Making Contact

by Lynn West (Editor), Erin Sheppard, Andi Deacon

Everyone knows that love can turn your world upside down, but it can also be literally out of this world! In this selection of M/M science fiction short stories, there's romance among the shooting stars, love that matches the glory of the spheres, and passion that burns like the largest of suns, and making first contact takes on a whole new meaning.

Genres: Anthologies, M M Romance, Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Science Fiction Romance, Aliens

265 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 2, 2010

Reviews

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

SlashReader: This is one of those anthologies that I both loved and hated. I liked the range and variety of ideas that existed between its pages. However, it was one of those that struck me as really simply being all about the sex. The forgone conclusion in each story was the fact that characters were going to jump each other. While I do not mind reading such thing, I find anthologies in which all the stories are only there for the sex, tire some. But, there are plenty of people out there who would undoubtedly disagree with me.

Lol, on the subject of this anthology instead, it was an interesting combination of far out there alien stories and some that are closer to home. Either way, if you like reading MM romance and you like reading Sci-Fi, you'll most likely find more than one thing you enjoy between the pages of this book. :)

Better Than Cola By JL Merrow - Summer Storm has just arrived on earth and is not let use to the differences between their cultures. Shortly after arriving he meets Nathan Chambers who proceeds to introduce him to some of the differences. What happens between the two of them is much more than either expected. I think what was most charming about this story was that Merrow deals with the something we take for granted, casual touch and turns it into something more. But it also has to do with being different and how liberating it can be when someone cares about you no matter what you look like.... even if that is alien.

Revolving Realities By Cari Z. - Having read some of Cari Z., previous work I was curious to see what would happen in this story. In this work we meet Dr. Eliot Hollister a man desperate to change what he has already experienced. He might not be able to change things in his own reality but he will be damned if he lets it happen to someone else. This is the story about a man who is willing to do anything to save his lover, even if the lover he's saving belongs to another Eliot Hollister. But what he finds may not be what he expects. When he finds what he's looking for, will they listen to him? Will he be able to change things or is the course of events inevitable even in another reality?

The Sacrifice By Sue Brown - I think this might have been one of my favorite stories in the entire anthology. This is the story about a man willing to sacrifice everything for his world, and his people. However, his reasons for doing so lead him to a great destiny. The ending of this comes as a bit of a surprise--at least the manor of it. Sue Brown puts to work for her the differences in these two cultures (humans and the other) and makes them bring her characters together. I liked the way she built up these two worlds and how their successes and their failures pushed them apart and eventually bring them together.

Alone By Andrea Speed - One of the interesting things about this story is that it takes place almost completely in the main character (Logan Murakami's mind). Ending up on an isolated outpost by himself, Logan has little to do save work on his own personal project. However, that project takes him to a place he didn't expect. While this was an interesting story it was not one of my favorites. I found the conclusion somewhat, obvious.

Losing Sight of the Shore By Emily Moreton - This story was another one of those duh stories for me. It was quiet obvious what was going to happen. Boy meet alien, boy and alien fall in love... alien must leave, etc... It was not badly written, I simply did not find it all that interesting. However, it is a sweet little story but in the end I think it could have used more.

Gifted in Tongues By JL Merrow - I honestly have mixed feelings about this story. While there was a lot of wonderfully witty humor in this story, I suppose it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. In here we meet Spitz who is thrown in jail because he accidentally offends the locals. There he meets Tao (walking, talking, sexy cat), the Felid. While, I have nothing against alien, cat's or cat like species... I honestly just find it somewhat over used. But the inter play between these two characters is amusing; the ending is a bit obvious.

Analytic Geometry By Andi Deacon - So, this might be my second favorite story. I felt that there were a few deeper things going on in this work than in some of the others. I especially liked the introduction to the story and to the main character Kevin Ikoro. Kevin is an analyst who ends up going on an exploratory mission because he gets drunk an open's his mouth once too often around his boss. What Kevin doesn't expect is to be stuck on a ship with Cameron and Theo Banark and their secrets. I think I liked the tension in this story and the fact that you're in the dark as much as Kevin is. I liked the way things turned out in the end. Great job, good story. ;)

The Monsters Below By Lyn Gala - I liked this story because it was a very different take on a rather over done mythology. Gala uses the idea of the vampire and set's it in space. *chuckles* It was fun to read this story about loss, finding and what might happen. Brai never really wanted to fight the sub-humans who infest Kestia but he would do anything to follow his lover Rick. Gala, explores the present and the past events between Brai and Rick in a fast paced back and forth that keeps you wondering... what will happen. In the end I think this is also a story that carries more meaning and makes you think.

