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Saga of the Skolian Empire #5
Ascendant Sun
Ascendant Sun is the direct sequel to The Last Hawk, in which Kelric, heir to the Skolian Empire, crash-landed his fighter on the Restricted planet of Coba. He was imprisoned by the powerful mistresses of the great estates—women who, over time, fell in love with him. After 18 years of living in their gilded cage, Kelric finally made his escape.
In Ascendant Sun, Kelric returns to Skolian space, only to find the Empire in control of the Allied forces of Earth—thanks to the upheaval of the Radiance War. With little more than the clothes on his back, Kelric is forced to take work on a merchant vessel. But when that vessel enters Euban space, Kelric finds his worst nightmare realized: he becomes a slave to the cruel Aristos—who subject slaves to torture and sex to provide their ultimate telepathic emotional drug.
In Ascendant Sun, Kelric returns to Skolian space, only to find the Empire in control of the Allied forces of Earth—thanks to the upheaval of the Radiance War. With little more than the clothes on his back, Kelric is forced to take work on a merchant vessel. But when that vessel enters Euban space, Kelric finds his worst nightmare realized: he becomes a slave to the cruel Aristos—who subject slaves to torture and sex to provide their ultimate telepathic emotional drug.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
13 people are currently reading
371 people want to read
About the author
Catherine Asaro
94 books700 followersThe author of more than twenty-five books, Catherine Asaro is acclaimed for her Ruby Dynasty series, which combines adventure, science, romance and fast-paced action. Her novel The Quantum Rose won the Nebula® Award, as did her novella “The Spacetime Pool.” Among her many other distinctions, she is a multiple winner of the AnLab from Analog magazine and a three time recipient of the RT BOOKClub Award for “Best Science Fiction Novel.” Her most recent novel, Carnelians, came out in October, 2011. An anthology of her short fiction titled Aurora in Four Voices is available from ISFiC Press in hardcover, and her multiple award-winning novella “The City of Cries” is also available as an eBook for Kindle and Nook.
Catherine has two music CD’s out and she is currently working on her third. The first, Diamond Star, is the soundtrack for her novel of the same name, performed with the rock band, Point Valid. She appears as a vocalist at cons, clubs, and other venues in the US and abroad, including recently as the Guest of Honor at the Denmark and New Zealand National Science Fiction Conventions. She performs selections from her work in a multimedia project that mixes literature, dance, and music with Greg Adams as her accompanist. She is also a theoretical physicist with a PhD in Chemical Physics from Harvard, and a jazz and ballet dancer. Visit her at www.facebook.com/Catherine.Asaro
Catherine has two music CD’s out and she is currently working on her third. The first, Diamond Star, is the soundtrack for her novel of the same name, performed with the rock band, Point Valid. She appears as a vocalist at cons, clubs, and other venues in the US and abroad, including recently as the Guest of Honor at the Denmark and New Zealand National Science Fiction Conventions. She performs selections from her work in a multimedia project that mixes literature, dance, and music with Greg Adams as her accompanist. She is also a theoretical physicist with a PhD in Chemical Physics from Harvard, and a jazz and ballet dancer. Visit her at www.facebook.com/Catherine.Asaro
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
February 12, 2021
Meh, I dislike how this book treats Enslaved Folks.
It really brought home for me how uncomfortable the portrayal of Enslaved Folks in this feels not just in this particular book but in this series a whole.
I think it's more obvious in this book because of the experiences of Kelric.
Enslaved Folks as a group can best be characterized as an ingenue: innocent, naïve and in most cases intelligent but unbelievably & unrealistically ignorant. The Enslaved characters largely exist as extensions of their owners and are treated as such in the books. Most especially if they born into this of parents who have been enslaved as well.
Pains are taken to distinguish between Skolians & even Allieds, who are unfit for slavery and those born into it who are innocent & ignorant to fight back.
As the descendant of Enslaved peoples I'm insulted at this literary oversight. This author should've done research on how societies with large Enslaved populations behave.
The reality is that pretty much all modern music in the USA and even abroad is the product of Enslaved West Africans from Jazz to Rap to Rock and Roll to Country.
The West African Diaspora hid their religions from home in the religion forced upon by their captors/enslavers.
Everything from style, to speech, to dance no part of western culture has not been influenced by not just West Africans but Asians and Indigenous Peoples of the Americas.
That's kinda missing and this view of slavery is presented more like certain folks tend to view those who were enslaved under the 'lost cause' narrative.
I'm sure none of that is intended by the author and there is a lot of story here and I think she chose to develop other aspects of her worldbuilding. I think this suffers from inattention and not malice.
Still it grates.
There's never been slavery without resistance and mass revolts.
I know it's set in space and the future but fucking yikes
Review from 2018:
This is a significant improvement over the first installment in Kelric's story, The Last Hawk. Kelric is an interesting character. In many ways he reminds me of a softer version of Soz. That said I'm uncomfortable with the way slavery and the suggestion that an Enslaved person could consent to sex with a person holding them in captivity is uncomfortable. Otherwise I think this installment in the saga.
It really brought home for me how uncomfortable the portrayal of Enslaved Folks in this feels not just in this particular book but in this series a whole.
