I have a startling confession for you. I haven’t read a Nalini Singh novel before.
I know, I know. Everyone (including my husband) raves about Singh. I just got really burned out on Paranormal Romance after reading a ton of Laurell K. Hamilton (yes, I know it’s not really romance) and Amanda Ashley because that’s all that was available to me in my local bookstore in the nineties. I didn’t have the moxie yet to ask to the bookseller, “Do you have books about vampires, but where they fuck?”
I decided to start with Silver Silence because Singh describes it on her webpage as the start of “season two” of her Psy-Changeling series. It’s technically the first book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series although it works fine as a continuation of the original series.
Supposedly this was a good place to start if you hadn’t read any of the other books, but I sometimes found it hard to jump into without prior context. I was certainly able to figure it out, but there were plenty of times where I was a little confused or asked my husband for clarification on the world.
Singh’s world is populated by three groups: humans, changelings (shifters), and Psy. The Psy are a race with varying psychic abilities from telepathy to telekenisis to teleportation. Some can heal psychically too.
Silver Silence takes place in Moscow among a community of bear-shifters and a powerful Psy family, the Mercants. Silver Mercant is an extremely powerful telepath and the director of a group called Em-Net, an emergency response network. When the book opens, Psy, humans, and changelings have recently signed the Trinity Accord, bringing peace after years of war. Silver is trying to change the way people think about the Psy with her humanitarian efforts.
And here’s the part where I was confused. I was able to glean that the Psy were previously not nice people (well, not all of them) and were mistrusted by changelings and humans. Up until this point many of the Psy were Silent – that is, they chose a path of being completely emotionless, existing in a world without passion or pleasure. Except that didn’t work out for a lot of them and there’s something called the Psy-Net that holds them all together and now there’s a Honeycomb holding the Psy-Net together and I was like IDK what’s going on here. I was waking Rich up while I was reading at night to ask him questions like “Is the Psy-Net a physical thing or…?”
He helpfully replied “Hmgfinglngmmmph.”
Anyway, I understood enough of it for the book to make sense overall, but there was definite exposition that needed to happen to really sync the story up for someone like me who is totally new to the world.
So back to Silver. She’s decided to remain Silent despite the fact that’s no longer required of her. That means she doesn’t feel pleasure, doesn’t feel desire, doesn’t feel love. She doesn’t even eat real food. She eats nutrient bars and drinks because it gives her what she needs nutritionally. The pleasure of eating eludes her.
That doesn’t stop the Alpha of the StoneWater clan of bear-shifters from trying to court her. Valentin Nikolaev is convinced that Silver is the only mate for him, which easily could have meant we were spiraling down into gross, demanding Alpha territory. Instead Valentin is incredibly respectful of the boundaries Silver sets, which I was so happy about.
When someone tries to poison Silver, her family decides she’s safest hiding among the StoneWater bears while they try to flush out the would-be killer. So we get some forced proximity romance.
Silver’s life has been gray and sterile and cold, and the StoneWater Clan is…not that. The bears are a boisterous extended family that thrive on play, and touch, and food. Meals are communal. Celebrations are loud. Kids run a little wild. Individual rooms are tiny because people spend their time in communal areas. As an introvert, I was a little afraid.
Through all of this, Valentin gets closer to Silver while always respecting the line she’s put in place. She tells him that she will always be Silent, and that she will never be able to return his affection for her. Valentin doesn’t believe that, but he doesn’t violate her trust or demand anything from her either. His courtship of her is honest and sweet.
I loved, loved that we get an alpha hero who is not a giant, demanding douche-bag. So often alphas are portrayed as being able to muscle their way into any situation, take what they want, and not have to suffer repercussions for it. Valentin shows that being an alpha doesn’t being demanding or directive. He’s warm and loving with his clan, especially the children. He enforces rules, but never in a domineering way. He’s clearly in charge, but its because he’s the best suited to handle the position, to delegate, to strategize, to treat his people with kindness. He didn’t get the job by swinging the biggest dick.
Most of the book is Valentin’s courtship of Silver, although the suspense element of the poisoning is there, too. It’s very immersive dive into Valentin’s world and the culture of bear shifters, and once I felt like I had my footing in that world I enjoyed it immensely.
Sarah asked if there are any children in jeopardy in this book (which has apparently happened in other Psy-Changeling books) and the answer is no. At one point a bear cub gets himself stuck trying to crawl though a hole in some rocks, and they have to literally butter him to get him out, but that’s it.
There is a scene where Silver and Valentin help with a rescue mission after a suicide bombing in Moscow, and I know that’s not something everyone wants to read about, especially given how relevant it is. The scene isn’t particularly graphic or very long, though, but I understand that it would upset some readers.
