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Illicit Alliance
Grayson Reed, Privateer and infamous ne-er do well, famed... or perhaps more infamous, for both his daring exploits and embarrassing personal scandals, is a wolf known in nearly every port in the known world. For better or for worse.
But that certainly wasn't always the case.
The disinherited scion of a trade cartel, born to ill-gotten wealth and privilege, he turned against the very merchants he was born to. His knowledge of the wealthy society he now plunders generally serves him well.
But now, fearing the very real threat of an equally infamous, and equally scandalous pirate hunter known for his ferocity and sharp mind, Grayson finds his usual tactics may not avail him. This is not a man he can predict. So perhaps, an alliance is in order.
An unusual pact is struck. Misadventure is sure to follow.
But that certainly wasn't always the case.
The disinherited scion of a trade cartel, born to ill-gotten wealth and privilege, he turned against the very merchants he was born to. His knowledge of the wealthy society he now plunders generally serves him well.
But now, fearing the very real threat of an equally infamous, and equally scandalous pirate hunter known for his ferocity and sharp mind, Grayson finds his usual tactics may not avail him. This is not a man he can predict. So perhaps, an alliance is in order.
An unusual pact is struck. Misadventure is sure to follow.
296 pages, Paperback
Published December 2, 2022
2 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 29, 2023
Rukis has done it again. As always with the Red Lantern universe stories, this novel is full of political intrigue, action-packed adventure, well-rounded characters, and deep, meaningful relationships. In this gritty, historical-fiction-inspired world, there is no clear line between good and bad— and all the characters exist flawlessly within that gray space. Grayson, the protagonist in this book, is one who we’ve seen from time to time, as an exciting, swashbuckling, carefree pirate; it was immensely satisfying to get inside his mind and learn more about his true ambitions, fears, and his past. The bond he formed with Luther was heartwarming as it was realistic. Seriously, this series is one of the best!
December 24, 2024
This is my first foray into Rukis' works, and as someone who's been around the furry fandom for a long time, I have heard plenty of mentions of Red Lantern. However, I had no clue how wide the universe went. Most of the author's printed books come from that series, and knowing that made me extremely interested in getting to know it. So of course I picked one of the books surrounding a gay admiral and his connection to a pirate (privateer) captain.
Red Lantern takes place in a fictional world with many similarities to Earth during colonial times. And Illicit Alliance is the origin story for the prominent character Greyson Reed. He's essentially a pirate captain skirting the Amurescan- (I'm assuming either England or the US. The book doesn't clarify which it is) -navy and everyone else who he's pissed off, while being a charming badass and jokester. Consistently being in the sights of famous pirate hunter admiral Luther Denholme (From "Heretic". Seriously read that one first), and in his infinite wisdom decides to blackmail the cattle dog into giving him some leeway. This act leads the two, -along with their allies- on a quest to take out a pirate king.
The character Reed is extremely charismatic and fun to be in the PoV of, but initially one might think him a flat character who can't take anything seriously. However, the complexity of his personality consistently impressed me during the course of the story. In fact, that goes for everyone. The quality of the character writing and the level of humanity displayed by Reed and Luther is on the same level as Adam Browne's or Brian Mcnatt's. You really feel like you're dealing with an actual person. Reed was a fantastic contrast to Luther's serious personality, and by the end of the book having built such a deep and nuanced connection to the wolf, you can feel these two are meant for one another.
Illicit Alliance is of the category of books I most prefer reading. The mature ones that aren't eroticas. A book acknowledging the concept of sex, drugs, alcohol, curse words, dark subjects, etc, I feel makes a story more easily relatable and possibly tense. This is something that I feel is lacking from a lot of xenofiction. And on another note, there was a sad scene that really coaxed some emotions from me, so I'm excited to get caught up on the rest of the series.
One part that used to make me uncomfortable but now makes me sad, is how historically accurate the view of homosexuality is of the time (1700-1850). Any character who likes a same-gendered person has to hide it from society, and maybe even marry someone they don't love as a front because they would be executed or imprisoned if their preference for partners ever came out. I assume this is a real part of history, that is rare to see in xenofiction novels, in fact, I've only seen it once. So I guess that's a sort of trigger warning I could give to anyone planning to read this. It is very good, but also mature.
I greatly recommend this book if you love furry stories. But read Heretic before this one
5/5 stars
Red Lantern takes place in a fictional world with many similarities to Earth during colonial times. And Illicit Alliance is the origin story for the prominent character Greyson Reed. He's essentially a pirate captain skirting the Amurescan- (I'm assuming either England or the US. The book doesn't clarify which it is) -navy and everyone else who he's pissed off, while being a charming badass and jokester. Consistently being in the sights of famous pirate hunter admiral Luther Denholme (From "Heretic". Seriously read that one first), and in his infinite wisdom decides to blackmail the cattle dog into giving him some leeway. This act leads the two, -along with their allies- on a quest to take out a pirate king.
The character Reed is extremely charismatic and fun to be in the PoV of, but initially one might think him a flat character who can't take anything seriously. However, the complexity of his personality consistently impressed me during the course of the story. In fact, that goes for everyone. The quality of the character writing and the level of humanity displayed by Reed and Luther is on the same level as Adam Browne's or Brian Mcnatt's. You really feel like you're dealing with an actual person. Reed was a fantastic contrast to Luther's serious personality, and by the end of the book having built such a deep and nuanced connection to the wolf, you can feel these two are meant for one another.
