 RATING: Five stars
Reviewed by L.A. Ashton Genre: Sci-Fi / Space Opera Pairings: F/F (setup for future novels) Queer Rep: NBs! Queers! Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence. Synopsis Neek is the pilot of a run-down transport ship, where she and her eclectic crew work to make ends meet. Exiled from her home world for not transcribing to the belief of the traveling planet Ardulum and its godly inhabitants, she seeks a way to earn favor to see her family again. It seems like a normal day when the crew stumbles across a battle between a strange alien race and the sheriffs of the Charted Systems. Growing stranger by the moment, Neek and her crew are rewarded for their (accidental) aid with the gift of a slave girl. A slave girl who bears a striking resemblance to the Ardulan gods of lore, and whose ability to manipulate cellulose could make her a force of righteousness, or a paragon of destruction. General This is another “holy shit” book. And by “holy shit” book, I mean “holy God guys, read this immediately.” Plot Ardulum is beautifully paced, charming as hell, and delivers mounting excitement throughout. The first scene is strange, delivering the narrative in a way that’s a bit unconventional, but easy to follow. I balked when I first began, but as I read on I became deeply entrenched in the moment. The reader’s next scene is with Neek, and she immediately makes you feel at home. The Firefly vibes are strong with this one, and the quippy charm and attitude was a sight for sore eyes. Things unfold naturally; action and space battles flash through your mind’s eye, and personal struggles keep you grounded alongside the crew. I was always clamoring for more— more details, more info, more. This could be why I finished the book in less than two days. Setting The universe surrounding Neek is highly alien. Despite that, the world and intricacies are always palatable. My eyes never glazed over from info dumps or confusion. Instead, their lives and worlds bloomed to full color on the page in front of me. They felt like places that worked and moved even when I wasn’t watching them, realistic both in their structure and presentation. Characters Gosh darn it, I fell in love with the whole crew. I loved them and their interpersonal dynamics, which made every conversation a joy to read. J. S. Fields does something wonderful in their writing, and it is something that calls to me specifically: Everything is gray. You think this character is chaotic evil? You think they’re the indisputable “bad guys”? Guess again. The readers are given multiple povs that span the universe and its races, and every single glimpse left me more conflicted than the last. The characters I wanted to hate weren’t inherently awful! The guys you build up in your mind as good and untouchable might have dark ulterior motives! There is nothing more wonderful than this. It is human, and in this case it is also alien. Right and wrong shift depending on where you stand, and societal constructs color one’s upbringing. There is definitely commentary here— not heavy handed or brash, but nuanced. The reader has to reexamine their initial views and adjust as the book plows forward, and something as simple as this made the narrative all the more exhilarating. You are on a journey with the characters, sometimes with a touch of dramatic irony, and sometimes just as ignorant. Ardulum was so good that I actually had to ban myself from downloading the second one, because I knew I’d read it the moment it hit my Kindle. I have things to do. It will be my reward. J. S. writes beautifully and stoically, if that makes sense to anyone but me. They deliver scientific information without forcing a laymen like me to scratch my head. The only parts I struggled with were during some battles, in which the manipulation of cellulose was being illustrated. It’s probably from a lack of understanding of the compound, but I didn’t feel I could envision it properly. Luckily this doesn’t detract much— the action is narrated internally as well as externally, so the effect of that manipulation is made obvious (and cool. It was super cool). Please buy the book. Honestly, just... Here’s the link. Give it the ol’ click. J. S. Fields’ official site can be found here, and their twitter is here. Note: I am an Amazon Associate and I am using affiliate links. These do not affect you or my reviews. From Ninestar Press: Ardulum (ebook) From Amazon.com: Ardulum (print) | Ardulum (ebook)
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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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