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Taji from Beyond the Rings
The Interplanetary Trade Coalition has not been welcomed with open arms by the Sha Empire. Isolated at the far edge of a distant system, the Sha are distrustful of outsiders, and previous I.P.T.C. diplomatic missions have ended with members imprisoned or dead. But, if pushed enough, the I.P.T.C. will overrun the planet to take what it wants. The situation is already precarious when student linguist Taji Ameyo is conscripted to translate for the newest I.P.T.C. ambassador. Taji, used to being alone, has never learned to hide his heart or his opinions, and the controlled Sha nobility regard little, outspoken human Taji with fascination, calling him shehzha. Mysterious, coveted figures, so devoted to their lovers that pleasing them is a test of Shavian honor, shehzha are usually kept out of public view. Taji is a nobody, hardly alluring, and yet it’s not long before his runaway mouth gets him entangled in imperial politics, and he has no one rely on but the soldiers assigned to protect him—one soldier, more than the others. At the mercy of both a greedy trade coalition and a proud empire, Taji has to determine what it means to be shehzha, while surrounded by ambitious noble families and a sharp-eyed emperor, and hopefully learn enough about the Sha to keep him and everyone he cares about alive. A queer sci-fi romance
476 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 26, 2019
86 people are currently reading
677 people want to read
About the author
R. Cooper
81 books1,003 followersI'm R. Cooper, a somewhat absentminded, often distracted, writer of queer romance. I'm probably most known for the Being(s) in Love series and The Suitable 'Verse stories. Also the occasional story about witches or firefighters in love.
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You can visit my website for updates or sign up for my newsletter . My newsletter is free! And comes out once a month or once every two months or so.
Otherwise... have some social media links if you want updates and whatever the hell else I am talking about.
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BlueSky
**With Meta's current policies, I do not use FB or Insta or Threads for anything but the bare minimum.**
Instagram and Threads
You can also support me on Patreon if you like
If you just want book release updates, I have a BookBub profile.
Also, I now have a Storygraph where I will try to track my reading in an organized fashion.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
December 9, 2019
I already love R Cooper and this is (I think) their first foray into sci-fi. It's really touching and complex. Essentially it is a human planetfall story, which is to say the human is the fish out of water on an alien planet with a complex political system. As one might expect from Cooper, there is a lot of romantic pining, a few deftly handled sex scenes, and some very interesting complexities around sexual representation and gender fluidity that will appeal to fans of my book The 5th Gender.
July 15, 2020
Recommended for fans of anthropological science-fiction, especially in the area of translation and cultural miscommunication.
Good character development. I liked the central relationship, although I was frustrated by the continuing failure to communicate (that's a Cooper hallmark, though, so I wasn't surprised).
I have to say I was fundamentally uncomfortable with the idea of the shehzha and how they become gradually unable to think clearly or function. I can't understand how someone whose career was all intellectual would be okay with this, nor did I really get why they author made this choice.
Anyway, a lot of things I really liked, but also a number that bugged me. I may need to read this a second time, but not soon (because it was long, and I have many other books waiting).
Here are some alternate sci-fi recs, according to themes that may attract you to this book:
-You're interested in translation and unspoken verbal cues but could do without the romance and political posturing? Hellspark
-You appreciate different ideas about how sex, sexual preference, and gender are expressed, but don't need to read about people actually having sex? Ancillary Justice
-You enjoy political and diplomatic machinations but like them carried out more effectively? Try Bujold's Barrayar series.
-You like romance between characters who come from different cultures but must fight a common enemy? Dark Space
Good character development. I liked the central relationship, although I was frustrated by the continuing failure to communicate (that's a Cooper hallmark, though, so I wasn't surprised).
I have to say I was fundamentally uncomfortable with the idea of the shehzha and how they become gradually unable to think clearly or function. I can't understand how someone whose career was all intellectual would be okay with this, nor did I really get why they author made this choice.
Anyway, a lot of things I really liked, but also a number that bugged me. I may need to read this a second time, but not soon (because it was long, and I have many other books waiting).
Here are some alternate sci-fi recs, according to themes that may attract you to this book:
-You're interested in translation and unspoken verbal cues but could do without the romance and political posturing? Hellspark
-You appreciate different ideas about how sex, sexual preference, and gender are expressed, but don't need to read about people actually having sex? Ancillary Justice
-You enjoy political and diplomatic machinations but like them carried out more effectively? Try Bujold's Barrayar series.
-You like romance between characters who come from different cultures but must fight a common enemy? Dark Space
November 27, 2019
Epic
This has become my favorite Cooper book. Full of pining, tension, in depth world building, fantastic characters and so much emotional edging! I am deeply appreciative of the book's length and unhurried plot. Taji and Trenne are a sweeping romance of epic proportions.
This has become my favorite Cooper book. Full of pining, tension, in depth world building, fantastic characters and so much emotional edging! I am deeply appreciative of the book's length and unhurried plot. Taji and Trenne are a sweeping romance of epic proportions.
February 16, 2021
Thank you SO much to my 2019 Secret Santa for gifting this to me!!
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I'm still not totally sure how I felt about this book. I generally love R. Cooper, though I think this is their first foray into Sci-Fi, and there were a lot of interesting parts, but overall, it didn't really work for me. It's suuuuuuper long, and that might not have been such a bad thing, but I didn't necessarily feel the length was being used to its greatest effect. One of my biggest issues with sci-fi is being made to feel like an idiot because the worldbuilding is so confusing and not very well conveyed, and I did think the book suffered here, as there were a lot of things that were not adequately conveyed. I also found the manner of conveying information through Taji's super long rambles to be tiresome. Part of this is no-doubt influenced by the culture of the aliens that were the primary focus of this book, which prevented anybody from being frank and actually giving us or Taji the information we needed, but the end result was (for me) that I never felt super confident in the culture or what the fuck was happening, and that was frustrating and influenced the way I viewed the rest of the book. I didn't dislike it, but I was left overall with a feeling of slight disappointment.
Everybody else seemed to love it, though, and have no issues with the worldbuilding or length, so clearly I'm the odd one out!
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I'm still not totally sure how I felt about this book. I generally love R. Cooper, though I think this is their first foray into Sci-Fi, and there were a lot of interesting parts, but overall, it didn't really work for me. It's suuuuuuper long, and that might not have been such a bad thing, but I didn't necessarily feel the length was being used to its greatest effect. One of my biggest issues with sci-fi is being made to feel like an idiot because the worldbuilding is so confusing and not very well conveyed, and I did think the book suffered here, as there were a lot of things that were not adequately conveyed. I also found the manner of conveying information through Taji's super long rambles to be tiresome. Part of this is no-doubt influenced by the culture of the aliens that were the primary focus of this book, which prevented anybody from being frank and actually giving us or Taji the information we needed, but the end result was (for me) that I never felt super confident in the culture or what the fuck was happening, and that was frustrating and influenced the way I viewed the rest of the book. I didn't dislike it, but I was left overall with a feeling of slight disappointment.
Everybody else seemed to love it, though, and have no issues with the worldbuilding or length, so clearly I'm the odd one out!
January 16, 2020
I've been reading in the M/M genre since the beginning. I mean, the way beginning, when there were very few titles and they were free, online, and called "Original Slash". And in that time I've read hundreds of titles. And I can't think of a more frustrating book I've ever read.
This had everything to make it an excellent read. It was imaginative, intelligent, thought-provoking, with characters who were engaging and real and necessary. The world was well-developed, and I don't mean just the world of the Sha, but the entire setting the story was set in: IPTC, Taji's planet, the mining moons. This had all the ingredients of being a book to love and re-read over and over again.
However, for a book starring a translator, this story was incredibly hard to follow. First, let me say that this story broke one of those rules of writing that are easily broken and often broken. But this story is an example as to why it was a rule in the first place: Do not name important characters with the same first letter. We don't read each letter. Once we identify that T stands for Person A, we're good. Now, when we're talking about a Robert and a Ron, It's not a big deal, but in stories that are dealing with unfamiliar names, we lean on those first letters to help us navigate. Having a Taji and a Trenne and then a Talfa, all of them fairly involved in the story, made this a tough read. There were many times I had to reread paragraphs because I swapped who was supposed to be talking or doing something. And with Taji and Trenne being the big stars, it meant a lot of rereading.
Second, Taji indicates that the Sha use their ears emotively. And in some instances as a language. He equates them to cat ears in a sort of way. In that moment, by mentioning cat ears, he's given the reader something of a Rosetta Stone when he would describe ear movement. Except that in some instances the ears didn't seem to equal what we would expect from cat ears. I can only imagine a reader who has no experience with cat ears at all. And, unfortunately, Taji rarely explains what the ear movements mean.
