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Terra Flux
“There was so much to learn about women, and so little time.”
Jane is a gynoid scientist assessing a newly discovered planet’s viability for mining. Dirk is her cybernetically enhanced bodyguard who also has the hots for her. Little does Dirk know, the feeling is mutual, insofar as gynoids can be said to have feelings.
Things quickly get weird as they explore Terra Flux. Is the planet somehow alive? Is it trying to communicate with them? What is it trying to say?
Murderbot meets The Machine Mandate in this mechanical lesbian sci-fi romance novella.
This book is set in the distant future of the Incorporated States universe, where intergalactic corporations have grown more powerful than governments.
Intended for adult audiences.
Jane is a gynoid scientist assessing a newly discovered planet’s viability for mining. Dirk is her cybernetically enhanced bodyguard who also has the hots for her. Little does Dirk know, the feeling is mutual, insofar as gynoids can be said to have feelings.
Things quickly get weird as they explore Terra Flux. Is the planet somehow alive? Is it trying to communicate with them? What is it trying to say?
Murderbot meets The Machine Mandate in this mechanical lesbian sci-fi romance novella.
This book is set in the distant future of the Incorporated States universe, where intergalactic corporations have grown more powerful than governments.
Intended for adult audiences.
- GenresRomance
97 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 28, 2025
About the author
Dani Finn
47 books73 followersDani Finn (they/them) is a nonbinary fantasy romance author who occasionally writes fantasy without romance as well.
They favor high-steam love stories that crisscross the gender spectrum, from swords and sorcery to sword-free fantasy with meditation magic and everything in between.
They favor high-steam love stories that crisscross the gender spectrum, from swords and sorcery to sword-free fantasy with meditation magic and everything in between.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 3, 2026
Jane and Dirk are off on a mission for the Hubrix company, their job is to find planet with resources the company can exploit. As they finally reach their destination, a planet that does not seem to have any evolved creatures the women get to work. As a gynoid (an android) Jane's job is to do the analytical side of things; test the water, see if the air is breathable, and most importantly determine whether or not there is a "proper civilization" on the planet while Dirk is essentially just the hired muscle. Things start to seem kind of off almost as soon as they get to the planet they are inspecting though and the more the explore the weirder things become. When they finally do come across an "inhabitant" of this new, weird world they are like nothing the women could have expected.
I think we can just officially call me a Dani Finn Fan Girl, because for me Terra Flux really demonstrates the breadth of genres Dani can write while I think maintaining a very signature style of writing in terms of trans positivity and just straight up romance.
I think we all know by now that straight up sci fi like this just isn't my bag, the whole planet exploration, and androids and all of that other stuff is something I normally turn my nose up at and quite honestly if this had not been written by Dani I probably would have ignored it. However, I have to admit immediately that I really, really loved the sci fi aspect of this like almost as much as the Jane and Dirk are freaking adorable aspect of this. One of the things I have always hated about sci fi is there is always this assumption that if there is other life out there it looks and acts like us. I mean really look at it, even in conspiracy theories you've got these basically anthropomorphic creatures, whose goals are the same as ours "Destroy, conquer, blah, blah, freaking blah." That has never made any sense to me. From why the hell would they breathe oxygen to why the heck have they evolved with the same goals that we humans have!? It makes NO SENSE, you have beings evolving in completely different circumstances and while sure yeah there is always the possibility that yes there is some sort of alien race that is exactly like us out there the possibility is much greater that aliens are so, well alien to us that we wouldn't even necessarily recognize it as life. We are so busy projecting ourselves onto everything that we miss that we are literally not important in the grand scheme of things, especially when you look at the vastness of space and the millions of different ways life could evolve. Quite frankly, when all of that is taken into account the whole Stephen Hawking* aliens will kill us all stuff and in turn the millions of sci fi novels, movies, and tv shows written with that same thought in mind feels like so much nonsense.
