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Forced Labor
Arekan leads a hardscrabble and solitary life as a hired blade for whatever merchant space vessel that will take him. The problem with twenty-two year old Arekan is that he causes trouble wherever he goes, enough so that he uses variety of aliases. Fired by his last captain, stranded in a foreign nation, he is approached by a member of the outlaw family who once ruled the Kyn Empire. The imperious man offers him employment. The job? Smuggle his son into Kyn.
Arekan hates the condescending manner of Sinlon Mor'a'stan, and he despises the man's privileged and haughty son, Santir. Unable to refuse Sinlon's offer he takes the job. But guarding Santir on the thirty day journey into Kyn on a ship of hardened spacers proves to be a challenge. Between ship politics, pirates, a failed spacewalk and boarding by the Kyn military, Arekan has to use every trick he knows to keep Santir in one piece.
It's just too bad that Santir chooses to stiff Arekan on his pay. And for that Santir and the Mor'a'stani pay the steepest price of all.
Forced Labor is the first book in the series Arekan's War. It ends in a cliffhanger
Cover by Starry Night Graphic Arts.
Arekan hates the condescending manner of Sinlon Mor'a'stan, and he despises the man's privileged and haughty son, Santir. Unable to refuse Sinlon's offer he takes the job. But guarding Santir on the thirty day journey into Kyn on a ship of hardened spacers proves to be a challenge. Between ship politics, pirates, a failed spacewalk and boarding by the Kyn military, Arekan has to use every trick he knows to keep Santir in one piece.
It's just too bad that Santir chooses to stiff Arekan on his pay. And for that Santir and the Mor'a'stani pay the steepest price of all.
Forced Labor is the first book in the series Arekan's War. It ends in a cliffhanger
Cover by Starry Night Graphic Arts.
87 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 18, 2015
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 26, 2018
Arekan is a spaceship-jumping rogue with exceptional street(space?)-sense, charm, and the ability to kick butt. This protagonist is almost like a less blundersome Han Solo. He is a ‘blade’ for hire, but unlike others of his trade, he actually prefers a bladed weapon over a gun. Whether sword or dagger, Arekan knows how to put himself at the vantage point of a scuffle.
The story starts with Arekan between jobs, watching his back for anyone that may try jump him. A wealthy and intimidating individual offers him a contract he can’t refuse. This sees him protecting a secondary PoV character, Santir, as Arekan escorts him to the planet Kyn.
Beth put a lot of thought into how the locations and inhabitants would behave, and then gave Arekan good knowledge of how to act accordingly. Santir, however, lacked those street-smarts, and this saw Arekan constantly having to go above the usual to protect him.
Cheeky banter filled the pages as Arekan and Santir struggled to get along. Some of their interactions had me laughing. Others had me worried for the conflict that may rise from the animosity. All in all, this worked for an engaging story.
I was a little uncomfortable with the level of insinuated homosexuality in the book (there is nothing graphic). Now, I’m not homophobic, yet the story made out that almost all men have homosexual tendencies. Well, men that work on spaceships, anyways. On the flip-side, this did increase the stakes for Santir, who was straight as an arrow. I was scared of what the other men might do to him!
The novella ends on a high for Arekan as we learn more about who he is! I’m not the biggest fan of stories that end on cliffhangers, but this felt more like episode 1 of a grand serial. Fortunately, the next episode is already out! I’m off to read No Free Lunch.
The story starts with Arekan between jobs, watching his back for anyone that may try jump him. A wealthy and intimidating individual offers him a contract he can’t refuse. This sees him protecting a secondary PoV character, Santir, as Arekan escorts him to the planet Kyn.
Beth put a lot of thought into how the locations and inhabitants would behave, and then gave Arekan good knowledge of how to act accordingly. Santir, however, lacked those street-smarts, and this saw Arekan constantly having to go above the usual to protect him.
Cheeky banter filled the pages as Arekan and Santir struggled to get along. Some of their interactions had me laughing. Others had me worried for the conflict that may rise from the animosity. All in all, this worked for an engaging story.
I was a little uncomfortable with the level of insinuated homosexuality in the book (there is nothing graphic). Now, I’m not homophobic, yet the story made out that almost all men have homosexual tendencies. Well, men that work on spaceships, anyways. On the flip-side, this did increase the stakes for Santir, who was straight as an arrow. I was scared of what the other men might do to him!
The novella ends on a high for Arekan as we learn more about who he is! I’m not the biggest fan of stories that end on cliffhangers, but this felt more like episode 1 of a grand serial. Fortunately, the next episode is already out! I’m off to read No Free Lunch.
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February 18, 2016Well started series! Quick interesting read.. Can Arekan control himself? Can he fulfill what his family legacy had bequeathed him? The author has shown many facets to the protagonists character without giving the reader too much!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews