Novak, D.G.
SONS OF GEMEN: A TALE OF THE SHADRANI
D. G. Novak
LTD Books 2005
e-Book ISBN#
1-55316-145-9
Do you like mysteries with open endings that leave
you puzzling out the story even days after you've finished? I usually
don't, but now I still can't get the puzzle of the Shadrani out of my
head and find it a fun puzzle to contemplate.
They are an intriguing people that live on the
distant world of Daleer where same sex marriage is mandatory because
their species is overly fertile. Mating with the opposite sex that is
not sanctioned by the throne for procreation is punishable by flogging,
exile, or even in some instances, death. Their enemies the Soris handle
the overpopulation problem differently. They breed all they want then
throw the unwanted babies over the wall. Needless to say, the Shadrani
and the people of Soris are not allies, though the Queen of Arath (Soris)
has made an uneasy peace by bearing the son of the Prince of Gemen from
the royal house of the Shadrani. The Shadrani are a fierce people.
When the Prince of Gemen hears that his son Revar and his mother are in
danger of assassination, he personally sees to their rescue. The Prince
of Gemen even risks punishment from his Queen mother to love a woman of
the enemy. The Shadrani are passionate lovers, for their species
experiences heightened sensations during sex called Shadra, an explosion
of lust so extreme that they can die from the expense of it.
But this is not the entire story. As every other
chapter watches young Revar grow into warrior manhood, every other
chapter opposite that is curiously in another world. Here on Earth, in
the near future, 15 year old Dallas Devlin has his own life to live, a
life where the only link he has with his missing father is a book, the
story of the Shadrani. So the reader enters a mystery: What connection
does Dallas have with the Shadrani? We know he is very beautiful as is
the Prince of Gemen, and that Dallas enjoys sex with other men as do the
sons of Gemen, and he even seems to have a touch of Shadra. So, when
Dallas' life takes a bizarre twist the reader is hooked--do not plan on
putting this story down.
From a reviewer's point of view, I found the
characterization, world-building, and plotting quite satisfactory. The
editing is good. My only complaint is that there were too many
questions still hanging at the end, but maybe that's for the best,
because I still can't stop thinking about the Shadrani and I'm sure
that's what the author intended.
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