R. S. A. Garcia

I really enjoyed the complexity of the worldbuilding and the intriguing characters. The plotlines seemed to fragment at the end and there was a clear setup for a sequel, which I'd really love but unfortunately it doesn't look like it's been written yet. I did get confused in some parts, especially regarding Oux's role (it seemed to be more of a deus ex machina at times). Overall though, the book was a solid sci-fi with tons of action and even some seriously chilling horror elements near the beginning.… (mais)

A young woman is brought into a spaceport hospital, having been brutally beaten and sexually assaulted. She also has amnesia. All she remembers is Lex Talionis - The Law of Revenge. She also seems to have acquired an alien creature called an oux, rescued from an interstellar zoo, and who physically heals her, almost instantly. Colin, the doctor who runs the clinic, tries very hard to not fall in love with her, but does not succeed. After several weeks, she regains her memory.

She is Shalon Conway, heir to Conway Enterprises, and niece to Gilene Conway, the most powerful woman in the galaxy. Shalon's parents died in a spaceship crash when Shalon was a child, and, publicly, Shalon also died in that crash.

Shalon has been a senior commander in an interplanetary war. After winning a war against A Conway Enterprises subsidiary, former allies became enemies. She is going to another planet in a ship full of Troopers (the interstellar police), arranged by another senior commander. What she doesn't know is that, because she is a Conway, her actual fate is to become someone's sex slave. The crew of the spaceship are in it just for the money, so they decide to "sample" her before delivery. That is when she is repeatedly sexually assaulted. Things go very badly for the crew; Shalon gets her revenge.

Shalon knows that publicly announcing that she is alive is a very bad idea; Aunt Gilene would make sure that she suffers an untimely demise, so Shalon takes her time. How does she appropriately get back at Gilene Conway for killing her parents? Does the author leave room for Part 2?

For any author, this is an excellent novel. The fact that this is the author's debut novel brings it to the level of Wow. It has lots of good writing, and is very much recommended.… (mais)

I was going to mark Lex Talionis down as being another rape and revenge novel. Of course since the phrase lex talionis translates as "Law of Retribution," we are warned by the very title of the book. I pressed on. While retribution is certainly a main theme, we have an interweaving of times and points of focus that as a whole becomes a masterpiece of story telling. At one point, the author interweaves two fight scenes beautifully, slipping between one and another midsentence in a way that is masterful. My two disappointments with the book are the number of one dimensional characters, and the ending that is an obvious advertisement for the sequel. Overall, the book was a joy to read and R.S.A. Garcia is a new author well worth watching.… (mais)

Lex Talionis is the best-written and edited book I have, as yet, received through Library Thing in exchange for an honest review.

The terror of Michael's awakening in the ravaged spaceship, the drama of a beautiful woman beaten and found half-dead, and the frustration of a doctor faced with a patient brought back to life only to discover that she has total amnesia, are devices that draw the reader into this novel immediately. The usual sci-fi difficulty of establishing oneself in an unknown time and place seems less daunting than is sometimes the case. This is partially due to the use of quotations and excerpts at the outset of the chapters, supplying insight into the spiritual, political, corporate, intellectual, and social mindsets into which we are plunged. The other reason is that we are caught up in the interplay between characters very quickly so that the setting seems almost incidental.

R.S.A. Garcia has produced a thriller that deals with the time-honoured themes of war, love, betrayal, revenge, guilt, manipulation, and communication, in a science fiction setting. The story is gripping and well-presented from a variety of points of view through a disparate cast of characters. The author skillfully examines and develops realistic relationships within families, between colleagues and friends, amongst warriors, and in doctor-patient situations. The violence necessary to such a revenge-drenched tale is carefully written, with the interplay of two battles seamlessly and breath-takingly presented for one of the most difficult yet compelling sections of the novel. The reader empathizes with the troubles and yearnings of Shalon and Andor, Anton and Troi, and Shalon and Colin.

This novel is well-written, exciting, and thoughtful. Garcia knows the human mind and heart, and has shared her knowledge in this skillful first novel. I will eagerly stand in line to read the sequel.… (mais)