Warp Gate Concerto // Book Review

Photo

 Book: Warp Gate Concerto by Dorian Graves
Release Date: July 22nd 2019
Tags: Adult / Sci-Fi / Novella / Space / Space Ship / Planet / Aliens / Alien Creatures / LGBTQ+ / Bisexual or Pansexual / Non-Binary / Disability / Blind
Trigger Warnings: Implied Abuse / Implied Rape in Backstory / Loss of Limb / Violence / Body Horror
Other books by this author I reviewed
Bones and Bourbon

 

Nulani, Ashua, and Silna are alien soulmates on the run from their oppressive homeworld. When their past catches up to them, they find themselves lost and separated on a deadly jungle planet. To survive, they’ll have to face everything—from floral reptiles to pain-eating scientists—with only their wits and mind-altering music on their sides.
.
But they soon learn they aren’t the only ones in need of rescue. An underground laboratory houses genetically altered superweapon Kozrin, who is not only a reminder of the war they left behind…but is also their soulmate!
Can this ragtag group of polyamorous space pirates reunite, rescue their new love, and escape this deadly planet alive?

I was super excited to see that Dorian Graves had a novella coming out and that I was approved over on Netgalley. The synopsis sounded out there but then so was Bones and Bourbon and I loved that.

Not just the synopsis was out there, the actual story was way out there. But I think that is fitting for a sci-fi novella. Science-fiction should be a little out there.

This story follows 3 aliens of the same race. They are Psyren. Psyren have singing abilities that can influence others. The three of them have harmonized together which in short means they are soulmates. Their song together is the perfect harmony. A lot of it is based on emotions. Even more interesting about the Psyren is that when they have a deep wound that they grow another mouth. More mouths means more power but too many mouths and the need for power will consume you. How cool is that idea though? I would never considered anything like that and I would love to read more about them.

We travel through space as they are on the run and we go from a spaceship to a remote planet where we come across even more aliens. It is interesting to see that they do form bonds outside of their trio in friendship  in a way. Though I did wish as I was reading that there had been more exploration of all the different bonds. Between the three and the other characters.

There is a lot of background packed in, including some topics that are there by suggestion. The novella has warnings for content before the novella starts which is something I am very pleased to have seen. Some heavy topics were only suggestible, as in one had to connect the dots to find it. For instance a character has her strongest mouth in/near her vagina. Knowing they have to cut badly there to get a mouth one can understand what happened to her.

There is no official mention of the characters sexuality but the trio are two females and one male. The two females were together first so there is at least some bisexuality or pansexuality here. Another character’s pronouns were zer which were the pronouns for non-binary with these aliens. One of the characters is blind. Another loses his arm throughout the story. From my limited experience I find that the representation here is solid.

There is a lot packed into a story that is only 90 pages long on my ereader and I can’t help but feel that there is a lot more to be discovered. Especially with the ending there and the growing of the trio’s travelling companions.