Christmas in space! The idea of an alien exploring Christmas comes to life in this science fiction tale set in outer space. The mission has not been going well for Captain Archer Pfeil, and as far as he is concerned, a lot of it is Ambassador Ilin a'dlen Jhex’s fault. First, because Archer is trying to impress the ambassador so he’ll write a favorable report. Second, and this is worse because Archer is attracted to Ilin but wants to avoid complications due to a personal relationship – and Ilin is not cooperating. In a very entertaining read about cross-cultural - cross-species even – exploration, misunderstandings abound, hilarious situations occur, and each man struggles with species-specific issues that might be far more serious if they were enemies.

Archer has just been dumped by his boyfriend because he works too much. His superior isn’t happy with him because the mission of showing Ambassador Ilin a'dlen Jhex the human approach to colonization in the hope of being allowed to settle on a planet in their space is not going well. Archer also has to deal with mishap after mishap on the ship, be it the new biofuel or the food printers breaking. And now the ambassador seems to be flirting with him? Archer thinks it’s a recipe for disaster.

Ilin has studied human customs – to a point - and is quite attracted to Archer. He is sure the signals he is sending are appropriate, but the captain doesn’t seem to be responding the way Ilin expects despite showing the physical signs of interest returned. When Ilin decides to study this “Christmas” that seems to be coming up and prepares a seduction scene with all the seasonal trimmings, I smiled. His attempts to decorate his cabin, get the right food organized, and make sure the captain enters his rooms were fun to follow.

If you like science fiction versions of Christmas, if an alien ambassador and a stressed starship captain seem like an interesting pairing, and if you’re looking for an entertaining read with a futuristic touch and some alien psychology, then you will probably like this novella.


NOTE: This book was provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review on Rainbow Book Reviews. ( )