Month: October 2016

By Huskyteer as originally posted on flayrah.com

Romance and sex have always surrounded travel, and the vehicles we use for it. Even in the age of mass transit, there’s still a thrill in leaving the known behind and moving as a stranger among strangers.

A sense of movement, freedom and adventure pervades these seven tales of M/F erotica, each set in, or set in motion by, a different form of transport.

Self-published ebook, 2016, pay what you want.

A word, first, about the price of the book. To purchase Bodies in Motion, you PayPal the author whatever you think >80,000 words of erotica is worth, and receive your ebook the next time the author is awake and at a computer.

It’s a business model that either places a high level of trust in readers, or says “Hey, I had fun writing this. You have fun too!” Or maybe both.

There is plenty of fun to be had. Baird takes us to a bustling spaceport, a pirate airship somewhere over Africa, a flying-boat in an alternate 1930s, a railroad carriage in Colorado, and more. (If you’re already a fan, you will recognise some settings from his various series on SoFurry.) My personal favourite is probably ‘Next Exit: Camelot’, a 1970s road trip steeped in the ethos, and the music, of the decade. (There’s also a husky in it, which helps.)

The stories may be light on plot, but there’s always the sense of a rich world beyond the boundaries of the tale at hand. The settings, whether fantasy, historical, alt-historical or sci-fi, are atmospheric and evocative, and the characters obviously have lives to live and stuff to do when the story is over. These people have not been called into existence to bonk in a vacuum.

Baird’s universe is sex-positive and female-positive; the women generally call the shots, and the sex is fun, without baggage.

The self-published ebook has been produced to a high standard, with no typographic nasties. Fitting the transport theme, the cover takes the form of a passport. It’s respectable enough to display on your Kindle in public, and contains some neat little jokes. Each story also has its own adorable piece of pixel art, created by Italian fur MrMandolino, as a header.

It’s hard to ask whether a book is worth your money when you choose how much to spend on it. I can tell you, however, that this one is worth your time.

Cheerful, funny, well-written and sexy, Bodies in Motion comprises seven little escape capsules to other worlds and times. All aboard!

This article released under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 license

as originally posted on flayrah.com by Huskyteer

A crowdfunded war fought by genetically identical dog-people created as soldiers and emancipated into a world that doesn’t understand, or always approve of, their special talents.

What could possibly go wrong?

Edane, Ereli and their hundreds of brothers were grown and trained to form fighting units, but the company that created them was shut down when they were still, biologically, children.

Now adults, some scrape a living as mercenaries, doing odd jobs, or fighting for a betting audience. The lucky ones have a career in MilSim, a realtime combat simulation game, but some figures in the sport are starting to argue that they’re too good and shouldn’t compete.

Self-published, 2016, ebook (288 pages) $4.99 (US) / £3.99 (UK).

Meanwhile, they struggle to relate to the humans and other gengineered species around them: partners, adoptive parents, colleagues and friends.

What they were built for, what they’re good at, what makes them feel right, is war. With no war currently available, they make their own.

The people of Azerbaijan want to topple their country’s oppressive regime, so why not set up a fund for anyone who’s angry enough, and can spare a few New Dollars, to chip in? Meet the target, and the dogs take out the dictator.

For Ereli, living in a crowded apartment and struggling to pay his share of the rent, joining the operation is an easy decision. Edane, on the other hand, has a girlfriend, a MilSim team, and loving parents, Cathy and Beth. But is he happy?

There are many books about clones and genetically engineered creatures, but few get under the skin of them so well. Cross explores what it’s like to enter the world having been institutionalised from birth, and to struggle with concepts like humour and sexual attraction.

As well as clone biology, there’s plenty of technical detail surrounding the military and medical technology of the future, and enough about MilSim to make it sound like a pretty good time as well as a convincing sport.

Although the science behind the fiction stands up to even rigorous poking, above all this is a story about coping in a world where you’ll never be normal and don’t know how to fake it.

Dog Country is set in the same world as several of Cross’s earlier works, including the Ursa Major Award-winning Dangerous Jade (FurPlanet, 2012) and War Dog (originally published in New Fables). This is the first full-length novel to come out of San Iadras.

You can take a short trip to Dog Country by visiting Pavlov’s House, published April 2014 in Strange Horizons.

