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Claimings
Kensho
Liam and Ondry have a stable relationship. However, the universe continues to move on even when their unconventional romance has settled into a comfortable partnership. Humans and Rownt struggle to find a place of mutual respect and understanding. Assumptions on each side make that difficult. Even the one human who understands the Rownt best - Liam Munson - is endlessly surprised by the corners of Rownt history he can access now that he is tuk-ranked.
From egglings to the Rownt path into space to Rownt opinions on the concept of Kensho, there are more stories to tell, in and out of the nest Liam and Ondry have built together.
From egglings to the Rownt path into space to Rownt opinions on the concept of Kensho, there are more stories to tell, in and out of the nest Liam and Ondry have built together.
195 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 14, 2021
22 people are currently reading
211 people want to read
About the author
Lyn Gala
47 books1,166 followersLynsey "Lyn" Gala started writing in the back of her science notebook in third grade and hasn’t stopped since. Westerns starring men with shady pasts gave way to science fiction with questionable protagonists which eventually gave in to any story with a morally ambiguous character. Even the purest heroes have pain and loss and darkness in their hearts, and that’s where she likes to find her stories. Her characters seek to better themselves and find the happy ending (or happier anyway), but it’s writing the struggle that inspires her muse. When she isn’t writing, Lyn Gala teaches in New Mexico.
She first cut her teeth on fanfic: gen, slash, het, and femslash. She prefers to focus on plot: mysteries and monsters and disasters, oh my, but sex can and does happen. Some of her stories focus on power exchange, bondage or bdsm. In her worlds, tops and bottoms are all mature, consenting adults. In fact, stories where they aren't squick her badly, so don't expect to find abuse stories in her journal.
She first cut her teeth on fanfic: gen, slash, het, and femslash. She prefers to focus on plot: mysteries and monsters and disasters, oh my, but sex can and does happen. Some of her stories focus on power exchange, bondage or bdsm. In her worlds, tops and bottoms are all mature, consenting adults. In fact, stories where they aren't squick her badly, so don't expect to find abuse stories in her journal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
July 26, 2021
4.5 stars
An excellent addition to the Claimings series, this collection has a bit of everything and all extremely interesting and satisfying, if you’re a fan of Liam and Ondry and the sci-fi universe Lyn Gala created for them.
Whether you’re curious about Liam’s family and their perspective or the first time the Rownt met the Imshee, the first time the Rownt met the humans, how Zach adapted to his life among the Rownt, how different and similar life is for Liam (and humans in general) after hundreds of years have passed, you won’t be disappointed, there’s all that and more.
It was lovely to get all these little and not-so-little pieces and glimpses of Liam and Ondry’s life together after the official ending of the series. I especially loved the different POVs, they gave a fresh and interesting perspective on characters I’ve learned to know so well from the inside, and the shorts that followed Liam and Ondry’s If you know my reading preferences, you know that I don’t say that lightly.
An excellent addition to the Claimings series, this collection has a bit of everything and all extremely interesting and satisfying, if you’re a fan of Liam and Ondry and the sci-fi universe Lyn Gala created for them.
Whether you’re curious about Liam’s family and their perspective or the first time the Rownt met the Imshee, the first time the Rownt met the humans, how Zach adapted to his life among the Rownt, how different and similar life is for Liam (and humans in general) after hundreds of years have passed, you won’t be disappointed, there’s all that and more.
It was lovely to get all these little and not-so-little pieces and glimpses of Liam and Ondry’s life together after the official ending of the series. I especially loved the different POVs, they gave a fresh and interesting perspective on characters I’ve learned to know so well from the inside, and the shorts that followed Liam and Ondry’s If you know my reading preferences, you know that I don’t say that lightly.
June 11, 2021
Adorei os extras! Foi muito bom presenciar um Liam mais confiante, ter 2,10 de altura ajudou bastante ( será que os imenshee me deixaria mais alta? Seria um presente para mim 😂). Cereja do bolo que faltava foi os extras, mostrando mais sobre a família de Liam e seu reencontro com o irmão, gostei de como os mais de 500 anos dados ao Liam foram bem usados, ele e Ondry tiveram uma vida satisfatória. Gostei do filho deles, souberam criar mais um astuto nas negociações. Os extras fechou com chave de ouro a história de Ondry e Liam e sua improvável relação que deu certo ❤
January 17, 2021
Saudade of Ondry and Liam
Saudade is a Portuguese word that means somewhat melancholic feeling of incompleteness. It is related to the absence of someone or something, to move away from a place or thing, or to the absence of a set of particular and desirable experiences and pleasures once lived."
For a while now, I've been experiencing Saudade for Ondry, Liam and the extraordinary word Lyn Gala created in her must-read Claiming Series. And reading this book is a gift to my heart ; as it feels like, I finally getting together again with dear old friends you haven't seen in a long time.
The characters, the world-building feels so real that it makes it real to me -does that makes sense? I think about Ondry , Liam, Zach , the Grandmothers , Takil as friends , even sort of a family of mine that I am always happy to see and miss them when they're not near.
Kensho is entertaining, delightful and interesting. Yes! I recommend it.
Saudade is a Portuguese word that means somewhat melancholic feeling of incompleteness. It is related to the absence of someone or something, to move away from a place or thing, or to the absence of a set of particular and desirable experiences and pleasures once lived."
For a while now, I've been experiencing Saudade for Ondry, Liam and the extraordinary word Lyn Gala created in her must-read Claiming Series. And reading this book is a gift to my heart ; as it feels like, I finally getting together again with dear old friends you haven't seen in a long time.
The characters, the world-building feels so real that it makes it real to me -does that makes sense? I think about Ondry , Liam, Zach , the Grandmothers , Takil as friends , even sort of a family of mine that I am always happy to see and miss them when they're not near.
Kensho is entertaining, delightful and interesting. Yes! I recommend it.
January 23, 2021
This collection of shorter works will only make sense or appeal to fans of the Claimings stories. But for those of us who love Liam and Ondry, and the entire universe, this book is full of fascinating and satisfying nuggets. We get to look into the future for our two guys, to watch them love and share a changing life. We meet Grandmothers in Rownt-flavored dilemmas, and learn more about both history and psychology for these appealing aliens. And we leave the book satisfied with the HEA. A treat for those who love the series.
November 20, 2021
This was a bit of a mixed bag. A lot of stories from different points in time and different perspectives in the Claimings universe - and a really satisfying read.
January 20, 2021
A Joyfully Jay review.
5 stars
Kensho is a collection of short stories from the Claimings series by Lyn Gala. The stories range from fleshing out a few historical aspects of the series to giving a peek into the futures of our favorite traders, Liam and Ondry. You absolutely must have read the others books in the series because there is simply too much backstory you need to be aware of in order to really enjoy this collection.
All of the stories were engaging, but I definitely had a couple of favorites.
If you’ve enjoyed the Claimings books, you’re going to love these stories. It’s as simple as that. And while Kensho offer something of an ending, the author has left the universe open and I very much hope we will get more of Liam and Ondry at some point down the road. Consider this one a must read!
Read Sue’s review in its entirety here.
5 stars
Kensho is a collection of short stories from the Claimings series by Lyn Gala. The stories range from fleshing out a few historical aspects of the series to giving a peek into the futures of our favorite traders, Liam and Ondry. You absolutely must have read the others books in the series because there is simply too much backstory you need to be aware of in order to really enjoy this collection.
All of the stories were engaging, but I definitely had a couple of favorites.
If you’ve enjoyed the Claimings books, you’re going to love these stories. It’s as simple as that. And while Kensho offer something of an ending, the author has left the universe open and I very much hope we will get more of Liam and Ondry at some point down the road. Consider this one a must read!
Read Sue’s review in its entirety here.
January 12, 2022
I love the Claimings series so finding this collection of short stories set post-series was a delight.
Instead of just covering Liam and Ondry's domestic future, Kensho is mainly told from other people's POV, both Rownt and human, in past and far-future stories. While I occasionally questioned the relevance of some of the stories and got impatient when I saw it wasn't Liam-and-Ondry-related, all of the stories were interesting and gave insight into the wider setting.
I loved how the different perspectives drove home that history is subjective. Even having the objective facts of what happened doesn't mean it's clear cut - as soon as there are humans (or any sentient species, really) involved, chances are there's a lot more nuance to any situation than seems obvious on first glance.
It was great that the author didn't shy away from totally opposing perspectives. This was especially interesting when it came to Liam's reception as a person of public interest. We know what happened to Liam and how he feels thanks to the series, but seeing how his younger brother, his former superior, a college professor teaching linguistics, and more feel and think about his actions was fascinating.
Despite all the world-building-expanding stories, there were definitely also domestic scenes. I particularly liked the one told from Zach Mora's POV.
Of course there were also several chapters about Liam and Ondry and their future!
What I'm most conflicted about is also what actually made me very happy on first glance. There were two explicitly asexual characters on-page, which absolutely delighted me.... except for that delight to then be crushed when asexuality was totally misrepresented. The ever-present mistake of assuming that asexuality means not having sex or not being interested in sex is made. And it's not portrayed as this being how being asexual looks for this one asexual character, but as the definition of asexual in general. Which is disappointing, especially when there's two asexual characters in the book, so there was ample opportunity to explore what asexual can mean for different people.
Instead of just covering Liam and Ondry's domestic future, Kensho is mainly told from other people's POV, both Rownt and human, in past and far-future stories. While I occasionally questioned the relevance of some of the stories and got impatient when I saw it wasn't Liam-and-Ondry-related, all of the stories were interesting and gave insight into the wider setting.
I loved how the different perspectives drove home that history is subjective. Even having the objective facts of what happened doesn't mean it's clear cut - as soon as there are humans (or any sentient species, really) involved, chances are there's a lot more nuance to any situation than seems obvious on first glance.
It was great that the author didn't shy away from totally opposing perspectives. This was especially interesting when it came to Liam's reception as a person of public interest. We know what happened to Liam and how he feels thanks to the series, but seeing how his younger brother, his former superior, a college professor teaching linguistics, and more feel and think about his actions was fascinating.
Despite all the world-building-expanding stories, there were definitely also domestic scenes. I particularly liked the one told from Zach Mora's POV.
Of course there were also several chapters about Liam and Ondry and their future!
What I'm most conflicted about is also what actually made me very happy on first glance. There were two explicitly asexual characters on-page, which absolutely delighted me.... except for that delight to then be crushed when asexuality was totally misrepresented. The ever-present mistake of assuming that asexuality means not having sex or not being interested in sex is made. And it's not portrayed as this being how being asexual looks for this one asexual character, but as the definition of asexual in general. Which is disappointing, especially when there's two asexual characters in the book, so there was ample opportunity to explore what asexual can mean for different people.
October 14, 2022
4.5
Quote:
You‘re biased.
in favor of you? Always.
—
Oh Lord, this was so bittersweet … I‘m constantly close to start crying.
Liam&Ondry are one of my most favorite couple and it was so so sweet to read more of their life; but also from other characters.
Lyn Gala created a beautiful universe with so many species&places to explore.
This Short story collection complements the 4book claiming-series
There are rather melancholic topics in focus;
it’s more focused on general ‚adventures‘ of multiple characters
I would’ve loved to get a lot more Liam&Ondry
(I just love their love for each other)
if you‘re sensible to loss; grief and/or mentions of past assault read with caution
—
+t2s
+kinktober
Quote:
You‘re biased.
in favor of you? Always.
—
Oh Lord, this was so bittersweet … I‘m constantly close to start crying.
Liam&Ondry are one of my most favorite couple and it was so so sweet to read more of their life; but also from other characters.
Lyn Gala created a beautiful universe with so many species&places to explore.
This Short story collection complements the 4book claiming-series
There are rather melancholic topics in focus;
it’s more focused on general ‚adventures‘ of multiple characters
I would’ve loved to get a lot more Liam&Ondry
(I just love their love for each other)
if you‘re sensible to loss; grief and/or mentions of past assault read with caution
—
+t2s
+kinktober
March 24, 2022
5 za całokształt ;)
Do tej serii książek podchodziłam jak pies do jeża. Uwielbiam kosmitów ale w filmach. Książki sf to ogromna pasja mojej drugiej połówki, nie moja ;) Do tego romans między kosmitą, który nie bardzo jest z nami kompatybilny biologicznie? Co najmniej dziwne :D Jednak polecanki Plumpki nigdy mnie nie zawiodły, więc sięgnęłam po serię Gali i absolutnie nie żałuję. Bardzo mi się podobało przedstawienie obcej rzeczywistości, ich spojrzenie na świat, wychowanie, tradycje, handel. Tak inne, a jednak na tyle podobne, aby dwa gatunki mogły w tym wszystkim współistnieć i być szczęśliwe.
Relacje pomiędzy Ondrym a Liamem w pierwszej chwili można pomylić z domem i jego subem. Jednak to zdecydowanie nie to. Jeden istniał dla drugiego, nawzajem idealnie się uzupełniali. Obydwaj inteligentni, dążący do wspólnego celu, o bardzo podobnym spojrzeniu na świat. Ondry kochał i chronił Liama, zawsze u jego boku, solidna stała, na którą można liczyć w każdym wypadku. Pewność siebie i stanowczość Ondry'ego, łagodziła spokojna postawa Liama, który wprowadzał do ich związku element ludzkiej wrażliwości. Tak w skrócie, bo złożoności ich relacji nie da się opisać w kilku zdaniach, po prostu trzeba przeczytać :)
Nie powiem, która książka była lepsza, a która gorsza. Wszystkie miały w miarę równy poziom. W każdej można było dowiedzieć się czegoś nowego, poznać kolejne światy i ich mieszkańców. Jednych lubiłam, innych zdecydowanie nie. Na pewno można docenić dbałość o szczegóły, świetne kreacje postaci, bardzo dobre dialogi, zróżnicowane spojrzenie na świat. Jeżeli autorka zdecyduje się napisać kolejne książki w tym universum, na pewno przeczytam. To kosmos o ogromnym potencjale :D
Do tej serii książek podchodziłam jak pies do jeża. Uwielbiam kosmitów ale w filmach. Książki sf to ogromna pasja mojej drugiej połówki, nie moja ;) Do tego romans między kosmitą, który nie bardzo jest z nami kompatybilny biologicznie? Co najmniej dziwne :D Jednak polecanki Plumpki nigdy mnie nie zawiodły, więc sięgnęłam po serię Gali i absolutnie nie żałuję. Bardzo mi się podobało przedstawienie obcej rzeczywistości, ich spojrzenie na świat, wychowanie, tradycje, handel. Tak inne, a jednak na tyle podobne, aby dwa gatunki mogły w tym wszystkim współistnieć i być szczęśliwe.
Relacje pomiędzy Ondrym a Liamem w pierwszej chwili można pomylić z domem i jego subem. Jednak to zdecydowanie nie to. Jeden istniał dla drugiego, nawzajem idealnie się uzupełniali. Obydwaj inteligentni, dążący do wspólnego celu, o bardzo podobnym spojrzeniu na świat. Ondry kochał i chronił Liama, zawsze u jego boku, solidna stała, na którą można liczyć w każdym wypadku. Pewność siebie i stanowczość Ondry'ego, łagodziła spokojna postawa Liama, który wprowadzał do ich związku element ludzkiej wrażliwości. Tak w skrócie, bo złożoności ich relacji nie da się opisać w kilku zdaniach, po prostu trzeba przeczytać :)
Nie powiem, która książka była lepsza, a która gorsza. Wszystkie miały w miarę równy poziom. W każdej można było dowiedzieć się czegoś nowego, poznać kolejne światy i ich mieszkańców. Jednych lubiłam, innych zdecydowanie nie. Na pewno można docenić dbałość o szczegóły, świetne kreacje postaci, bardzo dobre dialogi, zróżnicowane spojrzenie na świat. Jeżeli autorka zdecyduje się napisać kolejne książki w tym universum, na pewno przeczytam. To kosmos o ogromnym potencjale :D
December 17, 2024
A series of vignettes and short stories set in the Claimings universe. A bittersweet look at both past, present, and future. I'm going to miss all these people so much.
