| Title | : | Molten (Molten #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| ISBN-10 | : | 2940013857094 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Nook |
| Number of Pages | : | 66 |
| Publication | : | First published May 6, 2011 |
Xzavia'n has been searching the universe for Molten embryos that were lost when their solar system underwent a catastrophic event. His hunt leads him to Parkeet Station, where he plans to negotiate -- or just plain steal -- his babies back.
From Xzavia'n, Dolan learns more about Molten with each passing moment. Dolan's first priority is to keep his newfound information from the station researchers. The second is to help Xzavia'n get his embryos off the station and back to the new Molten homeworld. But once Xzavia'n's escape is secured, Dolan must choose -- return to the only life he's ever known, or follow his heart -- and Xzavia'n...
Molten (Molten #1) Reviews
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This review was originally written for
The Romance Reviews and can also be found there.
If you want humor, originality and imaginative alien sex, MOLTEN is the stuff. From the first page to the last, it is filled with informative and fascinating details that just raise this fiction to another level.
Dolan is a prisoner working on a backwater way station chasing Molten (liquid metal that fuels the station) and repaying his debt. It is a tiring job as mining usually is, but it is his luck and he's okay with it. Then he's called into the Health Center one day and ordered to mate with a blue egg looking much like the ore he'd been mining. The thing about being a prisoner is the fact that you basically have no choice but to listen to the guys holding the keys.
The last thing he would have guessed is that the egg could change shape and turning into Dalton's dream man drastically improved the whole situation. From there, things move in all but warp speed. Zian – the egg – is actually sentient and has a whole agenda of his own.
This story is action-filled and while it is rather short, a lot has been packed into such a small frame. You have a chase, impatient scientists, sarcastic first protagonist and his sometimes giggling lover who sees the world through a set of very different eyes.
I liked the original approach the author took in forming their relationship. While it might seem strange at times, I found it to be the very charm of the story. It is romantic enough, even sweet on occasion, but with so many things happening, I was actually waiting for Dalton and Zian's time to come.
I applaud the decision to make this story more about the plot than fascinating sex, but I also found the lack of their time together to be a flaw. My interest in the story didn't lessen my fascination with the characters, and in my opinion the book was just too short to combine the two in the best way. To cut to the chase – the book should have been longer.
Another thing some readers might find annoying are the unanswered questions. There aren't too many of them, but they are there and while it did leave a good base for a potential sequel, I think it would have worked better with more pages in MOLTEN.
Still, I truly enjoyed this story and I recommend it to the open-minded as well as the curious. -
Originally posted at:
http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/201...
This book blew me away with its novel and intriguing look at relationships between humanoid and alien. The concept is really cool and very erotic. Ms. Stone sure has a vivid imagination!
The main hero is Dolan Exeter. He’s on this prison planet working his life away without hope or opportunity to escape. One day he is taken to meet this alien thing and told to ‘procreate’. That’s a tall order for a man and a … giant blob of something. And that’s the start of a beautiful, convoluted and amazing relationship. What a marvelous plot and conflict this book has. Dolan is not human, but he’s humanoid. He is adventurous, pragmatic and not afraid to do what has to be done to survive. What he never expected was to have feelings for something he didn’t fully understand. That growth of emotion and the tender sentiments he feels made this story stand out. When he admits to himself how much Zian means to him is when the action picks up, both in activity and feelings.
Zian isn’t anything like I’ve experienced before. I am astounded at the unique qualities Ms. Stone has imbued her alien with. Zian is smart, cunning and loyal – good qualities for a hero. He’s also on a mission to save his race. What a noble and worthwhile conflict. As for calling him yummy, I can’t. I’m not even sure if I can describe what he is. The closest thing I can think of is that liquid silver bad guy in the Terminator movies. Zian is very flexible which makes for interesting reading.
The best part about this whole book is Dolan teaching Zian the difference between sex and love. Zian doesn’t understand the concept of love initially but that all changes by the end of the tale. The things that stood out for me were the various ways Ms. Stone had Zian and Dolan making love. The descriptions were unique, well thought out and well written. It was extremely erotic and sensual and the idea that between the two, they could possibly have little moltens was enchanting. The idea of Dolan being a daddy was adorable.
The conflict was rather solid but the bad guys were sort of...mysterious. That’s one thing I noticed – Ms. Stone really didn’t give the rat faced guy much of a well-rounded badness. Perhaps that was on purpose because she chose to focus on the romance and I certainly can’t fault that. But I’m used to seeing a bit more substance to the villain in most books. I didn’t fear him as much as be disgusted and annoyed by him.
I also noticed how the author started off the story with a tone of despair, of resignation and acceptance to a substandard way of life. As the plot moved forward, hope and anticipation filtered through culminating in determination, hope, and joy. It was a wonderful journey and I had a ball watching Zian and Dolan fall in love.
Molten is not your every day hum-drum romance. This tale has imagination and kept me fascinated throughout the whole book. I loved Ms. Stone’s mind – it’s so creative and fresh. The editing was terrific, the dialogue was entertaining and interesting and the world building effective. Science Fiction romance readers are in for a real treat when they get their hands on Molten. It’s a breath of fresh air. -
Talk about creative science fiction! Coming up with truly interesting aliens isn't easy, and doesn’t happen all that often, but the metal-based changelings in Molten are one of the more fascinating species I have come across. While probably distant cousins of the Changelings in Star Trek Deep Space Nine (think Odo), the author has developed a different and unique situation and culture for them that will allow for a range of adventures to explore in future. She has also added an urgent mission: retrieval of their lost babies. This gives the proceedings a very human angle we can relate to despite all the other "strangeness". A very clever move and one that made the story enjoyable for more than the cross cultural aspects of learning about a new alien culture, something I always enjoy when it is this well done. Add a somewhat snarky and humorous tone for the narrator, and this novella becomes entertaining and funny to read.
Dolan is a translator who got convicted for translating the insults of one negotiating faction to the other. Rather than having to do prison time, he was bought up by the managers of Parkeet, a space station on the outer rim, that makes prisoners work off their "contracts". He seems very human but is actually a double-jointed 'bender', which can lead to some funny situations. When he discovers what is going on with Molten, and that the supposed source of energy is sentient, his allegiance changes. But getting used to Zian as a lover does take some readjustment of his thinking, which I thought was a lot of fun to watch.
Xzavia’n, or Zian for short, is a Xniquil adult. He can go from anything that looks like a 'molten', metallic puddle to a shape that resembles Dolan's dream lover. Zian is on a mission looking for lost Molten babies, those too young to be able to find their way home. Taken prisoner on Parkeet and added to the list of medical experiments, he has to find an ally to get off the station, and a ship to transport all the Molten on. We don’t find out too much about the Molten home world in this first volume, but it appears the old one was destroyed, and looking at the 'little accident' they have on the space station I can only imagine what damage a bigger accident could have done. If, indeed, it was an accident.
If you like imaginative, creative science fiction with an interesting race of aliens, if you enjoy the more adventurous side of m/m explorations in an interspecies setting, and if you like (or are curious about) changeling sex, I am sure you will enjoy this novella as much as I did. -
The creativity and sexuality of all of Kira's works continues to bring me back to her writing. I find the stories engaging and well written. Molten is one of my favorites so far, the whole series is. The characters and environments are not the run of the mill and pull you in to the story quickly. I recommend this book if you are into a enjoyable fast read with a gay theme.
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This story has a wonderful sense of humour and had me laughing at a time I needed it. It's an interesting story with an unusual alien species in a universe where 'strange' beings are the norm. I would definitely recommend this to sci-fi readers.