(Full Disclosure: I have a story in this book: Unbalanced Scales, is the 6th story in the book. It takes place in the same universe as last year’s Brooklyn Blackie and the Unappetizing Menu, just 40 years later. I will “review” that story last. I mean, I could skip it entirely, but I do so like talking about myself and my stories.)

Mary E. Lowd returns as editor for Roar this year and completely avoids the curse of the 2nd album! The theme this year is LEGENDS. There are 17 takes on what makes a legend from 17 different authors. While some are more successful than others, there are no clunkers – for me, at least. Your mileage may vary.

As is my wont, I’ve written a little review of each story, so lets get to it.

Crouching Tiger, Standing Crane” by Kyla Chapek
A Shaolin Legend; the Origin of A School of Martial Arts

Everybody loves Kung Fu Fighting…

Sorry, had to get that out of my system.

This was an excellent story which I think took needed liberties with Ming China’s histories. Not that I’m an expert, but obviously a Furry Universe China would suffer an abundance of unavoidable diversity that the historical China did not. This is the challenge Furry writers face whenever they want to recreate a culture.

I do not know if the red boats or the suppression of the Monks actually took place in our history. It doesn’t matter (to me) because it all felt very authentic to me. I would be very curious to see what a true student of Chinese history thinks about the cultural translation.

The various species in this story are well presented, in both the framing sequences and in the legend itself. A plus on the Furriness. The snap shots of time and the years leaping ahead are handled well in most respects. Children being children are also deftly handled.

A very fine start to this year’s ROAR.

“The Frog Who Swallowed the Moon” by Renee Carter Hall
Fable: The Legend of How Frog Got His Groove On.

I’d describe the legend better, but then there would be a spoiler or two.

This is another Renee Carter Hall success of a simple, strong story that makes me jealous knowing that I could never replicate the like. The story of Frog accidentally stealing the moon is sweet and sure with a strong morale that is seemingly simple and subversively complex. It shows facets of sacrifice, the test of friendship, the taste of recovery, and the price of doing the right thing.

It is an allegory for artists twice over. As someone who lost his voice for years, only to recently rediscover it, I was moved and awed.

“The Torch” by Chris “Sparf” Williams
Modern Legacy: Media Legends

This was a very warm hearted and realistic tale of a fading television of yesterday who’s retirement plan is roughly equivalent to how many 9×12 glossies he can sign at events. Sparf has got such a very good handle on this that suddenly I’m beginning to suspect that he’s a lot older than I thought. I figured mid-30’s at most! Or perhaps he got to fill the role of Jake, the guest liaison, a lot at conventions… either way, I felt this slice of fading stardom was masterfully framed and executed.

Minor quibble: I did feel the Labrador sub-plot was a little awkward at one spot; but I’m all for shades of racism/breedism sneaking into a story. It hinted at a depth that we really didn’t get a chance to explore, so it might be my own expectations to explore the allegory of prejudice.

Beyond that, the story left me feeling rejuvenated and hopeful.

“A Rock Among Millions” by Skunkbomb
Urban Legend: A Coming of Age Story

I am a cynical sort; so if someone tried to lure me into the woods to touch a massive “something” for good luck, I’d be as dubious as this cat narrating this slice of life adventure. Sure, getting lost in the woods is the perfect allegory for how the cat’s life at the moment. No serious job prospects and siblings doing better than he is.

So far, it’s not my favorite, but the idea that this cat might actually be named “Dude” is making me smile.

There was a moment in the story when the cat says his dog friend looked like he “was waiting for a treat,” it made me wonder if there were humans in this world. Because while it provoked a good strong image in my head, I’m not sure that’s a phrase a cat would use in a world where career choices were important for it.

The dog requesting the cat take his nude photo so the cat could send it to his sister, whom the dog is crushing on, also provoked a strong image. Not a bad one for me, either, for I have only the vaguest appreciation for boundaries. And I do so love that the furry people might be into cross-pollination, but the cat has no reaction to it beyond stating that the sister has a steady.

This is a good story but the furry elements are decoration; not a strong part of the story. In other words, this cat and dog duo could be any human pairing of friends. Sure, the cat has good night vision but that didn’t really amp up the story.

“The Pigeon Who Wished For Golden Feathers” by Corgi W.
Fame and Fortune: On being a Legend in your mind

Unless you’re a saint, there’s always going to be a part of you that wants fame and fortune above all else. Epol the pigeon is no saint. Taken from the streets and rescued from a life of poverty and crime, Epol was taught skills to help raise himself above desperation by the white dove, Olanthum, who is quite possibly a saint himself. The pigeon suspects he might possibly be the best gambler among the Avian population who consider gambling a part of their religion.

