Scorpion (Memory of Scorpions, #1) in Riptide Publishing

May 22, 2011 SueM rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m, fantasy, menage, spy-assassin, war, ipad-ereader

A well written complex novel with intense, detailed characters. It's a fantasy novel with a historical feel - reminiscent of the Romans or gladiators. While there is a romance, it isn't the main focus of the story to me. Instead the focus is on the political drama with its resultant wars, battles and assassinations. If you're in the mood for a poltical drama filled with the brutality of a war, betrayal, loyalty, honor, basic rough sex (including a couple of menages) and set with a background rom ...more

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Jul 21, 2011 Mary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Kudos to the author. I cannot remember a time where I’ve been lured into empathizing with a character who beat the MC half to death. But I did. So much so, that I found myself cheering their relationship on.

If you’re not into fantasy, don’t let that stop you from reading this book; the world-building is exquisite and doesn’t require a roadmap to follow.

This story snagged me from the first page. Highly recommended.

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Nov 21, 2011 Adara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

First: I LOVE this cover. It's perfect. (And I have a thing for tall, dark, and blue eyes.) Anyway...

So, the story starts us out with Kendras, an injured mercenary who has been sent away from the battle (so that the King doesn't have to pay the mercenaries for their service) and separated from his unit, the Scorpions. He runs across another man, a man with grey eyes named Steel, who sees an opportunity with Kendras and takes advantage of the poor situation to put Kendras in his debt. Steel doesn First: I LOVE this cover. It's perfect. (And I have a thing for tall, dark, and blue eyes.) Anyway...

So, the story starts us out with Kendras, an injured mercenary who has been sent away from the battle (so that the King doesn't have to pay the mercenaries for their service) and separated from his unit, the Scorpions. He runs across another man, a man with grey eyes named Steel, who sees an opportunity with Kendras and takes advantage of the poor situation to put Kendras in his debt. Steel doesn't exactly want a slave, but he does want Kendras to be indebted to him. Steel thinks that he can buy that indebtedness, but at the first opportunity, Kendras takes off to go look for his unit. (He did tell Steel he was going to. Steel just thought he could forbid it. That should've been his first clue.)

Through a flashback, we learn about the Scorpions and "the officer" who leads them, and who first found Kendras and thought him fit to join the unit. We learn that the group is what is left of a legion from an Empire long since deceased. The officers of the unit have kept a "memory" written of the members and political machinations of many decades (centuries?) and they use that information to determine which side they will align with (even if the price is lower). The comrades will live and die for each other, and to Kendras it is unthinkable not to go back and find out what happened to his comrades and the officer.

To shorten up the plot synopsis, the officer is a hostage and Kendras winds up embroiled in a political mess he never dreamed of while trying to rescue him. Even if they rescue the officer, it becomes clear before too long that the unit might not get the officer back, which troubles Kendras in a variety of ways.

I think that's enough of a recap for me to be able to say what I want to say about the story.

Kendras sort of bothered me because he seemed to waffle between weak and strong, or rather he was weak in some ways and strong in others (which a serious feat to accomplish so well in writing in the first place). Don't get me wrong: I like the character and love the story, but I was sort of left wondering if he really had what it takes in the end (view spoiler). I began wondering if Kendras would have been strong enough to carry on (view spoiler), or would he have given up, as he did a couple of other times in the story. Is he really the right person? Because he sure doubts himself a hell of a lot. (Then again, we don't see inside the officer's head, so we don't know how his insecurities compare to Kendras's own, so there's no telling. We see the officer through the rose-colored glasses that Kendras wears.)

Aside from the feeling that Kendras seemed to be getting weaker in his sense of self as the story progressed because he was in WAY over his head politically and depended on the officer to guide them on the right path (and that kept me from feeling like Kendras belonged where he finally ended up), I thought the story was fantastic. The world was interesting and the main characters really had depth that I enjoyed.

Oh, and while I talk about Kendras being over his head politically, the story is not a lot of thick court intrigue. I don't mean to give that impression. It's more action. I mean to say that Kendras just doesn't think along those lines. (view spoiler) I thought that aspect of the story was well done because it didn't get bogged down in explanation of machinations. Because we're experiencing all this through the filter that is Kendras, it is much simplified.

In the end, I'm not sure I entirely bought into where Kendras ended up, but I didn't see better options either, and that was as happy as things were going to get. Is it truly HEA? Not in my opinion, because the whole situation is temporary. There's a lot of room for interpretation there. But it's not bittersweet either. I guess I'm happy with it because Kendras still needs some training to get where he needs to be to fill the shoes he found himself in, and I can live with that.

EDIT: After re-reading in Jan 2014, changing this from 4.5 to 5 stars. I'm looking forward to the forthcoming sequels to see how Kendras grows. ...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Laylah Hunter rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: m-slash-m, favorites, military-sf-f

When I grow up I want to write books this satisfying.

Scorpion worked wonderfully for me both as erotica and as a military fantasy adventure. The sex was rough and hot and nuanced, with a lot of characterization accompanying the hotness. The fighting and politicking were exciting page-turners. The often-grim content was neither glossed over nor overwrought -- a hard balance to pull off.

I loved Kendras, watching him fight, watching his determination; some of the hardest fighting he did in this boo ...more

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May 07, 2011 Sandra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I will start off by saying that I was looking forward to “Scorpion” for some time and was ecstatic when the book finally came out. My purchased copy was happily loaded on my e-reader the minute it was released. Knowing that it was written by Aleksandr Voinov, I knew I could expect the best and I wasn’t disappointed - I absolutely loved “Scorpion”! The characters were very well developed and interesting; the plot was well thought of and set at a great pace; and I can’t even describe how hot the s I will start off by saying that I was looking forward to “Scorpion” for some time and was ecstatic when the book finally came out. My purchased copy was happily loaded on my e-reader the minute it was released. Knowing that it was written by Aleksandr Voinov, I knew I could expect the best and I wasn’t disappointed - I absolutely loved “Scorpion”! The characters were very well developed and interesting; the plot was well thought of and set at a great pace; and I can’t even describe how hot the sex scenes were!

It was like watching a really great (epic) movie, where all the supporting roles (even the extras) are at par with the Oscar winning lead role - and the Director/Script writer is a genius :)

(view spoiler)

“Scorpion” read at a quick pace grabbing my attention with great characters and strong plot (as expected from Mr. Voinov) and to me, everything fit quite well.

I should also mention that my eyes were watery on more than one occasion! ...more

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May 04, 2011 Emanuela ~plastic duck~ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: glbt, rainbow-gay, fantasy

Sequel, please.

Look at the cover, how could you resist?

Fantastic, I loved it. Where to begin?

Kendras. When we meet him, he's broken in body and maybe in spirit, but he knows he has to go on. He's the ultimate fighter, an orphan alone on perilous streets, saved by a man who can see his indomitable will. You don't have to think that Kendras is THE strongest, that he won't bend, that he never loses hope. He has his moments of weakness, he has a lot of doubts, insecurities which sprout from his prec Sequel, please.

Look at the cover, how could you resist?

Fantastic, I loved it. Where to begin?

Kendras. When we meet him, he's broken in body and maybe in spirit, but he knows he has to go on. He's the ultimate fighter, an orphan alone on perilous streets, saved by a man who can see his indomitable will. You don't have to think that Kendras is THE strongest, that he won't bend, that he never loses hope. He has his moments of weakness, he has a lot of doubts, insecurities which sprout from his precarious youth, but he can be fierce and he's honorable and loyal. He is also not above exploiting other men's weaknesses, seeking revenge, lending himself to traitorous plots, but you can feel there are lines he'll never cross. And then there is his one and only passion, the man he is willing to die for, and their moments are so intense.

The officer. He looks like the man who can do no wrong, the perfect leader, but remember that it's Kendras' perspective and when it concerns the officer, it's a little bit skewed. The officer is a born leader - and we later learn a bit about his past, and that he was also raised a leader, unlike Kendras - so it's easy for someone like our hero to envelop him in a mythical aura, but in his words and deeds we sometimes have glimpses of his doubts and insecurities. In the last part of the book, we can see how he leans on Kendras, bringing out Kendras' abilities as a commander and not only a warrior. I had the impression both the officer and Kendras were sort of resigned to be on their own, but they found someone with whom they could be themselves and let their defenses down. I also had the impression that the officer realized it even before Kendras, when the other man seemed to be attracted to him because of his role, and not because of the man he was.

