What do you think?
Rate this book
The Last Hour of Gann
It was her last chance:
Amber Bierce had nothing left except her sister and two tickets on Earth’s first colony-ship. She entered her Sleeper with a five-year contract and the promise of a better life, but awakened in wreckage on an unknown world. For the survivors, there is no rescue, no way home and no hope until they are found by Meoraq—a holy warrior more deadly than any hungering beast on this hostile new world…but whose eyes show a different sort of hunger when he looks at her.
It was his last year of freedom:
Uyane Meoraq is a Sword of Sheul, God’s own instrument of judgment, victor of hundreds of trials, with a conqueror’s rights over all men. Or at least he was until his father’s death. Now, without divine intervention, he will be forced to assume stewardship over House Uyane and lose the life he has always known. At the legendary temple of Xi’Matezh, Meoraq hopes to find the deliverance he seeks, but the humans he encounters on his pilgrimage may prove too great a test even for him…especially the one called Amber, behind whose monstrous appearance burns a woman’s heart unlike any he has ever known.
Amber Bierce had nothing left except her sister and two tickets on Earth’s first colony-ship. She entered her Sleeper with a five-year contract and the promise of a better life, but awakened in wreckage on an unknown world. For the survivors, there is no rescue, no way home and no hope until they are found by Meoraq—a holy warrior more deadly than any hungering beast on this hostile new world…but whose eyes show a different sort of hunger when he looks at her.
It was his last year of freedom:
Uyane Meoraq is a Sword of Sheul, God’s own instrument of judgment, victor of hundreds of trials, with a conqueror’s rights over all men. Or at least he was until his father’s death. Now, without divine intervention, he will be forced to assume stewardship over House Uyane and lose the life he has always known. At the legendary temple of Xi’Matezh, Meoraq hopes to find the deliverance he seeks, but the humans he encounters on his pilgrimage may prove too great a test even for him…especially the one called Amber, behind whose monstrous appearance burns a woman’s heart unlike any he has ever known.
973 pages, ebook
First published September 12, 2013
1220 people are currently reading
12596 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,832 reviews
June 4, 2014
I don't even know where to begin with this. I've written and rewritten this review in my head about a dozen times but the feels--THE FEELS. I don't know what to do with myself, and I wish I could give more of an unemotional review but I can't. So, let me fangirl.
This book is one of the best things I've ever read, flat out. If I could hug it or RLS, I'd do it. Over and over and over again, and I don't care how creepy that sounds.
And it'll sound even creepier when I say that Meoraq has become one of my favorite male characters ever. Yes, he's a Lizardman. No, I don't care. I want one with his rough mouth and slapping tendencies. He's complicated, a bit of an ass, arrogant, and slightly violent. So of course I love him. Duh.
Then there's Amber. I was a little nervous about her but from the get-go, I really liked her character. She's not a doormat, a little bit of a bitch, and she's a survivor. So of course I love her.
Put them together, a friendship that takes its time, an excellent plot, twists and turns, and you'll get one of the best romances ever.
I do have two "warnings": there are parts that are really dark and a little painful to get through. There's rape and it is explicit but... I managed. It also delves pretty deeply into religion. For the record, I'm not a religious person. Yes, it's sort of a made-up religion but all the aspects are pretty familiar. But it's fine. Trust me. Give it a chance.
The thing that really stands out about TLHoG is that it has "effort" written all over it. Thought. Emotion. You can tell how much time went into every aspect of the novel. It all makes sense, it all ties in together, it all fits. There was also none of that "instant love" crap that I can't stand. Love for me is made up in the details, and none of that is skipped.
I don't want to give anything away and this review isn't going to justify the absolute epic-ness that is TLHoG, but the point is--it's amazing and I don't use the word lightly. It's not for everyone and I can see a lot of people giving up along the way because it's long and takes it times but that's what I loved about it. It isn't rushed and RLS does what RLS wants to do and that's something I can totally 1,000% respect.
I don't know if RLS is a lady or a man and I doubt he/she will ever read this but if you do, you have my undying love for having the balls to write this and hitting the ball out of the park. This is the kind of thing I wish I could write and wish everyone in the world would give it a chance.
And on an entirely different note... Nicci and S'kot (ha). Dear god. I wanted to murder their asses, slowly, Dexter style. Bring them back to life and do it all over again. The rages I felt... akdfjlaksdf. Okay, I needed to vent that at some point.
Anyway, be brave and read this. Sci-fi and maybe it wasn't meant to be a romance but that's what this hopeless romantic took it as. It's the best $6.50 I've ever spent.
This book is one of the best things I've ever read, flat out. If I could hug it or RLS, I'd do it. Over and over and over again, and I don't care how creepy that sounds.
And it'll sound even creepier when I say that Meoraq has become one of my favorite male characters ever. Yes, he's a Lizardman. No, I don't care. I want one with his rough mouth and slapping tendencies. He's complicated, a bit of an ass, arrogant, and slightly violent. So of course I love him. Duh.
Then there's Amber. I was a little nervous about her but from the get-go, I really liked her character. She's not a doormat, a little bit of a bitch, and she's a survivor. So of course I love her.
Put them together, a friendship that takes its time, an excellent plot, twists and turns, and you'll get one of the best romances ever.
I do have two "warnings": there are parts that are really dark and a little painful to get through. There's rape and it is explicit but... I managed. It also delves pretty deeply into religion. For the record, I'm not a religious person. Yes, it's sort of a made-up religion but all the aspects are pretty familiar. But it's fine. Trust me. Give it a chance.
The thing that really stands out about TLHoG is that it has "effort" written all over it. Thought. Emotion. You can tell how much time went into every aspect of the novel. It all makes sense, it all ties in together, it all fits. There was also none of that "instant love" crap that I can't stand. Love for me is made up in the details, and none of that is skipped.
I don't want to give anything away and this review isn't going to justify the absolute epic-ness that is TLHoG, but the point is--it's amazing and I don't use the word lightly. It's not for everyone and I can see a lot of people giving up along the way because it's long and takes it times but that's what I loved about it. It isn't rushed and RLS does what RLS wants to do and that's something I can totally 1,000% respect.
I don't know if RLS is a lady or a man and I doubt he/she will ever read this but if you do, you have my undying love for having the balls to write this and hitting the ball out of the park. This is the kind of thing I wish I could write and wish everyone in the world would give it a chance.
And on an entirely different note... Nicci and S'kot (ha). Dear god. I wanted to murder their asses, slowly, Dexter style. Bring them back to life and do it all over again. The rages I felt... akdfjlaksdf. Okay, I needed to vent that at some point.
Anyway, be brave and read this. Sci-fi and maybe it wasn't meant to be a romance but that's what this hopeless romantic took it as. It's the best $6.50 I've ever spent.
September 28, 2013
THIS BOOK. MY GOD. I have so many feels. SO MANY.
First off, it's long. It's probably a trilogy in a single book. Don't let that deter you - it never slumps along the way.
So anyhow, Amber Bierce is our heroine. She's fat, she's bossy, and she's got a pottymouth. Her sister Nicci is a user and her favorite person to use is Amber. All of these things combine into a heroine who makes trouble for herself, knows it, and can't seem to stop. But Amber's an awesome heroine. When shit hits the fan, Amber's the first one to take charge. When the colony ship crashes, Amber saves people. When they're starving, she tries to hunt. She ALWAYS tries, and I love that about Amber. She refuses to lay down and let life kick her ass, and life tries to, a LOT.
Meoraq is the hero. He's a lizardman. I'll let that sink in for a moment. A MOTHER-EFFING LIZARDMAN. Don't care. It's still awesome and he's still great. By the time the middle of the book hit, I was like PLEASE HAVE SEX YOU TWO PLEASE PLEASE because I wanted their relationship so freaking much. The build and the sexual tension is amazeballs.
Because this is RLee Smith, bad shit happens. Not gonna lie. There was a section that was pretty heartbreaking, and I thought everything was ruined at the 90% mark of the book...but Smith turns the ship around and by the last page, I was all YEESSSSSSS MY GOD YESSSSSS. It was perfection and no one got screwed over in the end, except for the ones that deserved it.
So. Loved this. I've had a book hangover for a week because I read it and I can't find anything else like it. I even bought my mom a copy (YES I BOUGHT MY MOM A LIZARDMAN ROMANCE) so I will have someone to discuss it with.
Please read this, because I want this author to be wildly successful and write more books. I'm selfish like that. :)
First off, it's long. It's probably a trilogy in a single book. Don't let that deter you - it never slumps along the way.
So anyhow, Amber Bierce is our heroine. She's fat, she's bossy, and she's got a pottymouth. Her sister Nicci is a user and her favorite person to use is Amber. All of these things combine into a heroine who makes trouble for herself, knows it, and can't seem to stop. But Amber's an awesome heroine. When shit hits the fan, Amber's the first one to take charge. When the colony ship crashes, Amber saves people. When they're starving, she tries to hunt. She ALWAYS tries, and I love that about Amber. She refuses to lay down and let life kick her ass, and life tries to, a LOT.
Meoraq is the hero. He's a lizardman. I'll let that sink in for a moment. A MOTHER-EFFING LIZARDMAN. Don't care. It's still awesome and he's still great. By the time the middle of the book hit, I was like PLEASE HAVE SEX YOU TWO PLEASE PLEASE because I wanted their relationship so freaking much. The build and the sexual tension is amazeballs.
Because this is RLee Smith, bad shit happens. Not gonna lie. There was a section that was pretty heartbreaking, and I thought everything was ruined at the 90% mark of the book...but Smith turns the ship around and by the last page, I was all YEESSSSSSS MY GOD YESSSSSS. It was perfection and no one got screwed over in the end, except for the ones that deserved it.
So. Loved this. I've had a book hangover for a week because I read it and I can't find anything else like it. I even bought my mom a copy (YES I BOUGHT MY MOM A LIZARDMAN ROMANCE) so I will have someone to discuss it with.
Please read this, because I want this author to be wildly successful and write more books. I'm selfish like that. :)
November 1, 2014
UGGGGGGH. I dunno if I can recommend this book. It's really well-written in a lot of ways, and is the only fiction outside of Skyrim where I'd think a lizard guy was hot, but man, there are things that triggered revulsion in me with the abuse of women in the sex scenes. I actually couldn't read whole chapters of this book. The slavery and abuse of women was just something I couldn't stomach. Over and over again through the story (which is VERY LONG, like 800 pages!)
The world-building is masterful. The alien race interaction was just amazing. I see why it's an underground hit, and would be interested to read other books by the author. My tolerance point was just way overboard with the rape and abuse. But I just need to warn everyone that this is FULL OF TRIGGER WARNINGS OF EVERY POSSIBLE KIND.
There's a huge thread on my romance book club group, Vaginal Fantasy, forum if you want to discuss it! Lots of great comments there.
The world-building is masterful. The alien race interaction was just amazing. I see why it's an underground hit, and would be interested to read other books by the author. My tolerance point was just way overboard with the rape and abuse. But I just need to warn everyone that this is FULL OF TRIGGER WARNINGS OF EVERY POSSIBLE KIND.
There's a huge thread on my romance book club group, Vaginal Fantasy, forum if you want to discuss it! Lots of great comments there.
November 30, 2016
“If you cannot have an easy journey, make an interesting story”
This book is epic. An ODYSSEY that should not be taken lighthearted.
I understand that the book may scare people off because of its length, but I believe it is important to treat it as 8 separate books as opposed to one book. The book has clearly eight distinct parts in which different events take place and you have a different degree of knowledge about the characters and their world. The emotions change. The number of characters and the familiarity between them vary. The landscaping changes too. Each part could be treated as a different book with a cliffhanger in the end. Something happens always in the end that gives a head start to the next part.
Thus I would like to break down my thoughts towards this book in eight parts as well:
BOOK 1 - AMBER:
The start of the book is absolutely awesome. Earth has changed and not in a good way. Drugs and corruption are present. But still the human race is exploring the outer space and starting colonies in other planets. From the beginning it is clear that Amber is a survivor. Amber tries to avoid her dead mother fate and become a whore in order to survive and not die of hunger and without shelter. Amber and her sister decide to take part to the mission to colonize a distant planet called Plymouth. Her little sister is basically dragged to this adventure by Amber.
I need to mention here that Amber is a big girl and her weight is a problem. She even takes drugs to reduce her weight and become fit for the mission. She is that determine to escape Earth.
Pioneers’ ship will eventually depart from Earth and crash on an unknown planet. The description of the crash and burn was one of the best I have read in Science Fiction. As a result only a few people survive.
Where are they? Who lives in this planet?
Houston, we've had a problem here …
BOOK 2 - MEORAQ:
The action with the humans stops there and we meet Meoraq who is like the top dog (or should I say top lizard of this planet).
Uyane Meoraq: A holly man, a warrior, a philosopher, a ruler, a leader, a judge. A sheulek.
We see the world through his eyes. This is a new savage world. Cold and inhospitable. They solve their differences in the Arena. Females are the lowest of the low. Every father is proud if Meoraq takes the virginity of his worthless otherwise daughter.
There is no description of the creatures/anthropoids, but you may notice that they are talking about their snoots instead of their noses. And about their scales. Thank God no talking about tails.
And all I can think is “huh”? What?
And I got even more worried for the poor ex inhabitants of the planet Earth. I was scared of the moment whey will be discovered – especially women (bahaha...evil laughter).
Meoraq has seen the fires of the huge explosion and soon he will start his long journey to discover what God has sent him (Have I mentioned that he is an extremely religious male?)
All these happen in like the first 100 something pages of the 1000 pages.
BOOK 3 – LOST AND FOUND:
Meoraq discovers the most plainly ugly beings he has ever seen in his life. So the miscommunication starts. He thinks they are not intelligent beings. They think he is some kind of a stupid animal.
Only Amber tries to communicate, although Meoraq is not responding. Believe me she tries really hard in a “Me Jane, You Tarzan” short of way.
He will stay with them. He will not kill them and they will start a journey together to the end of the world to Xi’Matezh because God told him to do it (Have I mentioned that he is an extremely religious male?). The survivors will be his pets. He will feed them, find them water and shelter. Like sheep and he is the shepherd.
This is the part where you really start hating the rest of the survivors and mainly because all of them hate Amber (including her sister). The worst of them is Scott who named himself commander and all of them follow him. The humans treat her badly, they starve her to death, they tell fat jokes to her. And you will like Amber. For sure! She is clever and tough, she is a problem solver, she is not nagging, she is a natural leader but she doesn’t want to lead.
Amber will try so hard to understand Meoraq, although he is the ugliest creature she has ever seen.
There is this super, incredible, magnificent scene where Meoraq defends Amber and suddenly they all know that Meoraq can speak and understand English and that Amber is HIS.
Oh and when Meoraq and Amber actually FINALLY start talking and exchange insults, points of view, experiences, emotions, they are just pure joy.
Meoraq: “God see us both and we can both show Him improvement.”
Amber: “I’m still an atheist!”
BOOK 4 – PIONEERS:
This is the book where Meoraq prays a lot and takes six breathes (the magic number) constantly trying to calm down. Humans drive him crazy, but he is not supposed to kill them.
This is the book also that we discovered that the ancients of this planet were really advanced in technology until God contemned them and they abandoned their advanced cities and returned to the simple ways. Thus, Meoraq despises anything of technological value.
The relationship between Meoraq and Amber is getting also more serious. Meoraq starts having naughty dreams. But they are tiptoeing around each other.
Amber:”Will you miss us, when we are gone?”, “Aren’t you going to ask if I’m going to miss you?”
Meoraq : “I don’t know what to do with you”, “I don’t think I can teach you. You upset me.”
BOOK 5 – SCOTT AND THE SHIP:
Scott is the man who named himself commander and all gave him the responsibility because simply they didn’t want it. This is the book in which Scott believes that he will find a spaceship at the end of the world and fly away.
This is also the book where the humans have a look in an ancient city, Meoraq keeps praying for patience (Have I mentioned that he is an extremely religious male?), a huge storm almost kills them. And Amber almost dies twice.
Meoraq looks for reasons to sit with her, to speak with her, to fight with her.
The end of the book will find Amber and Meoraq alone, abandon by the rest of the humans.
This is truly the best thing that could happen to Amber and Meoraq (and me).
BOOK 6 – GANN:
This is the book where Meoraq and Amber will really fall in love with each other. Soul deep. A communication of souls. Not because of body attraction. Not because she has sunny blond hear or because he has nice abs, but truly because they admire each other. An “I don’t understand your culture and the things I understand I hate them and I think you are butt ugly but I still want you beside me” type of love and connection.
They will have the type of love that they could not understand, the one they don’t know where it is going. They don’t even know if they are sexually comparable, but they still have embarrassing dreams about each other. The tension is building up for them.
He calls her softskin, she calls him lizardman.
And then Meoraq prays and he has a vision (Have I mentioned that he is an extremely religious male?). And they FINALLY have sex.
My favorite book :)
BOOK 7 – ZHUQA:
This is the book where Meoraq loses Amber and prays, Amber discovers more lizardmen and she becomes a slave and she makes friends, Meoraq turns berserker and Amber kills.
This is a very hard book to read. It has many rape scenes described in graphic details and lots of violence. Blood and killings.
Your heart may bleed, but as Meoraq keeps saying “Shit happens”.
It is also time for Amber to reunite with whoever is left from the humans’ team. Meoraq is not happy (and neither am I).
I really cannot understand why from the whole ship only these awful people survive.
BOOK 8 – Xi’MATEZH:
This is the book where Meoraq gets exceedingly disappointed with his God – although he is a very religious male (Have I mentioned that?).
Favorite quotes from Book 8:
a) Amber: “Why did you marry me?”
Meoraq: “God gave you to me”
Amber: “Did you keep the receipt?”
b) Amber: “He doesn’t love me like He loves you, Meoraq”
Meoraq: “If He loves me, He will never let you die.”
c) Meoraq: “I love your ugly face.”, “I love your ugly fur”, “I love your ugly teats”, “And I love your beautiful shoulders.”
d) Meoraq: “You saved my life”
Amber: “Feels awful, doesn’t it?”
(and this is my absolutely favorite dialogue!)
Okay, you need to invest lots of time in this book, but It’s worth it. Totally.
So my advice is that you need to take your time, have long breaks, and even read other books in your breaks. And then go back and start from where you left it. I can assure you that you will not have forgotten any details. Gann will be there waiting for you to be brave enough and continue reading about Amber’s adventure in the lizards’ land and the eventually green sky.
(I am sorry for the length of this review…)
This book is epic. An ODYSSEY that should not be taken lighthearted.
