I gave the two preceding books in this series four-star ratings and, to be fair, THE INFINITE SEA is comparable to them. The main characters have become somewhat engaging, the plot moved along and held my interest, and the undersea focus was a nice change. For me, though, certain things are beginning to wear a little thin. One is the steady progression of new "Charlies". Maybe this device has some purpose to it in the future that hasn't become clear yet, but it seems unnecessary and overdone. Another problem for me is Carver's inability to create some really alien aliens. Every major species is essentially humanoid (except Charlie, who's ephemeral) in a situation that seems ideal for some distinctly different beings.

Beyond the above complaints, I also found the idea of sex between John Bandicutt and an alien character ludicrous and unnecessary. This is, perhaps, just an aspect of the need for more original alien species, but the idea that an alien and a human would have anything even remotely approaching either physical or emotional sexual compatibility is silly. Again, maybe this has implications for future installments in the series, but that isn't in evidence at this point.

The bottom line: if you liked the other two books in this series, you'll enjoy this one as well. It's nothing special, though. In fact, as scifi goes, it's pretty ordinary. If you haven't read any of the other books in this series, you should go back and start with the first one. Not that THE INFINITE SEA can't stand alone, but you lose a lot of background and there's no compelling reason to start here. This one doesn't stand out from the others.

Having given the others four stars, it's possible I'm low-balling this one a bit, but I don't feel that the broader story has advanced much in this installment. In the absence of some discernible progress in the bigger picture, my interest is beginning to wane.

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