I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Alien Separation
by
Gini Koch
It is part of the Katherine "Kitty" Katt #11 series and is a romance, science fiction in eBook edition that was published by DAW Books on May 5, 2015 and has 544 pages.
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Other books in this series include [books_series]
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Touched by an Alien, Alien Tango, Alien in the Family, Alien Proliferation, Alien Diplomacy, Alien vs. Alien, Alien in the House, Alien Research, Alien Collective, Universal Alien, Alien in Chief, Alien Nation, Camp Alien, Alien Education, Aliens Abroad
Eleventh in the Katherine “Kitty” Katt science fiction romance series and revolving around Kitty Katt-Martini, the fully human ambassador to the United States for the Alpha-Centaurions. And all-around kickass heroine.
My Take
Alien Separation was fun, silly, and far-fetched: a combination of cartoon planet and its inhabitants along with the A-C superpeople. Yep, I mean it in every sense of the word, lol. The core cast were beamed up and out from one planet to another, and the destination planet and its flora and fauna were pretty outrageous. As were the events that took place there.
It’s signature Kitty with riffs and rips, but with minimum music. Adding the Gods touch was fun. I also enjoyed Koch’s choice of who were the true dominant species on Beta Eight. Too funny. The Matriarchs certainly thought Kitty was funny, lol.
There are chase scenes, coups, betrayals, near escapes, space battles on flying bugs with space-going sea monsters, and sentient penguins, but we never do find out about the waterfruit. I did find the “switching sides” routine too easy, but it was in keeping with the comics quality of Alien Separation.
Oh, lordy, I did love Matt’s comment about he and Chip wanting to “share that we want to be their best friends”, lol.
It’s certainly a fun way to get a message across about non-interference.
“I say that the people who live on the planet get to keep it, because it’s theirs, and they were really here first.”
It’s full of crazy surprises and outlandish action.
The Story
Just when Kitty and Jeff think they’re safe, they’re beamed out from Earth into another solar system along with Jamie, Charles, Paul, Christopher, Airborne, the Dazzlers, and more.
Not knowing if this is the action of the Mastermind or someone else — and worse, landing in scattered groups on various areas of Beta Eight in the Alpha Centauri system means getting the team back together will be a major issue. But it’s only one of the challenges they’ll face.
They’ll have to forge alliances with the different sentient natives, stop a civil war, overthrow the king, protect outcasts, and take mind reading lessons.
The Characters
Katherine “Kitty” Katt-Martini, a.k.a., Megalomaniac Girl, is still the ambassador for the A-Cs and a Doctor Doolittle with some A-C powers due to their daughter’s gestation period. Jeff Martini, an empathic A-C, is currently the vice-president of the United States. Jamie-Kat is their enhanced daughter. ACE is our universe’s superconsciousness; he resides in Jamie’s head.
Charles “Chuckie” Reynolds lost his A-C wife, Naomi Gower (the Mother of the Gods), to Goodman’s machinations. She’s now a superconsciousness out in the multiverse. Kitty’s parents are Angela and Sol Katt. Angela heads up the Presidential Terrorism Control Unit (PTCU).
Christopher White is Jeff’s cousin and married to Amy Gaultier-White. Richard White is Christopher’s father, Kitty’s partner in the field, and the former Pontifex. Paul Gower is the A-C’s Supreme Pontifex, their most important religious leader. He’s married to Commander James Reader, one of Kitty’s best friends (a former model) and the head of Field operations for Alpha Team. Abigail Gower is Paul’s sister. Alfred and Lucinda are Jeff’s parents.