Widow. The most elusive character of the book. Widow is a mercenary and a spy and a troublemaker, he's irritating and vicious, and he has only one loyalty. You don't want to trust him, because Kendras knows he can't turn his back to him, but by the end of the book you won't be able to resist to the combination of his stinging tongue and his obsequious manners.

Steel. Wow. Second chances and inescapable fate all rolled into one. Steel is a man who tries to be something or someone else throughout the book, but he can't find the strength to oppose the others and stand for himself. Kendras is his occasion, but circumstances and his own weakness prevent him from being the man Kendras could desire. If there is one romantic character in the book, it's him. I know he takes decisions which are highly unpopular, and that he seems to take advantage of Kendras, but his desperation was sort of appealing.

And then there are the Scorpions, their rites and the wonderful concept of memory; the interesting world building, the politics, kings and priests, opposing cities, familial ties, treason and cunning; the promise of... a sequel?

The only little little little remark I can make is that I wished the final battle would be longer. I almost felt it was a bit taken away from my enjoyment. I was prepared for Helm's Deep and, well, you know, it was a bit too short, I wanted to see Kendras discharge all his power and magnificence on the battlefield.

Is it here I'm begging for a sequel? A collection of deleted scenes? A couple of paragraphs, just to know if they're ok? Please.
...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Johanna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ebook, favorites, m-m, aleksandr-voinov

This book has a very intimate and unique tone to it. It was like a quilt I was able to wrap around myself. A quilt that smells like strength, loyalty, pride and perseverance - but also doubt and failure. A quilt that has such beautiful, detailed embroidery of love, loss and comradeship on it. A quilt I would love to share with someone who’d feel the same about it and who’d know exactly what I mean. Because the thing is that while I read Aleksandr Voinov’s writing, I already miss his sentences. W This book has a very intimate and unique tone to it. It was like a quilt I was able to wrap around myself. A quilt that smells like strength, loyalty, pride and perseverance - but also doubt and failure. A quilt that has such beautiful, detailed embroidery of love, loss and comradeship on it. A quilt I would love to share with someone who’d feel the same about it and who’d know exactly what I mean. Because the thing is that while I read Aleksandr Voinov’s writing, I already miss his sentences. With Scorpion it felt almost unbearable that someone can write so beautifully about war and warriors. The narration of the story is extremely sensuous and lovely.

And what a relief that this particular fantacy novel didn’t start by listing names and things about numerous families and their kin! I’ve always found it aversive to first read hundreds of (or at least dozens of) pages family history before little something starts to happen with the storyline. I also hugely enjoyed the tempo of the story. It correlated nicely with the healing process of Kendras’s injured leg. And it correlated with the facts that Kendras found the remaining Scorpions, found out that Adrastes was possibly alive and regained some feel of hope with those discoveries. The author wasn’t afraid to sometimes hold the pace and other times to leap into action. The rhythm of the story reminded me of the beat of a battle. And as for myself, I would have wanted to linger among all the fascinating characters for the longest time, but I didn’t seem to be able to put the book down after I started reading it!

I liked the fact that Adrastes’s spirit and his instructions to the young Scorpion were with Kendras throughout the story tying it all together in a very effective way, and never letting Kendras to give up. In fact I can’t stop wondering how someone’s presence can be written in a story in such a solid and overwhelming way - although that person is not physically around the main character until later in the book. Because long before we meet Adrastes with the ocean priests, we already know him and we already admire him. And we desperately long to be with him. And when these two men are finally together everything else vanishes. The chemistry between them is downright intoxicating and intense. I found myself blushing several times just because I felt like an intruder in the middle of the most special moments between to persons who simply belong to each other.

Scorpion has so many wonderful, skillfully written characters in it that it would be a shame if we didn’t hear more about these proud men in the future. I do admire the uncompromising and insightful way Aleksandr Voinov writes his characters. The men in this book were intriguing mixture of rough and sweet, brutal and tender. I loved to get a glimpse of Widow, Steel, the medic, Selvan… And now when I’ve read the very last page and the very last word I already crave for a new dose of Scorpions and Adrastes of Fetin.

Never stop writing, Aleksandr! ;) ...more

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May 14, 2011 Elin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Gritty, grimy, violent and sexy. Scorpion's protagonist, Kendras, battles injury, unwanted love and political chicanery in his efforts to find and rejoin his commander. ...more

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