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London Wells #1
The Spires of Turris
Dr. London Wells, linguist and adventurer, has the unique ability to understand any language in the universe, including the languages left behind by the ancient dead races of the Lost Planets – making him an intergalactic celebrity. But London likes his privacy—and he always works alone. No assistants, no entourage. When he goes on expedition to a Lost Planet, it’s just him, the memory of dead aliens, and the resident man-eating fauna. He’s a self-sufficient sharp shooter whose insatiable curiosity can stand up to any danger. Until he breaks his head falling from a cliff. That changes everything. Now, after a long recovery, London is onto the greatest discovery of his a language to prove a connection between the Lost Planets. In order to investigate further, he’ll need to travel to an unforgiving alien planet. But he can’t go alone. That’s his dean’s last either he travels with a research assistant, or not at all. Unfortunately for London, graduate student Chas Chambers is not the only unexpected element on this trip…
300 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2017
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February 20, 2017I enjoyed this space adventure with Indiana Jones type academic (preternaturally gifted archaeolinguist, if that's a thing) exploring a Lost Planet and meeting alien technology and bad guys on the way. Some really exciting action sequences, vivid writing, and a nice nerd-action hero with a slow burn romance.
Not perfect, though what is. It spent a long time getting started, the romance was so very slow burn and back-end loaded that I'm not really sure it qualifies as romance genre (which is fine, only I was expecting a romance, possibly I misread), and I feel the author needed to kill a few darlings when it came to the lavish worldbuilding. I hope the author gets a better structural editor next time because there's tons of talent and great storytelling and clear writing here, and it really just needed work on the pacing/plot rhythms to make it a much more satisfying whole. (The fact that I am itching for a red pen is an endorsement rather than otherwise. I don't have any urge to edit books I didn't like.)
Not perfect, though what is. It spent a long time getting started, the romance was so very slow burn and back-end loaded that I'm not really sure it qualifies as romance genre (which is fine, only I was expecting a romance, possibly I misread), and I feel the author needed to kill a few darlings when it came to the lavish worldbuilding. I hope the author gets a better structural editor next time because there's tons of talent and great storytelling and clear writing here, and it really just needed work on the pacing/plot rhythms to make it a much more satisfying whole. (The fact that I am itching for a red pen is an endorsement rather than otherwise. I don't have any urge to edit books I didn't like.)
February 4, 2017
No one knows what happened to the Lost Planets–or, well, more specifically, the people who used to populate them. All anyone can figure out is that at some point they left or died out without leaving any trace of their existence there other than a few broken pieces of writing. Dr. London Wells was the one who cracked all thirteen languages (though he only gets credit for twelve) but even he doesn’t know who or what these writers were or where they went. Sadly, most everyone is convinced that what is known is all that they will ever know, and have consigned the Lost Planets and their mysterious inhabitants to the nothing more than a good story. That is until London finds two small bits of pictographic writing connecting two Lost Planets–a connection that defies all explanation. When a third planet is suspected to hold that very same impossible carvings, London is sure he is on the cusp of answering one the the universe’s biggest questions. The problem is that he is not the only one with a stake in the answer–and those others are a bit more willing to wipe out the competition to get to it first.
I am absolutely thrilled that I got a chance to review this book. It’s been a while since I came across a scifi story that really sold me on the the scifi aspects of the book. All the technology used in this story fit seamlessly with the the world in which it was takes place…but not only that, but I honestly got the feeling reading this that this future world is entirely plausible. I loved the sims and how they are used. The way memories could be copied from a person’s brain was really cool, and was a good set up to later stuff in the story.
There was also the language aspect of this story. Some of my favorite scifi stories are the books that make up Lyn Gala’s Claiming series, and while these books are a bit different, I loved how the language was used in both of them. Protags with smarts are my favorite kind, and London Wells was a great example of why. He also has that eccentric-professor thing going on–which, yeah, another hit on my favorites list. I’ll admit that I was a little worried about how his ability to decipher every language he comes across, would impact how I see his character (characters with amazing super-like powers have a tendency to bore me) but everything else about him easily balanced it out. The way he deals with his fears and pains really made him come off as a well-rounded character and entirely relatable despite the world in which he resides being so different from our own.