I understand that the book may scare people off because of its length, but I believe it is important to treat it as 8 separate books as opposed to one book. The book has clearly eight distinct parts in which different events take place and you have a different degree of knowledge about the characters and their world. The emotions change. The number of characters and the familiarity between them vary. The landscaping changes too. Each part could be treated as a different book with a cliffhanger in the end. Something happens always in the end that gives a head start to the next part.
Thus I would like to break down my thoughts towards this book in eight parts as well:
BOOK 1 - AMBER:
The start of the book is absolutely awesome. Earth has changed and not in a good way. Drugs and corruption are present. But still the human race is exploring the outer space and starting colonies in other planets. From the beginning it is clear that Amber is a survivor. Amber tries to avoid her dead mother fate and become a whore in order to survive and not die of hunger and without shelter. Amber and her sister decide to take part to the mission to colonize a distant planet called Plymouth. Her little sister is basically dragged to this adventure by Amber.
I need to mention here that Amber is a big girl and her weight is a problem. She even takes drugs to reduce her weight and become fit for the mission. She is that determine to escape Earth.
Pioneers’ ship will eventually depart from Earth and crash on an unknown planet. The description of the crash and burn was one of the best I have read in Science Fiction. As a result only a few people survive.
Where are they? Who lives in this planet?
Houston, we've had a problem here …
BOOK 2 - MEORAQ:
The action with the humans stops there and we meet Meoraq who is like the top dog (or should I say top lizard of this planet).
Uyane Meoraq: A holly man, a warrior, a philosopher, a ruler, a leader, a judge. A sheulek.
We see the world through his eyes. This is a new savage world. Cold and inhospitable. They solve their differences in the Arena. Females are the lowest of the low. Every father is proud if Meoraq takes the virginity of his worthless otherwise daughter.
There is no description of the creatures/anthropoids, but you may notice that they are talking about their snoots instead of their noses. And about their scales. Thank God no talking about tails.
And all I can think is “huh”? What?
And I got even more worried for the poor ex inhabitants of the planet Earth. I was scared of the moment whey will be discovered – especially women (bahaha...evil laughter).
Meoraq has seen the fires of the huge explosion and soon he will start his long journey to discover what God has sent him (Have I mentioned that he is an extremely religious male?)
All these happen in like the first 100 something pages of the 1000 pages.
BOOK 3 – LOST AND FOUND:
Meoraq discovers the most plainly ugly beings he has ever seen in his life. So the miscommunication starts. He thinks they are not intelligent beings. They think he is some kind of a stupid animal.
Only Amber tries to communicate, although Meoraq is not responding. Believe me she tries really hard in a “Me Jane, You Tarzan” short of way.
He will stay with them. He will not kill them and they will start a journey together to the end of the world to Xi’Matezh because God told him to do it (Have I mentioned that he is an extremely religious male?). The survivors will be his pets. He will feed them, find them water and shelter. Like sheep and he is the shepherd.
This is the part where you really start hating the rest of the survivors and mainly because all of them hate Amber (including her sister). The worst of them is Scott who named himself commander and all of them follow him. The humans treat her badly, they starve her to death, they tell fat jokes to her. And you will like Amber. For sure! She is clever and tough, she is a problem solver, she is not nagging, she is a natural leader but she doesn’t want to lead.
Amber will try so hard to understand Meoraq, although he is the ugliest creature she has ever seen.
There is this super, incredible, magnificent scene where Meoraq defends Amber and suddenly they all know that Meoraq can speak and understand English and that Amber is HIS.
Oh and when Meoraq and Amber actually FINALLY start talking and exchange insults, points of view, experiences, emotions, they are just pure joy.
Meoraq: “God see us both and we can both show Him improvement.”
Amber: “I’m still an atheist!”
BOOK 4 – PIONEERS:
This is the book where Meoraq prays a lot and takes six breathes (the magic number) constantly trying to calm down. Humans drive him crazy, but he is not supposed to kill them.
This is the book also that we discovered that the ancients of this planet were really advanced in technology until God contemned them and they abandoned their advanced cities and returned to the simple ways. Thus, Meoraq despises anything of technological value.
The relationship between Meoraq and Amber is getting also more serious. Meoraq starts having naughty dreams. But they are tiptoeing around each other.
Amber:”Will you miss us, when we are gone?”, “Aren’t you going to ask if I’m going to miss you?”
Meoraq : “I don’t know what to do with you”, “I don’t think I can teach you. You upset me.”
BOOK 5 – SCOTT AND THE SHIP:
Scott is the man who named himself commander and all gave him the responsibility because simply they didn’t want it. This is the book in which Scott believes that he will find a spaceship at the end of the world and fly away.
This is also the book where the humans have a look in an ancient city, Meoraq keeps praying for patience (Have I mentioned that he is an extremely religious male?), a huge storm almost kills them. And Amber almost dies twice.
Meoraq looks for reasons to sit with her, to speak with her, to fight with her.
The end of the book will find Amber and Meoraq alone, abandon by the rest of the humans.
This is truly the best thing that could happen to Amber and Meoraq (and me).
BOOK 6 – GANN:
This is the book where Meoraq and Amber will really fall in love with each other. Soul deep. A communication of souls. Not because of body attraction. Not because she has sunny blond hear or because he has nice abs, but truly because they admire each other. An “I don’t understand your culture and the things I understand I hate them and I think you are butt ugly but I still want you beside me” type of love and connection.
They will have the type of love that they could not understand, the one they don’t know where it is going. They don’t even know if they are sexually comparable, but they still have embarrassing dreams about each other. The tension is building up for them.
He calls her softskin, she calls him lizardman.
And then Meoraq prays and he has a vision (Have I mentioned that he is an extremely religious male?). And they FINALLY have sex.
My favorite book :)
BOOK 7 – ZHUQA:
This is the book where Meoraq loses Amber and prays, Amber discovers more lizardmen and she becomes a slave and she makes friends, Meoraq turns berserker and Amber kills.
This is a very hard book to read. It has many rape scenes described in graphic details and lots of violence. Blood and killings.
Your heart may bleed, but as Meoraq keeps saying “Shit happens”.
It is also time for Amber to reunite with whoever is left from the humans’ team. Meoraq is not happy (and neither am I).
I really cannot understand why from the whole ship only these awful people survive.
BOOK 8 – Xi’MATEZH:
This is the book where Meoraq gets exceedingly disappointed with his God – although he is a very religious male (Have I mentioned that?).
Favorite quotes from Book 8:
a) Amber: “Why did you marry me?”
Meoraq: “God gave you to me”
Amber: “Did you keep the receipt?”
b) Amber: “He doesn’t love me like He loves you, Meoraq”
Meoraq: “If He loves me, He will never let you die.”
c) Meoraq: “I love your ugly face.”, “I love your ugly fur”, “I love your ugly teats”, “And I love your beautiful shoulders.”
d) Meoraq: “You saved my life”
Amber: “Feels awful, doesn’t it?”
(and this is my absolutely favorite dialogue!)
Okay, you need to invest lots of time in this book, but It’s worth it. Totally.
So my advice is that you need to take your time, have long breaks, and even read other books in your breaks. And then go back and start from where you left it. I can assure you that you will not have forgotten any details. Gann will be there waiting for you to be brave enough and continue reading about Amber’s adventure in the lizards’ land and the eventually green sky.
(I am sorry for the length of this review…)
May 12, 2014
First off, let me warn those who read my books and who are my reader friends. This book is graphic, violent, offensive, painful and dark. It is also a thousand pages long - and it absorbed me for days.
Second. I don't think many authors could write this book. I don't think I could. It was deep, thought provoking, involved, and brilliant. And I think it took a lot of courage to write it.
Third. I loved it. I loved that it made make me think. I loved it because I was constantly forced to evaluate my opinions, feelings, and ideas about God. It challenged and reinforced my beliefs and about what faith in Him means to me on a very elementary level. There was a line toward the very end that had me weeping like a baby because I recognized the truth in it. The line was something like this: When God talks he talks quietly.
I persevered through the first 20% of this book because a friend of mine told me it would take that long to get into it, and it did. But it was worth the effort. I loved Amber Bierce and Meorac. I will miss them now that the book is done. And I will value the lessons I learned, which to me is the mark of a great read.
Second. I don't think many authors could write this book. I don't think I could. It was deep, thought provoking, involved, and brilliant. And I think it took a lot of courage to write it.
Third. I loved it. I loved that it made make me think. I loved it because I was constantly forced to evaluate my opinions, feelings, and ideas about God. It challenged and reinforced my beliefs and about what faith in Him means to me on a very elementary level. There was a line toward the very end that had me weeping like a baby because I recognized the truth in it. The line was something like this: When God talks he talks quietly.
I persevered through the first 20% of this book because a friend of mine told me it would take that long to get into it, and it did. But it was worth the effort. I loved Amber Bierce and Meorac. I will miss them now that the book is done. And I will value the lessons I learned, which to me is the mark of a great read.
December 31, 2024
I really wanted to reread Amber and Meoraq this year, so happy I was able to fit them in. Every time I reread one of this author’s stories, I find more hidden meaning and depth. Do I still need an epilogue and a 10 years later update? Absolutely, even more so now.
“We were married before I even met her. We were married before I was ever born.”
*****
This is the BEST hard-core, sci-fi, alien/human stories every written. It is NOT light and fluffy. It is NOT perfect. It is NOT an easy read. It’s almost 700 pages diving deep into the cultural, physical, and spiritual differences between two species. It will test your patience on many levels, it will make you question what it means to have a soul, your religious beliefs, and how we treat those different from us.
You don’t have to take my word for it. Read
Mariana Zapata’s review
Pam Godwin’s review
Tiffany Robert’s review
Amy Harmon’s review
Jill Myles’ review (Jill's reviews has a fabulous summary)
This story is BRUTAL, please do NOT go into this story lightly. If you can’t handle on-page rape and graphic violence, then I recommend avoiding this story. If you can make it past those things, you will find one of the most gorgeously written, deeply moving, unconditional love, spiritually awakening (or disaffirming) stories ever.
Be brave.
“We were married before I even met her. We were married before I was ever born.”
*****
This is the BEST hard-core, sci-fi, alien/human stories every written. It is NOT light and fluffy. It is NOT perfect. It is NOT an easy read. It’s almost 700 pages diving deep into the cultural, physical, and spiritual differences between two species. It will test your patience on many levels, it will make you question what it means to have a soul, your religious beliefs, and how we treat those different from us.
You don’t have to take my word for it. Read
Mariana Zapata’s review
Pam Godwin’s review
Tiffany Robert’s review
Amy Harmon’s review
Jill Myles’ review (Jill's reviews has a fabulous summary)
This story is BRUTAL, please do NOT go into this story lightly. If you can’t handle on-page rape and graphic violence, then I recommend avoiding this story. If you can make it past those things, you will find one of the most gorgeously written, deeply moving, unconditional love, spiritually awakening (or disaffirming) stories ever.
Be brave.
October 9, 2013
This is a saga, the length of five books in one, and when I turned the last page--kindle location 23044!--I cried tears of wonderment. Never have I read a story this engrossing, this thought-provoking, this emotionally potent.
It conveys a similar theme to Lord of the Flies, with its marooned, violent characters, and its study of the ugly side of human nature versus the omniscient force of goodness. The symbolism is unmissable, but the events that unravel are as real as speculative fiction can get. There's no doubt human depravity sinks this low in ungoverned, distressing situations. But this tale also portrays the hero who rises from the rot of humanity, and the courage she (and he) must suffer to endure the journey. And it's a beautiful and terrible hero's journey.
It'll take you about 40 hours to read. 40 hours with a dry throat, a sputtering pulse, and twisting and tumbling stomach. But the joyous moments--oh the unselfish love between the heroine and her scaly son of a bitch lizard warrior--are the balm for a beaten-down heart. If this isn't the best book I've ever read, by God and Gann, this is the greatest H/h in literary romance.
She stared at him for a moment and then flung out her arms, shouting, “There is no baby, lizardman! There’s never going to be a baby! There’s no baby and no God and the only reason we have sex—you might want to write this down—is because it feels good and we like it! You can call it God or Gann or the Great Gadzooks if you want to, but it’s just two people fucking!”
Amber is a positively fierce heroine, and sarcastic and stubborn to a fault. She's captured by a brutal lizard rebel and stands nose-to-snout with him, unwavering in her trash-talk, insulting him in a language he doesn't understand.
“You are such a slut,” said Amber, pushing her finger in to stroke his sa’ad. “Honest to God, that’s what you are. Big, tough Zhuqa. You’re just a dirty girl.”
The sex scenes are graphic and appropriately short, some painful, some heartfelt, but all serving a purpose to the plot.
RLS has a magical way of blending classic storytelling with modern sci-fi. The result is enchanting, romantic, and unparalleled. The author peels back the skin and scales, exposing not just the heart and mind, but the very fiber that connects the soul and constitutes the character. The dialogue is witty and imaginative, the humor allows you brief and blissful exhales, and the complexity of the expert writing is the touchstone by which the craft should be measured.
Do you want a story created for greatness, one that will transport you without the benefit of gimmicks and gratuitous sex? Do you want to take a journey that will thrive on being tasted and shared from beginning to end? You don't need to pray on this. Meoraq's fires are burning. Any opportunity to read this book is surely proof that Sheul has will in this matter. Stand in His favor and experience Meoraq's fires for yourself. :)
It conveys a similar theme to Lord of the Flies, with its marooned, violent characters, and its study of the ugly side of human nature versus the omniscient force of goodness. The symbolism is unmissable, but the events that unravel are as real as speculative fiction can get. There's no doubt human depravity sinks this low in ungoverned, distressing situations. But this tale also portrays the hero who rises from the rot of humanity, and the courage she (and he) must suffer to endure the journey. And it's a beautiful and terrible hero's journey.
It'll take you about 40 hours to read. 40 hours with a dry throat, a sputtering pulse, and twisting and tumbling stomach. But the joyous moments--oh the unselfish love between the heroine and her scaly son of a bitch lizard warrior--are the balm for a beaten-down heart. If this isn't the best book I've ever read, by God and Gann, this is the greatest H/h in literary romance.
She stared at him for a moment and then flung out her arms, shouting, “There is no baby, lizardman! There’s never going to be a baby! There’s no baby and no God and the only reason we have sex—you might want to write this down—is because it feels good and we like it! You can call it God or Gann or the Great Gadzooks if you want to, but it’s just two people fucking!”
Amber is a positively fierce heroine, and sarcastic and stubborn to a fault. She's captured by a brutal lizard rebel and stands nose-to-snout with him, unwavering in her trash-talk, insulting him in a language he doesn't understand.
“You are such a slut,” said Amber, pushing her finger in to stroke his sa’ad. “Honest to God, that’s what you are. Big, tough Zhuqa. You’re just a dirty girl.”
The sex scenes are graphic and appropriately short, some painful, some heartfelt, but all serving a purpose to the plot.
RLS has a magical way of blending classic storytelling with modern sci-fi. The result is enchanting, romantic, and unparalleled. The author peels back the skin and scales, exposing not just the heart and mind, but the very fiber that connects the soul and constitutes the character. The dialogue is witty and imaginative, the humor allows you brief and blissful exhales, and the complexity of the expert writing is the touchstone by which the craft should be measured.
Do you want a story created for greatness, one that will transport you without the benefit of gimmicks and gratuitous sex? Do you want to take a journey that will thrive on being tasted and shared from beginning to end? You don't need to pray on this. Meoraq's fires are burning. Any opportunity to read this book is surely proof that Sheul has will in this matter. Stand in His favor and experience Meoraq's fires for yourself. :)
July 15, 2020
Content advisory. At nearly 1000 pages, this book is FAR too long, with many similar scenes. It is MUCH too dark for me, with graphic sexual violence, degradation, and grisly death.
The sci-fi / world building is fairly weak, but the history behind the theocratic society is engrossing and credible. The romantic entanglements are interesting, and sexy. If I could rate the book only on the relationship between the H and h, I'd give it 4 stars.
Writing: Smith writes dialogue and descriptions well. I noticed a few typos. Some scenes are repetitive so the pace bogged several times. Could be a bit more subtle (the boat and helicopter was so obvious!). Lots of funny lines. I mean chuckle-worthy, not slapstick or outright hilarious. An example, where Meoraq the Lizard Man is watching Scott, the psychotic self-appointed Commander:
Romance: Four solid stars for the developing relationship between Amber and Moeraq. I totally adore this lizard man. He is ALL heart. Had to chuckle whenever he started muttering and counting and praying for patience. I *usually* liked Amber, too, but not as much (some TSTL moments, and I wanted to shake her a few times). But the romance is perfect. They are so good to each other. So many tender lines, loving thoughts, and devoted actions.
Eroticism: Sweet and spicy, with a slow build-up to sex at about halfway through, and yet also just a little creepy. These guys are not even partly human. A two-legged lizard-man, warm blooded, not hatched from an egg. A snout, scales, three fingers, red eyes. He has no lips and cannot even kiss properly. I kept trying to picture their eventual babies. His retractable penis (!!) was specialized to optimize pleasure and impregnation, similar to the shifters in The Breed series, including The Breed Next Door by Lora Leigh.
Pacing: The rhythm bogged down in redundancy. Too many similar scenes. How many repetitions of rape scenes? How many times we gotta see the gang twist the knife at Amber? How many times we gotta see Amber forgive Nicci and plead for everyone's miserable life? (This was Amber's greatest flaw — she never learns — as well as a few TSTL moments of foolhardiness with big beasts.) Then, after all that — BOOM! Rush to the finish.
Spiritual theme: Well done, a strength! Smith did not take cheap pot shots at faith or spirituality, or even organized religion, but she did make me think. (I could do without the profanity). However, Smith resolved more than one religious dilemma far too quickly and easily for Moeraq -- especially his final dilemma, at the Shrine. After all, his entire psyche and ancestry is steeped in Sheulism, keeping in mind his life-long training, since age 3, developing a deeply held belief system. (But I loved Amber's words to him, and I wouldn't want the book to be any longer. I would, however, remove most of the repeated rape and torture scenes and more fully develop this aspect of the ending.)
Dialogue and cross-species communication: Haha! Nicely done! Learning one another's language was a little rushed, but I enjoyed this aspect of the book a lot. For example, he won't call Amber by name, because in his language, M'br means something icky, so he calls her the equivalent of Soft Skin (but he is happy to call Scott by name, because S'kt means something disgusting.*Chuckles*). Solid dialogue. Sometimes so sweet. Sometimes funny.
Science fiction / and world building: The lizards behave too much like humans, and there are some improbabilities and science gaps (see spoilers below). However, I thought the history behind the apocalypse and the resultant theocracy was almost brilliant. Very interesting and thoughtful.
Spoilers! Implausible, unlikely, or unexplained:
So, I cannot say this book contains solid sci-fi, or embodies a fully fleshed world, but the whole biological warfare history and the resultant religious code of law is almost brilliant.
