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review: sisters of the vast black by nina rather

30/8/2020

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Review originally published in Aurealis Magazine. 

Genre:
Sci fi
Queer content?:
Yes. F/F. 


​Sisters of the Vast Black teases readers with a futuristic world, a disconcerting mosaic of cultures, planets, and political developments of which we only see the edges. This, however, is the reality of most people and groups, their lives irreparably damaged by the machinations of higher powers, yet never directly engaging with those powers.

The Earth Central Governance, a once imposing and oligarchic force, has become obsolete in a galaxy peppered with colonies that stretch into the most remote corners of known space. Obsolete, that is, until a new religious regime lends its support to the ECG, reigniting Earth’s desire and propensity for inter-planetary dominance. As nuns dedicated to the administering of rites and healing in areas beyond the reach of Earth’s floundering government, the small crew of the Our Lady of Impossible Constellations prefer to focus on what good they can do for others, and for their ship. But as the Church works to re-establish androcentric control over orders such as theirs, simultaneously bolstering the ECG, such micro-level concerns dissolve.

Intriguing, complex and convincing, Rather’s characters build and secure the quality of this story. The sisters, each driven or haunted in their own way, gently invite readers into their world of deep space. In particular, Sister Gemma’s budding romance with a female engineer aboard another vessel, coupled with the Mother Superior’s disquieting origin story, hold the reader in place throughout a generally slow-paced narrative. This is not a novella that relies upon fireworks or explosions, but rather excellent characterisation and provocative worldbuilding.

The ship that protects the Order of Saint Rita must also be counted among these vibrant and fleshy characters. Though living creatures as space ships has become a common trope, Rather’s exploration of the breeding and manipulation of these ships introduces a fresh and somewhat unsettling perspective. She illuminates the paradox of human relationships with environments, the simultaneous love for, and abuse of, the natural world.
​
Sisters of the Vast Black is a strong debut from an author well-worth following in the future.

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REVIEW: return of the asgard by erik schubACH

27/6/2018

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RATING: 3 Stars

QUEER REP:  Pansexual (all of the Asgard), Bisexual (maybe?)

PAIRINGS: F/F, M/F

REVIEWED BY: Rebecca

WARNINGS: A lot of fighting/violence

The Valkyrie Kara stood alone against the Ragnarok horde on Earth to ensure that the Asgard race and Valhalla could escape. For five thousand years she has fought and evaded the Ragnarok race on Earth, just waiting for her people to return.








REVIEW

This was difficult to rate. During some parts, I wanted to give it four stars, during others, I wanted to give it 1 or 2. Sometimes, a rating is fairly arbitrary, and that may be the case here. In the end, I think this book is a film in disguise. It's a movie, trying to be a novel, full of action, lightning spears, cheesy flirtations, tight-fitting armour, and repetitive dialogue. That said, I can still understand why it's so popular.

The concept of using Norse mythology as the basis of a female-led action sci-fi sounds wonderful, and it almost works. Kara had me quite interested for the first few chapters, and the creativity behind some of her weaponry was quite interesting. I can definitely say I've never read another story with the nano-lattice concept and it was definitely cool.

The issues with the book, however, started to compound the further I read. Kate and Kara experience the epitome of insta-love. It's hard to understand any movement of time in the story, but the two women seem to know each other for less than a day before they've all but decided to spend the rest of their lives together. Kate also seems to have no real friends or family, no qualms at all about the thought of leaving her entire life behind in order to be the new "Daughter of Odin" as Kara's mate (a word that I was really tired of by the end). 

The main thing that had me gritting my teeth by the end of the novel was the repetition. The phrase "Well met, Valkyrie" is used so many times that I couldn't stand it anymore. The constant use of full titles when the Asgard spoke to each other also become cumbersome, such as "Kate the Raging Storm, Daughter of Odin and mate to Kara the Wild One" or even the shorter versions such as "Areena the Whispering Breeze, Second to Kate the Raging Storm". I appreciate the need for cultural differences between humans and Asgard, but it became frustrating overkill within two chapters of Valhalla's return.

The book is heavy on action, and I couldn't help but picture Kate Beckinsale in the Underworld series for a huge portion of the story. The writer clearly has a talent for fast-paced fight scenes and, to be fair, those who read my reviews know that this probably makes me the wrong reader for the book.

I felt somewhat disconnected from the characters during these fight scenes though, as their wounds and manoeuvres were always just listed, never really described, never explored in a way as to show how they felt, even though it's written in first person. Someone is stabbed in the chest from behind, and barely reacts, and doesn't seem to feel a thing. The constant mention of "fighting with valour" became a distraction from Kara and Kate themselves, like they only did what they did because, as they say over and over (and over and over) again "we are Valkyrie", as though that's an explanation on its own.

It's an interesting novel. And if you're like me and just adore any connection to the ancient world and/or mythology, then it's worth having a look at. If you enjoy action from nearly start-to-finish, then this is certainly a book for you! Just be prepared for certain plot points to be re-hashed several times, along with a fair amount of repetitive language use. I don't regret reading this one, it was entertaining overall, but I don't think I'll be picking up any others in the series, as much as I desperately love the overall concept.

*NOTE: Apparently there's a comic book adaption, and this could be something worth exploring!




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review: the luxorian fugitive by j. alan veerkamp

12/6/2018

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A big welcome to our new reviewer, L. A. Ashton! You can read more about them by clicking 'The Review Team' using the list of links to the right.