This book had a definite Indiana Jones feel to it, and despite the fact that involves mysterious aliens it was not at all like that horrible fourth movie. Christine Danse had such a great way of describing these long-abandoned places and worlds. I had so much fun reading about Landon and Chas’ (Landon’s assistant) constant perils and exciting discoveries.
Speaking of Chas…I’m really looking forward to learning more about him. Slowly learning about him and his past over the course of this book made me love him all the more. We probably only have scratched the surface of him. The romance in this book is really low-key, and only really comes to head near the end of the book, but there is definite potential. And having heard from the author that this is just the first in a four-story book arch, I am so excited to see what comes next. There is still so much we don’t know. This is just the opening salvo of what will probably be a great series, but I still highly recommend it.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
I am absolutely thrilled that I got a chance to review this book. It’s been a while since I came across a scifi story that really sold me on the the scifi aspects of the book. All the technology used in this story fit seamlessly with the the world in which it was takes place…but not only that, but I honestly got the feeling reading this that this future world is entirely plausible. I loved the sims and how they are used. The way memories could be copied from a person’s brain was really cool, and was a good set up to later stuff in the story.
There was also the language aspect of this story. Some of my favorite scifi stories are the books that make up Lyn Gala’s Claiming series, and while these books are a bit different, I loved how the language was used in both of them. Protags with smarts are my favorite kind, and London Wells was a great example of why. He also has that eccentric-professor thing going on–which, yeah, another hit on my favorites list. I’ll admit that I was a little worried about how his ability to decipher every language he comes across, would impact how I see his character (characters with amazing super-like powers have a tendency to bore me) but everything else about him easily balanced it out. The way he deals with his fears and pains really made him come off as a well-rounded character and entirely relatable despite the world in which he resides being so different from our own.
This book had a definite Indiana Jones feel to it, and despite the fact that involves mysterious aliens it was not at all like that horrible fourth movie. Christine Danse had such a great way of describing these long-abandoned places and worlds. I had so much fun reading about Landon and Chas’ (Landon’s assistant) constant perils and exciting discoveries.
Speaking of Chas…I’m really looking forward to learning more about him. Slowly learning about him and his past over the course of this book made me love him all the more. We probably only have scratched the surface of him. The romance in this book is really low-key, and only really comes to head near the end of the book, but there is definite potential. And having heard from the author that this is just the first in a four-story book arch, I am so excited to see what comes next. There is still so much we don’t know. This is just the opening salvo of what will probably be a great series, but I still highly recommend it.
This book was provided free in exchange for a fair and honest review for Love Bytes. Go there to check out other reviews, author interviews, and all those awesome giveaways. Click below.
January 5, 2017
Just Wow
I think everyone has an interest in vast and inspiring mysteries, and the intrepid explorers that get to the roots of them. So much like the book's often mentioned Allan Quatermain, London Wells has the power to encourage any reader to cheer for him to solve the mystery. But unlike previous fictional adventurers, he is not a strapping, suave or even brave man most of the time. He is severely emotionally scarred and stunted but it's difficult to determine if this is the result of the futuristic society or the convoluted permutations of his own mind. I think these flaws are what make him such a great character and in many ways they add to the mystery, did someone intentionally make him the way he is?
Unfortunately, we do not get to the root of the mystery in this novel but the journey to the clues that were obtained was almost as satisfying. I can't wait for more because I feel emotionally invested in these characters now. London with his broken mind, Chas with all of his perfection and his acceptance of London's flaws. He is truly loyal and that's so very rare. A surprising favorite of mine was also Sita, because she was a excellent portrayal of a true friend that sometimes needs to hide something from you for your own good. I hope to dive back into the mystery of the lost languages soon. And if feel like it's worth mentioning that this is the kind of book that everyone who loves science fiction, Indiana Jones style mysteries, romance or thought provoking literature will enjoy. If you let the label of MM romance dissuade you from reading, you are truly doing yourself a disservice because this book is oh so much more and one of the best books you might ever read.
I think everyone has an interest in vast and inspiring mysteries, and the intrepid explorers that get to the roots of them. So much like the book's often mentioned Allan Quatermain, London Wells has the power to encourage any reader to cheer for him to solve the mystery. But unlike previous fictional adventurers, he is not a strapping, suave or even brave man most of the time. He is severely emotionally scarred and stunted but it's difficult to determine if this is the result of the futuristic society or the convoluted permutations of his own mind. I think these flaws are what make him such a great character and in many ways they add to the mystery, did someone intentionally make him the way he is?
