by RhondaMason (Author)
Power, grace, deadliness defined. Always cunning, endlessly victorious...'One seat on the intergalactic Sakien Empire's supreme ruling body, the Council of Seven, remains unfilled: that of the Empress Apparent. The seat isn't won by votes or marriage. It's won in a tournament of ritualized combat. Now the tournament, the Empress Game, has been called and the women of the empire will stop at nothing to secure political domination for their homeworlds. Kayla Reunimon, a supreme fighter, is called by a mysterious stranger to battle it out in the arena. The battle for political power isn't contained by the tournament's ring, however. The empire's elite gather to forge, strengthen or betray alliances in a dance that will determine the fate of the empire for a generation. With the empire wracked by a rising nanovirus plague and stretched thin by an ill-advised planet-wide occupation of Ordoch in enemy territory, everything rests on the woman who rises to the top. Mason delivers an old fashioned space opera-passion, politics, and the fate of Empires hanging on the strength and courage of a single woman. You'll want to reach immediately for book two. Tanya Huff, author of a Confederation of Valor Fast, smart, complex, and fun as hell...one of the best books I've read this year. A near-perfect blend of romance, action, and interstellar politics in a well-thought-out and original universe, with a tough-as-nails heroine you can't help but root for. Rachel Bach, author of Fortune's Pawn
Format: Paperback
Pages: 352
Publisher: Titan Books
Published: 10 Jul 2015
ISBN 10: 1783295244
ISBN 13: 9781783295241
I love, love, love this book. The Empress Game has everything one could want from a space opera: complex politics, heavy thematic exploration of power and murder, some awesome hand-to-hand combat scenes, and a hell of a female protagonist. - Kirkus
The author won me over. I shall certainly be looking for the next book in the trilogy. - Manhattan Book Review
One of the most fun books I've read all year - Fangirl Nation
Will appeal to fans of The Hunger Games and Jack Campbell books - Fangtastic Books
Skillfully told. - Forces of Geek
Kayla is the kind of female character that should be celebrated in novels. She's strong, devoted, independent and intriguing. It's almost impossible not to cheer for her. - Impedimenta Magazine
A fresh and original view of an intergalactic empire. - Paper Droids
Swift, smooth writing delivers visceral adventure. - Blood Shed
I highly recommend this debut novel to all space opera fans, and even all science fiction and contemporary thriller fans. - JLGribble
Filled with strong women, fighting, and politics, this is a great novel for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in a new universe. I loved The Empress Game. - Mugglenet
I couldn't put this book down. - Destiny Falls
Once I started reading her novel I found I couldn't put it down. - Geekstronomy
This debut novel, the first volume in a trilogy, uses the backdrop of a winner-take-all female gladiatorial contest for the hand of a prince and a seat on the Galactic Ruling Council to tell a story that's full of political intrigue, corrupt government officials, lost princesses, and unethical scientific experimentation. The forces who think they are good start by cheating--they get a fighting machine body double for their preferred candidate, not realizing that she is the lost princess of a conquered planet. Kayla Reunimon (aka Shadow Panthe) doesn't share their agenda, but the secret that she would kill for or die to keep throws the group's plans into chaos. Her aim is to fight, win, and escape, and she doesn't understand that the best thing she can do to save her people is to continue this charade for the rest of her life. VERDICT This surprisingly complex political and personal narrative is slow to take off, but once it does, the plots, counterplot, and cheating will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Kayla's complicated loyalties make her an intriguing heroine, and her layered story keeps the reader guessing until the very end. Recommended for space opera and sf romance fans. - Library Journal Review
Mason delivers an old fashioned space opera -- passion, politics, and the fate of Empires hanging on the strength and courage of a single woman. You'll want to reach immediately for book two. Tanya Huff, author of A Confederation of Valor
Fast, smart, complex, and fun as hell... one of the best books I've read this year. A near-perfect blend of romance, action, and interstellar politics in a well-thought-out and original universe with a tough-as-nails heroine you can't help but root for. Rachel Bach, author of Fortune's Pawn
A wild ride. The author keeps the reader guessing and just when things seem impossible, more challenges are presented. Kayla is a likeable and exciting heroine and the book was a real pleasure to read. - SF Reader
All in all, the Empress Game is the book of the summer!...if I could give the book more than five stars, I would. - Open Book Society
Sophisticated space opera. Psi powers. Holographic princess impersonation. Badass female protagonists who display said badassery in the physical AND political arenas. What else could you possibly ask for? - The Book Smugglers
The Empress Game...is space opera done right, powered by impressively complex world-building and an intriguing and endearing heroine. - Barnes & Noble
The novel really shines when the fists and the knives come out. - Skiffy and Fanty