In fact, for being a translator, Taji doesn't clue the reader in a whole lot on what is being said. He spends a lot of time reacting to undercurrents and ear movements and silences that he clearly understands, but I, the reader, was lost. I read the book constantly asking, "What? What are you terrified/angry/upset/excited about?" It took a few paragraphs or pages later to kind of grasp what had happened, but sometimes, not really.
I read this book in a frustration similar to someone who only has an intermediate level of the language it was written in. I was lost so much of the time. And yet, I kept reading. There was just enough there that I wanted to know more. I just really wish I could have finished the story with satisfaction, rather a feeling of struggling really hard without the right tools.
If this ever gets a revision, utilizing an editor or beta reader who will call out when the author is writing to the person in their head rather than an audience who isn't, I'd be very happy to re-read it. Otherwise, this is going down as a marathon that was too hard to every try again.
This had everything to make it an excellent read. It was imaginative, intelligent, thought-provoking, with characters who were engaging and real and necessary. The world was well-developed, and I don't mean just the world of the Sha, but the entire setting the story was set in: IPTC, Taji's planet, the mining moons. This had all the ingredients of being a book to love and re-read over and over again.
However, for a book starring a translator, this story was incredibly hard to follow. First, let me say that this story broke one of those rules of writing that are easily broken and often broken. But this story is an example as to why it was a rule in the first place: Do not name important characters with the same first letter. We don't read each letter. Once we identify that T stands for Person A, we're good. Now, when we're talking about a Robert and a Ron, It's not a big deal, but in stories that are dealing with unfamiliar names, we lean on those first letters to help us navigate. Having a Taji and a Trenne and then a Talfa, all of them fairly involved in the story, made this a tough read. There were many times I had to reread paragraphs because I swapped who was supposed to be talking or doing something. And with Taji and Trenne being the big stars, it meant a lot of rereading.
Second, Taji indicates that the Sha use their ears emotively. And in some instances as a language. He equates them to cat ears in a sort of way. In that moment, by mentioning cat ears, he's given the reader something of a Rosetta Stone when he would describe ear movement. Except that in some instances the ears didn't seem to equal what we would expect from cat ears. I can only imagine a reader who has no experience with cat ears at all. And, unfortunately, Taji rarely explains what the ear movements mean.
In fact, for being a translator, Taji doesn't clue the reader in a whole lot on what is being said. He spends a lot of time reacting to undercurrents and ear movements and silences that he clearly understands, but I, the reader, was lost. I read the book constantly asking, "What? What are you terrified/angry/upset/excited about?" It took a few paragraphs or pages later to kind of grasp what had happened, but sometimes, not really.
I read this book in a frustration similar to someone who only has an intermediate level of the language it was written in. I was lost so much of the time. And yet, I kept reading. There was just enough there that I wanted to know more. I just really wish I could have finished the story with satisfaction, rather a feeling of struggling really hard without the right tools.
If this ever gets a revision, utilizing an editor or beta reader who will call out when the author is writing to the person in their head rather than an audience who isn't, I'd be very happy to re-read it. Otherwise, this is going down as a marathon that was too hard to every try again.
December 9, 2019
Rating: 4 stars
I find this book very hard to rate. It was extremely long and though I usually complain about too little world building, this suffered from too much. It was also full of convoluted political intrigue and though the author did a good job of letting us the reader feel Taji’s frustration and confusion dealing with a new and strange culture, it made for a bit of difficult reading. I think my biggest complaint for the book was the difference between Taji at the start of the book and Taji at the end. I did not like that Taji ended up mindless and sex-craved to the point that he couldn’t function without Trenne even though the effect was supposedly temporary. I do like that Taji had strong feelings for Trenne before that happened, so it cut down the ick factor quite a bit. Overall, I liked the book. I can see why it is getting so many great reviews. I just don’t think it was perfect.
I find this book very hard to rate. It was extremely long and though I usually complain about too little world building, this suffered from too much. It was also full of convoluted political intrigue and though the author did a good job of letting us the reader feel Taji’s frustration and confusion dealing with a new and strange culture, it made for a bit of difficult reading. I think my biggest complaint for the book was the difference between Taji at the start of the book and Taji at the end. I did not like that Taji ended up mindless and sex-craved to the point that he couldn’t function without Trenne even though the effect was supposedly temporary. I do like that Taji had strong feelings for Trenne before that happened, so it cut down the ick factor quite a bit. Overall, I liked the book. I can see why it is getting so many great reviews. I just don’t think it was perfect.
March 1, 2021
Last week was a "let's read long stuff" week in my journal and this one was my last try, I hope...
Taji and the rings is a sci-fi story about a human translator that is in charge of giving more info than the machines of the 'Asha language, meaning he has to learn about the culture, the nuances of the speech and the body language to form an accurate description of 'Asha's people. He is called to be in a team formed by an ambassador and a special protection unit that has a mix of aliens and humans.
It was a great idea and I enjoyed 70% of it but, there is always a BUT and I'll explain.
What I did like:
1. The characters were charming and very well defined, they had a funny personality and made an awesome team.
2. Learning about a new world through Taji's eyes, how he tries to find information, how he tries to get the little details was fun. Until it wasn't but I'll explain that later
3. I liked the dynamics, the banter and the chemistry of the main characters grrr. 😏😉
What I didn't like, that can be found from 70% or so:
1. I didn't like how the author transformed Taji into a shehzha, I don't disagree that he is one I just felt that it was exaggerated. It was too much and made me uncomfortable how he became a no filter dude who said everything he thought and got everyone in trouble. It can happen and he's a shehzha but he is also in a diplomatic team, he should know when to shut up but he didn't. It felt OTT.
2. The language was hard for Taji to understand, he didn't have all the information so everything was done by analyzing what he sees and experiences. Trenne and the other girl are 'Asha but they don't explain or help him, so we are still getting answers at 98% of the book that we questioned at 10% of the book. It was confusing for that and sometimes the conversations were hard for me to grasp, English it's not my first language but I dunno if that had to do with it.
3. The machinations of the politics trope was not well done, of course it has to do with the fact that 90% of the time we don't understand what is going on because of the language, so it was just confusing.
4. The worldbuilding was too much sometimes, normally and author uses the first chapters to explain a new place but the worldbuilding didn't stop and the explanations were long as fuck! I lost half of the info by being distracted. 😪😪
I did like it enough to finish it and if the author does a book of Talsha and Nadir I will read it, besides I understand stuff now so it should be better. This one was charming but confusing as hell, hence the rating. ❤🥰
Taji and the rings is a sci-fi story about a human translator that is in charge of giving more info than the machines of the 'Asha language, meaning he has to learn about the culture, the nuances of the speech and the body language to form an accurate description of 'Asha's people. He is called to be in a team formed by an ambassador and a special protection unit that has a mix of aliens and humans.
It was a great idea and I enjoyed 70% of it but, there is always a BUT and I'll explain.
What I did like:
1. The characters were charming and very well defined, they had a funny personality and made an awesome team.
2. Learning about a new world through Taji's eyes, how he tries to find information, how he tries to get the little details was fun. Until it wasn't but I'll explain that later
3. I liked the dynamics, the banter and the chemistry of the main characters grrr. 😏😉
What I didn't like, that can be found from 70% or so:
1. I didn't like how the author transformed Taji into a shehzha, I don't disagree that he is one I just felt that it was exaggerated. It was too much and made me uncomfortable how he became a no filter dude who said everything he thought and got everyone in trouble. It can happen and he's a shehzha but he is also in a diplomatic team, he should know when to shut up but he didn't. It felt OTT.
2. The language was hard for Taji to understand, he didn't have all the information so everything was done by analyzing what he sees and experiences. Trenne and the other girl are 'Asha but they don't explain or help him, so we are still getting answers at 98% of the book that we questioned at 10% of the book. It was confusing for that and sometimes the conversations were hard for me to grasp, English it's not my first language but I dunno if that had to do with it.
3. The machinations of the politics trope was not well done, of course it has to do with the fact that 90% of the time we don't understand what is going on because of the language, so it was just confusing.
4. The worldbuilding was too much sometimes, normally and author uses the first chapters to explain a new place but the worldbuilding didn't stop and the explanations were long as fuck! I lost half of the info by being distracted. 😪😪
I did like it enough to finish it and if the author does a book of Talsha and Nadir I will read it, besides I understand stuff now so it should be better. This one was charming but confusing as hell, hence the rating. ❤🥰
February 8, 2020
Uh, no. I mean, it was well written and had plot as well as a believable romance, but it suffers from an excess of worldbuilding (never thought I'd say that), and it isn't made better by being mainly told in Taji's ramblings. And seriously, that guy doesn't shut up. I know it's his thing, but really, constantly putting your foot in your mouth isn't something that defines you, an unchangeable character trait, and I don't think it's too much to ask of an intelligent person to every now and then think before speaking. Then there's all the sex at inappropriate times. It kind of makes sense here but I still don't like it. And with all the explanation, I still don't get what being a shezah actually means.
