Prelude to Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts

Claimings #0.5

by Lyn Gala

Before Liam had a new commander who openly distrusted him, before Ondry earned his ka status, there were two traders. Ye Ondry wants to earn status, and he is curious about this new human. Liam has just arrived on the planet and he’s trying to figure out these aliens who supposedly have good metals to trade. Neither of them suspects that a chance trade and a few pots knocked off a table could lead their lives and their fates to intertwine.

Note:This free story is a prequel to the story of Ondry and Liam that details how they met. As such, it's not a romance.

Genres: M M Romance, Science Fiction, Aliens, BDSM, Romance, Fantasy, Gay

79 pages, ebook

First published February 9, 2016

About the author

Lynsey "Lyn" Gala started writing in the back of her science notebook in third grade and hasn’t stopped since. Westerns starring men with shady pasts gave way to science fiction with questionable protagonists which eventually gave in to any story with a morally ambiguous character. Even the purest heroes have pain and loss and darkness in their hearts, and that’s where she likes to find her stories. Her characters seek to better themselves and find the happy ending (or happier anyway), but it’s writing the struggle that inspires her muse. When she isn’t writing, Lyn Gala teaches in New Mexico.

She first cut her teeth on fanfic: gen, slash, het, and femslash. She prefers to focus on plot: mysteries and monsters and disasters, oh my, but sex can and does happen. Some of her stories focus on power exchange, bondage or bdsm. In her worlds, tops and bottoms are all mature, consenting adults. In fact, stories where they aren't squick her badly, so don't expect to find abuse stories in her journal.

Reviews

[Shin Mon Thway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such beautiful novellas.

In this collection of novellas, we are able to learn how Ondry first had his sight on Liam and how they interacted with each other in the early days. It’s so refreshing and exhilarating to see many POVs here. I especially love seeing things from Ondry’s eyes. It definitely was a very worthy experience. You really need to read this collection of novellas if you love this claiming series by Lyn Gala. And I’m so grateful that Lyn put a glossary of Rownt expressions as well as reading, saying and paletia phrases at the end of the book. It helps such a great deal to understand better about the importance of insults and how Rownt society runs.

Favorite excerpt from this book ..

“To have a creature adore you completely, to trust you more than they trusted themselves—it was a sacred gift from the gods.” 😍


5 beautiful Ondry stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Lyn Gala]

I hope everyone enjoys this free short.

[~✡~Dαni(ela) ♥ ♂♂ love & semi-colons~✡~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ondry & Liam: The Beginning, aka Feelings, Faux Pas, and Friendship.

These are the early days, before Ondry claims his palteia. Seeing these two dance around each other, trading insults and breaking bread (or bitter fruit, as the case may be), made me happy.

I love these MCs and this world. I will read any Claimings book Lyn Gala writes. There can never be enough.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though this is chronologically a prequel, I would recommend reading it after reading the first book in the series at least.

It's a collection of short stories. The first story shows us how Ondry and Liam first met, told from Liam's perspective. The other three stories tell us about the happenings from the beginning of Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts, this time from Ondry's perspective, and from the perspective of a Grandmother.

I absolutely loved them all! I now have the urge to re-read this series, which is exactly what I am gonna do :)

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread Oct 2017 - love love love Liam and Ondry!!!!


Review

This is me hearing there is more of Liam and Ondry out there....







I don't care what its about, if it has these two I will love it!!! Prelude is perfect for anyone who loves these two and just wants to get their grabby hands on any more interactions between these two.

For so many years, people looked at Liam like he was a broken toy. And damn it, Liam deserved respect. He hadn’t expected an alien to offer that support though.


Prelude has one main short story and three shorter short stories. The main story is from Liam’s POV about the first day he met Ondry. It was hilarious seeing Liam fumble through the Rownt language when we're used to seeing him so competent.

Grimacing at how he was mangling the language, he finished his thoughts. “I would introduce I.” The server gave a trill. That was definitely laughter.
Liam could only shrug. “I am young and new of language.”
“You are horrible with the language,” Ondry said plainly.

Also seeing the humans perspectives on the Rownt before Liam got to know them better was very interesting… Humans are so stupid.



The short story The First Sight was the same first day scene from Ondrys POV. The second story Slow Attractions was the first scene of ‘Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts’ (Liam's confrontation with Colonel Thackeray, which resulted in his claiming), from Ondrys POV. It was amazing seeing Ondry want to protect and cherish Liam, and have to restrain himself when Thackeray was abusing Liam.

