Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Playboy Tellan knows other races consider his people spoiled and arrogant, but he’s determined to put aside fine sheets and elegant meals in order to search for a mythical Domidian elixir for his ailing sister. He’s also smart enough to realize he’ll need help staying alive in the unsettled wastes of the Empty Quadrant.

Enter Jorant, an intimidating Atavaq who’s been genetically modified to be the perfect soldier. On the run from his past, Jorant accepts the task of protecting Tellan as they venture to a planet populated by tentacled monsters and space pirates. As they search for the potion, Jorant realizes his Domidian client isn’t as helpless as he’d assumed, and Tellan is intrigued every time the taciturn bodyguard speaks.

Will their unexpected attraction to each other survive the dangers threatening to destroy them?

Book Review

I do love a good quest story, and to find one set in the far future, involving exotic aliens and strange planets and all kinds of surprises, is a treat. Add in two men from species who are not quite at war but who have no love lost between them, men who are seemingly mismatched - a spoiled playboy and a hardened ex-soldier with secrets – but who need to work together for various reasons that only come to light as the story unfolds, and I was rubbing my hands in glee when I started this story. The story begins with action and a small mystery, soon followed by more inexplicable events, and didn’t let up. I am happy to recommend ‘The Essent Quest’ to anyone who likes a good adventure set in outer space. The developing romance is just the icing on the cake, but it is great icing! And in case you are interested in more adventures involving Atavaq and Domid, ‘Raider Captured’ (reviewed here), by the same author, is equally enthralling.

Tellan is a Domidian and may be an event promoter and experienced playboy who knows his way around luxury and rich, powerful people, but he is more than a little naïve where the “real world” of space exploration and surviving on somewhat hostile planets are concerned. His question “How are we supposed to navigate with no geosynchronous input? Who ever heard of planets without satellite webs?” says it all. It made me laugh, but it perfectly characterizes Tellan and his view of the universe. Despite his seeming reliance on super-civilized technology, he turns out to be far less useless than I suspected. His learning curve is steep, but there is a capable adventurer hidden inside all that sophistication.
 
Jorant is part of the Atavaq species, but he is a Creig – genetically manipulated to be the perfect soldier and in perpetual servitude to his Atavaq masters. His statement “He’d existed on muddy water and insect larvae before; anything actually made for consumption was a luxury.” gets right down to the truth about his expectations. He is quiet about his past, and having lost a group of men is a good reason for him to be in hiding. Losing a “master” is punishable by death for Creigs, but Jorant no longer follows the directives without question. As he spends more time in Tellan’s presence and learns that not everything he has been taught about the Domidians is true, Jorant begins to think for himself – and that includes considering a life different from what he used to have.
 
If you enjoy stories about aliens who start out with preconceptions, not to say as almost-enemies, only to learn there is a person behind the prejudice, if you like the idea of two men who are extremely unlikely companions thrown together and having to fight for survival, and if you’re looking for a read set in an interesting world and bursting with adventure, then you will probably like this novel. I certainly hope for more stories in this world!

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Loose Id for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novel
Heat Level
Publication Date	17-February-2016
Price	$4.99 ebook
Buy Link	http://www.loose-id.com/the-essent-quest.html