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    Hope, Tears, Steam, Gears
    Hope, Tears, Steam, Gears
    Hope, Tears, Steam, Gears
    Ebook45 pages37 minutes

    Hope, Tears, Steam, Gears

    By Gregory L. Norris

    3/5

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    About this ebook

    At the request of the Earl of Kensington, Donovan Tisdale attends a mind-expanding presentation by Richard Sandominus Flynn, the Minster of Steam-based Sciences. Flynn reveals the next step in steam-based power—flights to the moon and far beyond conducted by mechanical men.

    The attraction between Donovan and Flynn ignites from the moment they meet and follows them through the dangerous political climate of Her Majesty's jeweled city as dark powers seek to dismantle the clean-based power poised to send humanity to the stars.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNineStar Press, LLC
    Release dateApr 1, 2019
    ISBN9781950412150
    Hope, Tears, Steam, Gears

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    Reviews for Hope, Tears, Steam, Gears

    3/5

    3 ratings1 review

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    • 3/5
      The short blurb bit: This is a steampunk-feeling short story with a M/M love interest. It’s a short piece of prose that is very well written. Norris’ writing is fluid and poetic.

      The descriptive bit: When Donovan Tisdale goes to a presentation about trips to the moon and mechanical humans, he finds himself instantly drawn the presenter. Richard Sandominus Flynn, Minister of Steam-based Research and Technology catches Donovan’s eye across the room and there are sparks. They arrange to meet and Flynn offers Donovan a life-changing mission. Then things go awry. Donovan is kidnapped and suddenly finds himself in mortal danger.

      My thoughts bit: This was far too short! My sense is that Norris is absolutely capable of the world-building it would take to make Hope, Tears, Steam, Gears into a novel. Norris packs this small piece of writing with a sense of intrigue, desire, and fear.

      "AROUND US, THE city steamed. The gears of the city’s giant clocks turned, their hands tolling the seconds and minutes of a long, moonless night. Most of my fellow Londoners slumbered, oblivious to the murder about to be committed. Mine." - a gorgeous excerpt from "Hope, Tears, Steam, Gears"

      SPOILER: The connection between Donovan and Flynn happens quickly and the progression is a bit quick, but it’s a short story. The description of the clockwork version of Flynn was beautiful. Again, I would love to read more from Norris on this story. I feel like there was a lot that was left unsaid.

      The warnings bit: violence, attempted sexual assault, homophobia

    Book preview

    Hope, Tears, Steam, Gears - Gregory L. Norris

    A NineStar Press Publication

    www.ninestarpress.com

    Hope, Tears, Steam, Gears

    ISBN: 978-1-950412-15-0

    Copyright © 2018 by Gregory L. Norris

    Cover Art by Natasha Snow Copyright © 2018

    Published in April, 2019 by NineStar Press, New Mexico, USA.

    This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact NineStar Press at Contact@ninestarpress.com.

    Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content, which may only be suitable for mature readers, and a depiction of attempted rape.

    Hope, Tears, Steam, Gears

    Gregory L. Norris

    Table of Contents

    Hope, Tears, Steam. Gears

    About the Author

    I FELL IN love with him on that lost afternoon, a day that now seems part of another life and time. At the Earl of Kensington’s request, I headed to the planetarium to hear Richard Sandominus Flynn deliver a lecture to a full house of eager learners and free thinkers. Most of those assembled were students from university, steam workers, and members of Parliament. As the earl’s ward—a punishment for past petty crimes more than a chance at redemption, I was convinced—I sensed I didn’t belong and planned an early escape. Perhaps to the botanical gardens. I always loved it there.

    But soon the lights dimmed, and I settled against the faded red velvet seat, and my life forever changed. Overhead, stunning images washed over the smooth curves of the mother-of-pearl ceiling. The moon was first, its familiar cratered face easy to recognize. Only I had never seen the Earth’s nearest neighbor presented in such detail. Other celestial bodies followed. One, rust-red with what I assumed were polar ice caps, could only be the planet named for the god of war. A comet, in stunning clarity. The planet Jupiter. A constellation of stars.

    What you are seeing, said a man’s commanding voice that drew my eyes reluctantly down from the heavens and to the lectern on the small stage, are photographic images of the universe that surrounds us.

    Equally as breathtaking as the voluptuously full moon above him was the man. Tall, with dark hair and a trim beard, his face was the handsomest I’d ever beheld. His gentleman’s shirt, coat, and trousers, even his boots, fit him in a manner that suggested his clothes loved his body. I understood their ardor. Choking down a heavy swallow, I realized my mouth had gone completely dry.

    Permit me to introduce myself, the man continued, and how his voice matched the rest of his presentation in its majesty. "I am Richard Sandominus Flynn, Minister of Steam-based Research and Technology. The visual stills you are seeing are courtesy of Her Majesty’s Galactyscaphe, Britannia 2, a steam-powered platform presently in orbit

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