Now, Terra Flux doesn't go quite as deep as all of that but it definitely touches on it. Flux, who we meet in the latter portion of the story is unlike anything Jane or Dirk has ever come across. They are an enigma, completely outside of what our idea of a "being" is while also, as Jane points out fundamentally being what we consider to be a civilized existence. Meaning that Flux and whatever makes up Flux and this planet consists of a group of beings that has something resembling what humans view as civilization. However, even to my mind that is and is not a hard sell. There doesn't seem to be any other "intelligent" life on the planet other than Flux, and yet Flux almost seems to be life itself. Flux has what I would have to term as "powers" and yet I only say that because as a human we have nothing in our vernacular that would describe what Flux is capable of doing as a simply innate part of what Flux is. They can create life, replicating DNA perfectly after simply reading the memory of a being, and what Flux shows Dirk towards the end of their visit is simply almost indescribable. Flux is the planet, or at least that's my interpretation of it, able to make it grow which opens the door for all sorts of other things Flux may or may not be able to do. Quite frankly if this wasn't a sci fi story we would probably call Flux a god and yet I find that term to be somewhat insufficient and simply the most comfortable term that we have for Flux in our speech. To be borrow Jane's favorite word from her Flux is simply fascinating.
Now, Jane and Dirk, who are, of course, absolutely freaking adorable, but not for the usual reasons. Because Jane is technically a robot, however, it's actually really hard to remember that as the story moves forward, she is very much a human and you can't convince me that she's not. Which given that this is an exploration of what makes something a "being" period this isn't surprising. What I did find interesting though is Dirk's original aversion to being physically intimate with Jane because of her gynoid status. It gives depth to Dirk that would otherwise not exist, even with Flux thrown into the mix. As a trans woman who has had we'll say "upgrades" to her human body in the form of performance enhancing mechanics it is surprising to say the least that Dirk is put off at all in terms of having a relationship with a person who is not a "person" so to speak. Dirk herself absolutely struggles with this as well, it doesn't seem to make much sense to her either. But I think that's a really good point to make, as a person who has been othered I think the automatic knee jerk reaction from both her stand point as a character and ours as the reader is that Dirk would automatically disregard othering Jane in any manner, she knows what it's like, but Dirk is also, well human. Regardless of the othering that Dirk faced she is still very much fallible and luckily, she recognizes that. Now, obviously this is a short story so that line of tension can't exist for very long, but there's enough of it to give you food for thought for sure. Jane on the other hand as a gynoid has a much more logical view of everything and yet her attraction and I would even say yearning for Dirk is very much human. I would simply say that Jane is a woman who knows what she wants and is absolutely going to go after it.
For a very short read I found this to be quite a fascinating look at what it means not just to be a woman, but what existence period actually looks like. I cannot wait to start book two!!
I think we can just officially call me a Dani Finn Fan Girl, because for me Terra Flux really demonstrates the breadth of genres Dani can write while I think maintaining a very signature style of writing in terms of trans positivity and just straight up romance.
I think we all know by now that straight up sci fi like this just isn't my bag, the whole planet exploration, and androids and all of that other stuff is something I normally turn my nose up at and quite honestly if this had not been written by Dani I probably would have ignored it. However, I have to admit immediately that I really, really loved the sci fi aspect of this like almost as much as the Jane and Dirk are freaking adorable aspect of this. One of the things I have always hated about sci fi is there is always this assumption that if there is other life out there it looks and acts like us. I mean really look at it, even in conspiracy theories you've got these basically anthropomorphic creatures, whose goals are the same as ours "Destroy, conquer, blah, blah, freaking blah." That has never made any sense to me. From why the hell would they breathe oxygen to why the heck have they evolved with the same goals that we humans have!? It makes NO SENSE, you have beings evolving in completely different circumstances and while sure yeah there is always the possibility that yes there is some sort of alien race that is exactly like us out there the possibility is much greater that aliens are so, well alien to us that we wouldn't even necessarily recognize it as life. We are so busy projecting ourselves onto everything that we miss that we are literally not important in the grand scheme of things, especially when you look at the vastness of space and the millions of different ways life could evolve. Quite frankly, when all of that is taken into account the whole Stephen Hawking* aliens will kill us all stuff and in turn the millions of sci fi novels, movies, and tv shows written with that same thought in mind feels like so much nonsense.
