As “Scorpion” opens, Kendras is limping into the seedy underbelly of the city where he grew up. He was wounded in battle, his foot almost crushed, and then dumped back in the city that hired him without money or means to live. Kendras is a Scorpion, an elite force of mercenaries. He might be the only one left.
While sitting in a tavern trying to avoid attracting attention, Kendras is spotted by Steel, a mysterious man who needs Kendras for his own plans, but who is also strongly attracted to the Scorpion. Steel rescues Kendras, getting his wound treated and then taking him to a place where he can recover.
Steel’s motives for taking Kendras in remain unclear, although his attraction to the dark-skinned soldier is obvious. But Kendras can only think of his comrades and what may have become of them, especially the mysterious commander of the group, a man known only as “the officer.” The officer saved Kendras from the executioner and gave his life a purpose, as well as love.
Kendras is determined to find out what happened to the rest of his men, as well as the officer. As he does so, he’s sucked into a web of intrigue that goes to the very centers of power in his world. Everyone seems to have their own agenda, and it’s hard to know who he can trust. As more is revealed, Kendras is torn between a desire to know the truth, and fear of the choices the truth might force on him.
“Scorpion” is set in a medieval world where three city-states vie for domination. While much of the background tapestry seems familiar, the culture is more like what you would imagine if Christianity hadn’t risen and Roman theology survived into the middle ages. It’s a very richly drawn background, which contributes to the many twists and turns of the plot.
There’s a lot of sex in “Scorpion”, which of course is never a bad thing. The interesting thing here is the way sex is used for a variety of purposes. There are times in the story when it’s a reward, times when it’s a punishment. It’s used to bond the soldiers of the Scorpions together, and of course it’s used to tell someone how happy you are to see them. It’s a surprisingly innovative portrayal of sex in a single book.
This is a richly detailed work, full of interesting ideas and well drawn characters, all in a very readable style. It’s a very good example of Voinov at his best, although it also highlights, for me, the lack of polish in his more recent works by comparison (“Scorpion” was published in May 2011).
This was almost a five-star read. While most of the main characters are quite well-drawn and complex, the rather pivotal Steel remains a bit too much of an enigma for us to appreciate the depth of his feelings. For that matter, while Kendras is a very sympathetic character, there’s an emotional distance between him and the reader that means you’re never quite drawn into his feelings.
“Scorpion” may be purchased from Dreamspinner Press or Amazon
You can find out more about Aleksandr Voinov at his web site.