I think it's more obvious in this book because of the experiences of Kelric.
Enslaved Folks as a group can best be characterized as an ingenue: innocent, naïve and in most cases intelligent but unbelievably & unrealistically ignorant. The Enslaved characters largely exist as extensions of their owners and are treated as such in the books. Most especially if they born into this of parents who have been enslaved as well.
Pains are taken to distinguish between Skolians & even Allieds, who are unfit for slavery and those born into it who are innocent & ignorant to fight back.
As the descendant of Enslaved peoples I'm insulted at this literary oversight. This author should've done research on how societies with large Enslaved populations behave.
The reality is that pretty much all modern music in the USA and even abroad is the product of Enslaved West Africans from Jazz to Rap to Rock and Roll to Country.
The West African Diaspora hid their religions from home in the religion forced upon by their captors/enslavers.
Everything from style, to speech, to dance no part of western culture has not been influenced by not just West Africans but Asians and Indigenous Peoples of the Americas.
That's kinda missing and this view of slavery is presented more like certain folks tend to view those who were enslaved under the 'lost cause' narrative.
I'm sure none of that is intended by the author and there is a lot of story here and I think she chose to develop other aspects of her worldbuilding. I think this suffers from inattention and not malice.
Still it grates.
There's never been slavery without resistance and mass revolts.
I know it's set in space and the future but fucking yikes
Review from 2018:
This is a significant improvement over the first installment in Kelric's story, The Last Hawk. Kelric is an interesting character. In many ways he reminds me of a softer version of Soz. That said I'm uncomfortable with the way slavery and the suggestion that an Enslaved person could consent to sex with a person holding them in captivity is uncomfortable. Otherwise I think this installment in the saga.
January 16, 2024
01/16/2024 Notes:
Currently on Audible Plus
Reading in Publication Order
Thus far, the most uncomfortable book of the series. Kelric did not feel so unformed as he did in this story. I felt angry, offended and annoyed by the decisions he made and the horrible things that happened to him. Majority of the plot shows the darker side of sex slaves and the owners.
The fun parts have to do with the expansive story world, mix of tech & psionics and depictions of AI/tech/bio meld.
Currently on Audible Plus
Reading in Publication Order
Thus far, the most uncomfortable book of the series. Kelric did not feel so unformed as he did in this story. I felt angry, offended and annoyed by the decisions he made and the horrible things that happened to him. Majority of the plot shows the darker side of sex slaves and the owners.
The fun parts have to do with the expansive story world, mix of tech & psionics and depictions of AI/tech/bio meld.
April 24, 2020
3.5/5
https://delivreenlivres.home.blog/202...
Un nouveau tome, un nouveau frère. Encore une fois un tome plus ou moins indépendant des précédents, même si celui ci se rapproche plus du T2 et de l’intrigue principale que le précédent.
Il est a noter aussi que ce tome est en fait la suite d’un autre, non traduit, qui racontait le reste de la vie du héros, qui ne nous ai donné que par bribes pas souvent très claires ici (difficile des fois de reconstituer le puzzle de son passé, même si ce n’est pas essentiel pour vraiment comprendre celui ci)
Dans ce tome ci on suis Kelric, le frère de Soz et de Vril qu’on avait suivi dans les 3 premiers tomes.
Le pauvre homme a déjà eu une vie difficile. En effet il sort de 18 années de captivités dans une société matriarcale ou les hommes ne sont que des possessions de leurs femme comme des meubles. Il a été la propriété de plusieurs femmes successivement, et a vraiment aimé la dernière qui tentait de changer la société en le considérant comme un égal.
A cause de ça il refuse de retirer les bracelets de servitude qu’il avait quand il était son mari.
En plus de ça, ces 18 années l’ont rongé de l’intérieur car l’atmosphère de la planète en question contenait du chlore, un élément qui fini par détériorer ses nanobots chargés d’entretenir son corps et de le faire vivre plus longtemps. Les siens sont tellement affectés qu’ils détruisent maintenant progressivement son organisme au lieu de le réparer.
Il souffre aussi d’une détérioration mentale qui l’empêche d’utiliser ses pouvoirs psions et d’utiliser le réseau.
Heureusement (si on veut) que ledit réseau a été détruit suites aux événements des tomes précédents donc il ne risque rien sur ce point.
Quand il arrive enfin dans l’empire Skolien, il ne comprend plus rien. En effet la planète ou il était était totalement isolée et centrée sur elle même (politique skolienne d’indépendance des peuples, si ils le veulent), du coup il ne connait rien des événements de ses 18 dernières années.
Il est donc sidéré de voir les changements.
Quand il réalise qu’il est le dernier héritier et par conséquent l’empereur, il prend peur. Il est loin d’être en forme, limite mourant en fait, donc il ne serait pas difficile pour quelqu’un de le prendre en otage, ou le vendre aux Aristos (les ennemis de l’empire qui utilisent les psions comme esclaves).
La question est donc : que faire? Il aimerait bien trouver une base des Jaggernautes, seul endroit ou il pourrait se débarrasser de ses nanobots encombrants pour en remettre des neufs, mais il semble n’en avoir nulle part à proximité, maintenant que l’empire c’est effondré.
