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Book Review By Harriet Klausner
A Lunatic Fear by B.A. Chepaitis



Wildside, July 2004, 15.00, 191 pp.
ISBN 0809500639

After the Killing Times, Earth construct prisons on terraformed asteroids like Planetoid Three to contain and rehabilitate the most vicious killers. Jaguar, an empath uses her psi skills works with the prisoners as a Teacher and she has a phenomenal success rate with even the hard core killers. Her latest case involves three women who went on a killing spree and when she examines their records she diagnoses them as suffering the affects of exposure to Artenis compounds, the by products of moon mining.

Moon mining has been suspended for two years pending the outcomes of studies on women who miscarried, hemorrhaged and even killed for no apparent reason after being exposed to it. Lobbyists are trying to get the repeal lifted but Jaguar and her boss Alex can prove that exposure to Artenis compounds caused the women to kill. There are people including one of the administrators of the prison planetoids who are willing to kill Alex and Jaguar to prevent them from making their concerns public.

Harriet Klausner



Plot & Themes
Tone of book - suspenseful (sophisticated fear)
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Romance Yes
Romance plotlets: - two lovers coping with tough mission
Spying & Investigations Yes
What is main char. doing? - unraveling a conspiracy
Descript. of chases or violence - 10 %
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20 %
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 50 %
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20 %

Main Character
Identity: - Female
Profession/status:
Age: - 20's-30's

Main Adversary
Identity: - Female
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status:
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Setting
Which planet? - Asteroids
Not Earth, in Solar System? Yes

Writing Style
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How much dialogue? - significantly more dialog than descript
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