Everything you could want in both a science fiction novel and an M/M romance.

I was originally only meant to write a review for the sequel to this book. But after having finished the first in this series in order to actually review the second…I couldn’t not gush over what is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. With elements that reminded me of Firefly, Star Trek, and even Tron, both the action and the romance make what could be viewed as a rather lengthy novel seem entirely too short by the end.

All too often, many science fiction stories fall into the trap of having aliens just be reskinned humans in a sense. They might look different, but they follow the same rules, customs, etc. as human civilizations. Allure of Oartheca is definitely not one of those stories. The attention to detail and effort put in to build actual cultures, cultures that seem real and tangible, is staggering. I feel that effort is most rewarded in the way that the Oarthecans themselves are portrayed, or the ‘bears in spacesuits.’

I try to always keep an open mind, but I’ll admit I was slightly skeptical about how I’d feel regarding a romance between a human and what can be described as a humanoid bear. But time and again, the Oarthecans prove to be more ‘human’ than most. They are sentient in all measures that could be met for that word, and any issues I was worried I might have were nonexistent in the long run.

Even beyond the two alternating point-of-view characters, the entire cast felt fleshed out and real, flawed but in just the right way. Voice was strong both in narration and in dialogue, another reason why the hefty word count didn’t actually feel quite so hefty.

A marriage of two genres that regretfully don’t get crossed very often, I highly recommend Allure of Oartheca to fans of either. Because the story actually holds up in either genre, it’s just that strong. For sensitive readers though, I do stress that there is quite a bit of both graphic violence and sex. Never to the point of what I’d call gratuitous though.

Allure of Oartheca by James Siewert is available to buy on Amazon. I have also had the pleasure of reading and reviewing the sequel as well.

Verdict:

RAVEABLE