The Saga of the Skolian Empire Series
The books take place in the universe of two competing interstellar empires. There are endless political intrigues, but there is also reference to some interesting physics, bio-enhancements, and of course for Catherine Asaro, romance. The various books seem to have been written in a non-chronological order so I will present them in the order that is perhaps the most chronological. The least enduring aspect of the books, and what perhaps makes them attractive to women readers, is the appearance of her characters. Most of the women are long-legged and sexy except for a few who are small and curvy. All the men are of two types, either large and muscular or tall and slender but broad-shouldered. Those that don’t fit the stereotypes are mostly bad guys. One thing that is nice is that in most (but not all) of the societies women are the persons of power. If the stereotypical appearance of characters can be overlooked, the books are always fast-moving adventures. The books follow the Ruby Dynasty and the Eubian Empire over several generations.
There are basically two interstellar empires, the Ruby Dynasty (the ancient rulers of the Skolian Empire who possess empathic and telepathic abilities but are often in conflict with the elected Assembly) and the Eubian Traders. The Eubian aristocrats, called Aristo, are genetically engineered and have no capability for compassion and have a vast slave-based empire. They derive pleasure in the form of “transcendence” through the suffering of slave empaths kidnaped from the Skolian Imperialate. There is a third group, the Allieds, who are members of the present-day Earth civilization which came to space later, although the ancestors of both the Eubian Empire and the Imperialate were brought from Earth to space by unknown space-farers about 5000 years previously. They remain a neutral party.
There are basically two interstellar empires, the Ruby Dynasty (the ancient rulers of the Skolian Empire who possess empathic and telepathic abilities but are often in conflict with the elected Assembly) and the Eubian Traders. The Eubian aristocrats, called Aristo, are genetically engineered and have no capability for compassion and have a vast slave-based empire. They derive pleasure in the form of “transcendence” through the suffering of slave empaths kidnaped from the Skolian Imperialate. There is a third group, the Allieds, who are members of the present-day Earth civilization which came to space later, although the ancestors of both the Eubian Empire and the Imperialate were brought from Earth to space by unknown space-farers about 5000 years previously. They remain a neutral party.
Skyfall
Roca, the mother by a former marriage of Kurj, the military leader of the Skolian Empire, is in hiding from her son who is trying to stop her from swaying the Assembly against war. She ends up stranded on the planet of Skyfall (locally called Lyshriol) where she meets and falls in love with another strong empath, Eldrinson, and becomes pregnant. Skyfall is a beautiful but relatively primitive society, feudal in many aspects. She and her newborn son Eldrin are forced to separate from Eldrinson by the other members of the Ruby Dynasty but of course this gets resolved later.
Schism
The novel takes place about 25 years after Skyfall. Eldrinson Valdoria and his wife Roca Skolia live happily on his homeworld Lyshriol and have ten children. All of the future stories involve these children or their children. This story is mostly about their sixth child, Sauscony (Soz) and the second child, Althor, both who become Jagernauts (bio-enhanced warriors who are empaths). They are disowned by their father because Althor helped Soz leave Skyfall against her father’s wishes. Eldrinson regrets his decision and in addition, loses his young son Shannon who runs away from the family discord. In addition Eldrinson is captured by an Aristo who tortures him so he can transcend. He WILL be saved.
The Final Key
Eldrinson eventually heals and reconciles with his daughter Soz but won’t do the same with his son Althor because of his homosexuality. There is much political and Ruby Dynasty infighting. We also follow the story of Soz’s brother Shannon becoming part of the mystic Blue Dale archers, Roca being captured by Traders, etc.
The Last Hawk
Another of Roca’s children, the Jagernaut Kelric, crash lands on the planet Coba, an isolated and forgotten planet where he ends up in jail and learns the dice game Quis which becomes important in this and later stories.. He becomes a Calani, which is a group of sequestered men who play Quis, guiding the manager (always a female) of the estate. He is chosen as a husband of various estate managers (no real choice) as he is traded from one estate to another. He becomes a major Quis player on the planet. He eventually has two children with two different wives. His health is steadily deteriorating and he knows he must leave. When a war takes place between estates he manages to to escape. This story continues in Ascendant Sun.