Unfortunately, we do not get to the root of the mystery in this novel but the journey to the clues that were obtained was almost as satisfying. I can't wait for more because I feel emotionally invested in these characters now. London with his broken mind, Chas with all of his perfection and his acceptance of London's flaws. He is truly loyal and that's so very rare. A surprising favorite of mine was also Sita, because she was a excellent portrayal of a true friend that sometimes needs to hide something from you for your own good. I hope to dive back into the mystery of the lost languages soon. And if feel like it's worth mentioning that this is the kind of book that everyone who loves science fiction, Indiana Jones style mysteries, romance or thought provoking literature will enjoy. If you let the label of MM romance dissuade you from reading, you are truly doing yourself a disservice because this book is oh so much more and one of the best books you might ever read.
July 31, 2017
This was fun and entertaining. I really liked it. An adventurous academic goes exploring on another planet and finds both love and the answers to a great galactic mystery and it's great fun. Dr. London Wells is an Indiana Jones-style linguistics professor who is an expert on ancient languages and travels to other planets for research. He's also a bit prickly and charmingly eccentric and pretty entertaining to run around with. There's bad guys and lively action scenes and a budding background romance and mysterious alien technology and I found it all very entertaining. The world-building is great and there's a lot going on in this story, and while it's action-packed, it also has some slow moments. This is a fun queer sci-fi adventure story with a likeable, smart hero. I look forward to the sequel.
January 12, 2017
Some worldbuilding issues and a few fridge logic moments, but overall a very fun, enjoyable queer SFF story that hits a lot of my favourite buttons.
March 17, 2017
Brilliant read! Loved it. Will definitely pick up another book by this author.
June 24, 2017
I enjoyed the first half of the story, but wasn't too keen when Chas joined London's expedition because he seemed like a suspicious character. The world building was pretty good, but it still lacked some details. Romance was almost nonexistent, and some plots were still not resolved.
I also found missing words and punctuations, which annoyed me.
I also found missing words and punctuations, which annoyed me.
February 8, 2018
After Dr. London Wells’ last adventure ended in a disaster, the famous professor and adventurer is not ready to face new challenges… But the possibility of making the discovery of a lifetime is hard to reject. That’s why he finds himself breaking all kinds of rules to be able to get in his spaceship and go to Turris. Too bad he finds himself with a companion/guardian, in the form of handsome student Chas Chambers. Despite a somehow rough starting, Chas soon proves his value when he manages to rescue London more than once…
First of all, this is not romance. It is adventure through and through. London Wells is a futuristic Indiana Jones, and this novel is reminiscent of those riveting adventures by Rider Haggard I used to devour when I was a kid (something I seem to have in common with London Wells… LOL). It is sci-fi as well, and I must recognise that, at the beginning, I had some difficulties to follow the complexities of the world we are described. There is a lot of world-building here, but no explanations, we really learn what we need to know through the experiences of the characters. There are some things I still do not have very clear… Are the people on Earth all in stasis? Is there a professional army, and that’s where Chas comes from? There are lots more of questions, but they come as an afterthought, because the story is fast paced and the adventures and mystery surrounding the inscriptions so interesting they are enough to keep any reader entertained. Both characters are interesting and likeable, I find Chas, with the mystery surrounding his past, even more intriguing than London. There are a lot of things left purposely unanswered in this book, and if the intention was to awake interest… it does!
As I said, there is no romance here, there is a slow-burn attraction which only resolves in the last chapter (and we do not even get a HFN… only a maybe). So if you are looking for a love story, don’t read this one. But if you are looking for a thrilling adventure in a futuristic world plagued with lost alien civilizations, secret links and secret agendas, this is exactly for you. I’m so looking forward to the next instalment!
