The two headings on the back of Piel’s latest talk of a “Darkest Hour” followed by a “Moment of Light.” Uncanny how that runs exactly counter to the experience I had with this book. Lord of the Dark Sun (which ties in to her earlier futuristics) starts off with an interesting premise, draws the reader into an intriguing romance, and then can’t figure where to go with any of it.

Ariana of Valenwood is celebrating her graduation from the Intersystem Academy with a group of friends by traveling into the Border Territories. The trip ends badly when the ship is attacked and captured by space pirates. When Ariana awakens from her drugged sleep she and her female friends are promptly herded by mechanical Automon into a chute and dumped into a mine on a barren planet. They are now not only slaves working for a faceless entity but are also forced to deal with and serve the barbarian men who work the mines. Ariana is ‘picked’ by the head barbarian but manages to escape his clutches when one of the tribe’s younger men challenges him. This nameless young man defeats the older and is made head of the tribe, winning Ariana in the bargain.

Though this opening could have been hokey, it’s actually pretty sweet, and more importantly, the author keeps it short. By not dwelling on the “barbarian” tribe in the caves, the author was able to make this interesting without getting bogged down. And despite occasional purple prose, the romance that forms between Ariana and her young barbarian lord works nicely. He’s younger than she is but behaves heroically in every instance. When they attempt an escape, he acts as the distraction needed to keep the Automon from catching her. Ariana makes it out. And though she plans to return for him, a part of her is convinced that she will never see her love again. All she can do is try to put her life back together and work through the pain, never knowing that they are fated to meet again.

Flash forward a number of years. Ariana is searching for a pilot to take her back into the Border Territories. An Intersystem ship would be too noticeable in the territories so she is determined to hire an independent ship. Her search leads her to a mysterious and compelling man named Damen who soon tricks her into boarding his ship. Once there he reveals his identity: He is the man she left behind all those years ago.

The point at which Damen reveals himself is about eighty pages into the book and the story is going strong. But not much further and it all starts to fall apart. Where the first third is original and intriguing, the next third is right out of Romance 101. Suddenly Damen, who was non-verbal and gentle in the caves, is urbane and in charge. He’s managed to learn several languages, none of which he knew until his late teen years, and runs a small fleet of ships.

Damen’s rapid education is only one of the commonplace elements that begin to permeate the book. He’s determined on some course that is counter to what Ariana wants but refuses to tell her why or what that course is. Ariana has also transformed herself into one of the most boring heroines possible. She is continuously described as strong and independent but does nothing to prove any of that (though she had certainly done so in the caves). And the secret she keeps is just as unnecessary as his.

Where the book completely loses it is in the denouement. Like other authors of futuristics, Piel has painted her villains as so omnipotent that any explanation for the actions they’ve taken is doomed to failure – and it fails here. Though the first eighty pages are appealing, the last eighty had me gritting my teeth and wanting to shake Ariana and company. All in all, it’s a disappointing end to a book that showed initial promise.