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In a universe of books where sword-and-sorcery fantasies fill the
speculative fiction shelves, this futurist romp is a welcome throwback to
the days of space ships rocketing through intergalactic adventures. Though
there are several landfalls on exotic far-off planets, most of the action
takes place on a military starship, where a Merculian couple - acclaimed
interpretative dancer Eulio and his young lover Orasin - have been planted.
They're hitching rides from planet to planet where Eulio is to perform, but
their true purpose is to unmask the traitor who's been passing fleet
movement secrets to the evil Troia - gotta love those imaginative SF-ian
names! The author blends fast-paced planet-hopping with lusty storytelling
to tell a tale of cloak-and-dagger political intrigue, all laced with a
dash of intense S&M and infused, not at all out of place, with a passion for the art of dance - an effete touch that mellows the adventure's harshly
militaristic edge. The novel's alternate universe, with its smartly
realized gender fluidity, engaging intersexual alternatives, and imaginative alien beings, is quite satisfying escapist fare - a real pulp adventure.
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