The second book in S.E. Sasaki’s Grace Lord series continues to raise the bar for tension, drama, and action. The nefarious Dr. Jeffrey Nestor is back to get his revenge on Dr. Grace Lord and the android, Bud, for their interference from the previous book. As Nestor begins plotting his revenge, more drama takes shape on the medical space station, Nelson Mandela. Jude Luis Stefnsson, a famous director has arrived on the station with plans to make use of the memory imprinting technology developed by Dr. Octavia Weisman. A mysterious, wounded panther adaptation soldier may be more dangerous than first believed. And an egotistical visiting surgeon may expose the station to an even greater threat than Jeffrey Nestor. In the hectic world of medicine and saving lives, things on the station begin to spiral out of control as Nestor’s plans put the entire station in danger in his drive to get his revenge.
Sasaki has again found the mark with this book. The drama and tension in the book are slowly built up to a fevered pitch as multiple story threads are introduced and then woven together to the climactic conclusion. At the same time, Sasaki provides moments of levity, humor, and romance that not only provide necessary pauses in the action, but add depth to the characters. Reading the book was like watching an episode of ER mixed with Star Trek, the medical drama blending seamlessly with sci-fi action. But don’t let the exciting action and drama distract you. Sasaki has a deeper message within the story about what it means to be human, even when you are an android. The actions and motivations of Bud are neatly contrasted by those of Dr. Nestor. In addition, the sub-plot exploring Jude and his actions provide a similar, though slightly divergent, look at what it means to be human as we age and grow. I really enjoyed how these story arcs paralleled each other throughout the novel.
Bud by the Grace of God is a fun, fast-paced medical sci-fi thriller. S.E. Sasaki has created interesting characters that you want to know more about, and a story that keeps you turning the pages. I highly recommend this book for anybody who’s a fan of television medical dramas and has any interest in sci-fi.
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