Our story begins with the discovery of an open event where he can prove his talent. His mentor and father-figure suggests he not enter this competition, as the skill Epol is most proud of is cheating with his dice.

The pigeon flies off to compete and he nearly blows his own stake in creating the image he wants to project when he’s immortalized as he so richly deserves. Once committed to this course, Epol discovers that the temple is aware that cheaters will cheat and that they treat cheaters most harshly.

Corgi does a good job of bringing this game to life; makes it seem familiar, even though I’m sure that I’ve never played it. Corgi also makes it exciting; and I feel Epol’s excitement, too.

In the end, Epol does help create a legend; one of self-sacrifice and love. And, at the risk of spoiling the ending, let me assure you that there’s a reason or two for most of the cast to be birds. These reasons elevate the story nicely and make the universe you’ll share here much richer for it.

The last few pages of this tale raised the overall story from a 7 to an 8. Good Dog!

“Reason” by Heidi C. Vlach
Lore within Lore; A Legend of Aligare

Aligare is magic world with three distinct races: korvi, aemets and ferrin. They live together in patchwork social strata with equal rights and different merits. Korvi are bird-like. The ferrin are smaller mammals that remind me of squirrel-ferrets. The aemet are bug mammal hybrids. Everyone is peoples and they mostly live in harmony together.

This story centers on two aemet siblings, Linden and Chard, who are tasked with maintaining the health of a plum tree that not just represents the founding of their village, Castaway, but stands as testimony to the spiritual core of the villagers who view the “shrine tree” as a literal gift of Seasu to the founders of Castaway. Yet, the tree is slowly dying.

Seasu delivers a drowning ferrin to Linden, allowing the founding legend of the village to be heard by fresh, new ears, as the little mammal, Vrin, recovers.

This is the first story of the collection, I feel, that really explores the myriad powers of a legend or myth. As entertainment, as history, as guidance, and as morality: the story gets deep yet still feels light.

There is a sense of a greater universe of stories (which there is: https://heidicvlach.com/aligare-lore/) but there’s no real need to be “caught up with” the back story.

I did have some minor trouble picturing the varied folk in this story, mind you. I think, ironically, because I was reading a Furry collection, I was sorta stuck on what animals I’m dealing with. I suspect — having put the story aside for a few days — that if I’d been reading a collection of SF or Fantasy, I might not have had that trouble.

Nicely done.

“Old-Dry-Snakeskin” by Ross Whitlock
Gospel: Apocalypse as a Folk Tale

This is a hard tale to pigeon hole, for I think the voice and structure is very much a folk tale, but it isn’t. I feel like I could spend hours breaking down the story into its component anthropological and literary elements; something I am ill-equipped to do. I would not be surprised to see students a decade from now doing just that with this story.

With the full force of over 40 years reading SF&F behind me, I honestly feel qualified to say that this story is another “Sic Transit… ? A Shaggy Hairless-Dog Story” by Steven Utley and Howard Waldrop. It has the same flavor, scope, and style.

It is and will be a classic story reprinted dozens of times over in obscure places and read in dorm-rooms as roommates make bongs out of unlikely materials. The author had better get an agent.

But, on top of all that, it’s a fun story with a snake as the hero and how often do you come across that?

“Kitsune Tea” by E.A. Lawrence
Urban Fantasy: The Power of Imagination

A fateful discovery of an abandoned dollhouse leads a young Kitsune on a quest of exploration and introspection of what it means to be Kitsune… and ultimately, what it means to be Human, in an allegorical way, perhaps.

I really enjoy Rue’s journey immensely. I did wonder at how she knew words for some things but not other things outside of her experience of living in the woods. Eventually, I gave up thinking about such silly things. No leaps in logic were daunting, any ignorance of her part were completely logical, so the author’s word choices were certainly better than mine would have been. The delivery was smooth and steady; revealing the Kitsune’s urban-sharing culture and hierarchy along the way.

The author made one of the best uses of the animal side of things in this collection. The bar was officially raised for the rest of Roar 7.

“A Touch of Magic” by John B. Rosenman
Teddy Bear Picnic: When Imaginary Friends Return

Disclaimer: I had submitted a story with a talking teddy bear amid humans, too. While I don’t think I have anything like sour grapes about the rejection I am only human. Well, I am when I’m not a typing horse, at least!