January 13, 2020
This is fantastic. Read it! Read it! Read it!
Okay, a more detailed review: I always enjoy R.Cooper's books, because they often do a thing I really like: show MCs from different cultures (species, whatever) who don't really understand each other, have to work out their communication problems. I love that. But occasionally I have felt that they were a bit rushed in the worldbuilding department. (Maybe the author had the worldbuilding all worked out, but it didn't always make it onto the page, I don't know.)
But this one! Fish out of water translator on an alien planet, trying earnestly to figure out the culture that he's in - a quest that grows more and more urgent as he finds himself in a dangerous situation. And he's in love with someone he doesn't understand, and there's communication problems and lots of great sex. It's terrific. Very detailed worldbuilding, great romance, humor, suspense, tenderness ... It's fantastic. Everything Cooper has always done well, but better than ever before. I love it!
Okay, a more detailed review: I always enjoy R.Cooper's books, because they often do a thing I really like: show MCs from different cultures (species, whatever) who don't really understand each other, have to work out their communication problems. I love that. But occasionally I have felt that they were a bit rushed in the worldbuilding department. (Maybe the author had the worldbuilding all worked out, but it didn't always make it onto the page, I don't know.)
But this one! Fish out of water translator on an alien planet, trying earnestly to figure out the culture that he's in - a quest that grows more and more urgent as he finds himself in a dangerous situation. And he's in love with someone he doesn't understand, and there's communication problems and lots of great sex. It's terrific. Very detailed worldbuilding, great romance, humor, suspense, tenderness ... It's fantastic. Everything Cooper has always done well, but better than ever before. I love it!
January 25, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed the intrigue in this sci-fi. It wasn't a fast journey, by any means, as the world-building was deep and often had me re-reading a paragraph to get a better image of the language or the atmosphere. I am particularly grateful that Taji was talkative! But at the end of the day, this created a vivid culture with a complicated set of characters, and I'd love to still read more on this planet!
April 20, 2020
Overall: Initially EXTREMELY excited for this book, but ended up stopping ~70% because of style and main character.
Background: I am a huge fan of R. Cooper's work and have loved most everything they've written to date. I cannot get enough of the longing/pining/careful wooing and devotion in their romance stories. I also am entranced by the settings and worlds (especially in the Beings in Love series).
What I Love About This Book:
• SCI-FI YAAAAS
• Love the way R. Cooper detailed non-verbal cues of the Sha people as language and represented how important and crucial behaviours are in communication
• LOVE TRENNE <3 I have a thing for strong, silent, and honourable (!!AND HE'S IN UNIFORM!!!WITH EARS!!)
• R. Cooper demonstrates in many beautiful ways that Taji is a linguist, a researcher, he lives and breathes words and language. His passion for the intricacies of communication and connotation can only be portrayed by someone who shares that passion.
• Thank you for revealing so many different genders and expressions in Sha culture. Not only does this increase visibility and understanding in our own society, but I feel these types of touches are what make R. Cooper's worlds real. Culture is messy and contradictory and constantly evolving. Building in numerous complex manners that individuals express themselves (whether by clothing or language or via interests etc.) makes the Sha more real.
What I Do Not Love About This Book:
• I do not like manner in which plot points are revealed and how the reader becomes aware of the meanings of words/situations/behaviours/etc. Basically, we don't understand what people are trying to say or convey until Taji does. I understand this gives the reader the feeling of being in a foreign place with new culture/language/etc. HOWEVER, I feel that it was overdone and didn't allow a smooth reading experience because I felt like I was always playing catch-up. Eventually I was not surprised or excited by Taji's 'revelations,' just annoyed and impatient.
• Taji. *sigh* I wanted to love another adorable, fumbling, too-smart-for-their-own-good protagonist. He just talks. And talks.
Another reviewer mentioned that this can't count as a personality and I wholeheartedly agree. I see how words are part of Taji's passion for language, and I see the connection between his position in Sha society and his lack of impulse control. But again it's just too much. I felt when reading that Taji's constant outbursts and thinking out loud take away from the other characters and Taji steals the show but not in a good way. All the Sha gatherings in the middle and latter part of the book (before I stopped) featured Taji talking to groups of nobles and it's like he and one or two other people are the only ones who say anything. Even though Taji is shehzha, I felt there should be more to the gatherings than hearing Taji talk and reveal to the reader insights he is just figuring out himself.
Sadly, while there are so many lovely features of this book, the two biggest things I did not like about this book prevented me from finishing it. I remain a hardcore R. Cooper fan and am super excited for more sci-fi from them and more Beings!
Background: I am a huge fan of R. Cooper's work and have loved most everything they've written to date. I cannot get enough of the longing/pining/careful wooing and devotion in their romance stories. I also am entranced by the settings and worlds (especially in the Beings in Love series).
What I Love About This Book:
• SCI-FI YAAAAS
• Love the way R. Cooper detailed non-verbal cues of the Sha people as language and represented how important and crucial behaviours are in communication
• LOVE TRENNE <3 I have a thing for strong, silent, and honourable (!!AND HE'S IN UNIFORM!!!WITH EARS!!)
• R. Cooper demonstrates in many beautiful ways that Taji is a linguist, a researcher, he lives and breathes words and language. His passion for the intricacies of communication and connotation can only be portrayed by someone who shares that passion.
• Thank you for revealing so many different genders and expressions in Sha culture. Not only does this increase visibility and understanding in our own society, but I feel these types of touches are what make R. Cooper's worlds real. Culture is messy and contradictory and constantly evolving. Building in numerous complex manners that individuals express themselves (whether by clothing or language or via interests etc.) makes the Sha more real.
What I Do Not Love About This Book:
• I do not like manner in which plot points are revealed and how the reader becomes aware of the meanings of words/situations/behaviours/etc. Basically, we don't understand what people are trying to say or convey until Taji does. I understand this gives the reader the feeling of being in a foreign place with new culture/language/etc. HOWEVER, I feel that it was overdone and didn't allow a smooth reading experience because I felt like I was always playing catch-up. Eventually I was not surprised or excited by Taji's 'revelations,' just annoyed and impatient.
• Taji. *sigh* I wanted to love another adorable, fumbling, too-smart-for-their-own-good protagonist. He just talks. And talks.
Another reviewer mentioned that this can't count as a personality and I wholeheartedly agree. I see how words are part of Taji's passion for language, and I see the connection between his position in Sha society and his lack of impulse control. But again it's just too much. I felt when reading that Taji's constant outbursts and thinking out loud take away from the other characters and Taji steals the show but not in a good way. All the Sha gatherings in the middle and latter part of the book (before I stopped) featured Taji talking to groups of nobles and it's like he and one or two other people are the only ones who say anything. Even though Taji is shehzha, I felt there should be more to the gatherings than hearing Taji talk and reveal to the reader insights he is just figuring out himself.
Sadly, while there are so many lovely features of this book, the two biggest things I did not like about this book prevented me from finishing it. I remain a hardcore R. Cooper fan and am super excited for more sci-fi from them and more Beings!
October 27, 2020
This book was so subtle but also so very involved and I am truly disappointed in myself that I got distracted by a shiny new book and then a bunch more after that before I got back to this one and it's just not the kind of book you do that with and remember all of the nuances. It's deeply political but with the added addition of a relatively new planet, species/race, and culture it made it much more intriguing to me. And I loved this book but I can honestly see how it wouldn't be a lot of people's cup of tea because it discusses linguistics a great deal and Taji, a human MC, was great at figuring meanings out after a time but it was like trying to thread a needle while walking through a landmine with this culture. No one ever came out and directly said what something meant, it just wasn't done, but he was very enthusiastic and verbal and these people were sort of fascinated and shocked by him at the same time. It came to like a light that his type of behavior was considered "wild" for lack of a better word since their society prided themselves on being reserved so as not to show weakness, I guess. The "wild ones" were called shezah (sp.?) and were revered and pursued and supposedly treated with honor (which is up for debate) but needed to be kept from the public at least for a while. It's SOOOO hard to explain and I was really amazed at how the author was able to put all of this together.
Taji was a fantastic character! He was an interpreter on a newer planet that he still didn't know all of the language to but he was so passionate about it. It's funny that he thought he was not really worth much because although he worked for the ambassador (though they both worked for the big space military) everyone was more focused on him and he just couldn't understand why. Since no really just came out and said anything plainly, he basically had to figure most of it out on his own (when he wasn't being used as a political pawn) and once again, he was clueless about his worth.
Taji had basically fallen in love with the commander of the soldiers sent to protect the ambassador from almost his first meeting but Trenne was from the same planet as the others and he wasn't really the same (different race, maybe) but he still had the same mannerisms. Poor Taji was just a mess of frustration and trying not to do or say something to create an interplanetary incident.
Obviously, I could keep going on because it was nice to read about linguistics again because I went in the Air Force in the 90s to become a cryptologic linguist. The language part was fascinating for me but the rest wasn't great. I may not care much for politics in books but it really worked for me here.
