Book Review: Of Duty and Death

Reviewed By: Harriet Klausner

Of Duty and Death    
C. J. Merle
Class/Genre:   Science Fiction   Space Opera
Speculation, Apr 2001, $11.50, 350 pp.
no ISBN# yet

In the far distant future mankind, forming the Klimar Empire ruled by the tyrannical Emperor Hazdel has conquered the stars. Overthrowing him is unthinkable because impenetrable shields protect Hazbel's estate. Anyone who meets the great dictator in person undergoes an incredible level of security and scrutiny. Eivaunee Dorlan, a powerful member of the ruling family, wants to kill Hazdel. On the other hand, his adversary wants to drive him into rebellion so the state can legally kill Dorlan and confiscate his family holdings.

So far Eivaunee has controlled his desires no matter what his Emperor orders him to perform. Hazbel sends Eivaunee to the pleasure planet of NeoCarda to root out a serial killer. On board Eivaunee's ship, as second in command ,is the alien Hsassen Zsar't'lac, the genetic messiah of the Homelands. He left his planet to avoid being killed when a rebellion occurs. The serial killer, a tool of the Ysert (Hsassan's genetic engineers), targets Zsar so that a more pliable genetic messiah can replace him.

C.J. Merle has written a very colorful an exotic space opera that reads like some of the works of Heinlin and Norton. The author creates an alien subculture that seems very believable because the characterizations feel as if the various species live. Especially intriguing is the loyal Zsar who is devoted to Eivaunee while feeling homesickness to be among his own people. Either C.J. Merle was abducted and writing first hand or she is an incredible talent with an imagination that makes the stars feel like a nearby neighborhood.

Harriet Klausner

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Harriet Klausner