[shameless self-promotion brag] John Stith Reviews Collaborators

Collaborators, my occupation and resistance science fiction novel, was released on October 1.

Here's what John Stith had to say about it:

Collaborators takes a path into territory explored by Ursula K. Le Guin in her The Left Hand of Darkness novel as Ross's novel examines human-alien contact where the alien race has some markedly different characteristics. High on the list is that their sexual identity can ride in neutral with on-demand excursions into either of the two primary genders, so either partner in a pair can ultimately become pregnant.

Ross is a first-rate world builder. The aliens' customs, religion, sexuality, housing, cities, and politics are all fully fleshed out, giving the world a quite strong lived-in ambiance. But while the trappings of their lives, and some aspects of their core existence, are significantly different from what we're used to, they share the elements of life that would allow a species to flourish and dominate; they experience love, loyalty, pride, ambition, self-sacrifice, and empathy.

Along with those qualities come a few of the downsides; two countries vie for superiority, and some of the struggle comes from greed and the quest for power. The team from Earth tries to repair a starship while simultaneously their efforts to deal with an alien culture create a situation rife with misunderstandings.

Collaborators is an intriguing book that demands a thoughtful read and then pays back that effort with maximum interest because it's a compelling, engaging story about people Ross makes us care deeply about, whatever form they take.

I missed Collaborators by Deborah J. Ross (then Deborah Wheeler) when it was originally published in 2013, but I'm grateful to have read the 2020 revised edition, which includes a map and appendices that illuminate the genesis and evolution of this acclaimed novel.

Here's where to order the book (ebook, trade paperback, and hardcover editions):

Amazon (ebook and trade paperback)
B & N (ebook, trade paperback, and hardcover/laminated cover) 
From your local bookstore, order via Ingram:
     Trade paperback: 9781952589003
     Hardcover/dust jacket: 9781952589027

Kobo (and other ebook retailers)