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The Courtesan Prince

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by Lynda Williams

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Read Chapter One BISAC:   FIC028030 PRINT BOOK: ISBN: 978-1-894063-28-9 Trade Paperback 6.0" X 9.0" $19.95 US 464 pages AMAZON.COM AMAZON.CA E-BOOK: e-ISBN: 978-1-894063-76-0 $2.99 US KINDLE NOOK (TBA) i-Pad (TBA) KOBO SONY READER (TBA) E-BOOK (multi-format): SMASHWORDS (TBA)

The Courtesan Prince (Part One of the Okal Rel Saga) The Saga begins... When Earth’s first attempt to conquer the far reaches of space was thwarted by the failure of a faster than light transportation system, the first colonists were abandoned. Subsequent colonizations were successful but ideological differences in cloning caused renegade scientists to sever their contact with Earth and establish their own unique world. Now, thousands of years in the future, the scattered descendents of humanity have evolved into two distinct planetary societies: the Reetions of Rire, who rely on advanced computer technology to regulate every aspect of their lives, and the genetically superior and honor bound Sevolites, of Gelion. With one conflict already behind them, these two cultures are once again on the brink of war. But one last desperate mission is launched and somewhere within a dark region of space, Reetions and Sevolites find themselves torn between their own alliances and the inexplicable desire that constantly draws them closer together. Will the brilliant anthropologist, Ranar of Rire, find out more than he bargained for in the strange undercity of Gelion? Will the hot-headed Reetion pilot, Ann, learn that true love has a price? Will the Sevolite blade-dancer, Von, discover the dark secrets which hold the key to his world’s survival? And will Di Mon, the proud Highlord of Gelion somehow find the strength to face the chaos that may destroy them all? About Lynda Williams Lynda Williams is the author of the Okal Rel saga published by Edge Science Fiction and Fantasy Publishing. She has also published non-fiction works in a variety of areas such as a recent publication about sexual identity in her character Amel. Lynda holds three post secondary degrees. [MORE] Praise "Nothing is easy in The Courtesan Prince and neither civilisation is portrayed as the model of perfect human society. Both have flaws, and these challenges make Lynda Williams’ novel more complex, more rich in substance, and portray the idea that the struggle for perfection is culturally defined and that one person’s ideal may be another’s horror." - Derek Newman-Stille, Speculating Canada. "The Courtesan Prince is a space adventure charged with sexual energy and ambiguity. Though not heavily laden with technology, it is clear that Williams possesses a strong technical mind. As a writer and computer programmer, I enjoyed the references to "blits" and other subtle touches that leant to greater believability. I look forward to reading more of the Okal Rel series." - Brian Rathbone, podcaster, Blogtalk Radio. "The strength of this book is its complex and detailed setting with these two distinct cultures." - Liz Dennett, Canadian Book Review Annual "I just wanted to send you a quick note about one of your books, The Courtesan Prince.... I have to say I was presently suprised when the book entirely sucked my attention in. I haven't read about a universe so interesting as when I read Dune, or the Fire and Ice series by George R. R. Martin for quite a while, and your book definitely builds an interesting scene and story." - Honey-Marie Giroday, Reader "Readers who enjoy hard and gritty science fiction won't find much of it here; this is a novel about people and cultures, honor and duty, and love and hatred. Featuring gunfights and swordfighting, rodeo-quality spaceship manuevers and murderous nobles, The Courtesan Prince is an enjoyable stand-alone read and a promising start to what is to be a 10-volume saga." - Dru Pagliassotti, The Harrow "The author Lynda Williams has given significant thought to this first book of 10 planned in the Oka Rel universe. In this book on a broad level we see 2 distinct cultures that have arisen from the ashes of a terrible civilization collapsing war which happened thousands of years previously. From the ashes of the previous earth like cultures we see one group who embraces technology and one who does not. The groups are pitted against each other in cultural, social and technological ways. "On a deeper level her ability to develop characters with enough depth to seem real gave me characters I could love and wanted to see "win" and others who I found myself loathing. "In exploring the differences and similarities Lynda has given us new ways of thinking about the world around us and the culture driven moralities that exist in our current world. "Her presentation and delivery really sucked me into her world and carried me through the book causing me to want more. I look forward to her next books in this series." - Bobbie DuFault on Amazon.com "Sex, swords, spaceships, what more could you want? The Courtesan Prince by Lynda Williams is the story of the beautiful, soul