Dynasty of Rogues

I could not be happier to have read this novel. Terrific story telling. I LOVED Dynasty of Rogues - every last scene was spot on perfect for the story. I think I read the book in a day as I did not want to put it down. Tonya's grandmother, Isabel Coppelli, was an amazing character like Catherine di Medici, so Machiavellian and Colonel Zelinski was the perfect foil.. It has been too long since I read such a captivating thriller. This was an exciting novel, very rich in humor too. At 300 pages this is another wonderfully substantial and satisfying novel. This book is part of the authors Celaeno Series. While each novel takes place in the same world and same locales they all have a different flavour. It was very nice seeing familiar faces from the author's other novels in this story. I liked the series so much I devoured the other three books in the series in one week. It really doesn't matter which order you read the novels in (I read Temple at Landfall first). don't miss any of the books in the Celaeno World Series by Jane Fletcher The Rangers at Roadsend The Temple at Landfall The Walls of Westernfort - 2005 GOLDEN CROWN LITERARY AWARD WINNER Dynasty of Rogues From the publisher's website - When you're short on friends and long on enemies, things can't get much worse. Until they do... Ranger Riki Sadiq is known as a troublemaker, and in the close knit heretic community, a bad name is hard to lose. Standing sentry duty on a winter's day, all she can see lying ahead is an afternoon of being cold, miserable, and bored. Her mood isn't helped by deliberate goading from people who are supposed to be working with her. Even so, retaliating in kind isn't one of Riki's better ideas. When Riki is dispatched to Westernfort for one last chance in the Rangers, the hostile reception means her list of enemies has become still longer, and prime candidate to head the list is her new patrol corporal, Tanya Coppelli. It is hate at first sight. The way Riki sees it, Tanya may have good looks, talent and sharp wits, but is that any reason to like her? However, if Riki but knew it, trouble of a deadly kind is heading her way. With their lives at stake, Riki and Tanya will have to overcome the mutual antagonism and learn to work together.

Jane Fletcher has another triumph with Dynasty of Rogues, the continuing story in the Celaeno series. This reviewer found the book clever and compelling and difficult to put down once I started reading. It easily could be devoured in one sitting. Some of the characters in Dynasty of Rogues have visited us in other Celaeno novels, but this is a non-linear series, so it can be understood without having read the other stories. One such character is Captain Chip Coppelli whose daughter Tanya is now grown and the patrol corporal of Ranger Riki Sadiq. Riki has been demoted and transferred from Ginasberg to Westernfort after many years of troublemaking. Riki must make it in Westernfort or her days as a ranger are over. It doesn't help that she has no friends, and everyone expects her to fail. Tanya, who is tasked with working with Riki, doesn't make it easy for her either. There is so much animosity that Riki must work harder just to demonstrate she can be a good ranger. But when Riki is falsely accused of a heinous act, she must prove her innocence or be hung. So Riki escapes from Westernfort in an effort to find the real culprit. Fletcher continues to provide her readers with first-class storytelling. She fills in the back story seamlessly to add to the continuity of the book as well as the series. The characters' motivations are explored thoroughly; the multiple subplots keep the reader guessing, but Fletcher gives us these intricate details without being long-winded. The author also delves into complicated mother/daughter relationships, a theme she has dealt with in other stories. The characters' actions and words give us insight into the hurts, expectations and different goals that mothers and daughters sometimes face. We also get a glimpse at the growing pains and the act of letting go for both. This examination gives the reader pause and helps us to reflect on our own situations. Dynasty of Rogues has it all. Mystery, intrigue, crime, and romance, with lots of angst thrown in too, make this fascinating novel thoroughly enjoyable and fun.

