Science Fiction/Fantasy
Warriors and Goddesses: First Moon
Jerome Byrd
Book Surge LLC
ISBN 1-4196-5066-1
2006
339 pages
Soft cover $15.99
“Do you give me your soul and free will?” The cumulative goal of Jerome Byrd’s, Warriors and Goddesses: First Moon, centers on responses to this request of total submission. The question also raises issues about the way men and women relate to one another.
The story takes place on Androgynous Prime, the planet where a lonely force called Goddess finds herself stranded. When Goddess arrives, the planet is run by men who capture women and keep them as sex slaves. After sexual encounters with some of the men in which she was dominate, Goddess finds that she gains power. As a result, a plan is devised to harvest this energy which will in turn be used to open a portal to her own world. Goddess makes adjustments to the planet’s food chain as she maps out her strategy. Eight tribes of women are created, each with distinct physical powers and many with heightened powers of seduction. These tribes are given territories that border the seven tribes of men. The men, physically large and strong, are skilled fighters; however, unless a tribal woman finds herself alone or in some other way vulnerable, the men cannot defeat the women. Goddess learns, in what amounts to her own personal experiment, that to gain power from the sexual encounters of her charges, intercourse must be voluntary. Thus, she sends leaders from her female tribes, including the feared Dieema of The Keepers, on missions that involve coupling with leaders from male tribes. Goddess also abducts a man from Earth, Darius renamed Darkasan, to aid in her quest to return home.
Although a woman on Androgynous Prime may ask for a man’s soul and free will, she generally accepts only his free will so that he will be obligated to do her bidding. Frequently, free will is returned once the task is complete. Accepting a man’s soul is done when a slave is desired. Sex is a central focus of both men and women in this book. The disparity occurs in execution: The men gorge on sex and choose violence to acquire it; the women favor submission and thus choose seduction as their weapon. Due to the history of males assaulting females, the women do tend to act out violently outside of the realm of sex. What is interesting is that this knowledge does not stop most of the men of the seven tribes from actively seeking women to violate. One plus for the guys is that they become physically stronger after having sex with women from one of the eight tribes (There is a “neutral” tribe of mixed sexes that have no powers.) But, they also risk death as a result of forced intimacy.
Warriors and Goddesses: First Moon is as much erotica as it is science fiction and includes several sexually charged scenes in which the author is a little anxious in his delivery. The art of erotic writing is in the drawing out of the tension until the reader is breathless and aching along with the characters. Frequently, Byrd rushes through skillfully pulled together “foreplay” straight to a less than satisfying pay-off.
The purpose of the “alien” Darkasan is hazy. He is trained to fight and allowed safe passage through the female territories with the aim of attending the Town Meeting in one of the male tribal areas. What he is to do when he gets there is not made clear. Since there is a sequel to this title, it can be assumed that Darkasan’s destiny will be revealed at a later time. What does stand out about this character is his glaring difference in perspective when compared to the men of Androgynous Prime: He will not take a woman by force. Perhaps Darkasan’s ultimate mission is to serve as an example of the appropriate way to treat women.
There are a fair number of editorial problems in this book that, hopefully, will be used as a road map to improvement in writing structure in the next installment of this story. That said, Byrd is definitely on to something. Besides harvesting enough energy to get home, Goddess is determined to leave the planet safe for the women. It is an enormous and challenging issue the author has chosen to take on in this continuing series. He’s off to a pretty good start.
Melissa Levine
for Independent Professional Book Reviewers
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