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Argo #1
Catalyst
For the past four years, Dr. Jason Finely and Colonel Rick Tennant have served on the Union space station Argo as its chief science officer and military commander. Jason is the brains, Rick is the brawn. They have become good friends, but Jason wants more.
Jason is a brilliant scientist, but his lack of confidence leaves him unlucky in love. And Rick is so committed to his job he’s oblivious that his best friend’s feelings for him go beyond friendship.
When Rick finally shows interest in him, Jason is thrilled. Then he discovers Rick’s sudden attraction may be the result of a threat to Rick’s life. If Jason hopes to discover the truth, first he’ll have to save his friend.
Jason is a brilliant scientist, but his lack of confidence leaves him unlucky in love. And Rick is so committed to his job he’s oblivious that his best friend’s feelings for him go beyond friendship.
When Rick finally shows interest in him, Jason is thrilled. Then he discovers Rick’s sudden attraction may be the result of a threat to Rick’s life. If Jason hopes to discover the truth, first he’ll have to save his friend.
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 9, 2012
5 people are currently reading
157 people want to read
About the author
Claire Russett
5 books6 followersClaire Russett is a researcher who is lucky enough to live in the lively town of Brighton in the UK. She believes in exercising just enough to justify her love of baking, loves all things sci-fi and is a scientist at heart. She writes m/m stories with a lot of sex and a dash of science. Science is sexy and when you add two cute guys to the mix, things sometimes get out of control!
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 10, 2012
Rating:
4 stars.
Genre:
Mainly science fiction novel with gay/bi protagonists, secondary m-m-romance with friends-to-lovers theme.
Content & Reading:
o (Probably) first book in a series about the space station/outpost Argo in the Thessalia galaxy, their crew, and the Zenoid threat.
+ Likable characters and some chemistry
+ Some creepy insectoid alien race (Zenoids) with colony ships and a taste for humanoids. You know, the raiding type collecting their "food" from different planets over the time.
+ Funny conversations and elements, like the tormack fixation (alien version of a tasty turnip/parsnip) of an alien crewman
- Now and then the pacing was a bit slow due to the worldbuilding
Sex-/Love Scenes:
Quantity: Two short fantasy, one extended and one short/medium love scenes. At 60k word length that much was quite fitting (not "oversexed") and were part of the characters' chemisty and the plot.
Quality: Rather hot&sweet
4 stars.
Genre:
Mainly science fiction novel with gay/bi protagonists, secondary m-m-romance with friends-to-lovers theme.
Content & Reading:
o (Probably) first book in a series about the space station/outpost Argo in the Thessalia galaxy, their crew, and the Zenoid threat.
+ Likable characters and some chemistry
+ Some creepy insectoid alien race (Zenoids) with colony ships and a taste for humanoids. You know, the raiding type collecting their "food" from different planets over the time.
+ Funny conversations and elements, like the tormack fixation (alien version of a tasty turnip/parsnip) of an alien crewman
- Now and then the pacing was a bit slow due to the worldbuilding
Sex-/Love Scenes:
Quantity: Two short fantasy, one extended and one short/medium love scenes. At 60k word length that much was quite fitting (not "oversexed") and were part of the characters' chemisty and the plot.
Quality: Rather hot&sweet
Read
November 11, 2012Just given up on this one a few pages in. It's barely disguised SGA fanfiction. It's fairly well-written, so far, but I was looking forward to something a bit more original. There's quite a lot of this sort of stuff in print and I find it really hard to read because I keep trying to put the original character names back in and get a headache keeping track of who's who.
(Seriously, we have an arrogant, socially naive head of science crushing on a charmingly unconventional colonel on board the spaceship Argo in the Thessalonian galaxy where they're fighting the insectoid Zenoid who like to snack on the natives, alongside the rest of their team, the beautiful female diplomat who happens to be good in a gunfight and the local warrior with a fancy alien energy weapon).
If you've never watched SGA, or read any of the thousands of McShep fics out there, this may be a good read. I'm not in the mood.
:( (I hate being bitchy online, but seriously?)
(Seriously, we have an arrogant, socially naive head of science crushing on a charmingly unconventional colonel on board the spaceship Argo in the Thessalonian galaxy where they're fighting the insectoid Zenoid who like to snack on the natives, alongside the rest of their team, the beautiful female diplomat who happens to be good in a gunfight and the local warrior with a fancy alien energy weapon).
If you've never watched SGA, or read any of the thousands of McShep fics out there, this may be a good read. I'm not in the mood.
:( (I hate being bitchy online, but seriously?)