Liam was alone and distressed, and Ondry could not ignore that condition, not even to maintain the decorum of the trading plaza.

The last story was Headstrong ,which was first released on Boy Meets Boy Reviews. It’s the scene of Liam’s drug-induced questioning at the time of his claiming, seen from the POV of a Grandmother. It’s fantastic!!! We often see Ondry’s dedication to Liam but it was wonderful to see how Liam just wanted to be with Ondry even when he didn’t fully understand what that meant.

Liam moved right into Ondry’s space, putting his head on his chest and wrapping his arms around Ondry’s waist.

You’ll LOVE this book if you love Ondry and Liam, if you don’t… get on this, you’ve already wasted to much time not reading this series :P

[SheReadsALot]

Lyn Gala:



Thank you. :)

For people looking for the freebie: http://www.loose-id.com/prelude-to-cl...

[Kaje Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored having different perspectives on the culture and relationship between Ondry and Liam. This collection gives us not just their first meeting from Liam's POV, but stories from the POV of Ondry and a Grandmother. Beautifully done, with their views both wonderfully alien and very accessible. My favorite human-alien romance story is made even more fun with these short works.

Although this is a prequel, it will mean the most if read after the first novel in the series IMO.

[Meep · Rating 4 out of 5]

This freebie is a great addition to the series, it gives different povs on Liam and Ondry meeting, showing it from the perspectives of Liam, Ondry and a Grandmother.

Doubt it'll make much sense if you've not read the first book.

I found it interesting seeing from the very different mindsets especially as it's between alien species - Human and Rownt. Shows how much thought has gone into building this verse and developing philosophies.

[* A Reader Obsessed * · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enlightening and sweet. This truly brought a smile to my face.

[nark · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute but i’m still having a hard time really liking this series that much

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prelude to 'Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts' was a wonderful free read put out by the author as a thank you to fans of this series. In spite of the fact that this is a prequel I have to admit that I think a better appreciation and understanding of the stories contained within would actually be achieved by reading 'Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts' first.

In these stories, as there really more more than one, we get to see the beginning of the relationship between the MCs and while much of the series is told to us through Liam's eyes with this collection we see more of how things happened through Ondry's eyes and a bit of the Rownt Grandmothers, who are essentially the leaders of the alien race that Liam interacts with.

'Prelude to Claimings, Tails and Othe Alien Artifacts' takes us back to the beginnings of what is a rather unusual romance and while there are no sexy times involved the insight that it gives to these characters and the beginning of their relationship make it more than worth reading.

[Eugenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook October 2019: 5 Stars!! These novellas are an extra treat at the end of the Claimings audiobook!! Like before, I loved the different POV’s in this incredible world Lyn Gala has built!!

Original ebook review June 2017:
Triple POVs that cover Liam and Ondry's first encounters (Liam), the first part of Claimings... (Ondry), and the Temple ceremony (Grandmother). I really liked reading this after reading Claimings since it brought in different perspectives. Had I read this first, I would have been a little confused. It's also a great refresher to read before launching into the second book in the series, as I hope to do soon!

[The Bursting Bookshelf of a Wallflower · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!

I fell in love with Ondry and Liam when I read the first installment in the series and before picking up the second, I decided to read the Prelude to Claimings, Tails and other Alien Artifacts in order to get a deeper understanding of the Rownt, their culture and the world they live in.

So when Liam received his transfer to the linguistic division as a tech assigned to facilitate trading, he’d expected to explore an alien race. He’d wanted adventure and maybe he had a few fantasies about making some grad discovery about these reptilian aliens.

And he did indeed discover an extraordinary alien race. The Rownt are intriguing and I love the fact that I am discovering something new about them on every page that I read. This prelude is offering great insights in the first time Ondry and Liam met, into the growing attraction between them and into Ondry’s headstrong decision to make Liam his palteia:

I really can’t wait to read more about this interesting couple!

[Drache.... (Angelika) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This prelude to "Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts" is included in the current ebook-version of "Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts" (book 1 of the Claimings series) so if you bought that one you don't need to buy this one, too.

It's a lovely addition to book 1 and better read after book 1, because these additional chapters are mostly told from Ondry's pov and show Ondry's perspective of some early events of book 1. There's also a short story told from Ondry's mother's pov and one chapter told from a grandmother's pov.