Plus, I also just really liked Taji...
Taji was a fantastic character! He was an interpreter on a newer planet that he still didn't know all of the language to but he was so passionate about it. It's funny that he thought he was not really worth much because although he worked for the ambassador (though they both worked for the big space military) everyone was more focused on him and he just couldn't understand why. Since no really just came out and said anything plainly, he basically had to figure most of it out on his own (when he wasn't being used as a political pawn) and once again, he was clueless about his worth.
Taji had basically fallen in love with the commander of the soldiers sent to protect the ambassador from almost his first meeting but Trenne was from the same planet as the others and he wasn't really the same (different race, maybe) but he still had the same mannerisms. Poor Taji was just a mess of frustration and trying not to do or say something to create an interplanetary incident.
Obviously, I could keep going on because it was nice to read about linguistics again because I went in the Air Force in the 90s to become a cryptologic linguist. The language part was fascinating for me but the rest wasn't great. I may not care much for politics in books but it really worked for me here.
Plus, I also just really liked Taji...
September 22, 2020
So first of all I did really enjoy this book and kept wanting to read to find out what was going to happen next, but also to figure out just what in the hell was going on in the first place. This was a case where the author might have taken the element of a "fish out of water" main character a step too far in regards to how that confusion plays out with the reader. Taji is a linguist and as such is working as the translator and cultural guide to the ambassador for the I.P.T.C. to the Sha. But because he really has no clue about the world he's working in and is trying to figure it out has he goes a long, we as an audience are left just as confused for the majority of the book. There were times where a little more clarity would have really helped the reading of the book.
That being said, I did really enjoy the characters and the political intrigue of this story. Taji and Trenne were a fun couple to spend some time with. I liked how things developed between them and the cultural misunderstanding that results in the opportunity for Taji to get a chance with Trenne in the first place. I think the thing that bothered me the most though was that even if Trenne wasn't exactly Sha, he still understood and knew a heck of a lot more than Taji did about things and the language and yet doesn't ever just sit down and try to give him pointers or explain things. He just lets Taji bumble around until he runs into trouble. Sure it set up the plot to work at various times, but just didn't make logical sense since Trenne wasn't forced to be working for the ambassador as a reluctant security. He made the choice to leave for the I.P.T.C and has been with them for awhile fighting in different battles around the galaxies. So why he doesn't pull Taji aside, even in the beginning and work with him to give him a better understanding of the dynamics at play never really made sense to me. He may not have understood everything being from the caste he was, but he certainly got more of what was going on and why people were fighting over Taji than Taji did.
I really enjoyed this story though and was definitely drawn in trying to figure out all of the political and social ramifications of what was going on. There were some really quality elements of world building here and a few things that got muddled a bit because as I said I felt like things tried to too hard to keep you as the reader as confused as Taji was by the world the was forced to navigate. It felt too often like people just let him bumble when they could have explained just so Taji could have an ah ha! moment.
That being said, I did really enjoy the characters and the political intrigue of this story. Taji and Trenne were a fun couple to spend some time with. I liked how things developed between them and the cultural misunderstanding that results in the opportunity for Taji to get a chance with Trenne in the first place. I think the thing that bothered me the most though was that even if Trenne wasn't exactly Sha, he still understood and knew a heck of a lot more than Taji did about things and the language and yet doesn't ever just sit down and try to give him pointers or explain things. He just lets Taji bumble around until he runs into trouble. Sure it set up the plot to work at various times, but just didn't make logical sense since Trenne wasn't forced to be working for the ambassador as a reluctant security. He made the choice to leave for the I.P.T.C and has been with them for awhile fighting in different battles around the galaxies. So why he doesn't pull Taji aside, even in the beginning and work with him to give him a better understanding of the dynamics at play never really made sense to me. He may not have understood everything being from the caste he was, but he certainly got more of what was going on and why people were fighting over Taji than Taji did.
I really enjoyed this story though and was definitely drawn in trying to figure out all of the political and social ramifications of what was going on. There were some really quality elements of world building here and a few things that got muddled a bit because as I said I felt like things tried to too hard to keep you as the reader as confused as Taji was by the world the was forced to navigate. It felt too often like people just let him bumble when they could have explained just so Taji could have an ah ha! moment.
December 29, 2019
Vague spoilers but no major plot points below.
A gorgeously written sci-fi romance that takes all the cheap tropes and weaves magic with them, and manages to be real sci-fi and real romance at the same time. I have read very few sci-fi romances that manage to be sci-fi enough to be worth it, and very few sci-fi stories that are so unapologetically romantic as this, and so wonderfully well written, at that. This is what I have been waiting and wishing for. Well done, Ms. Cooper!
Here we have proper world-building, and a truly alien race with layers of culture and language, and an intricate and complex variety of genders that may or may not be correlated to the actual genitals. A lot of these things are revealed to us as they are revealed to our protagonist Taji Ameyo, a young human linguist who struggles with his loneliness, his barely functional leg prosthesis, the severely lacking language resources left behind by previous translators, and with his embarrassing attraction to Trenne, the commanding officer of the Embassy Guard, who is an alien not only to Taji but also in a sense to the people on his own planet. Taji has been thrown into the role of aide to the I.P.T.C. ambassador on the planet Mirsa, a job he has not been trained for. He is a poor nobody, unimportant to the Interplanetary Trade Coalition except for what little use they might make of him, and he just wants to work on the language in peace and perhaps possibly get laid a little. None of those things will work out the way he thinks they will.
Taji is teasingly referred to as 'Mouth' by the embassy guard (mixed humans and non-humans), which is a multilayered joke, because he has no filter. He speaks his thoughts aloud whether people listen or not (he is used to being ignored), and it's through his meandering, processing soliloquies that we are told about the Mirsans, and the dominant culture on the planet, and the strange role he finds himself in. The Mirsans seem to universally recognise something in him that he at first is baffled by, but very quickly comes to accept about himself -- perhaps a bit too quickly and easily, in my opinion, but Taji clearly has no problem with thinking about himself as submissive. He is shezha, which is something akin to the omegaverse Omega, complete with a version of the Omega heat, but let me tell you straight off that this is handled in a vastly more interesting and plausible way (and less tropey) than most A/O-alien-romance-stories I have come across before, and it's also vastly better written. This book is in a league of its own.
The title refers to the fact that Mirsa is a stone planet with rings, which for some reason is not something we've seen much in sci-fi, and I love that. It's just a detail, but it lends a definite alien feel. That said, not much else is said about the planet (rotations, size, climate, seasonal shifts, etc.), but this is also not the kind of hard sci-fi that gets preoccupied with scientific details. It's "soft" sci-fi more in the vein of Le Guin -- exploring culture, language and politics, and how personal change and relationships interact with them, and how otherwise insignificant people may find themselves, through a perfect storm of chance, to be the pebble that changes the water's course, the stone that jolts the carriage.
Ah, the politics. The Sha, the dominant culture on Mirsa, have a rigid, conservative, hierarchical and insular society, that does not deal well with the arrival of the I.P.T.C., a vast interstellar trade coalition that looms in the background of the whole story. The Shavian empire cares only about its cultural hegemony. The I.P.T.C. cares about trade and profit; it doesn't care about individuals or politics, unless the politics turn out to be a hindrance to their expansion and influence; it's just as imperialistic, but in a different way. Both Taji and Trenne have joined them because they were the only ticket out of poverty and oppression, respectively, and have received training and education in exchange for years of service. The I.P.T.C. isn't good -- it's an amoral behemoth, and they both know that they are expendable, and that the coalition doesn't really care about what happens to the Sha. The ambassador and his tiny retinue are there as a courtesy, a first foray, and if they fail to establish any kind of agreement, the I.P.T.C. will move in anyway, by force if necessary, something that the Shavian rulers can't or won't realise. It's imperialistic and unstoppable, but to the Sha it's vague and distant, both threatening and beneath their notice, and to Taji and his household it's enough to put them on the spot, but not enough to protect them.
Another thing I loved about this book is the effortless representation. Taji is a human, not from Earth, but obviously of African heritage (which is apparent on the cover). He is also gay and disabled. Only one of those things is an issue for him, and mostly because his prosthesis is cheap and dysfunctional, and causes him pain and lack of mobility. His skin colour is unimportant; what matters is that he is a human off-worlder. His sexuality and gender are of vastly less importance to the genderfluid Shavians than the fact that he is shezha. He is also a geek and very smart, but not necessarily very clever. He is in the minority here, but not an oppressed minority -- that would in fact be Trenne. At least one person in their multi-species retinue is transgender, but it's only revealed in passing.