First of all, this is not romance. It is adventure through and through. London Wells is a futuristic Indiana Jones, and this novel is reminiscent of those riveting adventures by Rider Haggard I used to devour when I was a kid (something I seem to have in common with London Wells… LOL). It is sci-fi as well, and I must recognise that, at the beginning, I had some difficulties to follow the complexities of the world we are described. There is a lot of world-building here, but no explanations, we really learn what we need to know through the experiences of the characters. There are some things I still do not have very clear… Are the people on Earth all in stasis? Is there a professional army, and that’s where Chas comes from? There are lots more of questions, but they come as an afterthought, because the story is fast paced and the adventures and mystery surrounding the inscriptions so interesting they are enough to keep any reader entertained. Both characters are interesting and likeable, I find Chas, with the mystery surrounding his past, even more intriguing than London. There are a lot of things left purposely unanswered in this book, and if the intention was to awake interest… it does!
As I said, there is no romance here, there is a slow-burn attraction which only resolves in the last chapter (and we do not even get a HFN… only a maybe). So if you are looking for a love story, don’t read this one. But if you are looking for a thrilling adventure in a futuristic world plagued with lost alien civilizations, secret links and secret agendas, this is exactly for you. I’m so looking forward to the next instalment!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2022
I requested this book, after winning a giveaway from Sinfully Gay Romance Book Reviews.
I'm usually not one for science fiction. I read a book here and there, but I prefer other kinds of fiction. When I read the blurb of "The Spires of Turris" I wanted to give it a try, because a university professor exploring forgotten languages on so-called lost planets? Count me in.
The pace of the book is rather slow, but not in a bad way. London, who is a genius, when it comes to deciphering unknown languages, teaches at university. Every so often he goes on a mission to explore an unknown language on one of the lost planets. When one of expeditions goes wrong and leaves him with a severe head injury, his dean wants to assign an assistant to him. He declines, but when the opportunity to explore a connection between the languages of the lost planets arrises, she tricks him to take an assistant along or not go at all. So, he finds himself stranded with Chas on his travel to Turris. When they arrive on the planet not everything is as they expect it to be. It's time for London to put his animosities towards Chas aside for them to survive their adventure on the planet.
You get the impression that something is not quite right or missing here and there, but that might be due to London's still lingering head injury. Not all questions are answered by the end of the book and the final chapter hints at a possible relationship between the MCs in the future. So we have to wait for the next book to see what will happen. I for one had a great time reading this book and am waiting eagerly for the next installment.
I'm usually not one for science fiction. I read a book here and there, but I prefer other kinds of fiction. When I read the blurb of "The Spires of Turris" I wanted to give it a try, because a university professor exploring forgotten languages on so-called lost planets? Count me in.
The pace of the book is rather slow, but not in a bad way. London, who is a genius, when it comes to deciphering unknown languages, teaches at university. Every so often he goes on a mission to explore an unknown language on one of the lost planets. When one of expeditions goes wrong and leaves him with a severe head injury, his dean wants to assign an assistant to him. He declines, but when the opportunity to explore a connection between the languages of the lost planets arrises, she tricks him to take an assistant along or not go at all. So, he finds himself stranded with Chas on his travel to Turris. When they arrive on the planet not everything is as they expect it to be. It's time for London to put his animosities towards Chas aside for them to survive their adventure on the planet.
You get the impression that something is not quite right or missing here and there, but that might be due to London's still lingering head injury. Not all questions are answered by the end of the book and the final chapter hints at a possible relationship between the MCs in the future. So we have to wait for the next book to see what will happen. I for one had a great time reading this book and am waiting eagerly for the next installment.
September 10, 2017
2.75 stars
August 29, 2018
Excellent! Great writing, story, characters and world building. If you like Jaye McKenna's Wytch King series (which I LOVE) you'll like this one.
April 16, 2019
DNF. The premise seemed interesting, but I got too annoyed with the protagonist.
March 20, 2020
Up until the epilogue, 3.5 stars, but that was too abrupt and open, so 2.5 stars.
August 28, 2018
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this one, I wasn’t sure at the beginning. But the story sweeps you along and there’s going to be another one right? Because there are too many plot points left dangling.
February 8, 2017
*3,5 STARS. Thought, I may round it up to 4 stars in the future, if the rest of the series is really good.
When I saw this book described as some kind of futuristic Indiana Jones, I thought YES! A gay futuristic Indiana Jones, even better! So I dived right into it and I can say I enjoyed the experience very much.
