A novel of love, betrayal, and an opening to the stars.
The empathic Tolari of the Beta Hydri system shunned space travel for thousands of years, until one man, Farryn, the former ruler of Monralar, tried to shake his people from their isolation—tried and failed, losing his honor in the process. Now an exile, he puts his past behind him by building his own criminal empire among the colonies of Earth.
Scholar, political analyst, and one of the most powerful empathic sensitives on Tolar, Farryn’s estranged lover Sharana dares to follow him into human space, desperate to find out what has become of him, hopeful of convincing him that she never betrayed him.
Unfortunately, Earth Central Security is watching, and Sharana has no idea what she is getting herself into.
... Which I’m immediately distracted from as I found out my Farryn is a gorgeous rich brown! I love Mme. Christie! But I took my words back about Sharana not being forgiven easily as she went through things I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. And I do have horrible enemies.
I loved Neera so much that I was terrified to find out she may not be who she claims to be because this tale is filled with deception upon deception. Enough to make my lightweight self not venture out for a few months, just to avoid humanity. The tale sucked me in as I mourned characters whose loyalty made them real to me, even as I tried to figure out if Farryn was monster or angel and I think he’s where I love the most. Solidly grey.
Humans disrespect life so much that it’s so annoying and would be comical if it weren’t true. I mean, how many races have you seen hate themselves as humans do? ‘Tis bloody unbelievable! There were so many conflicting emotions and yet they all made so much sense that I couldn’t stop the mental movie.
How do 2 people who love each other this much get to this point? A point where even kindness becomes misconstrued for the worst reasons. I couldn’t stop John Mayer’s Gravity chasing its tail in my mind. I would love to read this as a comic. The imagery is so vivid that the mental movie is 2023p clear. Relief that the betrayal I feared was untrue had me laughing weakly, sagging in my chair on the heels of the most beautiful rescue ever. The most daring rescue soothed the hurt and anger I ached to unleash on Central Command ever, saving a being too intelligent for his own good and another that has kept her heart even in the face of hell. But, watching what heartbreak, loss, and love can do was delightfully staggering, as the Farryn before what I call ‘THE HEALING’, and the one after, are very different sides of the same coin and I love them both oh so dearly.
I also discovered that I not only love this kind of sci-fi but it’s called Space Opera! I am too chuffed for words as I can add another genre and hunt its tales down! Thank you, Ma’am (with my deepest bow)!
Verdict? It’s sci-fi and magic and superhuman and fantasy all wrapped in one yet none overpowering the other!
After being exiled from Tolari Space after an attempted coup, Farryn is building a new life and empire of his own in human space. But when the bond-mate he believes betrayed him comes to look for him, he needs to save her from Earth's Central Command in the person of Adeline Russell.
Sharana is a scholar and empath and makes a perfect tool for Adeline who wants to capture Farryn and learn all of the Tolari secrets.
This was a fast-paced story. However, just a trigger warning, Adeline isn't at all opposed to torture to reach her goals. There are lots of examples of Sharana being tortured throughout the story.
I enjoyed the worldbuilding in this story. The Tolari are interesting people with lots of interesting abilities including the ability to disappear. I liked the romance between Farryn and Sharana which really had to go through difficulties before things worked out.
Farryn's War is a fun space opera with great action scenes, larger-than-life characters, a fast-paced plot, and excellent writing. The story flowed and maintained my attention throughout; every time I had to put it down, I got back to it as soon as I could because I wanted to see what was going to happen next. Unlike many space operas, this book was not too long and did not drag. The romance was well handled - used as a plot driver, not over the top mushy, and explained from both partners' points of view. I also enjoyed the world building. The setting descriptions were great, and the politics of the human diaspora interesting. I would highly recommend Farryn's War to any space opera fan.
Farryn, the previous Monral, was a villainous character in the previous book The Fall. When I realized that he was the protagonist of this book, I wondered how Ms. Meierz was going to be able to redeem him. Oh, don't get me wrong. Farryn is still ambitious, still oh-so arrogant, but when he realizes that his former bond-mate, the scholar Sharana, has come after him, he is curious. When he finds out that Adeline Russell, Central Security agent (and former wife of the human ambassador to Tolar), has captured her, he resolves to rescue her--if only to kill her himself for betraying him.
This is definitely one of those novels where I get so immersed in the story that it unfolds like a movie in my mind. It was interesting to see the Tolari off their planet. Farryn is an interesting character, and I found that I liked him a lot more than I thought I would. Sharana, though she is very much a sheltered scholar, has a core of strength that keeps her from becoming a one dimensional character.
I can't wait to see what comes next out of the mind of Ms. Meierz!