Taji is an unconventional hero, but a very relatable one. He is not the typical cishet white macho man, but neither is Trenne, his "alpha" love interest, not quite. Trenne is a lot more macho, being a skilled soldier, but he treats Taji with infinite tenderness and respect and honour, providing him with a very important standard for the dynamic. It's pretty obvious to the reader (if not to Taji) that Trenne adores him as much as he adores Trenne. Both of them think a lot more highly of the other than of themselves. When Taji's shezha nature is brought to everyone's attention (including his own), he and Trenne are encouraged by the ambassador to pretend to have the shezha-eshe relationship everyone already believes them to have, but of course it's not really fake for them, and the act of pretending makes it real. There are some lovely cross-species sex scenes. There is plot for the sci-fi reader and a clear HFN for the romance reader.
Editing is very good, with only a few minor slips that were not enough to detract from the overall experience. The writing is fluid and organic, if perhaps a bit verbose, but in a mostly enjoyable way. Taji's unfiltered verbal rambling is a part of his character, and only occasionally veers into more or less obvious exposition. A lot of things are left vague or hinted at, and demands attention from the reader to make sense of. There are no clunky infodumps to make things easy, which is exactly how I like it.
All in all, a very satisfying read, and one of my favourites of this year.
A gorgeously written sci-fi romance that takes all the cheap tropes and weaves magic with them, and manages to be real sci-fi and real romance at the same time. I have read very few sci-fi romances that manage to be sci-fi enough to be worth it, and very few sci-fi stories that are so unapologetically romantic as this, and so wonderfully well written, at that. This is what I have been waiting and wishing for. Well done, Ms. Cooper!
Here we have proper world-building, and a truly alien race with layers of culture and language, and an intricate and complex variety of genders that may or may not be correlated to the actual genitals. A lot of these things are revealed to us as they are revealed to our protagonist Taji Ameyo, a young human linguist who struggles with his loneliness, his barely functional leg prosthesis, the severely lacking language resources left behind by previous translators, and with his embarrassing attraction to Trenne, the commanding officer of the Embassy Guard, who is an alien not only to Taji but also in a sense to the people on his own planet. Taji has been thrown into the role of aide to the I.P.T.C. ambassador on the planet Mirsa, a job he has not been trained for. He is a poor nobody, unimportant to the Interplanetary Trade Coalition except for what little use they might make of him, and he just wants to work on the language in peace and perhaps possibly get laid a little. None of those things will work out the way he thinks they will.
Taji is teasingly referred to as 'Mouth' by the embassy guard (mixed humans and non-humans), which is a multilayered joke, because he has no filter. He speaks his thoughts aloud whether people listen or not (he is used to being ignored), and it's through his meandering, processing soliloquies that we are told about the Mirsans, and the dominant culture on the planet, and the strange role he finds himself in. The Mirsans seem to universally recognise something in him that he at first is baffled by, but very quickly comes to accept about himself -- perhaps a bit too quickly and easily, in my opinion, but Taji clearly has no problem with thinking about himself as submissive. He is shezha, which is something akin to the omegaverse Omega, complete with a version of the Omega heat, but let me tell you straight off that this is handled in a vastly more interesting and plausible way (and less tropey) than most A/O-alien-romance-stories I have come across before, and it's also vastly better written. This book is in a league of its own.
The title refers to the fact that Mirsa is a stone planet with rings, which for some reason is not something we've seen much in sci-fi, and I love that. It's just a detail, but it lends a definite alien feel. That said, not much else is said about the planet (rotations, size, climate, seasonal shifts, etc.), but this is also not the kind of hard sci-fi that gets preoccupied with scientific details. It's "soft" sci-fi more in the vein of Le Guin -- exploring culture, language and politics, and how personal change and relationships interact with them, and how otherwise insignificant people may find themselves, through a perfect storm of chance, to be the pebble that changes the water's course, the stone that jolts the carriage.
Ah, the politics. The Sha, the dominant culture on Mirsa, have a rigid, conservative, hierarchical and insular society, that does not deal well with the arrival of the I.P.T.C., a vast interstellar trade coalition that looms in the background of the whole story. The Shavian empire cares only about its cultural hegemony. The I.P.T.C. cares about trade and profit; it doesn't care about individuals or politics, unless the politics turn out to be a hindrance to their expansion and influence; it's just as imperialistic, but in a different way. Both Taji and Trenne have joined them because they were the only ticket out of poverty and oppression, respectively, and have received training and education in exchange for years of service. The I.P.T.C. isn't good -- it's an amoral behemoth, and they both know that they are expendable, and that the coalition doesn't really care about what happens to the Sha. The ambassador and his tiny retinue are there as a courtesy, a first foray, and if they fail to establish any kind of agreement, the I.P.T.C. will move in anyway, by force if necessary, something that the Shavian rulers can't or won't realise. It's imperialistic and unstoppable, but to the Sha it's vague and distant, both threatening and beneath their notice, and to Taji and his household it's enough to put them on the spot, but not enough to protect them.
Another thing I loved about this book is the effortless representation. Taji is a human, not from Earth, but obviously of African heritage (which is apparent on the cover). He is also gay and disabled. Only one of those things is an issue for him, and mostly because his prosthesis is cheap and dysfunctional, and causes him pain and lack of mobility. His skin colour is unimportant; what matters is that he is a human off-worlder. His sexuality and gender are of vastly less importance to the genderfluid Shavians than the fact that he is shezha. He is also a geek and very smart, but not necessarily very clever. He is in the minority here, but not an oppressed minority -- that would in fact be Trenne. At least one person in their multi-species retinue is transgender, but it's only revealed in passing.
Taji is an unconventional hero, but a very relatable one. He is not the typical cishet white macho man, but neither is Trenne, his "alpha" love interest, not quite. Trenne is a lot more macho, being a skilled soldier, but he treats Taji with infinite tenderness and respect and honour, providing him with a very important standard for the dynamic. It's pretty obvious to the reader (if not to Taji) that Trenne adores him as much as he adores Trenne. Both of them think a lot more highly of the other than of themselves. When Taji's shezha nature is brought to everyone's attention (including his own), he and Trenne are encouraged by the ambassador to pretend to have the shezha-eshe relationship everyone already believes them to have, but of course it's not really fake for them, and the act of pretending makes it real. There are some lovely cross-species sex scenes. There is plot for the sci-fi reader and a clear HFN for the romance reader.
Editing is very good, with only a few minor slips that were not enough to detract from the overall experience. The writing is fluid and organic, if perhaps a bit verbose, but in a mostly enjoyable way. Taji's unfiltered verbal rambling is a part of his character, and only occasionally veers into more or less obvious exposition. A lot of things are left vague or hinted at, and demands attention from the reader to make sense of. There are no clunky infodumps to make things easy, which is exactly how I like it.
All in all, a very satisfying read, and one of my favourites of this year.
November 12, 2020
This book I rated 4.5 but I bumped it up to 5 because the world building in this one is fantastic, the slow burn romance is top notch and the story compelling. I love how the MC Treene is different enough to feel alien but still relatable. I also love Taji. He is sweet, relatable, smart and slightly insecure. His character is written so vividly. I love that he is a POC, which we need more of in both genres. My only critique would be the narrative choice of the author to really overload you with info at times with little explanation. On the one hand, this helps you feel like Taji-lost and trying to decipher this alien culture and world. But on the other hand, you can get confused and it muddled down the story at times. Some people might struggle with certain aspects of this culture in regards to sex causing an addiction like reaction, but both characters are willing and consenting so it isn't a problem per se, but worth noting.
December 31, 2023
2023 re-read: Yep, still fantastic.
2020:
This is a fantastic sf romance - not only because Taji is a great character, and because the being he's fallen for is amazing, but because the world Taji's stuck on is complex enough, the culture and subcultures revealed at a pace I could track, and the underpinnings of, to name two, history as important and honor as a baseline social requirement, are compelling and critical. Gender and personal identification, social constructs, personal choices, inclusiveness and racism, power used well and power abused - it's all here, and well done.
I wish I could read it again for the first time. It's that good.
2020:
This is a fantastic sf romance - not only because Taji is a great character, and because the being he's fallen for is amazing, but because the world Taji's stuck on is complex enough, the culture and subcultures revealed at a pace I could track, and the underpinnings of, to name two, history as important and honor as a baseline social requirement, are compelling and critical. Gender and personal identification, social constructs, personal choices, inclusiveness and racism, power used well and power abused - it's all here, and well done.
I wish I could read it again for the first time. It's that good.
did-not-finish
October 6, 2025DNF @ 44% - I typically really like R. Cooper, but this was not for me. I was just so bored - endless vague and rambling conversations about things I just wasn't interested in.
January 14, 2020
DNF, I got 20% in and still had no clue what was going on. I'll admit I'm not a sci-fi person but one shouldn't have to be in order to understand, at least partially, the world and characters within the first 20% of the novel. There were far too many characters brought in from the get-go, and the conversations just didn't seem to flow at all. As in, there never seemed to be any natural response one might have to a bit of dialogue, and instead it took off in another confounding direction that left me feeling like I was having a stroke.
