The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord
Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 10:12PM 
Published by Del Rey on February 12, 2013
Although the other three human civilizations regard them as judgmental and aloof, the Sadiri have long been "the backbone of galactic law, diplomacy, and scientific discovery." They seem to be a lot like Vulcans: wicked bright with some telepathic ability but obsessively in control of their emotions. Their arrival on Cygnus Beta, a planet that has become a homeland for pioneers and refugees, seems out of character. Yet the Sadiri homeworld has been destroyed and they are desperate to perpetuate their ethnic existence. Cygnus Beta gives them a chance to do just that, in part because factional groups of Sadiri long ago settled on the planet. The Sadiri are also curious about the planet's legendary Caretakers, the "guardians of humanity" who (according to the legend) transported a chosen few from Terra to Cygnus Beta.
Against this imaginative background, The Best of All Possible Worlds becomes a road trip novel set on an alien planet. A Cygnian civil servant and biotechnician named Grace Delarua is assigned to help a Sadiri named Dllenahkh search for genetic cousins of the Sadiri in Cygnus Beta's remote homesteads. To find genetically appropriate mates for the Sadiri, Delarua and Dilenahkh (with some helpers) begin a tour of the Cygnus Beta hinterlands. The odyssey gives characters a chance to bond, to form love interests, and to have some low-key adventures.
Karen Lord's worldbuilding includes a couple of hidden cities, a place called Faerie ruled by the Faerie Queen, and a place where mischief is afoot that changes Delarua's life as a consequence of confronting it. All of that is interesting but not so remarkable as to engage my sense of wonder. The book has surprisingly little atmosphere, given that it's set on an alien planet. There is little about the surroundings that creates a feeling of "alienness." Fortunately, the cultural and political differences among the various cities or settlements on Cygnus Beta are more carefully detailed and therefore more convincing.
Although a love story is at the novel's heart (sort of like logical Spock and romantic Uhura), The Best of All Possible Worlds is more intellectually interesting than emotionally engaging. To some extent, the novel is an exploration of ethics. Delarua confronts a dilemma and must decide what response is morally correct. The novel tells a slow-moving, cerebral story, light on action, heavy on relationships. For the most part, the story suffers from a lack of dramatic tension. The love story offers little drama since the outcome is all but preordained, while Delarua's moral crisis is so easily resolved the reader has little opportunity to become emotionally invested in her plight.
While I have reservations about The Best of All Possible Worlds, in the end I liked the characters and enjoyed the road trip setting. I also liked the way Lord played with creation myths. While the story is better in concept than in execution, the ending is satisfying. Fans of romance fiction, however, will probably be more enthused about the novel than I am.
RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS