Not Quite a Review: Scorpion by Alexsandr Voinov

This must be my fourth attempt to write this review. I get started, write a few paragraphs, re-read what I've written and think "No, that's just not IT". I then abandon the review and go away and sulk for a while at my inability to get my feelings for this book down on paper.  Why, you may ask, has this book been so hard to review?  Did I hate it so much that I can't write the review without being balanced?  Well actually no, the complete opposite in fact. I loved this book, really, really liked it and my difficulty in reviewing it comes from trying to formulate all the various reasons why I like the book in a coherent fashion which does the book justice without giving any spoilers away. A secondary reason why it's taken me so long to write the review is that I keep getting side-tracked by the book itself.  I'm not sure how other reviewers go about reviewing books, but I always have the book open on screen when writing a review so I can skim over bits again to refresh my memory, or to check things I may have forgotten like names of characters.  Every time I try to skim over the book I end up getting sucked right into it again and then next thing I know I've been reading it for over half an hour and have run out of time to write the review.  It's all rather frustrating, but in a good way, I suppose!

Anyway, in an attempt to get this review written, I'm going to write a different sort of review.  Instead of paragraphs of eloquent prose, I'm going to list all the things I liked about this book with a brief explanation and it's up to you to decide whether these things would appeal to you too.  Instead of my usual summary, I'll put the blurb and get straight into the list:


You learn your wisest lessons from your enemies. Assuming, of course, you survive the encounter.

Kendras is a casualty of war: injured, penniless, and quite possibly the last surviving member of the only family he's ever known—the elite fighting force known as the Scorpions. When a
steel-eyed stranger offers him medicine and shelter in exchange for submission and a secret task, Kendras has no choice but to accept. He is a Scorpion; he’ll do whatever it takes to survive.

But his true goal is to rebuild the Scorpions. Neither Steel’s possessive nature nor Kendras’s shattered foot can keep him from finding the last of his brothers... or the mysterious leader of the Scorpions, a man who held Kendras’s heart long before Steel tried to take it for himself. The goal is simple, the situation anything but. To rescue his leader and escape from Steel for good, Kendras must fight through a morass of politics and intrigue, where enemies are allies and even allies have hidden agendas.


1. Morally Ambiguous Characters
Kendras is a soldier through and through. He's trained to follow orders and does so no matter his own personal feelings on the matter.  Sometimes he does things knowing that it may not be the right choice but he's under orders and so does them anyway.  This theme of duty over self crops up quite a lot through the book and can be seen in many of the characters, both the 'good' and 'bad' guys.  The blurring of lines was an interesting theme, especially as there were at least two characters who teetered on the edge of being good or bad and one character in particular who I thought was going one way but went the other.  It certainly kept me on my toes as a reader!  Despite their moral ambiguity, many of the characters were still very sympathetic, Kendras and the Officer especially.

2. The Fantasy Setting
The setting is familiar to fantasy fans, being mainly high fantasy, but within that the focus is narrowed to the band of mercenaries led by the Officer.  So whilst we get lots of descriptions of the different regions, the religions, the conflicts, the social hierarchy and the politics, the heart of the setting is in a group of soldiers and their loyalty to one man.  Bringing everything down into such a narrow focus meant that much of the plot relied on the characters and their thoughts - mainly Kendras' - as their lives are described and shown to the reader.  For me, it was the small touches to the setting that worked best, mainly in the descriptions of life between the men, some of Kendras' past and his time spent with Steel.  Another effect of this small focus meant that when the larger set pieces happened towards the end, all the emotional connections were in place to create an impact for the reader.

3. The Use of Sex
As many of you know, I'm not a fan of 'sweet' stories.  This was anything but.  The characters in this book are  men who often use their fists instead of their words.  They train hard, grapple with each other, fight when they are told.  As a result the bond between them is strong, and strengthened still by their emotional attachment.  Within the group of mercenaries they all use sex to heighten that bond and attachment.  As such there are several scenes of group sex or multiple partners.  Sex is also used to control and torture so there are also some scenes of rape and dub-con which will not be to many readers' taste.  To me the use of sex in this way was as much part of the setting as the complexities of the political system. It showed that sex is a tool to be used for good or bad and I liked the way that idea was explored in the story.

4. The Theme of Comradeship
I have to admit, this story is a bit male orientated. There's only one main female character and she displays many characteristics which would be traditionally male.  Now, I'm not complaining about this because I don't need a female character in my m/m books if it's not necessary.  What this did mean though is that the book has time to explore the different relationships that men build up with each other and in particular comradeship. I thought that this theme was handled particularly effectively not only within the bad of mercenaries, but also outside of that group with characters such as Steel and Widowmaker, and with the feelings towards the king of Dalman.

5. The Development of Kendras as a Character
Not only was I drawn in by all that I've said above, but the main plus point for me was in the flawed and very human character of Kendras.  He begins the story in pain and yet full of bravado and determination.  As the story progresses so does his confidence in himself until the end sees him a very different man from the start of the book.  This development of character was a gradual effect of all the things that happen through the story and I was delighted to have taken that journey with him.  I also liked the way that his race was portrayed. His dark skin sets him apart and makes him an oddity, albeit a desirable one.  I liked how used this to his advantage on several occasions.

All those five things coupled with a written style where not one word is wasted with a vivid portrayal of setting and characters who are alive on the page, drew me into the story and I was engrossed from start to finish. If you haven't guessed already I highly recommend Scorpion and my usual top grade of 'Excellent' isn't enough to show how much I enjoyed this book - it's beyond 'Excellent' and into sublime.

Buy this book HERE.