The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head: Volume Two: The Storm-Wing
by Lorinda J Taylor
Price: $2.99 USD. 116200 words.
Published on March 23, 2013. Fiction.
The Champion Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head and its Companions set out across the Nu'wiv'mi Marsh. They are soon forced to do battle with the Marsh Guardians, huge sauro-avians that attack from the air. Ki'shto'ba lops off the leg of the King-Bird but fails to kill him, with ominous consequences. As the Quest continues, Ki'shto'ba slays more monsters and the Companions spend time among the Marchers.
Location: United States
Member Since: Nov. 08, 2011
1 user has added this author as a favorite.
Lorinda J Taylor
Biography
A former catalogue librarian, Lorinda J. Taylor was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and worked in several different academic libraries before returning to the place of her birth, where she now lives. She has written fantasy and science fiction for years but has only recently begun to publish. Her main goal is to write entertaining and compelling fiction that leaves her readers with something to think about at the end of each story.
Where to find Lorinda J Taylor online
Where to buy in print
Books
The Blessing of Krozem
by Lorinda J Taylor
Price: Free! 9050 words. Published on January 4, 2013. Fiction.
(4.00 from 1 review)
In this fantasy novelette a spirit being called a Troi suggests to the Headman of Greivat Fastness that he might ask the Dreamers for immortality. But when the Headman approaches the aged Shrine Guardian Gilzara with a request for help in summoning the correct Zem, things do not turn out quite as planned.
Price: Free! 9050 words. Published on January 4, 2013. Fiction.
(4.00 from 1 review) In this fantasy novelette a spirit being called a Troi suggests to the Headman of Greivat Fastness that he might ask the Dreamers for immortality. But when the Headman approaches the aged Shrine Guardian Gilzara with a request for help in summoning the correct Zem, things do not turn out quite as planned.
The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head: Volume One: The War of the Stolen Mother
by Lorinda J Taylor
Price: $3.99 USD. 150660 words. Published on July 30, 2012. Fiction.
Following the end of “The Termite Queen,” the Champion Ki’shto’ba Huge-Head and the Remembrancer Di’fa’kro’mi set out on an epic quest to reach the sea. In the Champion’s home fortress we learn that Ki’shto’ba has a twin and that he may have been sired by the Sky-King. Later, the Companions visit a fortress that has been at war for nine years with its neighbors ...
Price: $3.99 USD. 150660 words. Published on July 30, 2012. Fiction.
Following the end of “The Termite Queen,” the Champion Ki’shto’ba Huge-Head and the Remembrancer Di’fa’kro’mi set out on an epic quest to reach the sea. In the Champion’s home fortress we learn that Ki’shto’ba has a twin and that he may have been sired by the Sky-King. Later, the Companions visit a fortress that has been at war for nine years with its neighbors ...
The Termite Queen: Volume Two: The Wound That Has No Healing
by Lorinda J Taylor
Price: $2.99 USD. 199040 words. Published on May 19, 2012. Fiction.
A team of scientists in the 30th c. makes first contact with a species of intelligent termite on an alien planet. The romantic relationship between the expedition leader and the team's anthropologist intersects with the civil unrest existing in the termite fortress to produce an explosive climax. The team must then return to Earth and deal with the outcome.
Price: $2.99 USD. 199040 words. Published on May 19, 2012. Fiction.
A team of scientists in the 30th c. makes first contact with a species of intelligent termite on an alien planet. The romantic relationship between the expedition leader and the team's anthropologist intersects with the civil unrest existing in the termite fortress to produce an explosive climax. The team must then return to Earth and deal with the outcome.
The Termite Queen: Volume One: The Speaking of the Dead
by Lorinda J Taylor
Price: $2.99 USD. 131320 words. Published on April 5, 2012. Fiction.
(5.00 from 1 review)
In the 30th century, an off-world expedition brings back a giant termite with a behavior that suggests intelligence. During the planning for a first-contact expedition, Kaitrin Oliva, a linguistic anthropologist, falls in love with the entomologist-leader, a complex man hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, civil discord is brewing on the termite planet as the Queen's Chamberlain plots a murder ...
Price: $2.99 USD. 131320 words. Published on April 5, 2012. Fiction.
(5.00 from 1 review) In the 30th century, an off-world expedition brings back a giant termite with a behavior that suggests intelligence. During the planning for a first-contact expedition, Kaitrin Oliva, a linguistic anthropologist, falls in love with the entomologist-leader, a complex man hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, civil discord is brewing on the termite planet as the Queen's Chamberlain plots a murder ...
