Reviewed by Dan
TITLE: Breeding Stations
SERIES: Alliances #1
AUTHOR: Chris T. Kat
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 217 Pages
BLURB:
Spunky commander Berit Turner is known for two things: his huge libido and his lack of a filter—he says what he thinks. Berit sets his mind on being part of a mission to Ligador to make sure the planet is habitable for humans. He’s ecstatic when his team is assigned to the task force. A delegation of Nadisc, a humanoid alien race, accompanies them, and passion ignites between Berit and their commanding officer, Tom. But Berit is determined that Tom is just another notch on his bedpost, as he doesn’t do relationships.
The excursion to Ligador goes wrong from the beginning, when they discover Ligador has been established as a breeding station by their worst enemy: the Tash’Ba. Dinosaur-like creatures become the team’s worst nightmare, and staying alive is going to take everything they’ve got… and then some.
REVIEW:
I picked up this book because I enjoyed another book by the author, Despite The Odds, that I read and reviewed recently. I’m also a huge fan of science fiction, both hard and soft. I’m really not sure that this current book even does enough to make it soft sci-fi. A lot of the actions and activities seemed very unrealistic, in my opinion, and it kind of ruined the story for me.
I don’t want to bash, but let’s look at some examples. Half the crew is killed while the shuttles are avoiding a flying type of dinosaur/monster, from injuries received when the ship is rolling and trying to avoid them. Did the author never watch a single sci-fi movie or show and see people strapping in before a landing? Or never fly in a commercial plane and figure out it is the norm?
Then we have the windshield that is shattered by one of the flying dinosaurs while the shuttle is landing. It is big enough for the larger than human sized flying dinosaur to get in through, but 2 guys are left behind to “fix” it while the group is on the planet, so that it will be all better when they fly back to their ship in orbit. Seriously, they carry a spare windshield on board, but not seatbelts?
Overall, the book was a great concept. I specifically picked it off our list because of the blurb and the alien/human aspect of the book. I enjoyed the characters, but really wish we had more details. I know Tom is bigger than Beric and has a tail and dreadlocks, but not much else. I know Beric has blond hair and blue eyes, but not much else. I really never got a clear picture of the Nadisc, nor did I ever figure out why they wanted humans as mates. I also didn’t get a clear picture of the Tash’Ba, so it was hard for me to get invested in the story without those details.
Not every book can do it for everyone. This one didn’t do it for me. The writing was fine. The story was ok. But the details just didn’t work. Overall I’m rating the book as “OK”. Someone who doesn’t focus on the details like I do, might like it a lot more than I did.
RATING: 
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Excellent review, Dan. Thanks for posting!