Review: Grown Men by Damon Suede

Before I read this book I read the freebie short Seedy Business which is a prequel to this story.  I'm glad I did because it gave me a lot of much needed information about the character of Ox.  If I hadn't read Seedy Business then I think I would have found this story a whole lot more frustrating than I did.

Grown Men is a futuristic sci fi story set on a far away planet.  It tells of Runt who's a farmer/pioneer on the planet having been placed there by the intergalactic company HardCell.  His job is to make his little patch of newly terraformed land into a profitable farm to make money for HardCell.  He's finding it tough though because he's only a little guy and his clone wife, who was supposed to be his support and co-farmer died in transit.  As the story begins, Runt is pleased when a cargo crate is sent by HardCell packed with things to make his life easier, and to help with some of the repairs he needs to make.  Also in the crate is a man, Ox, who is a genetically bred mute giant.  At first Runt is afraid of Ox, but over time they become friends and helpmates.

I have to admit I had mixed views about this story, although, there was much to like, especially for those who are fans of science fiction/futuristic stories.  It was obvious that the author had thought carefully about the world building and the setting.  Runt and Ox's life as farmers is described in quite a lot of detail and  added greatly to the solid and realistic feel of the book.  The down side to this though was that some of the book was a little dull because the focus was so much on the various tasks the men perform.  The story is only just over 100 pages long, but it felt much longer to me because the pace drags a little at times.

I also liked the relationship that develops between Ox and Runt.  When Ox first appears, in a scene where he is almost 'reborn' to this new world, Runt's initial fear and wariness was well depicted.  The story is set entirely from Runt's point of view which enables the reader to follow his changing feelings as the book progresses.  This change is very slow, and whilst this was realistic, it meant that actually the main thrust of the romance doesn't happen until almost at the end of the book. Until then the men have a platonic relationship, despite Runt's attraction.  I'm in two minds about this really. On one hand to have rushed the relationship would have damaged the realism of the story and would have been entirely out of character for Runt who sees himself as only straight at first.  On the other hand, I felt that, after waiting so long for it to happen, the end was a little too quick and I would have liked to have seen more of the budding romance between the men rather than just their friendship.

The story does rather hinge on whether you like Runt or not, given that you spend so much time in his head.  I did like him.  He's a feisty, prickly guy who has done well to survive so far.  His bitterness could be a turn off for some readers, but I felt that Ox made him a better person.  One of my favourite scenes in the book is when the two men are talking on the beach and Runt feels so happy and contented that he doesn't want to go back inside. To me this was a pivotal shift in his character and showed a cleverness on the part of the author.

One final point is that I finished the book knowing next to nothing about Ox.  Most of what I know about him was found out in the prequel story. I get the feeling this is to be a series - at least I hope so because the end sort of leaves you hanging with a number of unanswered questions.  In which case I shall wait for the next part to see what we learn of the enigmatic Ox.

Overall, this was decently written book but not without its flaws.  The characters were unusual and I would recommend it to those who are looking for a science fiction fantasy book.  I would certainly recommend that you read Seedy Business first though.  Grade: Good.

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