Review: Science Fiction with a twist
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 25, 2012
4.5 starsKyle Juenger used to be a damn fine pilot and warrior, that was before the shape shifting low-life Glyrinny not only took away the use of his legs, but his self respect as well. Now he is low on money, and not sure if he will ever be able to get back to his home planet of Tamene and possibly get a useable set of cyber-legs. As luck would have it, he gets a message that the Sector Commissar would like to meet with him.  She informs Kyle that she needs a hunter-killer to track down a Glyrinny spy named Kshar who has something she wants.  She tells Kyle that she will make sure he gets his new legs as long as he delivers Kshar, dead or alive makes no difference to her, and if he happens to take down any of his fellow Glyrinny in the process, the happier she will be. His mission is to infiltrate a mercenary ship named the Scorpion. She is pretty confident he will find Kshar on board the ship, either as a passenger or as a stow away.Kyle manages to hook up with the crew at a local eatery, and talks the head merc, a pasty looking large woman named Winter, to get him an introduction to the Pilot and Captain, Grimm. When Kyle meets the captain, he is shocked to discover that not only is he from Kyle's home planet, but wears the tattoos of a warrior cast. Grimm immediately lets Kyle know that he is attracted to him, but Kyle puts his advances off, since his legs weren't the only thing damaged by the Glyrinny. Invited to co-pilot the Scorpion, Kyle now has to not only try to figure out a way to figure out where or even who Kshar may be, but he has to fight his own attraction to the mysterious Grimm. On his part, Grimm knows there is more to Kyle than meets the eye, and is determined to find out just what it is.Having read two other of Mr. Voinov's works, I was prepared for just about anything. He follows no formula other than always giving the reader fascinating characters in a setting that is so real you would swear you were there. With Incursion he takes us to the world of science fiction, and for a little spice, he throws in a little mystery, a little romance and even a life lesson, leaving the reader content, yet wanting more.Kyle has more than just damaged legs, he feels he has lost his entire identity and struggles with living with the pain of that loss. As a warrior who can no longer fight, he drifts through his life just getting by until given this assignment. He knows that he is in for a challenge. How do you find a creature that can literally take on the form of anyone, and how do you know who is friend and who is foe? He fights his attraction to Grimm, I think because in Grimm he sees the man he once was and wants to be again. Grimm is full of self confidence and swagger; he knows exactly who and what he is, and is completely comfortable with himself. He almost takes it as his mission to save Kyle from himself, and show him that legs don't make a person, and he is worthy of Grimm's attention.While this novella is a romance, it has a deep underlying message that pulls the reader in and keeps them engaged. I was completely caught up in Kyle's mission to find the Glyrinny spy and prayed it wasn't who he thought it might be. There are scenes that aren't pretty and were painful to read, and there were scenes that were so moving that they took my breath away. My only problem with this novella, was it just was too short. I felt like there was more that I needed to know and finished feeling like I was missing something. I liken it to diet food, while it will fill you up, when you are finished you aren't completely satisfied. Or since this is an erotic romance, when I was done I was content but had Mr. Voinov given me just a little more time I would have been completely satiated. I'll take whatever I can get though, and can't wait to see what Mr. Voinov gives us next.Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Dual Review Team