searching, anguished Amel's search for and discovery of his hidden identity and his passionate liaison with the fiery pilot, Anne. The half-naked female spacer finds her male "Beauty" in the midst of painful, physical, psychologically generated cultural clash, rushes to his defense, and sets into motion a destiny of lust, romance, compulsion, and intrigue." - Elizabeth M. Woods, reviewer "This book is truly, simply put, amazing. Set in the universe of Okal Rel, I found myself awestruck and lured in by the meticulously thought-out galaxy and characters. Oh, the characters! Electric, brilliant characters, both unique and full of life, grab hold of your affection (and sometimes hatred) and don’t let go. And of course, to accompany all this, is a wonderful plot, brimming with adventure, seductive romance, politics and more then the characters’ fair share of hardships.... This is indeed one of my favourite books of all time! Okal Rel is a whole new, wonderful universe and will get the reverence it truly deserves." - Brianna Thomas "I was captivated by the possibilities of living in that time and impressed with Williams' visions of the future and her ability to successfully weave in cultural differences in sexuality and love. I look forward to the next volume." - T.M. Martin, Yet Another Book Review "The story delves into two very complex societies, explaining a very ivolved caste system, and proves that a lot of thought went into the world building for this series. This story also looks into some very well-drawn characters that keep you interested in reading. If you like a good Science Fiction/Fantasy, give The Courtesan Prince a look." - Lisa Ramaglia, Scribes World "The Courtesan Prince is a wonderfully readable novel, rich with invention, a page-turner plot, and best of all, the unforgettable and engaging heroes of Throne Price, Ranar and Amel." - Marie Jakober, author "... I thought it was a lot of fun. Certainly never a dull moment! Ann especially is a very well rounded character, right down to the things about her that consistently annoyed me. She's the kind of character that feels real and will stay with me. I expect that when the second book comes out I'll be thinking of her as I make my purchase." - Terry Baker, reviewer "...The Courtesan Prince is well worth the read. - Stephanie Ann Johanson, Neo-Opsis "I really thought The Courtesan Prince hits on a new perspective -- twist-- on how the human race might evolve as societies. Interestingly, there were things about both societies that I dislike greatly and made me angry, as well as things that I hope we can achieve." - Pat Booze "My second readthrough, I found I enjoyed it just as much, if not more." - Anne M. Stickel "Set approximately one thousand years from now, this is the story of the first two interstellar Earth colonies. They were abandoned by Earth after the failure of early attempts at faster-than-light travel. The problems were solved, but ideological differences concerning genetic engineering caused outlaw scientists to sever all contact with Earth and set up their own worlds. The Reetions of Rire regulate every aspect of their lives with advanced computer technology. The Sevolites of Gelion are much more of an honor-bound people. The wearing, and using, of swords in public is a normal part of daily life. It is also a rigidly class-defined culture, where one is expected to use the proper pronouns when speaking "up" or "down" to someone else. The two civilizations fought a major war about 200 years previously, which left large regions of space uninhabitable. Despite severing all relations with each other, another war between them is increasingly likely. Ann, a Reetion pilot, meets, and falls for, Von, a Sevolite male courtesan and sword-dancer (who Ann calls Beauty), who may be an actual Prince. Ranar, a Reetion archaeologist with dark skin (a novelty in Sevolite society), meets Di Mon, a high-ranking member of Sevolite society, who is also in love with Von. Unintentionally, perhaps they can prevent another major interstellar war. This is a good piece of society-building. Since this is not the usual sort of new world, this novel will require some patience on the part of the reader (it takes a while to get going). It is also the first of a projected ten-book series. It’s very much worth reading." - Plappen, Shelfari.com Reviews: Speculating Canada Canadian Book Review Annual The Harrow Deep Magic e-zine Amazon.com Neo-Opsis Magazine UNBC Bulletin Yet Another Book Review Scribes World Eternal Night (Terry Baker) CJTR Radio interview Jillian Bell talks to Lynda about the ORU and writing. (20MB mp3 file) Books in this series: Courtesan Prince (Part One of the Okal Rel Saga) Righteous Anger (Part Two of the Okal Rel Saga) Pretenders (Part Three of the Okal Rel Saga) Throne Price (Part Four of the Okal Rel Saga) Far Arena (Part Five of the Okal Rel Saga) Avim's Oath (Part Six of the Okal Rel Saga) Healer's Sword (Part Seven of the Okal Rel Saga) Gathering Storm (Part Eight of the Okal Rel Saga) Holy War (Part Nine of the Okal Rel Saga) Unholy Science (Part Ten of the Okal Rel Saga) MEDIA KIT [PDF]

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