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Off-World
What really brought Taine to that backwater little world? Taine’s a hunter. He’s a red-skinned and black-eyed Lowman by nature, and a hunter by trade. Some hunters work in flesh, others in secrets, and some few work to set right what’s been set wrong. It’s a big galaxy and there’s always plenty of work for a hunter like Taine, so you got to wonder, what with all that at his feet, what really brought Taine to that backwater little world?
Off-World is a M/m science fiction action/adventure set in F/m dominated space. The story takes place in an arm of the galaxy where slavery (sexual and otherwise) is legal and commonplace. Strictly speaking, it is not a BDSM novel in that consent is not a matter of concern for the characters, but those with an interest in BDSM should enjoy the story. Due to explicit content, Off-World is not recommended to readers under eighteen years of age.
Off-World is a M/m science fiction action/adventure set in F/m dominated space. The story takes place in an arm of the galaxy where slavery (sexual and otherwise) is legal and commonplace. Strictly speaking, it is not a BDSM novel in that consent is not a matter of concern for the characters, but those with an interest in BDSM should enjoy the story. Due to explicit content, Off-World is not recommended to readers under eighteen years of age.
270 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 13, 2015
About the author
Jonah Bergan
6 books23 followersJonah Bergan is a freelance writer living in New England. His publishing credits include "Heathens," a post-apocalyptic young adult novel, "Off World," a Gay Scifi novel, "Letters From Home," a ten part serial, as well as multiple short stories, and a collection of anecdotal humor. He has also published MMORPG game reviews and content, hypnosis scripts, online user manuals, and advertising texts. Jonah is also host to the Sci-Fi Sunday feature which he operates from his blog.
Book Page HEATHENS: https://savetheworld4140.wordpress.com/
Social Media and Contact Information
Blog/Website: http://www.jonahbergan.com
Email Jonah directly at jonahbergan@gmail.com
Amazon Author Central: http://amazon.com/author/jonahbergan
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jonah.bergan
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BerganJonah
Book Page HEATHENS: https://savetheworld4140.wordpress.com/
Social Media and Contact Information
Blog/Website: http://www.jonahbergan.com
Email Jonah directly at jonahbergan@gmail.com
Amazon Author Central: http://amazon.com/author/jonahbergan
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jonah.bergan
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BerganJonah
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 12, 2017
Cross-posted at Shelf Inflicted and at Outlaw Reviews
I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read this, as I love science fiction that features well-developed nonhuman species that possess significantly different physical characteristics and psychological lives than their human counterparts. Even better if they have empathic abilities!
Taine is a Lowman hunter, a red-skinned, black-eyed alien referred to by the hicks who inhabit the backwater world he is traveling in as “redder” or “devil”. The story starts off with Taine’s purchase of a young, blond slave he names Sunshine. He later picks up an apprentice named Tanner, who is roughly 5 years older than Sunshine. The three men embark on an adventurous journey fraught with hazards. Even though Taine is big and strong, they are living in a female-dominated society where men are seen as inferior and slavery (sexual and manual labor) is legal and acceptable.
This is an ambitious, compelling tale that is cleanly written and edited, with sharp dialogue that helps move the story along smoothly, and an exploration of life in a repressive society, sex discrimination, slavery, and human/alien relationships that occasionally gets mired in wordiness.
Not only does Taine have awareness of life around him, he has the ability to penetrate and manipulate thoughts, and feed on a person’s “essence”. While this may leave a human exhausted, it will not cause them any harm. It is Taine who could be harmed be feeding, not knowing what darkness, complexities, or conflicts may reside in human minds.
While the first two-thirds of this story revolves around the three men, the last third introduces the dangerous and powerful witches who invade planets and enslave men, subjecting them to harsh mind control experiments. Taine’s struggle to shield himself from the witches’ influence and domination, and efforts to save the lives of Tanner and Sunshine was riveting, but I was disappointed that interesting minor female characters were given little page time. Many unanswered questions and certain unresolved plot elements beg for a sequel.
Overall, a worthwhile read.
*Book provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read this, as I love science fiction that features well-developed nonhuman species that possess significantly different physical characteristics and psychological lives than their human counterparts. Even better if they have empathic abilities!
Taine is a Lowman hunter, a red-skinned, black-eyed alien referred to by the hicks who inhabit the backwater world he is traveling in as “redder” or “devil”. The story starts off with Taine’s purchase of a young, blond slave he names Sunshine. He later picks up an apprentice named Tanner, who is roughly 5 years older than Sunshine. The three men embark on an adventurous journey fraught with hazards. Even though Taine is big and strong, they are living in a female-dominated society where men are seen as inferior and slavery (sexual and manual labor) is legal and acceptable.
This is an ambitious, compelling tale that is cleanly written and edited, with sharp dialogue that helps move the story along smoothly, and an exploration of life in a repressive society, sex discrimination, slavery, and human/alien relationships that occasionally gets mired in wordiness.
Not only does Taine have awareness of life around him, he has the ability to penetrate and manipulate thoughts, and feed on a person’s “essence”. While this may leave a human exhausted, it will not cause them any harm. It is Taine who could be harmed be feeding, not knowing what darkness, complexities, or conflicts may reside in human minds.
While the first two-thirds of this story revolves around the three men, the last third introduces the dangerous and powerful witches who invade planets and enslave men, subjecting them to harsh mind control experiments. Taine’s struggle to shield himself from the witches’ influence and domination, and efforts to save the lives of Tanner and Sunshine was riveting, but I was disappointed that interesting minor female characters were given little page time. Many unanswered questions and certain unresolved plot elements beg for a sequel.
Overall, a worthwhile read.
*Book provided by author in exchange for an honest review.
September 19, 2015
Omens are irritating like that, he thought, and somewhere deep inside he felt a glimmer of amusement at the thought
Taine, his slave, and his apprentice are trying to get off-world and need to reach his space craft. Obstacles or possibly omens seem to be placed in their way along the journey.
Off-World is an intriguing story about Taine, a Lowman hunter (a red skinned black eyed alien) who unexpectedly finds himself travelling on a small 'backwater' planet with two human companions. We meet Taine as he purchases a slave whom he names Sunshine, and later agrees to take on an apprentice as well.
Taine has empathic capabilities and uses his awareness to read emotions and enhance his hunting skills. He can sense what lifeforms are in the vicinity and can choose to 'push' or manipulate their thoughts.
What I particularly enjoyed was Taine's ability to sense emotion and his difficulty dealing with some of the more potent smells associated with them. I was also amused by his minor frustrations and in particular his irritation with humans needing to feed frequently (Taine's hunger is satisfied less frequently and sated by feeding on emotion).
There is a certain amount of rivalry between Sunshine and Taine's new apprentice Tanner. Tanner knows he has to get off the planet, but he is less than comfortable with the sexual relationship between Sunshine and his master. I guess I was expecting some romance and the story does not really develop that, and whilst there is some sex it is quite sparse. The story however is well paced and an interesting exploration of power and status on a beleaguered planet.
Tanner attempts to assert his authority and is met with passive resistance from Sunshine:
"Okay, sir," Sunshine said, that being what he said when he didn't agree but didn't want to make a problem for himself. He'd say "Okay sir," or Okay miss," rather than yes, when "yes" seemed to mean they were right, when maybe the weren't really, and okay seemed to mean that he would go along, and wouldn't be a bother, which of course was true enough.
There is subtle and understated humour as their adventure continues. The journey is unpredictable and as the three males continue their attempt to get off-world they gradually learn more about each other.
They skirt the danger of the Witches a female cult that has invaded this planet amongst others, and whose ideology seems to have limited tolerance of males, most of whom are enslaved in a truly chilling fashion.