Du coup quand on lui propose pour un prix astronomique de devenir membre d’équipage à bord d’un navire qui va voyager vers les restes de leurs ennemis, il accepte. L’argent lui permettra de se payer des voyages vers d’autres planètes Skoliennes pour trouver la base qu’il cherche.
En plus il est curieux de voir ce qui se passe de l’autre coté, vu que leur empire c’est aussi effondré dans la guerre de la Radiance …
****
Dans l’ensemble j’ai bien aimé ce tome, plus que le premier et le troisième, mais moins que le second à cause d’un problème récurant dans le tome.
Les cotés politiques, chemin semé d’embûches pour un personnage qui finalement essaye juste de s’en sortir vivant à chaque fois, comme dans le second tome, mon préféré de la saga pour l’instant, étaient vraiment à mon gout.
Mais le problème est que si le fait de suivre un homme réduit à son physique par toutes les femmes qu’il rencontre était peut être super original dans les années 90, maintenant ça l’est bien moins.
Surtout que finalement il subit vraiment pas mal de ce qu’on qualifierait sans problème de « viol » maintenant. Qu’il soit excité (chimiquement ou parce qu’il n’a rien contre celle avec qui il est) n’excuse pas le fait que l’acte ai lieu alors qu’il ne le souhaitait pas.
Lui n’y voit pas spécialement de problème (même si il aimerais que ça cesse, il en a marre sur le coté « long terme »), et oublie facilement ces passages. Mais c’est surtout parce qu’il en a subit pas mal avant, rien que par son premier mariage forcé politique instauré par ses propres parents. Sa vie entière a été rythmé par le fait qu’il change de compagne sans le décider lui même, vendu comme un bien.
C’est un survivant au final. Mais je trouve que ça n’excuse pas le fait qu’il y ai plusieurs scène explicites de viol dans le livre. Et surtout une en particulier qui ne sert strictement à rien si ce n’est à faire du « fan service » à la limite de l’humiliation qui m’a mise extrêmement mal à l’aise.
Le personnage est plus acceptant de la situation que moi en tout cas, ça c’est clair !
Des sujets difficiles sont donc abordés dans ce tome, sous couvert d’aventure et d’intrigue politique. Et pas toujours de façon que je qualifierais d’intelligente, malheureusement. Surtout que le sujet est sensible, donc suivant la sensibilité du lecteur il pourra vraiment choquer.
En fait je pense que cette façon d’aborder la chose fait très années 90. De nos jours aucun auteur ne se permettrait de faire les choses de cette façon légère, limite comme si ça n’avait pas d’importance.
Au final si on exclu ce gros problème la, on dira que j’ai été contente de retrouver l’intrigue principale qui me plaisait tant dans les deux premiers tomes de la série. Malheureusement je n’ai pas trouvé le traitement de fond bien fait.
https://delivreenlivres.home.blog/202...
Un nouveau tome, un nouveau frère. Encore une fois un tome plus ou moins indépendant des précédents, même si celui ci se rapproche plus du T2 et de l’intrigue principale que le précédent.
Il est a noter aussi que ce tome est en fait la suite d’un autre, non traduit, qui racontait le reste de la vie du héros, qui ne nous ai donné que par bribes pas souvent très claires ici (difficile des fois de reconstituer le puzzle de son passé, même si ce n’est pas essentiel pour vraiment comprendre celui ci)
Dans ce tome ci on suis Kelric, le frère de Soz et de Vril qu’on avait suivi dans les 3 premiers tomes.
Le pauvre homme a déjà eu une vie difficile. En effet il sort de 18 années de captivités dans une société matriarcale ou les hommes ne sont que des possessions de leurs femme comme des meubles. Il a été la propriété de plusieurs femmes successivement, et a vraiment aimé la dernière qui tentait de changer la société en le considérant comme un égal.
A cause de ça il refuse de retirer les bracelets de servitude qu’il avait quand il était son mari.
En plus de ça, ces 18 années l’ont rongé de l’intérieur car l’atmosphère de la planète en question contenait du chlore, un élément qui fini par détériorer ses nanobots chargés d’entretenir son corps et de le faire vivre plus longtemps. Les siens sont tellement affectés qu’ils détruisent maintenant progressivement son organisme au lieu de le réparer.
Il souffre aussi d’une détérioration mentale qui l’empêche d’utiliser ses pouvoirs psions et d’utiliser le réseau.
Heureusement (si on veut) que ledit réseau a été détruit suites aux événements des tomes précédents donc il ne risque rien sur ce point.
Quand il arrive enfin dans l’empire Skolien, il ne comprend plus rien. En effet la planète ou il était était totalement isolée et centrée sur elle même (politique skolienne d’indépendance des peuples, si ils le veulent), du coup il ne connait rien des événements de ses 18 dernières années.
Il est donc sidéré de voir les changements.
Quand il réalise qu’il est le dernier héritier et par conséquent l’empereur, il prend peur. Il est loin d’être en forme, limite mourant en fait, donc il ne serait pas difficile pour quelqu’un de le prendre en otage, ou le vendre aux Aristos (les ennemis de l’empire qui utilisent les psions comme esclaves).
