Review: Outstanding read!!!!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 09 14, 2012
I finished reading Incursion last night. I have become a devoted Voinov reader in a matter of months. He is like a potato chip, I bet you can't eat just one!!! The first book I read was a collaboration with Amy Lane called Country Mouse. Again, I must admit, I am addicted to Amy Lane and can honestly attest to the fact that I have read every word that author has written. So does it stands to reason, that if they collaborate they are alike? Absolutely NOT. In Country Mouse, I could pick out each author's writing style, and felt Aleksandr's had a darker side. But like his collaborator, Ms Lane,  Aleks has many voices in his head, in all walks of life, in our world, in past worlds, and in future worlds, all clamoring for our attention. And oh boy, Mr Voinov has my attention!Incursion is in a future world, in the world of planet hopping and space ships. Kyle Juenger is a human who was injured fighting for his world. He was injured by a weapon made by the Glyrinny, another race in the solar system. The injury has caused a disconnect in his back and spine. It causes him excruciating pain, and the need to use prosthetics to stand or walk, and still be only half the man he was. He is penniless and is a crippled veteran of the Commonwealth. He is called out of `retirement' and offered a position to find a Glyrinny spy called Kshar, which can possibly up his grade level, where the retirement package is better. He is hopeful in doing so, he might have enough money to get better medical coverage to make his life more tolerable. Tolerable mind you, not happy, or better, but tolerable.Aleksandr Voinov takes us into this man's psyche with such a well written story, I still shiver when I think of Kyle and how broken he is within. He has lost his lust for life, sex (he is impotent), has lost all hope of love, touch, or feelings. When he meets Grimm, a mercenary commander of  the space ship Scorpion, Kyle feels something. Grimm is from the same home world Tamene, but from a higher caste. Grimm was a warrior, and Kyle sees in him something he has lost. Kyle joins the crew to search for the spy, and in turn the attraction the two men have is like a flame that ignites. Voinov treats us to one of the most sensual scenes I have ever read. The act it self is not the issue, it is the act making Kyle have hope for more. Grimm shows Kyle such an incredible act of love, that I am still thinking about it today. Voinov knows just how to reach the reader in his love for the underdog, that I find his words spell binding.This is a short story, and although it is not a novel, has all the power of one. Side characters are great, the story is not predictable, and at the end you are wanting more. The genre and reviews say it is  a sci-fi book. It has a small element of the future, but the story is more about Kyle's search for peace for himself.I think the passage that made me stop and read, and re-read was, and I  quote, "He understood it then. The potential, the utter, unbelievable freedom to be whoever existed underneath his skin." Outstanding read Mr Voinov.Review by Gloria LakritzSr Reviewer and Review Chairperson for the