Secondary Characters: Most of them are absurdly one-dimensional. Poorly developed. For nealry 1000 pages I had to bear with these despicable nimrods, and NONE of them developed any wisdom, courage, or character over the course of the horrific journey? What are the chances that all these humans would be useless, cowardly, or psycho? The leader of the slave-traders had more dimension, but was also dispicable.
Dark Elements: Too dark for me, beginning at about 60%. Multiple rape scenes. Too much depravity, and much too explicit. Suggested sodomy. Suicide. Slaughter. Infanticide. People sitting in their own piss. In reading reviews and synopsises of her other books, I see that R. Lee Smith tends to use sexual violence with a heavy hand. Not something I will re-read.
Here's the book's set up: In the intro chapters, Amber is portrayed as a chubby, pragmatic, and responsible older sister to wimpy whiny Nicci. To earn a better future, she signs them both up for a 5-year stint on a colony planet. Trouble comes when their starship strikes an asteroid belt en route, tunneling away at speed, crash-landing on a distant planet. We eventually meet Moeraq, the Striding Foot of God, the Sword of Sheul, a warrior-caste lizard man answerable only to god, undefeated in battle. Born to rule but trying to be humble. Apparently, he is god's voice. When fire appears on the horizon, Moeraq is certain it is a sign from god, meant only for him. He sets out to find it, en route to a holy shrine on the eastern ocean. He meets Amber. While leading his "cattle" to the Shrine / spaceport, he falls for Amber. But the course of true love...
Similarity: Lizard-people brings to mind Babylon Five. Scott and company, Lord of the Flies & Animal Farm. Moeraq's killing rage is similar to when William Wolf in Bayou Moon undergoes a "rending" and to Bran's berserker state in Cry Wolf by Patty Briggs. The delirium-based discussions with Bo Peep and with Moeraq's parents (all dead) reminded me of Harry Potter, Hallows.
Bottom line, I have mixed feelings about this book, but I totally adored the Lizard Man.
****************
Ps. Despite graphic violence and rape, Jill recommends this book, and Dear Author raves about it, writing a very compelling and thorough review, with excerpts:
http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/ov...
The sci-fi / world building is fairly weak, but the history behind the theocratic society is engrossing and credible. The romantic entanglements are interesting, and sexy. If I could rate the book only on the relationship between the H and h, I'd give it 4 stars.
Writing: Smith writes dialogue and descriptions well. I noticed a few typos. Some scenes are repetitive so the pace bogged several times. Could be a bit more subtle (the boat and helicopter was so obvious!). Lots of funny lines. I mean chuckle-worthy, not slapstick or outright hilarious. An example, where Meoraq the Lizard Man is watching Scott, the psychotic self-appointed Commander:
"And he whistled, like a cattleman after calves, with his soft little mouthparts puckered up like an anus. He was farting out of his face. Meoraq was rarely one for that sort of crude humor, but he laughed."
Romance: Four solid stars for the developing relationship between Amber and Moeraq. I totally adore this lizard man. He is ALL heart. Had to chuckle whenever he started muttering and counting and praying for patience. I *usually* liked Amber, too, but not as much (some TSTL moments, and I wanted to shake her a few times). But the romance is perfect. They are so good to each other. So many tender lines, loving thoughts, and devoted actions.
Eroticism: Sweet and spicy, with a slow build-up to sex at about halfway through, and yet also just a little creepy. These guys are not even partly human. A two-legged lizard-man, warm blooded, not hatched from an egg. A snout, scales, three fingers, red eyes. He has no lips and cannot even kiss properly. I kept trying to picture their eventual babies. His retractable penis (!!) was specialized to optimize pleasure and impregnation, similar to the shifters in The Breed series, including The Breed Next Door by Lora Leigh.
Pacing: The rhythm bogged down in redundancy. Too many similar scenes. How many repetitions of rape scenes? How many times we gotta see the gang twist the knife at Amber? How many times we gotta see Amber forgive Nicci and plead for everyone's miserable life? (This was Amber's greatest flaw — she never learns — as well as a few TSTL moments of foolhardiness with big beasts.) Then, after all that — BOOM! Rush to the finish.
Spiritual theme: Well done, a strength! Smith did not take cheap pot shots at faith or spirituality, or even organized religion, but she did make me think. (I could do without the profanity). However, Smith resolved more than one religious dilemma far too quickly and easily for Moeraq -- especially his final dilemma, at the Shrine. After all, his entire psyche and ancestry is steeped in Sheulism, keeping in mind his life-long training, since age 3, developing a deeply held belief system. (But I loved Amber's words to him, and I wouldn't want the book to be any longer. I would, however, remove most of the repeated rape and torture scenes and more fully develop this aspect of the ending.)
Dialogue and cross-species communication: Haha! Nicely done! Learning one another's language was a little rushed, but I enjoyed this aspect of the book a lot. For example, he won't call Amber by name, because in his language, M'br means something icky, so he calls her the equivalent of Soft Skin (but he is happy to call Scott by name, because S'kt means something disgusting.*Chuckles*). Solid dialogue. Sometimes so sweet. Sometimes funny.
Science fiction / and world building: The lizards behave too much like humans, and there are some improbabilities and science gaps (see spoilers below). However, I thought the history behind the apocalypse and the resultant theocracy was almost brilliant. Very interesting and thoughtful.
Spoilers! Implausible, unlikely, or unexplained:
So, I cannot say this book contains solid sci-fi, or embodies a fully fleshed world, but the whole biological warfare history and the resultant religious code of law is almost brilliant.
Secondary Characters: Most of them are absurdly one-dimensional. Poorly developed. For nealry 1000 pages I had to bear with these despicable nimrods, and NONE of them developed any wisdom, courage, or character over the course of the horrific journey? What are the chances that all these humans would be useless, cowardly, or psycho? The leader of the slave-traders had more dimension, but was also dispicable.
Dark Elements: Too dark for me, beginning at about 60%. Multiple rape scenes. Too much depravity, and much too explicit. Suggested sodomy. Suicide. Slaughter. Infanticide. People sitting in their own piss. In reading reviews and synopsises of her other books, I see that R. Lee Smith tends to use sexual violence with a heavy hand. Not something I will re-read.
Here's the book's set up: In the intro chapters, Amber is portrayed as a chubby, pragmatic, and responsible older sister to wimpy whiny Nicci. To earn a better future, she signs them both up for a 5-year stint on a colony planet. Trouble comes when their starship strikes an asteroid belt en route, tunneling away at speed, crash-landing on a distant planet. We eventually meet Moeraq, the Striding Foot of God, the Sword of Sheul, a warrior-caste lizard man answerable only to god, undefeated in battle. Born to rule but trying to be humble. Apparently, he is god's voice. When fire appears on the horizon, Moeraq is certain it is a sign from god, meant only for him. He sets out to find it, en route to a holy shrine on the eastern ocean. He meets Amber. While leading his "cattle" to the Shrine / spaceport, he falls for Amber. But the course of true love...
Similarity: Lizard-people brings to mind Babylon Five. Scott and company, Lord of the Flies & Animal Farm. Moeraq's killing rage is similar to when William Wolf in Bayou Moon undergoes a "rending" and to Bran's berserker state in Cry Wolf by Patty Briggs. The delirium-based discussions with Bo Peep and with Moeraq's parents (all dead) reminded me of Harry Potter, Hallows.
Bottom line, I have mixed feelings about this book, but I totally adored the Lizard Man.
****************
Ps. Despite graphic violence and rape, Jill recommends this book, and Dear Author raves about it, writing a very compelling and thorough review, with excerpts:
http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/ov...
November 26, 2014
I need a day or so to digest this before I review. I can say this much: BRILLIANT!
========
Let me unequivocally state that Meoraq is one of my most favourite male romance heroes EVER!
Okay, I needed much longer than a day or so. I re-read this the past week and am still very much impressed by this book. Truth be told: I'm a bright grinch-green in envy.
Few authors managed to include religion in such an organic manner, few managed to then subvert religion in such a brilliant way, either. This is a truly epic tale, though I agree with others who stated they wanted to have a bit more of a HEA at the end. But I've come to realise this is sort of Smith's signature.
A lot of readers are exasperated with Amber and how much she allows everyone to trample on and bully her. However, what few seem to notice is just how brilliant a study of (majorly female) anglo-saxon pack mentality this is. Even the (human) men come over as not male in their bullying nature (the only true male in the group being Meoraq), but instead are casebook studies of females socialised in the USA and to a lesser degree the UK as well.
I'm often side-eyed when I state that I have few--very very few--female friends and in general prefer the company of men. It's the way girls are early on taught how to hen-peck and take down their peers, how the whole gaggle descends on anyone they consider infringing on some arbitrary (and often completely idiotic) social rule, how so few women reflect on what they do to other women.
It's a cultural and above all a FEMALE behaviour.
It's trained, actually flogged into girls over the course of their childhood and youth by their very peers. It's not happening like that among men by the way. And any woman who lacks that training, or who behaves in a male manner in these respects, will be destroyed, ostracised, and--something which this story puts on the table--by that killed. Smith very brilliantly makes the whole story a clinical study of this. She nails it.
As someone in the trans* spectrum, who has experienced both male and female behaviour towards either a male or female self, I can vouch for this.
It always astonishes me when someone tells me that too few women are written as excellent friends and good company for their fellow sisters. Unfortunately my personal experience is the exact opposite. Too few women are written as the bitchy bullies and opportunistic back-stabbers they are in real life. I've not been in a single work/occupation/hobby-related environment numberwise dominated by female members which wasn't deeply and thoroughly toxic. Not a single one. That includes online and offline groups.
Yes, there are exceptions, just as Amber Bierce is an exception, but they are rare. And the exceptions are usually those who get pecked upon and bitten down to a bloody pulp. Which is what I took away from this book, apart from that it was a bloody good story, namely that Smith wrote a perfect portrait of this behaviour, to the point of emasculating all her male human characters and turning them into toxic females as well. I sympathised more even with rapist Zhuqa than with any of the other humans.
========
Let me unequivocally state that Meoraq is one of my most favourite male romance heroes EVER!
Okay, I needed much longer than a day or so. I re-read this the past week and am still very much impressed by this book. Truth be told: I'm a bright grinch-green in envy.
Few authors managed to include religion in such an organic manner, few managed to then subvert religion in such a brilliant way, either. This is a truly epic tale, though I agree with others who stated they wanted to have a bit more of a HEA at the end. But I've come to realise this is sort of Smith's signature.
A lot of readers are exasperated with Amber and how much she allows everyone to trample on and bully her. However, what few seem to notice is just how brilliant a study of (majorly female) anglo-saxon pack mentality this is. Even the (human) men come over as not male in their bullying nature (the only true male in the group being Meoraq), but instead are casebook studies of females socialised in the USA and to a lesser degree the UK as well.
I'm often side-eyed when I state that I have few--very very few--female friends and in general prefer the company of men. It's the way girls are early on taught how to hen-peck and take down their peers, how the whole gaggle descends on anyone they consider infringing on some arbitrary (and often completely idiotic) social rule, how so few women reflect on what they do to other women.
It's a cultural and above all a FEMALE behaviour.
It's trained, actually flogged into girls over the course of their childhood and youth by their very peers. It's not happening like that among men by the way. And any woman who lacks that training, or who behaves in a male manner in these respects, will be destroyed, ostracised, and--something which this story puts on the table--by that killed. Smith very brilliantly makes the whole story a clinical study of this. She nails it.
As someone in the trans* spectrum, who has experienced both male and female behaviour towards either a male or female self, I can vouch for this.
It always astonishes me when someone tells me that too few women are written as excellent friends and good company for their fellow sisters. Unfortunately my personal experience is the exact opposite. Too few women are written as the bitchy bullies and opportunistic back-stabbers they are in real life. I've not been in a single work/occupation/hobby-related environment numberwise dominated by female members which wasn't deeply and thoroughly toxic. Not a single one. That includes online and offline groups.
Yes, there are exceptions, just as Amber Bierce is an exception, but they are rare. And the exceptions are usually those who get pecked upon and bitten down to a bloody pulp. Which is what I took away from this book, apart from that it was a bloody good story, namely that Smith wrote a perfect portrait of this behaviour, to the point of emasculating all her male human characters and turning them into toxic females as well. I sympathised more even with rapist Zhuqa than with any of the other humans.
October 15, 2013
A week or two ago Jane from Dear Author wrote on Facebook how much she enjoyed this book. I’ve been wanting to try this author since I heard about Heat last year. So I wandered over to Goodreads to see what other readers had to say, and I saw this review by Jill Myles so I knew I had to read it.
This is most likely my favorite book of the year, which means I gently place Captive Prince Vol 1 & 2 in second place (and Heart of Obsidian in third place – my top three books make me so freaking happy.) If someone had told me at the beginning of the year that my two favorite books would be these extremely dark, intense, epic world books, I probably would have laughed and snuggled up with a motorcycle club book. How interesting things have turned out.
There is so much to say about The Last Hour of Gann, I feel like if I start trying to summarize I’ll just ramble on forever. So I’m going to make my points in a list format, to stay somewhat organized. And before I go on let me say – this book is extremely long. I think the longest book I’ve ever read. Just FYI.
Our Heroine: “So suck it up,” she told herself. “Amber Bierce, fearless Space Adventurer, can live with loose underwear.”
Amber is a human who lives on Earth, a future Earth that is very over populated, government controlled etc. She decides her only hope for a decent future is to jump on a space ship with 50,000 other people (and her younger sister), go into a medically induced sleep for three years and wake up on a new planet and colonize it. Except their ship gets off course, and they crash land onto a new, unknown planet. Oopsie. She doesn’t believe in God – I tell you this for what you read next.
Our Hero: “This day will end,” he said softly. “You and I will go on.”
Meoraq lives on the planet that Amber crashes into. The people that inhabit this planet are lizard-like creatures. They walk on two legs, wear clothes, live in houses, speak their own language – yet have scales, spiney-thngs and three fingers. God and religion is everything to Meoraq. He believes every single thing that happens is fate/destiny. He lives in a world where “The Ancients” built machines, and then something really bad happened, killing many, many people. So now they have gone back to no modern items, a very religious, strict culture. Meoraq comes from a line of pure blood warriors, so he is the chosen one of his people – is a Sheulek – which means he acts as God’s hand for his people. He can also walk into any village and take anything he wants (including women) and people bow down to him. He also is the ultimate judge and has killed many whom God tells him are guilty.
There is rape in this story. In Meoraq’s culture, women don’t get much of a say as to who (or when) their sexual partners will be. The men in his culture have non-consensual sex. Meoraq has non-consensual sex. The first time he is introduced, we see a scene with him doing this. He never rapes Amber, BUT Amber does get raped more than once by other ‘bad guys.’ And those scenes are in this book and are quite descriptive. I felt the author took care with these scenes and the way they play out and the aftermath were very relevant to the story. They were not in there just for shock value. I also feel that as Meoraq comes to know Amber and eventually comes to care and love her, his views on women might have changed…maybe more so in the future. Amber is an extremely strong heroine – I mean really strong and I loved her. The other women in the book are not so strong. They are very submissive and weak. That didn’t bother me as I read – but I’m putting it out there in case that is a turnoff for you. At the end of the book, Meoraq doesn’t have some miraculous turn-around where he wants all women to rise to power. I think he’d still take a houseful of female slaves any day. But – something quite impactful happens to Meoraq at the end, and I think after he has time to really let his new knowledge settle he may be open to having different thoughts about women. That is something that the reader has to decide on his/her own.
The World: I loved the world in this book. This is a world that is ravaged by storms and always cloudy. Amber and the few other survivors must tromp through water day after day. The cities are now ruins and at some points in the story, they enter these cities trying to find shelter or maybe some kind transmission tower. What you find in these cities are creepy and very dark and intense. I really like that the author at times takes us out of the soggy fields and puts the characters into these desolate places. There are also clues and foreshadowing as to what is to come at the end. When Amber’s ship crashed, it caused a huge fire. Meoraq, quite a distance away, sees this fire and it is kind of pointing upwards – of course Meoraq takes this as a sign from God. There is a holy temple of sorts on a mountain somewhat near the crash site that Meoraq now feels like it is his mission in life to pilgrimage to this temple, open the doors and hear the voice of God.
Meoraq had trained a lifetime to hear Sheul’s voice and feel His touch. Now he saw His waving arm. It would be a foolish thing to pretend he did not know what it meant.
Or what he had to do.
It’s during his travel to this place where he stumbles across Amber and the other survivors. The entire story leads up to Meoraq and Amber getting to this temple. I found it very exciting and suspenseful knowing that eventually at the end of this book, we would get to the temple and something big would happen. I wasn’t disappointed.
The Romance: I adored the romance in this book. I fell in love with Meoraq and all his scales and spines damn it! He is so fierce, and arrogant, and sexy. He is witty. They learn each other’s language but there are still slang words and phrases he doesn’t understand which would make me laugh. Meoraq is suppose to be in control of his emotions at all times but he often lashes out with his temper and then immediately starts to pray – which made me laugh. Meoraq and Amber butt heads in this book so damn much. Amber can’t stand the fact that Meoraq thinks everything happens because of God – that plays a big role in this book – but their banter is just so well done. Meoraq being this revered lizardman of God, never gets touched without his explicit consent – except Amber has no idea this is the case.
And she took his arm.
Reached right up and took it.
Meoraq held very still as she used him to climb to her feet, unsure where he should be looking. He was excruciatingly aware of everything around him: the wind whispering through the grass, the piercing warble of laughing humans, the smell of wet leaves and earth, Nicci’s silent staring eyes, and above everything, the warm press of all five thing fingers that gripped him.
No woman in all his life had ever…ever touched him like that.
And there is sex. Eventually. At first they have to work through their surprising attraction to each other.
Meoraq reached out and caught at her leg before she could flee. He rubbed his brow-ridges,cursing himself and all the words he could not make, because there was no way to tell her that it wasn’t sex, it wasn’t either that fierce eruptive will of Sheul or the shameful temptation of Gann, but this…this nameless thing that was neither fire nor clay but as constant as the wind, sometimes a storm and sometimes only a breeze, was always with him.
No, it was not sex, but it had to be something that made him look for reasons to sit with her, to speak with her, even to fight with her if that was all there was, because even the most tedious and foul chore of curing a damned animal hide could become something to look forward to if he was with her. And it wasn’t sex, but he wished it was; it wasn’t sex, but if it had been, even that could be good, could even be glorious, just because it was with her.
Yes – the lizard peen comes out of this slit and him and Amber do the dirty dirty a lot. Meoraq is one horny dude. But let me say – by the time they actually have sex, you want it to happen. You know them both well enough that it makes sense. (for reals!)