La question est donc : que faire? Il aimerait bien trouver une base des Jaggernautes, seul endroit ou il pourrait se débarrasser de ses nanobots encombrants pour en remettre des neufs, mais il semble n’en avoir nulle part à proximité, maintenant que l’empire c’est effondré.
Du coup quand on lui propose pour un prix astronomique de devenir membre d’équipage à bord d’un navire qui va voyager vers les restes de leurs ennemis, il accepte. L’argent lui permettra de se payer des voyages vers d’autres planètes Skoliennes pour trouver la base qu’il cherche.
En plus il est curieux de voir ce qui se passe de l’autre coté, vu que leur empire c’est aussi effondré dans la guerre de la Radiance …
****
Dans l’ensemble j’ai bien aimé ce tome, plus que le premier et le troisième, mais moins que le second à cause d’un problème récurant dans le tome.
Les cotés politiques, chemin semé d’embûches pour un personnage qui finalement essaye juste de s’en sortir vivant à chaque fois, comme dans le second tome, mon préféré de la saga pour l’instant, étaient vraiment à mon gout.
Mais le problème est que si le fait de suivre un homme réduit à son physique par toutes les femmes qu’il rencontre était peut être super original dans les années 90, maintenant ça l’est bien moins.
Surtout que finalement il subit vraiment pas mal de ce qu’on qualifierait sans problème de « viol » maintenant. Qu’il soit excité (chimiquement ou parce qu’il n’a rien contre celle avec qui il est) n’excuse pas le fait que l’acte ai lieu alors qu’il ne le souhaitait pas.
Lui n’y voit pas spécialement de problème (même si il aimerais que ça cesse, il en a marre sur le coté « long terme »), et oublie facilement ces passages. Mais c’est surtout parce qu’il en a subit pas mal avant, rien que par son premier mariage forcé politique instauré par ses propres parents. Sa vie entière a été rythmé par le fait qu’il change de compagne sans le décider lui même, vendu comme un bien.
C’est un survivant au final. Mais je trouve que ça n’excuse pas le fait qu’il y ai plusieurs scène explicites de viol dans le livre. Et surtout une en particulier qui ne sert strictement à rien si ce n’est à faire du « fan service » à la limite de l’humiliation qui m’a mise extrêmement mal à l’aise.
Le personnage est plus acceptant de la situation que moi en tout cas, ça c’est clair !
Des sujets difficiles sont donc abordés dans ce tome, sous couvert d’aventure et d’intrigue politique. Et pas toujours de façon que je qualifierais d’intelligente, malheureusement. Surtout que le sujet est sensible, donc suivant la sensibilité du lecteur il pourra vraiment choquer.
En fait je pense que cette façon d’aborder la chose fait très années 90. De nos jours aucun auteur ne se permettrait de faire les choses de cette façon légère, limite comme si ça n’avait pas d’importance.
Au final si on exclu ce gros problème la, on dira que j’ai été contente de retrouver l’intrigue principale qui me plaisait tant dans les deux premiers tomes de la série. Malheureusement je n’ai pas trouvé le traitement de fond bien fait.
October 20, 2012
Hearing that Kelric was going to end up as a provider I kept thinking, hasn't the man suffered enough? I liked how everything ended up working but I so wanted him to realize that Jaibriol III is Saus's son.
April 7, 2015
Ascendant Sun (2000) 365 pages by Catherine Asaro.
Kelric crash landed on Coba 18 years ago (story told in The Last Hawk) with no contact with outside civilization and presumed dead for all that time. He escapes Coba and arrives on the planet of Edgewhirl to find that the Allieds have a major presence and that Skolians and Traders are coexisting in the same city. He learns of the Radiance war his mother and father being "protected" on Earth, the rest of the Ruby dynasty either dead or on Lyshriol which was also under Allied protection. If you read Radiant Seas you know what happened, if not you're getting caught up on events along with Kelric.
The psiberweb was down. It had been powered by three Locks and a Triad of Rhon psions called keys. Dehya the assembly key, Kurj the military key and Eldri the web key. Control of the psiberweb gave the Skolian an advantage of instant communication allowing them to balance the superior forces of the Traders. The war had decimated the military forces on both sides. The Traders had captured one of the Locks. Kurj and Dehya were dead, Eldri trapped on Earth. Now the fear is that the Traders have a Lock and have captured a member of the Ruby dynasty that could act as a key. If Kelric could get back to a Skolian base he would be the imperator.
Showing his true identity would mean certain death or worse for Kelric so he has no special resources other than his good looks and Rhon ability. The economy being destabilized by the war and now billions of refugees. Plus Kelric isn't in tip top shape the food and air on Coba had degraded nanobots that slow down his aging.
The story follows Kelric the entire time. Action, fight sequences, chases, escapes, encounters with beautiful women, erotic scenes, and never really a chance to rest and recuperate. It was a very quick read. Very enjoyable. I suggest reading at least Primary Inversion, The Radiant Seas first. The Last Hawk, too, to have references to Ixpar and quis/quis dice to mean more, but you could read it stand alone.
