She turned to the right and almost made the street when a heavy hand came down on her shoulder.
"You'll be coming with me, Saroya."
Muscles! She recognized the voice immediately.
"Let go of me," she ordered in her best professorial voice. It had no effect. Standing behind her, he gripped both of her upper arms. At least she didn't have to look at that face with the hard eyes.
Courtesan, by D.A. Boulter, is an excellent piece of space opera. Saroya, a gifted physicist, has found a way to shorten interstellar flights. It's priceless information. In fact, governments are willing to lock her up to control this technology. Major corporations are willing to kill her to maintain the status quo.
When agents break into her apartment, Saroya flees. Hunted and harried, she disguises herself as a hooker. That's when she meets her potential saviour, a spacer named Johannes.
He hires her as a courtesan. All she has to do is act as his companion for an eight-month voyage. Naturally she doesn't tell him her secret. Johannes, however, has secrets of his own. This trip will be more interesting - and dangerous - than either of them suspects.
This is a well-written and fun adventure story with an interesting view of humanity in the age of interstellar flight. The lead characters are quite engaging, but their relationship is anything but smooth. Both of them are intelligent, strong-willed, and capable, and their roles throw them into inevitable conflict. The sparks that fly are highly entertaining.
Suspense and danger, romance and high adventure, challenging ideas and high-quality world-building - Courtesan has a lot to offer. Check it out.
Read Courtesan
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