I know some of you are like – seriously? You want me to read this book? Some of you will love it. Some of you will hate it. I hope I warned you of the dark and intense stuff enough.
I became completely invested in these characters. This author has such an incredible voice. The way she writes the dialogue, the romance, the world, the action scenes – it all worked for me. It’s so different and so well done.
This is most likely my favorite book of the year, which means I gently place Captive Prince Vol 1 & 2 in second place (and Heart of Obsidian in third place – my top three books make me so freaking happy.) If someone had told me at the beginning of the year that my two favorite books would be these extremely dark, intense, epic world books, I probably would have laughed and snuggled up with a motorcycle club book. How interesting things have turned out.
There is so much to say about The Last Hour of Gann, I feel like if I start trying to summarize I’ll just ramble on forever. So I’m going to make my points in a list format, to stay somewhat organized. And before I go on let me say – this book is extremely long. I think the longest book I’ve ever read. Just FYI.
Our Heroine: “So suck it up,” she told herself. “Amber Bierce, fearless Space Adventurer, can live with loose underwear.”
Amber is a human who lives on Earth, a future Earth that is very over populated, government controlled etc. She decides her only hope for a decent future is to jump on a space ship with 50,000 other people (and her younger sister), go into a medically induced sleep for three years and wake up on a new planet and colonize it. Except their ship gets off course, and they crash land onto a new, unknown planet. Oopsie. She doesn’t believe in God – I tell you this for what you read next.
Our Hero: “This day will end,” he said softly. “You and I will go on.”
Meoraq lives on the planet that Amber crashes into. The people that inhabit this planet are lizard-like creatures. They walk on two legs, wear clothes, live in houses, speak their own language – yet have scales, spiney-thngs and three fingers. God and religion is everything to Meoraq. He believes every single thing that happens is fate/destiny. He lives in a world where “The Ancients” built machines, and then something really bad happened, killing many, many people. So now they have gone back to no modern items, a very religious, strict culture. Meoraq comes from a line of pure blood warriors, so he is the chosen one of his people – is a Sheulek – which means he acts as God’s hand for his people. He can also walk into any village and take anything he wants (including women) and people bow down to him. He also is the ultimate judge and has killed many whom God tells him are guilty.
There is rape in this story. In Meoraq’s culture, women don’t get much of a say as to who (or when) their sexual partners will be. The men in his culture have non-consensual sex. Meoraq has non-consensual sex. The first time he is introduced, we see a scene with him doing this. He never rapes Amber, BUT Amber does get raped more than once by other ‘bad guys.’ And those scenes are in this book and are quite descriptive. I felt the author took care with these scenes and the way they play out and the aftermath were very relevant to the story. They were not in there just for shock value. I also feel that as Meoraq comes to know Amber and eventually comes to care and love her, his views on women might have changed…maybe more so in the future. Amber is an extremely strong heroine – I mean really strong and I loved her. The other women in the book are not so strong. They are very submissive and weak. That didn’t bother me as I read – but I’m putting it out there in case that is a turnoff for you. At the end of the book, Meoraq doesn’t have some miraculous turn-around where he wants all women to rise to power. I think he’d still take a houseful of female slaves any day. But – something quite impactful happens to Meoraq at the end, and I think after he has time to really let his new knowledge settle he may be open to having different thoughts about women. That is something that the reader has to decide on his/her own.
The World: I loved the world in this book. This is a world that is ravaged by storms and always cloudy. Amber and the few other survivors must tromp through water day after day. The cities are now ruins and at some points in the story, they enter these cities trying to find shelter or maybe some kind transmission tower. What you find in these cities are creepy and very dark and intense. I really like that the author at times takes us out of the soggy fields and puts the characters into these desolate places. There are also clues and foreshadowing as to what is to come at the end. When Amber’s ship crashed, it caused a huge fire. Meoraq, quite a distance away, sees this fire and it is kind of pointing upwards – of course Meoraq takes this as a sign from God. There is a holy temple of sorts on a mountain somewhat near the crash site that Meoraq now feels like it is his mission in life to pilgrimage to this temple, open the doors and hear the voice of God.
Meoraq had trained a lifetime to hear Sheul’s voice and feel His touch. Now he saw His waving arm. It would be a foolish thing to pretend he did not know what it meant.
Or what he had to do.
It’s during his travel to this place where he stumbles across Amber and the other survivors. The entire story leads up to Meoraq and Amber getting to this temple. I found it very exciting and suspenseful knowing that eventually at the end of this book, we would get to the temple and something big would happen. I wasn’t disappointed.
The Romance: I adored the romance in this book. I fell in love with Meoraq and all his scales and spines damn it! He is so fierce, and arrogant, and sexy. He is witty. They learn each other’s language but there are still slang words and phrases he doesn’t understand which would make me laugh. Meoraq is suppose to be in control of his emotions at all times but he often lashes out with his temper and then immediately starts to pray – which made me laugh. Meoraq and Amber butt heads in this book so damn much. Amber can’t stand the fact that Meoraq thinks everything happens because of God – that plays a big role in this book – but their banter is just so well done. Meoraq being this revered lizardman of God, never gets touched without his explicit consent – except Amber has no idea this is the case.
And she took his arm.
Reached right up and took it.
Meoraq held very still as she used him to climb to her feet, unsure where he should be looking. He was excruciatingly aware of everything around him: the wind whispering through the grass, the piercing warble of laughing humans, the smell of wet leaves and earth, Nicci’s silent staring eyes, and above everything, the warm press of all five thing fingers that gripped him.
No woman in all his life had ever…ever touched him like that.
And there is sex. Eventually. At first they have to work through their surprising attraction to each other.
Meoraq reached out and caught at her leg before she could flee. He rubbed his brow-ridges,cursing himself and all the words he could not make, because there was no way to tell her that it wasn’t sex, it wasn’t either that fierce eruptive will of Sheul or the shameful temptation of Gann, but this…this nameless thing that was neither fire nor clay but as constant as the wind, sometimes a storm and sometimes only a breeze, was always with him.
No, it was not sex, but it had to be something that made him look for reasons to sit with her, to speak with her, even to fight with her if that was all there was, because even the most tedious and foul chore of curing a damned animal hide could become something to look forward to if he was with her. And it wasn’t sex, but he wished it was; it wasn’t sex, but if it had been, even that could be good, could even be glorious, just because it was with her.
Yes – the lizard peen comes out of this slit and him and Amber do the dirty dirty a lot. Meoraq is one horny dude. But let me say – by the time they actually have sex, you want it to happen. You know them both well enough that it makes sense. (for reals!)
I know some of you are like – seriously? You want me to read this book? Some of you will love it. Some of you will hate it. I hope I warned you of the dark and intense stuff enough.
I became completely invested in these characters. This author has such an incredible voice. The way she writes the dialogue, the romance, the world, the action scenes – it all worked for me. It’s so different and so well done.
October 25, 2013
Epic Science Fiction. It’s not a genre I have heard of before, but it seems to fit here. This book is sweeping. It has depth. Breadth. It’s dark at times, but there is also hope. There is love. And there is, ultimately, an examination of what it means to be human and what truly constitutes a monster. Epic.
The story follows Amber, a woman down on her luck, who in a last ditch effort to make a future for herself and her sister, secures passage for them both on a space expedition to colonize a new planet. She is abrasive and overweight; people don’t like her. But she is pragmatic and fiercely loyal. Her already bad life gets unbelievably worse when her ship goes way, way off course, and crash lands on a mysterious planet after the passengers took a 200+ year nap. The ship and most of the people on board go boom, leaving Amber, her sister, and about 50 other humans stranded in an alien world.
Our unlikely hero is Meoraq, a native to the planet who looks like a giant lizard. He is a warrior among his people and a deeply religious man. When he stumbles onto Amber and her people, he sees it as a sign from God that he is supposed bring them on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. And over the course of the story, a meaningful connection grows between him and Amber. They must face serious external threats and work through their own internal ones to find their place in each other’s lives and in the world they share.
There is a reason so many people speak highly of this book. The world-building is really amazing. The author really creates two cultures: the futuristic, awful human world where Amber comes from– and the vastly complicated culture of Meoraq’s people. Both were drawn so clearly, they felt real. Page after page, more of it is uncovered, drawing us further in, layer upon layer. Even more powerful, though, are the characters.
Amber is not an easy woman. Between her big mouth and her bluntness, though, she was so relatable to me. I felt like I could be in her shoes, digging the same ditch she dug for herself among her shipmates. That made it all the more disturbing as her fellow humans mistreated her, and as she faced horror after horror. Then there’s Meoraq. He is honorable in the way of his people, but very different than a traditional hero. While he did and said things that would be unthinkable coming from a human man, for him, they fit. He was… awesome. And the development of his relationship with Amber was just so compelling. I loved that it took time; that we got to see them really learn each other before they became friends. That we got to witness their internal struggle as they began to feel more. That lizard sex could be hot. Who knew?
But part of what really makes the relationship so powerful, is its contrast to the interpersonal behavior among the rest of the characters. Scott, the human “leader” was such an untenable bastard. Nicci, Amber’s sister, was so spoiled and weak. But lest you think that humans are the only monsters here, we get to see that evil is universal with the introduction of some really horrific lizard-people. Corruption and misuse of power are clearly universal failings.
There are some tough things in here, I won’t lie. There is rape. More than one. The hero doesn’t rape the heroine, but THERE IS RAPE, so be warned. It was difficult to read, but being prepared for it by other readers helped. It also helped the way the way the victim is portrayed. She doesn’t despair. She keeps moving forward… through one awful thing after another. But there is a balance of darkness with hope, in the growing love between Amber and Meoraq.
It wasn’t a perfect book. There were some slow going parts, especially before Meoraq and Amber cross paths. Plus, I would have liked to see more shades of gray among the peripheral characters. For instance… did every single human HAVE to be one of the sheep? Couldn’t anyone be redeemed? Or on the lizard side, couldn’t anyone see the disparities in their culture? Did no one see the problems with the misogyny or slavery? (Hint: No.) But this all did highlight what made Meoraq and Amber so special… so different from those around them.
Anyway, the whole book is a journey — both literally and metaphorically. The pinnacle of that is such an awesome surprise… and it turns Meoraq’s whole word upside down. It was so worth it. All of it.
The book is long –and it may be too dark for some readers– but in the end, I thought it was very, very good.
Rating: A-
The story follows Amber, a woman down on her luck, who in a last ditch effort to make a future for herself and her sister, secures passage for them both on a space expedition to colonize a new planet. She is abrasive and overweight; people don’t like her. But she is pragmatic and fiercely loyal. Her already bad life gets unbelievably worse when her ship goes way, way off course, and crash lands on a mysterious planet after the passengers took a 200+ year nap. The ship and most of the people on board go boom, leaving Amber, her sister, and about 50 other humans stranded in an alien world.
Our unlikely hero is Meoraq, a native to the planet who looks like a giant lizard. He is a warrior among his people and a deeply religious man. When he stumbles onto Amber and her people, he sees it as a sign from God that he is supposed bring them on his pilgrimage to the Holy Land. And over the course of the story, a meaningful connection grows between him and Amber. They must face serious external threats and work through their own internal ones to find their place in each other’s lives and in the world they share.
There is a reason so many people speak highly of this book. The world-building is really amazing. The author really creates two cultures: the futuristic, awful human world where Amber comes from– and the vastly complicated culture of Meoraq’s people. Both were drawn so clearly, they felt real. Page after page, more of it is uncovered, drawing us further in, layer upon layer. Even more powerful, though, are the characters.
Amber is not an easy woman. Between her big mouth and her bluntness, though, she was so relatable to me. I felt like I could be in her shoes, digging the same ditch she dug for herself among her shipmates. That made it all the more disturbing as her fellow humans mistreated her, and as she faced horror after horror. Then there’s Meoraq. He is honorable in the way of his people, but very different than a traditional hero. While he did and said things that would be unthinkable coming from a human man, for him, they fit. He was… awesome. And the development of his relationship with Amber was just so compelling. I loved that it took time; that we got to see them really learn each other before they became friends. That we got to witness their internal struggle as they began to feel more. That lizard sex could be hot. Who knew?
But part of what really makes the relationship so powerful, is its contrast to the interpersonal behavior among the rest of the characters. Scott, the human “leader” was such an untenable bastard. Nicci, Amber’s sister, was so spoiled and weak. But lest you think that humans are the only monsters here, we get to see that evil is universal with the introduction of some really horrific lizard-people. Corruption and misuse of power are clearly universal failings.
There are some tough things in here, I won’t lie. There is rape. More than one. The hero doesn’t rape the heroine, but THERE IS RAPE, so be warned. It was difficult to read, but being prepared for it by other readers helped. It also helped the way the way the victim is portrayed. She doesn’t despair. She keeps moving forward… through one awful thing after another. But there is a balance of darkness with hope, in the growing love between Amber and Meoraq.
It wasn’t a perfect book. There were some slow going parts, especially before Meoraq and Amber cross paths. Plus, I would have liked to see more shades of gray among the peripheral characters. For instance… did every single human HAVE to be one of the sheep? Couldn’t anyone be redeemed? Or on the lizard side, couldn’t anyone see the disparities in their culture? Did no one see the problems with the misogyny or slavery? (Hint: No.) But this all did highlight what made Meoraq and Amber so special… so different from those around them.
Anyway, the whole book is a journey — both literally and metaphorically. The pinnacle of that is such an awesome surprise… and it turns Meoraq’s whole word upside down. It was so worth it. All of it.
The book is long –and it may be too dark for some readers– but in the end, I thought it was very, very good.
Rating: A-
August 26, 2017
4.5* Addictive and Unforgettable
I'd skipped past this book several times since neither the title nor the cover appealed to me at all, I didn't even stop to read the blurb. But then a friend of mine said she'd just read it and loved it and thought I would too so I downloaded the sample (which was longer than some books I've read) and I was hooked.
I didn't read any reviews at all which is unusual for me but by this point I was so engrossed in the book I just couldn't pull myself away.
It's safe to say this book is addictive even when I didn't actually like what I was reading I couldn't put it down resulting in very little sleep for two days.
Before I get further into my review I have to say that I had one huge issue, I've come across this before and it drives me crazy. The characters spend a considerable amount of time in their heads (which is fine) but their thoughts are written in quotation marks.
Why?
There's also a lot of conversation so this is confusing as hell and really slowed down and spoilt my reading.
What's wrong with using italics for thoughts and quotation marks for actual speech?
Right I'm getting down off my soapbox now.
For me this was an addictive and unforgettable read, following the death of their mother Amber and Nikki Bierce have little to no prospects on earth so Amber makes the decision that has to be made and signs them up for Earth's first colony-ship, a five year contract.
On the ship in her sleeper pod Amber sleeps through the asteroid field that pierced the hull and pulled the active crew out into space through approximately seven thousand coin-sized holes. She slept through two hundred sixty-six years of Tunneling as the speakers above her bed blatted a polite, unheard alarm. She slept through the crash. Then she wakes to her sleeper on it's side to discover so many dead and no idea where they are.
They have to make the best of a bad situation and luckily Amber is capable and determined. Now in any situation like this you're always going to get a mix of characters some good, some bad and some just downright annoying and this book wouldn't have worked otherwise but it annoyed me so much at times. Scott was Scott, Nikki was unbelievably annoying, irritating and pathetic and Amber, what can I say about Amber?
At times I thought she was amazing yet she annoyed me no end, while most of time I understood her and her motives the self sacrificing martyr thing got to me after a while but still I couldn't stop reading.
Uyane Meoraq is a Sword of Sheul, God’s own instrument of judgment, victor of hundreds of trials, with a conqueror’s rights over all men and he's amazing, I just loved him.
Amber and Meoraq's relationship is not love at first sight, to him she's ugly, pale and fleshy with hair sprouting out all over and to her he looks like a lizardman but they overcome everything and learn to see, really see each other.
This is not an easy read (and not just the quotation marks) it's dark at times, it shows the worst of humanity there's rape and violence and a whole load of praying and certain parts I didn't like but it's long unforgettable read, a story you can get lost in for a couple of days and how often does that happen?
February 19, 2023
5+ STARS!
I don't remember the last time a book CONSUMED me like this. Absolutely stunning! And even though it's like 800 pages of sci-fi goodness, when it was over, I wanted MORE, needed MORE.
I'm so sad there's no sequel. I could read about Amber and Meoraq forever. One of my ALL-TIME favorites.😍😍
I don't remember the last time a book CONSUMED me like this. Absolutely stunning! And even though it's like 800 pages of sci-fi goodness, when it was over, I wanted MORE, needed MORE.
I'm so sad there's no sequel. I could read about Amber and Meoraq forever. One of my ALL-TIME favorites.😍😍
books-i-own-but-haven-t-read-yet
July 8, 20161. Lemme just say that when I created my aliens-i-love-em shelf, this is NOT what I meant. *giggle snorts*
2. Who the hell cares that I have a MULTITUDE of other books I'm supposed to be reading? I'm gonna read the 1000+ page book about ALIEN LOVE, b/c I DO WHAT I WANT.
If I hate it, it will make for an excellent rant.
I MADE YOU CUPCAKES.
2. Who the hell cares that I have a MULTITUDE of other books I'm supposed to be reading? I'm gonna read the 1000+ page book about ALIEN LOVE, b/c I DO WHAT I WANT.
If I hate it, it will make for an excellent rant.
I MADE YOU CUPCAKES.
February 25, 2015
I can't possibly write a review to do this book justice. I put it off too long anyways and my Nook went on the fritz, deleting all of my saved quotes and highlights and notes. Grrr. If you want a thorough, comprehensive review, I'd suggest Jill's review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
What I CAN say is that this book goes right to my all time favorites shelf and that it is one of the most unique and original books I've ever come across. It's a 1000+ page whopper of a book but worth every single second of time spent reading. It's an epic-size tale of spirituality, understanding, love, and acceptance. It's absolutely BRUTAL. I mean graphic violence, unconscionable rape, ruthless behavior on the part of the warriors on this lizard alien planet. It's not for the faint of heart, to say the least.
It's a lizard-human romance and yes, there is lizard-human sex. I don't think it's meant to be titillating and sexy, however. For me, the sexual parts were more of an ultimate bonding experience between the hero and heroine.
For those who are interested, the first 100 pages or so are all setup for what's to come...the background of the heroine and her journey to a new planet. It's when she meets Meorak that the intensity really picks up and the direction for the journey is set.
Absolutely blew my mind. Read it, read it!!
