Review - The Price of Surrender by C.J. Dragon

The humans’ first encounter with the Daranii didn't go well. It started a war Earth had no hope of winning. They only beat the more advanced race in one battle, under the command of Captain Jonathan Thomsin. When Earth is forced to surrender, one of the terms calls for Captain Thomsin to be turned over to the Duranii as a “sacrifice.” Jon knows he will probably be executed, and he definitely won't ever see Earth again.

This book is everything I've come to expect from this author. The main character is put through an incredible ordeal of mental and physical pain. Not only does he endure it, but he manages to maintain his humanity. Jon's integrity and honor impresses those Duranii he comes in contact with, and even makes one of them love him.

Jonathan, “Jon,” is a genuinely heroic figure. Like most true heroes, Jon is just trying to do the right thing. He doesn't want to die, but he understands that agreeing to be taken away by the Daranii will help assure peace between the two races. The story is related from Jon's point of view, so we get to know him quite well. He is far from fearless, but he has not only a good deal of self-awareness, but also a lot of empathy. Jon is a very sympathetic character, so his many ups and downs become an emotional roller-coaster for the reader.

Several Daranii befriend Jon and help him through his ordeal, including, in the end, his torturer. They are all well-defined characters that we get to know fairly well. One of them even professes his love for Jon, which is an unexpected event that could cause problems for both of them. Jon's destined mate is a bit of a surprise, so I won't spoil it.

One note of caution if you haven't read any of this author's work: The dialog is always stiffly formal, even when that would seem to be uneccesary. When I think about it, some degree of formality is probably necessary when two very different cultures are interacting, but the wording remains highly formal even when two men are sharing intimacy.

“The Price of Surrender” is available from Smashwords or Amazon (commissionable link).