Genre: Sci-Fi

Pairings: M/M

Queer Rep: so many gay men

Warnings: BDSM, violence, torture, allusions to non-consensual sex. Note: all on-page sex is entirely consensual. There’s a lot of it.
​

[Note: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.] ​


Synopsis

Sergeant Liam Jacks has been traveling aboard the transport vessel “The Santa Claus” in an effort to escape his past and etch out a peaceful existence in a tangled universe. During a pit stop on Luxoria, a mysterious—and frighteningly beautiful—man boards as a passenger. Liam is immediately taken by the man, and he is desperate to unravel the mystery surrounding him. Unfortunately, that mystery is steeped in danger, and threatens to undo the peace Liam has worked to create.

General

I have trouble rating this book. I feel that this piece falls in the category of “maybe really good, but not for me.” If I were to rate it according to my tastes, I think it’d fall somewhere around a 2. But in the same moment, a part of me feels that does the book a bit of a disservice.

The genre is quite up my alley, which can be broadly defined as “gays in space”. Any book that can use that tagline already has my attention. It was the smaller details that derailed my experience just a bit.

Plot

The Luxorian fugitive takes hold of your attention right away. I was immediately interested in Liam Jacks’ character and story, even more so when his knee jerk response to his PTSD induced night terrors was to call on his best-friend-turned-captain to whip him to orgasm.

I want to be less blunt, but that’s the thing with the Luxorian Fugitive: it is unabashedly gay, unabashedly horny, and it wants you to be too.

However, this run-in with his BFF/Captain is not just a desperate grab at sex appeal. It blooms into a mostly interesting subplot that helps propel the narrative forward through some of the slower portions of the crew’s journey.

When Liam meets his “mysterious stranger”, I immediately got a sense for what was coming. There is a definite “we are somehow linked or destined to be with one another” tone sewn throughout, and I have to admit I quite dislike those tropes. “Soulmates” in fiction tend to feel abrasive to me, but it is obviously a very popular genre subset. I wanted more interaction between the two men, and more than just Liam’s overexcited cock leading him toward Hadrian.

Now now, don’t get me wrong—I adore “one night stand becomes something more” tropes, and I love when fiction addresses the reality of human nature (read: we’re often sex-driven). But that’s not what this was. Liam and Hadrian didn’t bang it out right away, or even take much advantage of their forced proximity. It was just a strange sort of... pining broodiness, with Liam feeling overwhelming fond for this enigmatic man. This isn’t my jam, but I know it is someone’s.

The pacing dragged a bit during this portion, with Captain Danverse and his issues forcing the book forward. I didn’t care about Captain Danverse, and I cared less about him the more time I spent with the man. I wanted more character interactions and intrigue, and less overwrought inner monologuing.

There was also an... animalistic feeling to much of the book, from the character’s actions to the chosen vocabulary. Lots of  “claiming”, tons of asserting dominance and alpha male mindsets, and a very particular penchant for large hairy men. This is also not my thing.
The book delivered plenty of on-page orgasms, but not a ton of growth or movement. The pacing started to rev up again about halfway through, but by that point I was already having issues convincing myself to keep reading. Fortunately, once the shit hits the fan, it does it in a way that keeps you interested. In general I still wished for more—more character work, more world-building, more meat (of the narrative variety).

I was also a little disoriented by the severe lack of anything that wasn’t a burly gay man. This book is definitely a book for bears, and I have no problem with that. But the ship’s house rules of “no women, no heteros”, and the fact that only TWO women make an appearance in the whole novel (with about two lines of dialogue each) had me feeling a bit suffocated by the end. I desperately grabbed a F/F and enthusiastically devoured it upon completion of this piece.

Characters

Honestly, I believe this book could have reached me a little better had it not been for Captain Danverse. Liam’s best friend and captain is a bit of a shithead, and he never did properly atone for that shittiness in my eyes. At one point during the novel I slammed my finger against my iPad and shouted “THAT’S WHAT YOU GET, JERKWAD.”

At least I was properly engaged.

The rest of the characters were more relatable, but I found myself only truly interested in Mac. Hadrian remained too otherworldly and enigmatic, and while I liked Liam, I couldn’t see through his rose-colored goo-goo eyes to feel really at home in his brainscape.
 
The book is very gay and utilizes a lot of tropes readers love. They weren’t ones that meshed with my tastes, but perhaps they could mesh with yours. Veerkamp just released another novel set in the same universe (and on the same ship), so be sure to check it out if The Luxorian Fugitive does it for you.
 
My Rating: 2 stars

Alan Veerkamp’s official site can be found here, and his twitter is over yonder.
​

Note: I am an Amazon Associate and I am using affiliate links. These do not affect you or my reviews.
 
From Ninestar Press:
The Luxorian Fugitive (ebook) — $6.49
From Amazon.com:
The Luxorian Fugitive (print) — $13.99    |    The Luxorian Fugitive (ebook) — $6.49
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    ABOUT C.B.

    Book reviews, Author Q&As and more as shared by an Australian lesbian. My core interests lie in genre fiction: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror etc.
    ​
    My aim is to help provide more exposure to those books that  may not fit neatly into the usual "lesfic" boxes (EG: pansexual women who engage with different aspects of their sexuality, non-binary characters, books with very little romance etc.) or books that don't conform to the most popular tropes that tend to dominate the LGBTIQ+ publishing world.

    That said, I'll put up pretty much any review that I'd like to share. Most will have some sort of rainbow content, but not all. I am a reader who likes to talk about books -- that's really what this little corner of the web is for, to talk about books.

    ​Email: celestialbooks [AT] rebeccalangham.com.au

    Twitter: @ceLEStialsff

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