Customer Reviews

Of Honor and Treason

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Buying from a small press is a gamble. Sometimes you get diamonds, sometimes you get mud. I've very glad of two things, one is that I did not see a close up of the cover before I bought the book-- very amateurish with wrong proportions. The second is that I didn't read the blurb on the back that suggest this was a cross between Star Wars and Star Trek. Someone has a tin ear for fiction because any similarities between these two works and this book are purely superficial. As long as you are not trying to find a cross between Star Wars and Star Trek this book is well worth buying.

This is a story of two empires on the verge of revolution. One empire is human, descended from old Earth, destroyed in a bitter civil war. The Emperor is mad, his Court depraved, his heir a daughter who is as mad and depraved as the Emperor and his Court could make her. The other Empire is that of the Norda, a long lived humanoid appearing race who have been engaged in a centuries long breeding program to produce the perfect member of their warrior class, the genetic Messiah. They have succeeded.

The Norda culture is quite well developed. There is strict segregation of the sexes and the males of the warrior class tend to bond sexually with one another. Blood and battle are considered foreplay. However, there is enough variation to make this more than a caricature of a warrior culture. The viewpoint character from this culture, Zar't'lac, the genetic messiah, is not at all what his breeders intended. For one thing he is not under their control. The Council who governs the Norda wants to invade the human empire and enslave it's members. Zar't'lac refuses to lend his leadership to this proposal, but instead intends to travel to the human empire and attempt to influence events from within it.

On the human side is Eivaunee Dorlan, the object of the emperor's insane desire and hatred. He has been emotionally and physically damaged by the emperor but he struggles to survive and keep the emperor from laying hands on his family's vast wealth.

For a first effort this is quite good, in places surpisingly good. I already have the sequel to hand and I hope that the author perservers.

Two beings, one human and one alien, are each plotting treason and revolution. Their reasons and methods are vastly different. Initially, they aren't even aware of each other's existence. Neither can apparently do anything to help the other. Yet, they come to realize they need each other to succeed. The characters are all well drawn, with real personalities complete with odd twists and flaws. The aliens are amazingly real and complex. This is going to be a great series, one that focuses not just on the action, but also on the political and psychological bases for the action.

"+"
Plot is good, but a bit like the one in "Dune"
Characters are likable

"-"
This is a SF book, so "S" should be taken more into the account.
The bone of contend are vast holdings of Dorlan family, with its thousands of people... In a Empire which spans numerous planets? Shouldn't it be millions or even billions of people?
The Homelands have a breeding program to produce a warrior messiah (QUITE like "Dune"...), and they have alive bio-space-ships, but are not capable of combining genes to get what they want? Not likely.
Homelands have a very peculiar society with highly developed bio-engineering, but there is no indication of such group of people (bio-engineers) or their social status. Also factories are described as having many workers in them, more like a manufacture, which really does not go with a space-faring race.
The connection between two main Hsassan characters is well done, but with to many sex scenes that do not serve the plot or character/relationship building.
Humans destroyed Earth to free the colonies - it happened quite a few times before, and never was the mother country destroyed. It simply is not necessary, and quite a waste of resources. Hmmm, but destroyed how? Killed people (and even now there are 7 billion of us here), or annihilated the whole planet? If the second one is correct, Homelands fear humans with some reason, and I do not see how hand-to-hand combat will help against something like that....
Also Dorlans are trying to kill the Emperor Hazdel Toneki for quite some time, and with a space-ship, no less, but there are shields that are SO good that it can't be done? And are willing to die to do this? Well both father and son had the means AND the opportunity to do so, and did not...

The Hsassan race had been careful with their breeding for so long. The Yseret ruled the Homelands and one in particular, Sert, used the careful breeding to make the perfect Hsassan. Finally it was accomplished. One perfect Hsassan, one Qtesark. The Qtesark was named Zsar't'lac. As he grew, he proved to be all their world had hoped for. But Sert and the Yseret did not know all. Zsar't'lac told only a select few his biggest secret, he was an emotional empath! His bearer (mother) was silently planning a revolution. The Yseret's time of ruling was nearing an end. The Yserts soon learned to rightfully fear the Qtesark, but could not kill him. Too many Hsassan gave him their loyalty. So plans had to be made. But Zsar't'lac fooled them all by defecting to the Humans until the revolution was complete.

Commander Eivaunee Dorlan knew Emperor Hazdel Toneki had killed his father but could not prove it. Hazdel had also been the reason for his mother's death. Hazdel wanted the Dorlan Estates. Eivaunee vowed it would never happen, not only because of his parents, but because of all the humiliating crimes Hazdel had done to him and would do to the people on the Dorlan Estates if he was to gain control of it.

Eivaunee commanded the starship "Comveckt" in the Provinces. His orders were to pick up the defecting Hsassan and escort him to the Imperial Plant (Klimar Prime). Eivaunee knew the Emperor had plans for the alien and had to think of a way to make the loyalty of the Hsassan to him instead of the Emperor, or all would suffer.

This looks to be the beginning of a new series. I found this story to be excellent and the series had remarkable and memorable characters. However, I would stress that the reading audience, in my opinion, should be over seventeen, due to various sexual reasons. Author, C.J. Merle shows a wonderful writing ability and I can only hope I will be able to review the next book of this series.

