Rembrandt’s Station (Exiles of the Drift 2)

SCI-FI: Albert “Bertie” Rembrandt, Tolar stationmaster, keeps an eye on everything that goes on and manages to keep everyone safe. Alas, Bertie is human and a banished aristocrat who has fallen in love with Monral, but due to Tolari culture, is banned from admitting his true feelings for him. As Bertie works to keep his adopted world protected from enemies, solve a family squabble, stay mortal yet still be with Monral and fix many catastrophes, he falls ill from mysteriously being poisoned. Bertie becomes weakened from the toxin, yet he still has work to do and wants to continue doing what he did before despite the danger to his life. When Bertie does get the chance to be with his one true love, he still doesn’t want to give up his humanity.

This is truly an astounding LGBT science fiction story that is such an engaging tale! Sure, the story starts off slowly, but as it progresses, it magically transports the reader to a scarily dangerous universe. The smooth writing style and excellent world building are fully apparent, making for such captivating imagery! Unfortunately, some of the character descriptions, like how they actually function or move, are puzzling. Also, this is the second book, so some readers that like to read the series in sequence might not want to read this separately, even though the book can standalone without any problems. Bertie is just the perfect angst-ridden protagonist. Even with all of the dilemmas he must face, it isn’t hard to connect with him. Ms. Meierz writes an amazing, exhilarating, nail-biting space opera that is truly an extraordinary read!

Roslynn Ernst