Taine begins to suspect there may be more to Sunshine than he anticipated, and that the journey may not be entirely coincidental. There is a clever mix of different alien species and technologies, not always fully explained.The adventure is interlaced with genuinely dark elements that the reader uncovers along with the protagonists.
I found Off-World to be an imaginative and engaging sci-fi adventure where ideology, difference and cultural expectation is explored with flair and subtle humour.
I look forward to finding out what happens next and to discovering more about the roles and motivations of each of the characters as the adventure unfolds and the world building continues in future instalments. This story was satisfying as a standalone book but my interest has been captured by the imaginative tale and I am curious to learn more about the protagonists and the universe they inhabit.
** I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review **
August 31, 2015
Original Blog Post: Blog Tour, eARC Review, Excerpt & #Giveaway: Off World by Jonah Bergan
Review by: multitaskingmomma
My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
I am a fan of all things sci-fi but I am also a huge nerd for the Greek Gods . Strange isn't it, to refer to the mythological beings when reviewing a science fiction/fantasy novel? Truth is, I was reminded of those myths even when the setting is in a galaxy different from ours and involving advanced technology such as those we see in Star Trek and Star Wars. You can be sure that Star Gate is thrown into the mix as well. It is the interfering beings, though, that made me think Greek Mythology.
This is set in a time and space where the highly advanced beings guised themselves as gods and seemingly did not interfere with the lowly lifeforms they created or took a hand in developing. Seemingly for just like the gods, they interfered only when the world or universe was in trouble and so had to took a hand in fixing stuff. In the meantime, we see a galaxy dominated by a volatile and warlike female race who enslaved men for their pleasure, needs and service. These women remind me of the Amazons of old. Caught in the middle of it all is a slaver, Taine, a red skinned being much resembling the demons of legend. He buys a young man, Sunshine and gains an apprentice, Tanner. The relationship that develops between them is peppered with BDSM elements that are not BDSM per se because it is a cultural thing going on here and Taine is just doing his job.
This is a huge tale told and there are a lot of characters who come in and out of the story which could confuse the reader. However, I am quite used to this type of story telling because, again, I am used to the way myths are told. There are side characters who pop in and out because they are needed to pop in and get out as soon as they did their interference into the lives of these three men. The god-like beings are the main culprits here for they are interfering busybodies and prone to arguing with each other much like when the gods hold their meetings on Olympus.
There is action, speculation, violence and elements that may trigger some readers but these are all essential to the telling of the tale. However, once the epilogue closed, I wondered. There has to be a follow up to this story, there are a lot of things dropped that opened a Pandora's Box of questions and they would involve Taine specifically. Also, someone is not done with Taine so I am left even more curious.
Overall, if you like sci-fi and myth mashups, this is the right one for you. Written very well to open the imagination, the images that come to mind as the story unfolds can be quite intriguing and graphic.
Review by: multitaskingmomma
My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
I am a fan of all things sci-fi but I am also a huge nerd for the Greek Gods . Strange isn't it, to refer to the mythological beings when reviewing a science fiction/fantasy novel? Truth is, I was reminded of those myths even when the setting is in a galaxy different from ours and involving advanced technology such as those we see in Star Trek and Star Wars. You can be sure that Star Gate is thrown into the mix as well. It is the interfering beings, though, that made me think Greek Mythology.
This is set in a time and space where the highly advanced beings guised themselves as gods and seemingly did not interfere with the lowly lifeforms they created or took a hand in developing. Seemingly for just like the gods, they interfered only when the world or universe was in trouble and so had to took a hand in fixing stuff. In the meantime, we see a galaxy dominated by a volatile and warlike female race who enslaved men for their pleasure, needs and service. These women remind me of the Amazons of old. Caught in the middle of it all is a slaver, Taine, a red skinned being much resembling the demons of legend. He buys a young man, Sunshine and gains an apprentice, Tanner. The relationship that develops between them is peppered with BDSM elements that are not BDSM per se because it is a cultural thing going on here and Taine is just doing his job.
This is a huge tale told and there are a lot of characters who come in and out of the story which could confuse the reader. However, I am quite used to this type of story telling because, again, I am used to the way myths are told. There are side characters who pop in and out because they are needed to pop in and get out as soon as they did their interference into the lives of these three men. The god-like beings are the main culprits here for they are interfering busybodies and prone to arguing with each other much like when the gods hold their meetings on Olympus.
There is action, speculation, violence and elements that may trigger some readers but these are all essential to the telling of the tale. However, once the epilogue closed, I wondered. There has to be a follow up to this story, there are a lot of things dropped that opened a Pandora's Box of questions and they would involve Taine specifically. Also, someone is not done with Taine so I am left even more curious.
Overall, if you like sci-fi and myth mashups, this is the right one for you. Written very well to open the imagination, the images that come to mind as the story unfolds can be quite intriguing and graphic.
January 8, 2016
**Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free in exchange for an honest review.**
This story gets three out of five stars from me. One each for worldbuilding, premise, and the ending.
My initial impression of this story was that it was hard to follow. This was due to the prologue which seemed to have a very sketchy connection with most of the book. It wasn't until almost 3/4 of the way through the book that the prologue made sense. The initial character set up seemed a little shaky as well. It almost felt as if this was supposed to be the second book in a series. My other complaint is that there is too much POV changing. It was kind of hard to follow as you didn't know whose head you were from one sentence to the next. There was no break in between them. What was also detrimental, in my opinion, was the fact that we were headhopping through three people. I have never seen more than two and I think there is a reason. Other than a few circumstances, I don't think I've seen it done successfully. That being said, the characters themselves were hard to relate to as well.
Taine, what can I say about Taine? Taine seemed very self-centered and selfish. Even after he took charge of Sunshine and Tanner, it was all about what he wanted. It was like their thoughts and feelings were of no consequence to him. One instance comes to mind where Taine felt that things weren't going the way he wanted so he was going to just up and leave Tanner and Sunshine to fend for themselves. If he was so intent on protecting those boys, he would have never thought about abandoning them.
Sunshine felt like he was a hurried along character and just there to be pretty. His purpose in the story was poorly explained and even at the end, the reader had to work hard to understand why he was integral to the story. There was no ah-ha moment of why he was really there beyond him being Taine's plaything. I also dislike how the author skates over the mental and emotional impact of the long years of abuse that Sunshine suffered. I understand that this is sci-fi fantasy, but when the author classifies two of his characters as human and they seem to be Earth human (although that is never specified), you can't just dismiss issues because it doesn't "fit" with your story.
Tanner was the most relatable throughout most of the book. That said, for the last 1/3 of the book or so, he wasn't really likable at all. He seemed very selfish and didn't stop to think about the fact that Taine had a plan and knew what he was doing. His actions could have gotten them all killed. I suppose that was the author's point, however, the execution of the point was spotty. There really was no good explanation (that I could infer anyway) as to why Tanner's behavior changed.
The last 1/3 of the book was the most enjoyable as a whole though. If not for the fact that one of the terms of receiving the book, I had to read it in it's entirety, I would have never finished it. I'm glad to say I did because of the last part of it. Taine became more real and seemed like there was more thought put into his thoughts and actions during this chunk of the book. Taine became a representation of everything that his character was described to be from the beginning. The only sore spot on the ending was the epilogue. The epilogue seemed just thrown together and mentioned races of people that were never mentioned in the book. It made sense in a way that we sort of knew what was going on from hints throughout the book. However, it didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story. It felt like the author hurried up and threw it on there so that he could have an opening for a sequel.
With a little more work, this book could have easily been 4 to 5 stars.
This story gets three out of five stars from me. One each for worldbuilding, premise, and the ending.
My initial impression of this story was that it was hard to follow. This was due to the prologue which seemed to have a very sketchy connection with most of the book. It wasn't until almost 3/4 of the way through the book that the prologue made sense. The initial character set up seemed a little shaky as well. It almost felt as if this was supposed to be the second book in a series. My other complaint is that there is too much POV changing. It was kind of hard to follow as you didn't know whose head you were from one sentence to the next. There was no break in between them. What was also detrimental, in my opinion, was the fact that we were headhopping through three people. I have never seen more than two and I think there is a reason. Other than a few circumstances, I don't think I've seen it done successfully. That being said, the characters themselves were hard to relate to as well.
Taine, what can I say about Taine? Taine seemed very self-centered and selfish. Even after he took charge of Sunshine and Tanner, it was all about what he wanted. It was like their thoughts and feelings were of no consequence to him. One instance comes to mind where Taine felt that things weren't going the way he wanted so he was going to just up and leave Tanner and Sunshine to fend for themselves. If he was so intent on protecting those boys, he would have never thought about abandoning them.
Sunshine felt like he was a hurried along character and just there to be pretty. His purpose in the story was poorly explained and even at the end, the reader had to work hard to understand why he was integral to the story. There was no ah-ha moment of why he was really there beyond him being Taine's plaything. I also dislike how the author skates over the mental and emotional impact of the long years of abuse that Sunshine suffered. I understand that this is sci-fi fantasy, but when the author classifies two of his characters as human and they seem to be Earth human (although that is never specified), you can't just dismiss issues because it doesn't "fit" with your story.
Tanner was the most relatable throughout most of the book. That said, for the last 1/3 of the book or so, he wasn't really likable at all. He seemed very selfish and didn't stop to think about the fact that Taine had a plan and knew what he was doing. His actions could have gotten them all killed. I suppose that was the author's point, however, the execution of the point was spotty. There really was no good explanation (that I could infer anyway) as to why Tanner's behavior changed.
The last 1/3 of the book was the most enjoyable as a whole though. If not for the fact that one of the terms of receiving the book, I had to read it in it's entirety, I would have never finished it. I'm glad to say I did because of the last part of it. Taine became more real and seemed like there was more thought put into his thoughts and actions during this chunk of the book. Taine became a representation of everything that his character was described to be from the beginning. The only sore spot on the ending was the epilogue. The epilogue seemed just thrown together and mentioned races of people that were never mentioned in the book. It made sense in a way that we sort of knew what was going on from hints throughout the book. However, it didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story. It felt like the author hurried up and threw it on there so that he could have an opening for a sequel.
With a little more work, this book could have easily been 4 to 5 stars.
September 4, 2015
I had the pleasure to receive an advance copy of Jonah Bergan’s new MM sci fi book Off World. The cover of the book is gorgeous – it immediately made me interested in reading the story. The image of the main character is mysterious and gorgeous, and the planetary background promises a lush sci fi adventure. The story doesn’t disappoint.
Let me say up front that the book does include some semi graphic sex with a dominance theme. But one of the things I loved about it was that the sex was both secondary and integral to the science fiction plot.
The story starts out on the backwater world where Taine, a handsome alien slaver who’s something like an emotional vampire, is buying himself a male slave. It takes place against the backdrop of a planetary invasion by the Witches – a cult of women hell-bent on the enslavement of all men. The Witches are eerily reminiscent of Dune’s Bene Gesserit – powerful, cunning and dangerous.
Taine plans to get off world as quickly as he can with his prize, who he names Sunshine. But he ends up getting saddled with an apprentice named Tanner too. Poor Tanner is conflicted. On the one hand, he feels that he must be loyal to his new boss. But on the other hand, he doesn’t like “flits” – the book’s slang for gays.
The other thing I really liked about this book is the fact that it doesn’t go where you expect it to. It takes several twists and turns that I won’t get into here because that would be giving too much away, but it had me riveted to find out what was going to happen next and how it was all going to end, especially in the second half.
The characters are very well drawn and complex, especially Taine. He’s strong but vulnerable, powerful but sometimes blinded by his own passions and desires.
I’m always looking for LGBT speculative fiction that goes beyond romance, and Off World certainly delivers – there’s a romantic subplot here, but like the sex, it serves the needs of the overarching sci fi plot.
I really enjoyed the story, and the teaser at the end that promises a sequel. I just hope that Jonah has the next one already in the works.
I’m not using a star rating system as I think that’s too arbitrary. Instead I’ll highly recommend this book. Bergan manages to fuse LGBT fiction and sci fi in a very effective and pleasing way, so what are you waiting for? Go buy this book.
Let me say up front that the book does include some semi graphic sex with a dominance theme. But one of the things I loved about it was that the sex was both secondary and integral to the science fiction plot.
The story starts out on the backwater world where Taine, a handsome alien slaver who’s something like an emotional vampire, is buying himself a male slave. It takes place against the backdrop of a planetary invasion by the Witches – a cult of women hell-bent on the enslavement of all men. The Witches are eerily reminiscent of Dune’s Bene Gesserit – powerful, cunning and dangerous.
Taine plans to get off world as quickly as he can with his prize, who he names Sunshine. But he ends up getting saddled with an apprentice named Tanner too. Poor Tanner is conflicted. On the one hand, he feels that he must be loyal to his new boss. But on the other hand, he doesn’t like “flits” – the book’s slang for gays.
The other thing I really liked about this book is the fact that it doesn’t go where you expect it to. It takes several twists and turns that I won’t get into here because that would be giving too much away, but it had me riveted to find out what was going to happen next and how it was all going to end, especially in the second half.
The characters are very well drawn and complex, especially Taine. He’s strong but vulnerable, powerful but sometimes blinded by his own passions and desires.
I’m always looking for LGBT speculative fiction that goes beyond romance, and Off World certainly delivers – there’s a romantic subplot here, but like the sex, it serves the needs of the overarching sci fi plot.
I really enjoyed the story, and the teaser at the end that promises a sequel. I just hope that Jonah has the next one already in the works.
I’m not using a star rating system as I think that’s too arbitrary. Instead I’ll highly recommend this book. Bergan manages to fuse LGBT fiction and sci fi in a very effective and pleasing way, so what are you waiting for? Go buy this book.
July 13, 2016
I got this book for free in exchange for an honest review. I got it through the DBML program of The M/M Romance group at Goodreads.
I want to state clearly that this is Science fiction and not a romance as I was expecting. Good thing I like science fiction. I fear that Tanner, Taine's apprentice hunter was brought up learning that violence is the way to train a slave. Taine is a lowman also known as a redder he is on Tanner's planet trying to find slave that he can train to give off a purified life force that the Lowmen need to feed off of. Apparently from 16 to 18 year is the prime time for humans to be trained to do this. Taine acquires Sunshine, a slave who was used as a male whore and who is in his prime.
The title refers to the need to get off-world because the space war is getting close and it looks like the planet will be Destroyed. Many hardships and danger follow including a secret hidden bunker of the Sisterhood a religious order who is one side of the war. The Sisterhood have acquired a couple of artifacts from an ancient culture that makes it easier to enslave people and also make them emotionless.
The world building and culture is top rate and the writing is good. I am looking forward to the sequel.
I want to state clearly that this is Science fiction and not a romance as I was expecting. Good thing I like science fiction. I fear that Tanner, Taine's apprentice hunter was brought up learning that violence is the way to train a slave. Taine is a lowman also known as a redder he is on Tanner's planet trying to find slave that he can train to give off a purified life force that the Lowmen need to feed off of. Apparently from 16 to 18 year is the prime time for humans to be trained to do this. Taine acquires Sunshine, a slave who was used as a male whore and who is in his prime.
The title refers to the need to get off-world because the space war is getting close and it looks like the planet will be Destroyed. Many hardships and danger follow including a secret hidden bunker of the Sisterhood a religious order who is one side of the war. The Sisterhood have acquired a couple of artifacts from an ancient culture that makes it easier to enslave people and also make them emotionless.
The world building and culture is top rate and the writing is good. I am looking forward to the sequel.
May 26, 2016
There is no actual romance in this book, just m/m sex, seeing how a few of the characters are gay.
The first chapter, the prologue, is a true sci-fi/pirates/space battle.
The rest is a cross country trip from point A to point D, with a couple of detours via B and C and some backtracking. Taine, a devil-looking alien, is travelling with an apprentice and a slave. They have sex along the way, encounter mean locals, lose stuff and unravel an evil plot. The world is populated by humans and the planet itself is very Earth-like.
All in all it wasn't exactly bad, in parts it was good, but I had hard time with "divine providence". The book would have been better without it, even with Taine failing to keep track of his property.
The first chapter, the prologue, is a true sci-fi/pirates/space battle.
The rest is a cross country trip from point A to point D, with a couple of detours via B and C and some backtracking. Taine, a devil-looking alien, is travelling with an apprentice and a slave. They have sex along the way, encounter mean locals, lose stuff and unravel an evil plot. The world is populated by humans and the planet itself is very Earth-like.
All in all it wasn't exactly bad, in parts it was good, but I had hard time with "divine providence". The book would have been better without it, even with Taine failing to keep track of his property.
September 28, 2015
4.5 Stars
This book has given me a lot to think on. I didn't instantly connect with it, but to my surprise it still drew me into its world and mesmerized me with interesting characters, amazing worldbuilding, a complex mythology and an intriguing plot. Wil write a more detailed review in a bit, but for Sci-Fi/ Fantasy lovers this will be a reat choice.
This book has given me a lot to think on. I didn't instantly connect with it, but to my surprise it still drew me into its world and mesmerized me with interesting characters, amazing worldbuilding, a complex mythology and an intriguing plot. Wil write a more detailed review in a bit, but for Sci-Fi/ Fantasy lovers this will be a reat choice.
December 28, 2015
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This review will contain spoilers - don't read if you hate spoilers. ;)
I have to say wow. This book was completely different than what I would normally choose, however when I read the excerpt I knew I had to finish this story. I am so glad I was able to do that. I gave it five stars, it's more like 4.75 for me.
To start, I am going to skip the beginning of the book because its significance is not understood until the end of the book. But it is important so PAY ATTENTION to the beginning. I went back and read the beginning when I was done and it really cleared up a few things.
As the book summary states, Taine is a red skinned Lowman, which is his race. I am given the impression that his physical appearance is that of a human (with red skin), all the parts are the same. However where a human required physical food and other nourishment to sustain life, Taine requires the essence of a human, kind of their inner life. It does not hurt the human at all and they fully recover (the time it takes I think depends of the human and how much was "drunk.") Taine also has the ability to sense his surroundings - it's hard to explain - but he can feel other consciousness. Not just human, but any and all things in the universe. He can sense nature around him. He uses this ability as a survivors skill - to ensure his surrounding are safe or to determine how much peril he is in. Taine can also "push" ideas into other's minds. They have to be weaker of will and I think brain function for Taine to do this, but if he wanted to calm someone, he can mentally push them to do so. If he wants them to do something good/bad, he pushes that into them. He can reach into a person and feel them, their life, their feelings. It can be dangerous if he goes too far into the person.
I didn't understand exactly what Taine's business trade is, but for the purpose of this story, we find Taine on another planet discussing the purchase of a human boy - slave - from his uncle and aunt. Times are very harsh in this world and we learn that Sunshine, as the slave will be named, is being sold because his uncle needs the money to pay some debts. It is also revealed that the uncle has used Sunshine as a sex slave to get funds when he needs them, and has partaken of Sunshine's skills himself. Taine senses all this from the boy (and I think the uncle). It seems crude, but Taine inspects Sunshine as if he were a horse, making him strip and Taine gives him a very thorough exam - thorough, use your imagination folks. And here we learn through Taine's thoughts that Sunshine truly wants to leave this planet. He wants to be away from his uncle, away from the people in the bar, away. And Sunshine conveys this though making sure Taine knows Sunshine is ready and very, very eager and willing to be Taine's sex slave. Sunshine truly enjoys pleasuring men and of course gets his own pleasure from those encounters. Not all of the men he was sold to were bad. Sunshine - for all his sex slaving - has a naivety about him, an innocence that Taine is drawn to. The uncle and Taine haggle over Sunshine's price and Taine reluctantly agrees to a price because he just can't help himself; he finds that he has to have Sunshine.
Taine intends to send Sunshine to the Temple to be taught the ways of the Lowman. I believe it's so that Sunshine will be cleansed of all that has happened to him in his past, to free him from what his uncle has taught him and the men he had been sold to. This will make him a better - I'll say mate, but that's not really right because I think he would still be his slave - for Taine. However, before Taine leaves the planet to take Sunshine to Temple, Taine makes another stop a distance away and sees an old friend (complicated) at the house already purchasing twin male boys, about 18 yrs old or so. His old friend, she is human, is in the business of buying and then selling slaves, or really just any male for whatever purpose will earn her $. One thing that is really important to know about this story is that females are treated differently than males. The males are considered less than while the females are schooled by the witches (again, complicated). This is the reason why Sunshine was very popular as a sex slave because there were no females, and the men needing something - even if they hated Sunshine.
So Taine hears his old friend (Harris - forget her first name) talk to the twins mother who sold her kids, ensuring that they are being sold under the agreement that they will be kept together - not separated. Harris agrees and here Taine and Harris have a conversation about their past history together. I was never exactly clear on Taine and Harris's relationship, but there was another woman involved in their threesome which Harris seemed to have a sexual relationship. Harris either left because the other woman couldn't give her what she wanted, or because she felt the relationship just wasn't working as a whole. But it's important to remember the twins. After Taine and Harris speak, Harris takes off in her "space ship," (haha!), and Taine and Sunshine are there with the woman who sold her twins. Long story short, she has another son that she wants to protect. She manages to get Taine to agree to take Tanner as his apprentice. Not slave.
Taine, Sunshine and Tanner take off. Taine is riding a horse because he had been trying to seem more like the people during his transactions, not like Lowman with wealth. Sunshine and Tanner are walking. There is a great deal of internal dialogue with Taine in the whole book, and he is trying to understand what it is about Sunshine that he can't let go of. Sunshine is special, but he doesn't know why. We do learn why at the end of the book, never fear.
This is a very deep book, kind of philosophical in it's writing. There is a lot of questioning about what is right, for all the MC's.
The rest of the story deals with Taine, Sunshine and Tanner working their way to Taine's ship. There are many obstacles along the way that Taine has to deal with, one of them is Tanner's obsession yet revulsion with Sunshine. Tanner doesn't want to be a "flit" (gay) like Sunshine, but he can't help it sometimes how is body responds when he sees Taine and Sunshine going at it. There are some hot scenes but the book isn't about that really, but the theme of power in sex is a big part of it.
