Humans are all over the universe. And unbeknownst to Earthlings, some of them (the ones from Koranth and Zoranth, the dominant planets) are planning to invade the Earth and use it as a resources well. "The Betrayal of Ka" develops this, not particularly original, idea in a three-pronged story-line, where we have a mixture of adventure, mystery, everyday life conundrums, and political/economic thrills.
On one corner we have Kadamba, a human sent to prison for killing a child in one of those far away worlds, probably the better developed character, with some gravitas and a nice arc. On the second we have some Earthlings, in particular the brothers Dylan and Bjorn, whose story line is not so good, but is also enjoyable and is well balanced with Kadamba's one. On the third one we have some military types, in a story line that feels a little bit like filler and whose purpose in the big picture is, for now, a little bit of a mystery. They are not particularly interesting characters, and it took me a while to start to be able to take the Colonel from the Captain. On the last corner, we have the owner of one of those alien corporations who use portals to go from one world to another (someone has watched too many sci-fi shows) and conquer them to use them for their own purposes. The owner being one of those people with mental powers, and being in a relationship with one of the Ministers of the government of Koranth and Zoranth, a Minister with her own secret motivations and desire for power.
Does it sound convoluted? It is. A tiny little bit. Because, if the story had centered just on Kadamba and maybe the Earth children, it would probably have had a better balance. The military and corporations story lines feel like fodder, and the characters are a little bit boring, in particular the owner of the corporation. Also, some of Kadamba's adventures are stretched a little bit thin, and the Earthlings story takes a while to make any kind of sense (even though in the end it messes quite well with the rest of the plot).
The worst that could be said is that the book is not particularly original: humans are not only on Earth but all over the universe; there are portals for fast transportation from A to B planet; there are some secrets to stretch (I mean, develop) the story in future volumes; there are humans with powers. This point one that I didn't quite agree with.
Being so big a part of the story, it's a pity that the 'transprophetics' side quest feels like kind of an afterthought, with the powers of those humans poorly developed and their impact on the story not very well thought of. It feels like someone wants superhumans in their story just for the sake of it. It could be that the idea is better developed in future volumes, but, for now, it doesn't feel like there is a particular reason for them to be there.
"The Betrayal of Ka" is an entertaining book, with an easy to read plot and some good points, but it lacks something to make it stand from the pack.
The best: it is entertaining; it has interesting characters
The worst: it needs some editing; the use of language falters in a couple of places; it is not particularly original; the 'mental powers' part feels half-cooked; the corporations' storyline is kind of boring
Further reading: Frank Herbert's "Dune", Robert A. Heinlein's "Starship Troopers", Dan Simmons's "Hyperion" or Joe Haldeman's "The Forever War" come to mind.
5.5/10
(English original)
*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy*
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