Review - The Luxorian Fugitive by J. Alan Veerkamp

Liam may have left the military, but memories of his last assignment as a sniper still haunt his dreams. When the nightmares are especially terrible, Liam turns to his old friend and commanding officer, Duncan. The pain the dominant sadist can dish out is the only thing that can get submissive Liam's mind off the past. Liam is the security officer of the ship Santa Claus commanded by Duncan. It's a merchant vessel making cargo runs between planets and also carries a few passengers. On the planet Luxoria, one of the men booking passage is Hadrian, a beautiful yet mysterious man Liam feels an instant attraction for. It turns out that the stranger is on the run from a brutal “master” who will stop at nothing to get him back. Can the two find a way to stay together?

“The Luxorian Fugitive” is a rather kinky space opera with a good old-fashioned love story at its heart: Boy meets boy, boy loses boy, boy wipes out an entire army to get boy back. There is a rich set of characters making up the ensemble around the two main heroes, and something of an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink list of plot twists, but it all comes together very well.

At the center of things is Liam, a man deeply troubled by an event in his past. We eventually learn all the details, and it's no surprise that the security officer has nightmares. It makes him a very sympathetic character, even though some of his actions in the course of the story are quite scary. Ultimately, Liam cuts a rather heroic, if flawed, figure.

Hadrian is an extraordinary character as well. The young man has been raised being told he was nothing more than property. He had no choice but to do as he was told, whether it was to kill someone or be a sexual plaything for whomever the man who insists on being called “father” chooses. In some ways, Hadrian, like Liam, seems both very strong and very vulnerable at the same time.

This is the first book of a series revolving around the crew of the Santa Claus. I'll definitely be reading the next book soon.

“The Luxorian Fugitive” is available from Amazon.