Author Seven Steps sent me an e-copy of The Slave Planet for review. Unfortunately, the file did not transfer to my e-reader properly, and I had to request another copy. Sure glad I did.
The Slave Planet is the story of a dystopian society (at least for the men/ slaves). That is my classification, the book is not necessarily marketed as such. What else would you call it when one group (in this case women) enslave another (men).
Social problems aside, The Slave Planet is a love story (more accurately, several love stories) where the characters respond to natural physiological/biological urges (don't worry the book is nowhere near that clinical). The crux of the story is that men and women are naturally attracted to each other (yay!).
The story is full of action, political intrigue, murder, and of course, romance. The characters are believable and sympathetic (except for Arees; believable yes, sympathetic, no), and I found myself rooting for Nadira from the start.
As I said; The Slave Planet is a romance, but we know romance is not my usual read. This book has so many things going for it that I did not feel I was reading out of my preferred genre. The evil politicians were as ruthless and cold-hearted as they come. Our female author does not go easy on her portrayal of female characters at all (does that sound sexist?). The book title Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus is apparently true; the slave planet in question is Venus, and there is a hint of what Mars is about (shudder).
The Slave Planet crosses genres so easily that I find it hard to categorize. I guess that is what publicists and merchandisers are for. For me it just means that Seven Steps is a very good story teller. Bottom line, isn't that what we're looking for?
I was so caught up in the story that I didn't pay attention to the battery level in my e-reader. In the midst of the climax I had to recharge the device. What a drag!
The Slave Planet by Seven Steps is the first in a trilogy definitely worth following. Enjoy!
Mike
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