In Evil Times: The Imperials Saga
Author: Melinda Snodgrass
Publisher: Titan Books
ISBN: 9781783295845
Reviewed by: Sandra Scholes
The previous novel was The High Ground where the emperors' daughter, Mercedes became the first woman to be allowed to train at the elite academy, the High Ground. She has to do this if she wants to be next in line for the throne and graduate along with fellow student Tracy Belmanor.
She and Tracy have had a secret relationship right from the first novel and this time around we see them as their lives get more complicated.
Tracy is annoyed that he has graduated at a lower rank than his peers and knows Mercedes has to marry Boho Beauregard, ensuring she marries into her own class while Tracy stands no chance of marrying her. Mercedes feels her soon to be husband Boho is a passionate man in bed and soon she will be expected to have children. She dreads having to submit to him on their wedding night as if she falls pregnant, she can't do one rotation on a ship to satisfy the old guard.
Mercedes and Tracy are two different people and their love would never work out in the real world. Mercedes might be rich but has responsibilities while Tracy is poor and has the freedom to move around. This could be Romeo and Juliet in space but now Tracy realises he will never have her and worst of all can't bear to be around her.
Behind all the glamour of court life, and the darker lives of ordinary people, everyone has to be seen doing their duty. Mercedes as a wife has to bear children, ordinary unmarried women get subsidised to have children even if the church doesn't agree. The government want more children as they have to cope with the rate at which alien races are breeding. And as far as sex is concerned, rather than it be enjoyed by couples it us only seen as two partners doing their duty. If readers are wondering why the title of the novel, the story has several situations in it and characters who do cruel things to others and seem to get away with causing so much pain. The theme of men doing favours to those of higher rank to get up in station, rape, murder of innocent children and prostitution are underlying here, Snodgrass makes sure she gets her message across that though we have progressed technologically, we haven't made much progress beyond our base instincts and lusts.
The characters face just as much prejudice as in the present day, rape, homosexuality and the church being against contraception This book has its own merits as it isn't what you would call predictable. Court intrigue and plotting is a way of life for the high born This book might not look like an epic but it is in every way and can be considered very readable.
Tracy is annoyed that he has graduated at a lower rank than his peers and knows Mercedes has to marry Boho Beauregard, ensuring she marries into her own class while Tracy stands no chance of marrying her. Mercedes feels her soon to be husband Boho is a passionate man in bed and soon she will be expected to have children. She dreads having to submit to him on their wedding night as if she falls pregnant, she can't do one rotation on a ship to satisfy the old guard.
Mercedes and Tracy are two different people and their love would never work out in the real world. Mercedes might be rich but has responsibilities while Tracy is poor and has the freedom to move around. This could be Romeo and Juliet in space but now Tracy realises he will never have her and worst of all can't bear to be around her.
Behind all the glamour of court life, and the darker lives of ordinary people, everyone has to be seen doing their duty. Mercedes as a wife has to bear children, ordinary unmarried women get subsidised to have children even if the church doesn't agree. The government want more children as they have to cope with the rate at which alien races are breeding. And as far as sex is concerned, rather than it be enjoyed by couples it us only seen as two partners doing their duty. If readers are wondering why the title of the novel, the story has several situations in it and characters who do cruel things to others and seem to get away with causing so much pain. The theme of men doing favours to those of higher rank to get up in station, rape, murder of innocent children and prostitution are underlying here, Snodgrass makes sure she gets her message across that though we have progressed technologically, we haven't made much progress beyond our base instincts and lusts.
The characters face just as much prejudice as in the present day, rape, homosexuality and the church being against contraception This book has its own merits as it isn't what you would call predictable. Court intrigue and plotting is a way of life for the high born This book might not look like an epic but it is in every way and can be considered very readable.