[FantasyLiving · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I read this because ONDRY and LIAM and grabby hands!

This was awesome because it filled in gaps from the original trilogy. It says Prelude, but I would still read it last. It has now prompted a complete re-read of the series for me. I've been at it all weekend so far. I should stop, because I have a pile of other books I should be reading, but it is just .So. Hard. To. Stop.

This couple, this world, this series is top 5 of anything I have picked up in the last 10 years. And since I can only remember a few stories from over 10 years ago, that's a decent standing if I do say so myself.

Thank you for this little teaser Lyn Gala. I have been missing Ondry, and Liam, and it was good to have an excuse to go back to the series.

[Claudie ☾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

UPDATE: Adding half a star, because I completely adore these two! 😍

I agree it makes much more sense after finishing book 1, but the spoilers aren’t really that severe, so it’s up to you if you read this before or after.

~~~

Oops! I didn't know I was supposed to read this after finishing book one, and now I’m stuck with spoilers! 🙈 Oh, well… That’s what I get for not checking the reviews beforehand.

4.5 stars.

[Lilia Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, humorous, touching set of stories that fill out a few key scenes in Ondry and Liam's story. I especially loved the competing versions of how they met and I actually got choked up in the final story from Ondry's Grandmother's perspective: Liam is just that vulnerable and for once it felt earned. Honestly, I could read a dozen more of these and it still wouldn't be enough.

Bottom line: if you like this series, you will love these.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Very engaging introduction to the series.

Edit: OK, I've read some other reviews and I definitely read this. This is split in 2 and included in part at the beginning of the audiobook, from Liam's perspective, and in part at the end from a couple Rownt perspectives.
_________
I'm pretty sure I read this, and it's included at the beginning of the audiobook on Audible.

The worldbuilding is solid, the linguistic aspects fascinating and the cultural differences are well-developed.

This also has the benefit of being surprisingly funny and it made me laugh out loud several times.

It sets the scene nicely for the series, I only wish there was more between this prelude, and the start of the first book which is set 5 years later.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re reading this series for the first time, this “prequel” is best enjoyed after reading the first book, Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artifacts.
Chronologically, this one comes first (apart from the last two scenes, which are at the beginning of the first book), but it’s really a collection of scenes and they would make little sense to readers who don’t already know Ondry, Liam and their story's beginning.

When I’m rereading this series, I like to read this prelude and the first book at the same time, starting with the first two shorts here, which are the same scene (Ondry and Liam’s first meeting) in Liam’s and Ondry’s POV, then go back and forth between this one and the first book until the scene at the temple.
I think the name “prequel” is a little inaccurate for this collection, as it’s a bit of prequel with also a missing scene (the scene at the temple in Hasha’s, the Grandmother, POV) and one scene already included in the main series (the one on the road after Liam and Ondry conclude their trade at the beginning of Claimings) but told here in Ondry’s POV.

I wouldn’t recommend doing this before starting the series for the first time, though. I think it'd spoil the first book, probably not so much in terms of plot but certainly it'd partially spoil the mystery that Ondry’s mind (and the Rownt’s in general) still is in the first book.

If you like Liam and Ondry, you’ll love this snippets. I loved reading how their first interactions went and what they thought of each other at the time and I adored Ondry’s POV, in particular seeing the scene at the beginning of Claimings from his eyes and getting to know how much Liam had misinterpreted at the time.

[M'rella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Multiple POVs! This is a treasure! :)

[Smutty Sully · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely satisfying short stories that pack a little emotional punch!

These are at the end of book 1. On Kobo+!

[Tully Vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: This free story is a prequel to the story of Ondry and Liam that details how they met. As such, it’s not a romance.

DESPITE the note above from the publisher, I did find this very romantic and sweet. No sex, yes, but there was budding feelings and loving care enough to make me swoon. The book includes the following stories, some of which have been published elsewhere (web) and some new. We get various POVs and all give extra depth and dimension to the beginning of an already awesome story.

Even though this is a prequel, I think it’s best read after having read book one of the series at least… although it was just as good for me having read the complete series already. I absolutely adored the addition insights into Liam and Ondry’s. The first and longest story in the anthology is aptly titled “The Beginning,” and it shows us their initial meeting! This one shows Liam as he was when he first arrived on the planet and began to learn about Rownt and trading. I adored the way the trading worked, and the details of it we are given fascinated me to the point I wanted more. Plus the words Liam used to describe Ondry phyiscally the first time he met him were quite enlightening. I won’t say more on that, but if you are as curious about Ondry’s appearance as I am, I highly suggest you read this now.