What I CAN say is that this book goes right to my all time favorites shelf and that it is one of the most unique and original books I've ever come across. It's a 1000+ page whopper of a book but worth every single second of time spent reading. It's an epic-size tale of spirituality, understanding, love, and acceptance. It's absolutely BRUTAL. I mean graphic violence, unconscionable rape, ruthless behavior on the part of the warriors on this lizard alien planet. It's not for the faint of heart, to say the least.
It's a lizard-human romance and yes, there is lizard-human sex. I don't think it's meant to be titillating and sexy, however. For me, the sexual parts were more of an ultimate bonding experience between the hero and heroine.
For those who are interested, the first 100 pages or so are all setup for what's to come...the background of the heroine and her journey to a new planet. It's when she meets Meorak that the intensity really picks up and the direction for the journey is set.
Absolutely blew my mind. Read it, read it!!
October 29, 2013
Loved. It. I wish I could buy this book in a dead tree copy so I could share it with all my friends. I've read a few comments about this book. I know some people thought it was too long but you could sign me up right now for another 2400 pages. Some people thought it was too violent. I was glad the author had the courage of her convictions. The hero is not going to save the heroine every time before the bad stuff happens. So on to my review.
First, the world building was amazing. The religion based culture of the planet the humans landed on was fully realized and made clear sense. Sometimes alien religions seem murky and hokey. Not here. The hero, Meoraq, had firm belief. All his words and actions spoke to his belief. He was an amazing character and I loved him. He was a good man and a wise one. He behaved the way he knew was right and let no one except the heroine sway him. He fell in love with her and indulged her where he could without compromising his principles. His dialog was lovely and the way he loved her and spoke of her was beautiful. He wasn't always perfect and I felt he learned and grew as the story went along.
The heroine, Amber, was interesting. She was bitchy and the other humans didn't like her. But she was right and they were wrong and she let them know it. She understood their situation and tried to learn and move on with her new life. She wasn't perfect. She held on to the other humans way too long and let the walk all over her. But I think that was explained at the end when she told Meoraq that they were the only humans left and she couldn't let them go. She was ultimately a good woman. She loved Meoraq and tried to always have his back. She wasn't xenophobic. She was open and accepting of the people and culture of the planet. Except she was an atheist. She and Meoraq squabbled about religion all the time.
I loved the minutiae of the journey to the shrine. That is my crack. I love to have every detail explored especially in a sci fi book. I like to see how they are responding to and dealing with the new world. That might not be everyone's cuppa but it sure is mine. The violence was there but honestly I have read way worse violence in some romantic suspense books. Yes she got raped but it wasn't horrifically graphic. She mostly just figured it was going to happen and just got through it best she could. She was a survivor. I think this violence etc., just added realism to the story. She was on an alien planet full of sex driven men. It was going to happen. Not putting it in would have been doing the story a disservice. The important part is that she got through it and that both she and Meoraq clove together anyway. Their relationship was the important thing to both of them. Although of course there was thought put into how to move forward, at least on her part. He never took his eyes off the prize which for him was her.
I didn't feel this story was too dark. There was hope throughout. There was courage and love. The ending could have been a major downer but I felt the author pulled it out at the end. Of course I knew early on what was going to happen at the shrine. I've read too much sci fi not to but I liked the way it was handled and how Meoraq eventually dealt with it.
On a more prosaic note. This book was well written, well plotted. No typos or other self pub type issues.
If you like sci fi romance you should read it.
Gotta get to work now. I might have to come back and fill this review out a little more when I have more time. :-)
First, the world building was amazing. The religion based culture of the planet the humans landed on was fully realized and made clear sense. Sometimes alien religions seem murky and hokey. Not here. The hero, Meoraq, had firm belief. All his words and actions spoke to his belief. He was an amazing character and I loved him. He was a good man and a wise one. He behaved the way he knew was right and let no one except the heroine sway him. He fell in love with her and indulged her where he could without compromising his principles. His dialog was lovely and the way he loved her and spoke of her was beautiful. He wasn't always perfect and I felt he learned and grew as the story went along.
The heroine, Amber, was interesting. She was bitchy and the other humans didn't like her. But she was right and they were wrong and she let them know it. She understood their situation and tried to learn and move on with her new life. She wasn't perfect. She held on to the other humans way too long and let the walk all over her. But I think that was explained at the end when she told Meoraq that they were the only humans left and she couldn't let them go. She was ultimately a good woman. She loved Meoraq and tried to always have his back. She wasn't xenophobic. She was open and accepting of the people and culture of the planet. Except she was an atheist. She and Meoraq squabbled about religion all the time.
I loved the minutiae of the journey to the shrine. That is my crack. I love to have every detail explored especially in a sci fi book. I like to see how they are responding to and dealing with the new world. That might not be everyone's cuppa but it sure is mine. The violence was there but honestly I have read way worse violence in some romantic suspense books. Yes she got raped but it wasn't horrifically graphic. She mostly just figured it was going to happen and just got through it best she could. She was a survivor. I think this violence etc., just added realism to the story. She was on an alien planet full of sex driven men. It was going to happen. Not putting it in would have been doing the story a disservice. The important part is that she got through it and that both she and Meoraq clove together anyway. Their relationship was the important thing to both of them. Although of course there was thought put into how to move forward, at least on her part. He never took his eyes off the prize which for him was her.
I didn't feel this story was too dark. There was hope throughout. There was courage and love. The ending could have been a major downer but I felt the author pulled it out at the end. Of course I knew early on what was going to happen at the shrine. I've read too much sci fi not to but I liked the way it was handled and how Meoraq eventually dealt with it.
On a more prosaic note. This book was well written, well plotted. No typos or other self pub type issues.
If you like sci fi romance you should read it.
Gotta get to work now. I might have to come back and fill this review out a little more when I have more time. :-)
June 26, 2014
I read this because Jill made me. Every now and then we force each other to read books we probably would not have read otherwise. I’m not going to lie - many times during reading this book I was asking myself: what is this? Why am I reading it?
And yet, it’s clear to me there is a five star book hidden in this 1000 page long behemoth of a novel. R Lee Smith is a fantastic storyteller but she could use a good editor to just trim her production. There were so many repetitive scenes, and don’t get me wrong, they were all fairly well-written but I got the point the first time round. There is no need to beat me with it in the head.
On the other hand I can’t see any mainstream publisher taking this weird number on because their marketing department would go mad trying to figure out which of the neat publishing boxes to stick into. Is it sci-fi? Epic fantasy? Post apocalyptic survival? Paranormal romance?
There is no point in summarizing a 1000 page long book in a review but the basic premise is this: It’s sometime in the future and of course the world has gone to shit. Amber and her annoying sister find themselves in dire straits and decide to sign up to colonise some distant planet. Things go wrong and they crash land somewhere further they ever meant to go with only a handful of survivors.
Lots of things happen and Amber meets Meoraq, an alien looking like a cross between a lizard and a man. Surely they will eventually fall in love but the romance develops slowly, understandingly, as both of them at first consider any relationship between them as a form of bestiality. So they have to get over that first. And the reader has to get over things like snouts instead of faces and retractable penises. Retractable penises! Sexy times.
Except for Amber, every other surviving human is an idiot and an asshole, especially Scott, the self-proclaimed leader who hates Amber’s guts. This is where the book gets a bit confusing, because while I can understand why Amber wants to stick with those human assholes despite everything (they are on an alien planet, they are the only humans she will ever see again, I get it, I’ve spent enough time in some God-forgotten places to know how quickly your standards for what is acceptable human company drop) but why do all these morons follow Scott is beyond me. In normal circumstances populist idiots like Scott get voted into governments because they can wax poetic about all the fantastic things they are going to give the people because those people have no idea how the economy or government work so it’s easier for them to buy that sort of crap. But on that alien planet all Scott’s theories are put to test immediately and he fails repeatedly. It’s Amber who brings them food and guarantees their survival. Even if they don’t like her, their self-preservation instinct should’ve kicked in and told them who to stick with. I understand that you had to be either very stupid or very desperate or both to join that foolhardy mission in the first place but it’s still amazing how poor Amber found herself on an alien planet with 50 of the stupidest humans Earth had to offer.
I hope it doesn’t sound like I didn’t enjoy this book because I enjoyed it a lot. It’s not an escapist read – which is what I normally want from my romance novels. I would never want Amber’s reality over my own reality, even if hers comes with this larger-than-life love. No hung lizardman is worth going through such a fucking ordeal that includes murder, rapes and near starvation. I’d do anything for love, but I won’t do that.
One of my favourite aspects of the book was the very clever meditation on religion and society. Amber is a sarcastic atheist while Meoraq is serious and fiercely religious. Props to the author for making their romance feel authentic. Bizarrely, this book reinforced my atheism while according to another reviewer it strengthened her belief in God. It really was very balanced.
Narration was also very good. I particularly remember that one bit when suddenly things became weird and distorted and after a while you realise Amber got hit in the head.
And then there is the world building, of course. It was very clever and so internally coherent that it would be a shame to classify it as a simple romance novel.
And yet, it’s clear to me there is a five star book hidden in this 1000 page long behemoth of a novel. R Lee Smith is a fantastic storyteller but she could use a good editor to just trim her production. There were so many repetitive scenes, and don’t get me wrong, they were all fairly well-written but I got the point the first time round. There is no need to beat me with it in the head.
On the other hand I can’t see any mainstream publisher taking this weird number on because their marketing department would go mad trying to figure out which of the neat publishing boxes to stick into. Is it sci-fi? Epic fantasy? Post apocalyptic survival? Paranormal romance?
There is no point in summarizing a 1000 page long book in a review but the basic premise is this: It’s sometime in the future and of course the world has gone to shit. Amber and her annoying sister find themselves in dire straits and decide to sign up to colonise some distant planet. Things go wrong and they crash land somewhere further they ever meant to go with only a handful of survivors.
Lots of things happen and Amber meets Meoraq, an alien looking like a cross between a lizard and a man. Surely they will eventually fall in love but the romance develops slowly, understandingly, as both of them at first consider any relationship between them as a form of bestiality. So they have to get over that first. And the reader has to get over things like snouts instead of faces and retractable penises. Retractable penises! Sexy times.
Except for Amber, every other surviving human is an idiot and an asshole, especially Scott, the self-proclaimed leader who hates Amber’s guts. This is where the book gets a bit confusing, because while I can understand why Amber wants to stick with those human assholes despite everything (they are on an alien planet, they are the only humans she will ever see again, I get it, I’ve spent enough time in some God-forgotten places to know how quickly your standards for what is acceptable human company drop) but why do all these morons follow Scott is beyond me. In normal circumstances populist idiots like Scott get voted into governments because they can wax poetic about all the fantastic things they are going to give the people because those people have no idea how the economy or government work so it’s easier for them to buy that sort of crap. But on that alien planet all Scott’s theories are put to test immediately and he fails repeatedly. It’s Amber who brings them food and guarantees their survival. Even if they don’t like her, their self-preservation instinct should’ve kicked in and told them who to stick with. I understand that you had to be either very stupid or very desperate or both to join that foolhardy mission in the first place but it’s still amazing how poor Amber found herself on an alien planet with 50 of the stupidest humans Earth had to offer.
I hope it doesn’t sound like I didn’t enjoy this book because I enjoyed it a lot. It’s not an escapist read – which is what I normally want from my romance novels. I would never want Amber’s reality over my own reality, even if hers comes with this larger-than-life love. No hung lizardman is worth going through such a fucking ordeal that includes murder, rapes and near starvation. I’d do anything for love, but I won’t do that.
One of my favourite aspects of the book was the very clever meditation on religion and society. Amber is a sarcastic atheist while Meoraq is serious and fiercely religious. Props to the author for making their romance feel authentic. Bizarrely, this book reinforced my atheism while according to another reviewer it strengthened her belief in God. It really was very balanced.
Narration was also very good. I particularly remember that one bit when suddenly things became weird and distorted and after a while you realise Amber got hit in the head.
And then there is the world building, of course. It was very clever and so internally coherent that it would be a shame to classify it as a simple romance novel.
October 15, 2017
2.5 stars
I read this for the Alien square for Halloween Bingo
She should have been prepared to see something like this. An alien, that was. From the moment she'd first seen the scaly deer if not sooner. But there was a big difference between knowing intellectually that there were forms of animal life on this world and seeing a six-foot tall lizardman come at you out of the bushes with a knife in his hand.
This was 1,000 pgs. I'm exhausted because as you can tell by rating, it was only an ok 1,000pgs.
Look, everyone seems to love this book, so grain of salt and all that but here's my probably not coherent exhausted luke warm take:
The first three books(parts) was pretty interesting, meeting our first person pov heroine Amber and how she has had a poopy life on Earth and decided the best way to survive was jumping on a space ship. Her whole life seems to be taking care of her sister Nicci who is completely a waste of space. Nicci depends solely on Amber and blames her if anything goes wrong. The ship gets hit by a bunch of asteroids, killing most of the 500,000 or so, gets knocked off course and crash lands on an unknown Alien planet.
48 survive with a guy named Scott who wants to be leader and really has it out for Amber.
I've never been in such a survival situation with a group of people but I would hope food and shelter would be first on their mind, at least for a hot minute, over what guy gets what "womb" out of the 11 to repopulate their colony. Looking over reviews, I see this is classified by some as erotica, which could help explain the huge focus on sex, which felt over focused on to me.
People needing leaders but too scared to lead I get, but the hate on Amber felt so forced and the lack of anyone questioning stuff, again, felt forced to serve a narrative. It was a good narrative on society with a Lord of the Flies feel but still, a bit forced.
Meoraq and his world that Amber crash landed on was interesting, especially with the importance of religion the author added in and how it tied into their society and cultural values. Meoraq's faith and sureness in his world and role in it was interesting to follow along with as he met Amber and how she slowly but surely put it dent in it all.
After book three, things slowed way down for me as it was endless Amber fighting against the group trying to get them to survive, her sister treating her like crap, and Meoraq being annoyed with the whining humans but also kind of attracted to Amber, a lot of rinse and repeat. Book six has Amber being kidnapped and the constant rape scenes start, it was incredibly exhausting.
I liked how the author addressed religion, how its needed, what it provides, and how it can lie. I liked how this was something pretty different with the alien world and culture and how Meoraq was a lizard, no human characteristics at all. I also liked how the humans were the "aliens" and how the author played with that theme. Ultimately, this was too long with repeated scenes, forced or simplistic actions, and too many rape scenes. If you want something different with a lizard hero, many others really enjoyed this.
I read this for the Alien square for Halloween Bingo
She should have been prepared to see something like this. An alien, that was. From the moment she'd first seen the scaly deer if not sooner. But there was a big difference between knowing intellectually that there were forms of animal life on this world and seeing a six-foot tall lizardman come at you out of the bushes with a knife in his hand.
This was 1,000 pgs. I'm exhausted because as you can tell by rating, it was only an ok 1,000pgs.
Look, everyone seems to love this book, so grain of salt and all that but here's my probably not coherent exhausted luke warm take:
The first three books(parts) was pretty interesting, meeting our first person pov heroine Amber and how she has had a poopy life on Earth and decided the best way to survive was jumping on a space ship. Her whole life seems to be taking care of her sister Nicci who is completely a waste of space. Nicci depends solely on Amber and blames her if anything goes wrong. The ship gets hit by a bunch of asteroids, killing most of the 500,000 or so, gets knocked off course and crash lands on an unknown Alien planet.
48 survive with a guy named Scott who wants to be leader and really has it out for Amber.
I've never been in such a survival situation with a group of people but I would hope food and shelter would be first on their mind, at least for a hot minute, over what guy gets what "womb" out of the 11 to repopulate their colony. Looking over reviews, I see this is classified by some as erotica, which could help explain the huge focus on sex, which felt over focused on to me.
People needing leaders but too scared to lead I get, but the hate on Amber felt so forced and the lack of anyone questioning stuff, again, felt forced to serve a narrative. It was a good narrative on society with a Lord of the Flies feel but still, a bit forced.
Meoraq and his world that Amber crash landed on was interesting, especially with the importance of religion the author added in and how it tied into their society and cultural values. Meoraq's faith and sureness in his world and role in it was interesting to follow along with as he met Amber and how she slowly but surely put it dent in it all.
After book three, things slowed way down for me as it was endless Amber fighting against the group trying to get them to survive, her sister treating her like crap, and Meoraq being annoyed with the whining humans but also kind of attracted to Amber, a lot of rinse and repeat. Book six has Amber being kidnapped and the constant rape scenes start, it was incredibly exhausting.
I liked how the author addressed religion, how its needed, what it provides, and how it can lie. I liked how this was something pretty different with the alien world and culture and how Meoraq was a lizard, no human characteristics at all. I also liked how the humans were the "aliens" and how the author played with that theme. Ultimately, this was too long with repeated scenes, forced or simplistic actions, and too many rape scenes. If you want something different with a lizard hero, many others really enjoyed this.
February 4, 2016
WOW!!!!!
I don't have enough words to explain just how GREAT this book was!!!
I was expecting a usual alien-human love, but here I found so much more!!!
Like an excellent, interesting, intriguing, brutal, violent, religious, sexist world building!
Like a totally alien hero, both in his physical aspect and his reasoning!
Like a post-apocaliptic, empty, dangerous landscape.
Like a totally unconventional heroine!
Wonderful!!! Simply wonderful
It reminded me of Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis books. It has the same "flavour", the same desperation, the same bleakness, the same strenght!
More than a simple love story, it's a journey to God. And don't get me wrong, it is absolutely not a religious book.
There are too many very violent scenes, there's rape, there's killing and maiming, but it is still a journey to God.
It is almost a rewriting of the Bible (please, you devout believers, do not be offended), an alien Bible, but still...
Some of my friends, who read it, found it a litlle bit dragging, but I must say that I enjoyed every sigle word and I am left wanting for more.
It's true: I cringed during all the awfully violent scenes, but each one of them has a lesson to impart either to Amber or to Meoraq.
Like the sweet, tender scenes also had a lesson in them, but this time a lesson of love.
Yes, this book is a love story, but it is also the story of acceptance of self, of each and every flaw.
There're all kind of lessons hidden (and not so hidden) here: humility, compassion, forgiveness...
The tiny, teeny complaint I have is the almost morbid attachment Amber had to her sister. She's not blind to her sisters faults, but she's still attached to her to the point of madness.
I didn't like how the humans have been described here, but that's only because I'm part of the human race. *wink*
I would have liked to have at least one good human among the crazy bunch besides Amber.
And even Amber was not completly good, but still she's at least willing to learn to be a better human being.
Also, the villains here were truly bad, bad, bad... But this is Gunn's world...
Anyhow, this book was tought-provoking and so very interesting that I'll keep thinking about it for a long, long time!
I don't have enough words to explain just how GREAT this book was!!!
I was expecting a usual alien-human love, but here I found so much more!!!
