Piers Anthony: Bio of a Space Tyrant Vol. 1--Refugee

 I could almost have read this for pleasure.  In fact, I could almost continue reading the other five volumes, and immerse myself in the world of Hope Hubris.  Anthony is an absolute master on several levels, here as in other works: his characters are both compelling and believable, and the world he creates is vivid and consistent.  At the end of this volume, I found myself wanting more, eager to see how each of the three siblings' stories progressed, and rooting for each of them to rise from the ashes of tragedy.  What stops me, however, is the world itself.  I don't remember Anthony being such a merciless writer.  The trauma could have stopped at any moment, and it would have been more than enough, but in this world there is no reprieve.  The only thing one can expect after trauma is more of the same, and it is no doubt intentionally ironic that the protagonist is named Hope in a world where there is none.  There is no hope for the characters, and there is none for the reader.  The only thing that could be expected from the remaining novels of this series is more rape--so much rape--and tragedy.  If I wanted to immerse myself in that world, I need only step outside.