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Review at MyShelf.Com | ||||||||||||||
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by R. J. Leahy When I first opened the covers of R. J. Leahy’s new sci-fi novel, Tigra, I thought I was in for a space opera with a heroine the likes of Ripley in Alien. It does begin with Captain Jeena Garza facing the horrors of an interstellar POW camp and the jailbreak in a stolen freighter that crashlands her on the planet Ararat. But it is here, as in the Biblical Ararat where Noah and his ark came to rest, that Jeena finds a new home and a new beginning. Though she is far from a civil war between human colonies from earth that has raged for a century, she soon finds herself in a similar type of conflict. Only this time, at the heart of it is the beloved native Ararat cat, a tigra, that Jeena names Sampson. What unfolds is science fiction at its best. There is a blending of good science with deep exploration of cultures and other races. Leahy, a physician, brings to science fiction what Terry Brooks, a lawyer, brought to fantasy with his worlds of Shannara. This is great escapist fiction, but it also is a critical look at ourselves as humans in how we interact with others of our species and with other beings we come into contact with. It also twists some well-worn ideas about technology and advanced civilizations. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were understandable and vivid, even if you hated them. The descriptions of the societies were detailed and engaging. And, the basis for the conflict on Ararat was unfortunately age-old here in this reality and still besets us today. It is my hope that R. J. Leahy produces other science fiction, not necessarily of this particular world, but of any that his creative and socially conscious mind can fashion. Well done! |
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Tigra