What was confusing for me as a new reader was the world-building surrounding the Psy (the shifter part was fairly easy to intuit). When Silver starts to break Silence I still wasn’t entirely certain of the rules surrounding the practice or the overall ramifications.
It’s not a horrible place to start the series; I certainly didn’t feel hopelessly lost, but I also had a fair amount of questions. I think Silver Silence will be a big hit with readers of the series, and a little less effective with newcomers. I did love the healthy portrayal of an alpha hero, though, and found the world of the bear shifters to be fun and fascinating.
This book is available from:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well.
Thanks!
I loved this description: “An introvert bear might choose to quietly read his book, but he’d do it in the Cavern, surrounded by the hum of clan life.” 😀 😀 😀
I am right there with you in the “don’t read PNR because burned by LKH” camp, Elyse. I read Anita for years, and when I finished “Bullet” after a long string of mediocre-to-bad books in the wake of “Narcissus in Chains” and the hella stupid excuse-to-bang ardeur, I gave up on the series for good.
I was considering skipping this one (after reading ALL of the first season) but this actually sounds like fun.
I’m honestly not sure I know the answers to all of your questions, even after reading the entire series but I’ve had like 14 or 15 books to get used to that.
The psy-net exists as a real thing on the psychic level. I’m not sure that it’s ever really explained better than that. It’s this thing you can only access with your mind, not your body. It reminded me of the descriptions of cyberspace in 80s and 90s cyberpunk, esp Willam Gibson, and I think that’s why I just went with it.
As for the “rules” covering breaking silence, those seem to change depending on the circumstances and the individual (or the narrative demands of the book).
I just finished Silver Silence this morning and I loved it! I have read all of the other books in the series, so I did not feel lost. Also, I just reread the series before this came out, so the world made sense and worked for me. I would give this one an A. The bears and Valentin, in particular, made this a definite keeper for me.
“Do you have books about vampires, but where they fuck?” – AKA Fucking vampires! lol
I too am a Singh virgin. Seeing as how I am on an EPIC ASS paranormal slump, I’m thinking of trying the try. My problem is that I prefer internal conflict to external conflict. Historical and contemporaries do that really well, but paranormals is ALL about the Big Bad Doing Bad Shit.
Anybody got any recs for paranormals that are really internal conflict/character driven? Specifically authors that aren’t Kresley Cole, Sherrilyn Kenyon, JR Ward, Gena Showalter, Larissa Ione, or Thea Harrison- because I love all them already. They hit that sweet spot of emotional/Big Bad that I enjoy, so I got them covered.
I forgot to say that if anybody DOES have any recommendations, please no books in 1st person! I just checked out Where The Wild Things Bite by Molly Harper because of a post on the blog…but then had a sad because it’s in 1st person.
🙁 I haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate first person.
I’ve read the Psy-Changeling books up to 10 when I stopped caring. I was interested in this — right up until I saw $13.99. LOL — nope!!!
@Jacqueline, you need you some Meljean Brook’s Guardians or Kristen Callihan’s Darkest London. You will not be sorry. I’m sure if you search the SBTB reviews you’ll find a couple done on these.
Also, Elyse, don’t worry about not grasping the net. Some of us who’ve been on this train for years aren’t uite sure how to explain it. Just go with it.
One of the reasons I’m a fan is that Singh never loses her grip on the narrative. At a book signing I told her I envisioned her workspace papered with Post It notes and spreadsheets. She had a plan and she stuck to it. She created a world and doesn’t change it’s rules to make it all work out perfectly for her characters.
I look forward to the new cycle. Now that she’s given me my bear shifters (nom, nom) I’ m all anticipation of a return to the ocean territory and, please please, shark shifters.
Oh, @Jacqueline, Singh’s Guild Hunter books might be what you’re looking for as well. LOVE them.
While SILVER SILENCE might be a good place to jump in, I heartily suggest reading the whole series to get “all the feels” of the world. I don’t want to put out spoilers to anyone who hasn’t read the series, but basically, the Psi are the bad guys–only maybe not(?). Silence is necessary for them to control their psychic powers. They are cold, unemotional and look down on the humans and changelings as being inferior. In the first book, the Alpha of the local leopard pack falls for the cardinal daughter of a cold-hearted member of the Psi Council. The Psi are graded on the strength of their abilities and a cardinal is the highest gradient. The pack structure is fascinating and the alpha changelings–both male AND female (there are female Alphas and lieutenants/sentinels in the packs) are hard-wired to protect the weaker/beta/pups and cubs of the packs. Some of my favorite scenes are the big tough Alpha leaders/top soldiers playing with the kids.
