Title:
Max Sec – Tarot:
Nine of Wands

Author:
Brenna Lyons

Published By:
eXtasy Books

ISBN #:
1-55410-179-4

Release Date:
Available Now

Format:
Electronic

Alex Randall is a survivor of the psychic “academies” – institutions where psychics were imprisoned under the rubric of education before they received the same civil rights as other U.S. citizens. He is suffering from “post-academy” disorder, similar to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The story takes place 14 years later, when he and Ginny Reynolds finally meet again. Alex and Ginny share a past in the academies. When Alex arrives at her condo, he finds her in a room in the colors of the academy, with bars on the windows. Ginny reveals that she wants to help him overcome his PTSD by replacing his bad memories of the academy with good ones...

In my opinion, Lyons writes excellent short stories that are plotted tightly and yet are very emotionally evocative. This is one of them. This is a short story (42 pages) in Lyons’ Renegade series, which deals with a family of psychics in a near-future in which the Supreme Court has made a decision that psychics are to be accorded the same rights and privileges as other citizens. The conflict in the story erupts from the traumas of the years before the decision, when psychics were apparently treated like sub-humans. The characters of Alex and Ginny are realistically and sympathetically drawn. This is a very explicit, erotic story, including light bondage, submission, and a sort of voyeurism. In spite of being very hard-hitting, the author very capably resolves the storyline by the end.

Reviewed by: Jean