THE EMPRESS GAME by Rhonda Mason (book review)

Review by Morayo Sayles

In her debut novel and first book of her trilogy, Rhonda Mason tells the tale of a princess forced to flee her home world after escaping an assassination attempt on her family’s life.

Kayla Reinunom flees to the grimiest sector of her space and carves out a living fighting in gladiator style battles as the enigmatic Shadow Panthe.

Thanks to her imperial training and her skill in the arena, Kayla unwittingly attracts the attention of the forces she fled from to begin with and suddenly finds herself back in a world that’s familiar yet strange all at once.

If you are a fan of Frank Hebert’s Dune, then you’ll fine yourself experiencing a sense of déjà vu as you read Mason’s The Empress Games.

As I delved into the story Mason was weaving, the incredibly similar tones to Dune annoyed me. I felt like this book/story was a rip off – from the Wyrd race to the psi powers, everything felt like a re-hash of Dune’s tale.

Like Paul Atreidies, Kayla is a formidable warrior, has suffered personal tragedy in her life and has to care for a weaker family member in a hostile environment.

Paul had to care for his mother, while Kayla has to care for her younger brother. Kayla’s favorite weapons of choice were Krys knives, just like that of the Fremen of dune. So many similarities! It was almost infuriating.

But just when I thought I would burst, the story began to take a turn of its own.

So how’s the book?

It’s formulaic – There’s a girl in distress and a tall dark stranger who promises the freedom she so desperately desires; there’s a boy and a girl that’s supposed to fall in love and they do; the bad guy gets got and the good guys feel vindicated; Unexpected allies emerge, just as unexpected traitors and your suspicions are confirmed. There are no real shocking surprises – Everything plays out just like you expect and yet the story is skillfully told and it held my attention through the noise of three children trying to obliterate each other from the face of the earth.

You have to realize that these were my own children, the cries of pain were real and yet I still kept reading this book.

I felt Mason took too long to get into the flesh of her story.

I kept waiting for a back-story to fill in the missing gaps of the story of Kayla. What is a Ro’haar? What is an Il’haar? Where did she come from? Who are her people? When answers were finally provided, they were partial and incomplete. The political machinations and intrigue that swirls around the characters is not exactly clear. Many worlds and families are discussed, but unlike Herbert’s Dune, no clear boundaries or distinctions are drawn for Mason. None that were truly memorable to me at least, and I read the chapter discussing this twice.

The story eventually becomes intriguing when the story becomes less Dune and more Mason’s vision.

Unlike much of the fantasy in stores now, the main characters are not teenagers, which was a surprise. Despite their eld (mid twenties and early thirties), the characters are still relatable and their story, their angst made sense. The story has you the reader thirsting for justice and once it’s within your grasp, it is held tantalizing just out of reach.

I find myself anxiously and happily waiting for the second book’s release to find out more about Kayla Reinunom and her struggle to return to her rightful place in the empire.