Malcolm Buchanan has skills James Bond would envy. Walter Ward runs Embassy Security; his brother, William, is head of security at the Dulce Science Center. Melissa is an A-C based in Australia. Benjamin Siler, a.k.a., Nightcrawler, is a French A-C with hyperspeed and chameleon abilities who came into the story in Alien Collective, 9, and is an assassin working with “Uncles” Peter “the Dingo” and Vic Kasperoff. Evalyne is the head of Kitty’s Secret Service detail. Sam Travis is the traitorous Secret Service agent. Kyle Constantine and Len Parker could have gone into pro football, but chose to become Kitty’s CIA bodyguards. Princesses Rahmi and Rhee are warriors from Beta Twelve in the Alpha Centauri system who were sent to Earth by their mother, Queen Renata.
Pierre is the concierge majordomo for the embassy. Rajnish Singh is the Embassy Public Relations Minister and a troubadour. Kevin Lewis is the defense attaché — he’s also Angela’s right-hand man in the PTCU. Denise is his wife, and she’s in charge of the A-C daycare, which their children — Raymond and Rachel also use. Doreen Coleman-Weisman is the only trained diplomat and the child of A-C traitors. Dr. Tito Hernandez is the embassy doctor and former cage fighter.
Airborne is…
…A-C Defense and headed up by Tim Crawford. Lorraine, one of the Dazzlers, is married to Joe Billings. Their son, Ross, is a hybrid. Claudia, another Dazzler, is married to Randy Muir, and their son, Sean, is also a hybrid. Serene Dwyer, an imageer (and troubadour) and head of Imageering, is married to Brian Dwyer, an astronaut. Patrick is their hybrid son. Matt Hughes, Chip Walker, and Jerry Tucker are the rest of the team.
Friends and allies include…
…Hacker International, a small group of really smart hackers who knew Kitty way back when. Chernobog is with them now. Olga and Adriana, Olga’s granddaughter, are with the Romanian Embassy. Mr. Joel Oliver is a reporter who has become the go-to guy for other reporters. Bruce Jenkins is another reporter who became friendly.
The pets are…
…a combination of those from Kitty’s childhood home, the peregrines sent as a gift by King Alexander of Alpha-Centauri, and the Poofs. Dudley the Great Dane, Duke the Labrador, Dottie is the dalmatian, Duchess is the pit bull, and the cats Sugarfoot, Candy, and Kane are the pets from Kitty’s childhood.
The twelve mated-pairs of peregrines are bred to protect A-C royals while the Poofs seem to be sweet, cuddly puffballs. Who go way large and in charge with scary teeth who eat anything. Bruno is one of the peregrines who protect Kitty. The Poofs are actually Black Hole Universe animals brought by Algar. Harlie is Jeff’s Poof while Poofikins is Kitty’s. Fluffy is Chuck’s Poof. Tenley is Queen Victoria’s Poof. Mous-Mous is Jamie’s Poof.
Planet Beta Eight is…
…the VERY colorful planet where our beamed-up friends end up. Reaching the top of the All-Seeing Mountain, the absolute center of the planet and where all the color swirls meet, is a religious experience for the inhabitants of Beta Eight. It also contains the All-Seeing Eye. Seems our core cast are considered gods there: Kitty is Shealla, Queen of the Gods gives out names; Jeff is Leoalla, her mate and King of the Gods; Chuckie is Alcalla, the God of Wisdom; Binalla is Christopher; Lorraine, Claudia, and Serene are the Muses of Knowledge; the Venida are special Gods of Benny’s clan, a.k.a., Rahmi and Rhee; and, the Nihalani are Jerry, Chip, Randy, Matt, and Tim.
Zenoca is the evil god, LaRue Demorte, who travels with the glittering Jewel, a Z’porrah power cube.
The Purple Land is…
…where the katyhoppers live — giant flying bugs with psychic powers. Kitty names the three who rescue them Pinky, Saffron, and Turkey. Matriarchs are the oldest katyhoppers and the wisest. Boz is one of the Matriarchs.
The Bronze Land are…
…deserts to which one group of Leanora, the outcasts, have been forced. They are humanoid mutelidae, rodent-like creatures, who appear to rule on Beta Eight, and who are spread out into different lands. These outcasts are led by King Benny, Clan Leader of Musgraff. Nanda, Skunky, Grover, Brown, and some others are Benny’s advisors. Patrina is the little girl who gets scared…and lost along with Pretty Girl. Ginger is the catapult cat, an oceller, whose breed is used as a weapon. Wilbur is the chocho (pig-dog) Kitty names.
The strautruch are…
…the Winalla: flying warriors of the Gods, giant birds who fly our flyboys around. Kitty, naturally, names them Big Birds as a group and Tyler, Perry, Whitford, Hamilton, and Kramer as individuals.
The Green Land (or Greenland) is…
…where King Ronaldo al Dejahl 2.0‘s clone is ruling Beta Eight. Usha is an Ancient spying for the Z’porrah; Clea was the trap. Clarence Valentino 2.0 is in place as LaRue’s spy. The flying snakipedes, a.k.a., the Horrors, are native to the planet.
Iceland, a.k.a.,…
…Haven, is where we meet Corzine, the leader of the people in this land. Fancy’s Ferrets are her warriors. Karason is an Under-Clan Leader. Zanell was Corzine’s boyfriend and leads the Black Wolverines.
The spaceships include…
…Alpha Four battle cruisers and other ships belonging to the Reptilian Birds of Prey, Major Doggies Paws, and Cat People Heads who represent the Imperial Monarchists while the enemy is the Resistance, the Planet’s Rights Faction. Bettini is a ship’s captain.
The Penguin people are…
…from Alpha Seven and call themselves Shantanu. They’re humanitarians and allies of the Imperial Monarchists — Alpha Centauri. Rohini is their leader. Their races include the Cthulhu and Cleophese, various underwater species.
The enemies, the…
…Planet’s Rights Faction is led by two of the larger planets: Alpha Five with Haliya in command and Alpha Six commanded by Misorek. Uma?, Lenore? is the leader of the Resistance and kidnapped Queen Renata, as well as Jareen’s Neeraj, Wrolph, Wahoa, Willem, and Felicia and Arup.
The Thanagarians / Rapacians are …
…hawk people from Beta Sixteen and allied with the Planet’s Rights Faction. Otari is the leader of their forces; Kares is his second-in-command. They use a Mind Melder to connect. Sergeant at Arms Lakin and Otari are in command of two of the ships while the vicious Trevik commands the other one.
The Z’porrah are…
…the ultimate enemy (they look like dino-birds) and hate all the Ancients and anyone with Ancient DNA. In other words, everyone not them. K’tano, Ast’ria, and Riol are on the command ship.
Back on Earth
Former Senator Vincent Armstrong is the president of the United States. Gov. Gideon Cleary had been their opponent during the presidential race in Alien Collective, running with a man whom he knew had been cloned. Stephanie Valentino is Jeff and Christopher’s niece. And a traitor to the A-Cs.
Cliff Goodman, the man Chuck had thought was his best friend, is the Mastermind, the most evil man in the world.
A-Cs are Alpha-Centaurions exiled to Earth for their religious beliefs. Troubadours can influence people into doing things and they can lie. Imageers can change images. Empaths can tell what someone is feeling and thinking, to an extent. King Alexander rules Alpha Centauri; Councilor Leonidas is his advisor. Algar is a powerful Black Hole Universe “elf” being pursued for destroying an entire solar system; he’s also the Father of the Gods.
Beta Twelve women are Amazonian shapeshifters, Free Women, with Ancient DNA. Other Me was the other universe Kitty from Universal Alien, 10. Bosthoon are the oxen of Beta Eight and look like brontosauri.
The Ancients are probably our creators.
The Cover and Title
The cover is of the weird and colorful world of Beta Eight with an armed Kitty striding forth, her Poof on her shoulder, her hair flying in the breeze with her shoulder bag crossing her body. The background is of a dazzling blue and orange sky and the All-Seeing Mountain with one of its many winding paths lit up.
The title is what happens to those who get beamed up and out, an Alien Separation from all they know and love.
