of security on a small space station. A shuttle accident has taken away her recent memories and all she has to work with is the knowledge that she has skills that go beyond what is needed for the position or that she should have. As she begins to piece together her life with the help of friends (not so much her wife), she begins to realize that the accident may have been planned - and that she is much more than what she thought.

As noted, those looking for romance will not find it in this first book. Eme's wife is poorly described and fairly written out early. That was surprising but it does keep the focus on the mystery instead. But good interactions with interesting side characters do make up for that lack of development.

The action and story are extremely passive and that does hurt the pacing of the book. Our main character recounts things almost as if bored and they already happened - a serious writing flaw that robs the book of so much energy. It was hard to stay interested in the plot at times and instead it was all about the various characters that Eme encounters. The book could really have used some creative and dynamic writing to elevate a decent read into a good one.

In all, because the writing is smooth, Translucid station is a quick and easy read. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

“Translucid” eBook was published in 2016 and was written by Zen DiPietro. Ms. DiPietro has published 9 novels. This is the first in her “Dragonfire Station” series.

I categorize this novel as ‘PG’ because it contains mild scenes of Violence and Mature Situations. The story is set in the far future. The main characters is Emé Fallon, the security chief of Dragonfire Station.

She wakes up from an accident without any memory of who she is, though strangely she remembers all of her skills. As the looks into her accident, she begins to feel that it was more likely the result of tampering with her shuttle.

She has many suspects, as she remembers no one. Her wife, the Captain of the station, her second in command - the list is endless. She does begin to discover things, and she gradually finds some people that she thinks she can trust. The more she digs, the more signs she sees that her injury was not from an accident, and that it is likely part of some much larger plot.

I really liked this 275 page Science Fiction novel. There is a bit of Mystery and Intrigue, as well as a little action. There is a bit of romance between Fallon and her wife. I liked the plot line of the story and the characters that populated it. It looks to be a good start to a series. The cover art is reasonable, as most of the story takes place on the depicted Dragonfire Station. I give this novel a 4.7 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.

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