These sort of novels make me think I'm going crazy. Am I just a bad reader? What is going on? But at least one review mentions the same problems I was having, so I do feel a little vindicated.
I think there was some opportunity was lost in explaining the world, because it seems Taji is new to this world, and it's great when a character is a newcomer because we get to learn about a world through their eyes. But it was extremely disjointed and poorly explained, and very hard to follow.
These sort of novels make me think I'm going crazy. Am I just a bad reader? What is going on? But at least one review mentions the same problems I was having, so I do feel a little vindicated.
I think there was some opportunity was lost in explaining the world, because it seems Taji is new to this world, and it's great when a character is a newcomer because we get to learn about a world through their eyes. But it was extremely disjointed and poorly explained, and very hard to follow.
December 3, 2019
This is one of those books that I'm going to have to read again sometime soon so I can pick on details that I missed the first time around. This is an extremely complex political book mixed in with great world building and memorable characters. I loved watching Taji try to figure out what was going on around him while dealing with his own feelings for Trenne. At times it was a little frustrating at how Taji and Trenne seemed to misunderstand each other but over all I love the tension between them.
November 30, 2024
Overall I loved it. This was an incredibly deep read with strong characters, extremely deep and well woven world building, and a plot that doesn't seem to have much going for it until you realize you are deeply invested in tiny ear gestures or pregnant silences. I think there were some interesting plot placement choices with the sex, such that it was distracting from the flow of the plot, though it would have been super satisfying out of context of the plot. The intrigue, political maneuvering, and linguistic thoughts were flat out amazing. I loved learning alien language concepts, words, and the body language of ears. Larin was an excellent villain. I loved that R. Cooper didn't stoop to explaining things to me, and I learned and extrapolated subtext when Taji did. Now that I'm armed with all this world building knowledge, I really wish there were more books! Also, there could have been a huge emphasis on the gender stuff in this and there never was, so it became part of the world instead of any kind of preachy. Thank god for Talfa. I mean, I know that Taji didn't really know what he was doing poking the bear in the last encounter with Larin in front of the nobles, but boy did I already predict the fallout before Talfa told us about it, because the groundwork for acceptable behavior had been so well laid before. That is EXCELLENCE in intrigue writing. I want more epilogue!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 1, 2021
This is my first R. Cooper book and I am now wondering why I waited so long to start. It's a 'queer human in a world of genderfluid aliens' story and the dislocation and loneliness of the main character really resonated with me in this dislocated and lonely covid-time.
Taji, the human embassy translator, is an academic who's been subbed in to cover for the murdered previous incumbent. He's in love with one of the Shavian embassy guards. There's a mismatch of cultural knowledge and expectations and failed communication between them that interweaves with a fantastic, exciting political-machinations plot that I loved. A lot of the plot is based around a minority of the Shavian's tendency to 'go shehzha' for their lover...to become mindlessly desirous of them during the first phase of a relationship. It was interesting and I thought done really well--it had a cultural and political impact on the story and the relationship between Taji and his lover.
Taji, the human embassy translator, is an academic who's been subbed in to cover for the murdered previous incumbent. He's in love with one of the Shavian embassy guards. There's a mismatch of cultural knowledge and expectations and failed communication between them that interweaves with a fantastic, exciting political-machinations plot that I loved. A lot of the plot is based around a minority of the Shavian's tendency to 'go shehzha' for their lover...to become mindlessly desirous of them during the first phase of a relationship. It was interesting and I thought done really well--it had a cultural and political impact on the story and the relationship between Taji and his lover.
Want to read
May 7, 2025Sci-fi/mm romance with, apparently, amazing wordlbuilding with focus on anthropological aspects (language in particular) + a lot of pinning
June 25, 2020
Rating =
3.5 Stars
Blurb = (Scale 1-10; 5 to 6 is basically
accurate)
8
My Genre Scale = (Scale 1-10)
8
Odds if not your genre = (Scale 1-10)
2 IMHO, unless something about it really intrigues
Development of: = (Scale 1-10)
*World = 9
*Plot = 8
*Characters = 5
What stood out =
The world, A society entirely gender fluid, and honestly the land amount of time I spent baffled by multiple things.
Mood Type / Appeal to those looking for = Intrigue, Something close to 1st contact diplomacy, Warrior/Male Damsel in distress
Warnings =
1st person POV of a linguist to a new culture, so whether by design or not the reader spends also confused by words or actions. There was also non consensual culturall shaming of the equivalency for completely dependent subs.
Series Notes =
*Reading on? There is not another at this time, though the possibility was left open for a new couple.
Rating Notes (HEA?) =
I loved the authors ambition and effort, but I spent so much time feeling confused and "in the dark"; that it sucked some of the joy and definitely interrupted the flow. This was not helped by having 3 characters that start with the same letter. 2 of which were similar enough, I had to keep rereading passages to figure out which was speaking. It eventually became extremely frustrating.
I love to be so engaged that the real world melts away. That was never possible with this story.
I did love the world, the intrigue, and the concept in general. There is a definite HEA.
The lack of communication and assumptions from both m/c's was mildly annoying. As was the lack of balance and development due to the POV only being from one m/c. Thus, we don't really get to know our understand half of the couple except that everything is his honor.
On a positive note, I did enjoy the babble as Taji puzzled through stuff.
(Obviously no one review can take into account all the various personal pet peeves of readers. But, I do try to take into account the common ones often bemoaned by other reviewers).
Blurb rating purpose:
Like many readers, I do not like to think I'm reading one kind of story; just to end up with another type. But...I also don't think a book should be docked stars for being as stated. If I don't like stories about "_________", and I choose to read one. I shouldn't give it 2 stars based JUST on my preferences. Unless... it wasn't clear in the blurb.
Other Factors that effect my perspective when revising:
Since 2009, I have exclusively read m/m. My 1st was in 2007. I am a Kindle diehard, and I never do audio for m/m. I read at least 100+ books a year - with an average length of 220± pages; but the total number of books is usually much higher. My Goodreads lifetime rating (at the start of 2020) was a 3.72 average for 1390 books. Which considering, you should be better at picking out books the more you read, , I feel is a accurate average. I have over 700 reviews within the m/m genre here on Goodreads.
3.5 Stars
Blurb = (Scale 1-10; 5 to 6 is basically
accurate)
8
My Genre Scale = (Scale 1-10)
8
Odds if not your genre = (Scale 1-10)
2 IMHO, unless something about it really intrigues
Development of: = (Scale 1-10)
*World = 9
*Plot = 8
*Characters = 5
What stood out =
The world, A society entirely gender fluid, and honestly the land amount of time I spent baffled by multiple things.
Mood Type / Appeal to those looking for = Intrigue, Something close to 1st contact diplomacy, Warrior/Male Damsel in distress
Warnings =
1st person POV of a linguist to a new culture, so whether by design or not the reader spends also confused by words or actions. There was also non consensual culturall shaming of the equivalency for completely dependent subs.
Series Notes =
*Reading on? There is not another at this time, though the possibility was left open for a new couple.
Rating Notes (HEA?) =
I loved the authors ambition and effort, but I spent so much time feeling confused and "in the dark"; that it sucked some of the joy and definitely interrupted the flow. This was not helped by having 3 characters that start with the same letter. 2 of which were similar enough, I had to keep rereading passages to figure out which was speaking. It eventually became extremely frustrating.
I love to be so engaged that the real world melts away. That was never possible with this story.
I did love the world, the intrigue, and the concept in general. There is a definite HEA.
The lack of communication and assumptions from both m/c's was mildly annoying. As was the lack of balance and development due to the POV only being from one m/c. Thus, we don't really get to know our understand half of the couple except that everything is his honor.
On a positive note, I did enjoy the babble as Taji puzzled through stuff.
(Obviously no one review can take into account all the various personal pet peeves of readers. But, I do try to take into account the common ones often bemoaned by other reviewers).
Blurb rating purpose:
Like many readers, I do not like to think I'm reading one kind of story; just to end up with another type. But...I also don't think a book should be docked stars for being as stated. If I don't like stories about "_________", and I choose to read one. I shouldn't give it 2 stars based JUST on my preferences. Unless... it wasn't clear in the blurb.
Other Factors that effect my perspective when revising:
Since 2009, I have exclusively read m/m. My 1st was in 2007. I am a Kindle diehard, and I never do audio for m/m. I read at least 100+ books a year - with an average length of 220± pages; but the total number of books is usually much higher. My Goodreads lifetime rating (at the start of 2020) was a 3.72 average for 1390 books. Which considering, you should be better at picking out books the more you read, , I feel is a accurate average. I have over 700 reviews within the m/m genre here on Goodreads.
