Customer Reviews

The Sardonyx Net

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

 

 

Lynn wrote this book when the punk culture was nowhere near as "old" as it is now, but I was rummaging around in some old books and found it, and discovered that it could be considered modern today.

The story includes "hypers" who are the space-faring subsegment of society, who hang out in hip, trendy bars that exclude non-hypers. Hypers are not necessarily outlaws, but Dana, a hyper with his own starship, ekes out a marginal living by smuggling. He picks the wrong cargo, and falls into the hands of a ruthless slaver named Zed Yago. Zed is also a sexual sadist that satisfies himself with Dana before giving him ("I don't own slaves") to his sister. The planet they live on is one big desert (see Dune) that has an economy based on legal slavery.

Lynn makes no apologies for this, or anything else that happens to Dana. Dana spends very little time feeling sorry for himself, and of course the story is about his attempts to escape this fix.

It is also more about sexual expression in a setting that allows exploration that would not be plausible in a less extreme setting. Although I felt that Lynn could have gone deeper into this, perhaps she arrived at a better balance between action and introspection than I would have. Good fun, in any case.

I first read this affecting novel twenty years ago and large parts of it have stayed with me every since. It's long out of print, but I hunted until I found a copy -- and I know now, again, why I remembered it so well. Lynn is known mostly for her high-concept fantasy, but this one is "what if" science fiction of the best sort. It's sometime in the unknown future and humans have colonized dozens of worlds, aided by the discovery of the "Hype" -- a parallel hyperspace route between stars, navigated by starcaptains, latter-day bravos with their own traditions and culture. The four worlds of the Sardonyx Sector got together a few generations ago to set up a prison world called Chabad, not unlike Britain shipping off its felons to Australia. But now Chabad is a colony world, too, with its own exports, and nearly everything is powered by the slave labor of the convicts. Lynn is careful to make her version of slavery as humane as possible: After their sentence is up, slaves are freed, their property is returned to them, and they can either leave Chabad or become free citizens. They're depersonalized, but not tortured. If they have useful skills, and if their owners are sensitive people, they may experience something like contentment. But they aren't free. And many, perhaps most, slaves are kept dosed on a tranquilizing euphoric drug called dorazine to keep them controllable. Of the Four Families that run Chabad, the slave system is in the care of Family Yago, and especially of Domna Rhani Yago, head of the family, and her brother, Zed, who is both a Senior Medic and Commander of the "Net," the toroidal starship that collects the prisoners from the other worlds of the sector and brings them to the slave auction on Chabad. Add an interplanetary antidrug police force trying to keep dorazine from being brought to Chabad, and all the elements are present for a complex, involving plot. But the real focus is on the personalities of Rhani, a reasonable, fair-minded woman who has been blinded by her upbringing and position, and of Zed, a sexual psychopath and thoroughgoing, self-aware sadist. And, finally, of Dana Ikoro, young starcaptain trying to bring off his first successful dorazine smuggling run, who gets caught and falls afoul of Zed before becoming Rhani Yago's slave-pilot -- and confidant, and lover. And there are more than a dozen other carefully-drawn characters in the supporting cast, all of which makes this a thoroughly fascinating book. I've read other reviews by readers -- probably much younger ones -- that have been knee-jerk dismissive of this novel because it seems to approve of slavery, . . . which it doesn't. Lynn seeks only to examine the possible effects of its use, which she does very effectively. Those other reviewers seem to adhere to absolutist standards of ethics and morality and seem not to understand that history (even when it's future history) is what happens, not what *should* happen. Both attitudes are foolish. But then, most long-time science fiction readers learn early to become tolerant ethical relativists.