Monster Is in the Eye of the Beholder: Report of the Anthropological Expedition to the Planet Known as Kal-Fa
by Lorinda J Taylor
Price: $1.99 USD. 19300 words. Published on February 3, 2012. Fiction.
(4.67 from 6 reviews)
Three anthropologists make first contact with a species of bizarre intelligent lifeforms. Each team member reacts in a different way to their strangeness as the story builds toward a disturbing climax and a conclusion with an unsettling twist of perspective.
Price: $1.99 USD. 19300 words. Published on February 3, 2012. Fiction.
(4.67 from 6 reviews) Three anthropologists make first contact with a species of bizarre intelligent lifeforms. Each team member reacts in a different way to their strangeness as the story builds toward a disturbing climax and a conclusion with an unsettling twist of perspective.
Lorinda J Taylor’s tag cloud
alien worlds
aliens
epics
extraterrestrials
fantasy
future history
greek mythology hercules trojan war epic adventure epic fantasy giant insects
immortality
love stories
mythology
novelettes
psychological fiction
quests
science fiction
science fiction extraterrestrials
short fiction
termites
Smashwords book reviews by Lorinda J Taylor
- Hidden Boundaries: a Hand Slaves Novel
on Dec. 08, 2011
According to one of the author’s websites this book is laid in an alternate universe, although that fact is not made clear in the story. I would call it “imaginary country” fiction, akin to Ursula K. Le Guin’s “Malafrena” books. The country of Carhagen preserves a custom of legalized slavery, and while the author obviously opposes this practice vehemently, yet she transcends didacticism by writing a sensitive relationship story between a conflicted master and his strong-willed new slave. All is not black-and-white here. The book is well written, in a style I would call solid. The plot is very simple and progresses forward at a steady pace with few peaks and valleys; there are no strong climaxes and very little physical action. The action is mostly psychological, something that appeals to me. The homosexual context is handled sensitively and gracefully. The characters are well depicted, developing throughout the story. Cor is in most cases the point-of-view character, which preserves a certain mystery about his master Alcot that keeps the reader intrigued. One thing puzzles me; women are almost entirely absent in this novel. I realize that the estate on which almost the entire action takes place is male-oriented and includes no women, but even in a brief foray into the outside world, we see no women, and I would guess one could count on one hand the number of times women are even mentioned. Obviously, there are women in this country where gay sex is widely practiced; if not, the Carhagens would soon be a vanishing people! And all those young bed slaves have to come from somewhere! What kinds of roles do women play in this culture? Are there any female slaves? Are free women also basically enslaved (maybe hidden away in harems), even if not by law? I would like the context of the country to be broadened at some point. I haven’t read the sequel, “Crossing Boundaries,” but it may possibly address some of these issues. All that being said, I really enjoyed reading “Hidden Boundaries” and I found it of sufficient quality to merit a five-star ranking.
- The Apostate
on Jan. 08, 2012
David Lever wants to warn against the dangers of allowing organized, dogmatic religion to rule the world, especially a world where WMDs are easily obtainable. The resulting book is an amalgam of coarse, satiric caricature and gentler, dry humor, with a quite powerful subplot dealing with slightly anthropomorphized animals. To me, the caricature is the least attractive of the plot elements. I prefer the humor provided by the artificial intelligence called Noah, who begins to long to have a body, announcing that it would like to have a beard, a bowler hat, and shoes with gold buckles and even casting a lascivious “eye” on an attractive crewmember. I have a neutral reaction to the human characters and I find the animal plot to be compelling as a reinforcing theme of self-sacrifice and atonement, but the most puzzling aspect of the story is the nature of the title character, an alien who is fleeing from persecution by the fanatical religious culture against which she has rebelled. Even though the author stoutly affirms the non-existence of god, a position consistently upheld by the Apostate herself, the author does not shrink from employing elements of Hebraic-Christian myth. The crew names their ship the “Ark” because it is carrying animals (hence the name of the AI that runs the ship) and when they meet the extraterrestrial Apostate, they name her “Angel” because she has definite ethereal physical characteristics. And more, she obviously has inner qualities that can only be called “spiritual.” She is a strong empath – she can soothe animals and, what is more, she can heal by touch, even “converting” to atheism by that healing touch the rapacious reptilian assassin (a compelling character, by the way) who has been pursuing her for millennia. She loves the life-force and opposes killing in any form. She seems to have the ability to communicate with animals after their deaths or as they are dying. So it makes one wonder – what does the author really believe about spirituality and the existence of something which we might not call “god” but which transcends or underlies the Darwinian genetic imperative? Can these qualities exist in humans, too, or only in species that originate on other worlds?