February 22, 2020
Spannender SF-Roman mit ausdetailliert beschriebener Welt und deren Kultur. Ich habe schon einmal ein Buch der Autorin gelesen und wusste deshalb, worauf ich mich einlasse, nämlich auf eine ausufernde Erzählung mit wahnsinnig vielen Detailbeschreibungen. Ich habe etwa 30 Prozent des Buchs benötigt, um den Kernplot überhaupt zu finden. Praktisch habe ich mich lesenderweise durch die Verzierungen gewühlt. Dann hatte ich endlich den roten Faden gefunden und das Lesen wurde komfortabler.
Das Buch ist wahnsinnig spannend. Man muss aber echt Geduld mit dem Stil der Autorin mitbringen.
Worum es geht? Okay, einen kleinen Wegweiser zum Buch gibt es auf meinem Blog.
Das Buch ist wahnsinnig spannend. Man muss aber echt Geduld mit dem Stil der Autorin mitbringen.
Worum es geht? Okay, einen kleinen Wegweiser zum Buch gibt es auf meinem Blog.
September 1, 2022
A queer and lovely sci-fi story, meshing linguistics, culture, and choice/consent/agency in a compelling space opera. In particular, I enjoyed that the author created a civilization not bounded by binary gender or sex and a universe in which heteronormativity and cisnormativity are not the default. Rereading in 2022, it's still amazing and I really hope that more people will read it. Hope springs eternal for a sequel based on how this story ends.
December 25, 2019
I found it confusing with too many characters of (I guess) different "nationalities".
December 8, 2019
A thoroughly realized, imaginative reading experience charged with sexual energy
Taji from Beyond the Rings is a satisfying, challenging hybrid novel. It's a complex, thoroughly realized work of science fiction that is also a book-length work of erotica. The author gives us engaging, even endearing, characters, a page-turning plot, and a fantasy world that holds a mirror up to our own reality. She also gives us a lot of highly explicit sex that is well paced, evocative, and integral to the story. Without the author's storytelling skills and imaginative vision, this book could easily have been shelved under the overheated and unhinged section for teenage wet dreams. As it is, the author gives us a highly entertaining, sexually charged, and carefully crafted book that I found absorbing.
The story is about Taji, a poor farmer from an outer world who is given an education as a linguist in return for a kind of indentured service to a powerful interplanetary trade organization. He's seconded to work as a translator for an ambassador to Mirsa, a planet with striking, violet colored rings. The small military group protecting him includes Shavians and Hurats, giant inhabitants of Mirsa who stand half as tall as most humans. He ends up falling for the soldiers' commander, Trenne, and because of their mutual attraction they end up at the center of a political struggle between an abusive emperor, the nobles looking to stage a coup, and his interplanetary trade employers.
The author constructs a plausible alien culture, one that is believable because we can see elements of our own, human culture in it, but rearranging them to see what new social forces and behavioral patterns emerge. She has designed a convincing alternate constellation of values that drives the plot forward, exaggerating and reassigning the roles played by honor, emotion, control, and sexual expression in ways that create points of conflict and connection between the human and Shavian characters.
In so doing, Cooper explores the permeable boundaries around our concepts of gender, health and self respect. There are characters that change gender over time, and those whose gender seems fundamentally ambiguous, all set against disturbing, semi-eugenic cultural ideals. For instance, Taji uses a problematic artificial leg, one wired into his nervous system, yet find himself immersed in a culture that despises weakness and disability. Simultaneously, despite his disability, his emotional and sexual openness draw the sexually repressed Shavians to him like moths to a flame. This causes them to name him shehzha, a person in a constantly passive state of receptive sexual arousal, a revered role in their system of values. A shehza is the safety valve for their repressed culture's obsession with physical and emotional self control.
Freud would have a field day with this book, although psychoanalysis needs to be dumped in the trash bin of history. Taji becomes the fulcrum of multiple oppositions. After having sex with Trenne, and so becoming a shehza, he sinks into abject, helpless sexual need, a paradoxical state where he loses all honor and self control, but which allows his lover (Trenne), to assume the honor that he's lost. Trenne does this by protecting Taji and regulating his psychological and physical health while he is dissolute and functionally unable to take care of himself. To the pop psychology imagination, this is all a complex dance of Id, Ego and Superego between the two lovers. Luckily, the author actively veers away from any such simplistic reading in favor of playing with a mix of anthropological themes and interpersonal dynamics. (Note: there is no empirical evidence that Freud's theoretical constructs exist in the real world, and there are plenty of experimental findings to take their place).
While the writing is strong and effective, the author can, at times, tax the reader's working memory and recall. There are a few internal references to statements or events that happen so far back in the book I found myself scrambling to find them, only to give up. Cooper also sometimes writes in scraps of dialogue or thoughts before providing a context in which they make sense. As a strategy, it can propel the reader forward to find out what is going on, but when it's used too much it can be frustrating. There are sections in the book that verge on over-use of this strategy, but not to an extent that it burdens the narrative.
There is a small part of me that wonders whether a book such as this isn't simply a dressing up old stereotypes in a postmodern remix. For instance, Taji, when the sexual fever starts to take over, could almost be described as a cat in heat - an insult I've heard by some men against supposedly "loose" women. Taji could also be a male incarnation of the Victorian idea that assertive women are oversexed hysterics. But factoring in the depth of imagination and degree of world-building found in this book, these thoughts evaporate. R. Cooper has given us a captivating, enjoyable reading experience.
Taji from Beyond the Rings is a satisfying, challenging hybrid novel. It's a complex, thoroughly realized work of science fiction that is also a book-length work of erotica. The author gives us engaging, even endearing, characters, a page-turning plot, and a fantasy world that holds a mirror up to our own reality. She also gives us a lot of highly explicit sex that is well paced, evocative, and integral to the story. Without the author's storytelling skills and imaginative vision, this book could easily have been shelved under the overheated and unhinged section for teenage wet dreams. As it is, the author gives us a highly entertaining, sexually charged, and carefully crafted book that I found absorbing.
The story is about Taji, a poor farmer from an outer world who is given an education as a linguist in return for a kind of indentured service to a powerful interplanetary trade organization. He's seconded to work as a translator for an ambassador to Mirsa, a planet with striking, violet colored rings. The small military group protecting him includes Shavians and Hurats, giant inhabitants of Mirsa who stand half as tall as most humans. He ends up falling for the soldiers' commander, Trenne, and because of their mutual attraction they end up at the center of a political struggle between an abusive emperor, the nobles looking to stage a coup, and his interplanetary trade employers.
The author constructs a plausible alien culture, one that is believable because we can see elements of our own, human culture in it, but rearranging them to see what new social forces and behavioral patterns emerge. She has designed a convincing alternate constellation of values that drives the plot forward, exaggerating and reassigning the roles played by honor, emotion, control, and sexual expression in ways that create points of conflict and connection between the human and Shavian characters.
In so doing, Cooper explores the permeable boundaries around our concepts of gender, health and self respect. There are characters that change gender over time, and those whose gender seems fundamentally ambiguous, all set against disturbing, semi-eugenic cultural ideals. For instance, Taji uses a problematic artificial leg, one wired into his nervous system, yet find himself immersed in a culture that despises weakness and disability. Simultaneously, despite his disability, his emotional and sexual openness draw the sexually repressed Shavians to him like moths to a flame. This causes them to name him shehzha, a person in a constantly passive state of receptive sexual arousal, a revered role in their system of values. A shehza is the safety valve for their repressed culture's obsession with physical and emotional self control.
Freud would have a field day with this book, although psychoanalysis needs to be dumped in the trash bin of history. Taji becomes the fulcrum of multiple oppositions. After having sex with Trenne, and so becoming a shehza, he sinks into abject, helpless sexual need, a paradoxical state where he loses all honor and self control, but which allows his lover (Trenne), to assume the honor that he's lost. Trenne does this by protecting Taji and regulating his psychological and physical health while he is dissolute and functionally unable to take care of himself. To the pop psychology imagination, this is all a complex dance of Id, Ego and Superego between the two lovers. Luckily, the author actively veers away from any such simplistic reading in favor of playing with a mix of anthropological themes and interpersonal dynamics. (Note: there is no empirical evidence that Freud's theoretical constructs exist in the real world, and there are plenty of experimental findings to take their place).
While the writing is strong and effective, the author can, at times, tax the reader's working memory and recall. There are a few internal references to statements or events that happen so far back in the book I found myself scrambling to find them, only to give up. Cooper also sometimes writes in scraps of dialogue or thoughts before providing a context in which they make sense. As a strategy, it can propel the reader forward to find out what is going on, but when it's used too much it can be frustrating. There are sections in the book that verge on over-use of this strategy, but not to an extent that it burdens the narrative.
There is a small part of me that wonders whether a book such as this isn't simply a dressing up old stereotypes in a postmodern remix. For instance, Taji, when the sexual fever starts to take over, could almost be described as a cat in heat - an insult I've heard by some men against supposedly "loose" women. Taji could also be a male incarnation of the Victorian idea that assertive women are oversexed hysterics. But factoring in the depth of imagination and degree of world-building found in this book, these thoughts evaporate. R. Cooper has given us a captivating, enjoyable reading experience.
December 26, 2024
This was a great time, but a tad long and confusing at times.
A lovely balance of sci-fi and romance, and both genres were handled very well. I really enjoyed all the world-building and appreciated the dedication to “alien,” ie the Sha are humanoid, but distinctly alien in several ways and have very different concepts of gender, honor, ethics, love/marriage than humans. But at times this did result in me being pretty confused, particularly with the concept of a shehzha.
My understanding is that a shehza is both a type of person (someone who is outspoken, “uncontrolled,” doesn’t mask their desires, etc) and a state of being brought on by regular contact with sexual fluids from their partner. The shehzha state leaves the person sexually insatiable, unable to focus, and in physical pain if separated from their eshe (partner) for too long. It basically leaves the shehza helpless to their desires, and the Sha have a cultural traditions of both revering a shehzha (no touching is allowed) and sequestering them. I think that the shehzha person is more of a personality/cultural stereotype, ie someone who displays traits of someone in the shehzha state, but not necessarily someone who would become shehzha. I’m still a bit unclear on the sexual/biochemical process, ie does someone have to be genetically predisposed to be shehzha or can anyone be? If two shehzha have sex does no reaction happen? Does the mindless shehzha reaction only happen once? Etc etc.
I feel a bit unsatisfied having lingering questions, just because the “mystery” of the a shehzha was so core to the plot. I did appreciate that Taji was an outsider and that both he and the reader were trying to figure out what this word meant together. Trying to figure out another culture is confusing and difficult so Taji’s struggles made total sense to me. The mystery did provide a good drive to keep reading, but I kept expecting someone to be like “here is exactly what a shehzha is” and was frustrated when that never happened. However, it makes sense for the plot! A lot of this knowledge is basic cultural understanding that the Sha don’t ever have to explain, and Trenne is an outsider to Sha culture and also feels all types of ways about Taji and shehzha, so can’t exactly give a clear and detailed summary. It felt appropriate to the sci fi setting and I enjoyed being just as confused as Taji was, however I wish the book ended with a clearer explanation. I also was curious to see the impact of the Shehzha state on Taji, who was both excited and trepidatious of it happening to him.
I really, really enjoyed Taji and Trenne’s relationship as well as both of them individually as characters. The “thinks he’s worthless” x “completely devoted, will do anything to protect him” dynamic was absolutely lovely. It was really sweet to see every time Taji ends up in a shitty situation that Trenne comes charging in to save him (and Taji is confused / thinks Trenne only did it for some political/job related reason). Because of this I didn’t mind the misunderstanding/miscommunication— Taji thinks first that his interest is one-sided and then that his love is. I think this dynamic worked well, however toward the end it strained credulity to me. Like post explosion at the emperor’s compound, how can Taji legitimately still think their relationship is one sided? Other characters felt the same way, so I know that is “supposed” to be our conclusion, but I was definitely thinking , “how foolish can you be???”
The political plot was interesting, though we spent a bit too much time on it for my taste. As I said, I would have enjoyed more exploration of Taji in his shehzha state and I didn’t really need a dramatic honor killing to conclude the story. I did appreciate the final confrontation between Taji and the Emperor, with Taji actually taking him down just with his big mouth (as Trenne always said he could). However the spectre of sexual assault was really hanging over all those scenes with Taji and the emperor and it really stressed me out.
Overall I definitely enjoyed this book — Taji’s pining and investigating what a shehzha is, Trenne’s utter devotion, and the interesting alien culture made it a great, if somewhat long read.
A lovely balance of sci-fi and romance, and both genres were handled very well. I really enjoyed all the world-building and appreciated the dedication to “alien,” ie the Sha are humanoid, but distinctly alien in several ways and have very different concepts of gender, honor, ethics, love/marriage than humans. But at times this did result in me being pretty confused, particularly with the concept of a shehzha.
My understanding is that a shehza is both a type of person (someone who is outspoken, “uncontrolled,” doesn’t mask their desires, etc) and a state of being brought on by regular contact with sexual fluids from their partner. The shehzha state leaves the person sexually insatiable, unable to focus, and in physical pain if separated from their eshe (partner) for too long. It basically leaves the shehza helpless to their desires, and the Sha have a cultural traditions of both revering a shehzha (no touching is allowed) and sequestering them. I think that the shehzha person is more of a personality/cultural stereotype, ie someone who displays traits of someone in the shehzha state, but not necessarily someone who would become shehzha. I’m still a bit unclear on the sexual/biochemical process, ie does someone have to be genetically predisposed to be shehzha or can anyone be? If two shehzha have sex does no reaction happen? Does the mindless shehzha reaction only happen once? Etc etc.
I feel a bit unsatisfied having lingering questions, just because the “mystery” of the a shehzha was so core to the plot. I did appreciate that Taji was an outsider and that both he and the reader were trying to figure out what this word meant together. Trying to figure out another culture is confusing and difficult so Taji’s struggles made total sense to me. The mystery did provide a good drive to keep reading, but I kept expecting someone to be like “here is exactly what a shehzha is” and was frustrated when that never happened. However, it makes sense for the plot! A lot of this knowledge is basic cultural understanding that the Sha don’t ever have to explain, and Trenne is an outsider to Sha culture and also feels all types of ways about Taji and shehzha, so can’t exactly give a clear and detailed summary. It felt appropriate to the sci fi setting and I enjoyed being just as confused as Taji was, however I wish the book ended with a clearer explanation. I also was curious to see the impact of the Shehzha state on Taji, who was both excited and trepidatious of it happening to him.
I really, really enjoyed Taji and Trenne’s relationship as well as both of them individually as characters. The “thinks he’s worthless” x “completely devoted, will do anything to protect him” dynamic was absolutely lovely. It was really sweet to see every time Taji ends up in a shitty situation that Trenne comes charging in to save him (and Taji is confused / thinks Trenne only did it for some political/job related reason). Because of this I didn’t mind the misunderstanding/miscommunication— Taji thinks first that his interest is one-sided and then that his love is. I think this dynamic worked well, however toward the end it strained credulity to me. Like post explosion at the emperor’s compound, how can Taji legitimately still think their relationship is one sided? Other characters felt the same way, so I know that is “supposed” to be our conclusion, but I was definitely thinking , “how foolish can you be???”
The political plot was interesting, though we spent a bit too much time on it for my taste. As I said, I would have enjoyed more exploration of Taji in his shehzha state and I didn’t really need a dramatic honor killing to conclude the story. I did appreciate the final confrontation between Taji and the Emperor, with Taji actually taking him down just with his big mouth (as Trenne always said he could). However the spectre of sexual assault was really hanging over all those scenes with Taji and the emperor and it really stressed me out.
Overall I definitely enjoyed this book — Taji’s pining and investigating what a shehzha is, Trenne’s utter devotion, and the interesting alien culture made it a great, if somewhat long read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 9, 2021
This is really more of a 2.5 for me - the main character is someone I liked spending time with! And the story is queer, and doesn't have the typical SciFi 'let's romanticize British and European aesthetics!' thing. But those elements can't carry the rest of the narrative - and that just doesn't hold together well enough.
A character can only be so compelling without meaningful character development, and that's where this book irretrievably falls apart for me.
(I've also got some serious issues with the worldbuilding, but I've been known to forgive a LOT if the character arcs can hold together.)
More details for folks who want 'em:
The character development is really, really disappointing. Plot-wise, things definitely do progress. Taji . But in terms of the *people* being different at the beginning and the end of things, the only real change that we see in anyone is in . And we never saw enough of their inner life to make that change be terribly satisfying.
In terms of the worldbuilding and in-book sociology of the Sha culture, things are promising at the beginning. But the story never follows things through to reasonable conclusions on basically any of the questions it raises. The most troubling one centers on the issue of self-control. If composure is prized above all else for most people, but (very minor spoiler)
TL;DR - some cool concepts, but things really went awry in the execution.
A character can only be so compelling without meaningful character development, and that's where this book irretrievably falls apart for me.
(I've also got some serious issues with the worldbuilding, but I've been known to forgive a LOT if the character arcs can hold together.)
More details for folks who want 'em:
The character development is really, really disappointing. Plot-wise, things definitely do progress. Taji . But in terms of the *people* being different at the beginning and the end of things, the only real change that we see in anyone is in . And we never saw enough of their inner life to make that change be terribly satisfying.
In terms of the worldbuilding and in-book sociology of the Sha culture, things are promising at the beginning. But the story never follows things through to reasonable conclusions on basically any of the questions it raises. The most troubling one centers on the issue of self-control. If composure is prized above all else for most people, but (very minor spoiler)
TL;DR - some cool concepts, but things really went awry in the execution.
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