“Taken by the Alien Gladiator” is currently being formatted for Kindle publication. Phew! Currently at around 90K words. A couple people helped me with beta reading and for that I am eternally grateful.
Taken by the Alien Gladiator is almost here!
“Taken by the Alien Gladiator” is up for beta reading!
Exciting news! My next book “Taken by the Alien Gladiator” is basically finished and available for beta reading. If you’d like to participate, hit me up at mailto:author@galenasullivan.com
Rebel Moon Part Two: Yawn Into Action
Since I reviewed the first Rebel Moon movie, I figured I’d drop a quick review for Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver. I must report a disappointing lack of man-flesh in this. Daario # 1 (Ed Skrein) shows a lot less skin, Daario #2 (Michiel Huisman) merely shaves his face at some point and reveals that he’s starting to look vaguely like middle-aged Julian Sands, and Tarak (Staz Nair) is running around shirtless but in a cape.
The first half is flashbacks of our Seven-ish Samurai’s backstories, and not very engaging. The second half is where the action picks up. I did enjoy some of the creativity employed here, like the forces sent against the peasants on Veldt and the strategies used by the defenders.
As usual, Zack Snyder is overindulgent with the slow-mo shots and excessive reactions that make the film longer than it needs to be. (he’s not the only director who’s guilty of this excess). As of this writing, IMDb’s rating is 5.2/10 which seems about right; I wouldn’t go higher than a 6 for sure. I would say if you’re going to watch this movie, set up your craft station and hobby your way through the first half. Save your ice cream and popcorn for the second half, where you can dig in for the CGI-heavy spectacles of violence.
Cover reveal for Taken by the Alien Gladiator
Coming soon: Taken by the Alien Gladiator!
Ardent Warriors Unchained: Book Two: Suriat’s story! After being recaptured by the villanous Sideran, the gladiator Suriat is condemned to punishment and death … but he hears a human woman’s voice and vows to take her away … and take her, thoroughly! He’s a lean green fighting machine with a talented tail and the will to win.
Mira was an engineer on Earth’s first extra-solar colony when she was kidnapped by aliens. She’s awakes on the planet Barya, where slavery is common and gladiator combat in the arena is the favorite form of entertainment. Sold to Sideran, she rejects him and winds up as gladiator bait. She’s an independent gal who thinks she doesn’t need a man, but she’s never met anyone like Suriat before!
This book can be read alone or as part of the Ardent Warriors Unchained series. Expect plenty of action and steamy scenes as our hero and heroine struggle to escape Broken Stone Arena and the perils of gladiator life.
Cover art by Miblart
Himbo SF movie: Rebel Moon part one
Rebel Moon. This was being advertised all over the place and touted as Zack Snyder’s Star Wars. What I came away with was: it’s a Seven Samurai sci-fi pastiche full of beefcake. I would not call it the finest of cinema but I suppose if you want a lot of hot dudes in a sci-fi milieu, Rebel Moon is the movie for you. There is a lot of violence including threatened sexual violence, so fair warning on that.
First of all, we’ve got the two Daarios from Game of Thrones. Daario Naharis was Danery’s Targaryen’s boyfriend mercenary for a while. Yes there were two different actors in this role, and it was hilarious to see both of them in the same scene. Ed Skrein was also the baddie in the first Deadpool movie and you may have seen Michiel Huisman in such series as Orphan Black.
Ed Skrein and Michiel Huisman as Daario Naharis in Game of Thrones.
In Rebel Moon, Skrein plays a poncey British admiral in Nazi-esque getup. The way he holds his face and talks is a bit too reminiscent of Rik Mayall from The Young Ones (a very silly 80’s British sitcom about idiot roommates). However you do get to see Skrein nekkid a time or two, and he’s riiipped.
Ed Skrein as Atticus Noble, Rik Mayall as Rik
Ed Skrein gettin’ nekkid. He is even more nekkid at the end of the movie.
Meanwhile our other Daario, Michiel Huisman, plays a sort of ordinary guy, Gunnar. The dude from the town who sells the grain, sometimes in shady ways, but overall he’s a good egg. He doesn’t get nekkid. He does, however, get sexually harassed by a gross big alien dude. I notice this got a lot of criticism as bad portrayal of gay people or something, while ignoring that a young teenage girl almost gets gang raped earlier in the film. Here is a picture stolen from the LadyBoners subreddit.
