"Dark Sun Barbarian Lord brings Light into the life of a Intersystem Princess"
At long last a new tale in Stobie Piel's wonderful
futuristic series. The heroine of this tale is Ariana of
Valenwood, daughter of Arnoth (THE WHITE SUN), a great
Intersystem leader and healer. There is no question that Ariana is deeply loved, however
as young people often do, she chose to spread her wings a
bit by persuading her friends to take an unauthorized visit
to Lodder Vale, a pleasure outpost in the Border
Territory. This celebration of their graduation from the
Intersystem Academy was destined to end badly. Ariana awakens to find herself in a strange craft, bound,
and lying beside the other women who had accompanied her.
The fate of the men was unknown. Soon they find themselves
on a barren Dark Sun world far outside the Intersystem
territories. The women's heads are shaved, an act which
drives home to Ariana how insignificant her identity is
here. They are forced down a tube into a dark cavern where
they are confronted by barbarians. The majority are male,
aged between fourteen and twenty, men before their time. An
astute assessment of the situation tells her that these men
are slaves to the Automon, no doubt born on this planet,
and used to mine the precious malloreum crystals which fuel
the Dark Sun ships. The women are merely to become the
latest batch of breeders. Though nearly paralyzed by fear, Ariana steps forward.
Recognizing her superiority to the other women, the
barbarian leader stakes his claim on her. Ariana is
determined to fight him to the death, but notices another
slightly younger man, assessing her. Something in his eyes
bemuses her. Though his language consists of nothing more
than grunts and gestures, she detects intelligence and a
gentle spirit within them. He detects something special in
her as well. When the younger man challenges the leader,
she hopes against the poor odds that he will somehow
prevail. When brains and agility win out over brawn, Ariana
is not the only one who is relieved. The new young leader
claims her for his own, and in a very short time Ariana
comes to love him with all her heart. Somehow they find a
way to communicate, but she learns more about him by his
actions. It is human nature to cherish freedom and Ariana's mind
turns often to escape. The need becomes urgent when she
discovers that, although the miners knew no other life, the
Automon definitely anticipated rebellion. Evidence of
deliberate lava flows indicate that previous generations
had been destroyed before the will to rebel could become
effective. Ariana does not intend for her lover to become
another statistic, a fact she somehow conveys to him. Soon
they find a chink in the Automons' routine and Ariana plans
to take those women of her crew that wish to go along with
them. That is her mistake. Among them is a false friend who
has taken advantage of Ariana's trusting nature for many
years. The woman coveted Ariana's status, and now the man
that she'd come to love as well. When their plan is
unexpectedly thwarted, the barbarian leader sacrifices
himself
allowing Ariana to escape alone. Unable to stop the ship,
she witnesses his punishment through a window, which leaves
her to believe that he is dead. Her grief was devastating.
She was unaware she would carry a part of him with her
always, but she did know that she would never stop
searching until she found his world again and liberated it. Damen would not wait. Broken hearted at the loss of his
beloved, he has found his reason for rebellion. His
generation of boys are not yet old enough for the Automon
to expect it of them. Many are lost, but the slaves
prevail. Ten years later, Ariana had not forgotten her barbarian
king. She'd been looking for a pilot to take her on another
expedition to the Dark Sun system when she finds him. Not
that she would have recognized the cocky, arrogant man who
calls himself Damen. Nor would she expect to become his
captive. Oh yes, though he had become wealthy and educated,
and had founded a world of his own, he was still a
barbarian at heart, the Dark Sun Lord, a pirate who if he
had his way would once again claim her as his prize. But
first he must put an end once and for all to the Automon
tyranny, and if Ariana had her way he would do it with her
right by his side. This a wonderful futuristic adventure. The main characters
are very authentic, bold yet vulnerable. One cannot help
but love the feisty heroine who bravely faces the unknown
with tremendous courage in spite of her fear, or the hero
who rules one world, and builds another, but who fears he
will never fit in Ariana's. The romance is strong,
heartwarming, inspirational. The threat is real, coming at
them from the inside as well as the outside. As they face
enemies and traitors, they will know who their friends are.
I was particularly intrigued with two of them. Fia, had
been the young girl who'd been delivered to the slave
planet
in the same
ship Ariana had escaped in. She'd become Damen's ward, his
focus
after his loss. She becomes he right hand woman and a
starship captain in her own right. The other is Hakon, son
of Dane Calydon (THE MIDNIGHT MOON), Ariana's best friend,
and the man everyone expects her to marry. These two are
both very dignified, haughty, and more than a little
arrogant. They are bound to rub each other the wrong way
intellectually. But I can just imagine the passion that
might evolve were they allowed to rub each other the right
way emotionally. I am hoping the we will see more of
them. I highly recommend LORD OF THE DARK SUN. If
you
missed any of the previous titles I suggest that you try to
find them, starting with THE DAWN STAR. Copyright © 2003
Reviewed by Leslie Tramposch
Posted January 14, 2003
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