PRESSKIT: Grown Men
by Damon Suede
(HardCell Universe: first transmission)
Tagline: every future has dirty roots
a gay sci-fi novella about building worlds, budding trust, and lovers that literally cannot fit together.
Logline: On a distant planetoid, a desperate terraformer discovers unwanted attrractiuon to the mute giant who may have been sent to terminate him.
Grown Men Details:
- ISBN 978-19-37551-10-0
- (Riptide Publishing, 30 October 2011)
- Subgenre: science fiction
- Main characters: Runt & Ox
- Tropes: galactic frontier/terraforming, ranching/farming, marooned on a new planet, assassin falling for target
- Length: 30,000 words (novella)
Currently out of print
Purchase links:
Grown Men Blurb
Every future has dirty roots.
Marooned in the galactic backwaters of the HardCell company, colonist Runt struggles to eke out an existence on a newly-terraformed tropical planetoid. Since his clone-wife died on entry, he’s been doing the work of two on his failing protein farm. Overworked and undersized, Runt’s dwindling hope of earning corporate citizenship has turned to fear of violent “retirement.”
When an overdue crate of provisions crashes on his beach, Runt searches frantically for a replacement wife among the tools and food. Instead he gets Ox, a mute hulk who seems more like a corporate assassin than a simple offworld farmer. Shackwacky and near-starving, Runt has no choice but to work with his silent partner despite his mounting paranoia and the unsettling appeal of Ox’s genetically altered pheromones. Ox plays the part of the gentle giant well, but Runt’s still not convinced he hasn’t arrived with murder in mind.
Between brutal desire and the seeds of a relationship, Runt’s fears and Ox’s inhuman past collide on a fertile world where hope and love just might have room to grow.
Grown Men Artwork:
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Grown Men Reviews:
"5 out of 5! Since this is subtitled HardCell Universe: First Transmission, I am going to assume that we will be seeing additional titles by Mr. Suede that take place in this universe. I certainly hope so...This story of survival, hope, and friendship is more than just a good read. It is worth reading twice...I don’t in general seek out science fiction, but I’m very glad I picked up Damon Suede’s novella Grown Men. He brings his setting and his characters to brilliant life from the very first page, immersing us in the world almost as if we were participants in the storyline…I felt as if I were standing right alongside the characters experiencing their lives as they wrangle eels, count the stars, and dream of the future. Mr. Suede is a talented author, and he has definitely won my admiration. (Bobby D. Whitney for Book Wenches)
"I thoroughly enjoyed Grown Men…. I am not usually much of a science fiction reader but I had no trouble jumping into this story….I loved the slow development of the relationship between Runt and Ox. And I thought the themes of growth and the blending of two lives together were beautifully done. I can't wait for the rest of the series and highly recommend Grown Men!" (Joyfully Jay)
"There’s imagination, then there’s, whoa, IMAGINATION, and Damon Suede seems to be possessed of the second type, the kind where you’re reading along and thinking, now why can’t I do this?...With a generous attention to world building, a briskly paced plot, descriptive language that paints the ideal mental picture of the setting, as well as an introduction to a couple of unlikely yet likeable heroes who will, as this series moves forward, have more to reveal to readers, Grown Men is a weird and wondrous beginning in the HardCell conglomeration." (Lisa for Top2Bottom Reviews)
"Rated 5 Seashells!
Mr. Suede
has done an outstanding job of
world-building, yet there are components of the story that
are familiar and make it a comfortable, if very exciting,
read. There is so much more to [this book] than an
outer space adventure or a futuristic escapade. Mr.
Suede enjoys words and uses them creatively. He is
at his wordsmithing best
when he’s able to create a whole new lexicon … With elements of Robinson
Crusoe, GLBT romance, and Survivor all rolled into one…creative
and scorching hot sex… I enjoyed Grown Men
very much and recommend it to readers who enjoy Sci-fi, m/m,
a stranded on a desert island trope, and a serialized
adventure series." (Hazel for
The Reader’s Roundtable)
"This is a science fiction novel in the classic sense, not a space opera… The story draws us into this world immediately and keeps us there with each new discovery. The bits of bio-engineering mixed with practical tech were marvelous…. The Hard Cell universe comes to us fully realized…lovingly detailed…Runt and Ox are real and believable characters, even with Ox’s freakish size. Their interactions are marvelous, the way their relationship grows and evolves without Ox speaking a single word absolutely captivating… a story I enjoyed immensely from the first anxious moments to the final, inventive solution, with characters I hope, very much, to see again!" (Angel Martinez - Off the Beaten Track Reviews)
