‘Changing Worlds’ contains all the elements that make up one of my favorite kinds of science fiction novel: one that I can dive into and discover an entirely new world, a human society that has moved on from where we are today, and an alien species with a civilization and rules all of its own. Add the fact that both main characters fall deeply in love even knowing that their love will not be accepted by the alien society, and the scene is set for an adventure full of discoveries, conflict, and hope for a happy ending no matter how hopeless it seems.

Jason is a starship captain of Korean descent, devoted to his job, and unwilling to enter another relationship since his last one ended in a bad breakup about a year before the story starts. But once he gets to know Ferran, who is a passenger on his combined freight/passenger ship, Jason begins to open up and falls in love before he can stop himself. He knows Ferran has to go back to his planet to enter an arranged marriage, but the heart wants what the heart wants. Only some creative maneuvering on the part of Ferran, his matriarch, and the human ambassador to Perel makes it possible for the two men to have a chance at living together.

The second part is much longer and utterly fascinating. It focuses on Jason moving to Perel, the xenophobia they both face, and how they deal with the various obstacles that keep popping up. The alien culture is run by matriarchs and political maneuvering for power is the order of the day. Some council members are more in favor of change than others, and the sheer existence of Jason and Ferran’s marriage has consequences very few people would have predicted. I was glued to the pages from beginning to end.

If you like stories that show how a very different society works, if two men who meet by coincidence but stay together because they fall in love – never mind what everyone else thinks, and if you’re looking for a read full of suspense, mystery, adventure, cross-cultural issues, and political shenanigans on all levels, then you will probably like this novel as much as I do. It is heartbreakingly emotional, fascinating in the way it looks at an alien culture, and I definitely won’t forget it anytime soon.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )

A sweet, almost old fashioned romance, this novel follow spaceship captain Jason falling in love for Ferran, a young alien. Ferran comes from a matriarchal society, and since he is sterile, he was destined from birth to be, more or less, a male housekeeper. He has a docile streak, breed in him since he was born, and as usual among his people, he is very sensual, they see sex like an ordinary expression of deep feelings. Jason in comparison is more reserved, maybe even a bit aloof, very much in line with his Eastern world roots, but it is impossible for him to resist Ferran, even if they know their love is doomed by the impeding due of Ferran: go back home and marry a woman chosen by his mother.

As I said, this remembered me the old futuristic romances I read when I was a teenager, futuristic wasn’t really a popular genre, or at least it wasn’t in comparison to the historical romance, but I did enjoy some of those novels, and I found again that enjoyment in Changing Worlds. The world building is not very complex, not until Jason exits the sheltered environment of Ferran’s home; the life inside that matriarchal home is like you will expect to be in a pre-World War family, only with a woman in place of the man; actually, even if I don’t have direct experience, they told me that some African culture were and still are similar to that, in Ethiopia, for example, during the WWII, the chief of a tribe was the oldest female, and when a man married, he went into the wife’s family.

I enjoyed the evolution of both characters, that of Ferran is more marked, basically is also the purpose of the story, but also Jason changed a little, becoming more open, less aloof, opening his heart to others other than Ferran.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/1937058301/?tag=elimyrevandra-20