March 17, 2015
The opening scene is straight out of almost every episode of the first few seasons of Stargate: Atlantis. No attempt was made to file the serial number off to make this story new. Well, maybe one or two digits were scraped off because the characters had different names.
Regardless of your view on P2P, the story is terrible. After the opening scene, the narrative moves to four years later and the main character spends the next eon reminiscing about events that took place more than four years ago. All told through introspection. When the first POV change occurs, we get more introspection on stuff that happened before the story started. The plot doesn’t actually go anywhere until almost 70% through the story. The so-called romance is 100% telling.
I should’ve DNF’d this book but then I would’ve missed this gem at 80% where Dr.Rodney McKay Jason Finely said, “Please, despite all appearances to the contrary, we are not living in a sci-fi television show.” Oh, author. You are so droll.
If you have never seen SGA, move on. If you’re purposely looking for McShep fanfic, move on. There are better stories out there. Just not here.
Regardless of your view on P2P, the story is terrible. After the opening scene, the narrative moves to four years later and the main character spends the next eon reminiscing about events that took place more than four years ago. All told through introspection. When the first POV change occurs, we get more introspection on stuff that happened before the story started. The plot doesn’t actually go anywhere until almost 70% through the story. The so-called romance is 100% telling.
I should’ve DNF’d this book but then I would’ve missed this gem at 80% where Dr.
If you have never seen SGA, move on. If you’re purposely looking for McShep fanfic, move on. There are better stories out there. Just not here.
Read
November 17, 2012This is too close to SGA (Star Gate Atlantis) for me to rate it as an original work. The characters are almost identical, if with different names, the enemy aliens are very similar to the Wraith of SGA, and there is no real reason why the team is in the galaxy they are in (the one dissimilarity with SGA), which makes the whole premise more than shaky for me.
April 21, 2013
A book start with an idea. Readers grab it, diving in amazing worlds with unknown characters and environment. I'm a big fan of sci-fi and fantasy, exactly because I love to know new worlds...
I had a huge problem with this book... Read 24% and give up for a simple reason: ideas are there, but completely disorganized. Lack of planning or too much enthusiasm? I don't know... I know that 24% of the story passed and there was just one real action: two characters almost playing chess... Every time they would DO ir or TALK to each other there would be a damn flashback, out of nowhere, distracting me from the present action of the story... Not that I think a book must have a straight timeline, but some planning of what is the message is needed... Or ideas will be there, disconnected, in the space vacuum... And never reach me.
I give up when I read a masturbating scene in a shower and notice that I read 24% and nothing at all made sense to me... Neither the shower scene.
I'm not even commenting the fact some reviews said this is a fanfiction of SGA, because I never watch it. I can't confirm it.
What I'm saying is the writting made me decide to put it down. Flashbacks are useful? Oh yes, but they can't interfer with the logic of the present time...l or a hot shower scene will be, porn. Sorry if I'm using such strong compaire. Nothing wrong with porn... It's just I don't like it... Sex scene without a plot is IMO porn... And it bothers me, because I start it hoping it was a sci-fi... And got lost in the chaos of the ideas disconnected from each other.
not for me... I tried, but give up... Read 25%
I had a huge problem with this book... Read 24% and give up for a simple reason: ideas are there, but completely disorganized. Lack of planning or too much enthusiasm? I don't know... I know that 24% of the story passed and there was just one real action: two characters almost playing chess... Every time they would DO ir or TALK to each other there would be a damn flashback, out of nowhere, distracting me from the present action of the story... Not that I think a book must have a straight timeline, but some planning of what is the message is needed... Or ideas will be there, disconnected, in the space vacuum... And never reach me.
I give up when I read a masturbating scene in a shower and notice that I read 24% and nothing at all made sense to me... Neither the shower scene.
I'm not even commenting the fact some reviews said this is a fanfiction of SGA, because I never watch it. I can't confirm it.
What I'm saying is the writting made me decide to put it down. Flashbacks are useful? Oh yes, but they can't interfer with the logic of the present time...l or a hot shower scene will be, porn. Sorry if I'm using such strong compaire. Nothing wrong with porn... It's just I don't like it... Sex scene without a plot is IMO porn... And it bothers me, because I start it hoping it was a sci-fi... And got lost in the chaos of the ideas disconnected from each other.
not for me... I tried, but give up... Read 25%
March 18, 2013
Ok so some people think this is so like Stargate Atlantis but there are differences, so lets compare.
1. Stargate Atlantis takes place on a city floating under and eventually on the surface of an ocean located on a planet. This story takes place on a space station built in space orbiting a planet. Much more like Babylon 5 or Star Trek Deep Space 9.