Apart from (glimpses of) a few hundred years more of Liam and Ondry's lives, it was wonderful to read about things from the Grandmothers' POV.
Apart from (glimpses of) a few hundred years more of Liam and Ondry's lives, it was wonderful to read about things from the Grandmothers' POV.
February 5, 2022
So incredibly sweet. I thought this was collection of short stories and wasn't sure how much Liam and Ondry we would see. There were a few chapters about the history of Rownt but mostly I would describe this book as a prolonged epilogue showing Ondry and Liam's adventures in the few hundred years post Expedition, Estimation, and Other Dangerous Pastimes. It was sweet and just perfect!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
January 16, 2021
Love this collection of tales! And wow, there are so many small glimpses into lifes not only of Ondry and Liam but so many more. There is so much information packed into this book it makes your head spin and, I am sure of it, I will have to read it a couple of times to catch nuances I surely have missed reading it for the first time now.
This was an emotional rollercoaster ride. It was beautiful to "see" old friends again, forge new pathways, reconnect with people they never thought to would see again. It was also sad, while reading a short from Zach's life I came to REALLY realize that while I am reading this right now in this period of time, everyone we got to know in previous books as well as their children are dead now. Thinking about that fact and that he and Liam have hundreds of years of life ahead of them still put things in perspective.
And let me tell you, I feel for Liam, truely,
I really hope that this is not the end of the whole universe, I am still hoping for more books about the spaceship Wolf and its crew John and Tyce. I don't know if there will be future books about other adventures Liam and Odry embark on, maybe some that happened during the time period of the book Kensho. But if not they will live a happy and fullfilled life in my mind for ever and ever a life they both deserve!
This was an emotional rollercoaster ride. It was beautiful to "see" old friends again, forge new pathways, reconnect with people they never thought to would see again. It was also sad, while reading a short from Zach's life I came to REALLY realize that while I am reading this right now in this period of time, everyone we got to know in previous books as well as their children are dead now. Thinking about that fact and that he and Liam have hundreds of years of life ahead of them still put things in perspective.
And let me tell you, I feel for Liam, truely,
I really hope that this is not the end of the whole universe, I am still hoping for more books about the spaceship Wolf and its crew John and Tyce. I don't know if there will be future books about other adventures Liam and Odry embark on, maybe some that happened during the time period of the book Kensho. But if not they will live a happy and fullfilled life in my mind for ever and ever a life they both deserve!
January 18, 2023
Centuries of stories -- I've missed Liam and Ondry, of course, but it was wonderful to have a little bit of both Zach and Ama here, and meeting Liam's eggling? Beyond amazing!
July 16, 2025
It’s really rare - maybe never - that I’ll give five stars to a book that comes after a series, that’s loose ends and beautiful little love notes and treats to the fans of the series, but that doesn’t truly stand on its own. But it’s really rare - maybe never - that I’ve enjoyed a book like that as much as I enjoyed Kensho. This was so much more than I’d expected or hoped for. It wasn’t just a few new short stories and a bunch of fragments or recycled short stories. (Maybe it was, but everything in it was new to me - none of the shorts included at the end of the first book were repeated in this one and those were the only shorts I’ve read before this book). The shortest entry was a full short story, I think. And several entries were 4-6 full chapters long. This answered so many questions I had and so many more I didn’t know I had until I was reading. It was such a lovely wrap up to the series and I’m really glad I didn’t wait to read it. I can’t imagine rereading the Claimings series without rereading this book immediately after. And, even though it was short stories and theoretically I should have been able to put it aside…I kind of stayed up and finished it all in one go. The end date is different than the start dat only because I finished around 1:30 in the morning. Oops. But such a good oops.
August 25, 2021
And done!
This book basically just wraps up the universe with some short stories that give an extra bit of flavor to Liam and Ondry's world. I enjoyed the stories more so towards the beginning of the book and had less enjoyment for the stories towards the latter half, but overall not bad. Probably liked the end less because there was quite a bit about Liam and Ondry's eggling and I'm not much for children in books. Even alien children. :D;;; I also find it super ridiculous that
Also mostly interested in the one's that feature Liam and Ondry heavily, even if just peripherally, and even if the POV character is someone else. I maybe skimmed one or two short stories instead of actually reading them, haha.
