Author: Rupert Pollard

Title: Assassin’s Cradle

Subject: Fiction

Release Date: Available now

Reviewer: Rebecca Ross

In many ways Idries Tanarra is like any other newly graduated twenty-two year old. He’s eager
to begin his career, confident in his abilities, and ready to take on the world. Or, in this case,
the universe. As an operative. And eventual assassin. In the distant future. Okay, maybe he’s
not your average twenty-something.
 
We first meet Idries as he is arriving on the planet Ganoten, ready to be given his first
assignment. He soon finds himself on a mission from the Insam Enlightenment to seize the
planet from its current leaders. What begins as an exploratory mission, taking him to farming
cities and college towns, becomes a wild ride as he finds himself working deep in the mines,
falling in love, and being promoted left and right.
 
The Assassin’s Cradle is full of twists and turns, secrets and deceptions, that would put Dynasty
to shame. The only thing that would have made all of the political intrigue more intriguing
would have been if we, as readers, were allowed in on some of what happened behind closed
doors. Idries is often kept in the dark and so are we.
 
Idries goes through quite a transformation as the story unfolds. He is no stranger to ladies’
bedrooms, yet he also trains to control his emotions. However, we all know there is no
controlling love, so he eventually succumbs to the charms of the lovely Darla. When Idries
makes a startling discovery about his love interest, the results are somewhat anti-climactic.
 
Though it would be nice to connect with Idries on a deeper level (his stoic, oftentimes robotic
nature keeps readers at arm’s length), there is no lack of connection when it comes to the
world of Ganoten. The politics may be hard to follow, but author Rupert Pollard goes into great
detail when it comes to the behaviors and customs of this fictional planet. All of the futuristic
elements and inventions (like identity switching and levitation pads) he has pulled from his
imagination will put you right in the thick of it.