Rainbow Book Reviews
Mind games and the dynamic between a kidnapper and his victim are at the center of this story, with surprising results. It is too short to get into any serious psychological analysis or a mention of the proper disclaimers when dealing with a situation of such unevenly distributed power, instead it provides a look at what might be possible. It features two strong-minded men with very different backgrounds and personalities and speculates about the outcome. Cai is an up-and-coming tussle player (a science-fiction version of what sounds like a more brutal version of football or rugby to me), so he is used to physically standing his ground. Socially he is much less secure, essentially because he does not have the time or energy to go out and party or find a partner. So when he is confronted with an experienced kidnapper who is also dangerously attractive. Cai is totally out of his depth. Venture makes excellent money by kidnapping people and either demanding a ransom or, in this case, preventing them from doing something his backers do not want to happen. He is a kidnapper with principles though, such as no harm coming to his victims. Venture is shocked when he finds himself questioning his resolve once Cai is tied up and at his mercy and discovering how much fun they can still have despite the restrictions is a surprise. If you like stories with surprising outcomes, if you want to see two men deal with unusual circumstances leading to unexpected results, and if you’re looking for a read that presents an unconventional look at a kidnapper and his victim, then you might like this short story. As disturbing as it is on the one hand, the characters pulled it off for me.