The Sardonyx Net

Trigger Alert - Torture, Sadism, Themes of Incest

And yet somehow, with a book that opens with the main character undergoing horrifying, sadistic torture at the hands of another main character, I was pulled into the world of this book. Or the otherworld, as the case may be. On the world of Chabad, in the Sardonyx Sector, Dana Ikoro tries to smuggle the illegal drug dorazine and is captured. Instead of a court and trial, he is handed over to Zed, scion of the Yago family, who run the illegal trade of dorazine as a drug to clear the minds and emotions of the vast network of slaves traded on Chabad every year. For Dana, his adventure has just begun.

Dana becomes the pilot and slave for the head of the Yago family, Rhani, older sister to Zed show more and Zed's first love interest. It is never explicit whether they engaged in physical incest, but the passion the two siblings felt for each other was never in question. When their mother finds them in the garden as teenagers, she suddenly separates them for the next few years and as a result, Zed's love for his sister becomes a sick and twisted sadism.

The story is gripping and told without shame or apology. Which, given the social standing of the Yago family on this world and the wealth and power they represent, is understandable. Dana finds himself a member of this household, all too aware that any infraction he makes in his new-found role will result in another round of torture. And he undertakes his new duties, becomes Rhani's bodyguard, and does everything he can to survive on a barren, treeless world where even the fruit has to be brought in by ship transport.

Again, the themes are harrowing, though they are an undercurrent to the book, and Lynn is such a brilliant writer that the story, and Dana's survival, are the main focus of this book. show less

Definitely a half-full, half-empty book. How you rate this will depend on whether you focus on its weaknesses or strengths. The weaknesses include (1) a deadly boring opening chapter that sets up the main characters: Dana, the low-rent smuggling Starcaptain, Rhani, the naive rich slave-owning mistress of the House of Yago on the planet Chabad, and Zed, her sadistic slave-capturing incestuous brother (2) that cast of characters! (3) an abrupt shift in the final chapters to some very weakly motivated plot mechanics. The strengths are in the primary center of the book, beginning with Dana's torture and mental subjugation by Zed, followed by his life as a slave and sex-toy / lover? to Rhani, and his involvement with but ambivalence towards show more the those attempting to overthrow the slave economy on Chabad. As soon as this story begins, the emotions and characterizations are light-years better than the opening chapter. The debate on slavery is also far more nuanced than most SF tackling this topic. Dana does not join the anti-slavery movement. Members of that movement are often criminal in their behavior and on the "other side" as far as plot goes. The model of slavery is time-limited, e.g., ten years, only applied as a criminal sentence, and drugs limit misery. The fundamental evils of the system are portrayed in small scenes, conversations, and reflections.

Recommended but you might hate it. You might throw it across the room. You might be right. But don't give up on it in the early setup chapters. Give it a good 100 pages and then decide. show less

Dana Ikoro is a Starcaptain who is stuggling to make ends meet. So he decides to smuggle dorazine into the Sardonyx system to get much-needed funds. Thus, he is quite upset when he discovers that some other smuggler picked up his shipment before he did. He follows her to the planet of Chabad which is the prime market for dorazine. Chabad's economic system depends on slave labour and the dorazine is used to keep the slaves happy. However, dorazine is illegal and the Federation police have been cracking down on smugglers. Even though Dana doesn't have any dorazine his cooler is proof enough of his intent and he is arrested, convicted and sold as a slave to Zed Yago, the commander of the Sardonyx Net. The Sardonyx Net is the ship used to show more transport convicted felons from other planets to Chabad to be sold as slaves. Zed is a sadist who finds sexual gratification in torturing the prisoners so this is the perfect position for him. He brings Dana home with him for his sister, Rhani, who needs a pilot during the months he is away on the Net. Rhani also needs a bodyguard because she has been receiving threats from a group who is opposed to the slavery system. The book explores the relationships between these three main characters and the consequences of an economic system based on slavery. Zed is an interesting character although thoroughly unlikeable. Dana is not as interesting but he is decent. Rhani is something of a conundrum. She seems kind and thoughtful of others but she is also responsible for providing slaves for the planet and obtaining the drug that makes the system run. As well, she is aware of her brother's proclivities and does little to stop him.

The ending seems like there might be a sequel but I gather there is not one. Apparently Lynn suffered writer's block shortly after she wrote this book and didn't write for 15 years or so. show less

Started this but couldn't get very far. Initially, I found it very boring and then realised that it is about a planet, Chadbad, where slavery is the basis of society and is enforced by keeping the slaves drugged. The 'justification' is that they are criminals. Dana is a space captain who is trying to make some illicit money by smuggling the drug used to dope the slaves: another space captain steals it and he goes to Chadbad, centre of the slave trade, to try to get it back but is caught and becomes the slave of the sadistic Zed Yago, head of a leading family and a man with a lot of power. His sister Rhani has a more humane attitude to slaves but sees nothing immoral in turning a blind eye to her brother's torture of slaves or trying to show more get the formula for the drug so that her family can control the supply. Basically everyone in the book is on a sliding scale of criminality and even the organisation that opposes slavery is, from a flick through the rest of the book, controlled by someone who has his own agenda rather than having any moral concerns about the welfare of slaves. Apparently Rhani eventually has a relationship with Dana and he does finally regain his freedom, but to do it has to save Zed despite what Zed has subjected him to. Couldn't face reading over 400 pages of this so gave up which is something I seldom do with books. show less

This book is a meditation of the effects of sexual abuse on an adult male prisoner. It's set in an interesting science fictional world, but it's the relationship between the victim and his abuser that really sticks in your mind