A young woman is condemned to a three year trial by ordeal for crimes not her own in a society where a few powerful commercial interests dictate the fate of billions.
Welcome to the Twelve Systems, a technologically advanced society ruled by a small number of elite, the warriors.
Lilian is twenty-four, well-educated, disgraced, destitute and desperate. Raised to wealth and power, her expectations of a bright future were destroyed when her father was executed for foul crimes. Her family name is erased, their cartouche melted, their property forfeit. Determined to survive and protect what remains of her family, Lilian becomes the apprentice of a powerful warrior. For three years, he will train her for a position in the Cartels. In return, Lilian will yield him absolute control of her mind and body.
Lucius Mercio is the preeminent warrior of his Cartouche, and the Cartel it dominates; the Serengeti Group. Ruthless, clever and ambitious, Lucius' wealth, influence, and power are exceeded by few within the Twelve Systems. It is not sufficient. Lucius intends to take his Cartel to unimaginable heights with the aid of Lilian's brilliance. He faces only one obstacle. Lucius must keep Lilian alive.
Excerpt
I am the sum of my ancestors. The trowel slices the moist soil. I am the foundation of my family. Lilian rips the weeds from the loosened soil. Honor is my blade and shield. The trowel slashes, the weeds are decimated. Again and again, Lilian tears into the soil, clearing space for her plantings. Above her, the walls of the garden rise on three sides. On the north side, the house rises four storeys to complete the enclosure.
The ancient house has stood for five centuries. It is in desperate need of repairs that have been too long postponed. It does not matter. It only needs to stand for three more years. Three years. Honor endures.
“Lilian, what do you?” The familiar voice pulls Lilian from her violent assault on the weeds that have run rampant in the herb garden.
Dean Joseph, Lilian’s mentor, considers the dirty, sweaty young woman with a combination of affection and concern. “You have cleared twice the space you will be able to cultivate.”
Sitting back on her heels, Lilian turns her face to her mentor. “Once I enter the Cartel, I will not own my bells. I must clear this sufficiently that the weeds will not encroach.”
Joseph offers Lilian his hand up as he asks, “Have you questions?”
Taking the hand, Lilian rises as she ponders her response. She has endless questions. She voices her concern, “Will he hurt me?”
As Lilian finds her feet in the herb garden, Dean Joseph replies, “Hurt you Lilian? Adhere to the strictures and Monsignor Lucius will have no cause to correct you.”
Corporal punishment is the least of Joseph’s fears for the lovely twenty-four year old. It is a common enough practice and, public opinion notwithstanding, Lilian is not a coward.
Shaking her head, Lilian finds she cannot voice the source of her fear. Something in her face or stance enlightens her mentor. “As to that, it will be different from what you have known. You must not expect monsignor to be considerate of your pleasure. I cannot imagine he will hurt you.”
Professional Reviews
He was so bad he got the axe
The first volume was a little hard to get started with, but the linkage of world building, plot, sex (and how sex is used in this unique world view) really grabbed me after a chapter or two. The wording is formal, but it fits the story. I found the characters to be very much in line with a Japanese morality tale.
Honor above all, and leave the excuses for someone who cares, which is no one.
The main character has her honor removed because her father was a monster. He was so bad he got the axe, more or less literally. Since he disgraced the family name, all adult family members were to die with him. Very Japanese, circa the 1600s. His daughter refuses to commit suicide but takes the "Trial by Ordeal" route. She must become an Apprentice for three years. An Apprentice is a position in life that binds you to an owner for a period of time. You learn, you make a position for yourself, you can even move up in society - which you could not do in old Japan under the Samuari system. Problem is, your owner owns you, body and soul. The Trial by Ordeal is meant to drive someone like our heroine to commit suicide.
A very powerful man "buys" her contract and proceeds to use her to advance his business interests and act as his private whore. Not exactly what she was raised to expect. But our heroine is one tough lady. A cute body masks a mind like a steel trap and body trained to a rapiers edge.
Her goal is never her redemption. She lives to protect her sister. I have also read book 2 and am waiting for book 3
What I Am Reading
Imagine, if you will, being punished for the sins of your father...
After his criminal actions have earned him his final draught, you and your immediate family must also be punished in the eye of society. In this world it is not enough to be shamed by the memory and realization that your own father broke the law and was put to death. Now, you are a criminal as well.
You may choose the same fate as your fallen parent or a trial by ordeal. If you favor the latter of these punishments then you are stripped of your previous honor and standing in society and are forced to become the property of another-to be their servant in all manners and at the whim of their sexual desires.
Honor endures.
Lillian finds herself in this very situation. Now apprentice to Lucius, the head of the Serengeti Cartel, she must serve her master to her utmost abilities-always putting his needs above her own. All the while, she is the target of scrutiny and public ridicule, being referred to as 'doxy'-basically a sex slave or whore.
E.G. Manetti is a master world builder. The writer has created a science fiction story rich in complexity and depth, while crossing into the romance and erotica genre. Admittedly, the graphic sexual scenes dominate the beginning of the story, as the reader becomes familiar with what exactly a 'doxy' is expected to do. However, Manetti finds this precarious balance of romance and sci-fi architectural construction as the story unfolds.
The 12 Worlds and the 5 Warriors adds a rich history and marvelous background into this rigid and honor bound society that spans the galaxy. The element of control over the Vistrite mining combined with the struggle for dominance by the various Cartels reminded me very much of Dune. For me, this was an unexpected pleasure, as Frank Herbert's famous book will always stand as a pinnacle of achievement in the sci-fi genre. Manetti pays tribute to this masterpiece, while making this work original with a storyline that bears little other resemblance to the source of its inspiration.
Thank you for reading this week's edition of What I Am Reading.
4-LAN
The Cartel
struggled initially with the archaic and formal language used in this book, but soon got used to it, and finally accepted it as part of the story. That being said, this book is very well written by an author who is obviously passionate about the main character, Lilian. She is likable, and so is Lucius, regardless of being Lilian's 'owner/ruler/lover...'. Even tough Lilian comes across as naive, she is intelligent and sharp, and because she will always carry the weight of her father's sins, there is more to her than the continuous internal reminder of what she should believe about her fate. She seems oblivious to how much she is sought after and resented at the same time, and this makes for exciting reading.
Even though Lilian's sexual encounters with Lucius were as hot as hell, they became slightly repetitive.
All in all, this is an exciting book, and I will definitely be reading the sequal. If you like steamed up sci-fi, this is the book for you.
Modern Mythology is a collection of fifteen imaginative stories having mythological themes and also possessing interesting mythological allusions and characters.