Feral By K.R. Foster - Okay, so I mentioned the whole cat's in space thing earlier.... but I liked this story. I liked the way Foster took the whole cats in space thing and made a complete culture out of it. There is a whole world, culture and set of rules in this story that are not human. I think that that imagination is what really makes this story work. While the ending is somewhat obvious after you get to a certain point in the story. It is still sweet. :)

Ganymede's Honor By Cornelia Grey - Trapped in an escape pod running out of hair, Colonel Ardeth Connor doesn't expect to make it. When he wakes up on board a rebel ship, he's not sure he's any better off. However, over the course of the story Ardeth's views of the rebels begin to change. Eventually he finds himself expected in a way that he never expected or looked for. But when it comes down to it comes down to the line? Must of this story may not be realistic but I love the mental image of the great galleon flying through space, spearing asteroids like whales. :)

[kasjo_peja · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the very, very few anthologies I've read from the beginning till the end. That in itself is a testament of its quality. Imaginative, funny, engaging, moving... there wasn't a story there I didn't like. Their rating ranged from 4 (Better Than Cola by JL Merrow) to 5.5 (Revolving Realities by Cari Z. and The Monsters Below by Lyn Gala).
I can't think of another m\m anthology, apart from Sindustry I & II, that I enjoyed so much.

[Julesmarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new favorite M/M anthology!

I was astounded at the worlds and the characters these authors were able to create in such short works.

I like to buy anthologies so I can have shorter stories to read before bed--so I won't stay up too late unable to put down whatever book I'm reading. That totally backfired with this anthology! Each story was so good, I didn't want to stop, and ended up finishing the whole thing way too fast.

One of my favorite things was the beautiful diversity among all of the stories. Sci-fi is such a fascinating genre in that it can encompass so many different elements, and I loved how many of those were explored here.

My favorites:
Revolving Realities by Cari Z.
Better than Cola by JL Merrow
The Sacrifice by Sue Brown
and
The Monsters Below by Lyn Gala

[Neyjour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better Than Cola by J.L. Merrow: ★★★
[science fiction]

Revolving Realities by Cari Z.: ★★★★
[science fiction / alternate reality]

The Sacrifice by Sue Brown: ★★★★★
[science fantasy]

Alone by Andrea Speed: ★★★
[science fiction]

Losing Sight of the Shore by Emily Moreton: ★★★★★
[science fiction]

Gifted in Tongues by J.L. Merrow: ★★★
[science fiction]

Analytic Geometry by Andi Deacon: ★★★★
[science fiction]

The Monsters Below by Lyn Gala: ★★★
[science fiction / horror / action]

Feral by K.R. Foster: ★★★
[science fantasy]

Ganymede’s Honor by Cornelia Grey: ★★★★
[science fiction]

Average rating = 3.7 (rounded up to 4 stars)

[Liz (Bugetta) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This only reviews the first three stories since that's as far as I got before it disappeared from Scibd (I think it's out of print now).
Better Than Cola by JL Merrow was odd, but I really liked Revolving Realities by Cari Z. and The Sacrifice by Sue Brown. Wish I'd gotten to read the rest, especially Lyn Gala's story. I hope she self-publishes it. :)

[Sue Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was the first book I contributed to, but I had to rate it. I loved the other stories, particular Cornelia Grey.

[Ridley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Average rating = ★★★

Nice collection of short stories, mostly ending in some kind of HFN.

Better Than Cola by J.L. Merrow: ★
Aliens on earth using human envelopes

Revolving Realities by Cari Z.: ★★★★
science fiction traveling alternate universes

The Sacrifice by Sue Brown: ★★★
self-sacrifice for peace

Alone by Andrea Speed: ★★★
developing perfect AI

Losing Sight of the Shore by Emily Moreton: ★★★
finding perfect mate on a rescue mission

Gifted in Tongues by J.L. Merrow: ★★
drunken night ending in jail

Analytic Geometry by Andi Deacon: ★★★
analyst turning explorer

The Monsters Below by Lyn Gala: ★★★
together forever (horror)

Feral by K.R. Foster: ★★
shifter alien in space arranged marriage

Ganymede’s Honor by Cornelia Grey: ★★★★
space pirates!

[Marlobo ♥ epilogues · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better Than Cola by JL Merrow - 2.5 stars

Revolving Realities by Cari Z. - 3 stars

The Sacrifice by Sue Brown - 3 stars

Alone by Andrea Speed - 1.5 stars

Losing Sight of the Shore by Emily Moreton - 2 stars

Gifted in Tongues by JL Merrow - 3 stars

Analytic Geometry by Andi Deacon - 4 stars

The Monsters Below by Lyn Gala - 4 stars

Feral by K.R. Foster - 2 stars

Ganymede’s Honor by Cornelia Grey - 4.5 stars

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all anthologies, there were excellent stories and ones that didn’t resonate with me. Over all it was a great collection of aliens, different worlds, and love.

