An American ballerina and a Moroccan computer scientist enter into a marriage of convenience to escape from kidnappers. She learns about him, his family and his culture while he learns about her and tries to learn who is after them. Meanwhile, the AI entity he's created learns about everything, as they try to prevent anyone from learning about it. The AI proves his true nature in a tear-jerking climax, while the strength of the hero and heroine's love for each other must prove sufficient to overcome their own natures and social conditioning.
In a fresh and exciting turn from her more familiar science fiction epics, Asaro sets The Veiled Web in the near future (2010) on a very recognizable Earth. The book draws on Asaro's experience as a ballet dancer to present a realistic portrait of a dancer's life, without ever becoming weighed down by the details of individual dance steps or procedures. Similarly, just the right level of detail is given about Moroccan culture and architecture, rather than turning into a lecture on Islam or Moroccan history. The level of detail provided for the computer segments suffers slightly from the fast pace of change in that field, but once the basics are covered, Asaro dips into the more advanced AI concepts with the same light finesse she gave ballet and Moroccan culture.
Personally, I found the AI concepts riveting and thoroughly engrossing. The science is explained clearly, but the details can be passed over as more colorful phrases in a foreign language, without impacting the romantic suspense that is the heart of the story.
Most authors would be satisfied with a single rich backdrop, or one weighty set of issues. Not Asaro. It's a tribute to her storytelling skills that she manages to seamlessly weave together three elaborately detailed settings (the world of ballet, Morocco, and cyberspace) and two sets of neatly meshing yet distinct issues (the clash of cultures and religions, and the nature of thought and spirit). Each reader will probably find a different mix of setting and issues of primary interest. But no matter what your background, this book will give you something to think about, and people for which to care.