This book basically just wraps up the universe with some short stories that give an extra bit of flavor to Liam and Ondry's world. I enjoyed the stories more so towards the beginning of the book and had less enjoyment for the stories towards the latter half, but overall not bad. Probably liked the end less because there was quite a bit about Liam and Ondry's eggling and I'm not much for children in books. Even alien children. :D;;; I also find it super ridiculous that
Also mostly interested in the one's that feature Liam and Ondry heavily, even if just peripherally, and even if the POV character is someone else. I maybe skimmed one or two short stories instead of actually reading them, haha.
April 13, 2021
If you love Liam and Ondry, this is a must-read. We get a few interesting stories thrown in without them, but most stories lead back to them or center around them. There is a definite continuity to these stories, and I read this in one (long) sitting and couldn’t put it down. I was hesitant because it was a book of stories, but it felt novel-like and I loved it.
Hundreds of years pass, but we leave the story with the perfect ending, knowing the love between Liam and Ondry is just as strong as it ever was. It was so comforting and wonderful to slip back into their world, and I hope the author lets us find our way back into their lives again.
Hundreds of years pass, but we leave the story with the perfect ending, knowing the love between Liam and Ondry is just as strong as it ever was. It was so comforting and wonderful to slip back into their world, and I hope the author lets us find our way back into their lives again.
April 5, 2021
A wonderful collection of shorts in the Claimings universe - including history such as the first Grandmother to see a spaceship, up through the next generation as our heroes’ son meets meets his own palteia. Plus, we learn more about Liam’s human family and his life with Ondry.
The previous full novel (book 4 I believe) was just ok. It made for a blah ending to this beloved series. I’m so glad this collection was published. With it, we can leave the series on a up note.
Not recommended for anyone who hasn’t read at least the first three books in the series. Awesome for fans.
The previous full novel (book 4 I believe) was just ok. It made for a blah ending to this beloved series. I’m so glad this collection was published. With it, we can leave the series on a up note.
Not recommended for anyone who hasn’t read at least the first three books in the series. Awesome for fans.
November 10, 2022
A highly satisfying short story collection that both added depth to the world building of the main novel series and continued the story of the main couple in lovely ways. Only minor complaint - not enough Ondry!
January 18, 2023
A series of short stories set in the Claimings universe - it felt like I was reading fanfiction on the series which was cool. My favourites were definitely the ones about Luke (Liam's brother) and Takil (Liam and Ondry's son).
January 22, 2023
Yes it’s pretty much like an extended epilogue. But it’s great to get to see some other events happen in the lives of our MCs and we get to see more of the rest of the world. But for most of the stories Ondry is missing and that was meh.
March 1, 2023
Warnings:
- a collection of several short stories
- not a romance
- majority of the stories, but not all, feature a gay character/protagonist
- one short mm sex scene at the end of the book (for those who enjoy the shenanigans in their books 😉)
- a collection of several short stories
- not a romance
- majority of the stories, but not all, feature a gay character/protagonist
- one short mm sex scene at the end of the book (for those who enjoy the shenanigans in their books 😉)
January 15, 2021
I love every single book that takes place in this universe Lyn Gala has created - it makes me so happy that these short stories exist, and I loved reading all of them!
January 25, 2021
I didn't remember the people from the Cy ship but it finally dawned on me. I enjoyed the stories.
February 23, 2021
Can’t get enough of this series, need to go and read the wolf ship story next to find out the backstory.
August 26, 2021
This series is gold!!!! I'm so happy i found it!
April 7, 2022
Nice to revisit Liam and Ondry - but book jumped around to much for my liking.
September 6, 2023
Very interesting if you liked the characters and world.
October 5, 2024
Fabulous set of shorts to read in order. This was basically a festival of world building and a monument to our characters' HEAs. I am literally bereft coming to the end of this series.
January 26, 2025
A few interesting stories, that would have worked better if developed in the previous novels.
June 26, 2025
It was so fun to read about Liam and Ondry in the future. Great epilogue to the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews