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Kai Gracen #0.5
Mad Lizard Bites
These take place prior to Black Dog Blues. I hope you enjoy it as well as the three short pieces I’ve done for this tour.
The first, "When Kai Fell in Love," is written a little bit after Dempsey took him in. He’s young in this section and while his Singlish isn’t great, he understands a lot of what he hears.
The second, "When Kai Discovers He Does Not Bounce," is when he’s about in his early teens(ish) and he’s on a disaster of a hunt with Dempsey. This is in four parts.
The third, "That Time Kai Rescued A Shoe," is a few months after Dempsey retired and he’s moved into his warehouse in San Diego.
The first, "When Kai Fell in Love," is written a little bit after Dempsey took him in. He’s young in this section and while his Singlish isn’t great, he understands a lot of what he hears.
The second, "When Kai Discovers He Does Not Bounce," is when he’s about in his early teens(ish) and he’s on a disaster of a hunt with Dempsey. This is in four parts.
The third, "That Time Kai Rescued A Shoe," is a few months after Dempsey retired and he’s moved into his warehouse in San Diego.
24 pages, ebook
First published August 25, 2016
1 person is currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Rhys Ford
79 books1,890 followersRhys Ford is an award-winning author with several long-running LGBT+ mystery, thriller, paranormal, and urban fantasy series and is a two-time LAMBDA finalist and a multiple Gold and Silver Medalist by the Florida Authors and Publishers President’s Book Awards. She is published by Dreamspinner Press, DSP Publications and Rogue Firebird Press.
She shares the house with Harley, a gray tuxedo with a flower on her face, Badger, a disgruntled former alley cat, and Gojira, a mercurial Tabico as well as a ginger cairn terrorist named Gus. Rhys is also enslaved to the upkeep of a 1979 Pontiac Firebird named Tengu and enjoys murdering make-believe people.
She shares the house with Harley, a gray tuxedo with a flower on her face, Badger, a disgruntled former alley cat, and Gojira, a mercurial Tabico as well as a ginger cairn terrorist named Gus. Rhys is also enslaved to the upkeep of a 1979 Pontiac Firebird named Tengu and enjoys murdering make-believe people.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 25, 2022
4 Stars
Upon reflection, the Kai Gracen series probably is my favorite of Ford’s, so it was nice looking back at snippets of Kai’s early years with Dempsey and how he was incorporated into the bounty hunting life. Still with action, suspense, plenty of monster gore with horror this was a nice reveal filling in some missing gaps!
Upon reflection, the Kai Gracen series probably is my favorite of Ford’s, so it was nice looking back at snippets of Kai’s early years with Dempsey and how he was incorporated into the bounty hunting life. Still with action, suspense, plenty of monster gore with horror this was a nice reveal filling in some missing gaps!
April 19, 2017
Odd little tidbits of Kai's life before we meet him properly in Black Dog Blues.
In the first one, Kai is little more than a growling, feral ball of skin and bones. Not able to speak or understand Singlish well yet, this tells the story of how Jonas gives him chocolate for the first time and gets a friend for life in Kai.
The second one is a snapshot of a slightly older Kai. On a hunt with Dempsey, he gets hurt and meets up with Sparky for the first time. This is the story of the iron bars and bolts Kai keeps on his coffee table.
And the last tells us how Kai met and fell in love with Newt.
There are delicious, wonderful little snippets. They fit in nicely with the established story (all these scenes were mentioned in passing in the main books) and serve to provide more pieces to the puzzle that is Kai Gracen.
Definitely recommend reading these after you've read Mad Lizard Mambo, they make more sense that way.
In the first one, Kai is little more than a growling, feral ball of skin and bones. Not able to speak or understand Singlish well yet, this tells the story of how Jonas gives him chocolate for the first time and gets a friend for life in Kai.
The second one is a snapshot of a slightly older Kai. On a hunt with Dempsey, he gets hurt and meets up with Sparky for the first time. This is the story of the iron bars and bolts Kai keeps on his coffee table.
And the last tells us how Kai met and fell in love with Newt.
There are delicious, wonderful little snippets. They fit in nicely with the established story (all these scenes were mentioned in passing in the main books) and serve to provide more pieces to the puzzle that is Kai Gracen.
Definitely recommend reading these after you've read Mad Lizard Mambo, they make more sense that way.
November 21, 2018
A nice bunch of shorts in the Kai Gracen series. Sometimes it can be hard to tell if you should read the #.5s before the #1s, and I don't recommend reading this before #1. In fact, you could read it after #2 (what I did) and still be good. There's no rush. It's just side info for fans of the series, not background information that one needs to know before starting the series. I think it's best to know the characters in the series before reading this book as opposed to starting this book not knowing anything.
May 18, 2018
Great little snippets into Kai's past.
October 30, 2020
Summary: Short stories set in the Kai Garcen Universe.
1. When Kai Fell in Love: 4 stars
Okay look I have a great need for more stories about tiny, feral Kai and Dempsey (of all people) being a civilising influence on him. A great need. It's a criminally short story but Kai's inner monologue is both hilarious and heartbreaking? The way he's immediately latched on to Dempsey and is watching very closely to make sure he's going to eb okay? Hnngh. I see flashes of older/less feral Kai's innate kindness in him, there despite all the shit he's gone through and it's so wonderful I could cry. I want a whole ass NOVEL about tiny feral Kai.
2. When Kai Discovers He Does Not Bounce: 3 stars
I'm a little mad that this collection of very short stories is giving me more of what I want from the Kai Gracen series (ie; character moments and key emotional highs) than the actual novels. I'm also mad that a scene as dramatic and affecting as Kai's surgery is a fade to black skim over. T_T this series has so much potential and idek why it focuses on action scenes and dead end romance.
3. That Time Kai Rescued A Shoe: 4 stars
Bounty hunter does a job and finds a cat. This was adorable, mostly because Kai takes one look at this ugly, bad-tempered kitten who bites him and falls in love. It makes sense, since he was basically Dempsey's bitey kitten and it's his love language.
Anyway, in addition to reminding me about how much I love this character, this story was short and funny and focused more on Kai and his cobbled-together life than on elaborate action scenes. More, please.
1. When Kai Fell in Love: 4 stars
Okay look I have a great need for more stories about tiny, feral Kai and Dempsey (of all people) being a civilising influence on him. A great need. It's a criminally short story but Kai's inner monologue is both hilarious and heartbreaking? The way he's immediately latched on to Dempsey and is watching very closely to make sure he's going to eb okay? Hnngh. I see flashes of older/less feral Kai's innate kindness in him, there despite all the shit he's gone through and it's so wonderful I could cry. I want a whole ass NOVEL about tiny feral Kai.
2. When Kai Discovers He Does Not Bounce: 3 stars
I'm a little mad that this collection of very short stories is giving me more of what I want from the Kai Gracen series (ie; character moments and key emotional highs) than the actual novels. I'm also mad that a scene as dramatic and affecting as Kai's surgery is a fade to black skim over. T_T this series has so much potential and idek why it focuses on action scenes and dead end romance.
3. That Time Kai Rescued A Shoe: 4 stars
Bounty hunter does a job and finds a cat. This was adorable, mostly because Kai takes one look at this ugly, bad-tempered kitten who bites him and falls in love. It makes sense, since he was basically Dempsey's bitey kitten and it's his love language.
Anyway, in addition to reminding me about how much I love this character, this story was short and funny and focused more on Kai and his cobbled-together life than on elaborate action scenes. More, please.
March 25, 2017
A series of short stories in the kai Gracen series, Mad Lizard Bits are free on Rhys Ford's website. There is only three stories in it, which is the only problem with it. They are short scenes of things that are mentioned in the two main books. Although short they're just as good good as the books.
February 8, 2018
These are 3 little tidbits from Kai's life before book 1. I quite enjoyed actually reading these scenes that you get to hear about in the series. (I have a fondness for Newt so that was a good one for me to read.)
June 11, 2021
So few people are able to write a non-human character and I feel like Ford nailed it. It is also remarkable how the author is able to put together something that makes you laugh one moment, and the next your heart is breaking for the main character.
May 12, 2017
I love Kai Gracen and these little pieces of his history were fun to read! Thanks for this little gift to your fans, Rhys!
July 12, 2017
Definitely want to read more about Kai Gracen, and hope there will be more books in this series.
August 2, 2019
A few short stories to introduce Kai and an amazing series!
Free on the author's website.
Free on the author's website.
August 6, 2019
Loved this. Love this series.
February 11, 2020
I love SciFi, so trying these series on a small scale was a no-brainer. And I got sucked in. It was a powerful short story that got me hooked and I wanted to know more.
May 26, 2020
Short but sweet. I love Kai and it is fun to see stories about him growing up and his first encounter with Newt.
September 27, 2022
I waited an read this last. It was interesting moments in Kai's life. It meant more waiting because reading it first probably would have meant less by not understanding those key moments.
February 19, 2023
This was a set of three stories that gave us more insight into Kai and how he grew and changed. It was fantastic. And it was free
February 14, 2024
Very cute! Not sure if the stories will make sense to anyone who hasn’t read Black Dog Blues, but I love the details added to events Kai mentioned briefly.
March 15, 2024
An entertaining thumbnail of Kai's early life.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews