The Girl With All The Gifts And Creating Sympathy For Morally Dubious Characters
Please Note: This post will have spoilers for The Girl With All The Gifts. If you haven’t watched this movie or read the book it is based upon (written by M. R. Carey), you might wish to skip this post.
One of the challenges of writing about morally dubious characters is making them sympathetic to readers, ensuring readers care about beings who don’t follow society’s rules, who might be seen as monsters.
A key trick is, what writers call, ‘saving the cat.’ The character does something honorable or noble or self-sacrificing early in the story.
But that isn’t possible when that’s not in the character’s nature.
The Girl With All The Gifts uses a different tactic. The storyteller depicts the character as being innocent simply by the nature of who she resembles—a human child. Then she is put in a situation that would appall the average person. She is locked in a cell by herself.
Everything is designed to gain our sympathy. She has a photo of a kitten she hides under her pillow. She is polite and friendly to the hostile adults who collect her. These adults point guns at her, treat her like a monster.
She doesn’t ‘save the cat’ (an ironic phrase – grins). There’s no self-sacrifice. She is merely portrayed as someone we would be predisposed to protect. We view her as being wronged and the adults as wronging her.
By the time, her true nature is revealed, we care for her. We’re firmly on her side.
The Girl With All The Gifts isn’t without its flaws but I enjoyed it for its fresh take on creating sympathetic characters and its clever spin on zombie movies.
And yes, the super fast zombies in this movie make me think about the Humanoid Alliance’s reanimation experiments in Containing Malice. I suspect I might be sympathetic to some of those tortured beings also.
***
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Under Strain
A damaged cyborg warrior is hunted by a peace-loving human female.
***
Strain is severely malfunctioning. The D Model cyborg was the sole survivor after a horrific decision was made by his cruel manufacturers. He hates all humans, and when he attacks one who is under his cyborg leader’s protection, he is reprimanded, stripped of his weapons, and told to watch and not actively participate in the next mission.
That mission takes place on a small remote planet. Its lush terrain should only be inhabited by the cyborgs they were sent to rescue, but Strain senses another presence on the surface. She is watching him, tracking him, hunting him.
A fully operational cyborg would end her lifespan.
Strain wants to claim her. Forever.
Kamyelle is the only one left of her kind. Warriors have killed the other nonviolent human inhabitants of her planet. She survived…barely…by hiding in the trees, observing her enemies, and covering herself with lifeform scan-concealing mud.
When a handsome, gray-skinned, brilliant-blue-eyed male arrives, surrounded by weapon-carrying warriors, she has to save him. Warriors harm and they kill. That is what they do.
She won’t allow them to hurt Strain.
***
Under Strain is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features a broken warrior, a human female who thinks he’s perfect, and velociraptor-like dinosaurs who view them both as light, tasty snacks.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R322L7S
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08R322L7S
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B08R322L7S
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/under-strain/id1545957749
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-strain-cynthia-sax/1138505613
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/under-strain
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/10602
Topics: Movie Reviews | Comments Off on The Girl With All The Gifts And Creating Sympathy For Morally Dubious Characters
May The Fourth Be With You
Today is Star Wars Day, one of my favorite days of the year!
I love the ever-expanding Star Wars world. I also love the Star Trek world. I see no issues with loving both. They are different worlds and focus on different things and I think that’s awesome.
The Mos Eisley cantina scene in the very first Star Wars movie has always been an inspirational scene for me. I strive to, someday, write a scene similar to it except I would like reading buddies to already know the background of every participant in that scene. That would require writing numerous stories featuring a variety of aliens and cyborgs and other types of species.
That will take decades but I hope to do it!
When the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I visited the Yoda Guy exhibit in St Maarten a few years ago, Nick Maley, the man who helped craft Yoda for Empire Strikes Back, was sculpting a Yoda head. I thought that was so fraggin’ awesome.
What is your favorite Star Wars memory?
***
Subscribe To My Newsletter: http://cynthiasax.com/newsletter/
Under Strain
A damaged cyborg warrior is hunted by a peace-loving human female.
***
Strain is severely malfunctioning. The D Model cyborg was the sole survivor after a horrific decision was made by his cruel manufacturers. He hates all humans, and when he attacks one who is under his cyborg leader’s protection, he is reprimanded, stripped of his weapons, and told to watch and not actively participate in the next mission.
That mission takes place on a small remote planet. Its lush terrain should only be inhabited by the cyborgs they were sent to rescue, but Strain senses another presence on the surface. She is watching him, tracking him, hunting him.
A fully operational cyborg would end her lifespan.
Strain wants to claim her. Forever.
Kamyelle is the only one left of her kind. Warriors have killed the other nonviolent human inhabitants of her planet. She survived…barely…by hiding in the trees, observing her enemies, and covering herself with lifeform scan-concealing mud.
When a handsome, gray-skinned, brilliant-blue-eyed male arrives, surrounded by weapon-carrying warriors, she has to save him. Warriors harm and they kill. That is what they do.
She won’t allow them to hurt Strain.
***
Under Strain is a STANDALONE Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features a broken warrior, a human female who thinks he’s perfect, and velociraptor-like dinosaurs who view them both as light, tasty snacks.
Pre-order Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08R322L7S
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08R322L7S
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B08R322L7S
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/under-strain/id1545957749
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/under-strain-cynthia-sax/1138505613
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/under-strain
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/10602
Topics: Guest Post | Comments Off on May The Fourth Be With You
Throwback Thursday – Warlord’s Bounty
Warlord’s Bounty was originally the first story in the Chamele Barbarian Warlords series. Khan, the battle-loving Warlord brother, was the first character I ‘met.’ All the other heroes in the series are named after Mongolian Khans. Khan is named after the role.
Zeta, the heroine, is Khan’s match. She is officially a bounty hunter but her heart is that of a warrior. She’s a little rough around the edges, brusque, brave, quick-thinking, honorable.
We spend a bit of time with all the Warlords in this story and we also meet three of heroines. I think you’ll enjoy this story.
Warlord’s Bounty
Wanted: One Barbarian Warrior.
The bigger the bounty, the more dangerous the target.
Khan, a Chamele Warlord, has a huge bounty on his head. His enemy wants him captured and is offering any being in the universe an outrageous number of credits to accomplish that.
Khan wants to be captured, but only if the being apprehending him is a tiny, brown-eyed female with wickedly sharp daggers and an even sharper tongue. His passion for the feisty human can’t be inhibited by restraints. He’ll allow her to subdue him…in a variety of enticing ways.
When she finally collects her credits, he’ll collect his revenge, killing his enemy and claiming his little bounty hunter forever.
Zeta doesn’t do forever. After a lifespan of chasing dangerous beings across galaxies, apprehending and trading them for credits, she doesn’t get involved emotionally…with anyone.
Khan might be fierce and sexy and the most dominant male she has ever encountered, but the barbarian is also her target, and once she sates herself with his body, she’ll betray him.
That’s her job.
* * *
Warlord’s Bounty is based on a much shorter story sharing the same title.
It is a STANDALONE Alien Barbarian SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes violent universe.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PN8ZKK1
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07PN8ZKK1
Apple/iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/warlords-bounty/id1456156354
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1113984150
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/warlord-s-bounty-1
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/928431
Topics: Throwback Thursday | Comments Off on Throwback Thursday – Warlord’s Bounty
Throwback Thursday – Dark Flight
The migratory birds have returned to my corner of the universe. They chirp happily all day and it is such a merry sound. They’re likely arguing or something like that. (grins) I don’t understand bird but I think they’re happy and I smile when I hear them.
Orol is the being I think of when the birds return. He’s the winged hero of Dark Flight, the second story in the Refuge/Dark Thoughts Series. This modified humanoid loves to fly.
Which means there are some steamy scenes with Rhea, his mate, in the air. Those were fun to write and I find them fun to read.
Dark Flight
His mission. His challenge. His forever.
Orol, the Refuge’s second-in-command, has been given what he believes is a simple mission—escort two human females to the settlement. The winged warrior arrives at the meeting site to find one of the females missing and the other aiming a gun at his head. To rescue the first, he must capture the second. Once he has Rhea in his talons, however, he realizes he never wants to let her go.
Her enemy. Her captor. Her everything.
Rhea doesn’t trust anyone. She certainly doesn’t follow commands issued by a gorgeous flying male with glittering eyes, a beautiful face, and a seductive touch. Orol is dominant, edged with darkness, and determined to find her sister. Rhea will do anything to prevent that, even if it means playing sensual games of submission with her powerful enemy, seducing him into forgetting everything except her.
Dark Flight is a STAND-ALONE SciFi Romance set in a gritty, dark world.
Buy Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Flight-Refuge-Book-2-ebook/dp/B07124941B/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Flight-Refuge-Book-2-ebook/dp/B07124941B/
Amazon AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B07124941B
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/dark-flight/id1242494643
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-flight-cynthia-sax/1126484675
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dark-flight-3
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/727350
Topics: Throwback Thursday | Comments Off on Throwback Thursday – Dark Flight
Throwback Thursday – Warlord Sky
Warlord Sky is the first standalone story in the new complete Chamele Barbarian Warlords series. Ironically, it is the only one of two stories that DON’T have a Warlord hero. The hero of Warlord Sky is Qulpa, a Chamele pilot. He has been injured, worries he’ll never fly again.
The one being who could make that happen is Nayan, the head of Ship and Weapons Design. She is brilliant yet doesn’t trust anyone. Nayan deliberately isolates herself from other Chameles.
When the two of them meet, it is explosive. Literally. (grins)
Warlord Sky
No one grounds a barbarian warrior.
Qulpa, a Chamele warrior, lost everyone he loved in the brutal Succession Wars. Flying is the only thing that brings him joy. Serving as his team’s pilot is the sole duty he has left. Then a horrific crash leaves him injured and unable to fly.
The one being who can help him is also his gerel, the female destined to be his. She insists she doesn’t feel their connection. Qulpa is certain his beautiful mate is lying and nothing will stop him from finding out why.
Nayan knows the injured barbarian is her warrior, her one chance at a forever bond. His dominance makes her feel safe. His gentle touch inflames her passion. His kisses scorch her very soul. The tall muscular male tempts her as no one else has.
But she has a deadly secret. If it’s exposed, her injured male will lose more than his ability to fly. Both of them will die. She can’t take that risk, not for him, not for them, not for a lifespan filled with love.
* * *
Warlord Sky is a STANDALONE Alien Barbarian SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes violent universe.
Buy Now:
Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L2FQV4R/
Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07L2FQV4R/
Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B07L2FQV4R/
Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/warlord-sky/id1445375487
B&N:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/warlord-sky-cynthia-sax/1129963980
Kobo:
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/warlord-sky
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/910481
Topics: Throwback Thursday | Comments Off on Throwback Thursday – Warlord Sky
Throwback Thursday – Releasing Rage
Releasing Rage was the first cyborg romance I ever wrote.
I wrote it for myself. Two of my favorite cyborg romance writers were taking a break from their series at the same time. I was craving my cyborg romance hit, was bellyaching about it to the Dear Wonderful Hubby. He pointed out that I was a writer. I should write my own cyborg romances.
So I did.
When I finished Releasing Rage, I thought other cyborg romance reading buddies (I SEE you!) might enjoy it also.
Releasing Rage should be currently FREE everywhere.
If you enjoyed this story, I hope you will suggest other readers try it. The more cyborg romance readers we have, the more cyborg romances other writers will write. That’s a win for everyone!
Half Man. Half Machine. All Hers.
Rage, the Humanoid Alliance’s most primitive cyborg, has two goals—kill all of the humans on his battle station and escape to the Homeland. The warrior has seen the darkness in others and in himself. He believes that’s all he’s been programmed to experience.
Until he meets Joan.
Joan, the battle station’s first female engineer, has one goal—survive long enough to help the big sexy cyborg plotting to kill her. Rage might not trust her but he wants her. She sees the passion in his eyes, the caring in his battle-worn hands, the gruff emotion in his voice.
When Joan survives the unthinkable, Rage’s priorities are tested. Is there enough room in this cyborg’s heart for both love and revenge?
Read Now for FREE:
On Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Releasing-Rage-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B00ZOL1DRO
On Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00ZOL1DRO/
On Amazon AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/Releasing-Rage-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B00ZOL1DRO
On Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/releasing-rage/id1025933626
On B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/releasing-rage-cynthia-sax/1122455646
On Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/releasing-rage
Topics: Throwback Thursday | Comments Off on Throwback Thursday – Releasing Rage
Throwback Thursday – Dark Strength
I have a serious thing for Icy Bob in the TV show, Snowpiercer. (grins) He is definitely a beast hero and also has some wonderful Frankenstein’s Monster vibes. Icy Bob is big and scarred, has been through pain, has done some bad things in his past, and he would make a great Romance hero.
He reminds me a bit of Balvan, the giant green gatekeeper of the Refuge and the hero of Dark Strength. Balvan is fierce. He loves to crush enemy skulls under his big booted feet, enjoys the sounds that makes. But he is also gentle with more innocent beings. He rescues hurt small creatures and nurses them back to health.
It would take a strong female to love a male like that and Elyce is that female. She has been through trauma, is a survivor, and she would protect those she cares about with everything she has.
As a couple, they are magical.
Dark Strength
The Bigger They Are, The Harder They Fall.
Balvan, the Refuge’s Gatekeeper, is huge, green, and has a reputation for crushing skulls. He’s a modified humanoid, genetically designed to be the ultimate warrior. One of a kind and considered monstrous by many, he never expects to find his mate, the one female meant for him.
Elyce, snatched from her home half a solar cycle ago, has finally escaped her brutal captors. She arrives at the Refuge barely alive. Only a blood transfusion from the largest male she has ever seen will save her life. But it will also bind her to him forever. Staring up, up, up at him, she wonders why she wants to be free. His gentle touch revives yearnings she thought dead. His lips set her skin ablaze. His massive muscles make her feel safe.
That feeling could be an illusion. Elyce’s captors want their slave back and they won’t stop until they have her. To give his mate her freedom, Balvan might be forced to give up everything he has – his role as the Gatekeeper, Elyce’s love, and his life.
Dark Strength is a STANDALONE Alien SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes violent universe.
Buy Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Strength-Refuge-Book-3-ebook/dp/B078SYYWH5/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Strength-Refuge-Book-3-ebook/dp/B078SYYWH5/
Amazon AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/Dark-Strength-Refuge-Book-3-ebook/dp/B078SYYWH5/
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/dark-strength/id1332249866
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-strength-cynthia-sax/1127772582
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/dark-strength
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/775942
Topics: Throwback Thursday | Comments Off on Throwback Thursday – Dark Strength
Throwback Thursday – Dark Cure
Dark Cure is a bridge story between the Refuge (Dark Thoughts) series and the Chamele Barbarian Warlords series. It can be read on its own but it does straddle these two series.
Oghul, the hero, is a Chamele warrior. He is Khan’s second-in-command (Khan is the Warlord hero of Warlord’s Bounty) and he is Qulpa’s leader (Qulpa is the pilot hero in Warlord Sky).
Oghul’s brother, however, is stationed in the Refuge, the settlement Kralj (the hero of Dark Thoughts) rules. We first meet Oghul’s brother in Dark Thoughts.
Gisella, the medic heroine of Dark Cure, is also stationed in the Refuge and that is where this awesome power couple meets. She is dedicated to her role, doesn’t realize her one-night-stand with Oghul will have long lasting consequences. (grins)
A warrior seeking forever faces a medic living in the moment.
Gisella, the Refuge’s medic, is dedicated to her role. She doesn’t have the space in her lifespan for love, a mate, or children. Healing is her entire focus.
But she’s also a female in her prime. She has needs, wants, cravings…especially for a scarred, long-haired barbarian warrior temporarily residing in the settlement. One fierce, soul-blasting, passion-filled encounter is all she is willing to give him before she returns to her duties.
Oghul, a Chamele Warlord’s Second-In-Command, has waited his entire lifespan to find his gerel, the being fated to be his. He’s thrilled to discover she wants him as savagely as he yearns for her.
His little human medic appeals to his primitive possessive side. Greatly. He wants to stamp his ownership all over her bountiful curves, take her back to his home planet, claim his fiery female permanently.
When Carinae E’s solitary sun rises, two determined beings with very different desires find their lifespans entwined. Their battle for emotional supremacy will span systems and alter destinies.
The universe will never be the same.
Dark Cure is a STANDALONE SciFi Romance set in a gritty, dark world.
Buy Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HCTHN27
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07HCTHN27
Amazon AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B07HCTHN27
Apple Books : https://books.apple.com/us/book/dark-cure/id1436359104
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-cure-cynthia-sax/1129542129
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dark-cure
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/895634
Topics: Throwback Thursday | Comments Off on Throwback Thursday – Dark Cure
Throwback Thursday – Dark Thoughts
Valentine’s Day is on Sunday. I don’t know why but, when buddies ask me which of my stories they should read on Valentine’s Day, I always mention Dark Thoughts first.
Yes, Kralj, the enemy-eating, all powerful, all knowing ruler, is top of mind for this love it or hate it celebration. (laughs) I think it is because I associate red with Valentine’s Day and there is a LOT of red in this story. Blood is spilled. Crimson sprays are everywhere.
Kralj’s relationship with Dita, his tiny yet fierce human assassin, is so very special. They have their own views of romance (it often involves ending lifespans) and they are magical as a couple.
Can love redeem a monster?
The Refuge is home to some of the most violent beings in the universe. Kralj, its leader, reigns over the remote outpost with terrifying ease, ruthlessly squashing any rumors of rebellion, killing anyone who breaks his rules. Primitive, deadly, powerful, he’s a monster, scarred both on his face and his soul. He has never met a being he couldn’t control.
Until he meets her.
Dita has one mission—to kill the three targets claiming sanctuary within the Refuge. Or so she claims. For the first time in his long lifespan, Kralj isn’t certain of another being’s intentions. The tiny assassin is immune to his powers, her thoughts unreadable. He can’t predict her movements, can’t control her, can’t stop wanting her.
Dita is rare, as unique as he is, and, to keep the residents of the Refuge safe, Kralj will have to kill her. But first, he’ll touch her, taste her, show her how passionate the beast inside him can be.
Dark Thoughts is a STAND-ALONE SciFi Romance.
The hero might be tall, dark, and scarred but don’t be fooled by his appearance.
He’s truly a monster.
This story is not for readers with delicate sensibilities.
Read Now For FREE:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Thoughts-Refuge-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01MRAABGC/
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Thoughts-Refuge-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01MRAABGC/
Amazon AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/Dark-Thoughts-Refuge-Book-1-ebook/dp/B01MRAABGC/
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/dark-thoughts/id1200022597
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dark-thoughts-cynthia-sax/1125580992
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/dark-thoughts-3
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/699393
Topics: Throwback Thursday | Comments Off on Throwback Thursday – Dark Thoughts
Throwback Thursday – Chasing Mayhem
Mayhem is one of the wildest cyborgs I have ever ‘met’. He embraces chaos, loves to stir the pot. I think he and Truth would be great friends. They both have that same type of excitingly unstable energy around them.
In the cyborg retrieval team, in the Rebel Cyborgs series, the most similar warrior is Grudge. That cyborg LOVES to blow things up. Which is something I think Mayhem would appreciate.
Mayhem’s female, Imee, being a bounty hunter of sorts, would likely love Grudge’s unique skills also. She has trained herself to take down other beings. Sometimes that requires blowing things (and beings) up.
Mayhem and Imee are a fun couple. If you haven’t yet read Chasing Mayhem, I think you’ll really enjoy it.
Wild. Free. Hers.
Mayhem has spent his lengthy lifespan obeying the Humanoid Alliance’s rules. Finally free from their cruel control, the cyborg warrior plans to cause chaos. He infiltrates a remote settlement, provokes the savage locals until they want him dead, and allows himself to be captured by the sexiest little Retriever he has ever laid his mechanically-enhanced eyes on.
Imee’s sole mission in life is to keep her family alive. To do this, she must hunt rebels, returning them to the Humanoid Alliance’s evil clutches where they will be executed. She doesn’t allow herself to feel anything for her targets…until she meets a tall, muscular cyborg with wild hair and even wilder eyes.
With his sure hands, laughing lips and erotic holds, Mayhem makes Imee’s body sizzle and her resistance melt. Their love is doomed. She must deliver the warrior to his death or she’ll place her family’s safety at risk. But she can’t resist him.
Imee soon discovers that Mayhem, life, and love are never predictable.
Chasing Mayhem is Book 6 in the Cyborg Sizzle series and is a STANDALONE story.
It is also a BBW Cyborg SciFi Romance.
Buy Now:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Mayhem-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01IRPO9WY#nav-subnav
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chasing-Mayhem-Cyborg-Sizzle-Book-ebook/dp/B01IRPO9WY/
Amazon AUS: https://www.amazon.com.au/gp/product/B01IRPO9WY
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/chasing-mayhem/id1136333685
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/chasing-mayhem-cynthia-sax/1124139998
Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/chasing-mayhem
Topics: Throwback Thursday | Comments Off on Throwback Thursday – Chasing Mayhem