Other notable beefcake include Djimon Hounson of “Who?” fame showing off the beefcake:
Djimon Hounson and Sofia Boutella
and last but not least, this guy giving off sweaty Fabio vibes. Staz Nair as a griffon-taming barbarian prince. We had seen him previously in Supergirl.
Staz Nair
All in all this was a reasonably okay movie and I’d say if you’re into the sci-fi beefcake you’re in for some eye candy. I believe one of the sequels will feature Staz Nair so get ready for more sweaty beastmaster Fabio scenes. Thanks to Zack Snyder’s trainers for this manchest extravaganza.
TV series you should watch: Farscape
If you enjoy alien romance, there is a television series made for you: Farscape.
Sci-Fi channel laid out a bunch of money to film a show in Australia and the showrunners were allowed to do pretty much they wanted. It may be too weird for you, and at this point the references are on the old side. Still, Ben Browder was a handsome guy (still is!), and Claudia Black plays a tough warrior.
Browder is exposed to all manner of sexy alien ladies, and Chiana gets her groove on every which way she can.
The villain Scorpius gradually turns into a sexy BDSM antihero with a tragic back story and an interest in defending the galaxy from Very Bad People. However he does go back to his roots at the very end of the closing mini-series that tied everything up. Maybe don’t watch til the very end. Let’s just say, if you betray Scorpius, you’re gonna regret it.
For the Muppets fans out there, two important characters are elaborate, expensive puppets with good voice acting. They really come alive as endearing personalities all their own. Screw that CGI stuff, give me the real deal!
Work in Progress: Taken by the Gladiator (Suriat’s story)
Work continues in the salt mines, which is me sitting at a desk in my bedroom in front of the ‘puter with some concentration music playing in the background. 15,075 words although one scene has to be deleted so the total for this book is more like 14,000.
I wish I could write faster, but I’m typical only capable of high-level executive function for a few hours every day. Send me a line if you want to encourage me to write more!
Green gladiator with a talented tail. Human woman who engineers her way out of every problem. Fate has brought them together, but can they escape Broken Stone Arena before they’re torn apart?
After being captured in an escape attempt, Suriat has been beaten, whipped, starved, and dehydrated. He considers himself a “bad male” and that this is perhaps his fate. But when he hears the voice of a human female and he’s determined to live.
Mira is an engineer on Earth’s first colony, Proxima Centauri b (Proxima for short), when she’s kidnapped and transported to a strange planet. On Barya, she wakes up in the grasp of the villainous Sideran, who wants her as a willing concubine. Repeated rejections lead Sideran to using her as bait in the gladiator arena … but against all odds, a green man with a tail rescues her. Suriat.
Suriat is sold to one of the lower ranking gladiator Houses, House Dotios, under a Serontian named Peldar. In the gladiator cells under the arena, he’s stuck with his newly-arrived brother, who reminds Suriat that he’s a selfish disagreeable person. Mira is placed in a cell across the hall, and they’re only allowed a few moments together every day.
Mira finds herself falling for this green man, despite herself. She can remember the voices of other women while she was mostly unconscious, after being kidnapped. She wants to rescue them and return to Earth. But she knows she can’t take Suriat with her. And she wonders what he can do with that tail of his …
oh it’s going to be steamy, don’t you worry!
Book recommendation: Surviving Skarr by Ruby Dixon
Surviving Skarr (Ice Planet Clone Book 2) by Ruby Dixon
I was reading this in bed after my husband had gone to sleep, and I was laughing so hard I almost woke him up. Surviving Skarr has everything: the shy but strong heroine you can identify with, the braggart gladiator clone who doesn’t understand her shyness, at first, hilarious dialogue about male equipment. My husband called it on how the heroine’s “preferences” shake out. (I often like to read passages to him out of context). On the sci-fi and speculative side of things, I enjoy reading about the struggles of clones to figure out their own identities.
Note: the hero is a genetic “splice” of some lizard-like humanoid, has some scales, and sports two penises of the extruding kind, so if that’s a bridge too far, you’re in DNF territory.
This is a non-affiliate link; I make no money if you buy this book or read it on Kindle Unlimited.
Music to put you in that romance mood
ASP (short for Alexander Frank Spreng) could be summed up as a German horror/Goth nerd with a backing band. His music may be an acquired taste, but I do love this cover of “Possession” by Sarah McLachlan.
