Ruthro Kassem was born to rule in a world that didn’t have any use for the likes of him. Until faith, ambition and insanity threw that world into chaos. The Federation, an alliance binding hundreds of colonies and four planetary systems, is in turmoil. Corruption is endemic, alien populations chafe under human rule, mutants are the target of increasingly violent persecution. Kassem has little interest in politics. He's twenty-one, rich, of aristocrat lineage and about to enter the prestigious military academy - a must for the elite. He's very gifted at science and a few other things that he'd rather keep under wraps. Is he a victim of family circumstance? Of odd encounters? Of an irresistible urge to explore the limits of his talents? In any case, Kassem will soon be embroiled in a deadly race for power. There is a crown at stake and the fight will be to the death. Elymore is volume 1 of the Savage Crown series. The story continues in volume 2: Solitaire Plaza.
M.E. Proctor was born in Brussels and lives in Texas. She’s currently working on a contemporary PI series. The first book in the series, Love You Till Tuesday, is out from Shotgun Honey Books. Her short story collection Family and Other Ailments (from Wordwooze Publishing) is available in all the usual places. Her short fiction has appeared in Vautrin, Bristol Noir, Pulp Modern, Mystery Tribune, Reckon Review, Shotgun Honey, and Thriller Magazine among others. She’s a Derringer nominee. Website: www.shawmystery.com
Ruthro was a character I struggled to like at first. He’s arrogant and his good qualities are few, but as the novel progresses, you find yourself rooting for him in a universe full of intrigue and corruption. For fans of blended sci-fi/fantasy, this is a great book.