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Captain
Jeena Garza is more than just career military; until the age of thirty her
service is her life. She is an officer in the Star Corps and a member of an
elite SAG unit in the Union forces, but all that changes when she is taken
prisoner by enemy Coalition forces. Abused and violated for months at a prison
on Mizar 3, a Union raid on the facility allows her to escape, stealing a
smuggler's transport amid the confusion.
Plotting
a course to Earth, Jeena instead ends up on planet Ararat, a zed-tech rated
colony world populated officially by two diametrically opposed groups of
religious extremists. The Babylonians just wish to be left in peace to practice
their openly sensual beliefs; the Afridi—an extremist group of Judaslam—lead by
Jacob and a militant force called the Rosh-dan want to convert the infidels…and
appropriate their land, not to mention the whole of the planet.
But Ararat has many secrets, as does Jeena, not the least of which is Samson, a
tigra cub she has raise since killing his mother in self-defense, teaching him
language and self-awareness. Little does she know that Samson and his kind are
all that remain of an advanced civilization that had once populated the planet.
Soon Jeena and Samson are caught up in a religious jihad that will not only
decide the fate of a planet, but completely alter the perception of the
universe.
Overall,
Tigra is an enjoyable read set in a
complex universe with a wealth of diverse characters to populate it. However, while
I found this novel engaging and fairly well written, there are some aspects of
it that detracted from my focus. Primarily, the sharp delineation between the
cultures, particularly in the way the dialects were depicted, was jarring when
you had representatives of two or three groups interacting. More cultural diversity
in the societies and the day-to-day existence that was the backdrop for the
storyline would have been appreciated as well; occasionally—primarily in the
beginning of the work—individuals or groups came across as somewhat two-dimensional.
However, the skill of the author is such that the plot of the story engaged me
and carried me along past any minor annoyances in the story.
I
would recommend this as a casual read with a score of 7.5 out of 10. The
military aspects of the novel were well-depicted, if a little one-sided at
times, showing some understanding of the military mindset, procedure, and
strategy.
"Bob"
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FTC 16 CFR Part 255 Discloser:
Solicited by the author, with no compensation beyond a review copy of the book.
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