2. So Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis had individual assigned teams of 4, but other Sci-fi themed shows also had "away teams" of common members. So there is a similarity there. However mode of transportation is based on shuttle for most of this story while SG teams use the Stargate with or without a shuttle. So the shuttle missions are more similar to Star Trek, Babylon 5 and other Sci-fi shows. And if we get into the make up of the "away teams" you will still see that SG1 and SG Atlantis took their ideas from older shows to have a Science officer, an negotiator and a military type on each team. So you can't claim originality on the SG side for that either.
3. Stargate Atlantis had Wraiths who sucked the life force out of the humans through their hand. This story has insect like creatures who suck the guts out of the humans by injecting them with a digestive fluid that turns the innards to liquid. The only similarity there is the fact that the alien creature feeds off humans.
4. Stargate Atlantis has the Wraiths sucking human targets up through some sort of star trek like beaming technology(gee talk about originality there). This story has the humans being harvest by ground forces with tranquilizer darts.
5. And if we really want to get technical here, the SG Atlantis Stargate in space is quite similar to Babylon 5's "jump ports" so even SG Atlantis is pulling from other earlier Sci-fi shows instead of being all orginal.
I've seen almost very single episode of Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis and several other space related sci-fi shows. Yes the story has some similarities to SG Atlantis, but it's still a good story and can also has similarities to other shows. What can I say, I like sci-fi and I really liked this story similarities or not to already created tv shows.
1. Stargate Atlantis takes place on a city floating under and eventually on the surface of an ocean located on a planet. This story takes place on a space station built in space orbiting a planet. Much more like Babylon 5 or Star Trek Deep Space 9.
2. So Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis had individual assigned teams of 4, but other Sci-fi themed shows also had "away teams" of common members. So there is a similarity there. However mode of transportation is based on shuttle for most of this story while SG teams use the Stargate with or without a shuttle. So the shuttle missions are more similar to Star Trek, Babylon 5 and other Sci-fi shows. And if we get into the make up of the "away teams" you will still see that SG1 and SG Atlantis took their ideas from older shows to have a Science officer, an negotiator and a military type on each team. So you can't claim originality on the SG side for that either.
3. Stargate Atlantis had Wraiths who sucked the life force out of the humans through their hand. This story has insect like creatures who suck the guts out of the humans by injecting them with a digestive fluid that turns the innards to liquid. The only similarity there is the fact that the alien creature feeds off humans.
4. Stargate Atlantis has the Wraiths sucking human targets up through some sort of star trek like beaming technology(gee talk about originality there). This story has the humans being harvest by ground forces with tranquilizer darts.
5. And if we really want to get technical here, the SG Atlantis Stargate in space is quite similar to Babylon 5's "jump ports" so even SG Atlantis is pulling from other earlier Sci-fi shows instead of being all orginal.
I've seen almost very single episode of Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis and several other space related sci-fi shows. Yes the story has some similarities to SG Atlantis, but it's still a good story and can also has similarities to other shows. What can I say, I like sci-fi and I really liked this story similarities or not to already created tv shows.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
December 8, 2013Hmmm okay, well, I got this book as a freebie in a giveaway by a publisher – which is a good thing – because if I paid for it I would have been very unhappy. Turns out this is badly disguised Star Gate fan fiction – I mean it’s seriously obvious, to the point where in my mind I was unconsciously changing the names of the MC’s back to the character names, and bear in mind I’ve never seen Star Gate, but I have read some of the range of fan fiction available free on line (my favourites being Coming Home & General & Dr. Sheppard which are both set in the author's BDSM universe).
Now I have no problem with fan fiction as fan fiction – but I really think if you are going to publish and sell a book it should be your own work or you should credit the creators of the original characters. For that reason I really don't think I can rate this book.
Now I have no problem with fan fiction as fan fiction – but I really think if you are going to publish and sell a book it should be your own work or you should credit the creators of the original characters. For that reason I really don't think I can rate this book.
June 21, 2013
Argh. I'm very angry where it ended because of the periphery world. I think the world had a lot of potential that was, ultimately, unrealized. There could have been so much more done with it and so much more explained. Instead, the focus was slightly off-kilter. I mean, the book's not bad for what it is. It is after all, a romance.
It's just...it could have been so much more. Instead, it ends with sex.
Gah. I mean, I get why they would do that - to make more money (and I can't completely begrudge them that) - but it draws me out of the story and kind of makes me more reluctant to go on to the next book.
I suppose this probably isn't much of a problem for other people...
*shrug
Ah, well. I don't care. It's my prerogative to take this as seriously as I want.
