Review: One of my favorite authors.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 22, 2013
I am certainly a fan of Chrystalla Thoma's books. Here is what I wrote about the first in the series, the first in this box set:In Rex Rising, Chrystalla Thoma posits a narrow society of seven islands in which parasites dominate the lives of two sharply divided social classes. One is the Gultur, a ruling class or gorgeous, merciless females controlled by the parasite Regina (Latin for Queen) and uninterested in relationships or sexuality. The Gultur have total control over the class of normal people, who are denied ready access to water, food, and key technologies, and must scramble to survive even in crowded urban areas.Young protagonist Elei begins this novel bleeding and on the run, controlled by parasites that war with each other inside his body, chased by the Gultur and not sure why. An old woman who cared for him was shot dead after shooting him first. But why? The novel's goal is to unfold the answers to these questions.The central concept of this book, the main source of science in the fiction, is that parasites both sicken people and give them special powers, all the while ruling their behavior. Along with this concept is a well-drawn depiction of a painfully dystopian society in which the ruling class withholds water, creating a despicably hardscrabble existence for the population. This is upsetting to read (in a good way). Will the rising of Rex (yes, the title makes sense) relieve the suffering? Sorry, no spoilers here.Rex Rising has a very small cast of characters. Elei and a big-brother figure, Kalaes, get developed in the most detail, while their allies, Maera (Kalaes' girlfriend) and Hera (a powerful but elusive spy) could be explored more than they are. The villainous Gultur remain a monolithic Other, with no strongly drawn individual villain to represent them in the conflict. All the elements in the book are so burgeoning with narrative potential that the novel functions like the two-hour pilot of a TV series, giving you the basis for many adventures to come. Also like TV show structure, the book alternates between rest and action, but the action constantly interrupts the rest, allowing the cast strikingly little down time.The fast pace of the book kept me reading. I finished it eager for more information and explanation, which the series continues to provide.