[AlrightOkay · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5

[Paris · Rating 2 out of 5]

UPDATE: I finally did it. I finished it. It's been a struggle, but yesterday I read the last story, which is actually the best story of them all (Ganymede's Honor by Cornelia Grey). The other two that I can say I kinda liked are Alone by Andrea Speed and The Monsters Below by Lyn Gala.

Short stories are harder to write. You need to squeeze a full story onto few pages. Let's see how this anthology turned out. I will review as I read. Here we go:

1) BETTER THAN COLA by JL Merrow
It's so short that I can hardly call it a story. More like a scene. An alien who is wearing a "human" suite (sexy, right? or creepy :-P ) is offered sex by a human. I kinda liked the alien. Human? Not so much - he's got a case of alien groupiesm.
I don't think I saw any plot there. Just the idea. Which is not the same thing.
Ok, I think that's enough. I don't want my review to be longer than the story :-)

2) REVOLVING REALITIES by Cari Z.
The only survivor of a battered space capsule is searching alternate realities to save people he loves, his crew members that he lost in his own world. He is starving, dehydrated and on the verge of losing his mind, but there is one thing that keeps him going - a promise to a loved one.

Not sure if I liked the story or not. It left me neutral.

I have questions though:
Is it important to have sex scenes in romances today? Is it necessary? How many sex scenes should there be? Would you consider yourself cheated if there is none or not enough?
I often have a feeling that some of modern romantic authors are so eager to put the love scenes in their stories that they don't care what lead to them. It is not an easy task to create a beautiful love scene - it takes more than just a basic knowledge of human anatomy (you can stick A to B all you want, doesn't make it a Nobel Prize winner). So instead of writing the story chronologically (and see where it leads you), authors wrap their stories around sex. Sex isn't a happy ending. It shouldn't be the reason for writing a romance. Sex scene is not a plot. It cannot be a final destination of the story. And whatever else the author wants to tell his readers (through his characters) feels more like an afterthought.

3) THE SACRIFICE by Sue Brown
No sacrifice for Sue Brown ;-) The story runs very smooth. No real conflict there. It's like a super short version of something that could have been a book.
Giving a review for something so short is like walking a minefield full of spoilers. One wrong move and you give away the whole story :-)
One of the heroes is literally a sacrifice. He is young and strong and beautiful. And he is a Sacrifice to Gods on his own will. And it's up to you to find out how it's going to work out for him by the end of the day :-))

4) ALONE by Andrea Speed
Now this one I like. I think of it as a virtual Frankenstein story. There is a terrible reality of creation. And the tenderness between the creature [sim] and its creator [Logan]. The battle between mind and heart. The roots of this story are coming from our present days.

5) LOSING SIGHT OF THE SHORE by Emily Moreton
I read it yesterday and I already have difficulties remembering it. There is some kind of fairy-Disney-tale going on on the space ship.

6) GIFTED IN TONGUES by JL Merrow
Sometimes jail time could be especially nice and productive.

7) ANALYTIC GEOMETRY by Andi Deacon
It's some people's dream.

8) THE MONSTERS BELOW by Lyn Gala
...in love and in hate...till death do us part...or not :-)

9) FERAL by K.R. Foster
About a young rebellious royal lion-shifter. He is struggling to accept his duties because they are against his heart and freedom. But he will come to his senses pretty quick after a hard call from his dick.

10) GANYMEDE'S HONOR by Cornelia Grey
This one is a nicely written story. It has a beginning, crisis point and a logic ending. Something most stories above lack big time. The story is simple and it could be the reason I like it. It's a space swashbuckle.

[Andi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel a little odd about reviewing this anthology, since I have a story in it. But leaving that one uncommented upon, I thought this anthology was really great. I have not read a lot in the sci-fi area of m/m romance, although I've always been a big sci-fi fan in general, so I was delighted to find that the stories in this anthology stack up extremely well qua science fiction, as well as qua m/m romance.

The stories cover a lot of territory--from the difficulties of adapting to alien cultures, to politics in space, to alternate realities, to alien horror, to swash-buckling space pirate adventures. I was very impressed with the creativity throughout the book in the depiction of alien worlds and creatures--and the varying ways sex and love might go as a result. Some of the stories were humorous. Some were sad. Many of them were touching. Some were just plain fun. All of them were unique.

If I have one criticism, it is that some of the stories ended a bit abruptly--as if once the main characters actually "made contact," the stopping point had been reached. This is one of the limiting elements of short stories, and one of the things that makes them difficult to write, especially when you're dealing with romance. Perhaps it was just that once I got to know the characters, I wanted more of their story. With any luck, some of these authors will take these stories as jumping off points for longer works!