Kelric crash landed on Coba 18 years ago (story told in The Last Hawk) with no contact with outside civilization and presumed dead for all that time. He escapes Coba and arrives on the planet of Edgewhirl to find that the Allieds have a major presence and that Skolians and Traders are coexisting in the same city. He learns of the Radiance war his mother and father being "protected" on Earth, the rest of the Ruby dynasty either dead or on Lyshriol which was also under Allied protection. If you read Radiant Seas you know what happened, if not you're getting caught up on events along with Kelric.
The psiberweb was down. It had been powered by three Locks and a Triad of Rhon psions called keys. Dehya the assembly key, Kurj the military key and Eldri the web key. Control of the psiberweb gave the Skolian an advantage of instant communication allowing them to balance the superior forces of the Traders. The war had decimated the military forces on both sides. The Traders had captured one of the Locks. Kurj and Dehya were dead, Eldri trapped on Earth. Now the fear is that the Traders have a Lock and have captured a member of the Ruby dynasty that could act as a key. If Kelric could get back to a Skolian base he would be the imperator.
Showing his true identity would mean certain death or worse for Kelric so he has no special resources other than his good looks and Rhon ability. The economy being destabilized by the war and now billions of refugees. Plus Kelric isn't in tip top shape the food and air on Coba had degraded nanobots that slow down his aging.
The story follows Kelric the entire time. Action, fight sequences, chases, escapes, encounters with beautiful women, erotic scenes, and never really a chance to rest and recuperate. It was a very quick read. Very enjoyable. I suggest reading at least Primary Inversion, The Radiant Seas first. The Last Hawk, too, to have references to Ixpar and quis/quis dice to mean more, but you could read it stand alone.
January 23, 2016
I keep working through Catherine Asaro’s SKOLIAN EMPIRE series. I keep expecting to love the next book, but here I am on book five and it’s still not working for me.
Ascendant Sun is a sequel to The Radiant Seas and a direct sequel to The Last Hawk which, frankly, I didn’t like. The Last Hawk was about Kelric, a prince of the Skolian Empire, who crash-landed and was held prisoner for 18 years on a planet with a matriarchal society. I didn’t believe in the society and I didn’t believe in Kelric’s reaction to it. Ascendant Sun, which picks up where The Last Hawk left off, i... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
Ascendant Sun is a sequel to The Radiant Seas and a direct sequel to The Last Hawk which, frankly, I didn’t like. The Last Hawk was about Kelric, a prince of the Skolian Empire, who crash-landed and was held prisoner for 18 years on a planet with a matriarchal society. I didn’t believe in the society and I didn’t believe in Kelric’s reaction to it. Ascendant Sun, which picks up where The Last Hawk left off, i... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
June 20, 2015
review coming soon at www.fantasyliterature.com
June 30, 2021
Ascendant sun, tome 5 de la Saga de l'empire Skolian
Lu en anglais
Kelric, le plus jeune de la dynastie Rubis de l'empire Skolian, présumé mort depuis 18 ans, a enfin réussi à s'échapper de la planète Coba, une planète isolée, où il était en esclavage dans une culture matriarcale.
Après 18 ans, les choses ont bien changé. La guerre de la Radiance a mis à genoux les empire ennemis SKolian et Trader. Les mondes alliés, ralliés autour de La Terre, en ont donc profité. Si ce n'était que cela, mais Kelric est très mal en point; il a subi des dommages génétiques sur Coba. Mais, aussi, comme c'est un Jagernaut, un militaire d'élite Skolian, il a été augmenté avec une myriade de composants biotechniques qui se sont dégradés ce qui nécessite une intervention dans un des postes militaires les plus secrets de Skolia. En plus, c'est un mutant Rho de très haut niveau, empathe et télépathe, un des rares capables de faire fonctionner le réseau Psi des Skolians, qui n'est plus fonctionnel depuis la Radiance. Or, Les Traders ont réussi à capturer une clé Psi et un mutant Rho Sklian, le frère de Kelric, ce qui pourrait leur permettre de prendre un énorme avantage sur toutes les forces en présences, dont l'empire Skolia.
Son objectif : Essayer à tout prix de libérer son frère et d'inactiver la clé Psi, malgré la dégradation croissante de sa santé qui le rapproche de la mort.
Très prometteur, mais décevant. À part une bataille spatiale qui met à profit sa formation et ses talents, Kelric passe plus de temps avec ses différentes admiratrices, la recherche de compromis pour ralentir sa dégradation tout en essayant de se rapprocher de son objectif.
Malgré tout, j'ai aimé. Catherine Asaro est une scientifique, ce qui rend les idées intéressantes, sans compter une inversion du point de vue habituel des jeux de séduction. Un peu plus d'action, et je lui aurais accordé une étoile de plus.
Lu en anglais
Kelric, le plus jeune de la dynastie Rubis de l'empire Skolian, présumé mort depuis 18 ans, a enfin réussi à s'échapper de la planète Coba, une planète isolée, où il était en esclavage dans une culture matriarcale.
