Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Genre:
Science Fiction/Fantasy/Romance
Approximate
word count: 35-40,000
words
Availability
Click
on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes &
Noble, or Smashwords store
Author:
“Erica
lives in New Zealand--otherwise known to the rest of the world as:
that pretty scenic place where they made the Lord of the Rings and
Hobbit movies. She spends most of her time writing (also
procrastinating), reading, hanging with her long suffering husband
and frolicking with the neighbour's cat. As a writer Erica delights
in plotting evil and writing it all down for others to read and
enjoy/despair… Oh,
and she also likes cats.”
To
learn more about Erica Conroy, check out her website or follow her onFacebook.
Description:
“Peace
negotiations are easy right? Not when you're learning a language
composed of hisses, growls and other guttural sounds. And that's not
even the tough part for recently divorced diplomat Viktor Jacobs. No,
that would be matching wits with the fiercely intelligent daughter of
the opposing side. Between dodging her claws, avoiding a myriad of
cultural taboos, and not accidentally getting married or killed, he
has to somehow make the Lyrissians see that joining the Alliance of
Worlds is the best choice for all of their futures.”
Appraisal:
I
don’t generally read Science Fiction, but the beginning of this
novella grabbed me. Viktor was having a rough start with his first
Peacetalker mission trying to negotiate peace with the Lyrissian
delegation aboard the Callisto. Peacetalker Tarn took offense when
Viktor miscommunicated while trying to speak in the Lyrissian’s own
language. Luckily, S’rea, Tarn’s daughter, was able to speak
common so the Alliance of Worlds peace talks could move forward.
Viktor
is confronted with several cultural differences as he learns more
about the Lyrissian as the talks proceed. There are several humorous
miscommunications between S’rea and Viktor dealing with mating
rituals of the Lyrissian. S’rea has no intention to ever take a
mate, she is a scientist and loves her profession. Viktor is recently
divorced and has no intention of having any relationships right now.
Karo
was the other Peacetalker dispatched by the Lyrissian to negotiate
peace with the Orka in a neighboring galaxy. Karo has an agenda of
his own which includes taking S’rea as a mate whether she agrees or
not. The Orka are an aggressive and violent race who mutate their
females into hideous monsters to use as warriors. They are a
humanitarian nightmare.
This
is an enjoyable story that moves at a nice pace. The reader will find
humor, political intrigue, violent confrontations, and romance. I
found it easy to become invested in the outcome from the humans on
the Starship Callisto to the Lyrissian race as a whole. They had a
fascinating hierarchy and culture.
The
only thing I had a problem with was that S’rea was referred to as
the eldest daughter of Tarn in the beginning of the story. However,
at the end Ae’a is the eldest daughter. I understand why the birth
order was changed. Due to certain privileges the eldest daughter is
granted on Lyrissia, the story would have had an entirely different
ending for S’rea and Viktor.
FYI:
The
author uses British/New Zealand spelling conventions.
Taken is the first book
in the Callisto Series.
Format/Typo
Issues:
I
found no issues except for the inconsistency I mentioned at the end
of the review.
Rating:
**** Four stars
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