WL's Mainstream Gay Book Reviews - 58. Claimings, Tails, and Other Alien Artificats by Lyn Gala (Sci-Fi) Book 1

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/38617807

Gay Science fiction is still one of my favorite genres, despite how sparse good book series can be. This book series in particular deserves recognition from gay authors attempting to explore this genre and seek out new perspectives. Lyn Gala is an amazing author, she writes gay sci-fi with an interesting angle based on linguistic perspectives and emotional depth that you seldom find, even in the traditional science fiction genres. I know this is not a book series everyone will enjoy, but sci-fi fans with a love nuance and cultural perspective should give this series a read. As such I will begin reviewing the entire series in July 2022.

Lengthwise: 216 pages and 6 hrs and 57 minutes on audible, you should be able to finish this book in a single sitting. Technically the main story is only about 100 pages, but the side-material and alternate perspective from the other alien male protagonist is a fascinating exploration of the same events from a non-human angle. I think as a reader, the two sides of the story help frame your understanding of the human-alien relationship that develops far more than most science fiction stories.

Plot: Liam Munson is a language technician assigned by a future Earth military to conduct trade with an agrarian alien race called the Rownt, The Rownt are turtle-like humanoids with roughly equivalent body shapes to humans, but they have shells, tails, and sexual organs in the back of their body. They are a society run by the eldest females, who are known as grandmothers.

Liam stumbles with these Rownt idiosyncrasies of this alien world and its inhabitant, fearing that he will fail and be sent back to the front lines of a bitter human civil war, where he has been haunted by bad choices and worst memories. Liam was a damaged man even before he joined the Earth armed forces, growing up in poverty in the slums of Earth, he was made into a prostitute as a child by an older man, who lured him away from his family. Psychologically, he has gravitated to strong men and secretly prefers being submissive.

During one of his trade missions, Liam encounters a Rownt trader named Ondry, who uncharacteristically helps him. Through Ondry, Liam learns that the Rownt are far more technologically sophisticated than their agrarian façade would portray, including the fact of them being able to produce large quantities of crucial minerals for Earth’s war effort. Ondry also begins teaching Liam how to trade and the Rownt language through their interactions, including several meals. Unbeknownst to Liam, Ondry had begun to suspect that Liam was a Palteia, which is a complex concept that combines Liam’s submissive nature and innate psychological make-up.

To humans, Rownt is a technologically agrarian species for the most part with advanced capitalistic trading practices and mineral wealth, but the Rownt is a technologically advanced civilization, that possessed capacities far beyond human equivalence. Also, the cutthroat capitalism that is on display is all for communal charity, the Rownt love profits and believe in individual ability above all else, but their final profits are all donated to better their society through donations and furthering of their society. To them, the pursuit of profit is a logical pursuit for the betterment of society without the avarice or hoarding instinct that humans would apply to it.

3 years of continuing friendship with Ondry passed until a new military commander threatens the status quo. Liam’s fear of being sent back to the front grows as the new officer chides and insults him for his perceived weaknesses. Ondry takes offense to the treatment Liam suffers and petitions the “grandmothers” for Liam to be transferred into his care, becoming his Paltaea as a result. The interactions of Liam and Ondry after this petition become parts of the story and the idea of Rownt concept of a Paltaea is explored.

Review: This is a very unique story. It is quite engaging for people, who enjoy linguistic nuances and alien cultures. The Rownt are truly alien, if I were to allegorize them, I’d consider them 35% Vulcan, 35% Ferengi, and 30% Klingon, if you like using Star Trek-based species. They have the logical framework of Vulcans for their actions, they have the drive for profits like the Ferengi, and to a lesser extent, they are a predator species with a love to hunt with strong shows of force like the Klingon. The Rownt alone is worth exploring throughout these books, a society without altruism, but logically is drawn to helping the community to meet higher goals through charity. This odd mix of cutthroat capitalism and social awareness is very non-human, but it explains a lot about how these beings can achieve such advanced technologies and why they do not display their technological advances as humans would. Logically, there’s no need to show off your ability, if you possess it. This civilization is the counter-arguments to Socialism’s greatest credo, “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs”, the Rownt would argue, For each to their own ability, to all according to need. Their society helps one another based on their individual ability to contribute and help as they can, it’s a very interesting societal model, very alien to human concepts.

The Rownt are linguistically unlike humans, too. Liam and Ondry’s exchanges of communication were a great example of how perspective defines language and terms. There are a lot of false assumptions in the English language about possession, direction, and cursory concepts. Logically, there are terms and idioms that we use in our daily lives that have no direct meaning or correlation without context, especially to an alien race with a language based on direct supposition and motives. Lyn Gala on this point exhibited a great depth in creating a xeno-linguistic scenario.

Liam Munson is an interesting human character, he’s a soldier with deep psychological issues and has repressed his innate submissive tendencies in order to survive. Abandon by his mother as a teenager due to their poverty, he doesn’t have a strong family support system. He’s a victim of child abuse, having been prostituted by an older man, who had thought loved him. After that he used sex with men to keep himself alive, including on the front lines of a bitter human civil war. Liam has low self-worth and low self-esteem, so he gravitates to stronger male authority figures for direction and protection. He’s a complex character, who jumps to fear rather than logical conclusions. What he wants most of all is something humans keep denying him, love and support. Ondry, on the other side, is a Rownt, who is culturally and biologically alien to Liam in every way. Yet, what he desires most is to care for someone special, a Palteia. The concept of Palteia is a one-part submissive psychological profile and one-part emotional empathy. For a culture that values cutthroat capitalism in pursuit of charitable communal good, the love from a Palteia, who is naturally submissive and empathetic to all is a very provocative nuance concept. I think if readers ponder this a little, you can see the beauty in these roles.

As for the love story, I know on the surface the story appears to be a fancy Dom/Sub story, but I think the more you read into it, the more you will enjoy the lack of sexuality that the Rownt appears to hold for the Chilta/Paltaea bond that Ondry/Liam has. Rownt sex is purely reproductive, not pleasurable. To them, the human concept of sex without reproduction is illogical, while the ability to offer pleasure is logical between beings who love each other. Thus, I’d argue this story is more akin to an Aromantic love story between a gay submissive male and an alien male, who finds pleasure in nurturing and taking care of his partner. Take away the leash and restraints, which in context to Rownt society is also used for children as well, and you will see this is not a bondage scenario for either partner.

As an opening book to the series, I thought Lyn Gala did a marvelous job and this book had very few flaws. It was direct and went to the point that engages readers like me who enjoy the nuances of culture, alternate relationships, and explorations of concepts that gay fiction seldom sees.

Rating: 5 out of 5, I truly thought this was a nearly perfect introduction to this universe. Lyn Gala outdid herself in creating such a rich world, filled with dynamic characters and environments.