I came to Singh and the series late, did a massive read to catch up and now both of her para-scifi-fantasy series are auto-buys for me. I’m two books away from a complete reread of the Psi-Changelings to refresh my memory before tackling SILVER SILENCE. The bears have only been mentioned in passing and I’ve been waiting with bated (and baited 😉 ) breath to learn more about them.
As a caveat of sorts, while Singh’s alpha heroes can get a little possessive and overprotective, and a bit overbearing at times, her heroines are strong and totally able to stand up for themselves–a fact the men understand and accept, if grudgingly. While there is a great deal of external conflict, the internal conflict between the main character in each book is very much present.
I’ve got this on order at the library and can’t wait to read it. 🙂 I’m listening to the audio version of Echo of Silence, a story in the anthology Wild Embrace, by Nalini Singh. I read it once and loved it so much I had to listen to it (both from the library). Highly recommend. I love the focus on internal, quiet stuff. I’m very much seeking PNR with little to no violence, epic battles, peril, etc. Any recommendations or are my wishes for gentle reads missing the whole PNR point?
I love Ilona Andrews for paranormals. Her Kate Daniels series has a splendid alpha hero who’s prone to bending steel bars and throwing around furniture without being a sulky jackass. The Edge books are very good too (they’re more individual romances, each centred on a different couple.)
Elyse, I’ve been pondering this on your behalf most of the morning. How to best explain the Net? Maybe if you think of it in terms of the Changling’s need for touch, mentioned repeatedly in the series. The psi closed themselves off from emotion and part of that required a sort of sensory deprivation. The Net is a place where their minds can go for practical reasons or just for that connection that tells them they’re not alone. Cut off from it, their minds die unless they’re able to form a bond with another mind. This was a big concern in the first books, when no one thought it was possible.
Explaining the semi sentiant aspects that ? You’re on your own.
This… was the only Nalini Singh book that I haven’t loved. It isn’t *bad*, just… didn’t feel the Singh magic. That might have been because I was super low on B-12 when I read it, though.
Oh, and if you are looking for low-violence PNR, I recommend Robin D Owens.
@DonnaMarie Thank you a BUTT TON for those recs, but alas, I’m already on their fangirl train LOL. I’ve even reviewed Kristen’s Shadowdance, and Brook’s Heart Of Steel & The Iron Duke on my YouTube channel. (Acting out those book quotes? SO MUCH FUN!!!)
I’m also a giant fan of Bec McMaster.
I’ll definitely give those Guild Hunter books a look-see! Do they focus on different couples or 1 main couple? PLEASE say different couples lmao. (I’m so picky, it’s sad.)
@Tam OMG FOR REAL? I’ve not yet read Ilona because I thought she only wrote series that feature a single couple. So those The Edge books are calling my name!!!!
@jacqueline – While they may not be exactly what you’re looking for, I’m in love with Shelley Laurenston’s books. Pack & Pride series are both excellent, but very, very fluffy. Where Singh’s books are a decadent feast for the senses, Laurenston’s Pack and Pride books are carnival food. Her Call of Crows series, however, is absolutely delicious, as in binge on all your favorite foods because they have no calories or fat type of delicious. Crows shifts more toward Viking lore (where Pack & Pride are shifters – ALL the shifters. And all the bat *ahem* insane). Crows has an awesome metaplot through the first three books, but there’s also quite a bit of internal conflict with the heroines.
New #1 question for booksellers/librarians will now be “Do you have books about ___, but where they fuck?.”
And one thing I loove about Laurenston’s pack book is that she obviously did some research about the animals and wrote in character traits based on that research. Although, whatever happened to the hockey guy’s foxes? They disappeared…
Yeah, I think jumping into this series mid-stream is tricky. Season 2 or no. I’m OBSESSED with these, but I always recommend starting at the beginning. It’s unfortunate, because it’s really the 3rd book where shit starts getting amazing, but I tell people to get through the first 3 & then decide if they want to keep going. I’m actually pretty impressed you liked this as much as you did given the world-building gap, but I’m glad you did! It’s a series filled with strong non-alphahole alphas and very capable heroines.
I do like this series in general, but this one was one of my least favorite. Mainly because of the hero (and a bit the bear-shifters in general). Not because of alpholiness (he’s alpha, but not an alphole) but because of the way his over-the-top jolly boisterousness, which gave me hives. But then I’m an Aspie, and a bit antisocial, so my issues aren’t everybody’s.
The book is marketed as a point where you can just jump into the series, but IMO requires a bit too much background information for this to be entirely feasible. It could have been ameliorated with an info-dump-y intro, or an appendix, or something, where newbies could get some explanations, like what’s the Psy-net, what’s the deal with Silence, etc.
Hi! if you are interested in other paranormal romance i really really like meljean brook!!! her books are also amazing!
Love, love her Guild hunter series.