It did take me considerably longer to read than other books of similar length. Maybe the pacing of this book was a little off. That is to say, the first 40% of the book felt long. Once the MCs get to leave for Turris, the action picks up and it gets a lot more exiting. I did notice a couple of plot points that were left unanswered, like but it may all be addressed in a later book.
The world building was really well done. The author created a very complex, rich and complete universe, with history, languages, races, flora/fauna, technology and medicine, that really helped me imagine the world the characters live in. It was all very creative. The descriptions were solid and really served to help me visualize the scenes.
Both main characters were very interesting, though I have to admit Chas was my favorite. The romance is not the main focus of the story, and it only gets to be something towards the end. But there is promise for the relationship to deepen in the other books, so let’s cross our fingers!
So, I did enjoy this book and I will definitely continue with the rest of the series. Not sure if I will read the companion series from the excerpt.
When I saw this book described as some kind of futuristic Indiana Jones, I thought YES! A gay futuristic Indiana Jones, even better! So I dived right into it and I can say I enjoyed the experience very much.
It did take me considerably longer to read than other books of similar length. Maybe the pacing of this book was a little off. That is to say, the first 40% of the book felt long. Once the MCs get to leave for Turris, the action picks up and it gets a lot more exiting. I did notice a couple of plot points that were left unanswered, like but it may all be addressed in a later book.
The world building was really well done. The author created a very complex, rich and complete universe, with history, languages, races, flora/fauna, technology and medicine, that really helped me imagine the world the characters live in. It was all very creative. The descriptions were solid and really served to help me visualize the scenes.
Both main characters were very interesting, though I have to admit Chas was my favorite. The romance is not the main focus of the story, and it only gets to be something towards the end. But there is promise for the relationship to deepen in the other books, so let’s cross our fingers!
So, I did enjoy this book and I will definitely continue with the rest of the series. Not sure if I will read the companion series from the excerpt.
April 10, 2018
I adored this M/M space archaeology sci-fi romance and I always hoped a next book would come out, but I think it may just not come to pass. :(
Dr. London Wells has an unexplained gift. He can easily learn any language, including dead languages from past civilizations found as humans have explored the galaxy. The book opens with London alone on a mission, finding something mysterious… and then falling and losing consciousness. When we next see him, mostly recovered and back home, he doesn’t remember what happened.
It’s such a fascinating structure for the book, where the reader has more information than the narrator! London preps for another mission (with his boss insisting he take a research assistant who happens to be a very attractive man grumble grumble) but he’s uneasily co-existing with the knowledge that something happened on his last mission, if only he could get those memories back. The new mission goes sideways, of course, and wow I wish the next book in this series were already out. Virtual reality, academic politics and rivalries, kidnapping, fighting for survival on an alien planet, relics of another civilization, all that good stuff, and I want more.
I’m not normally a fan of teacher-student romances, because it’s so rare that the power differential is addressed in a way that works for me. It’s not handled super-fabulously here, to be honest, with London acknowledging the issue and objecting, and Chas saying he doesn’t care. But I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and see how it unfolds.
Dr. London Wells has an unexplained gift. He can easily learn any language, including dead languages from past civilizations found as humans have explored the galaxy. The book opens with London alone on a mission, finding something mysterious… and then falling and losing consciousness. When we next see him, mostly recovered and back home, he doesn’t remember what happened.
It’s such a fascinating structure for the book, where the reader has more information than the narrator! London preps for another mission (with his boss insisting he take a research assistant who happens to be a very attractive man grumble grumble) but he’s uneasily co-existing with the knowledge that something happened on his last mission, if only he could get those memories back. The new mission goes sideways, of course, and wow I wish the next book in this series were already out. Virtual reality, academic politics and rivalries, kidnapping, fighting for survival on an alien planet, relics of another civilization, all that good stuff, and I want more.
I’m not normally a fan of teacher-student romances, because it’s so rare that the power differential is addressed in a way that works for me. It’s not handled super-fabulously here, to be honest, with London acknowledging the issue and objecting, and Chas saying he doesn’t care. But I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and see how it unfolds.
February 9, 2017
Indiana Jones, in space, with ancient alien languages. Really enjoyable
Did Not Finish
April 20, 2018This book is too scary for me.
Sorry, DNFed.
Sorry, DNFed.
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