Illicit Alliance is of the category of books I most prefer reading. The mature ones that aren't eroticas. A book acknowledging the concept of sex, drugs, alcohol, curse words, dark subjects, etc, I feel makes a story more easily relatable and possibly tense. This is something that I feel is lacking from a lot of xenofiction. And on another note, there was a sad scene that really coaxed some emotions from me, so I'm excited to get caught up on the rest of the series.
One part that used to make me uncomfortable but now makes me sad, is how historically accurate the view of homosexuality is of the time (1700-1850). Any character who likes a same-gendered person has to hide it from society, and maybe even marry someone they don't love as a front because they would be executed or imprisoned if their preference for partners ever came out. I assume this is a real part of history, that is rare to see in xenofiction novels, in fact, I've only seen it once. So I guess that's a sort of trigger warning I could give to anyone planning to read this. It is very good, but also mature.
I greatly recommend this book if you love furry stories. But read Heretic before this one
5/5 stars
March 19, 2025
Military naval fantasy! A genre I've never really poked around in, so it's a lot of fun seeing all of this jargon and terminology and all these shiny new things going on that have never even occurred to me to consider in a story. Even so, though, this is far more character-focused than what you might expect from standard military fantasy when it comes to large-scale battles and weaponry and technical stuff & all of that. It's a romantic adventure fantasy, in a few different definitions of the descriptor.
As another furry writer, I've never before been ~intimidated~ by another author's skill level before, but... after hearing so much about Rukis's work across the years as I've been getting my footing and making my own name, to now finally reading one- well, it's a humbling experience, and extremely inspirational. I've got so much room to improve, and there's so many ways I can be better about what I do, and I see all of that laid out right here in this book. The way the characters interact, the distinct personalities between everyone, the unique relationships, and then importantly the time spent in between the specific "scenes" or key plot points. It all flows together so that even the downtime feels like it's important; there's no "filler" here, even among the background expository sections, or other such points. Threads placed very early in the story are picked up on later on to show their purpose, and then any missing information (since I understand this is one installment in a very long-running, vast world?) is cleanly filled in, or at least implied in ~just~ the right way to be tantalizing.
Another point I wanna remark on is how each of these main characters are deep and developed, with their own inspirations, motivations, goals, and then importantly, flaws and regrets as well. Not a one of these three are perfect "good guys", and we still get the expected, familiar affection for them being main characters, while still remembering where they've come from and the things they've had to do to get there. Reed's introspective wallowing in the latter section of the book feels deep and powerful, and doesn't at all come across like whiny self-pitying. Even though we've spent the whole book with him up until that point, we still don't really know -who he is- apart from who he used to be, relating to his family bonds - and that's important, since neither do the other characters know, either. So we as readers mirror the same surprise at gaining that new information, which in turn deepens the impact.
I had a ton of fun! Will definitely be looking into more of these.
As another furry writer, I've never before been ~intimidated~ by another author's skill level before, but... after hearing so much about Rukis's work across the years as I've been getting my footing and making my own name, to now finally reading one- well, it's a humbling experience, and extremely inspirational. I've got so much room to improve, and there's so many ways I can be better about what I do, and I see all of that laid out right here in this book. The way the characters interact, the distinct personalities between everyone, the unique relationships, and then importantly the time spent in between the specific "scenes" or key plot points. It all flows together so that even the downtime feels like it's important; there's no "filler" here, even among the background expository sections, or other such points. Threads placed very early in the story are picked up on later on to show their purpose, and then any missing information (since I understand this is one installment in a very long-running, vast world?) is cleanly filled in, or at least implied in ~just~ the right way to be tantalizing.
Another point I wanna remark on is how each of these main characters are deep and developed, with their own inspirations, motivations, goals, and then importantly, flaws and regrets as well. Not a one of these three are perfect "good guys", and we still get the expected, familiar affection for them being main characters, while still remembering where they've come from and the things they've had to do to get there. Reed's introspective wallowing in the latter section of the book feels deep and powerful, and doesn't at all come across like whiny self-pitying. Even though we've spent the whole book with him up until that point, we still don't really know -who he is- apart from who he used to be, relating to his family bonds - and that's important, since neither do the other characters know, either. So we as readers mirror the same surprise at gaining that new information, which in turn deepens the impact.
I had a ton of fun! Will definitely be looking into more of these.
March 22, 2024
I've always loved the character of Luther Denholme, a male who built himself up, endured the worst kicks from life to rise to the rank of Admiral of an Amurescan fleet, build a family...
And now, here, he's sort of an extra.
It's fine that the main character is someone else, no problem, but Luther has NOTHING to do here. He merely serves as a supporting character, a perennial grump, who contributes little to the economy of the story even when he has his moments of glory. Grayson Reed eclipses him.
It remains an excellently written and well-characterized book, but there is so much wasted space for a character who all the time is a foreign body.
And now, here, he's sort of an extra.
It's fine that the main character is someone else, no problem, but Luther has NOTHING to do here. He merely serves as a supporting character, a perennial grump, who contributes little to the economy of the story even when he has his moments of glory. Grayson Reed eclipses him.
It remains an excellently written and well-characterized book, but there is so much wasted space for a character who all the time is a foreign body.
November 20, 2024
It's a nice book as usual from Rukis, but the constant political propaganda in this one does get old after a while; I can usually separate the art from the artist, but it sadly seems Rukis' radical views are starting to taint their work at last
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews