Title: Awakening The Warriors
Series: Novella in The Legend of the Seven Galaxies series
Author: S.E. Gilchrist
Genre: Erotic, Sci-Fi, and Fanatsy
Blurb: Fran must have been crazy to leave her ordinary (and safe) life and volunteer as a colonist to terra‐form a new earth. Now she is trapped in a prison cell on an alien planet a zillion miles from home and bound for a hideous death in notorious research chambers. She has one chance of escape. Awaken the long dormant sexual urges of the Darkon Warriors shackled in the next cell. A desperate job, but someone has to do it.
Thoughts: Taken hostage along with a group of others, Fran has decided to take matters into her own hands and make an escape. Her first step however, is to free the warriors shackled in the cell next to hers. Once she releases their powers, they are all able to make their escape from the dreaded research chambers. But does she have a future with the two males who make her want more than just a fling?
While the blurb for the book sounded really intriguing, and had me anxious to get started on this novella, I must admit there were a lot of issues with this book. First off, was the length, which was very short – only an estimated 46 pages. And while this is a novella, making that somewhat expected, for a storyline that requires so much explanation, details, etc. that it makes it a little unrealistic to fit it into so few pages. Which brings me to the fact that throughout the story you’re not quite sure what is going on – or more importantly, why all these things are happening..
The reader is left with numerous unanswered questions, as well as contradictions throughout the novel. We know that the Darkon Warrior’s sexual urges are dormant. But why? And why is Fran the girl who awakens the desire in both men? One of the men mentions the “pull”, but we are never really introduced to what that means. Yet, Fran seems to know what they mean, even though she is a human who has just arrived to these alien worlds and should have no clue what they are talking about, or what is happening to her. Also, they are supposedly held in a research facility, however, Fran mentions that they come down to the cells, torture people, and then leave them alone for days at a time. Where is the “research” in these facilities? Fran also asks the men at one point if they are a “couple”, and one of them more or less evades the question while reassuring her that there is room for her in their lives. The relationship is never fully explained to the readers satisfaction. These are just a few examples.
The connection with the characters is clearly missing in this book. There are a few moments where you think we are finally going to see a side to the characters that will reel us in, but it never seems to be followed through on by the author. In fact, something that really disturbed me about the book is that throughout almost the whole novel, the men have no idea what Fran’s name is. It’s not until the last chapter that she actually gives them her name.
All in all, there are a some sex scenes that are reminiscent of a porn and little else. There’s no depth or emotion, and the story itself is not strong enough to carry the characters without it. It did make me wonder if the preceding, full-length novel Legend Beyond the Stars, had these same issues. Great idea, but no follow through.
Rate: D