Hmm...do I need a shelf for "I kinda liked it"?
It's just...it could have been so much more. Instead, it ends with sex.
Gah. I mean, I get why they would do that - to make more money (and I can't completely begrudge them that) - but it draws me out of the story and kind of makes me more reluctant to go on to the next book.
I suppose this probably isn't much of a problem for other people...
*shrug
Ah, well. I don't care. It's my prerogative to take this as seriously as I want.
Hmm...do I need a shelf for "I kinda liked it"?
April 14, 2014
3.5 Stars but I rounded up to 4 for the effort put in to add a second genre plot to the MM Romance story line.
This Science Fiction - MM Romance started off focusing on the Science Fiction aspect, switching to the MM Romance about 1/3rd the way through, from that point all of the science fiction story line began to rapidly disappear, until only the MM romance was left for the last quarter of the story.
I was rather disappointed with this turn in the focus, but admittedly it is a common element in the MM Romance genre. It is truly rare to find a MM Romance story that can hold onto a secondary plot line.
Judging only on the MM Romance I would have given this story 3 stars for 'average' typical.
But the fact that the author "tried" to carry a second plot line was noteworthy.
This Science Fiction - MM Romance started off focusing on the Science Fiction aspect, switching to the MM Romance about 1/3rd the way through, from that point all of the science fiction story line began to rapidly disappear, until only the MM romance was left for the last quarter of the story.
I was rather disappointed with this turn in the focus, but admittedly it is a common element in the MM Romance genre. It is truly rare to find a MM Romance story that can hold onto a secondary plot line.
Judging only on the MM Romance I would have given this story 3 stars for 'average' typical.
But the fact that the author "tried" to carry a second plot line was noteworthy.
November 14, 2012
So I was in the mood for some scifi/space opera and decided to take a chance on completely new to me author, something I rarely do these days.
I had rarely been so tempted to break my rule about not doing DNF reviews as I was with this book, but I forced myself to finish, because I wanted to warn the readers who may have the same reservations as I do.
Characters are extremely reminiscient of the characters from Stargate Atlantis, not just characters, the settings as well.
Writing is all right, but I just had the characters from the show in my head while I was reading and it was annoying, I have to say.
I had rarely been so tempted to break my rule about not doing DNF reviews as I was with this book, but I forced myself to finish, because I wanted to warn the readers who may have the same reservations as I do.
Characters are extremely reminiscient of the characters from Stargate Atlantis, not just characters, the settings as well.
Writing is all right, but I just had the characters from the show in my head while I was reading and it was annoying, I have to say.
November 12, 2012
3.5 Stars. It was okay. Never fell in love and the guys spent a good amount of time pondering their feelings while away from each other. The time they spent together didn't make swoon or anticipate anything hot was going to happen any minute. There was more attention paid to what was going on in the lab and not enough building the sexual tension or plot. I was more interested in the what I'll assume next couple is going to be than thinking than Jason and Rick. The Zenoid were pretty creepy and interesting. A good amount of this book felt like an info dump and dragged for me.
March 8, 2013
I saw alot of reviews comparing this to SGA fanfiction. Since I've never watched the show (and therefore never read fanfic about it), I liked this book. Interesting cast of characters, creepy insect like enemies (ewww!).
Pacing seems a little slow to start out with, but I quicking warmed up to the characters. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
Pacing seems a little slow to start out with, but I quicking warmed up to the characters. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
dnf
May 21, 2013I've only watched a few eps of SGA and even I can see where the serial numbers were filed off this fanfiction. I have no probs with P2P fics but for God's sake, do a better job than this of disguising your fandom.
November 13, 2012
Переделанный фанфик по Stargate Atlantis, да к тому же крайне бездарно написанный.
December 7, 2012
Was interesting reading material.
February 5, 2013
I had high hopes for this, an m/m sci-fi, yay, but it's like reading an episode of Stargate Atlantis, the writing is OK so if you don't know Atlantis you might like this more than I did
2.5 stars
2.5 stars
dnf
February 8, 2014I just couldn't get into it. Stopped at 45%...
to-read-ebook
March 30, 2016Free today from Dreamspinner Press for St Pat's Day
dnf
May 11, 2013DNF
August 11, 2016
3.5 Stars
May 4, 2015
Enjoyed and will be reading again - would have liked a little more depth.
June 9, 2013
kindle edition.
May 21, 2013
I wanted to give it two stars, then I came here and saw that the original elements I appreciated were basically from SGA, hence the one star. See for ex. review by Anja.
April 12, 2015
Excellent Scifi space opera/military gay romance. Nice mix of angst, sex and plot.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews