Reviewed by Jess
TITLE: Siege Weapons
SERIES: The Galactic Captains #1
AUTHOR: Harry F. Rey
PUBLISHER: NineStar Press
LENGTH: 143 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 24, 2018
BLURB:
Captain Ales is a lonely smuggler at the galaxy’s Outer Verge, and the last of his people. He’s been trying to move on from a life of drugs and meaningless sex, but finding love in this forgotten corner of the galaxy is difficult.
When he’s sent on a mysterious smuggling mission to a world under siege, he’s enticed by promises of the domination he craves. But soon Ales finds himself entwined in a galactic power struggle that could cost him everything.
REVIEW:
One of my favorite romantic dramas of 2018 so far is Harry F. Rey’s first novel of the year, Line of Succession, which I reviewed very favorably here. When I realized he’d written a gritty sci-fi story for NineStar Press, I jumped at the chance to read and review it. This is a completely different type of story from Rey’s other recent release, but it certainly contains some of the dark drama, human bitterness, and kinky sex scenes that Rey really excels at writing. It doesn’t have a completely satisfying character arc, but it’s still an incredibly enjoyable piece of erotic sci-fi.
I think Captain Ales is a really interesting, complex character. He’s not our typical tragic hero, though he is indeed tragic. He’s a man with such messed-up ideas of freedom, control, and choice that he has no idea what he wants or what he truly believes in. As the last surviving citizen of his destroyed home planet, he’s been wandering aimlessly for years, making money as a trader for a shady alien boss and trying to find fulfillment in the form of sex, drugs, and travel. He ends each day with a traditional prayer of his people, showing how he’s still grieving his lost world and struggles to preserve it while trying to survive.
When it comes to love and men, Ales is a total wreck. He’s still waiting on Ukko, a man who gave him the kind of sexual release he can’t find anywhere else, yet he constantly checks this universe’s version of Grindr, hoping for something better. He falls into bed with old friends (and their new boyfriends), avoiding the emotions that come along with his actions. He obviously craves submission and release, but every time he has sex with someone, the emptiness comes crawling back. I was actually moved to tears a few times as Ales seems to find someone, someone who will take care of him and allow him to just let go, only to realize he’s alone yet again. It’s a pervasive kind of loneliness—the sort of loneliness that comes with being one small man in an unfathomably huge galaxy.
I’m not totally in love with Turo, the man who Ales meets at a hotel on a trade gone terribly wrong. Turo isn’t characterized much beyond dominant and confident, and the ease in which Ales submits to him feels more like defeat than release. Their sexual dynamic is sizzling, and their scenes together are intense, but at this point in the story, I don’t trust Turo as much as Ales does. And the push-pull, give-take of their dynamic doesn’t always 100% work for me. Since Ales is a black character, some of the master/servant dynamic between him and Turo made me a little uneasy. I didn’t mind the extreme BDSM at all, especially since it is there for both erotic and storytelling purposes, but the choice of language didn’t always settle right with me.
I can’t say Ales’ characterization develops completely by the end, but since this is only the beginning of a series, it didn’t hinder my enjoyment too much. I love stories with characters who are seeking something and they have no idea where to find it—but by the end, they’ve found it at an unexpected source. In this case, Ales seems to fill that endless loneliness with even more dissatisfaction. It’s an odd ending, and one that I don’t think a lot of readers will click with. It isn’t an unhappy ending, but it leaves us slightly uneasy, like a calm before the storm.
Though he reaches some level of happiness by the end, I’d definitely say our Captain Ales is a man who is still searching for something. And I’d love to read future books in this series to see him grow and develop.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS: