Biography of a Space Tyrant: Refuge

Here in the beginning, he's not much of anything really, just a kid who stood up for his sister. That one act begins a series of events that ultimately rock the entire solar system. Here in the opening, Hope and his family are fleeing in a transport bubble with many other families. Beset by pirates, a multitude of times, the population within the bubble is dramatically reduced by the time they reach their destination. REally a sad book, but it lays the foundation for what is to come. A series definitely worth reading. I've read it now over a dozen times over the last two decades.

After defending his sister's honour against a young nobleman Hope and his family have to flee Callisto. Their goal is the promised land of Jupiter. On their way they are betrayed by greedy human traffickers, attacked, again and agian, by pirates, turned back by a suddenly xenophobic Jupiter, before finally given refugee status. Mr. Anthony has, and I think very well, captured the plight of the very real refugees that roam the world of today. I think I recognize all the incidents described from news reports. The Jupiter of the book is a thinly disguised USA. It could be Germany, Sweden, the UK, or any other western country that promises as safe haven, but grows xenophobic when they did not anticipate the flow of refugees fleeing from dictators, corruption, poverty, disease, and war. Often fleeing from situations created by the countries they are fleeing to! So, even if the reading is grisly sometimes, it is no imagination. This book is actually very political. These are the experiences that will influence the future tyrant.

Why Piers Anthony is primarily considered a fantasy author, I'll never know. I think that at least half of his greatest work is Sci-Fi, and this book is the beginning of one of his best series. Bio of a Space Tyrant (beginning with Refugee) is a great look at the rise of one person in a sea of chaos to the pinnacle of leadership.In this book we learn of the main character's race for survival as he flees his home planet in a simple space pod along with 100 or so other refugees. This book is not for the prude -it deals with violent encounters and the need and drive for survival in the worst of human conditions.I could not put this book down, and think the rest of the series lives up to its promise.While obviously a lot of events in the book mirror some of the events and historical cold-war issues of our time, I found that a lot of the commentary was refreshing and thoughtful, and it reminded me of Robert E. Heinlein, who often proposed "harsh" solutions to mankind's problems -solutions that very well may have worked had we the will to implement them.I found it to be a fantastic book, and when I got to the end I was truly surprised at the depth of what I had read. I had NOT expected the book to progress as it had.Though out of print in the mass market paperback edition, I would say it would ABSOLUTELY be worth purchasing the trade paperback versions or purchasing the older ones used. A small price to pay for a series that may open up your mind to different ways at looking at the world, and to understanding in a fresh way the human machinations within.If you liked this sci-fi excursion with Piers Anthony, I'd also recommend his 5 volume "Cluster" Series which is also amazing sci-fi (and even more imaginative), as well as his "Omnivore / Orn / Ox" series, and finally, and most especially, his Split Infinity series (which may be my favorite -but is only half sci-fi; the other half being pure fantasy). Really imaginative and compelling Science Fiction here.

I loved the Bio of a Space Tyrant series. Refugee was one of the most affecting/haunting books I've ever read. It is not for the weak stomached. There is much violence in this book, but it's not about the violence it's about the human will to survive. The first four books in this series, Refugee, Mercenary, Politican and Executive are excellent page turners. The fifth Statesman is good but not quite the same level, a little anticlimatic. But don't miss out by not reading at least the first four!

A child and his ordinary peasant family are forced to flee their home planet after a chance encounter with a higher class citizen. The child, aptly named Hope, is quickly exposed to the indifference of evil, in the form of roving bands of space pirates. The atrocities in the story are awful and fascinating, and the problems Hope encounters frequently seem to have no good solutions. And yet we come to understand him and cheer him on, though some will say "I wouldn't do that!" By the end of this book your feelings may change, as Hope's were forced to. This book will stay with all who read it, and it is by far the best in the series. Mesmerizing.