I liked George, the mild mannered bear of a man who had enough of a kid left inside of him to accept Susy the Teddy showing up out of nowhere. I liked the premise of the entities that seems to visit so many growing children and is basically anti-imaginary friend. I liked George’s interactions with his wife and non-moody child; they were so spot on. I even liked the Justin Bierber poster.

I didn’t like the confrontation scenes with the entity and I was especially put off by Susy’s language during the final confrontation. Not that I’m a prude. The contrast of what one expects from a plush children’s toy and what one gets can be used used for great effect. Here, it felt a bit like a fumble here.

In short, this felt like a story of exorcism without the religion. Not that this makes it a bad thing, automatically, but I think a little more tweaking was called for.

“Long Time I Hunt” by Erin Lale
Native American Legend: Cherokee Cat Spirit

What a wonderful piece, placing the reader in the head of a spirit cat, bound with a purpose and love to the lineage of his first human friend. It’s sweet and sad in turns, but always slightly poetic, as the spirit returns again and again to the Earth. To the possessor of his totem.

As his history and his bones are forgotten the Hunter feels his role and powers diminish over the generations. Yet, still he hunts and yearns for the companionship of his first people. The ending is elegant and sweet, giving the Hunter a reason to purr at last.

“The Butterfly Effect” by Jay “Shirou” Coughlan
Magic Cyborgs: The Cover Legend

Rahni and Roi are wolves that walk like men, the “best part of a bad plan.” They were selected to take on the burden and the risk of a new magical weapon that would help save the Kingdom from a plague of a biblical proportions. Instead of locusts, however, they faced butterflies that spread madness and steal souls.

Over the years, they fight a battle to hold the line against a mindless enemy that just seems to keep coming. I must admit to being more than a little uncertain of the full scope of the threat. Outside of the Kingdom, I infer that the remainder of the world is an ecological disaster with butterfly controlled zombies and that any surviving kingdoms are in similar straights.

Still, the story is less about the war and more about the scars. Rahni has fallen to madness and Roi has spent two decades trying to avoid the same fate, as well as trying to do the work of two. He may be overcompensating to the point of subsuming his own needs; becoming an automaton of logic… to avoid pain.

Roi is forced into time off, allowing him to experience a lot of overdue introspection. Flashbacks allow for the story to have enough action to balance the wolf’s soul-searching and to put things in perspective.
I felt something was missing, although I cannot put my finger on it. The final flashback came very close to providing it… but I’m still not sure what that would be.

“The Roar” by John Giezentanner
Prehistoric Legend: Inherit the Earth

I put this review aside for a few days because I am not at all sure how to describe the story without spoilers. Young dinosaurs adopting younger dinosaurs and trying to avoid a world full of monsters. Which seems simple enough; but it isn’t.

I found this a wonderful and bittersweet story of growing up; an allegorical nod to growing up homeless and trying to avoid the bad guys. A great use of reptiles.

His bio in the back of the book provided the best and biggest laugh in the book.

“Trust” by TJ
Mysterious Lover: Hidden Legend

A comfy M/M tale with a fox and coyote in a modern setting. It’s almost funny animals. Except when the wolf’s scent sniffing abilities do come into play, these could have been normal humans. In TJ’s written voice, I found this perfectly charming. I picked up on the todd’s anxiety in slow growing strides in a very realistic way. A more zoomorphic slide might have been cluttered with the distracting details of being supplied a fox emotive gestures.

I’ll not reveal the ending, but I am a little dubious of the todd’s rejection of part of what his coyote shares… but maybe that is a struggle for another day. Or maybe I am too cynical.

“A Thousand Dreams” by Amy Fontaine
Cosmic Legend: Howls of Sympathy

Life and death and life and death again as Tarascus learns what it means to go from a meaty thing to a creature made of stars. He becomes a Legend by accident of birth and the belief of his fellow wolves

I am not sure exactly what to make of this story. It’s not a bad story; it is literally cosmic in its reach and that’s a lot of miles to cover. The ending seems very harsh and I am not sure what the author is trying to say about a universe that showed so many wonders.

The Golden Flowers by Priya Sridhar
Old Friends: When a tall tale proves true…

For the purposes of this story, let’s assume that either rhino horns do not grow back in this universe, or Sushil the rhino has a rasp in his ashram. Otherwise, this is very sweet story might fall over a bit. Over the 50 years that the rhino hid in the ashram, he became first a hermit, then a rumor, and then a nearly forgotten legend, guarding the yellow flowers that grow in the mountains.

