Lord of the Dark Sun [Mass Market Paperback]

In celebration of their graduation from the Intersystem Academy, Princess Ariana and her friends go on a wild adventure seeking excitement and new worlds, but they get more than bargained for when their ship is attacked by Automons on the edge of the Border Territory. All the males are killed and the females are transported a desolate mining planet, destined to be breeders of the miners. Ariana is claimed by a young miner, who knows few words, and though she knows she must endure this harsh new life, she comes to care for him. However, as time passes she arranges an escape for them, but in the end, they are betrayed by her supposed best friend, and only she escapes. She nearly dies in the journey, though is finally found floating in space, and pregnant.

She tried for years to find the man who fathered her child, for deep in her heart she loved him, but no trace of the mining community was found. When she is on a mission to find him again, she is kidnapped by a pirate, who turned out to be the very man she is seeking. But the young man who touched her heart is no longer. She finds a harder man, who commands a pirate fleet that is a threat to the Intersystem.

As they fight together to destroy to Automons control of mining communities, such as she was taken to had left to be a breeder, she sees there are many facets the Lord of the Dark Sun, but still does not know if she can trust him and his motives for seeking her out.

It is a romance I found hard to put down, even though there was a slight emotional distance in the first part of the book. When you only had Ariana's view the minor's world, it lacks the power the rest of the book has. Ariana's telling you about everything from her naive view was emotionally distant and un-involving. However, as the book took off, when Piel brought her two main characters together for the second time. It is a book that will appeal to romance readers and Sci-Fi people both.

The story is interesting, but it's a pity I can't say that about Ariana. Immature and oblivious is how I'd describe her, and quite seriously flawed as a leader. She talks of duty, but doesn't live that example by her own people as she rapidly forms an attachment to Damen at the beginning of the book instead of looking after her shipmates. The deaths of those she knows hardly appear to touch her, except for Damen's. She is vain, weak and silly, and essentially thinks she has qualities that are not borne out by her actions. I think the only redeeming feature is that even when she comes to agreement with Damen, she is quite clear of her intention to return home, sacrificing even her own happiness for what the reader knows is her daughter's sake.

There is much to enjoy about this book if the reader can overlook what I found to be a severely lacking leading lady. The secondary characters are great - Nob and his likeness to the lingbats, and Fia's story (clearly waiting for it's own book) should be a fantastic one - I wanted to know Fia far, FAR more than Ariana and look forward to reading more of her. The sensual aspects of the story are well described, as usual for Piel. The world building continues to be distinctive and believable and an integral part of the story, rather than simply providing a setting. That Damen and Ariana can laugh at their own vanity is endearing. If Ariana weren't so completely unaware of undercurrents in any given situation - to me unforgivable in any 'ruler', which Ariana is set up to be - I would like her a great deal more.

For me the writing is great, the story line is both funny and compelling. There is depth and complexity to this work that is perhaps less obvious in the previous stories. However, I found Ariana irritated me no end. I'm fiercely hoping that Piel will tell Fia's story, because you can bet I'll snap it up, but of all Piel's female leads, I like Ariana least.