Bond-Shattering [Paperback]

William Maltese (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 2005

When Roynoldo Lasi agreed to be bond-mated to Grenar Rajno, he imagined his future would be. . .if not indolent, at least idly wealthy. The head of Family Rajno, which controls the supply of essence Orchinid, certainly had enough capital and power to keep anyone well-satisfied. But on planet Jirat, source of the erotic stimulant, things are not as simple as Roynoldo might have wished. Added to the mysterious force that removes one harvester/miner for every collected essence Orchinid seedpod is the threat of an uprising. . .and with the arrival of a murderous shapeshifter named Zinder Avid, danger truly does lurk in everything. Roynoldo's troubles, as those of the Family to which he has joined, are only beginning.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A great-good read that only enhances Maltese’s reputation as an author who can steadily produce seemingly never-ending literary excellence. -- Adrian deBolt, IGW review, September 2005

Maltese [has] learned a lot ... about how to cram a major reading experience into a mere 250 pages. -- Alex von Mann, author SLAVES, BookSurge.com review, August 2005

From the Publisher

William Maltese finally returns to sci-fi -- the genre that started it all for him, in 1970, with publication of his FIVE ROADS TO TLEN and follow-up THE GODS OF TLEN. If his delighted and eager fans were momentarily satisfied with the several additional sci-fi/fantasy novels with which he provided them, in the early eighties, published under one pseudo or another (THE LAST GALAXY GAME and JASON AND THE ASTRONAUTS immediately come to mind), they have still had to wait over two decades for him to come full circle. And, he doesn't disappoint, despite his having taken so long to get here. In fact, passing time has obviously honed his writing skills and his ability to provide this thoroughly complex and fascinating plot-line with its same air of been-there, done-that, got-the-T-shirt, as far as alien worlds, that's made Maltese renown throughout his illustrious career of writing Earth-bound popular contemporary fiction. It being with extreme pleasure that nightwares Books is able to present this long awaited Maltese tour-de-force of a sci-fi novel that projects his readers into the midst of a sensuous, erotic, and deadly universe of haves and have-nots, of warriors and barbarians, of planets destroyed, subjugated, ruled, misruled, even harvested/mined for the valuable aphrodisiac essence Orchinid.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Nightwares Books (July 29, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974254940
• ISBN-13: 978-0974254944
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,099,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've been in the business of writing books for a very long time, and I derive particular enjoyment from visiting different places and then trying to relay the "essence" of those places to my readers. Likewise, I'm very adventuresome as regards trying new things, whether it be exotic and strange foods and/or other more personal "things".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A RETURN TO SCI-FI TOUR DE FORCE, August 12, 2005

By 

William Maltese (New York, New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bond-Shattering (Paperback)

Maltese isn't new to sci-fi. In fact, his first book published, back in the early seventies, was his sci-fi FIVE ROADS TO TLEN, first book of his TLEN series. In the eighties, he followed up with about ten sci-fi/fantasy books, under various pseudonyms, including the CRYSTAL OF POWER series which put a kink in a lot of men's tails by elevating a woman to deity status over her male counterparts. Many of his hugely popular contemporary novels provide so many genuinely prominent women characters (resulting in his wide female fan-base) that it's been suggested, more than once, that Maltese comes across more bisexual than gay.

I mention his CRYSTAL OF POWER series, with its concentration on woman-power, and Maltese's woman-friendly contemporary fiction, because the author, in his BOND-SHATTERING, takes such a decidedly U-turn. In this book, he relegates women to a genuinely low rung on the male-dominated Warrior Universe's evolutionary ladder (they're literally a celestial experiment gone wrong). As a result, I can just see people, who haven't a clue, immediately dubbing him the misogynist he's obviously not. In fact, his fondness for females can't any better be illustrated than by just how needy the male-dominated universe of BOND-SHATTERING is for a bit of butch-tempering female touch.

BOND-SHATTERING provides a fascinating world wherein testosterone reaches saturation levels, and Warrior Clan warriors run amuck in their determination to - if not rid the entire cosmos of - then at least segregate, in the name of their misogynist-God Meedek's doctrines - all "barbarians" (women and those who cohabit with them). The book's complicated plot-line is filled to the brim with just how far men will go, pumped up on testosterone AND on the much-in-demand aphrodisiac essence Orchinid (think "spice", albeit more kinky, from Frank Herbert's DUNE series), in their determination to fulfill not only the demanded tenets of their male-based religion, but in order to satisfy their other less high-minded and baser instincts, needs, wants, and desires.

BOND-SHATTERING is a novel that proves Maltese has well-honed his craftsmanship during the long wait for his return to the sci-fi genre. You want murder, espionage, intrigue, war of the worlds, destruction of whole planets, machinations, betrayals, form-changers not whom they seem, exotic locales, exotic creatures ... you want hot-hot love along the lines of ancient Greek's city-state Sparta and/or forbidden love between a Warrior Clan warrior and a barbarian (who just might not be a barbarian)? Maltese serves all of that exotica-erotica up, and more, on a delectable platter that has this reader clamoring for more ... more ... please, more!

BOND-SHATTERING is possibly a truly sci-fi classic in the making!

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another fast-paced adventure!, March 14, 2006

By 

Duane Simolke "author, The Acorn Stories, Deg... (Lubbock, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bond-Shattering (Paperback)

The ever-prolific William Maltese returns to science fiction with this adventure about two men who will some become bond-mated. One of them, Roynoldo Lasi, will join a part of a wealthy family by bond-mating with the other man, Grenar Rajno. However, Family Rajno controls the essence Orchinid, which brings as much danger as money. The shape-shifter Zinder Avid brings much more danger.

While the Orchinid reflects the spice in Frank Herbert's classic novel Dune, Bond-Mating is certainly gayer than Dune; it also turns increasingly erotic. Like the wealth, though, that eroticism often becomes perilous, mixing sexuality with fear.

Maltese begins each chapter with scriptures from the followers of Meedek, a decidedly elitist and misogynistic God. The scriptures resemble the Bible, especially the Book of Genesis, but with twists that reflect Maltese's storyline. That isn't to say that Bond-Shattering is misogynistic, just the culture in which Roynoldo finds himself. And it often seems unlikely that he will survive in his environment.

The jargon in this novel mostly relies on familiar terms that Maltese blurs together, seemingly capturing the dialects of the characters and/or the frequent usage of those terms. He avoids too much tech-speak while still creating a believable, futuristic world. He also provides a fast-paced adventure and will doubtlessly write many more.