Après 18 ans, les choses ont bien changé. La guerre de la Radiance a mis à genoux les empire ennemis SKolian et Trader. Les mondes alliés, ralliés autour de La Terre, en ont donc profité. Si ce n'était que cela, mais Kelric est très mal en point; il a subi des dommages génétiques sur Coba. Mais, aussi, comme c'est un Jagernaut, un militaire d'élite Skolian, il a été augmenté avec une myriade de composants biotechniques qui se sont dégradés ce qui nécessite une intervention dans un des postes militaires les plus secrets de Skolia. En plus, c'est un mutant Rho de très haut niveau, empathe et télépathe, un des rares capables de faire fonctionner le réseau Psi des Skolians, qui n'est plus fonctionnel depuis la Radiance. Or, Les Traders ont réussi à capturer une clé Psi et un mutant Rho Sklian, le frère de Kelric, ce qui pourrait leur permettre de prendre un énorme avantage sur toutes les forces en présences, dont l'empire Skolia.
Son objectif : Essayer à tout prix de libérer son frère et d'inactiver la clé Psi, malgré la dégradation croissante de sa santé qui le rapproche de la mort.
Très prometteur, mais décevant. À part une bataille spatiale qui met à profit sa formation et ses talents, Kelric passe plus de temps avec ses différentes admiratrices, la recherche de compromis pour ralentir sa dégradation tout en essayant de se rapprocher de son objectif.
Malgré tout, j'ai aimé. Catherine Asaro est une scientifique, ce qui rend les idées intéressantes, sans compter une inversion du point de vue habituel des jeux de séduction. Un peu plus d'action, et je lui aurais accordé une étoile de plus.
January 5, 2018
As I read through the book, I started to realize that I'd read this one before. It had been long enough that it was more like deja vous than actually knowing what came next, and I enjoyed it as much this time as I vaguely recall enjoying it the first time. Kelric is so beautiful that people fight and even go to war to possess him, but he's baffled by what they see in him and not very vain, which frankly I find unbelievable, but the rest of the book I very much liked, including the trials he faces when he escapes the planet where he had long been imprisoned, and which continue through the rest of the book. He's strong, determined, compassionate, and open-minded. And don't forget brilliant! He's put through a lot, and it makes for good reading.
Content warning: Sexual assault and abuse are explicitly but not graphically included. Reader beware.
Content warning: Sexual assault and abuse are explicitly but not graphically included. Reader beware.
August 27, 2019
This is the first book in the series I've read where the protagonist was a man. It also veers further from sci-fi/romance into sci-fi/erotica, which heavily dates the novel. I don't usually encounter novels with such graphic sex scenes, or with so many of them, but the over-emphasis on beauty ideals—big boobs and waists—really turned me off. It's also basically a slavery fantasy, which is troubling. I'm reading this series because the next book won a hugo award. Will I think it was worth it? I guess we'll see.
January 6, 2018
Ascendant Sun is book 5 in Asaro's Skilian Empire series. This book features Kelric who was the main character in The Last Hawk. This continues the story from the end of that book.
Kelric is goes from situation to situation as he tries to get home. Its a fast paced book and the plot keeps moving. As he moves from one situation to the next he always seems to succeed, there seem to be few reversals of fortune.
I liked this its a good series and will look for another one.
Kelric is goes from situation to situation as he tries to get home. Its a fast paced book and the plot keeps moving. As he moves from one situation to the next he always seems to succeed, there seem to be few reversals of fortune.
I liked this its a good series and will look for another one.
February 7, 2023
Kelric comes back to find the Skolian Empire on the ropes. He could be the only hope to help restore the Empire. He faces serious obstacles. It is an interesting universe. Has some interesting erotic scenes. Good characterization. Makes me want to explore the rest of the Skolian Empire series.
July 23, 2023
First read this book in hardcover when it came out. I wanted to reread some of the Saga and it took me a while to remember what was going on. Not a bad book but not great. Not enough space opera and SCIFI, and a bit heavy on the romance for me. 3 Stars.
January 27, 2024
Very decent SF as long as you're all about Space Operas, golden Greek/Mayan telepathic cyborg-gods, a lost war, rough survival, and a trip across all known space to get yourself healed.
Truly, this was pretty entertaining.
Truly, this was pretty entertaining.
Read
May 19, 2024A rare example of women writing men?
I thought the female MC in Undercity was too emotional for her military background. Kelric is even worse.
Whenever something interesting would start to happen, Asaro would break it up with an info dump.
I thought the female MC in Undercity was too emotional for her military background. Kelric is even worse.
Whenever something interesting would start to happen, Asaro would break it up with an info dump.
June 10, 2017
The journey continues.
October 14, 2017
Read two times
November 13, 2018
Was fantastic!
March 6, 2021
A Skolian Empire book. Same as the others. Read before the pandemic, but didn't log it.
March 2, 2024
Not as good as the previous one in this series, but entertaining.
January 10, 2025
I’m enjoying the series and have #6, #7, #8 and #9 arriving in the next week.
April 25, 2025
returning to the series. all too briefly
Entertained as ever
The bit bots want more fill. Clearly they don’t read.
On to Catherine Asaro’s more recent work.
Entertained as ever
The bit bots want more fill. Clearly they don’t read.
On to Catherine Asaro’s more recent work.
June 6, 2018
A whole lot of genetic and biological determinism, matriarchy, men-as-sex-slaves and a complex and interesting universe encountered mainly in passing through infodumps that drift along whenever the romance plotline needs a rest. This last point is rather similar to Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's early Liaden universe books. But the Liaden books also differ on a critical pointLee and Miller treat all their characters, male or female, Liaden or alien, with a reasonable degree of respect.