"The Emperor must die." That's the opening line of Of Honor and Treason, and it sums up quite succinctly the action that will follow. The story is the tale of two kingdoms, the human Klimar Empire and the alien Norda Homelands, both of which need to have their leaders replaced. The Emperor is paranoid, obsessive, and heedless of the fate of his far-flung worlds so long as tribute continues to flow into the capital. The Norda are led by scientists in a literal ivory tower, who genetically manipulated the warriors for generations until their efforts paid off in a Qtesark, a genetically perfect leader destined to replace them. The book alternates between empires, following first Eivaunee Dorlan's efforts to retain his family's holdings, then the efforts of Zar't'lac, the Qtesark, to convince his people not to invade the humans. The story is like two elaborately choreographed chess matches, where each move and countermove of the protagonists leads inevitably to an outcome none of them want. Zar't'lac's story has more of a resolution, as he seeks and finds a position from which to influence his people not to attack. Eivaunee's efforts to keep the Emperor from claiming the Dorlan lands are an ongoing struggle that will not be resolved at least until book two (Of Death and Duty, March, 2001). The author does a fabulous job with the twin points of view, letting us see the evolving situation from both sides of the fence, yet straying into other characters' heads as necessary to provide insights that the main characters would never know (such as the history of Zar't'lac's lover, or secret deliberations by high ranking officials).

The world-building is phenomenal, the secondary characters memorable and richly detailed, all characters' motivations are well reasoned and consistent, the emotion is deep and resonant (especially poignant scenes like Zar't'lac's parting with his lover), and the action was so gripping that I devoured the book in a single sitting, then fired off a note to the publisher demanding to know when Book 2 was being released.

-- Reviewed for the Science Fiction Romance newsletter

The Hsassan race had been careful with their breeding for so long. The Yseret ruled the Homelands and one in particular, Sert, used the careful breeding to make the perfect Hsassan. Finally it was accomplished. One perfect Hsassan, one Qtesark. The Qtesark was named Zsar't'lac. As he grew, he proved to be all their world had hoped for. But Sert and the Yseret did not know all. Zsar't'lac told only a select few his biggest secret, he was an emotional empath! His bearer (mother) was silently planning a revolution. The Yseret's time of ruling was nearing an end. The Yserts soon learned to rightfully fear the Qtesark, but could not kill him. Too many Hsassan gave him their loyalty. So plans had to be made. But Zsar't'lac fooled them all by defecting to the Humans until the revolution was complete.

Commander Eivaunee Dorlan knew Emperor Hazdel Toneki had killed his father but could not prove it. Hazdel had also been the reason for his mother's death. Hazdel wanted the Dorlan Estates. Eivaunee vowed it would never happen, not only because of his parents, but because of all the humiliating crimes Hazdel had done to him and would do to the people on the Dorlan Estates if he was to gain control of it.

Eivaunee commanded the starship "Comveckt" in the Provinces. His orders were to pick up the defecting Hsassan and escort him to the Imperial Plant (Klimar Prime). Eivaunee knew the Emperor had plans for the alien and had to think of a way to make the loyalty of the Hsassan to him instead of the Emperor, or all would suffer.

**** This looks to be the beginning of a new series. I found this story to be excellent and the series had remarkable and memorable characters. However, I would stress that the reading audience, in my opinion, should be over seventeen, due to various sexual reasons. Author, C.J. Merle shows a wonderful writing ability and I can only hope I will be able to review the next book of this series.

Commander Tamsek Dorlan has found the way to penetrate the shields protecting the Klimar Empire's Imperial Palace where a maniac rules. Before he can use his new information, an empire assassin kills Tamsek who manages to transmit a message that contains the data his son Eivaunee will need to complete his work. Eivaunee and meets another warrior and they forge a temporary alliance. From the first page to the climax, C. J. Merle captures her audience with the fast-paced space opera that never lets up for a moment.

Aliens who are so like us yet so different, a combination of dedicated and deadly yet gentle samuri and ancient Greek warriors. Unfortunately every emperor other than Claudius has been evil or mad, but there should be good adventure in subsequent books. Only those truly comfortable with their own sexuality need read this one.

The aliens encountered in this book are some of the most fascinating people I've ever met. They are humanoid, but not at all human. Yet they are distinct individuals that I came to care about deeply. This is the first book of a series, and I very much look forward to book two, which will hopefully have more interaction between humans and Norda.

By the twenty-sixth century, outer spaces colonies destroyed the earth during the Wars of Freedom. With the demise of the mother planet, the various colonies establish competing empires to fill the power vacuum.

One of the more dominant is the Klimar Empire, ruled by a half-mad individual. As a revolution was about to occur, an assassin killed the dynamic rebel leader. Still, he left behind a message that when finally understood would provide his son Eivaunee and his followers the information needed to overthrow the oppressors.

The Yseret, a cerebral humanoid race, have bred a warrior people, the H'ssassan. They have also created a super soldier Zsar'T'lac to lead the revolt. However, a group of Hssassan rejects the Yseret as their masters and plans their own revolt. Meanwhile Zsar'T'lac and Eivaunee form an alliance, but freedom remains a stretch goal.

C. J. Merle's novel takes the best of Star Wars and Star Trek and blends them into an exciting space opera. The story line is at hyperspeed while the lead cast shows much of their inner selves to allow the readers to believe they are real and their motives appropriate to their persona. Though not stated, OF HONOR AND TREASON appears as the opening gamut in a series that will not only is going to be a best seller but whose audience will care what happens to the prime players.

Harriet Klausner