Breath of Life (The Gaian Consortium Series) [Kindle Edition]

Christine Pope (Author)

Book Description

Anika Jespers, a homesteader’s daughter on a Gaian colony, thinks she’s destined for a dull existence on her family’s farm. But when her father makes an impossible bargain with their neighbor, one of the alien Zhore, she faces a future different from anything she could have possibly imagined.

The familiar story of Beauty and the Beast takes on new life in this inventive SF romance novella, with the Beauty a homesteader's daughter and the Beast an alien on a faraway colony world.

Novella length: 32,000 words, or approximately 120 pages long

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Breath of Life offers readers the chance to delve deeper into the story of Beauty and the Beast. Set far in the future, the novella introduces readers to a young woman and the relationship that she shares with a reclusive neighbor. The story is short enough to read in one sitting and entertaining enough that you'll come back to read it again and again.

The main character in the novella is Anika Jespers. Jespers lives in the Gaian colony, and she assumes that she will never experience life outside of her family's farm. Her father makes a bargain with their neighbor, sending Anika to live with a man who is a member of the Zhore alien race. Though the two have little in common, they form a lasting bond, and she draws him out of his shell as he introduces her to the outside world.

Breath of Life bears many similarities to Beauty and the Beast, and the story shows the alien as a creature who truly loves and cares about the woman sent to him. The vivid descriptions of the sci-fi setting help you paint a portrait of Anika's world in your own mind, but the author focuses more on the classic love story between a young woman and her unusual paramour.

Breath of Life is the perfect book to curl up with on a rainy day with a warm drink. It's easy to get lost in Christine Pope's fictional world.

Review

Once I started reading the story, I couldn't put the Kindle down. The book is a sci-fi version of Beauty and The Beast. No singing teapots or candelabras. Instead there are breathing masks and a world of "gray and black and dark red."

If you are looking for a story that steams up your glasses, this isn't going to be your cup of tea. However, if you enjoy romance and mysterious aliens, get a tall glass of iced tea, sit back, relax, and start reading Breath of Life. 5 Stars--The One Hundred Romances Project

Product Details

• File Size: 204 KB
• Print Length: 130 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0615654819
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Dark Valentine Press (June 10, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0055IHTSI
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,629 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Trroughly loved ! June 3, 2012

By MoonShineArtSpot

Format:Kindle Edition

I read this story last night in a single setting because I couldn't wait to see if it ended well. I am not usually a sci- fi type of person because I get lost in the unimaginable descriptions, but that was not the case here. I loved the characters, and even in the dreary conditions Ainka lived in, I do appreciate that she was not a whinny teen with the poor me syndrome. She was quite the opposite with a might as well make the best of the situation, even when she had to go live with the alien next door (presuming that she was going to somehow be a servant or something).

I liked the characters and their appreciation for honesty in the story. I am so glad to finally read a book with a girl willing to sacrifice herself for her father and make the best of her dreary living conditions before her decision, rather than sitting around complaining & wallowing in self pity.

I was pleasantly surprised at the fact that the arrangement she agreed to with the alien to keep her father safe proved to be a learning experience. I wondered if the story was going to teach a lesson in prejudice & I guess in a way it does. The alien does his best to make her comfortable and even allows her contact with her family which I did not expect.

I hate to compare it to Beauty and the Beast because it is so much more than that in many ways.

I loved the descriptions of the different planets and moons which made it all feel real and make sense to me as I read, without pouring on too many strange names and losing me in made up words like a lot of sci-fi type stories do. This was a good read because of the excellent character development and the admirable qualities found in both of the main characters. I loved that the ending had the little surprise twist.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A sci fi take on a romance classic June 13, 2011

By katherine tomlinson

Format:Kindle Edition

This beautifully written version of Beauty and the Beast features an alien/human love story that is achingly romantic and lovingly detailed. All of the elements of the story are here, but with new twists that make the tale a 21st century pleasure.

Heroine Anika is spunky and believable, and her relationship with her spoiled sister is pivotal to the plot, and the mixture of love and exasperation is one of the grounding elements that "sells" the sci fi.