Asaro does not.
There are no words. I want to keep reading because the universe is interesting, but a) throwing in a gratuitous rape for no reason, and b) dealing completely unrealistically with the consequences of that rape, not to mention the rest of the sexual abuse that is portrayed - means I'm not sure I want this woman getting into my head any more.
Yuck. It's frustrating, too, because part of what I liked about the first book where we encounter Our Hero is
Asaro does not.
There are no words. I want to keep reading because the universe is interesting, but a) throwing in a gratuitous rape for no reason, and b) dealing completely unrealistically with the consequences of that rape, not to mention the rest of the sexual abuse that is portrayed - means I'm not sure I want this woman getting into my head any more.
Yuck. It's frustrating, too, because part of what I liked about the first book where we encounter Our Hero is
February 19, 2014
The premise: ganked from BN.com: Ascendant Sun is the direct sequel to The Last Hawk, in which Kelric, heir to the Skolian Empire, crash-landed his fighter on the Restricted planet of Coba. He was imprisoned by the powerful mistresses of the great estates -- women who, over time, fell in love with him. After 18 years of living in their gilded cage, Kelric finally made his escape.
In Ascendant Sun, Kelric returns to Skolian space, only to find the Empire in control of the Allied forces of Earth. With little more than the clothes on his back, Kelric is forced to take work on a merchant vessel. But when that vessel enters Euban space, Kelric finds his worst nightmare realized: he becomes a slave to the cruel Aristos -- humans who use torture and sex as the ultimate aphrodisiac.
My Rating: It's a Gamble
I actually enjoyed this more than I was expecting, and I wasn't expecting much, thanks to the cover and some of the negative reviews I'd read of this book before reading. But thankfully, while the ick moments are certainly ick, and while the reader must roll his or her eyes every time Kelric meets a straight female, because inevitably sexual attraction becomes part of the narrative, the story read very quickly and I was engaged in learning how Kelric would (if he even could) find a way to claim his role of Imperator. Also seeing him interact with Jay Rockworth, whose true identity is revealed in The Radiant Seas, is quite the hoot, and interesting besides. I'm slowly growing more invested in seeing how the Skolian and Aristo societies rebuild after the Radiance War, and Kelric's personal philosophy and observations touch on some things I wondered myself: why can't there be peace? And depending on how's in charge, peace is very well possible. So I enjoyed this, despite all indicators saying I wouldn't. Asaro's writing still leaves me a little meh, and I'm starting to think it's because the author oscillates between super technical and super erotic without striking the right tone that makes those extreme oscillations okay, if that makes sense.
Still, despite enjoying this, I'll be moving on to another series, simply because I don't want to spend half the year catching up on my Skolian Empire novels. I do plan to come back to the series, don't worry, but I want to knock out some trilogies, so the next series I'll be focusing on is Elizabeth Bear's Jacob's Ladder.
Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yay. For those who want to remain surprised and unspoiled, do not read the full review, which is at my blog and linked to below. Everyone else, comments and discussion are most welcome!
REVIEW: Catherine Asaro's ASCENDANT SUN
Happy Reading!
In Ascendant Sun, Kelric returns to Skolian space, only to find the Empire in control of the Allied forces of Earth. With little more than the clothes on his back, Kelric is forced to take work on a merchant vessel. But when that vessel enters Euban space, Kelric finds his worst nightmare realized: he becomes a slave to the cruel Aristos -- humans who use torture and sex as the ultimate aphrodisiac.
My Rating: It's a Gamble
I actually enjoyed this more than I was expecting, and I wasn't expecting much, thanks to the cover and some of the negative reviews I'd read of this book before reading. But thankfully, while the ick moments are certainly ick, and while the reader must roll his or her eyes every time Kelric meets a straight female, because inevitably sexual attraction becomes part of the narrative, the story read very quickly and I was engaged in learning how Kelric would (if he even could) find a way to claim his role of Imperator. Also seeing him interact with Jay Rockworth, whose true identity is revealed in The Radiant Seas, is quite the hoot, and interesting besides. I'm slowly growing more invested in seeing how the Skolian and Aristo societies rebuild after the Radiance War, and Kelric's personal philosophy and observations touch on some things I wondered myself: why can't there be peace? And depending on how's in charge, peace is very well possible. So I enjoyed this, despite all indicators saying I wouldn't. Asaro's writing still leaves me a little meh, and I'm starting to think it's because the author oscillates between super technical and super erotic without striking the right tone that makes those extreme oscillations okay, if that makes sense.
Still, despite enjoying this, I'll be moving on to another series, simply because I don't want to spend half the year catching up on my Skolian Empire novels. I do plan to come back to the series, don't worry, but I want to knock out some trilogies, so the next series I'll be focusing on is Elizabeth Bear's Jacob's Ladder.
Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yay. For those who want to remain surprised and unspoiled, do not read the full review, which is at my blog and linked to below. Everyone else, comments and discussion are most welcome!
REVIEW: Catherine Asaro's ASCENDANT SUN
Happy Reading!
