Review of The Restorer by Sharon Hinck extended edition

I can remember only two science fiction books that would be possible for me to identify with by having characters with my particular correlates. That's not a problem as I can easily identify with a purple slug on Neptune or a male hobbit. Still, it's nice to find a book with kinda you in it. Shivering World by Kathy Tyers has a medical technologist as a protagonist. (Onward, pipettes!) Well, she is a bacteriologist, a specialist branch. I can grow bacteria AND count red blood cells. And that book by her is my favorite.
The other book is The Restorer by Sharon Hinck. The protagonist is a housewife! A homemaker! A soccer mom! Yes! And she spends a lot of time thinking about her kids and husband.  Wow.
The last few decades as more and more women write science-fiction have seen more science fiction stories include families. There have always been families in fantasy, but few, few, few in science fiction which usually focuses on atomistic individuals against the universe. That may be a function of sf initially being primarily a young man's literature. That has been changing as more women are allowed into science careers.
The Sword of Lyric Trilogy focuses in the first book on Susan who is accidentally sucked into another universe and onto a truly odd planet.
I fell in love with the book and writer when I first read The Restorer some years ago. I grieved when it went out of print. Then Lord March Press released an extended version which includes those dotty squares your smart phone can read and play music for you. Sad to say, my smart phone is smarter than me and I can't use that app yet, but when I can, that will be the first thing I use it on. The book has been revised and includes extra scenes which enrich the reading, and study questions for a book club, and a devotional. The cover is beautiful. The story is a page turner.
I'm sure that men can enjoy the book, too, but we women will find extra resonance in it. If you have a friend who thinks sf is just escapist drivel, hand her a copy of this and open her eyes.