Cutting ahead, Taine, Sunshine and Tanner are looking for the horse that wandered away and they follow it's trail to a house like farm. Taine tells Sunshine and Tanner to stay put while Taine goes off to "sense" the area. It feels off to him and he tries to understand why that it. He feels something not quite right. However, Tanner doesn't understand Taine's hesitance and uses Sunshine's collar and rope to lead him to the house, thinking they can easily ask for the horse back and Taine's saddlebags which contain necessary travel documents. If it were not for those documents, Taine would have left without the horse. Unbeknownst to Tanner, the house is not really a house. Witches live there, and a very bad one indeed. She also has the ability to push thoughts and feelings into another, but it's different from Taine because they are not of the same species. The witch is able to get into Tanners mind and twist his thoughts and actions. He abuses poor Sunshine and Sunshine knows something is wrong and doesn't blame Tanner. The witch through trickery is able to get a collar - caul - on Tanner. This is like a mind numbing machine. It takes one's thoughts and repeats them over and over, etc... It's like a bombardment of thoughts and memories that will eventually drive the wearer of the caul insane and if it were to be removed, the person would be unable to function. Thankfully Tanner doesn't wear it nearly long enough for that to happen, but he is mentally aware of what's going on while being forced to do things by the witch to Sunshine that he doesn't want to do. It messes with him.
Taine has seen Tanner and Sunshine and knows they are in danger. He has seen another man on the farm with this caul and was able to briefly sense the man's inner turmoil. He knows the situation is so terribly not good. The sequence of events is very complicated and hard to explain, but suffice it to say, Taine comes to realize what he must to do save himself, his boys and any others who can be saved from the witches.
Skipping ahead, Taine is able to kill the head witch and free his boys. The twins that were mentioned earlier are their too, as well as Harris - she sold the witch the twins (they were needed for the witches nefarious plan, but Harris didn't know that). The beginning of the book starts with a man looking for a crew to steal valuable "treasure" from a witches ship, which will be going unescorted. There is a precious cargo onboard the man wants, and he finds a way in through Jimmy, a crew member on another ship, and the CAPT's once sex partner, now rejected. Jimmy is with another crew member now and he is being taught about the navigation of the ship, etc... His thoughts are about how his knew "master" is nice and kind and wants the best for him, but he can't stop thinking about how to get back with the CAPT. The CAPT shows his thanks to Jimmy for bringing them this special job, promising him some time - alone - wink, wink. What we don't realize at the beginning of this book is that the witches have a plan, and when they are set upon by Jimmy's ship, they send aboard a secret weapon. I have to assume the witch uses her mental ability to push thoughts. The caul is used on the men, and I don't know if it's the CAPT or Jimmy's new master, but we see one of them at the witches house at the end of the book. Taine takes a message to pass to Jimmy (as a kindness) and kills the man because he is greatly suffering bc of the witches.
Harris helps Taine kill the witches at the end of the book and they take off in her ship. They don't leave the planet though. There is an epilogue - read it!!! It answers A LOT about this book. Trust me, I was like, whoa!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you enjoy books that make you think, and feel, and wonder, this is the book for you. It is a science fiction book because of the Lowman, and the special abilities people have, but the sciency aspect isn't something to worry about. I was able to read this book and not think about it as a science fiction. Taine's red skin isn't a real factor as far as the readability of the story.
It was well written and gave me pause - the story line that is, it makes one think. Good characters, excellent story, well executed. I am given the impression the story could continue in future books, but think the story is very complete without more. I would like to read more to see if the "good" team wins.
The description of the characters and their thoughts, the planet, just very well done. And the title - tricky, tricky. It's not so much that they are trying to get off the world, they are, but it's an OFF world, that world is off, strange, their is something about it kind off. Enjoy!
This review will contain spoilers - don't read if you hate spoilers. ;)
I have to say wow. This book was completely different than what I would normally choose, however when I read the excerpt I knew I had to finish this story. I am so glad I was able to do that. I gave it five stars, it's more like 4.75 for me.
To start, I am going to skip the beginning of the book because its significance is not understood until the end of the book. But it is important so PAY ATTENTION to the beginning. I went back and read the beginning when I was done and it really cleared up a few things.
As the book summary states, Taine is a red skinned Lowman, which is his race. I am given the impression that his physical appearance is that of a human (with red skin), all the parts are the same. However where a human required physical food and other nourishment to sustain life, Taine requires the essence of a human, kind of their inner life. It does not hurt the human at all and they fully recover (the time it takes I think depends of the human and how much was "drunk.") Taine also has the ability to sense his surroundings - it's hard to explain - but he can feel other consciousness. Not just human, but any and all things in the universe. He can sense nature around him. He uses this ability as a survivors skill - to ensure his surrounding are safe or to determine how much peril he is in. Taine can also "push" ideas into other's minds. They have to be weaker of will and I think brain function for Taine to do this, but if he wanted to calm someone, he can mentally push them to do so. If he wants them to do something good/bad, he pushes that into them. He can reach into a person and feel them, their life, their feelings. It can be dangerous if he goes too far into the person.
I didn't understand exactly what Taine's business trade is, but for the purpose of this story, we find Taine on another planet discussing the purchase of a human boy - slave - from his uncle and aunt. Times are very harsh in this world and we learn that Sunshine, as the slave will be named, is being sold because his uncle needs the money to pay some debts. It is also revealed that the uncle has used Sunshine as a sex slave to get funds when he needs them, and has partaken of Sunshine's skills himself. Taine senses all this from the boy (and I think the uncle). It seems crude, but Taine inspects Sunshine as if he were a horse, making him strip and Taine gives him a very thorough exam - thorough, use your imagination folks. And here we learn through Taine's thoughts that Sunshine truly wants to leave this planet. He wants to be away from his uncle, away from the people in the bar, away. And Sunshine conveys this though making sure Taine knows Sunshine is ready and very, very eager and willing to be Taine's sex slave. Sunshine truly enjoys pleasuring men and of course gets his own pleasure from those encounters. Not all of the men he was sold to were bad. Sunshine - for all his sex slaving - has a naivety about him, an innocence that Taine is drawn to. The uncle and Taine haggle over Sunshine's price and Taine reluctantly agrees to a price because he just can't help himself; he finds that he has to have Sunshine.
Taine intends to send Sunshine to the Temple to be taught the ways of the Lowman. I believe it's so that Sunshine will be cleansed of all that has happened to him in his past, to free him from what his uncle has taught him and the men he had been sold to. This will make him a better - I'll say mate, but that's not really right because I think he would still be his slave - for Taine. However, before Taine leaves the planet to take Sunshine to Temple, Taine makes another stop a distance away and sees an old friend (complicated) at the house already purchasing twin male boys, about 18 yrs old or so. His old friend, she is human, is in the business of buying and then selling slaves, or really just any male for whatever purpose will earn her $. One thing that is really important to know about this story is that females are treated differently than males. The males are considered less than while the females are schooled by the witches (again, complicated). This is the reason why Sunshine was very popular as a sex slave because there were no females, and the men needing something - even if they hated Sunshine.
So Taine hears his old friend (Harris - forget her first name) talk to the twins mother who sold her kids, ensuring that they are being sold under the agreement that they will be kept together - not separated. Harris agrees and here Taine and Harris have a conversation about their past history together. I was never exactly clear on Taine and Harris's relationship, but there was another woman involved in their threesome which Harris seemed to have a sexual relationship. Harris either left because the other woman couldn't give her what she wanted, or because she felt the relationship just wasn't working as a whole. But it's important to remember the twins. After Taine and Harris speak, Harris takes off in her "space ship," (haha!), and Taine and Sunshine are there with the woman who sold her twins. Long story short, she has another son that she wants to protect. She manages to get Taine to agree to take Tanner as his apprentice. Not slave.
Taine, Sunshine and Tanner take off. Taine is riding a horse because he had been trying to seem more like the people during his transactions, not like Lowman with wealth. Sunshine and Tanner are walking. There is a great deal of internal dialogue with Taine in the whole book, and he is trying to understand what it is about Sunshine that he can't let go of. Sunshine is special, but he doesn't know why. We do learn why at the end of the book, never fear.
This is a very deep book, kind of philosophical in it's writing. There is a lot of questioning about what is right, for all the MC's.
The rest of the story deals with Taine, Sunshine and Tanner working their way to Taine's ship. There are many obstacles along the way that Taine has to deal with, one of them is Tanner's obsession yet revulsion with Sunshine. Tanner doesn't want to be a "flit" (gay) like Sunshine, but he can't help it sometimes how is body responds when he sees Taine and Sunshine going at it. There are some hot scenes but the book isn't about that really, but the theme of power in sex is a big part of it.
Cutting ahead, Taine, Sunshine and Tanner are looking for the horse that wandered away and they follow it's trail to a house like farm. Taine tells Sunshine and Tanner to stay put while Taine goes off to "sense" the area. It feels off to him and he tries to understand why that it. He feels something not quite right. However, Tanner doesn't understand Taine's hesitance and uses Sunshine's collar and rope to lead him to the house, thinking they can easily ask for the horse back and Taine's saddlebags which contain necessary travel documents. If it were not for those documents, Taine would have left without the horse. Unbeknownst to Tanner, the house is not really a house. Witches live there, and a very bad one indeed. She also has the ability to push thoughts and feelings into another, but it's different from Taine because they are not of the same species. The witch is able to get into Tanners mind and twist his thoughts and actions. He abuses poor Sunshine and Sunshine knows something is wrong and doesn't blame Tanner. The witch through trickery is able to get a collar - caul - on Tanner. This is like a mind numbing machine. It takes one's thoughts and repeats them over and over, etc... It's like a bombardment of thoughts and memories that will eventually drive the wearer of the caul insane and if it were to be removed, the person would be unable to function. Thankfully Tanner doesn't wear it nearly long enough for that to happen, but he is mentally aware of what's going on while being forced to do things by the witch to Sunshine that he doesn't want to do. It messes with him.
Taine has seen Tanner and Sunshine and knows they are in danger. He has seen another man on the farm with this caul and was able to briefly sense the man's inner turmoil. He knows the situation is so terribly not good. The sequence of events is very complicated and hard to explain, but suffice it to say, Taine comes to realize what he must to do save himself, his boys and any others who can be saved from the witches.
Skipping ahead, Taine is able to kill the head witch and free his boys. The twins that were mentioned earlier are their too, as well as Harris - she sold the witch the twins (they were needed for the witches nefarious plan, but Harris didn't know that). The beginning of the book starts with a man looking for a crew to steal valuable "treasure" from a witches ship, which will be going unescorted. There is a precious cargo onboard the man wants, and he finds a way in through Jimmy, a crew member on another ship, and the CAPT's once sex partner, now rejected. Jimmy is with another crew member now and he is being taught about the navigation of the ship, etc... His thoughts are about how his knew "master" is nice and kind and wants the best for him, but he can't stop thinking about how to get back with the CAPT. The CAPT shows his thanks to Jimmy for bringing them this special job, promising him some time - alone - wink, wink. What we don't realize at the beginning of this book is that the witches have a plan, and when they are set upon by Jimmy's ship, they send aboard a secret weapon. I have to assume the witch uses her mental ability to push thoughts. The caul is used on the men, and I don't know if it's the CAPT or Jimmy's new master, but we see one of them at the witches house at the end of the book. Taine takes a message to pass to Jimmy (as a kindness) and kills the man because he is greatly suffering bc of the witches.
Harris helps Taine kill the witches at the end of the book and they take off in her ship. They don't leave the planet though. There is an epilogue - read it!!! It answers A LOT about this book. Trust me, I was like, whoa!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you enjoy books that make you think, and feel, and wonder, this is the book for you. It is a science fiction book because of the Lowman, and the special abilities people have, but the sciency aspect isn't something to worry about. I was able to read this book and not think about it as a science fiction. Taine's red skin isn't a real factor as far as the readability of the story.
It was well written and gave me pause - the story line that is, it makes one think. Good characters, excellent story, well executed. I am given the impression the story could continue in future books, but think the story is very complete without more. I would like to read more to see if the "good" team wins.
The description of the characters and their thoughts, the planet, just very well done. And the title - tricky, tricky. It's not so much that they are trying to get off the world, they are, but it's an OFF world, that world is off, strange, their is something about it kind off. Enjoy!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2015
Original review on Molly Lolly
Four stars!
This is a book I truly struggled with how to review. It doesn’t happen often and it’s usually because my expectations of a book were not on par with what the book was. That’s the case with this book and I think if I had realized I was completely wrong in my expectations before I began reading, I would have enjoyed it more. But I did still wind up enjoying the story once I was able to switch my expectations.
Four stars!
This is a book I truly struggled with how to review. It doesn’t happen often and it’s usually because my expectations of a book were not on par with what the book was. That’s the case with this book and I think if I had realized I was completely wrong in my expectations before I began reading, I would have enjoyed it more. But I did still wind up enjoying the story once I was able to switch my expectations.
August 22, 2015
I’m going to start out by saying, had I not talked with Jonah or been asked to read this for a review I might have overlooked this book in my coming and goings. It’s not typical of what I read. I am not a HUGE sci-fi fan. Minus my love of Star Wars and Star Trek. But usually I bypass reading sci-fi books. So, that said… I’m glad Jonah messaged me that day and that I gave this book a go. It’s good to step out of your comfort zone.
Now, this book. I’ll say this, it’s not for the prim and proper. It’s not for those who long for fluff, rainbows, glitter and unicorns. This book is grungy, rough, gritty, and bold. Taine, the red skinned alien who is also a slaver, is the MC in this. Along with Sunshine, his newly acquired slave, and Tanner, his apprentice. But I really felt like Taine owned this book.
Taine represents a lot of what society (In our world and time) is. He’s “different” And yeah you kinda should fear him, I felt he was absolutely misunderstood by so many. In actuality he’s not very different at all. When he interacts with Sunshine and Tanner you see the layers to him and it’s quite fascinating.
There are a lot of pov head hopping moments I wasn’t too fond of. I usually don’t favor anything with more than 2 povs. I did have to figure out from time to time whose head we were in. But it did come together and all was right with the world.
From a technical standpoint, it’s a very well written, suspenseful, thrilling book. It’s a rough read in a lot of parts (Sunshine’s backstory etc…) The BDSM elements were portrayed well and with s certain amount of respect. It’s NOT of this world. I feel that needs to be said because I can see how people could get offended by a book of this nature. Be open-minded.
There are a lot of emotions to this book as well. You will laugh and cry and be quite mad and frustrated. But that’s okay, you’re supposed to be lol.
Jonah Bergan has a serious creative streak and I very much look forward to exploring more of his work.
Now, this book. I’ll say this, it’s not for the prim and proper. It’s not for those who long for fluff, rainbows, glitter and unicorns. This book is grungy, rough, gritty, and bold. Taine, the red skinned alien who is also a slaver, is the MC in this. Along with Sunshine, his newly acquired slave, and Tanner, his apprentice. But I really felt like Taine owned this book.
Taine represents a lot of what society (In our world and time) is. He’s “different” And yeah you kinda should fear him, I felt he was absolutely misunderstood by so many. In actuality he’s not very different at all. When he interacts with Sunshine and Tanner you see the layers to him and it’s quite fascinating.
There are a lot of pov head hopping moments I wasn’t too fond of. I usually don’t favor anything with more than 2 povs. I did have to figure out from time to time whose head we were in. But it did come together and all was right with the world.
From a technical standpoint, it’s a very well written, suspenseful, thrilling book. It’s a rough read in a lot of parts (Sunshine’s backstory etc…) The BDSM elements were portrayed well and with s certain amount of respect. It’s NOT of this world. I feel that needs to be said because I can see how people could get offended by a book of this nature. Be open-minded.
There are a lot of emotions to this book as well. You will laugh and cry and be quite mad and frustrated. But that’s okay, you’re supposed to be lol.
Jonah Bergan has a serious creative streak and I very much look forward to exploring more of his work.
September 30, 2015
Review also posted on http://www.wodfreview.com
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED THIS!!!! Sci-fi at its finest, but please tell me there is going to be more. I don’t feel the ending was enough of an ending and I want MORE!!!! I could not put this story down! It’s adventurous – it had me on the edge of my seat – and it’s weird – as good sci-fi should be – it’s also full of angst it had me near tears a lot and of course the characters were out of this world, in more ways than one.
In the blurb I was given there is a BDSM tag but I never felt any of what went on was BDSM. There is a master/slave ownership thing, complete with collars and leashes but in the world where the story takes place this is how things are. The main characters didn’t follow the usual rules of ‘normal’ BDSM stories so don’t be put off if BDSM isn’t something you read.
There isn’t a romance but there is love story of sorts even if the characters don’t know it. The relationship between Taine and Sunshine made me smile, Sunshine is the sweetest character but I have a feeling there is a lot more to him. And poor Tanner, he’s a work in progress he’s not really ‘sweet’ but I loved him all the same. As for Taine, well, I’m not sure what to think of him. One minute he’s terrifying when it came to protecting what’s his and the next he’s this big ball of mush when he’s watching Tanner and Sunshine together.
I think the author did an excellent job with this complex story there is so much to it but I was never lost or confused. The writing is smooth, the pacing is perfect and the descriptions were so well done they had the story playing out in my head like a movie. I have one tiny little complaint and that’s there wasn’t enough, I WANT MORE!!.... I think I’ve said that already!
January 6, 2016
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you M. Bergan for offering up your story.
In my opinion, this book is one of those that may not leave indifferent: we like it or we are unable to enter into the world created by the author. It is very well written, the world in which the characters evolve is well thought-out, different from ours but not too destabilizing. The characters have a strong and complex personality and so are interesting.
This book is not to strictly speaking an M/M romance but a science fiction book based on many reflections on the part of the various characters. Taine is shared between what he is and what he would like to be, he is going to take some unfortunate decisions (or not) that will trigger various chain reactions. Sunshine while being a simple slave seems to have more common sense as it seems at first. Tanner has some difficulties to find his right place as an apprentice between his master and Taine’s slave: he is not a slave (or a flit as he repeats very often) that he despises but would also play the role of the master.
The author takes us on a journey in the company of these three characters (and a few others): their goal is to leave this world that will soon be the focus of a war. But many contretemps will delay continually... This is what I didn't like in this book, this long journey (almost) endless, with so many obstacles. I would also like to know what would be the fate of the three main characters after they left this world. But perhaps the author intend to write a sequel to this book that will answer to all my questions?
In my opinion, this book is one of those that may not leave indifferent: we like it or we are unable to enter into the world created by the author. It is very well written, the world in which the characters evolve is well thought-out, different from ours but not too destabilizing. The characters have a strong and complex personality and so are interesting.
This book is not to strictly speaking an M/M romance but a science fiction book based on many reflections on the part of the various characters. Taine is shared between what he is and what he would like to be, he is going to take some unfortunate decisions (or not) that will trigger various chain reactions. Sunshine while being a simple slave seems to have more common sense as it seems at first. Tanner has some difficulties to find his right place as an apprentice between his master and Taine’s slave: he is not a slave (or a flit as he repeats very often) that he despises but would also play the role of the master.
The author takes us on a journey in the company of these three characters (and a few others): their goal is to leave this world that will soon be the focus of a war. But many contretemps will delay continually... This is what I didn't like in this book, this long journey (almost) endless, with so many obstacles. I would also like to know what would be the fate of the three main characters after they left this world. But perhaps the author intend to write a sequel to this book that will answer to all my questions?
December 26, 2015
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
Taine is a redder or better known as a Lowman. He feeds off emotions and is actually on world buying a human/slave? to take off world but in the process get more than he bargains for.
For the longest time, we don't really know what Taine is doing and what his reason for picking up Sunshine is. Just that this might have been a way to amend a wrong that might have occurred between him and someone named Shilandra.
Let's just say anything and everything that could have gone wrong does go wrong on Taine's trip on this current planet. He gets added baggage in the form of Tanner, another human that he takes as an apprentice. He tries to keep his cool as Sunshine invokes different feelings and experiences in him. He misplaces and loses items but as his journey progress, readers learn there was more to Taine being on the planet than even Taine knew.
I felt sadness for Sunshine, I hated Tanner a bit for how close-minded he was and frustrated over his denial. Taine was just one huge mystery but by the end I was feeling sorry for him too. I do have to admit getting all the in depth background and feelings from the characters helped to mitigate some of the negative feelings I had toward the characters.
Shilandra's hand in everything was a big betrayal. Even though we didn't get to know her so well and she was barely mentioned I still felt betrayed for Taine. The witch (Elena) and her caul was cruel and interesting. Her plans involving Taine added a much needed injection of intrigue.
Taine is a redder or better known as a Lowman. He feeds off emotions and is actually on world buying a human/slave? to take off world but in the process get more than he bargains for.
For the longest time, we don't really know what Taine is doing and what his reason for picking up Sunshine is. Just that this might have been a way to amend a wrong that might have occurred between him and someone named Shilandra.
Let's just say anything and everything that could have gone wrong does go wrong on Taine's trip on this current planet. He gets added baggage in the form of Tanner, another human that he takes as an apprentice. He tries to keep his cool as Sunshine invokes different feelings and experiences in him. He misplaces and loses items but as his journey progress, readers learn there was more to Taine being on the planet than even Taine knew.
I felt sadness for Sunshine, I hated Tanner a bit for how close-minded he was and frustrated over his denial. Taine was just one huge mystery but by the end I was feeling sorry for him too. I do have to admit getting all the in depth background and feelings from the characters helped to mitigate some of the negative feelings I had toward the characters.
Shilandra's hand in everything was a big betrayal. Even though we didn't get to know her so well and she was barely mentioned I still felt betrayed for Taine. The witch (Elena) and her caul was cruel and interesting. Her plans involving Taine added a much needed injection of intrigue.
January 4, 2016
I was given a free copy of this book for an honest review.
Let's begin with the fact that the book summary really did not reveal this book at all. Off-World was out of this world...literally. The beginning made me scratch my head until I got further into the book, then it made sense. This book takes you on a sci-fi adventure of many worlds and species. The writing was wonderful. Jonah Bergan did an excellent job of taking me on a journey and evoked multiple emotions (anger, sadness, joy, and I chuckled a few times). This book has depth and makes you think and wonder. You don't just read the words in Off-World; you really start to question what you would do or your thought process. Really this book is more of a self-reflection for many characters in the middle of a huge war. The book is so deep into reflection that the typical idea of a romance story does not apply. Just like it was mentioned in the book, you have to step back to see the full picture. I really enjoyed reading this story and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a book that really makes you think. Thanks for the great read and having more of an experience than just reading words on a page. This book touched mind, body, and soul.
Let's begin with the fact that the book summary really did not reveal this book at all. Off-World was out of this world...literally. The beginning made me scratch my head until I got further into the book, then it made sense. This book takes you on a sci-fi adventure of many worlds and species. The writing was wonderful. Jonah Bergan did an excellent job of taking me on a journey and evoked multiple emotions (anger, sadness, joy, and I chuckled a few times). This book has depth and makes you think and wonder. You don't just read the words in Off-World; you really start to question what you would do or your thought process. Really this book is more of a self-reflection for many characters in the middle of a huge war. The book is so deep into reflection that the typical idea of a romance story does not apply. Just like it was mentioned in the book, you have to step back to see the full picture. I really enjoyed reading this story and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys a book that really makes you think. Thanks for the great read and having more of an experience than just reading words on a page. This book touched mind, body, and soul.