May 8, 2009
In this sequel to The Lask Hawk, Kelric cybernetically enhanced Jagernaut warrior and heir to the Skolian Empire is on his way home. But much has changed in the galaxy during his 18 years of exile on the planet Coba. The psyberweb that united the known planets and was run by his family has collapsed after a devastating war and the other members of the ruling family are either hostages or dead. Kelric, now the only heir to the throne, is in great danger, not only from those who would use him but also from the damage to his body sustained on Coba which is slowly killing him.
Hiding his ignorance and his identity Kelric takes the only job available as a crew member on a merchant ship headed for Euban space, but when disaster strikes and the vessel is captured by his families sworn enemies, the Aristos, Kelric must use all his skills to win his freedom and stop them from gaining complete control of interstellar communications which would endanger, not only himself and those left on Coba but every world in the Skolian Empire.
Hiding his ignorance and his identity Kelric takes the only job available as a crew member on a merchant ship headed for Euban space, but when disaster strikes and the vessel is captured by his families sworn enemies, the Aristos, Kelric must use all his skills to win his freedom and stop them from gaining complete control of interstellar communications which would endanger, not only himself and those left on Coba but every world in the Skolian Empire.
April 3, 2012
Interestingly, now the book descriptions start to mention which books are sequels to which titles. I suppose Asaro finally had to start describing which books covered which plotlines or family ties.
Althor never wanted to be captive, but when he does gain his freedom from one crash landing, of course his next moves send him adift in new dangers. If there were no struggles, there would be no plot points to resolve, right? But at least Asaro sends him adrift into a universe of tangled storylines that we've already been steeped in, through books #1-4 (although again, book #2 still hasn't re-surfaced yet). I suppose now book #5 is really only related to books 1, 3, and 4.
I did like seeing how he manages to keep Quis saturated in his thinking, and again, I'd still love to see a Quis dice set. But his challenges require this book to be a little bit more "the plot happens in someone's head" than some of the other Skolian books. I'd rather rate it a 3.5-star than 4-star, but I'll stick with 4-star since I still love being immersed in the Skolian universe.
Althor never wanted to be captive, but when he does gain his freedom from one crash landing, of course his next moves send him adift in new dangers. If there were no struggles, there would be no plot points to resolve, right? But at least Asaro sends him adrift into a universe of tangled storylines that we've already been steeped in, through books #1-4 (although again, book #2 still hasn't re-surfaced yet). I suppose now book #5 is really only related to books 1, 3, and 4.
I did like seeing how he manages to keep Quis saturated in his thinking, and again, I'd still love to see a Quis dice set. But his challenges require this book to be a little bit more "the plot happens in someone's head" than some of the other Skolian books. I'd rather rate it a 3.5-star than 4-star, but I'll stick with 4-star since I still love being immersed in the Skolian universe.
January 25, 2012
One of the better entries in the Skolian Saga series by Catherine Asaro.
Kelric has been missing for eighteen years, but his journey home would not be properly thrilling without a capture by Eubian traders and a mission to ensure peace between two galactic powers. And, as always, where the beautiful, golden Skolian prince goes, women fall into bed with him.
As one of the central characters in the saga, this chapter of Kelric's life is essential reading for proper appreciation all the nuances of later novels (chronologically). It's also a nice epilogue to his imprisonment on Coba.
Kelric has been missing for eighteen years, but his journey home would not be properly thrilling without a capture by Eubian traders and a mission to ensure peace between two galactic powers. And, as always, where the beautiful, golden Skolian prince goes, women fall into bed with him.
As one of the central characters in the saga, this chapter of Kelric's life is essential reading for proper appreciation all the nuances of later novels (chronologically). It's also a nice epilogue to his imprisonment on Coba.
September 8, 2016
Summary: Good action, interesting main characters, interesting premise, well written, becoming increasingly annoying in places
Plotline: The basic plot was pretty good and worked well with the premise, but all a bit far fetched to the point of being silly.
Premise: Interesting. Not fully convinced it would really work, but different too most SF.
Writing: Good bits were good, well described, interesting characters. Fed up with too many perfect bodies and too much romance.
Ending: Peace in our time. Maybe.
Pace: Never a dull moment!
Plotline: The basic plot was pretty good and worked well with the premise, but all a bit far fetched to the point of being silly.
Premise: Interesting. Not fully convinced it would really work, but different too most SF.
Writing: Good bits were good, well described, interesting characters. Fed up with too many perfect bodies and too much romance.
Ending: Peace in our time. Maybe.
Pace: Never a dull moment!
December 15, 2008
This is a direct sequel to The Last Hawk by Asaro. It continues the story of the heirs to the Ruby Dynasty. I love how she writes these worlds and that the characters are multi-dimensional. Yes, it's perhaps a touch of space opera but Asaro handles it so deftly that you still find yourself completely enmeshed in the characters and thier lives.
January 29, 2010
I thought this installment was a perfectly enjoyable light read. Other than a few orthographical idiosyncrasies, there is no doubt Asaro writes very well. From the core building blocks of sentence and paragraph she is quite good. Sometimes middle-of-the-series books are lacking, but I didn[t find it true in this case. Nice work on character development and a good story line. I wouldn't recommend the series just because of this book, but it is a fine addition to the series.
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