Golden flowers that Emery needs; not just as a medicine but as a quest to prove that he is not so helpless to his parents.

I really liked the special touches, like the martins that crawled all over the rhino. I got the distinct impression that the young visiting goat wasn’t expecting them and might have been staring a bit. I especially like that I wasn’t told as much, just left the impression.

Puppets by Ellis Aen
Virtual Hero, Real Hero: Legend of Tomorrow

I really liked the setting, although I at first thought I was dealing with oddly designed superheroes/mercs. Much of the story takes place in the virtual setting(s) of a future at war. In the virtual world, soldiers are on the front lines attempting to defeat their opponents so army intelligence can get new ideas and stress test new strategies. In the real world, there is also a gigantic space war at a distance, but it is getting closer.

In these two ways, the story is similar to Ender’s Game between the war games and the real world. Except, of course, we aren’t dealing with an exceptionally bright boy too young for any of this. Stargrave is a young man, experiencing adult feelings and some regrets and survivors remorse. In the virtual world of instant gratification, he’s become a legend among the vitual warriors for keeping his Stargrave persona alive for such a long time. A battle record that follows him into the real world.

There’s also a little romance and the sweetest dance scene that I have ever read. EVER. This scene literally brought me to tears.

A part of me wants to ask the author about the virtual suicides; a sort of a mirror to the phrase “A coward dies 1,000 deaths,” but frankly, I doubt the answer would be anywhere near as meaningful to me as that one dance scene was. Anyone who’s fallen in love with someone before they met them in person, will recognize this moment.

What a great way to end this collection. I was all tears and snot typing the first draft of my review of this story.

Summation:

Overall, I liked Old-Dry-Snakeskin, The Frog Who Swallowed the Moon, and Puppets the best. The first two were the lightest of the collection, despite being about loss. Puppets, on the other hand, was far from light, but it pulled everything together and shone like a laser beacon when the time was right.

I liked A Thousand Dreams and A Touch of Magic the least. Neither were bad stories, mind you. One tale simply threw my out of the story too often. The other left me uncertain about what I’d just been told.

“Unbalanced Scales” by Bill Kieffer
My Story: A Rap Legend from Aesop’s World

I have daddy issues, and one of the things I always wanted to do was a nod to the movie, The Jazz Singer (kids, ask your grandparents). The plot of this was, basically, Jewish kid is a great singer and is poised to take over his father’s position as a Cantor (kids, ask your rabbi) in early 20th Century America. The kid, instead, takes up jazz music for fun and profit, totally pissing his father off. By the end of the movie, the father is on his death bed and finally hears his son sing on the radio and realizes there’s beauty and god in this music, too, if one is singing from the heart.

This story was my attempt to pay homage to this landmark film and the culture conflict between generations that almost every modern generation has to deal with.

In Aesop’s World, Chromatics revere the prophet Mosaic. It was founded in Homeland (the Middle East) and it is one of the three main religions that populate this setting of talking animals. There are nods (I hope they are accepted as respectful nods) to some of the traditions and teachings from that area of the real world peppered in the Chromatic culture. Any faults you see in this culture are mine alone and no reflection on their real world counterparts. The object was to portray a strong culture and religion built around mindfulness, humility, respect, and reverence that can contrast the popular culture of the time. It’s not meant to portray any group of people as cold blooded animals… except that sometimes racist and bigots will do exactly that.

I hope I presented just enough in the story to hint at what Saint George was rebelling against and what Frosty was trying to hold onto.

LEATHER SPIRIT STALLION by Raven Kaldera
category Gay & Lesbian
ISBN: 1613901313 CIRCLET PRESS ｩ2014

The writing is fine and well-paced as we are introduced to quite a different Dom. Erlik Solongo is a short Asian with a small bit of insecurities and a wonder sense of exactly how he appears to others. Unlike other Doms I might know I in real life and in books, Erlik doesn’t over compensate or denies his short comings. He simply accepts and deals with it.

Of course, it might help his confidence in knowing that he carries a spirit posse of ancestors and earth elementals with him to help guide him. Erlik is a buu (or a Mongolian Shaman, if you prefer). He reclaimed his heritage and when the book opens, Erlik has arranged his life to incorporate the old, important traditions of his Mongol ancestors while walking in modern streets.