I would be hard put to it to choose a favorite as I genuinely enjoyed every one of them. Sci-fi lovers who don't normally read m/m romance might find their eyes opened to the possibilities, while the romance lovers will enjoy the wonderful backdrops against which the romances takes place.

[Driima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tough one because some stories I liked - others not so much.
Better Than Cola by J.L. Merrow: ★★ (very special because of the alien species chosen, started out very promising but unfortunaty continued without a plot I was able to enjoy)it felt like just: meeting, greeting, alien x human getting busy
Revolving Realities by Cari Z.: ★★★ (actually a nice story, just felt too short for this kind of plot)
The Sacrifice by Sue Brown: ★★★ (nice little story)
Alone by Andrea Speed: ★★ (not my favorite - still not bad, just not my taste - not even sure why)
Losing Sight of the Shore by Emily Moreton: ★★★ (like)
Gifted in Tongues by J.L. Merrow: ★★★ (nice and a little different)
Analytic Geometry by Andi Deacon: ★★ (first part nice, but some "twists" are too irritating or rather described and handled in a way I just couldn'd enjoy)
The Monsters Below by Lyn Gala: ★★★+ (Jup - liked it!)
Feral by K.R. Foster: ★★ (too hurried)
Ganymede’s Honor by Cornelia Grey: ★★★+ (good one)

[Justme · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great collection! Some were too short to be a story, more of a snipet, sadly, but most were complete & good reads.

Better Than Cola by JL Merrow 4.4* wanted more (snipet).
Revolving Realities by Cari Z 4.8* complete story, good read.
The Sacrifice by S Brown 4.8* complete w/twist; I liked this one.
Alone by A Speed 4* snipet unsatisfying.
Losing Sight of the Shore by E Moreton 4.4* lotsa sex.
Gifted in Tongues by JL Merrow 4* no substance; really not my thing.
Analytic Geometry by A Deacon 4.8* substance & sex.
The Monsters Below by L Gala 4.4* not romance for me, though interesting.
Feral by KR Foster 5* best w/obvious twist.
Ganymede's Honor by C Grey 5* bester! this was my favorite of the bunch. had everything (good char development, great world building, unique & intriguing idea, romance & sex).

I could have separated the ratings out a bit more, but...here you go. Even the unsatisfying reads were good reads.

[T.A. Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very lovely stories. Best of which is The Monsters Below by Lyn Gala. There are ten stories included in this anthology and all show the writers as skilled and imaginative. Love hate lust and passion show up in surprising ways. I read this book late at night with no interruptions and only a reading lamp on in my house. Some stories left me satisfied and some stayed with me. The Monsters Below was worth the price of admission by itself. While the premise of each of these stories is alien and human love/lust I foumnd each to ne startlingly tender in its own way. I dare you to read Ms. Gala without your heart bleeding. I found these to be jewels some flawed but some breathtakingly beautiful and moving.
Comment

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved it and could not put it down.

Every story was different and well written, some almost going back the the style of the original sci-fi writers where what you thought would or should happen didn't, or caused something unexpected.

Sue Brown's "The Sacrifice" was wonderful (she was the reason I actually picked it up after debating it for months), and I will definately be re-reading the anthology a time or three in the future.

It's a must read for any sci-fi lovers and I would recommend it to anyone who likes something a bit different, even if they have never read sci-fi.

[BTina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Better Than Cola by JL Merrow - 3.5 stars
Revolving Realities by Cari Z. - 4 stars
The Sacrifice by Sue Brown - 3.5 stars
Alone by Andrea Speed - 3.5 stars
Losing Sight of the Shore by Emily Moreton - 2.3 stars
Gifted in Tongues by JL Merrow - 3.3 stars
Analytic Geometry by Andi Deacon - 3,8 stars
The Monsters Below by Lyn Gala - 3 stars
Feral by K.R. Foster - 2 stars
Ganymede’s Honor by Cornelia Grey - 3,8 stars

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, i'm not a huge fan of anthologies. I don't generally like short stories. This one had mostly okay stories through out. I was rather surprised that i didn't like more of them since there were several authors that are usually 4 star reads for me. But, again, i don't care for short stories in general. No real stand outs one way or the other. Nothing really original here but it was decent reading.

[Clover · Rating 4 out of 5]

all the stories were great, but the "Monster" one was really creepy. I still have mixed feelings about the way the story ends.
I hope all the authors will continue to write :)

[Nightcolors · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

[Kiki · Rating 3 out of 5]

some very good stories, some very so-so stories

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.25 to 4.5 stars

Great anthology

Read my review at http://scatteredthoughtsandroguewords... on 9/20/2012

[⚣Michaelle⚣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9 Stars