This story is old (I think I was just a little kid when it was first published) but it sure doesn't seem like it. This futuristic tale is still futuristic, not dated in the least, and that's a timelessness that all storytellers should strive for. The basic premise of the book, drug enhanced slavery, is okay, but it's so much thin air without the involvement of the characters, my favorites being Dana and that sado-masochistic, pain/fun lovin' villian you love to hate to love, Zed Yago. The deep-space-faring hypers are so cool, it makes you want to dress up (or down) in leather and mesh, toss some glitter in your hair and cruise down to your neighborhood space bar. What gets me is that the only sci-fi Elizabeth A. Lynn has written is this book and "A Different Light." Of the handful of books she's written at all over the past 25 years, most of them are fantasy. I have no problem with fantasy, most of the books I own are of the genre, but her hip, stylish brand of science-fiction is one that I can get into, one that isn't so glaringly technical that my eyes roll back into my head, one that doesn't sacrifice story and style to teach you how to go about building a warp drive. Her two sci-fi stories are connected in many ways, and seem to take place in the same universe, with the sub-space highway of the Hyper being part of both. She could build on this if she wanted to, and if she does, I'll be there with glitter and eyeliner.

Lynn has created a detailed, well-developed universe which, at the end, moves the reader to want more. A sequel or another novel set within this realm would be most welcome, but unlikely at this late date. To the author: This novel was superb and we want MORE of your imaginative, multi-faceted world!

Lynn creates a rich and colorful futuristic setting with main characters who are strong and beautifully developed. The complex plot is immediately engaging. Set in a far-future universe, a society based on legalized slavery and drugs is instantly appealing to any science fiction/fantasy fan. From there, Lynn carries her readers on a thought-provoking, barrier-destroying ride where feelings of sympathy for a homo-sadistic psychopath merge with a refreshingly uncontroversial approach to exploring gender roles and traditional sexuality. Despite these heavy themes, "Sardonyx Net" is full of action, with never a slow or cumbersome moment. A thoroughly enjoyable read

Getting through the first two chapters of The Sardonyx Net is like trying to run in hip deep water, slow going. The third chapter, with the introduction of Rhani-ka, rapidly gains momentum as the relationships between characters are given a chance to blossom. The science in this fiction isn't hard core, so some science fiction fans may be disappointed on that score. However, the fiction and character development is excellent with just enough science thrown in to punctuate the other-worldliness of the story.

Slavery is called into question in this story, as are other issues which are taboo in many societies. Letting go of taboo in order to enjoy the story may be difficult for some readers. I do not recommend this book for anyone under the age of 16 unless a parent or mentor is available to ask questions of!

Sardonyx Net gets rolling and takes off by the middle of the book. By the end, I wanted there to be more, a sequel, the continuation of a story about characters whose lives I'd grown intensely interested in. Considering when this book was written, the science fiction of this story is wonderful, even today much of it holds up to scrutiny. Some of the things described in the story are now possible, so it is important to realize that the science was not then available. Who knew we would come so far in fifteen years?

Great book!

The Sardonyx Net by Elizabeth A. Lynn is spellbinding, dramatic, action packed, and deep. Lynn is a master story teller. If you are looking for an escape to another realm that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next--you have found it. (However, if you are prone to nightmares, don't read this one in bed!) The plot is full of twists, many of them unpredictable. Human relationships, cultures, and varying views of morality are explored. The ending (while not, perhaps, the ending we would like to imagine)is ultimately satisfying.

I bought this book thinking, it has great reviews, it's science fiction, and it has gay characters; exactly what I was looking for. From the tags this book looks to be overflowing with gay storylines. Well to my disappointment, it was not. There is one sadist character that likes men(sometimes). His scenes are few and neither graphic sexually or sadistically. While I kept waiting for the all the "gay stuff" to appear, I genuinely got caught up in her storytelling. The author is excellent at world building as well as character developement. Interesting and well paced, this was a fun read. I enjoyed it greatly. With her talent, I'm definitely going to look into her other books.

This and Dragon's Winter are my favorite Elizabeth A. Lynn books, and two of my favorite books all around. I've recommended both to a number of (carefully selected) friends over the years with great success. Beautifully written stories. It isn't for everyone though. Lynn is one of those writers who doesn't worry about making life fair for her characters and, in many of her stories, her protagonist has very little power over something very important to him/her. You've been forewarned...

If you like this, you might also like Testament by Valerie Freireich and/or Transformation by Carol Berg

If you're a woman and fantasize about owning slaves and what it would be like to have a slave as your very own personal helicopter pilot then this book is for you. If your a man and your fantasy is to torture slaves because you're in love with your slave owning sister than this book is for you. If you're neither of the above then don't even consider this book. Although the book takes place in the future on some distant planet, there was almost nothing futuristic about this story.