Richard: An Unlikely Love Story by Michael W. Hickman starts with Richard and AAL's sudden appearance at Henry's privy chamber in the Atlantic Ocean. Richard, a fifteen-year-old boy from Ohio, was destined to be the next heir to a spanning galaxy kingdom. He was always assured of his future role whenever he visited the moon to gain more superpowers to equip him for his position as the next in line to be crowned. AAL was the artificial lifeform that always helped him whenever he went to visit his chamber. Upon their appearance, he felt so much pain and burning sensations in his butt, which made him uncomfortable. AAL reassured him that he would soon adjust to it and be fine, even though he assumed that would always be the case whenever he teleported.
Funny enough, Richard's privy chamber could freeze and pin anyone who got in without his prior permission. Hence, he did not need to worry about who entered his chamber while he was away or on Earth. However, he always missed Amber, a partner he loved and admired so dearly, whenever he left, and he wished he could talk to her at the slightest touch. Amber was like a fox, and she was from another planet. How did the two lovebirds cope with their love lives with all that was happening to Richard? Was Richard able to finally get used to his power and position? Grab a copy of Richard: An Unlikely Love Story by Michael W. Hickman, the second volume in the Richard series, to find out.
This book is extremely interesting! I enjoyed the roles of all the characters, but mostly those of Richard and the artificial life form named AAL. AAL truly helped the young boy, both in answering the most confusing questions he had and in helping him evolve most times into the races he was meant to be. AAL ensured everything was kept in place while he was away from Earth. For instance, when Richard was worried about missing the speech he was to make in the Senate, AAL assured him there was no reason to worry as he equipped the intelligent Henry to step in for him and act like him to avoid being recognized as the wrong person. How this book's characters developed and evolved interested me as they made the storylines more thrilling.
I also enjoyed the intimacy and friendship between Richard and his lover, Amber. They truly cared for and loved themselves. The effort of AAL and others to see that Richard was always rescued thrilled me. The only character I had an issue with was Senator Spartacus, who was intentionally against Richard and his throne, but hey, the antagonist makes the protagonist spectacular! Even though this book is the second in the series, it can be read as a standalone.
I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars for being exceptionally well-edited, with no trace of a grammatical blunder. I must appreciate the author for an incredible job well done in writing a well-engaging story with well-developed characters. The plot was well thought out, and the author's writing style made it easy to imagine the story. Honestly, this is the kind of science fiction that should be adapted into a movie. There was absolutely nothing I disliked about the book. I recommend this book to adult readers who enjoy mystical stories and thrilling stories of space travel with well-developed characters. I do not recommend it to younger readers because it contains a lot of profane words and light sexual content.
The story of Richard Drumm continues as he survives multiple attempts on his life, discovers another life-changing event, and meets death head-on. Richard and Amber’s new powers must remain a secret if they are to survive until the coronation, but with Senator Spartacus behind most of the evil happenings, survival is questionable. With all the help Richard gets, one must wonder if it is all that helpful!
The author, Michael Hickman continues the story right where it left off. The story arc continues smoothly and flawlessly. The coming of age of Richard and Amber is entertaining and well-written. Hickman continues to develop the characters with deeper depth and growth. Hickman allows the listeners to experience a few moments of Richard’s anger and revenge mode, but those are quickly shut down with reason. Hickman is also sharing a powerful message with his listeners – everyone deserves a chance regardless.
The narrator, Ron Allan Fouts delivers another fine performance. His expressive tones and clear speaking allow for the listener to follow the story. He keeps the story moving forward at a steady pace.
Overall, this is a book that is rich in imagery and human nature and the plot twists are well done.
There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook.
A waiting coronation as the long-lost, mighty king of the Milky Way, human youth Richard must dodge threats from deadly space enemies in Hickman’s sequel.
The title refers to a seemingly average teenager who carries the singular and irreproducible DNA of the spacegoing Plantagenet family, a humanoid alien dynasty who ruled and defended the many planets of the Milky Way galaxy more than 1,000 years ago. Back then, a usurper within the royal house murdered noble King Dolloff and his brethren before being assassinated himself. One survivor, the prince’s pregnant fiancee, found sanctuary on remote Earth—a “barbaric” place of dread and exile in galactic culture whose very existence is often doubted except as fearful folklore. Centuries later, in the present, Ohioan Richard is contacted by scattered supporters—including a resourceful and ever loyal Artificial Alien Life dubbed AAL, who enlightened the lad to his incredible bloodline. On the planet Krel, Richard was revealed as heir to the throne prematurely, and AAL had to place a duplicate with the lad’s oblivious family back in Ohio. The real Richard, in the galactic capital city before his coronation, must be a quick study in etiquette, diplomacy, policy, and virtual messiah-hood for billions of worshipful subjects. There are also enemies, such as the influential family of Sen. Spartacus, who want the youth killed to allow an elected democracy (in other words, Spartacus) to take control. Preparing novice Richard for his challenges includes granting superior abilities (such as teleportation) via accelerated evolution using the energy of a mystic black hole. However, these newfound superpowers are often beyond Richard’s control. Another unforeseen complication: the boy-king finding true love and passionate sex with Amber, a humanoid fox-creature from a planet called Beowulf, in a galactic culture that often marginalizes nonhuman creatures.
Hickman continues a multivolume saga that was launched with Richard: Distant Son (2022). Over the course of this novel, the author’s wide-ranging cosmology scrambles together elements of SF, high fantasy, and fairy tales; key alien species in the ensemble include such creatures as centaurs, satyrs, dragons, and winged horses. As noted above, readers should be prepared for xenosexual consensual relations as well as the fact that in addition to a healthy libido, Richard has an unusually active bladder for an SF adventurer; multiple scenes take place in his “privy” (a royal one, of course, that is guarded by a powerful AI). However, space-vulpine dating and mating tips and bathroom emergencies are only parts of the narrative, which never sits still. Amber’s single mother, Kit, happens to be a top reporter for the Galactic News Network, or GNN (not Fox News; the overall tone is not as satirical as that in a Terry Pratchett, Robert Asprin, or Jody Lynn Nye mock-epic). Assassination plots and lethal traps, grievous wounds, spaceship battles, heartache, tragedy, and miraculous resurrections comprise briskly paced episodes that alternate with scatological comedy, door-slamming farce, and demonstrations of Richard’s inherent kindness and nobility. The dialogue ranges from passably profound pronouncements to comic-book melodrama (“The beast let out an earth-shattering laugh. ‘Puny part-human, how dare you defy me’ ”).
A lively rumpus-room of mythology-tinged high-fantasy SF adventure.