The next story, “First Sight,” we get cover the same time period and, indeed, some of the same events, but this time from Ondry’s POV. I found this perfect. Even though the same things were going on, seeing them from the other side gave the scenes so much more depth and understanding. Reading these back to back also made it very clear the difference in these two’s thinking, and in Rownts and humans. Explanations of why Ondry reacted as he did to what Liam said and did in the first story, as well as the difference in language between what Liam thought he was saying in Rownt to the way Ondry actually heard it. And nuances of both Ondry’s action and the reactions of those around them of which Liam was only vaguely aware. I loved this so much.

Story three, “Slow Attractions,” shows an integral event from book one which was written all from Liam’s POV now in Ondry’s POV. Again, the amount of additional depth and understanding this gives is phenomenal, and I loved it. Despite the note on the blurb, I felt like in this one we do see romance… not sex or even a touch, but the caring that Ondry displays touched my heart big time. Oh to have someone take note of feelings and moods and to just care that much. Perfect and a must read for fans of book one.

The final short is from a Grandmother’s POV and is titled “Headstrong.” Again this goes over events from the first book but from a different POV that adds depth. The title itself refers to how the grandmother thinks of Ondry, and we learn early on that this particular Grandmother really is Ondry’s genetic grandmother and gain insight into Ondry though knowing something of his mother’s personality which he has obviously inherited. This is short, but yet it let me see how the Grandmothers think of both themselves, their duty, and how they see humans. Her wisdom and caring came across quite clearly. And the whole scene was so very touching that it had me in tears. No romance? I beg to differ with that statement.

If you’ve read any of this series before, I cannot recommend this free anthology more. It adds so much depth, and I adored each and every story. FIVE STARS ACROSS THE BOARD.

OLD REVIEW: Love the addition insights into these two's beginnings. Some I'd read before elsewhere and some were new, but I read them all now and loved them. The words Liam used to describe Ondry the first time he met him were enlightening. The POV of both Ondry at the beginning and the Grandmother added additional dimension to the original stories. Thank you to the author for this excellent free companion story volume.

[Ula'ndi Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall book rating: 5 Short Stars
Audio Book: N/A
Book Cover: 4

I read this one after book 2. I LOVED IT! I don’t care how short it was I loved reading those little snippets from Ondry’s point of view! It was like chocolate to a four year old! I wanted to throw a temper tantrum when it ended I swear I devoured the book!

Okay I’m head over heels in love with a purple alien and his human palteia. How I got here I really don’t know because I avoided this series for some time due to the “not sexually compatible” thing in the blurb of book one. But Lyn Gala did something special with this series. She is my next sci-fi addiction! I wish she would do more of these little short stories in-between I love them.

[❀~Amy~❀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Liam and Ondry can only be a good thing (and it was totally awesome!!!). Love these two!

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the start to this series and can’t wait to start the next book! I loved the kick ass grandmothers too! 😚

[Lori¸¸¸.•*❀Ɍɛɑɗs̱LɪƙɛIʈs̱H̱ɛɍJɔɓ 유❤유 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting snippets from other POVs that enhanced the first book.

[Hill *Romance Newbie* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, what should I write? It's a prelude . I think that's enough description. *brain still incoherent, happens every time I read any of Claimings books*


You-have-no-idea moment :

"They both benefited from the trades, and maybe, if Liam was lucky, their relationship might turn into something pretty interesting."

LOL moment :

"The support staff had threated to murder anyone who brought more [bitter] berries back to base."

Swoon moment :

"He would fight Grandmothers or gods or humans to protect his Liam."

Note : I suggest reading this series according to publication date.

[Lila Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the perfect companion to the original series. When I read the first book, I liked it but didn't love it. The prelude gives the reader the chance to see those missing pieces and use their knowledge of the world to really enjoy the author's creation.

It's definitely better if read last.

[Lisazj1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love any look I get into Liam & Ondry's world. What this really did is make me want to turn right around and re-read the entire series. I really hope Lyn Gala's muse leads her to more for them one day *soon*. <3

[Relly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed these shorts.
Seeing the story from the first meeting and then the ones from Ondrys side