S.H. Viehl creates an interesting Universe, full of humor, danger, and gross medical procedures... Despite that last sentence, these are quick and fun reads!

Dr. Cherijo Grey Veil escapes the home and clutches of her domineering father on Earth and goes to work at a small clinic on the outskirts of the Universe. There are tons of cool aliens and gross medical procedures. Oh, yeah: the good doctor has a dangerous secret about her past. And I mean really dangerous! And so starts the adventures of the Stardoc series.

In Beyond Varallan, the good doctor has found a new family and is living in relative happiness, if you don't count half the Universe chasing after her (in the form of bounty hunters) or the stalker that haunts and taunts her dreams and threatens to destroy her new life.

Endurance was not my favorite. Cherijo is taken captive by the brutal and cold-blooded Hsktskt and made a slave. The title says it all. You must endure with her eternal abuse and suffering and terrifying things I can't even begin to tell you about. There is a mystery medical problem that must be solved and even a sci-fi tribute to Casablanca.

Shockball brings back the excitement, and some of the pain, as Cherijo and Duncan return to Earth. There is the inevitable confrontation with the doctor's psychotic father and a subplot involving renegade Navajos and organized sports. Plus there are some really cool new aliens!

Eternity Row reunites Cherijo with her former Jorenian family and even with one of the hybrids she had met on Earth while hiding out with the Navajos. There's travel to new planets and a subplot about religious fervor taken to serious extremes that sounds a little familiar (in an art-imitating-life sort of way).

With Blade Dancer a new character, Rory Rask (a human hybrid) is expelled from Earth after being found out as an alien girl. She goes to Joren and . . . you'll get a whole new perspective on Jorenians. A great portion of the book takes place at a school for assassins that quickly pairs martial arts with sci-fi. Very cool!

New adventures and characters have been added to the series, each fun in its own special way.