His spirits approve.

His family does not. They consider themselves Americans who just happen to be Chinese. So, between his coming out as gay and declaring himself Mongolian (he had his DNA test, and he’s at least partially Mongolian), they’ve written him off. So, he’s on his own and cruising the leather bar scene on a shoe string budget.

I found the Mongolian aspects quite interesting and inspiring, I may appropriate at least some of that in future stories. The word, WINDHORSE, and the concept, is quite interesting to me.

The BDSM involvement was a tad too quick and risky, for me personally. Not an unusual happenstance in the BDSM romance/erotica, gay or otherwise. Although, honestly, agreeing to bottom for someone shouldn’t automatically mean that it’s OK to tie them up. I prefer rules and negotiations, but then I’m a switch.

While I would have preferred a different path, Erlik is at least established that he moves fast to BDSM with Curt early in the book and that he is honorable. Why would he go slower with Paj?

His spirits all but gave Paj to him. While the sex scenes were good, I think Erlik earning his “warrior” title by rescuing his future lover was one of the best parts of the book. I would like to see these two return in an adventure of sorts, but I may have to look elsewhere for my Mongolian flavored magic story-lines. I liked Erlik’s soul searching; it really made me feel that they were both stretching and growing.

I read 1 review that called out the author on Erlik’s choice of which portion of his heritage he chooses to “celebrate.” I do not see a problem with cultural appropriation in this book. The spirits, after all, approached him and no blood line can truly afford to be pure. He had his DNA tested, as I mentioned earlier (although that might just have been a way to see if the voices in his head were spirits or madness).

In the LGBT+ community, where it’s perfectly acceptable to pick your own family, I think it’s perfectly acceptable to pick your heritage and traditions — if that incurs some soul searching, researching, and education, then even better. More power to you.

I like the ending here. At the risk of adding a spoiler, Erlik finds a way to make Paj’s parents allies.

by Huskyteer (Alice Dryden) as originally posted on flayrah.com

This review is part of my commitment to reviewing anthropomorphic literature during Furry Book Month.

Described as a ‘dystopian sci-fi erotic novel’, Splice: Conditioning is set in a near future where natural disasters have made large parts of the USA uninhabitable and plunged many of its citizens into poverty.

One light in the darkness is the presence of Splices: genetically engineered, anthropomorphic dogs who act as companions and sex toys, as well as taking over some of the riskier or more unpleasant jobs.

Because of the dangers inherent in creating human-sized dogs capable of rational thought and tool operation, each Splice has a Conditioning Phrase known to its creators and owner, and is programmed to enter a submissive, obedient state when this is spoken.

Self-published, 2016, ebook $2.97.

Lexi, who works as a waitress in the depressing surrounds of Fort Miami, loves her St Bernard Splice, Henry, won in the state lottery. Mikey, electronics whiz-kid and club DJ, loves his German Shepherd Splice, Kaleb, the bodyguard assigned him by his Russian managers.

And yes, they both ‘love’ their Splices in that way, too.

Let me be clear: there is a lot of sex in this book. There’s sex in every chapter, and there is sex for whatever combination of male/female, sub/dom, dog/human that floats your boat, with a couple of bonus fetishes thrown in.

Although frequent and varied, it never feels out of place. The sex scenes serve to give us a deeper understanding of the characters, and they help drive the story along. Unlike some erotic novels, there’s a satisfying amount of story to drive.

Lexi and Henry save enough to buy a plot of cheap land, with the dream of turning it into a farm and living off the grid. Their advertisement for extra help is answered by Mikey and Kaleb, who are on the run from the Mafia, and another Splice, Andrea, joins them as housekeeper.

So far, so idyllic. But there’s more to Splice than sexy fun on the farm: the characters find themselves in possession of a dangerous secret that might affect the future of Splices, freeing them from their Conditioning and, in effect, their slavery. Inevitably, opposing forces would rather they didn’t investigate further, and discourage curiosity with violence.

The group sometimes seems to solve problems too easily, with Mikey in particular overplaying his computer-genius card, but there was enough suspense and mystery to keep me reading.

The world of Splice: Conditioning offers much more than a contrived setup for lots of human/dog sex. It’s a rich landscape with potential for further adventures, and I hope we’ll see some.

You can read sample chapters and side stories at Cocoa’s SoFurry account.