![The Abulon Dance (The Merculians Book 2) by [Soles, Caro]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51ojUsSJ3wL.jpg)
The
Danger Dance
The
Merculians Book 1
by
Caro Soles
Genre:
SciFi Adventure
Life
and death action and intrigue aboard a military space vessel!
A
startling command from the dreaded Praetan brings chaos into the
tranquil lives of hermaphrodites Eulio and his lover Orosin. Using
the tour of the Merculian National Dance Company where Eulio is a
star as cover, they board the Wellington, a militaristic starship
that values nothing they believe in. Someone is passing secrets about
fleet movements and weaponry to the enemies in the Troia, but the
efforts of the two Merculians to unmask the spy only stir up a toxic
mix of hatred and violence. Who will have to die before the Praetan
is satisfied? The Danger Dance is a futuristic space adventure with
enough swashbuckling action and intrigue to keep even the most jaded
science fiction addict enthralled.
“A
crackerjack SF novel––moving, eloquent, and richly textured. I
recommend it highly.” - Robert J. Sawyer, award-winning science
fiction writer
“…a
tingling subversity of gender, sexuality and goosebumping excitement.
Even better, Soles can rally write, with wit, sensuosity and depth.”
- Perry Brass, author of The Harvest, Angel Lust, etc.
“A
well written novel, full of sexual and political intrigue, it grips
from the very first page and is difficult to put down….” -
Annette Gisby, author of Silent Screams.
The
Abulon Dance
The
Merculians Book 2
While
on tour to the mysterious planet Abulon, the pleasure-loving
hermaphrodites of The Merculian National Dance company are intrigued
by the virile patriarchal society they discover there. The natives
seemed friendly enough at first but when the star’s young lover is
kidnapped, the Merculians find themselves plunged into a brutal alien
Civil War they are ill-equipped to survive.
The
Memory Dance
The
Merculians Book 3
Merculian is usually
a peaceful world of artistic, fun-loving and sensual hermaphrodites.
The planet has always been safe, most Merculians blissfully
unfamiliar with the dark powers that lurk beneath the surface of
familiar things.
The trouble starts when the aliens arrive.
Celebrity dancer Triani picks up a mysterious Terran male in the
Pleasure Gardens, and an Ultraati rope dancer dies. Seemingly
unrelated, these two events unleash powerful forces that disrupt the
lives of everyone around him. Secrets from his carefully hidden past
boil to the surface, flooding him with fear. When his beloved Giazin
is threatened, he risks his life to save his child. Yet the
mysterious group known as the Watchers will not let go. Can Triani
free himself from the grip of these formidable beings or will they
force him to betray his human lover?
This is a series of somewhat standalone novels - they interconnect by way of the cast
I enjoy SciFi and Space Opera especially when they contain a bit of realism and Sole did a great job of bringing the cast and the universe alive for me.
I will be adding her to my list of authors to read.
The storylines are solid and easy to follow. In each book, we have the main couple and spotlighted secondary characters. Some who will be the main characters in the following novels.
This is where the complex part comes in. Since we are in space there are numerous life forms and species so it may take a chapter or two to that in matching the characters with their origins, though the Merculian race is the predominant for the MC in the series so far.
I really enjoyed the universe-building in these novels. Soles introduces her readers to a universe that houses such a vast array of life forms. There is some political subtext that I enjoyed, it gave the events/cast members more authenticity, IMO.
I found myself easily drawn into each of the stories. They had the heartbeat pace going on through most of the storyline. A steady pace, a crescendo, then a lull to catch your breath and begin again. As a reader, I experienced a full spectrum of emotions with each novel. At times I wanted to peek ahead and make sure everyone was okay. Other times I wanted to step in and insert my two cents on the subject (yeah I am that person). There were also a few times I would have liked to better educate a life form or two - could not help but wonder what in the heck you were thinking?
You get the overall idea. The stories brought out a bit of laughter, a dash of intrigue, a splash of drama and a whole lot of lovin'.
When it comes to the characters Soles again provided her readers with a diverse array of personalities, from the mundane to the masochist. I found I was instantly either loving or loathing them while also questioning some of their decisions. Some did sit on the fence for a bit though they eventually fell to one side or the other.
I did get attached to them and when the time came I did not want to close the pages on their journeys.
If you are looking for an easy yet at the same time complex read and have a taste for espionage, suspense, mystery and a whole lot of drama (the good kind) I recommend giving this series a try.
*Note -not all scenes are politically correct - not all the characters fit into a pre-defined box -this is fiction after all.
Caro Soles' novels include mysteries, erotica, gay lit, the occasional bit of dark fantasy, and science fiction. She received the Derrick Murdoch Award from the Crime Writers of Canada, and has been short listed for the Lambda Literary Award, the Aurora Award, and the Stoker Award. Her latest mysteries include, A FRIEND OF MR. NIJINSKY, and PEOPLE LIKE US, which came out last year. THE DANGER DANCE is the first in an sf series featuring the pleasure-loving, dual-gendered natives of the planet Merculian. THE ABULON DANCE is book 2 in the series. Book 3, THE MEMORY DANCE, has just come out. Caro lives in Toronto, loves dachshunds, books, opera and ballet, not necessarily in that order. After 25 years of teaching writing at George Brown College, Caro is staying home to write.
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