Location: United States
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May 08, 2016
AranaDog
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Smashwords book reviews by AranaDog
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Colonyship 27
on May 08, 2016
I've always enjoyed a bit of sex in my science fiction. I also prefer science fiction with emphasis on the “science” part of the equation. Lots of technical detail. Erica Jones' “Colonyship 27” delivers both in heaping portions. The scene is one of those multi-generation transport vessels en route to a possibly habitable planet, hundreds of trillions of kilometers from Earth. Even at a fraction of light-speed, it is going to take the ship hundreds of years to get there. So the crew that launched the ship will be the great-great-great ancestors of the crew that lands the ship. The details here of how such a ship would function are scientifically logical, and sound, and fascinating. For one, it just makes good sense for the crew to be one hundred percent women, with a bottle of frozen sperm in the back of the refrigerator. This is invariably what leads to the pervading sexual – unapologetically pornographic – content of the novella. Although the author provides her nubile spacefarers with drugs that can quench the libido, it doesn't always work. Perhaps the ladies don't want it to work. So between the routine duties of maintaining the ship, the crew finds plenty of time to pair off and explore each other, no holds barred. The writing is streamlined, almost textbook in much of its style. This is not necessarily a criticism. The great Arthur C. Clarke wasn't exactly known for his literary artistry, either. Here one pleads nothing other than raw subjectivity: I'd allow the scientific accuracy to slip a bit in favor of more creative writing. But that's just me. The only other missing element that I found odd was a lack of sex-toys (butt-plugs, etc.), other than Rio’s heirloom ostrich feather. I suppose with hundreds of horny females in close proximity of one another, consensual sex would be much easier than it is on Earth. Still, it does beg the question. By all means, if you are a devotee of richly technical science fiction, and won't be put off by what's known as “adult” content, you'd be doing yourself a huge favor by reading “Colonyship 27.” It's a trek to the stars you have to take.