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320 pp
ISBN: 1-59102-339-4
Trade Paperback (6" x 9")
$15
September 2005
Cover Illustration: © 2005 Dave Seeley
www.daveseeley.com
- First North American printing
- Book One of a trilogy
Sex, violence, and inner turmoil - it takes a potent alien addiction for military intelligence officer Alexander Delgado to discover what being human really means.
In the 24th century, General William Myson heads Earth’s governmental body – Structure. Obsessed with swelling his personal fortune, Myson engages in illegal arms deals with the mysterious, alien Sinz. But the planet Seriatt, home to a three-sex race, is located near the wormhole gateway used by the Sinz. The Seriatts are increasingly threatened by Myson’s dealings, and tensions run high. Diplomats broker a deal: Myson will father a child by Seriattic conosq Vourniass Lycern – the royal child-bearer – linking Earth and Seriatt politically.
When the unwilling Lycern seeks sanctuary within the Affinity Group, Myson orders veteran officer Delgado to fetch her: Delgado is highly capable, but expendable. Once feared and respected, Delgado’s status has plummeted under Myson’s regime, his old-school methods unwelcome. Resentful of being sidelined despite years of service, Delgado realizes the mission may offer an opportunity to engender sweeping change. But he underestimates his task, and as events escalate and the true power of conosq becomes apparent, Delgado’s plans fall apart.
With time running out and confronted by Structure’s full might, Delgado finds himself stranded on Earth’s ruined streets, embroiled in his greatest ever battle – one he simply cannot lose.
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Reviews
“How the novel ends, I won’t even hint at for fear of ruining the bravura effect, except to say that it knocked my socks off, left my jaw gaping open, turned what was billed as the first novel of a series into something that stands entirely on its own, and left me wondering what in hell the next novel in the series could possibly be.”
-Asimov’s Science Fiction
”[F]ast political action makes The Affinity Trap engrossing, but be forewarned: it's 'Book 1' in a projected series.” - Bookwatch
"Part postapocalyptic space opera and part male power fantasy, British author Sketchley's debut boasts a striking cover: a beautiful bare-bellied female brandishing a futuristic gun beside a muscle-bound male in a torn uniform hefting a much bigger gun....Sketchley's solid writing drives this plot-based story..." - Publishers Weekly
“[A] fun blending of future SF, space opera, and societal SF....an entertaining, over-the-top story, from the beginning of the story to the powerful ending. Throughout, Sketchley drags Delgado through an emotional roller coaster of a ride and I can say I was happy to have had a seat.” - SFFWorld
“…a 'small scale' space opera ... I found myself drawn to the compelling narrative. I was eagerly waiting to see exactly what happened next.... Sketchley is clearly a competent and skillful writer. I look forward to the next book in the Structure series, The Destiny Mask. For now, The Affinity Trap is here to keep you entertained.” - SFSignal
"[A] dark science fiction thriller with extremely close encounters of the fourth kind.”
-Baryon Magazine
"The whole thing exudes confidence."
- Christopher Priest
"Swift, sleek space opera, full of incident, exoticism and, indeed, eroticism."
- Ian R. MacLeod
"This spectacular debut superbly combines the suspense and skulduggery of a Tom Clancy thriller, the existentialism of Iain M. Banks and the operatic grandeur of Peter Hamilton." - Fantasy & Science Fiction Book Club
"Just the sort of dense and intense science fiction space opera that we really love to read - a great combination of shameless entertainment with thought-provoking literature. This is clearly wide-screen, far-flung future science fiction with all the attendant baroque complexity in place." - The Agony Column
"... a stonkingly wonderful, sheer bloody genius ending that most authors wouldn't even dream of, let alone write.... Brilliant." - Emerald City
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