There is sensuality here, and not just in the love scenes. Pope brings her alien planet to vivid life, and her descriptions of everything from the food to the flowers to the alien's skin are textured without being overwritten.

This is not a gimmicky story at all but a new twist on a timeless tale. Lovely.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Compelling characters February 19, 2013

By Kathlena C

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a pretty standard-issue retelling of "Beauty and the Beast," but with an SF twist. The strongest element of the book was the characterization of Anika and Sarzhin, who somehow stuck with me after I'd finished the story and made me want to read it again. It's a quick read, which is good and bad, as I would've liked to continue in the story's world awhile longer. Anika's spunky, down-to-earth voice (no pun intended), made her a fun narrator. And Sarzhin's reasons for his actions were a clever twist on the usual Beast's curse.

The writing is very good, and the setting well-rendered and vivid. I could feel the dreary, claustrophobic conditions of Lathvin and Anika's homestead, contrasting with the beauty of Sarzhin's greenhouse. The only reason I'm giving this book three stars is that the plot sticks so close to the fairy tale. But don't let that turn you off, because the sweet love story and engaging characters more than make up for it. If you like this book, also read Christine Pope's "Dragon Rose."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars True Romance February 3, 2013

By Mattie Ford

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

A perfect science fiction rendition of Beauty and the Beast. I hated to see it end. Farewell old friend:) True love at long last.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars astonishing love story October 11, 2012

By Jacqueline

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

It was definitely similar to beauty and the beast, one of my favorite stories but with a epic look into a sci fi world. I really love how annika has to figure this humanoid out. You can really feel the emotions stem from them both. Great read

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars I hear the music in the background... September 8, 2012

By loulouc

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Definitely this book is a version of Beauty and the Beast. If you want to reread that story with an alien twist. It is sweet and tender. It is not a hot and heavy romance type book. An enjoyable light read. Enjoyed the sci fi touches and the 'mystery' of this particular Beast...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful Sci-Fi Gothic Romance July 27, 2012

By default_character

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This story was so engaging, I became completely involved with the characters and could not put the book down until I finished. Told in first person, it reminded me of my favorite Victoria Holt books, with the main female being intelligent, beautiful (but doesn't know it), isolated, unwanted, lonely, who meets a man that is an outcast and unsocial, and usually wealthy. And of course, the outcome is always a happy one.

Contributing to the moodiness of the book is a very real sense of isolation due to it taking place on a basically airless planet which is mostly devoid of sunlight and has continuous storms.

I only wish that the story could have been longer; my second wish would be that I could find more books as well written and compelling as this one.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sci-fi romance! July 18, 2012

By JPaules

Format:Paperback

Once I started reading the story, I couldn't put the Kindle down. The book is a sci-fi version of Beauty and The Beast. No singing teapots or candelabras. Instead there are breathing masks and a world of "gray and black and dark red".

If you are looking for a story that steams up your glasses, this isn't going to be your cup of tea. However, if you enjoy romance and mysterious aliens, get a tall glass of iced tea, sit back, relax, and start reading "Breath of Life".

More About the Author

A native of Southern California, Christine Pope has been writing stories ever since she commandeered her family's Smith-Corona typewriter back in the sixth grade. Her short fiction has appeared in Astonishing Adventures, Luna Station Quarterly, and the journal of dark fiction, Dark Valentine. Two of her short stories have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Her tenth novel, Dragon Rose, was published in November 2012 by Dark Valentine Press.

Christine Pope writes as the mood takes her, and so her romances include a variety of sub-genres: fantasy, science fiction, paranormal, steampunk. She blames this on being easily distracted by bright, shiny objects, which could also account for the size of her shoe collection. After spending many years in the magazine publishing industry, she now works as a freelance editor and graphic designer in addition to writing fiction. She lives with her husband and an explosively fluffy Pomeranian mix in the San Gabriel Valley of Southern California, and in fact just returned to the town where she was born, thus disproving the theory that you can't go home again.

To be notified of new releases, you can sign up for Christine Pope's newsletter here: https://tinyletter.com/christine-pope