Now, Terra Flux doesn't go quite as deep as all of that but it definitely touches on it. Flux, who we meet in the latter portion of the story is unlike anything Jane or Dirk has ever come across. They are an enigma, completely outside of what our idea of a "being" is while also, as Jane points out fundamentally being what we consider to be a civilized existence. Meaning that Flux and whatever makes up Flux and this planet consists of a group of beings that has something resembling what humans view as civilization. However, even to my mind that is and is not a hard sell. There doesn't seem to be any other "intelligent" life on the planet other than Flux, and yet Flux almost seems to be life itself. Flux has what I would have to term as "powers" and yet I only say that because as a human we have nothing in our vernacular that would describe what Flux is capable of doing as a simply innate part of what Flux is. They can create life, replicating DNA perfectly after simply reading the memory of a being, and what Flux shows Dirk towards the end of their visit is simply almost indescribable. Flux is the planet, or at least that's my interpretation of it, able to make it grow which opens the door for all sorts of other things Flux may or may not be able to do. Quite frankly if this wasn't a sci fi story we would probably call Flux a god and yet I find that term to be somewhat insufficient and simply the most comfortable term that we have for Flux in our speech. To be borrow Jane's favorite word from her Flux is simply fascinating.
Now, Jane and Dirk, who are, of course, absolutely freaking adorable, but not for the usual reasons. Because Jane is technically a robot, however, it's actually really hard to remember that as the story moves forward, she is very much a human and you can't convince me that she's not. Which given that this is an exploration of what makes something a "being" period this isn't surprising. What I did find interesting though is Dirk's original aversion to being physically intimate with Jane because of her gynoid status. It gives depth to Dirk that would otherwise not exist, even with Flux thrown into the mix. As a trans woman who has had we'll say "upgrades" to her human body in the form of performance enhancing mechanics it is surprising to say the least that Dirk is put off at all in terms of having a relationship with a person who is not a "person" so to speak. Dirk herself absolutely struggles with this as well, it doesn't seem to make much sense to her either. But I think that's a really good point to make, as a person who has been othered I think the automatic knee jerk reaction from both her stand point as a character and ours as the reader is that Dirk would automatically disregard othering Jane in any manner, she knows what it's like, but Dirk is also, well human. Regardless of the othering that Dirk faced she is still very much fallible and luckily, she recognizes that. Now, obviously this is a short story so that line of tension can't exist for very long, but there's enough of it to give you food for thought for sure. Jane on the other hand as a gynoid has a much more logical view of everything and yet her attraction and I would even say yearning for Dirk is very much human. I would simply say that Jane is a woman who knows what she wants and is absolutely going to go after it.
For a very short read I found this to be quite a fascinating look at what it means not just to be a woman, but what existence period actually looks like. I cannot wait to start book two!!
October 15, 2026
There's a lot of things going for this book that will certainly entertain the right audience. Mystery planet exploration, a killer good cover, and yes, oodles of repressed sexual tension as a female-presenting robot named Jane longingly stares at her cyborg human bodyguard, a tomboyish woman named Dirk. Who, by the way, is... not all too enthused about stepping on sentinent squishy fungi alongside Jane's romantic advances. For a good portion of the novel, I imagined Dirk looked a lot like Cressida from the Hunger Games films. Only much more cranky and physically fit.
In essence, readers that love that sapphic hard-to-get romantic dalliances will ignore the skimmed plot and bite their nails in awaitment of some hopefully very raunchy spice scenes.
Under other circumstances, I too would have not cared much about the reason why they were on this mystery planet that doesn't seem all too conductive for human life. Even at the high altitude I live in, which is usually hovering around Denver, oxygen levels still remain real close to 21% vs the planet's meager 18%. The book does clarify Dirk's cybernetic lung implants confer greater oxygen captation. So, I thought such a low oxygen level that doesn't cause Dirk any hardship reduced a bit its believability, but still plausible.
However, I was really itching to learn more about the greater worldbuilding, the purpose of their secret mission and its implications. While we do finally get some answers in the book's much better second half, I felt the insanely slow buildup focusing on Jane's horniness made the story move a bit too slow for my taste. However, I do believe readers that have zero plot expectations and solely want a simple romance story will enjoy this quick read immensely.
3.5 stars!
In essence, readers that love that sapphic hard-to-get romantic dalliances will ignore the skimmed plot and bite their nails in awaitment of some hopefully very raunchy spice scenes.
Under other circumstances, I too would have not cared much about the reason why they were on this mystery planet that doesn't seem all too conductive for human life. Even at the high altitude I live in, which is usually hovering around Denver, oxygen levels still remain real close to 21% vs the planet's meager 18%. The book does clarify Dirk's cybernetic lung implants confer greater oxygen captation. So, I thought such a low oxygen level that doesn't cause Dirk any hardship reduced a bit its believability, but still plausible.
However, I was really itching to learn more about the greater worldbuilding, the purpose of their secret mission and its implications. While we do finally get some answers in the book's much better second half, I felt the insanely slow buildup focusing on Jane's horniness made the story move a bit too slow for my taste. However, I do believe readers that have zero plot expectations and solely want a simple romance story will enjoy this quick read immensely.
3.5 stars!
November 29, 2025
An entertaining romp of a sci-fi planetary adventure meets spicy mechanical lesbian romance – I loved this novella! I read Terra Flux in one sitting. Finn deftly builds a fascinating and convincing planet of biological curiosity and wonder as the backdrop for the duo-protagonists, Dirk and Jane. The romance current runs subtly and smoothly, building tension and curiosity as the plot unfolds. The fun really expands with midpoint turns and twists, adding depth and surprise to the character relationships and romantic tension. I really appreciated the attention to detail and minutia in both the mech/tech and biological aspects of the beings and world, especially for a novella with limited room for worldbuilding. Humorous banter is sprinkled throughout, with cultural references that had me chuckling - there's some great snark in there that's both entertaining and a subtle commentary on the nuances of romantic behavior and communication. If you enjoy this genre of romance and are a fan of books like Psalm for the Wild-Built and Murderbot, Terra Flux will be right up your alley!
January 3, 2026
4.5 stars rounded down.
This was a really fun, short read. I really liked the concept of the world taking from Dirk's DNA and basically re-creating Earth on the planet. The evil corporation that just wants to terriform was definitely giving murderbot vibes and is always a classic antagonist in Sci-Fi.
Jane's bewilderment with human customs was incredibly relatable and funny. Her comments offending Dirk or missing the mark were also very relatable. I really liked her as a character. The idea of humans having augments was also very fun. The combination of Dirk being trans and also having upgrades was extremely cool.
Overall, a very fun Sci-Fi read.
This was a really fun, short read. I really liked the concept of the world taking from Dirk's DNA and basically re-creating Earth on the planet. The evil corporation that just wants to terriform was definitely giving murderbot vibes and is always a classic antagonist in Sci-Fi.
Jane's bewilderment with human customs was incredibly relatable and funny. Her comments offending Dirk or missing the mark were also very relatable. I really liked her as a character. The idea of humans having augments was also very fun. The combination of Dirk being trans and also having upgrades was extremely cool.
Overall, a very fun Sci-Fi read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2026
This was a fun FF spicy little book. I enjoyed the characters, the sci-fi elements, and the planet was very interesting.
The only thing that stopped me from giving 5 stars was that there were no surprises leading towards the end. It did not stop my enjoyment though, as it ended how I hoped it would.
The only thing that stopped me from giving 5 stars was that there were no surprises leading towards the end. It did not stop my enjoyment though, as it ended how I hoped it would.
January 30, 2026
4 stars. This was so much fun. I loved Dirk and Jane so much and the planet and world building were excellent. I’m always just so impressed with what Finn is able to do in such a short amount of pages. This was sexy and a light read and one that I could for sure see myself reading again.
Spice: ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥/❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
Content Warning:
Spice: ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥/❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
Content Warning:
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews