Growing up means out growing your fairy tale dreams - or does it? Nikki is about to find out.
At seventeen, Nikki Sotolongo has had it with being considered a kid. With her hopelessly romantic adopted brother Sam, Nikki plots a sure-fire way to prove to her ex-Marine mom that she’s an adult: she’s going to lose her virginity. The fact that Nikki’s mom is director of a woman-only penal colony on the planet Sisyphus is a bit of a challenge, though. Worse, Sam has just been chosen for marriage by the local Sissy warlord – fate that can literally mean death for an arachnid Sisyphus native like Sam.
So when a supply ship puts in with hot and handsome young Jake on board, Nikki and Sam launch a sure-fire plot to procure Nikki’s adulthood: they kidnap themselves a Grade A cherry picker. There are only a couple of problems with the plan: Jake has other ideas. So does Sam.
And somebody’s trying to get Nikki fed to Sam’s would-be bride.
Excerpt
Grimm’s was gone. I flung my go-to-Committee shoes out of my bunk box and stared at the empty bottom. Nothing. I ran an eyeball inventory of my bedroom as if the one and only real book on this whole planet might somehow have embedded itself in the gently vibrating walls. No luck, which was no surprise. Sisyphus’ early morning sun lit up the silk weave of our house dome like smoky glass and turned the fine web strands of my window to shimmering glory. My bunk sat flat on the flooring, so there was no place to check under there. That left only Sam’s nest. Rising, I angled around to put the gray silk bulb hanging limp and empty from the ceiling between the window and me. If my romance-crazed adopted brother had stashed Grimm’s in there again, the book’s shadow would show through the weave. Nothing.
Professional Reviews
An Absolute Joy to Read
Cherry Pickers was an absolute joy to read! Milani's plot is intricate and her characters multi-dimensional - even the eight-legged variety! Nikki makes for the perfect coming-of-age personality - tough but sweet, street-smart but somehow still vulnerable. I loved every minute of her adventure, and, in fact, read this straight through. And wished for more! Bonnie Milani is the real deal - what a talent!
Wow!
Alright now, this is a great Sci-fi novel!!!
Can't believe I read it cover to cover in 2 hours!!! I will admit that once I thought I figured it was a romance novel, I was ready to toss it!!!
I'm glad, as the further I got the more Science Fiction it became!!!
There is a tiny, bit, smidge of sorta romance going on, BUT...
You will just have to download this ebook from Amazon and find out for yourselves!!!
A Wonderful Read
(SPOILER ALERT!) This was a terrific read that, in the tradition of John Scalzi, manages to achieve the all-important goal of doing something new in a genre where fresh ideas are a rare commodity. It achieves this goal not only by the clever inversion of the usual male/female paradigm, but also by such innovations as the deep relationship between the human characters and the giant, insect-like aliens who serve as their helpers: a relationship that endears us to creatures traditionally cast as repellent antagonists as it gives insight into the inner world of the creatures themselves. Just beautiful work. But while this feature alone makes Ms. Milani’s work a fabulous read, it is the carefully gauged aspect of suspense that ultimately draws the reader along, and a delightful surprise ending, reminiscent of Canon Doyle’s brilliant “The Valley of Fear,” that moves it into the category of “must-read” for all sci-fi enthusiasts. Needless to say, I highly recommend this book.
Pegasus is the symbol of wisdom and inspiration. This book, although a dystopia, is meant to inspire people to search for a greater future through wisdom. We have the technology to create a Garden of Eden here on Earth, if only we are wise enough to
MONSTROSITY n. 1. That which deviates greatly from the norm in appearance or structure. 2. The quality or character of being abnormal; hideous; frightful; shocking.