Like an excellent, interesting, intriguing, brutal, violent, religious, sexist world building!
Like a totally alien hero, both in his physical aspect and his reasoning!
Like a post-apocaliptic, empty, dangerous landscape.
Like a totally unconventional heroine!
Wonderful!!! Simply wonderful
It reminded me of Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis books. It has the same "flavour", the same desperation, the same bleakness, the same strenght!
More than a simple love story, it's a journey to God. And don't get me wrong, it is absolutely not a religious book.
There are too many very violent scenes, there's rape, there's killing and maiming, but it is still a journey to God.
It is almost a rewriting of the Bible (please, you devout believers, do not be offended), an alien Bible, but still...
Some of my friends, who read it, found it a litlle bit dragging, but I must say that I enjoyed every sigle word and I am left wanting for more.
It's true: I cringed during all the awfully violent scenes, but each one of them has a lesson to impart either to Amber or to Meoraq.
Like the sweet, tender scenes also had a lesson in them, but this time a lesson of love.
Yes, this book is a love story, but it is also the story of acceptance of self, of each and every flaw.
There're all kind of lessons hidden (and not so hidden) here: humility, compassion, forgiveness...
The tiny, teeny complaint I have is the almost morbid attachment Amber had to her sister. She's not blind to her sisters faults, but she's still attached to her to the point of madness.
I didn't like how the humans have been described here, but that's only because I'm part of the human race. *wink*
I would have liked to have at least one good human among the crazy bunch besides Amber.
And even Amber was not completly good, but still she's at least willing to learn to be a better human being.
Also, the villains here were truly bad, bad, bad... But this is Gunn's world...
Anyhow, this book was tought-provoking and so very interesting that I'll keep thinking about it for a long, long time!
September 1, 2015
Here's the thing, space-porn is awesome. It's a genre on it's own. A lot of people may laugh, and I imagine do, that so many people are jumping all over books that depict humans humping aliens, but what do you expect me to say? We can be a bit pervy as a species.
One thing I didn't expect – is for this book to be this long. And long it was. Over 1K of pages. Yup.... Think on that a minute. For a space porn – that's impressive.
Tell you what else was impressive, the actual novel itself. It was damned good. I liked the writing style, it was elaborate, extremely detailed and not rushed. From the beginning I knew I will abso-fucking-lutely love it and I did.
The story starts told trough the eyes of an older sister taking care of her younger sibling following the death of their mother, who happened to be a registered prostitute. The sisters are destitute, too young to truly help themselves and in desperate need choose the lesser of all evils that can befall them. They volunteer to be the first colonizing force on a far away planet. They would be the pioneers, and clear the way for other colonizers. It is extremely dangerous work, with no guarantees, but the only possible true choice remaining.
The sisters fall asleep in the crio tubes and Murphy takes his law in full effect and simply screws everyone over like the bastard he is. Shit goes terribly wrong and they overshoot their planet, by a couple hundred years. They crash on a planet and soon enough out of fifty thousand people and crew only forty eight remain.
While for the sisters a terrible drama unfolds, we go a bit further away to find that the planet isn't uninhabited as the settlers first thought but a home to a lizard like race. They have their civilization and a set of rules they follow really closely. We go on a journey with Meoraq, a spiritual warrior male to meet his destiny given to him by his god.
This book is definitely not for the faint of heart. It has elements that people could find disturbing, from graphic violence to graphic sexual content.
It seems to me that this was maybe meant to be a series but got published as an omnibus. Still for people like me, who live the not so classic Sci-Fi it's brilliant. I am amazed that it was so well written ( I honestly wasn't expecting that) so it was an amazing bonus. I have to say that because of the length of the novel, I have read it in segments rather than in one go, with a few fillers in between.
This book was friggin amazing and I would recommend it to all people who love Mars Needs Women trope.
One thing I didn't expect – is for this book to be this long. And long it was. Over 1K of pages. Yup.... Think on that a minute. For a space porn – that's impressive.
Tell you what else was impressive, the actual novel itself. It was damned good. I liked the writing style, it was elaborate, extremely detailed and not rushed. From the beginning I knew I will abso-fucking-lutely love it and I did.
The story starts told trough the eyes of an older sister taking care of her younger sibling following the death of their mother, who happened to be a registered prostitute. The sisters are destitute, too young to truly help themselves and in desperate need choose the lesser of all evils that can befall them. They volunteer to be the first colonizing force on a far away planet. They would be the pioneers, and clear the way for other colonizers. It is extremely dangerous work, with no guarantees, but the only possible true choice remaining.
The sisters fall asleep in the crio tubes and Murphy takes his law in full effect and simply screws everyone over like the bastard he is. Shit goes terribly wrong and they overshoot their planet, by a couple hundred years. They crash on a planet and soon enough out of fifty thousand people and crew only forty eight remain.
While for the sisters a terrible drama unfolds, we go a bit further away to find that the planet isn't uninhabited as the settlers first thought but a home to a lizard like race. They have their civilization and a set of rules they follow really closely. We go on a journey with Meoraq, a spiritual warrior male to meet his destiny given to him by his god.
This book is definitely not for the faint of heart. It has elements that people could find disturbing, from graphic violence to graphic sexual content.
It seems to me that this was maybe meant to be a series but got published as an omnibus. Still for people like me, who live the not so classic Sci-Fi it's brilliant. I am amazed that it was so well written ( I honestly wasn't expecting that) so it was an amazing bonus. I have to say that because of the length of the novel, I have read it in segments rather than in one go, with a few fillers in between.
This book was friggin amazing and I would recommend it to all people who love Mars Needs Women trope.
March 21, 2017
It bluntly says men are rapists by nature and women should get along with it.
...
*me screaming in frustration*
...
Mild spoilers ahead.
Romanticising rape is an awful thing and I don't get why so many women love these kind of crap novels. Over two thousand 5- and 4-stars reviews here. Why? WHY? What is so appealing in this sickening notion women secretly want to be violated and suddenly in the middle of that horrible act they start to enjoy it?
To be truth, I hate all these people fanf@pping over Daenerys and Drogo in GoT. Told he raped her they point frantically at the novel and say "But he didn't in the book." Let me burst that bubble for you. Could she walk away? Could she fend him off? Could she tell him she's not ready? Did she asked him to touch her? You are drooling over a guy who was raping a child (ASoIaF) and a sex slave (GoT).
It's the same case with "The Last Hour of Gann". The main male protagonist, Meoraq, is a rapist. A serial rapist and murderer throughout his life, to be clear. The first intercourse with our heroine, Amber, is a rape (she is too tired and surprised to stop him), the one in the cave (when he can't stop), and the one after he finds her in captivity (mindless fing everything on his path) also. But it's all okay because she loves him. Amber is abused and raped many times by other men and she just shrugs it off like it's nothing - a perfectly normal, excusable, everyday occurrence, because men are men and it lays in their biology. And readers here love Meoraq and this type of narrative.
Some will say "But... but rape happens in real life! Why can't we write about it?" You can. What you shouldn't is normalising sex violence and paint it as love, and tell men it's a natural behaviour for them.
Boy, oh boy, I've got many issues with this book, though only cultivation of rape culture irks me enough to write on it.
...
*me screaming in frustration*
...
Mild spoilers ahead.
Romanticising rape is an awful thing and I don't get why so many women love these kind of crap novels. Over two thousand 5- and 4-stars reviews here. Why? WHY? What is so appealing in this sickening notion women secretly want to be violated and suddenly in the middle of that horrible act they start to enjoy it?
To be truth, I hate all these people fanf@pping over Daenerys and Drogo in GoT. Told he raped her they point frantically at the novel and say "But he didn't in the book." Let me burst that bubble for you. Could she walk away? Could she fend him off? Could she tell him she's not ready? Did she asked him to touch her? You are drooling over a guy who was raping a child (ASoIaF) and a sex slave (GoT).
It's the same case with "The Last Hour of Gann". The main male protagonist, Meoraq, is a rapist. A serial rapist and murderer throughout his life, to be clear. The first intercourse with our heroine, Amber, is a rape (she is too tired and surprised to stop him), the one in the cave (when he can't stop), and the one after he finds her in captivity (mindless fing everything on his path) also. But it's all okay because she loves him. Amber is abused and raped many times by other men and she just shrugs it off like it's nothing - a perfectly normal, excusable, everyday occurrence, because men are men and it lays in their biology. And readers here love Meoraq and this type of narrative.
Some will say "But... but rape happens in real life! Why can't we write about it?" You can. What you shouldn't is normalising sex violence and paint it as love, and tell men it's a natural behaviour for them.
Boy, oh boy, I've got many issues with this book, though only cultivation of rape culture irks me enough to write on it.
February 16, 2023
What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beautiful Shoulders. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex. Also, Slaps.
Brilliant masterpiece about how humans allow supremacists to herd them off a cliff
So, so savage, in the way that Lord of the Flies and The Last Innocent Hour were savage.
Trigger warnings: MANY. See below for a (not exhaustive) list. Do NOT read this as a fluffy romance.
R Lee Smith is an author I never heard of before I discovered Alien Romance as my new favorite genre (thanks, Ruby Dixon and Robin Lovett).
Now, the one book I would take with me on a lonely island to read until I inevitably starve would be The Last Hour of Gann. Hands down, no contest.
Had you asked me last year, or even at the start of 2021, I would have struggled to name just one favorite book that puts all others to shame. Sure, I have about 10 favorites. I love the intoxicating prose and unwaivering drive of Catherynne M. Valente's Deathless. I can re-read K. J. Parker's The Two of Swords, Volume One again and again and find something new to excite me. The Count of Monte Cristo is both timeless classic as well as the earliest genre-bending adventure serial.
But each and every book has a limitation; be it the length (Deathless should have been twice as long!) or the brevity of characterization (why does every character get so little page time in Two of Swords) or the depressing lack of strong female characters (seriously, does any woman written by Dumas ever have an agenda of her own?).
The Last Hour of Gann has everything. It's as long as Gone with the Wind and covers a journey equally as epic as Scarlett O'Hara's - yet R. Lee Smith, unlike Margaret Mitchell, is no raging racist. The books share a few subtle but important similarities, which make both novels stand head and shoulders above the other books written in their respective genres.
Gone with the Windis no romance. It is a novel about the American Civil War and the impossibility of reconciliation between the Old South (Scarlett) and the New Way of Life (Rhett). That's why it's 1000+ pages, and not 300.
The Last Hour of Gann is a science-fiction book, but the central themes of Patriarchy vs. Feminism, Colonialism, Wage-Slavery, Caste Systems, Religion, Self-Reliance and Mitläufertum (German word for one who passively follows the Nazi decrees and thus allows evil to to happen) are ageless.
Had the book been written in German for the German market, it would have been understood by the readers as a portrayal of a group of people who turn to a Führer for help and guidance, only for the same Führer to turn around and lead them all off the cliff with sweet promises and crazy speeches, and lies. Lies, lies, lies. So many lies.
Everly Scott is basically Joseph Goebbels. And his sheep-people that follow him like classical Mitläufers really grind my gears. Yet ... they are so realistic. Many readers have complained about the passivity about the group of humans that lands on Gann, and how they allow Scott to just take up the reigns. In Germany, we have unfortunately discovered that when the big supremacists talk loudly enough often enough, the smart and righteous will keep quiet and the masses will just allow everything to go as it will. That's how evil is made. That's why I consciously compare this book to Lord of the Flies, which covers the trials and failures of a group of boys on an island who decent into savagery because they won't agree on a peaceful way to live. Or to the Nazi Era historical novel The Last Innocent Hour, which deals with an American woman who married a young, handsome German soldier before the War began, only for her to find out that the glory on the outside is only a cover for the rot on the inside.
While pretty much every human that crashes with Amber on Gann is a complete asshole and it's hard to read about her trying to make the best choices for herself and everyone else, while they do nothing and treat her like garbage, it was still somehow a great experience to read about, because of the clarity of characterization and the hammering drive of R. Lee's message.
Just like the great classics of Sci-Fi literatur, The Last Hour of Gann isn't actually about an alien planet or fancy technology or even a dystopian society. It is a mirror for the society we live in today, and the image it presents is harrowing instead of flattering. I found that what is written here rings true. Recommended for every adult reader.
Initial babblings after reading:
It's such a cliché to say that I would give six stars if I could, but it's true: The Last Hour of Gann is up there with huge epics like Gone With the Wind or Outlander, except it's science fiction and therefore I liked it better. The reason why I claim there is a kinship with the aforementioned acclaimed bestsellers is that I not only loved the book; I also highlighted a great deal of quotes and sometimes entire passages that I found poignang and true.
The thing that sets Last Hour of Gann apart is two-fold: the clever but unintrusive writing that never bothers with purple prose or making the heroine look cute; and second, the unflinching portrayal of asshole characters so nasty reading about them hurts your eyes reading about them.
I will be writing a more succinct review soon, when my brain cools down a little.
Trigger warnings (not exhaustive): Rape, on page. Battery, on page. Violent murder and torture, on page. Eugenics. Forced abortion. Mutilation, on page. Suicide, on page. Misoginy in words and deed, on page. Fatshaming, on page. Absolute assholes who do not deserve to live, on page. Racism or I guess you would call it specie-cism, on page. White Sumpremacist talk, on page.
A note: the narration never makes the things that are shown on page seem as if they are okay. While there is violence in the book, the book does not violently target people (women or plus size people) in a way that makes them feel inferior, silly or degraded. The fact that rape happens in a book does not make it inherently misogynistic. A book can be misogynistic in its portrayal of women (see classics such as The Count of Monte Cristo) without having rape in it, and vice versa.
Brilliant masterpiece about how humans allow supremacists to herd them off a cliff
So, so savage, in the way that Lord of the Flies and The Last Innocent Hour were savage.
Trigger warnings: MANY. See below for a (not exhaustive) list. Do NOT read this as a fluffy romance.
R Lee Smith is an author I never heard of before I discovered Alien Romance as my new favorite genre (thanks, Ruby Dixon and Robin Lovett).
Now, the one book I would take with me on a lonely island to read until I inevitably starve would be The Last Hour of Gann. Hands down, no contest.
Had you asked me last year, or even at the start of 2021, I would have struggled to name just one favorite book that puts all others to shame. Sure, I have about 10 favorites. I love the intoxicating prose and unwaivering drive of Catherynne M. Valente's Deathless. I can re-read K. J. Parker's The Two of Swords, Volume One again and again and find something new to excite me. The Count of Monte Cristo is both timeless classic as well as the earliest genre-bending adventure serial.
But each and every book has a limitation; be it the length (Deathless should have been twice as long!) or the brevity of characterization (why does every character get so little page time in Two of Swords) or the depressing lack of strong female characters (seriously, does any woman written by Dumas ever have an agenda of her own?).
The Last Hour of Gann has everything. It's as long as Gone with the Wind and covers a journey equally as epic as Scarlett O'Hara's - yet R. Lee Smith, unlike Margaret Mitchell, is no raging racist. The books share a few subtle but important similarities, which make both novels stand head and shoulders above the other books written in their respective genres.
Gone with the Windis no romance. It is a novel about the American Civil War and the impossibility of reconciliation between the Old South (Scarlett) and the New Way of Life (Rhett). That's why it's 1000+ pages, and not 300.
The Last Hour of Gann is a science-fiction book, but the central themes of Patriarchy vs. Feminism, Colonialism, Wage-Slavery, Caste Systems, Religion, Self-Reliance and Mitläufertum (German word for one who passively follows the Nazi decrees and thus allows evil to to happen) are ageless.
Had the book been written in German for the German market, it would have been understood by the readers as a portrayal of a group of people who turn to a Führer for help and guidance, only for the same Führer to turn around and lead them all off the cliff with sweet promises and crazy speeches, and lies. Lies, lies, lies. So many lies.
Everly Scott is basically Joseph Goebbels. And his sheep-people that follow him like classical Mitläufers really grind my gears. Yet ... they are so realistic. Many readers have complained about the passivity about the group of humans that lands on Gann, and how they allow Scott to just take up the reigns. In Germany, we have unfortunately discovered that when the big supremacists talk loudly enough often enough, the smart and righteous will keep quiet and the masses will just allow everything to go as it will. That's how evil is made. That's why I consciously compare this book to Lord of the Flies, which covers the trials and failures of a group of boys on an island who decent into savagery because they won't agree on a peaceful way to live. Or to the Nazi Era historical novel The Last Innocent Hour, which deals with an American woman who married a young, handsome German soldier before the War began, only for her to find out that the glory on the outside is only a cover for the rot on the inside.
While pretty much every human that crashes with Amber on Gann is a complete asshole and it's hard to read about her trying to make the best choices for herself and everyone else, while they do nothing and treat her like garbage, it was still somehow a great experience to read about, because of the clarity of characterization and the hammering drive of R. Lee's message.
Just like the great classics of Sci-Fi literatur, The Last Hour of Gann isn't actually about an alien planet or fancy technology or even a dystopian society. It is a mirror for the society we live in today, and the image it presents is harrowing instead of flattering. I found that what is written here rings true. Recommended for every adult reader.
Initial babblings after reading:
It's such a cliché to say that I would give six stars if I could, but it's true: The Last Hour of Gann is up there with huge epics like Gone With the Wind or Outlander, except it's science fiction and therefore I liked it better. The reason why I claim there is a kinship with the aforementioned acclaimed bestsellers is that I not only loved the book; I also highlighted a great deal of quotes and sometimes entire passages that I found poignang and true.
The thing that sets Last Hour of Gann apart is two-fold: the clever but unintrusive writing that never bothers with purple prose or making the heroine look cute; and second, the unflinching portrayal of asshole characters so nasty reading about them hurts your eyes reading about them.
I will be writing a more succinct review soon, when my brain cools down a little.
Trigger warnings (not exhaustive): Rape, on page. Battery, on page. Violent murder and torture, on page. Eugenics. Forced abortion. Mutilation, on page. Suicide, on page. Misoginy in words and deed, on page. Fatshaming, on page. Absolute assholes who do not deserve to live, on page. Racism or I guess you would call it specie-cism, on page. White Sumpremacist talk, on page.
A note: the narration never makes the things that are shown on page seem as if they are okay. While there is violence in the book, the book does not violently target people (women or plus size people) in a way that makes them feel inferior, silly or degraded. The fact that rape happens in a book does not make it inherently misogynistic. A book can be misogynistic in its portrayal of women (see classics such as The Count of Monte Cristo) without having rape in it, and vice versa.
March 13, 2020
4.5 Stars
This was loooong. I started it without noticing that tidbit. It was like 3 books in one.
And yes, very rapey.. (I saw people dnf-ing because of that) but it didn’t put me off. The violence wasn’t there just for the sake of violence as is the case with many novels that deal with women being abused.
