Title: Agamemnon Frost & the Hollow Ships

Series: Agamemnon Frost 02

Author: Kim Knox

Genre: Historical (1891), Science Fiction

Length: Short (78pgs)

Publisher: Carina Press (16^th September 2013)

Heat Level: Low

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥ 3½ – 4 Hearts

Reviewer: Pixie

Blurb: Edgar Mason is ready to embark upon his new life at Agamemnon Frost’s side. But all is not perfect. His Martian overlord, Pandarus, has implanted a dark voice in his mind, a voice that urges betrayal. And though Mason can keep close to Frost, there’s little room for romance under the watchful gaze of the engineers from Station X.

That changes when Mason and Frost reopen their investigation into their old enemy’s whereabouts. Posing as double agents and investigating cryptic rumors of “hollow ships,” they find him impersonating a London banker and worm their way into his confidence.

But their success brings them trouble in spades. Pandarus takes them into the belly of his ships, where he plans to transfigure them into mindless automata. And with Earth on the brink of invasion, Frost’s old flame Theodora reappearing and Pandarus’s brainwashing growing more effective, Mason and Frost will find their bond tested as never before.   

Purchase Link: http://ebooks.carinapress.com/9A51B220-9A94-4529-8120-81AF3346860F/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=%7B2245D9E8-C844-4B16-8318-99A3D5B37AE5%7D    

Review: This story is part of a series and must be read in order. Edgar Mason has no choice but to embark on a new life as Agamemnon’s partner and valet. It is a life he is coming to resent, and love, as it holds him close to the man he cannot touch. Agamemnon has a duty to uphold and although he wishes, things could be different. He has a responsibility that cannot be ignored. The two together must investigate the rumor of ‘hollow ships’ and finding Pandarus and discover that Theodora wasn’t lost like they thought. Mason and Frost will find their bond tested as they embark on their mission.

This is a great continuation of the historical, science fiction storyline where Martian’s are plotting the demise of Earth. Mason finds himself frustrated as his attraction to Agamemnon pulls and tears at him, in a society that doesn’t approve of males loving males and is endangered by the martians Mason knows he can’t act and that Agamemnon is bound by those same rules. When Agamemnon and Mason try to discover more about the ‘hollow ships’, they find themselves caught and narrowly escape destruction. The fate of the world rests on their shoulders and their relationship is still blurred.

Sometimes you come across a story where you don’t really know where the characters really stand and this is definitely one of those stories. With Mason and Agamemnon, not only does the time they live in work against them, but the work they now both do does as well. Mason is a wonderfully written character and you can see the fight he has with himself over his longing for Agamemnon. That longing seeps through the pages and it is bittersweet being so close to the one he adores but unable to act on it. Agamemnon is harder to get a real feel for in his feelings for Mason, sometimes it is as though he really wants Mason but at other times, it is like he is a blank slate. 

As the story progresses we see the mechanics of what the Martians are doing and we are given some wonderful descriptions of the bleakness, that mankind is heading for if they don’t stop the invasion. Pandarus is certainly a resourceful Martian, but he just can’t quite get a handle on Agamemnon, and his hold on Mason seems to be slipping further away. So we have the excitement of danger, explosions, and a brief trip to the future with the added twist of the discovery that Theodora is alive and the Martians are planning more than just an invasion to take over the world.             

I recommend this to those who love historical science fiction, great characters, a love being confined, hope, and wishes and an ending that makes it clear this story isn’t finished just yet. 

Title: Agamemnon Frost & the Crown of Towers    

Series: Agamemnon Frost 03

Author: Kim Knox     

Genre: Historical (1891), Science Fiction    

Length: Novella (102pgs)     

Publisher: Carina Press (14^th October 2013)     

Heat Level: Low – Moderate     

Heart Rating:  ♥♥♥♥ 3½ – 4 Hearts    

Reviewer: Pixie     

Blurb: Edgar Mason is losing Agamemnon Frost despite everything they’ve been through–the passion, the torture, the heat. Frost’s fiancée, Theodora, is back, and Mason can feel his lover gravitating toward her. Every day he sees them together, it tears at his heart.

Frost feels raw himself. His brother and sister-in-law are missing, and his guilt about failing to save Theodora from Pandarus eats at him. His feelings for Mason, whom he has put through hell twice already, just twist the screws tighter.

On top of that, Pandarus and the Martians are back to make their final push to Earth, and Frost and Mason are duty bound to fight them. People are vanishing. Bodies are turning up burned beyond recognition in the slums. The bleak, human-less future Frost and Mason saw in the hollow ships has nearly come to pass.

And in order to prevent it, each man will have to make a final choice: lose his lover or doom the world.     

Purchase Link: http://ebooks.carinapress.com/9A51B220-9A94-4529-8120-81AF3346860F/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=BF66B33E-0EB0-4C3C-8765-0B94630469B6   

Review: This story is part of a series and must be read in order. Edgar Mason can see plainly that he is losing Agamemnon to Theodora now that she is improving; gifts, kisses and dinners are what Agamemnon gives to Theodora and Mason stands at the sideline watching. Agamemnon is torn between his feelings for Mason and his duty and guilt. When his brother, Menelaus, disappears, his guilt doubles and he is determined not to let Theodora fall back into Pandarus’ hands again. The Martian’s are getting ready for their final push on Earth and Mason and Agamemnon have to discover just where the ‘Crown of Towers’ is by following random clues. Mason and Agamemnon must make a final sacrifice if they are going to save the world.

This is the conclusion of the Agamemnon Frost series and it definitely finishes with a bang. Mason and Agamemnon have had to revert back to master and servant. Agamemnon has to fulfill a duty that was arranged when he was very young and Mason knows that Agamemnon always does his duty. When Agamemnon’s brother goes missing, they both know something is wrong, but the Pandarus’ plans for them fail when they don’t act as planned and they have to face their biggest challenge yet when the Martian’s plans move forward.

Well, we left Mason and Agamemnon at the end of ‘The hollow Ships’ with Theodora being placed in Agamemnon’s care, now with Theodora improving Mason is left in emotional agony watching as Agamemnon seems to woe his fiancée. Agamemnon and Mason have to jump back on the case of the invading Martian’s with very little to go on. Their relationship is in limbo with no way forward, but with the threat lurking and Mason unsure if Pandarus can still influence him they are stuck together longing for something that may never be realized.

I have really enjoyed this trilogy of historical sci-fi, of a difficult relationship that never quite got off the ground and a secret agency trying to save Earth. We finally see some happiness for both Agamemnon and Mason but it isn’t without its losses. We are taken on an adventurous journey as we finally come to the conclusion of the Martian invasion. It is an incredible descriptive final where rescue comes just in time. We are drawn into the turmoil that Mason feels as he watches from the sideline, we understand his sacrifice and we applaud his courage.  

I recommend this to those who love historical science fiction, a race against time, miraculous rescues and a love that won’t give up.