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Sunday, April 17, 2011

Character Review #3: Dora the Sentient Computer

Welcome to my character review #3 where I will discuss a very unique character named Dora. No, she's not a little Hispanic girl with a cute black bob. The Dora I'm talking about is featured in The Dare by Susan Kearney and she is one of the most unique characters I've ever read. This is actually the second book in Susan Kearney's series about Rystani warriors, but like many paranormal romances can be read as a stand alone novel. It doesn't require reading the first book to understand the storyline.

So, let's discuss Dora. She is sassy, sexy and sarcastic, three things I love in a strong female character. What sets her apart? She began life as a computer and for three hundred years remained that way. However, Tessa, an earthling, finds and befriends Dora in book one (The Challenge) and Dora quickly adapts to her personality. Dora learns from Tessa and from watching Tessa's evolving relationship with a Rystani male named Kahn. As she learns, Dora evolves into more than just a sentient computer. She has emotions and reacts to situations much as a human would, albeit a human without a body. One of her reactions includes a very serious interest in a single Rystani male named Zical. He's strong, smart and fiercely loyal. She admires him and enjoys moving satellites out of orbit just to spy on him at will. Maybe she sounds a little obsessed, but even she doesn't understand the full scope of her feelings until she achieves the impossible. She grows a body and transmits her personality into it, becoming a full, real-life human woman.

I loved Dora because she uses her astounding intelligence and logic, mixed with a little imagination, to achieve the amazing goal of turning herself into a completely different entity. Numerous obstacles arise both in the learning process of becoming human and in her ultimate goal of gaining Zical's affections, but she never gives up. She sacrifices much and ultimately has high rewards, but her struggle was a fascinating journey. This is the kind of character that science fiction is all about and one that every true sci-fi fan should meet.

Would you like to win a copy of The Dare to judge for yourself? Comment below on what you would do if you could slip your mind into a computer mainframe for a day. Sounds strange, but nothing's impossible in paranormal romance! I'll choose a winner on Wednesday afternoon, please include your email address in your response.
Good luck!

6 comments:

  1. Wow, that's a twist I've never read before. Sounds interesting and I'm intrigued. Have you read Cattitude by Edie Ramer (Not sure if I spelled her last name right) It's about a cat that switches places with a human body and the cat in the human body falls in love with her owner. It's a sweet story and somewhere along the same lines. I'd love to read this. Now, what would I do?? I would probably spy and be sneaky and see what people are up to. I'm nosey and love gossip and that would be fun :)

    june111(at)att(dot)net

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  2. Jolene, I haven't read that one but I've read The Cat's Fancy by Julie Kenner with a similar premise and it was really cute. Makes me kind of leery of cats though, lol ;-)
    Thanks for your comment!

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  3. am i too late to enter this ?

    uniquas at ymail dot com

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  4. forgot to answer the question :)

    what you would do if you could slip your mind into a computer mainframe for a day.

    I will save lots of important data that connect to me and my family and maybe i can 'create' a cloning that think and do like i do :)

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  5. Jolene and Mariska, thank you so much for commenting and entering my giveaway! Now for the moment you've both been waiting for...

    CONGRATULATIONS JOLENE! You're my winner (compliments of random.org) :-)
    I'll email you shortly to get your address.

    Mariska, be sure to check out next week's post about Lord Tynan, the Dark Chieftan of the Tuatha De' Dananns from R Garland Gray's Predestined.

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  6. Thanks Missy Jane :) I can't wait to look into The Cat's Fancy :)

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