Dora is a sentient computer who's been programmed to think
like a young woman. She's got it all: Advanced sensor
arrays, near-omniscience, and a sexy, smartmouthed attitude.
But Dora wants more. Dora wants a body. After observing
humans for so long, she wants to be one of them - and she
wants to make love. But the transition from machine to
human isn't all it's cracked up to be, and when Dora
transfers her consciousness to the body she's especially
designed to appeal to Zical, the man of her mechanical
dreams, not everything goes quite as she's planned.
For example, Zical has his own problems. He's just
discovered that for millennia, his galaxy has been protected
from invasion by an automated defense system known as the
Sentinel. Unfortunately, he knows this because he's
accidentally recalled the Sentinel -- and there's nothing
else standing between an ancient, ruthless enemy and the
people of the Federation.
When Zical and Dora join an expedition to locate and
reprogram the Sentinel, they are waylaid en route, accused
of a crime for which the penalty is death, and unwittingly
thrust into the middle of a socio-religious civil war. It's
a stumbling-block for romance, to be sure. And for Dora,
who's only just begun existence as a human, it appears her
life may be over before it's really begun.
In THE DARE, Ms. Kearney returns to the universe she
introduced in her first novel for Tor Romance. Readers who
enjoyed The Challenge will be delighted to revisit
its main characters, Tessa and Kahn, and see the progress of
their son Kirek, a major player in the events of this second
book. For those who haven't read The Challenge, have
no fear: Its sequel stands alone quite well, and gives all
the necessary background to new readers without giving away
too much storyline from her previous work.
Ms. Kearney avoids the "Plot? What plot?" syndrome that is
sometimes a characteristic of romantic fiction. There is
more depth to this story than initially meets the eye.
While the concept of a sex-obsessed computer may seem more
than a little contrived on the outset -- particularly for
prolific readers who are more accustomed to the archetype of
the logical machine -- the author has a surprising talent for
drawing the reader into her world. Her portrayal of
artificial intelligence is quite believable; if there is a
flaw in her style, it is that sometimes even her human
characters come off as a bit mechanical, facing challenging
situations with a rationality that's hard to credit to human
beings, even in the far future. Nonetheless, THE DARE is
hard to put down. It's a delightful, fast-paced romance
that will tempt readers to return for more of Ms. Kearney's
work.
Specifically, Dora wants to make love with the handsome
Rystani warrior-pilot Zical. But since Dora is a
computer-albeit a sentient computer-she cannot experience
touch, taste and true desire. Dora's logic functions refuse
to accept this, so she uses the advanced technology of the
24th century to build herself a body specifically crafted to
appeal to Zical, and downloads her computer brain into it.
But Dora's sassy attitude makes her too different from the
women of Zical's culture. He's attracted to Dora, but he
won't make love to her. And while it would be easy for Dora
to adapt to his desires, she likes being smart and funny;
she's becoming good at being human.
When Zical accidentally summons the ancient machines that
protect the galaxy from invasion, Dora's mission is to
intercept them and bring them back to the galaxy's rim.
Fortunately for Dora, this puts her and Zical into very
close quarters for a very long time. But much has changed,
and as Dora learns more about human emotions and what they
mean, she realizes that she doesn't just want to make love
with Zical--she wants to love him. And be loved in return.
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