Tiny Navajo Reads ARCs: The 5th Gender

The 5th Gender by G.L. Carriger

 ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ◊

*To be published May 18, 2019*

I received this ARC from the author. This in no ways affects my thoughts and review of the book.

**TW: MLM, suicide, sexual acts

Do you love space? Mystery? Diversity? The learning between peoples of two different cultures for the betterment of both? If you said yes to at least two of these, I will say that this book is a good choice for you.

A species that has no word for murder, has a murderer aboard their spaceship. 

ALIEN 

Tristol lives in exile. But he’s built a life for himself aboard a human space station. He’s even begun to understand the complex nuances of human courting rituals.

Detective Hastion is finally flirting back!

MURDER 

Except that Tristol’s beloved space station is unexpectedly contacted by the galoi – a xenophobic species with five genders, purple skin, and serious attitude. They need the help of a human detective because there’s a murderer aboard their spaceship. Murder is so rare, the galoi don’t even have a word for it.

Tristol knows this because he is galoi.

ROMANCE 

Which means that he and Detective Hastion are on the case… together.

Delicate Sensibilities? 

Contains men who love other men in graphic detail, regardless of gender, biology, or skin color… and lots of emotively sexy tentacle hair.

This was such a sweet book! I loved it and I loved how much a culture of a society can affect how they treat those that are of greatest importance. On a space station where there are none other like him, Tristol pines after the human detective Drey Hastion. Drey Hastion also pines after Tristol, but seeing only a flighty, flirty purple alien with very fluffy animated hair, Drey does what he can to keep himself from developing more feelings that just physical attraction.

Once these two mutually pining people figure out that they DO actually like each other, they start being exclusive, because that is all they really wanted with each other. But I think what I love most about Drey and Tristol is how much they learn from each other. This is especially needed when a galoi ship comes into port requesting the assistance of someone who knows how to find someone who has taken a life, but not by accident.

I loved watching Drey and Tristol not only realize that they are mutually pining for each other, but that they actually are well fitted for each other, not only in their partnership in trying to find who killed the galoi on the galoi ship, but sexually as well. They learn that they need to communicate with each other if they want to be able to actually work with one another. It’s something that all relationships need and G.L. Carriger shows this admirably. I love that Drey and Tristol accept each other fully and it makes they both happy, especially when both have almost given up on being completely happy with their preferences in life. Tristol has given up all that he knew, all that grew up with, just to escape his planet, but it leads to his ultimate happiness.

As Drey and Tristol seek to find answers, they also see that working with each other they are able to help each other understand better and this will possibly lead to better understanding for the galoi race. What do you think of space mysteries? How does communication help with mysteries, or everyday life? Comment below and let me know!