Leading Ranger Riki Sadiq has her share of detractors. She's been in trouble all her short life, and she joined the Rangers to escape more of it. As a Ranger, she is a part of the armed force that protects the community of outcasts and heretics who have escaped the big cities and repressive religion that now marks all urban society. Unfortunately, Riki can't even get along with the heretics. She finally has a lapse of judgment that gets her stripped of rank and sent off to the remote Westernfort for one last chance. At Westernfort, Riki's new supervising corporal is Tanya Coppelli, a woman close to Riki's age and the daughter of the regiment's captain. Riki isn't sure Tanya is officer material, and she makes no secret of her skepticism, so of course she and Tanya get off to a bad start. Riki feels helpless to curb her smart-aleck attitude and unable to figure out a way to make friends, so the women in her new group, most of whom are already suspicious of her fitness to serve, are hostile toward her. Riki is sent out on patrol with Tanya's group, and at first there's an uneasy peace. But when they encounter enemy Guards all hell breaks loose. One of the group will betray the others, one will be kidnapped, all will be suspicious. Naturally, who else is blameworthy besides Riki? This is a tale of deceit and shifting allegiances, corruption and false pretenses. Riki's life will not be the only one in danger, and an enormous miscarriage of justice will occur if she doesn't take action. She'll need all the cleverness and good fortune that she can muster to save her comrade and herself from an impossible-seeming situation. When you pick up a novel by Jane Fletcher, you will always get a riveting plot, strong, interesting characters, and a beautifully written story complete with three-dimensional villains, believable conflicts, and the twin spices of adventure and romance. Ethical and moral dilemmas abound. Fletcher writes real characters, the type that William Faulkner once said "stand up and cast a shadow." The reader can't help but root for these characters, many of whom are classic underdogs. Fletcher's work transcends the sci-fi/fantasy genre. Yes, there are a few elements of science fiction and perhaps fantasy, but they register as entirely natural in this timeless world. The story people are so fresh, so individual, so real that they make a unique mark unlike anything I've ever read in lesbian adventure stories. The reader will feel like she's living the action, not experiencing it on the printed page. I haven't read such wonderful stories since I first encountered the work of Marian Zimmer Bradley and Elizabeth Moon. To read a novel by Jane Fletcher is to fall in love with a world. You'll wish her characters were your friends and that you could visit them - perhaps permanently. I give the highest recommendation for this book and to the entire Celaeno Series of which it is a part. ~Lori L. Lake, Midwest Book Review

Dynasty of Rogues is the 4th book of Celaeno series and is the latest in the chronological order, about 8 years after the story in The Walls of Westernfort. Here introduces a new character Riki, who never seems to take things seriously and therefore always get into troubles. Tanya Coppelli, who has inherited many good things from her parents, is a well-like person and the center of young generation. However, right in the beginning they just can't get along with each other. Nevertheless the fate bonds their paths together and their lives rely on each other .. **** Possible Spoilers (just in case) **** From this point of view, this book is just a romance story about how hate at first sight turns into love, despite that the setting is in an imaginative planet where only female human beings exist. Yes, you can read it like a romance from this perspective: they hate each other, they work with each other, and then they begin to love each other. You can expect the story to go through these three stages even from the blurb. Even though you know the framework of the story, you don't know what the story looks like without the flesh & the blood, i.e. the characters and the plot. As hinted by the title, there are schemes and ploys in all three parts. You can think of these three parts as the three stages mentioned above but you can also consider them from the point of view of plotting: How were Riki and Tanya tricked? How did they work to escape from enemies? And how did they face the danger on the way home? In the 2nd part, the scheme is bigger and involves more parties, including the best tactician of all. Indeed, some may seem to be arranged too well or more like coincidence (referring to some scenes in 1st & 3rd parts). But if the author did consider the possibility of a special event's occurrence in the real life, then the story would be uneventful. **** End **** Characters are the flesh of this story. Both being earlier 20s, this is the journey where Riki went through the trouble adolescence; to Tanya, knowing her capabilities and gaining her confidence. Other minor characters are also quite vividly depicted, and they are not completely faceless like those in some lesfic. I also quite enjoyed the romance between Riki and Tanya, and how their feelings to each other grew. It's really sweet. I have no doubt that the readers who aren't into speculative can still enjoy the story. For the first-time readers of this series, you can get on the story without problem since the author always did her best to put each one as a stand-alone story. In the chronological order, the first one is Rangers at Roadsend (for the moment), while in the writing order, it's The Temple at Landfall. Hope this will help.

Excellent book!! This is a story of Ranger Riki Sadiq,known as a troublemaker with no friends and a long list of enemies. Standing sentry duty on a winter's day,all she can see lying ahead is an afternoon of been cold aned bored.Her mood isn't helped by deliberate goading from people who are supposed to be working with her.Even so retaliating in kind isn't one of Riki's better ideas.When Riki is send to Westernfort for one last chance in the Rangers,the hostile reception means her list of enemies has become still longer,and prime candidate to head the list is her new patrol corporal,Tanya Coppelli.It is hate at first sight.The way Riki sees it,Tanya may have good looks,talent and sharp wits,but is that any reason to like her?However,if Riki but knew it,trouble of a deadly kind is heading her way.With their lives at stake,Riki and Tanya will have to overcome the mutual antagonism and learn to work together. Great sci-fi adventure/romance,amazing story,always keeping you reading,it's a MUST!!!for any lesbian reader.