Category: Literature, Sci-Fi
Language: EnglishKeywords: LGBT Post Apocalyptic
Written by Natasha Pulley
Read by Daniel de Bourg
Format: MP3
Unabridged
Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins
In the wake of an environmental catastrophe, January, once a principal in London’s Royal Ballet, has become a refugee in Tharsis, the terraformed colony on Mars. There, Januaryâs life is dictated by his status as an Earthstrongerâa person whose body is not adjusted to lower gravity and so poses a danger to those born on, or naturalized to, Mars. Januaryâs job choices, housing, and even transportation are dictated by this second-class status, and now a xenophobic politician named Aubrey Gale is running on a platform that would make it all worse: Gale wants all Earthstrongers to naturalize, a process that is always disabling and sometimes deadly.
When Gale chooses January for an on-the-spot press junket interview that goes horribly awry, Januaryâs life is thrown into chaos, but Galeâs political fortunes are damaged, too. Gale proposes a solution to both their problems: a five year made-for-the-press marriage that would secure Januaryâs future without naturalization and ensure Galeâs political success. But when January accepts the offer, he discovers that Gale is not at all like they appear in the press. They’re kind, compassionate, and much more difficult to hate than January would prefer. As their romantic relationship develops, the political situation worsens, and January discovers Gale has an enemy, someone willing to destroy all of Tharsis to make them payâand January may be the only person standing in the way.
Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins
In the wake of an environmental catastrophe, January, once a principal in London’s Royal Ballet, has become a refugee in Tharsis, the terraformed colony on Mars. There, Januaryâs life is dictated by his status as an Earthstrongerâa person whose body is not adjusted to lower gravity and so poses a danger to those born on, or naturalized to, Mars. Januaryâs job choices, housing, and even transportation are dictated by this second-class status, and now a xenophobic politician named Aubrey Gale is running on a platform that would make it all worse: Gale wants all Earthstrongers to naturalize, a process that is always disabling and sometimes deadly.
When Gale chooses January for an on-the-spot press junket interview that goes horribly awry, Januaryâs life is thrown into chaos, but Galeâs political fortunes are damaged, too. Gale proposes a solution to both their problems: a five year made-for-the-press marriage that would secure Januaryâs future without naturalization and ensure Galeâs political success. But when January accepts the offer, he discovers that Gale is not at all like they appear in the press. They’re kind, compassionate, and much more difficult to hate than January would prefer. As their romantic relationship develops, the political situation worsens, and January discovers Gale has an enemy, someone willing to destroy all of Tharsis to make them payâand January may be the only person standing in the way.