In
The Worker Prince,
emperor tyrant Xavilar orders all first-born male slaves killed. One
boy gets away – Davi, who is adopted by none other than princess
Miri, Xavilar's sister. When Davi finds out that he is the progeny of
slaves, and witnesses the slaves' treatment first-hand, he confronts
his uncle and lands himself in more trouble than he could have
imagined.
The
Worker Prince is a story of
family, with Davi as an inverted prodigal son. Davi loves his
adoptive mother and his uncle, the tyrant emperor, even as his
definition of family expands to include his biological parents and
cousins. Xavilar makes a great villain in part because he also cares for his family as part of his skewed moral code. The tyrant's soft spot
for princess Miri allows her to raise Davi to think for himself,
setting events in motion beyond the emperor's control. Part of Davi's
journey is his realization that his own moral principals differ
greatly from his uncle's, and to a lesser extent from Miri's. The
Worker Prince offers the reader
many heart-warming scenes that line up characters like dominoes for
the action-packed end, which in turn leads into an exciting sequel
(The Returning).
The
Saga of Davi Rhii series
is also a story of war – of a
long-brewing conflict that comes to a head when Davi meets the
rebels. While Davi's influence as a prince and as a fighter pilot is
important, we also see how smart and capable the rebels are, as are
the emperor's lackeys who hunt them done. A lot of the rebel's
planning and infrastructure is already in the works when Davi shows
up, which makes the rebels' ensuing battles feel realistic. Schmidt
does an excellent job of weaving realism into The Worker
Prince through carefully chosen
details that mimic real life conflicts – from mass graves to
Xavilar's gradual erosion of the counsel's powers. And where Davi is
sometimes a naive, as befits his age, many of the supporting
characters are not, and together they make big events possible.
Davi's confrontation with the emperor and his interactions with the
rebels force the hands of supporting characters like Miri. Of course,
emperor Xavilar has a large military with trained officers and many
ships at his disposal, so when the rebels launch their attack,
soldiers die. But as with many rebellions, there is no turning back
once the ship has launched – or in this case, the fighter pilots.
Bryan
Thomas Schmidt's Saga of Davi Rii
is an engaging space opera about
standing up against abuse even if that means defying public opinion
and the Emperor himself.
Check out Hugo Nominee Bryan Thomas Schmidt's website to read more about the books he writes and the big-name anthologies he edits:
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