Possession by Sarah McLachlan
Listen as the wind blowsFrom across the great divideVoices trapped in yearningMemories trapped in timeThe night is my companionAnd solitude my guideWould I spend forever hereAnd not be satisfied
And I would be the oneTo hold you downKiss you so hardI’ll take your breath awayAnd after I’d, wipe away the tearsJust close your eyes dear
Through this world I’ve stumbledSo many times betrayedTrying to find an honest wordTo find the truth enslavedOh you speak to me in riddles andYou speak to me in rhymesMy body aches to breathe your breathYour words keep me alive
And I would be the oneTo hold you downKiss you so hardI’ll take your breath awayAnd after I’d, wipe away the tearsJust close your eyes, dear
Into this night I wanderIt’s morning that I dreadAnother day of knowing ofThe path I fear to treadOh, into the sea of waking dreamsI follow without prideNothing stands between us hereAnd I won’t be denied
And I would be the oneTo hold you downKiss you so hardI’ll take your breath awayAnd after I’d, wipe away the tearsJust close your eyes dear
I’ll hold you downKiss you so hardI’ll take your breath awayAnd after I’d wipe away the tearsJust close your eyes
Species profile: Ditakians
- Home world: Kor’Ditak
- High gravity planet compared to Earth
- Harsh orange sun
- Ditakians evolved on the wide savannas of Kor’Ditak
- Planet is well within Paxus Space borders
- Affinities: metal, fire
- Features:
- Curling horns on sides of head, and horn or bone-like structures protruding from the top of the forehead sweeping back over.
- Leathery skin and shiny metal plates; different color sets. The most common are iron and copper.
- Fingernails and toenails have the same color as plates
- Fangs
- Almost no body fat
- Ditakians can go into torpor when starving and wait for prey to wander nearby
- Ditakian females are shorter and smaller than males, but quite fierce in their own right.
- Weaknesses:
- Deep water. Ditakians are rarely able to swim without assistance.
- Cold, especially wet cold for long periods of time
- More males than females are born on Kor’Ditak, leading to population imbalances.
- Culture
- Kor’Ditakians tend to be conservative and xenophobic (Traditionalist); Ditakians offworld are more tolerant of other species. Traditionalists look down on species mixing.
- Honor is an important concept for Ditakians, though what qualifies as “honorable” may vary. Many male Ditakians serve in the military, an honorable career. Ditakians are the most numerous soldiers in the Paxus Fleet.
- Ditakians practice ancestor veneration, both of their families and the Great Ancestors of their species.
- Ditakians suffer from “colorism” where certain colors are considered desirable and others undesirable. This can impact the ability to find a mate or a good job.
- Hunting is an important rite of passage on Kor’Ditak for young males whose families have the privilege or wealth to have access to reserves. Not all males have this opportunity.
- Males and females are separated in traditional Ditakian culture, except for mates and family groups.
- Traditionalists do not think much of concepts like romantic love and outwardly look down on excessive entertainment.
- Ditakians in general consider themselves to be superior to other sapient species: Smaragdine are too indulgent, Serontians are weak, etc.
- Reproduction
- Ditakian males keep their genitals retracted unless to urinate or have sex. This is to protect tender parts from the harsh sun of their home world.
- Ditakian males and females have groin plates that protect their genital areas.
- Ditakians practice claiming bites: the male first bites the female while having sex, and the female bites him back. After which, the couple is considered “Espoused”, or mated for life.
- To avoid mate-bonding and pregnancy in the course of casual sex, Ditakian males have to use bite sticks or more extreme measures.
- Adult males without claiming bites are referred to as “bare-necked bachelors”, a derogatory term. Unmated females are almost unheard of.
- Claim biting often results in pregnancy. Gestation is a few months and the infant is born in a leathery egg sac that the parents immediately tear open. Offspring nurse from their mothers for a few months before being weaned onto soft meat. Technically Ditakians could be considered “mammals” but they don’t see themselves that way.
- Diet
- Ditakians greatly prefer meat, although they are able to consume other foods in smaller quantities. Ditakians in the military and those living in poorer areas are often consigned to eating manufactured protein.
- Livestock is a major industry on Kor’Ditak and a major import as well. The animals raised for meat (as well as the ones used as game animals for hunting) tend to be “mammals” with fur. This can lead to contempt of sapient species who have significant body hair.
English