The universe of the book wasn’t a romantic but a realistic one (regardless of lizard aliens) and horrible stuff like that just happens especially under those circumstances.
The purpose of this book was more than just to provide a story about a human and alien falling in love. The way I saw it, it tried to insert some moralities about war, greed, spirituality vs zealotry and just more generally about how we are so quick to place blame on others for our failures or our bad luck and how ultimately not owning your destiny and actions will be your downfall.
I wouldn’t say this book is perfect but it was most definitely unique and it was very good. It had something missing though, I can’t figure out what, maybe it was a little too long?!
This was loooong. I started it without noticing that tidbit. It was like 3 books in one.
And yes, very rapey.. (I saw people dnf-ing because of that) but it didn’t put me off. The violence wasn’t there just for the sake of violence as is the case with many novels that deal with women being abused.
The universe of the book wasn’t a romantic but a realistic one (regardless of lizard aliens) and horrible stuff like that just happens especially under those circumstances.
The purpose of this book was more than just to provide a story about a human and alien falling in love. The way I saw it, it tried to insert some moralities about war, greed, spirituality vs zealotry and just more generally about how we are so quick to place blame on others for our failures or our bad luck and how ultimately not owning your destiny and actions will be your downfall.
I wouldn’t say this book is perfect but it was most definitely unique and it was very good. It had something missing though, I can’t figure out what, maybe it was a little too long?!
March 27, 2025
Once again, I’m left speechless after finishing an R. Lee Smith book. Book? Odyssey? An epic adventure that consumed two weeks of my life? Semantics aside, I know now that R. Lee Smith can write nothing less than legendary, life-changing stories that leave me awestruck. The Last Hour of Gann was dark, offensive, bleak, tragic, and beautiful—an unforgettable journey that is sure to linger in my mind for a long time.
I have seen a few other reviewers mention that not many authors could have pulled this book off, and I have to agree with them. R. Lee Smith’s unique voice is one of the very few who have the ability or the audacity to write this story and do it justice—a story of desolation and little hope for humanity with a cold and unflinching tone. I can only speculate as to how she’s able to write these things so well, but I’ve found that she is an author who can consistently bring this level of depravity to the reader without restraint. Her books may inspire a visceral reaction in the reader with their violent nature, but she's never writing for shock value: her stories mean something, and they are told without barriers.
It’s difficult to describe this book in a few short words, but saying that it’s a sci-fi horror erotica with a romance between a human atheist and a lizard-like alien religious zealot would be a good starting point. You might notice parallels with a few other stories, remarkably, Lord of the Flies and, oddly enough, Wall-E. It wouldn’t be an R Lee Smith book if there weren’t strong undertones of a larger message, a larger purpose to the storytelling. But, Smith never comes out and tells you how to feel or what to believe as she describes the conflict. The beauty of her work lies in asking you, the reader, the questions and letting you decide the answers for yourself.
Smith’s heroines are unparalleled, and Amber shot straight up to the top of the list of my favorites of hers. What’s endearing to me is that R. Lee Smith doesn’t write about traditionally beautiful women. Or, if they are traditionally beautiful, their characteristics are not necessarily attractive to their alien male counterparts. Amber is tenacious, sarcastic, fat (for a time), hilarious, and someone that Meoraq (the hero) frequently calls “ugly” in his internal monologue. Amber is someone that I think a lot of women can see themselves in, and self-deprecating humor made me chuckle quite often in the book. The most relatable trait of Ambers is the way that she lets her little sister Nicci guilt trip and walk all over her. It frustrated me often in the book, but it’s hard not to compare her actions to real people who I know do the same thing.
Speaking of unattractive protagonists, R. Lee Smith’s heroes aren’t any better. Meoraq is our story’s hero, a.k.a. the lizardman love interest. Yeah. A full on lizard man with a lizard face. Let’s call a spade a spade here: Meoraq is not hot by human standards. He also has a mean temper, is stubborn as hell, and is willing to say whatever’s on his mind. So, why the hell did I fall in love with him? Meoraq is passionate and wise, and I found myself highlighting his words quite often. At times, he's a ruthless teacher, one who's willing to give the group of humans a wake-up call about survival, and someone who's willing to say the tough things when needed. He’s fiercely protective of those he loves.
One of the best parts about this book is the banter between Meoraq and Amber, and it's made even more intriguing by the fact that Meoraq is religious, dedicating his life to Sheul (a.k.a. "God"), and Amber is an atheist. If you're worried about this, don't be. Now having finished the book, I still couldn't tell you whether the author actually believes in God or not—it often felt like she was arguing God's existence with herself and using Meoraq and Amber as the vessels to do so. I never imagined that I’d need a romance between a religious zealot and a blaspheming atheist, but sweet mother of Gann, Meoraq and Amber were explosive together. Their conflicting ideologies were poignant at times and downright hilarious at others. Meoraq quite often loses his patience, which makes him a perfect love interest for Amber.
Thus far, The Last Hour of Gann has more world-building than any other work I’ve read by R. Lee Smith. It’s appropriate for this story, because unlike Land of the Beautiful Dead and Cottonwood (which take place on Earth), The Last Hour of Gann mainly occurs on an alien planet. In addition, the alien religion is an integral part of the plot and Meoraq’s character, and the reader must understand their religion for much of the book to make sense. So, if the page count and world-building aspect are intimidating to you, I advise starting with another one of Smith’s works before starting this one. The slow start in this book might be more bearable if you have the foresight from one of her other works to know how beautiful her stories can be.
While this book is bleak and gruesome, it is also laced with some of the best humor I’ve encountered in literature. I found myself laughing out loud while reading, which is something I rarely do.
My review will never do the beauty of this book justice, and it’s not meant to. Buckle up and sit back because this story is very much about the journey, not just the destination. The Sci-Fi genre is something that had never appealed to me before discovering R. Lee Smith’s work, but she’s proven me wrong once again. I will read anything, literally anything, this author writes. You’re probably an excellent potential reader for this story if you read my entire review. Take a chance on this monumental adventure because you’re in for one hell of a dark ride. The Last Hour of Gann is a masterpiece that I’m sure not to forget.
P.S. Don’t let Goodreads and Amazon deceive you about this book’s length. Both sites have this book’s page count listed at 706 pages, but there’s just no way that’s accurate. Comparing the size of the paperbacks between this and Land of the Beautiful Dead, this book is significantly bigger, and if you open the pages, the font is much smaller in The Last Hour of Gann. If Land of the Beautiful Dead is 751 pages, this story is undoubtedly at least 1000 pages in length.
You can check out my aesthetic/quote reel here!
Triggers: (This is not a comprehensive list. Spaces are added below to allow readers to avoid spoilers)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Human-alien copulation
Explicit rape scenes
Graphic horror elements
Sodomy
Suicide
Murder
Infanticide
Slavery
Fat-Shaming
Misogyny/Sexism
Religious blasphemy
Classism
Forced sterilization
Amputation
Gaslighting
And more.
They were doing something that had never been done, had never even been tested in any real practical way. Fear was a perfectly reasonable reaction, but it still didn’t change the fact that they were homeless, jobless and alone.
I have seen a few other reviewers mention that not many authors could have pulled this book off, and I have to agree with them. R. Lee Smith’s unique voice is one of the very few who have the ability or the audacity to write this story and do it justice—a story of desolation and little hope for humanity with a cold and unflinching tone. I can only speculate as to how she’s able to write these things so well, but I’ve found that she is an author who can consistently bring this level of depravity to the reader without restraint. Her books may inspire a visceral reaction in the reader with their violent nature, but she's never writing for shock value: her stories mean something, and they are told without barriers.
“We could all hear her under the wind—…[ ] —crying— [ ] —begging us to come back.” [ ] And we left her there anyway. [ ] We all walked away and pretended we didn’t see those big weasel-things at all, didn’t we? We pretended we never heard her screaming.”
It’s difficult to describe this book in a few short words, but saying that it’s a sci-fi horror erotica with a romance between a human atheist and a lizard-like alien religious zealot would be a good starting point. You might notice parallels with a few other stories, remarkably, Lord of the Flies and, oddly enough, Wall-E. It wouldn’t be an R Lee Smith book if there weren’t strong undertones of a larger message, a larger purpose to the storytelling. But, Smith never comes out and tells you how to feel or what to believe as she describes the conflict. The beauty of her work lies in asking you, the reader, the questions and letting you decide the answers for yourself.
“He can’t throw me out,” she scoffed. “He can call himself Captain or Commander or King of the fucking Fly-People for all I care, but he can’t make me leave if I don’t want to.”
Crandall gave her a crooked, scornful smile.
“There’s this other book they made us read in school called Animal Farm. Bet you never read that one either, huh?”
Amber rolled her eyes. “No. Is there a pig in it?”
“Yeah, as a matter of fact, there’s two. One’s a real smart pig who wants to help all the dumb sheep and dogs and chickens on the farm, you know, live a better life. The other one’s pretty much a talker. Guess which pig takes over and which one disappears?”
“What happened to the sheep?” asked Amber.
Crandall quit smiling.
Smith’s heroines are unparalleled, and Amber shot straight up to the top of the list of my favorites of hers. What’s endearing to me is that R. Lee Smith doesn’t write about traditionally beautiful women. Or, if they are traditionally beautiful, their characteristics are not necessarily attractive to their alien male counterparts. Amber is tenacious, sarcastic, fat (for a time), hilarious, and someone that Meoraq (the hero) frequently calls “ugly” in his internal monologue. Amber is someone that I think a lot of women can see themselves in, and self-deprecating humor made me chuckle quite often in the book. The most relatable trait of Ambers is the way that she lets her little sister Nicci guilt trip and walk all over her. It frustrated me often in the book, but it’s hard not to compare her actions to real people who I know do the same thing.
“And you forced Nicci on the ship, you say. I doubt you had her tied and dragging behind you, but even if so, you put her on the ship because you would not leave her behind. That is who you are, Soft-Skin. So say whatever you like about how evil you are and how poor a person and how small of worth, but even in the midst of all that, remember that you still took the time to thank me.”
Speaking of unattractive protagonists, R. Lee Smith’s heroes aren’t any better. Meoraq is our story’s hero, a.k.a. the lizardman love interest. Yeah. A full on lizard man with a lizard face. Let’s call a spade a spade here: Meoraq is not hot by human standards. He also has a mean temper, is stubborn as hell, and is willing to say whatever’s on his mind. So, why the hell did I fall in love with him? Meoraq is passionate and wise, and I found myself highlighting his words quite often. At times, he's a ruthless teacher, one who's willing to give the group of humans a wake-up call about survival, and someone who's willing to say the tough things when needed. He’s fiercely protective of those he loves.
“And you will not go,” he said dryly, “if it means leaving me. Hear Uyane Meoraq and mark him well, human: Sheul has given me your life and I do not give it back to you. I have been lenient with your freedoms until now. No longer. Do not test me. I’m not very nice either.”
One of the best parts about this book is the banter between Meoraq and Amber, and it's made even more intriguing by the fact that Meoraq is religious, dedicating his life to Sheul (a.k.a. "God"), and Amber is an atheist. If you're worried about this, don't be. Now having finished the book, I still couldn't tell you whether the author actually believes in God or not—it often felt like she was arguing God's existence with herself and using Meoraq and Amber as the vessels to do so. I never imagined that I’d need a romance between a religious zealot and a blaspheming atheist, but sweet mother of Gann, Meoraq and Amber were explosive together. Their conflicting ideologies were poignant at times and downright hilarious at others. Meoraq quite often loses his patience, which makes him a perfect love interest for Amber.
“You are an aggravating woman,” he told her, his hand slipping around to the small of her back. “You make me feel things there are no words for. You make me want to do things I do not know how to do. You also make me very angry. How fortunate that these are the times I most desire you.”
“How can you say you’re not mine when you gave everything you had to me? Everything you are…God gave you to me,” he murmured, nuzzling under her jaw. “Even when I did not know how to ask. He found you anyway and put you in my path. You are the woman I was born into this world to find.”
“I have often thought that you argue with me solely because you enjoy argument. Now I know it.”
Thus far, The Last Hour of Gann has more world-building than any other work I’ve read by R. Lee Smith. It’s appropriate for this story, because unlike Land of the Beautiful Dead and Cottonwood (which take place on Earth), The Last Hour of Gann mainly occurs on an alien planet. In addition, the alien religion is an integral part of the plot and Meoraq’s character, and the reader must understand their religion for much of the book to make sense. So, if the page count and world-building aspect are intimidating to you, I advise starting with another one of Smith’s works before starting this one. The slow start in this book might be more bearable if you have the foresight from one of her other works to know how beautiful her stories can be.
“You learned to stand before you walked. You learned to crawl before you stood. You learned to roll onto your belly before you crawled. You learned which way was up before you rolled. So. You want to learn how to survive here, you say, but to teach you those things, I have to begin at the beginning. I am teaching you exactly how I was taught, with far, far less slapping than either I received or you deserve.”
While this book is bleak and gruesome, it is also laced with some of the best humor I’ve encountered in literature. I found myself laughing out loud while reading, which is something I rarely do.
“Amber tossed down her coal-stirring stick. “God sees us, huh?”
“Yes.”
“Right now?”
He seemed puzzled by the question. “Now and always.”
Amber looked at the clouds. “Could you possibly make this day any worse?” she demanded. A drop of rain hit her in the eye. Then another. And then the skies opened up and began to pour, killing the last coals in just a few steam-hissing seconds and drenching her to the skin.”
My review will never do the beauty of this book justice, and it’s not meant to. Buckle up and sit back because this story is very much about the journey, not just the destination. The Sci-Fi genre is something that had never appealed to me before discovering R. Lee Smith’s work, but she’s proven me wrong once again. I will read anything, literally anything, this author writes. You’re probably an excellent potential reader for this story if you read my entire review. Take a chance on this monumental adventure because you’re in for one hell of a dark ride. The Last Hour of Gann is a masterpiece that I’m sure not to forget.
“You told me once that truth isn’t always just what someone says,” said Amber after a moment. “But what something is. What it means.”
“Because you told me the truth, even when you thought it was something I did not want to hear. That is how I know how much you love me.”
P.S. Don’t let Goodreads and Amazon deceive you about this book’s length. Both sites have this book’s page count listed at 706 pages, but there’s just no way that’s accurate. Comparing the size of the paperbacks between this and Land of the Beautiful Dead, this book is significantly bigger, and if you open the pages, the font is much smaller in The Last Hour of Gann. If Land of the Beautiful Dead is 751 pages, this story is undoubtedly at least 1000 pages in length.
You can check out my aesthetic/quote reel here!
Triggers: (This is not a comprehensive list. Spaces are added below to allow readers to avoid spoilers)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Human-alien copulation
Explicit rape scenes
Graphic horror elements
Sodomy
Suicide
Murder
Infanticide
Slavery
Fat-Shaming
Misogyny/Sexism
Religious blasphemy
Classism
Forced sterilization
Amputation
Gaslighting
And more.
September 27, 2024
700+ pages. Was it an investment? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes. Not only was it a time investment, it was an emotional investment: for the first time in my adult life, I felt the necessity to flip to the ending of the book just to make sure my heart wasn’t going to get broken if I kept reading. I was that invested.
Whatever else this was—and it was a lot of things—this was a romance and it delivered on that promise. Boy, did it deliver. Specifically, it delivered Meoraq, a humanoid lizardman who is the epitome of a dreamy hero, only with scales, a dragon snout, red eyes, sharp teeth, and no lips…but he tried, bless his heart, he tried. (Definition of a dreamy hero: protective, nurturing while grumbling about it, strong, brave, resourceful, stubborn, loyal, utterly devoted, funny, and did I mention devoted? His devotion was the highlight of this book.)
Amber was, by any definition, a bona fide bitch. She had no social skills, a smart mouth, a snarky disposition, and was as cuddly as a tachuqi. She was also protective, nurturing, strong, brave to a foolhardy degree, resourceful, stubborn, loyal to a foolhardy degree, devoted, and funny. She was either going to be the first human killed on an alien planet, or the last human standing.
Meoraq and Amber were perfect for each other, and Amber only had to drag her awful, awful crying, whining sister onto a spaceship to travel to a new colony on another planet, enter a state of stasis for the journey, get knocked off course by an asteroid belt, travel 266 years through space, and crash onto a planet a universe away to find him.
So this was also sci-fi. The sci-fi wasn’t as convincing as the romance, but it was decent enough. It was also a political thriller, complete with a cunning megalomaniac who wanted nothing more than to remove the noncompliant Amber from his group of human sheep. I wanted to balk at the idea of an attention-seeking, self-absorbed, delusional dickhead being able to get everyone but Amber to blindly believe every nonsensical thing he said, but history has already proven me wrong. It was also an exploration of religion and how much it can control a society, and how much it SHOULD control society, and I found that both successfully executed and fascinating.
I tried to rate this book 4 stars for the following flaws, but my finger refused to go lower than 5 stars:
*It was longer than it needed to be. It could have lost 100+ pages without impacting the plot or lessening the emotional wallop.
*It felt derivative in places, mostly in the sci-fi aspects of the novel, and felt exaggerated in others, especially in cruelty and violence. There was a staggering amount of rain and blood.
*Speaking of derivative, this book is full of alien names heavy on “X’s” and “Z’s” and apostrophes and consonants clumped together. I understand why a world of lizard people without lips wouldn’t be throwing “P’s” and “B’s” into their alphabet but the “X’s” start running together after awhile.
*Scott and Nicci were cartoonish in their evil, and could have used some nuance.
*The language barrier was too easily overcome. The humans and dumaqis were throwing out vulgarities, slang, and idioms right and left and, while the characters were occasionally baffled about the meaning of something, most of the time impossible understanding ruled the day.
*And speaking of vulgarities, this author really needs to expand her vocabulary. “Fuck” was used 350 times, not usually related to the act itself, and “hell—what the hell, where the hell, who the hell”—was used 164 times, almost never to denote the opposite of heaven. Learn some adjectives, for Pete’s sake.
One other note, although this is not a flaw: females were treated very, very badly in this book. Very badly. If you know you have a problem reading that sort of thing, this is not the book for you.
I started this book and loved the opening with Amber and her horrid crybaby sister leaving planet earth, got bogged down in all the exposition about Meoraq and his planet’s rules, was horrified by the violence and the usage of their females, and DNF’d it. I read another book. I couldn’t get this one out of my mind, though, and came back to it and was captured. I was silly for stopping.
Whatever else this was—and it was a lot of things—this was a romance and it delivered on that promise. Boy, did it deliver. Specifically, it delivered Meoraq, a humanoid lizardman who is the epitome of a dreamy hero, only with scales, a dragon snout, red eyes, sharp teeth, and no lips…but he tried, bless his heart, he tried. (Definition of a dreamy hero: protective, nurturing while grumbling about it, strong, brave, resourceful, stubborn, loyal, utterly devoted, funny, and did I mention devoted? His devotion was the highlight of this book.)
