"Well done - Enough Sci-fi while the story remains on the people"

It is the far distant future and mankind has spread from Earth to settle the rest of the galaxy. The bulk of humanity lives in the Galactic Core, ignoring the small blue-green planet they left behind. Being from Earth is... well, socially embarrassing. Like being a country hick in the big city.

Sophia Audrey McLaren, aka Sam, doesn't think she's a hick. She loves her home planet and her brother Martin, who she's always taken care of. But he has a rare and untreatable disease, Beta-Siwinski. Strong emotions or excitement causes "attacks" where his mental pathways overload and non- essential functions cease. He loses the ability to talk, reason, or move. But then a visitor, Fredd, arrives from the Core, with information about a cure for Mart's disease and all they have to do is go to Xaspaar, the center of the Core government. The idea of leaving Earth frightens Sam, but her twenty-one year old brother has already decided to go. Reluctantly, she agrees to go with them.

It is a long and harrowing trip but even once on Xaspaar, things aren't easy. The Xaspaar rules are many and irritating to Sam. For one thing, it is expected that she cut her long hair. She refuses and wears a Yankees baseball cap instead. Then she runs into JorVaal, one of the three leaders of the GCC government. He has no use for Terrans... but finds himself oddly attracted to this one. Without knowing who she is, he invites her to join him for his next "reinvigoration period" at noon the next day. And no, we aren't talking lunch. She, of course, is offended once she figures out what he wanted.

This is a very well done science-fiction romance book. The characters are fun and detailed, the sparks between the main characters entertaining. There is enough Sci-fi techno- talk to carry the feel of the future, while the story remains on the people, just as it should be in this type of book.

The Xaspaarians are a culture that has lost touch with its roots; Sam is a woman who could never relinquish hers. The clash makes for an interesting conflict that, like real life, doesn't ever end. Sam's knowledge of ancient Earth allows her to point out how much of Xaspaar culture is based on the ancient Rome, even to the two-headed statues over the doors to the city. JorVaal finds himself attracted, repelled, and ultimately infatuated with his lady from Earth.

This would be enough to make the story interesting, but in addition we have JorVaal's jealous former lover plotting with aliens to cause harm to Sam. These same aliens are planning a major "accident" that would cause serious damage to the galactic core, thus leaving them in charge. And we have some helpful god-like types buzzing about as well, setting things in motion for changes in Core society through the introduction of Sam, Mart, and his pet chickens.

ParaNormal Romance © Copyright 2002
Reviewed by Janet Miller

Reviewed by Janet Miller
Courtesy ParaNormal Romance
Posted October 30, 2002