Book Review - City of Pearl

This book sat on my bookshelf for years. I think I even have the sequel. I finally got around to read it, and all I can say is I'm glad it's past me. Now I can get the book out of the house.

It didn't have a quest. If there were goals for the protagonist, Shan, to accomplish, I don't know what they were. Or they changed too frequently for me to keep up.

On the verge of retiring, a senator convinces her to take one more job - leading a team of scientists to a planet to explore. But there's a hidden quest that even Shan can't know until she gets there. So the senator erases her memory of the conversation but leaves triggers in place so it'll come back.

Okay, great. Reader is on board, ready to find out what the quest is.

Get to the planet, discover evidence of intelligent alien life. The quest must be to make friends with them because they can annihilate us.

Nope, then Shan finds a whole database of unpatented seeds and other crops. The universe is saved! The agriculture monopoly on Earth is broken!

Nope. Too much time has passed since the senator dispatched Shan to the planet. Now there's a new government that likes the agriculture monopoly.

Found evidence of a parasite that grants eternal life. Quest must be to keep it secret!

The new government sends an invasion force against the aliens. Quest must be to save the planet inhabitants!

The book changed gears so many times, the author didn't even know what it was about. The characters were written well, but the plot sucked. If there was a plot.