The world of Maya is, quite literally, an aristocracy. “Government by the best.” And on this planet, settled centuries ago by colonists whose ship malfunctioned on the way to somewhere much better, the “best” means being one of the Changed, a race of genetically-enhanced humans who rule with an iron fist inside a velvet glove. Their home is a work of art, Xanadu in name and form, situated high on the Mountain above the human-only ghettoes of Babelion. The Changed are stronger, faster, smarter, longer-lived, and so different as to be almost alien. To be Changed is to be vastly superior to mere humans, and it’s in that discrepancy that bitterness, resentment, and the smoldering embers of rebellion are harbored.

Every year, a select group of promising humans are brought up the Mountain to be tested, to see if they will be deemed worthy of serving alongside the Changed. There are jobs to be done, far better than the menial and poorly-paying jobs that await most people. It’s a farce, a sop to keep the humans from realizing that they have no chance of ever being good enough. No humans are ever good enough, for the testing requires them to mesh with the Exchange, the supercomputer that runs the colony and requires brainpower to continue working. Only the Changed are sophisticated and experienced enough for this complex test.

With the caste system securely in place, and the simmering resentment between humans and Changed at an all-time high, the time is ripe for change. One year, a human with a gift of oration and a knack for political upheaval meets a Changed woman with that same sense of vision and willingness to defy the status quo. Their time together plants the seeds for the destruction of all the Changed hold dear. For in their future lies death, betrayal, manipulation, loss, revolution, war on a grand scale, and revelations. It’s a multi-layered, Byzantine series of machinations that spread over generations, and will culminate in flames and the repudiation of a centuries-old system.

In Rebel Sutra, author Shariann Lewitt creates a fascinating and imaginative story, space opera with romantic trappings and political complexity, made all the more interesting by drawing from Hindu mythology and Indian culture to flesh out the conflicting castes of the Changed and the humans. What starts off as a love story soon blossoms into something far grander, taking revolution to the Mountain, and to the stars. Secrets unfold as the stories are told, using the voices of the main characters to unveil the different aspects. Arsen, a human driven to rebellion. Della, the Changed woman who’s so much more than she knows, whose love for Arsen changes everything. Anselm, their son, who inherits the best and worst qualities of both. Suu-Suu, one of the mysterious star-traveling Tinkers, whose actions a generation ago may just doom not just Maya, but an entire galactic empire.

This isn’t an easy read, but only because it’s such a complex and tightly-woven story, whose aspects are intricate enough to warrant rereading several times for enlightenment. It comes highly recommended for those who love space opera and harder science fiction, and those who want something just a little different from the norm.