Amber was, by any definition, a bona fide bitch. She had no social skills, a smart mouth, a snarky disposition, and was as cuddly as a tachuqi. She was also protective, nurturing, strong, brave to a foolhardy degree, resourceful, stubborn, loyal to a foolhardy degree, devoted, and funny. She was either going to be the first human killed on an alien planet, or the last human standing.
Meoraq and Amber were perfect for each other, and Amber only had to drag her awful, awful crying, whining sister onto a spaceship to travel to a new colony on another planet, enter a state of stasis for the journey, get knocked off course by an asteroid belt, travel 266 years through space, and crash onto a planet a universe away to find him.
So this was also sci-fi. The sci-fi wasn’t as convincing as the romance, but it was decent enough. It was also a political thriller, complete with a cunning megalomaniac who wanted nothing more than to remove the noncompliant Amber from his group of human sheep. I wanted to balk at the idea of an attention-seeking, self-absorbed, delusional dickhead being able to get everyone but Amber to blindly believe every nonsensical thing he said, but history has already proven me wrong. It was also an exploration of religion and how much it can control a society, and how much it SHOULD control society, and I found that both successfully executed and fascinating.
I tried to rate this book 4 stars for the following flaws, but my finger refused to go lower than 5 stars:
*It was longer than it needed to be. It could have lost 100+ pages without impacting the plot or lessening the emotional wallop.
*It felt derivative in places, mostly in the sci-fi aspects of the novel, and felt exaggerated in others, especially in cruelty and violence. There was a staggering amount of rain and blood.
*Speaking of derivative, this book is full of alien names heavy on “X’s” and “Z’s” and apostrophes and consonants clumped together. I understand why a world of lizard people without lips wouldn’t be throwing “P’s” and “B’s” into their alphabet but the “X’s” start running together after awhile.
*Scott and Nicci were cartoonish in their evil, and could have used some nuance.
*The language barrier was too easily overcome. The humans and dumaqis were throwing out vulgarities, slang, and idioms right and left and, while the characters were occasionally baffled about the meaning of something, most of the time impossible understanding ruled the day.
*And speaking of vulgarities, this author really needs to expand her vocabulary. “Fuck” was used 350 times, not usually related to the act itself, and “hell—what the hell, where the hell, who the hell”—was used 164 times, almost never to denote the opposite of heaven. Learn some adjectives, for Pete’s sake.
One other note, although this is not a flaw: females were treated very, very badly in this book. Very badly. If you know you have a problem reading that sort of thing, this is not the book for you.
I started this book and loved the opening with Amber and her horrid crybaby sister leaving planet earth, got bogged down in all the exposition about Meoraq and his planet’s rules, was horrified by the violence and the usage of their females, and DNF’d it. I read another book. I couldn’t get this one out of my mind, though, and came back to it and was captured. I was silly for stopping.
June 16, 2017
Do NOT let the cover keep you from reading this book. It is an amazing book with detail, emotion, and so much more. It's not something to read if you want happy, because this book is not happy. It's dark with real struggles and it is not sugar coated. This is also a very long book,
For me, it started off really good, but I felt that it just took too long before Amber and Meoraq finally met up so it felt really slow. That's likely the romance reader in me just wanting to say 'Common already!', but this book has much more than romance, so I remained patient. The author delves into their beginning of the story - Amber and her struggle to remain strong for her and her little sister after their mother's death, then Meoraq as it delves into his religious beliefs and the start of his pilgrimage as the author sets up for you their world. I wasn't disappointed when they finally met.
Meoraq is just flat out amazing to Amber right from the start. Of course there is misunderstandings, struggles, but through it all, Amber remains strong and Meoraq patient - at least with her. He couldn't stand the rest of the humans with her - and neither could I. I can't believe that out of 50 people, there was so many whiners and people who could not think for themselves. I understand the need for survival, but between the interactions with Amber and Scott, I can't believe how blind all these people were. Including Amber's sniveling sister. I could. Not. Stand. Her. For all Amber has ever done for her and still did for her, Nicci's treatment of her is horrid. So again, Meoraq is patient, but man I wish had hadn't been towards them. They are lazy and good for nothing, not even bothering to lift a hand and help and were ungrateful for the help they received from Meoraq and even Amber- the only smart human out of the bunch.
I understand Amber wants to be strong and be compassionate, and give them benefit of doubt, but she was just as blind at times and I couldn't stand it. No matter what people said to her, did to her, even tried to kill her, left her for dead and all they did after, she still didn't let Meoraq kill them. Scott is horrible, but she still gave him chances. I don't understand it. All of them turn their backs on her several times in the book, not one getting a backbone and standing up for her no matter what she does for them. They just turn on her.
Amber and Meoraq's relationship is sweet. He is understanding, patient as I have mentioned, and so protective of her. Even after all she is put through, kidnapped and raped, he doesn't hold anything against her. He just flat out loves her, something that was foreign and disgusting to him at the beginning when he saw his mother and father's relationship, but now he knew.
I don't need to summarize the book as the author does that fine themselves as so many others in the reviews have as well. But I loved it. Only thing is I don't think I can think of any other characters resides Meoraq and Amber that I liked. I loved them, but the rest could jump off a cliff and die for all I cared, but they got what they deserved in my opinion. I might be just a little more heartless and unforgiving than Amber,so I can totally see where Meorag stands, lol.
I felt that for as long as this book was, that the ending seemed a little rushed. But overall, this is a must read (Unless you are unable to cope with something this dark). The author's detail and story-telling is amazing.
For me, it started off really good, but I felt that it just took too long before Amber and Meoraq finally met up so it felt really slow. That's likely the romance reader in me just wanting to say 'Common already!', but this book has much more than romance, so I remained patient. The author delves into their beginning of the story - Amber and her struggle to remain strong for her and her little sister after their mother's death, then Meoraq as it delves into his religious beliefs and the start of his pilgrimage as the author sets up for you their world. I wasn't disappointed when they finally met.
Meoraq is just flat out amazing to Amber right from the start. Of course there is misunderstandings, struggles, but through it all, Amber remains strong and Meoraq patient - at least with her. He couldn't stand the rest of the humans with her - and neither could I. I can't believe that out of 50 people, there was so many whiners and people who could not think for themselves. I understand the need for survival, but between the interactions with Amber and Scott, I can't believe how blind all these people were. Including Amber's sniveling sister. I could. Not. Stand. Her. For all Amber has ever done for her and still did for her, Nicci's treatment of her is horrid. So again, Meoraq is patient, but man I wish had hadn't been towards them. They are lazy and good for nothing, not even bothering to lift a hand and help and were ungrateful for the help they received from Meoraq and even Amber- the only smart human out of the bunch.
I understand Amber wants to be strong and be compassionate, and give them benefit of doubt, but she was just as blind at times and I couldn't stand it. No matter what people said to her, did to her, even tried to kill her, left her for dead and all they did after, she still didn't let Meoraq kill them. Scott is horrible, but she still gave him chances. I don't understand it. All of them turn their backs on her several times in the book, not one getting a backbone and standing up for her no matter what she does for them. They just turn on her.
Amber and Meoraq's relationship is sweet. He is understanding, patient as I have mentioned, and so protective of her. Even after all she is put through, kidnapped and raped, he doesn't hold anything against her. He just flat out loves her, something that was foreign and disgusting to him at the beginning when he saw his mother and father's relationship, but now he knew.
I don't need to summarize the book as the author does that fine themselves as so many others in the reviews have as well. But I loved it. Only thing is I don't think I can think of any other characters resides Meoraq and Amber that I liked. I loved them, but the rest could jump off a cliff and die for all I cared, but they got what they deserved in my opinion. I might be just a little more heartless and unforgiving than Amber,so I can totally see where Meorag stands, lol.
I felt that for as long as this book was, that the ending seemed a little rushed. But overall, this is a must read (Unless you are unable to cope with something this dark). The author's detail and story-telling is amazing.
November 12, 2013
4.5 stars ... (Not sure whether to round up or down.)
A heck of a lot less violent than Heat, which had gore and rape from beginning to nearly the end. Loved the world-building at the beginning. It did drag off and on during the middle. The payout for reading this long book was a very rewarding ending. Everything came full circle.
What was good: the world-building, the romance, the characters (even the villains had dimension; except the humans, especially Scott), and the resolution
What Gann needed: tighter storytelling, Nikki and Scott's behaviors became old and they lost their effectiveness as foils/villains
Buddy read coming Nov. 7. Suggested by Searock, who heard about from Dear Author blog.
A heck of a lot less violent than Heat, which had gore and rape from beginning to nearly the end. Loved the world-building at the beginning. It did drag off and on during the middle. The payout for reading this long book was a very rewarding ending. Everything came full circle.
What was good: the world-building, the romance, the characters (even the villains had dimension; except the humans, especially Scott), and the resolution
What Gann needed: tighter storytelling, Nikki and Scott's behaviors became old and they lost their effectiveness as foils/villains
Buddy read coming Nov. 7. Suggested by Searock, who heard about from Dear Author blog.
November 24, 2013
4 1\2
This is a book about faith. And maybe hope. It's in no way an easy read, there's plenty of violence going round and not all of it will be palatable for many (most?) readers. You really have to enjoy dark, gritty books to even consider reading The Last Hour of Gann.
It's weird. This is published by and with an erotica label. And yes it has sex in it. But in a book 500+ pages long, the sex is a drop in an ocean. What you'll find is two mind set, two species, a lizard warrior monk and a human daughter of a prostitute. Past and future (and who is what really depends on pov.) The rightful and the sinner. And all of it is nothing if not a slight reflection of what's going on.
I'm mostly agnostic. At times an atheist. Often irritated with faith. Always wary of religion. And here I found myself damn sorry for a faith lost. And possibly recovered.
Because yes this is a romance. But the romance is as good as the characters who love. And I could not find a reason to avoid loving Amber and her Lizard. His world is perfectly crafted, his faith too. She is so human in her faults to be near perfect. None of them maybe for you, but hell if they weren't for me.
Mark me. This book has its many faults. It's long (but not enough). It has both incredibly detailed villains and absolutely cardboards ones. You have plenty to chew off, and probably too much. But you can't stop reading.
Just be warned. This is not a book for everyone. Try a sample, in itself it's a novella. You get the idea. And you'll want to drink this cup to the bitter end. (Where you might find hope, who knows?)
What I loved.
-Amber
-Meoraq
-World-building (even if you hate the world), detailed up to flora and fauna
-Side characters are as interesting as the main ones (but only the lizardies)
-the slow building romance
-the cultural differences.
I appreciated how the author did not equal language and culture/meaning. Langue and parole. You may perfectly understand a language and still do not understand subtexts. Or avoid to get references. Here I was snickering every time I realized the leading couple did not really mean the same things when talking to each other or thinking about each other.
What I didn't like
-The lack of true depth in the human camp. It doesn't take a PhD in psychology to see how a group of human men and women works. If you put five people together, they'll want to do 5 different things. Here there was no real human social life. Yes, the 50 strong group divided in 2: 49 vs 1. No, sorry. It really never works this way. (And there was no reason or logic to it, too).
And yes, disaster can bring the worst out of us, but also the best. But the author choose one side only. It was like she was trying too hard to make us either hate the humans or like the alien society.
Plus, only a small bunch of people are named and actually part of the story. The rest of the survivors are just a backdrop destined to die (and be sheep in the mean time). There's not one intelligent being in this group. And I'm not joking. No one, except Amber, tries to learn to survive.
Pity, because this really brought down the book in my enjoyment.
-Thesoap opera drama. No, it's really the wrong phrase. There's no melodrama here, but pure heartbreaking drama. But at the end (i.e. Iziz) I was really thinking, ok, there is "too much". It (he) was expected, but honestly, is it statistically sound?
All the fuzz started on Twitter, but you get the why here:
http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/ov...
This is a book about faith. And maybe hope. It's in no way an easy read, there's plenty of violence going round and not all of it will be palatable for many (most?) readers. You really have to enjoy dark, gritty books to even consider reading The Last Hour of Gann.
It's weird. This is published by and with an erotica label. And yes it has sex in it. But in a book 500+ pages long, the sex is a drop in an ocean. What you'll find is two mind set, two species, a lizard warrior monk and a human daughter of a prostitute. Past and future (and who is what really depends on pov.) The rightful and the sinner. And all of it is nothing if not a slight reflection of what's going on.
I'm mostly agnostic. At times an atheist. Often irritated with faith. Always wary of religion. And here I found myself damn sorry for a faith lost. And possibly recovered.
Because yes this is a romance. But the romance is as good as the characters who love. And I could not find a reason to avoid loving Amber and her Lizard. His world is perfectly crafted, his faith too. She is so human in her faults to be near perfect. None of them maybe for you, but hell if they weren't for me.
Mark me. This book has its many faults. It's long (but not enough). It has both incredibly detailed villains and absolutely cardboards ones. You have plenty to chew off, and probably too much. But you can't stop reading.
Just be warned. This is not a book for everyone. Try a sample, in itself it's a novella. You get the idea. And you'll want to drink this cup to the bitter end. (Where you might find hope, who knows?)
What I loved.
-Amber
-Meoraq
-World-building (even if you hate the world), detailed up to flora and fauna
-Side characters are as interesting as the main ones (but only the lizardies)
-the slow building romance
-the cultural differences.
I appreciated how the author did not equal language and culture/meaning. Langue and parole. You may perfectly understand a language and still do not understand subtexts. Or avoid to get references. Here I was snickering every time I realized the leading couple did not really mean the same things when talking to each other or thinking about each other.
What I didn't like
-The lack of true depth in the human camp. It doesn't take a PhD in psychology to see how a group of human men and women works. If you put five people together, they'll want to do 5 different things. Here there was no real human social life. Yes, the 50 strong group divided in 2: 49 vs 1. No, sorry. It really never works this way. (And there was no reason or logic to it, too).
And yes, disaster can bring the worst out of us, but also the best. But the author choose one side only. It was like she was trying too hard to make us either hate the humans or like the alien society.
Plus, only a small bunch of people are named and actually part of the story. The rest of the survivors are just a backdrop destined to die (and be sheep in the mean time). There's not one intelligent being in this group. And I'm not joking. No one, except Amber, tries to learn to survive.
Pity, because this really brought down the book in my enjoyment.
-The
All the fuzz started on Twitter, but you get the why here:
http://dearauthor.com/book-reviews/ov...
August 5, 2023
I think it says a lot about this book that it gave me book hangover for months. Before I was “Thirstygirl,” reading only romance, I read a ton of literary fiction and modern classics. I think I have a good gauge when I say this book is very well written, which is all the more impressive considering it’s self-published.
LHoG is an epic journey, and I admit I had to work myself up to being in the mood to take it on. Especially because I knew going in that it was going to be heavy. There was a brief time early in the story, when we first get the perspective of the MMC (Meoraq) where I found myself getting a touch bored with all the details of his life and religion. However, I’m glad I pushed through, because the religion aspect really is central to the story.
I’ve seen some people complaining that it’s “rapey” and promotes rape culture. I will totally acknowledge that it’s rapey book, but I disagree that it's promoting it, as it's a POST-APOCALYPTIC ALIEN PLANET WITH ALIEN PEOPLE AND AN ALIEN CULTURE/RELIGION. I didn't feel that it was portrayed in a romanticized way, but we all take our subjective experience into our reading and sometimes we get different things out the same story.
This author writes “epic-length sci-fi/horror erotica” so anyone going into this book expecting a fluffy, mainstream-style alien romance is going to be in for a shock and major disappointment. This book does not shy away from violence, bullying, sexual assault, or other unpleasant things one would generally expect in a dystopian scenario where women are subjugated. At times, it was graphic enough to make me uncomfortable, but I also felt like everything made sense in the story.
This book made me all kinds of angry, sad, horrified, and sometimes even happy. There were characters I downright hated so freaking much, and to be honest, I didn’t love the two main characters. But I cared about them.
I did love the story, however, because it was engrossing and made me feel all kinds of emotions. I originally got it on KU but went out and bought it outright after I was done because this is the kind of author I want to be giving my money to. Someone not afraid to write something like this instead of playing it safe and writing what will sell.
LHoG is an epic journey, and I admit I had to work myself up to being in the mood to take it on. Especially because I knew going in that it was going to be heavy. There was a brief time early in the story, when we first get the perspective of the MMC (Meoraq) where I found myself getting a touch bored with all the details of his life and religion. However, I’m glad I pushed through, because the religion aspect really is central to the story.
I’ve seen some people complaining that it’s “rapey” and promotes rape culture. I will totally acknowledge that it’s rapey book, but I disagree that it's promoting it, as it's a POST-APOCALYPTIC ALIEN PLANET WITH ALIEN PEOPLE AND AN ALIEN CULTURE/RELIGION. I didn't feel that it was portrayed in a romanticized way, but we all take our subjective experience into our reading and sometimes we get different things out the same story.
This author writes “epic-length sci-fi/horror erotica” so anyone going into this book expecting a fluffy, mainstream-style alien romance is going to be in for a shock and major disappointment. This book does not shy away from violence, bullying, sexual assault, or other unpleasant things one would generally expect in a dystopian scenario where women are subjugated. At times, it was graphic enough to make me uncomfortable, but I also felt like everything made sense in the story.
This book made me all kinds of angry, sad, horrified, and sometimes even happy. There were characters I downright hated so freaking much, and to be honest, I didn’t love the two main characters. But I cared about them.
I did love the story, however, because it was engrossing and made me feel all kinds of emotions. I originally got it on KU but went out and bought it outright after I was done because this is the kind of author I want to be giving my money to. Someone not afraid to write something like this instead of playing it safe and writing what will sell.
January 23, 2019
I don't know what I was expecting but it was not this!
Holy Shit Sticks! What the hell just happened?!
At the end of the book it says, September 2010-September 2013 and if that means that's how long it took to write the book than I damn well see that.
I honestly don't think anything less than 5 stars could do the book justice and probably even than it fails.
I do understand why some people didn't like it, trigger warning: explicit rape scenes and the religious aspect but I am religious and this book sent me soul searching. There is so much emotion and thought put into this that the effort in here is almost tangible.
I read a bunch of reviews before writing this and yeah, majority says they don't have words that can express it all and do the book justice and I agree.
For one it's a thousand plus pages book and so much happened.
This is not your usual sci-fi Alien romance. No fluff here.
Check out my fav author's review for this, obviously, she has a better way with words Lol!
But yeah, I'm definitely checking out more from RLS.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,832 reviews