Primary Inversion
This story is about Soz’s life as a Jagernaut. She meets Jaibriol II, the son of the Emperor of Eube and realizes he is an empath. He hates his life among the Aristo and after he is captured by Kurj, she rescues him, faking an accident with the help of her father Eldrinson. They hide on an isolated planet, with only them, Soz's father and the Allied president having knowledge of their location and the fact they have survived.
The Radiant Seas
We follow the lives of several Ruby Dynasty members (especially Soz, Kurj and Althor) and also of main political figures from the Eubian Concord (emperor Ur Qox and his wife Viquara) during a period of nearly 18 years. There is much political angst because of the supposed deaths of Soz and Jaibriol II. In a war Kurj and Ur Qox are killed. We learn more about the Eubian Aristo through the capture of Althor. We also learn that Soz and Jaibriol have four children. Jaibriol is eventually kidnapped by the Eubians but they do not know that he was married and had children. Soz hides her children on earth and returns to Skolia as the new Imperator. She launches an attack on Eube to save her husband.
Ascendant Sun
The book begins just after Kelric has escaped the planet of Coba with an old ship. He takes a job as a tactical officer on a merchant ship but is captured by the Eubians. He becomes the slave of Tarquine Iquar, Minister of Finance. He eventually makes a bold escape which cripples his health significantly. He deactivates a captured Lock, an ancient device made by the original Ruby Empire some 5000 years ago which fell into the Eubians possession during the Radiance War. When he deactivates the mechanism he meets Jaibriol III (actually Soz’s son), the new emperor of the Eubian Empire. Jaibriol lets him go and proposes peace talks between Eube and Skolia. He manages to make it to another planet, where he meets his future wife Jeejon. Together, they are able to gain passage off world, to Earth. The book ends by Kelric reuniting with his parents on Earth.
The Quantum Rose
This takes place on a backward planet called Balumil. The main character is Kamoj Argali, the female governor of a poor province. She is engaged to Jax Ironbridge, ruler of a rich neighboring province, but she really doesn’t like him because he is cruel, having no respect for women. She feels she must marry him because that is the only way to save her people from starvation. A mysterious wealthy stranger Havyrl (Vyrl) Lionstar forces a marriage with her, and she soon starts to fall in love with her strange but kind and caring husband. Jax is angry and kidnaps her but she is eventually reunited with her husband, who turns out to be a son of Roca. He must help rescue his mother from her house arrest on Earth so she can get back to ruling the Skolian Imperialate. He takes Jax with him to ensure the safety of Kamoj.
Spherical Harmonic
Roca’s sister, Dyhianna, the wife of Eldrin, Roca’s oldest son (talk about keeping it all in the family!), is reunited with her husband who had been tortured by the Eubians and exchanged for Jaibriol III (Soz’s son–unknown by all sides). After much political and military in-fighting, she frees some family members from Allied custody, including Kelric (see Ascendant Sun). At the end unexpectedly the Skolian government is changed to a power-sharing between the Ruby Dynasty and the Assembly.
The Moon’s Shadow
This is the story of the 17-year-old Eubian Emperor Jaibriol III trying to make changes in the Eubian Empire. He must hide the fact that he is an empath descendent of the Ruby Dynasty or he will be enslaved as a provider, being constantly tortured. He marries the beatuful Finance Minister Tarquine Iquar (who had briefly held his uncle as a sexual provider). She does not “transcend” so he is safe with her, but he has many doubts about his own ability to continue the masquarade.
Diamond Star
Due in 2009
The Ruby Dice
Catch the Lightening
Althor lands on earth in an alternate reality and his ship is confiscated by the military. He is helped by Tina, a hidden empath, to regain his ship, and he takes her with him back to his reality. Before getting back home they are captured by the Aristo from whom they escape. This book, which is very different from the others in many ways, gives some background about Althor’s ancestors, who are actually Maya from Earth, relocated 5000 years previously by unknown aliens.