September 23, 2015
I am a huge fan of science fiction and I love to see it explored in a gay romance setting. The world Jonah Bergan portrays is one of backwards worlds where buying slaves is perfectly okay, one in the brink of war with powerful forces coming together to tear it apart. Lowman Taine is on a run to find new slaves to buy and train, and while he finds a perfectly good one in Sunshine, he's somehow regaled with a hunter apprentice as well.
As the three men try to make their way out of the dreaded planet, new obstacles meet them and expose their pasts, their new found weaknesses, and hint of secrets yet to be completely revealed. Strangely pulled to one another, they have to slowly progress on their journey to safety. It seems easier than it actually is, with important pieces of equipment always getting lost, and unplanned enemies coming out of nowhere.
The setting, the factions plotting and planning for or against the future or the universe, the interaction of the less advanced world dwellers with the devilish-looking Lowman, the complicated details of the hunter's feeding and the secrets of his home world, they are all mixed with past wounds and hopes for the future. Off World is a compelling story that kept making me want to read yet another page, till I reached the end. Great read for science fiction lovers!
As the three men try to make their way out of the dreaded planet, new obstacles meet them and expose their pasts, their new found weaknesses, and hint of secrets yet to be completely revealed. Strangely pulled to one another, they have to slowly progress on their journey to safety. It seems easier than it actually is, with important pieces of equipment always getting lost, and unplanned enemies coming out of nowhere.
The setting, the factions plotting and planning for or against the future or the universe, the interaction of the less advanced world dwellers with the devilish-looking Lowman, the complicated details of the hunter's feeding and the secrets of his home world, they are all mixed with past wounds and hopes for the future. Off World is a compelling story that kept making me want to read yet another page, till I reached the end. Great read for science fiction lovers!
December 24, 2015
This book has been given to me for free in exchange fo an honest review.
The world setting of this book was a little confusing to me. I understood why one of the main characters, Sunshine, was sold into slavery (because his uncle was using him to pay his debts), but I didn't understand why others were. Why did the mother sell her twins to someone she wasn't sure of when she didn't have to? For me all the players of this world weren't described enough to give me a full picture.
Taine, the hunter, seemed so unsure of what he was doing from one moment to the next he just made me frustrated. Why did Taine change directions to by pass humans when he could just manipulate them? It just made his trip twice as long . Tanner, who is the older brother to to the twins, was sent by his mother to become an apprentice to Taine. But He had so many problems, I didn't know if I wanted to root for him or not. Sunshine, the boy who had been abused so bad by his uncle, seemed to be the most sane of them all.
The only character I really liked was Harris, a human female hunter, and she was a side character that I'm sure will play a more major role in a future story.
The author brings in several different beings at the end to widen the parameters of this world, but for me It didn't do enough.
The world setting of this book was a little confusing to me. I understood why one of the main characters, Sunshine, was sold into slavery (because his uncle was using him to pay his debts), but I didn't understand why others were. Why did the mother sell her twins to someone she wasn't sure of when she didn't have to? For me all the players of this world weren't described enough to give me a full picture.
Taine, the hunter, seemed so unsure of what he was doing from one moment to the next he just made me frustrated. Why did Taine change directions to by pass humans when he could just manipulate them? It just made his trip twice as long . Tanner, who is the older brother to to the twins, was sent by his mother to become an apprentice to Taine. But He had so many problems, I didn't know if I wanted to root for him or not. Sunshine, the boy who had been abused so bad by his uncle, seemed to be the most sane of them all.
The only character I really liked was Harris, a human female hunter, and she was a side character that I'm sure will play a more major role in a future story.
The author brings in several different beings at the end to widen the parameters of this world, but for me It didn't do enough.
March 21, 2016
Copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review through the DBML thread of the M/M Romance group here at Goodreads.
Off- World surprised me again and again in the best of ways. I really am a sci-fi/ dystopia fan and I wasn't let down by this book. I really liked the fact that I was in the dark about all the going-ons as the characters themselves and found myself surprised, embossed and relieved alongside them. Nothing is what it seems in this world. The narration comes from several points of view -Taine's gets the liox machina n's share- and since emotions play a key role in a really unsual way here, it makes for a very unique reading experience. At times I thought Taine was a serial victim of Murphy's law, but the seemingly endless setbacks he suffered pushed the story forward and all the characters to lose and find themselves again and me - the reader - unable to put he book down. It's an adventure, not a romance really, but love becomes the catalyst in a roundabout way. I would really love to see a sequel, I thing the ground is set by the author for another book (or maybe it's wistful thinking ) and it is a really interesting universe he created not to be visited again.
Off- World surprised me again and again in the best of ways. I really am a sci-fi/ dystopia fan and I wasn't let down by this book. I really liked the fact that I was in the dark about all the going-ons as the characters themselves and found myself surprised, embossed and relieved alongside them. Nothing is what it seems in this world. The narration comes from several points of view -Taine's gets the liox machina n's share- and since emotions play a key role in a really unsual way here, it makes for a very unique reading experience. At times I thought Taine was a serial victim of Murphy's law, but the seemingly endless setbacks he suffered pushed the story forward and all the characters to lose and find themselves again and me - the reader - unable to put he book down. It's an adventure, not a romance really, but love becomes the catalyst in a roundabout way. I would really love to see a sequel, I thing the ground is set by the author for another book (or maybe it's wistful thinking ) and it is a really interesting universe he created not to be visited again.
January 7, 2016
Really conflicted. This started off with a really interesting premise. Taine kind of reminded me of Ondry just a tiny bit. I was really enjoying the growing dynamic between Taine and his new slave Sunshine and apprentice. Honestly, I would have preferred the story to have just focused on them and him learning to care for humans. I wanted to learn more about his alien species, the Lowmen. But then the second half focused on this rather bizarre and weird plot of female witches focusing on world-domination and enslaving of men. I really didn't appreciate having to read the POVs of these witches- their whole monologues and the way they talked was frankly, very lame. In fact, this whole premise reminded me of Out of the Woods, which I felt was done a little better. So, I'm disappointed. I was all ready to rate this four stars. I'd still like to read more about Taine and Sunshine and Tanner though, and I hope future stories revolve more around them.
September 21, 2015
Copy graciously provided by InkedRainbowReads.
4 Captivating Stars!!
This is my first time reading Jonah Bergan and it was a very interesting and captivating story. I sometimes like to venture out of my regular genre of romantic M/M. And, this story did have some heart, along with the SciFi theme.
There is a warning with the story about some of the intimate encounters but I didn't find them offensive. They were well-written and didn't feel brutal. It fit with the story.
I enjoyed this adventure with the main characters Taine and Sunshine. Tanner was an added enjoyable bonus. There were some heart-pounding moments that grabbed and kept my attention.
I would read more in this story.
4 Captivating Stars!!
This is my first time reading Jonah Bergan and it was a very interesting and captivating story. I sometimes like to venture out of my regular genre of romantic M/M. And, this story did have some heart, along with the SciFi theme.
There is a warning with the story about some of the intimate encounters but I didn't find them offensive. They were well-written and didn't feel brutal. It fit with the story.
I enjoyed this adventure with the main characters Taine and Sunshine. Tanner was an added enjoyable bonus. There were some heart-pounding moments that grabbed and kept my attention.
I would read more in this story.
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