Clone Me a Lover (Interstellar Lovers #1)

SCI-FI:  On future Earth, emotions are forbidden; expressing them results in reprogramming. The population is deliberately sterile, and the people are cloned. Sexual urges are satisfied in copulation clubs. It is unbearable to Clone Angelo Thirteen, who longs for love. He and his co-pilot, Chad Seven, are on their way to the planet Iridis where new lives await and emotions are allowed. When their ship is hit by space debris the survival pods are jettisoned, and all but Angelo Thirteen’s, heads toward Iridis. Elle, a green alien space trader, rescues him from the wreckage of his pod. Adventures ensue.

“Clone Me a Lover” is a unique story of society gone mad and a clone eager to escape it at any cost. There is an interesting dichotomy of characters — Angelo Thirteen, who is trained to show no reaction — versus the overly emotional characters he meets during his travels. The characters are fully developed, described, and relatable, but the environment they are in is only briefly touched on. Angelo Thirteen’s awkward transition from near emotionless clone to a man in love is well described and rings true. The subplot, a conflict between Elle and another space trader, provides a venue for his emotional development that fully enriches the story. At only one hundred pages, “Clone Me a Lover” is a very quick and enjoyable read.

Belinda Wilson