A Brother's Price

The founding premise of the book, what would a society dominated by woman be like? Is hardly new in speculative fiction. However Spencer built a convincing and believable alterative world based on the "simple fact" of an imbalance in female and male births numbers. The females outnumber the males by a factor of ten or twenty and the rest of the book is a logical continuation of that basis premise. Including incest, male brothels, venereal diseases, buying and trading brothers for husbands and kidnappings by the sisters who can't afford to pay a brothers price for a husband of their own The world in "A Brother's Price" is a fascinating mix of the American west ca 1860 and regency England, with steamboats, six-shooters theaters and ballrooms. Also it is far from a paradise or utopia as the basic human nature of hate, greed, hope and love is unchanged and it is those emotions that fuel the actions of the books characters and make them believable and their actions convincing and understandable.

Jerin is nearly sixteen, and soon his sisters will sell him off to other women as a husband so they, too, can buy a husband. But while his slightly older sisters neglect their duty, he helps his younger sisters save an injured princess. The story starts there, and never stops moving forward. Jerin has been raised unconventionally for his world. He reads, writes, and knows self-defense as well as tactics and strategy. His kind heart and bravery stand him in good stead as he faces moral and physical danger, and overcomes it. Other reviews have focused on the astonishing world-building Wen Spencer did for A Brother's Price, and then get caught up in the political and moral implications of the world, rather than seeing the story as a very fun tale with a resourceful young hero. Because they disagree with the politics of the story, they have marked the tale lower. It seems to me that this story was written as a reaction to some of the "feminist utopia" fiction that was written in the 1970s and 1980s. It's not so much a "nurture determines all" world as it is a world where everyone is human, with human ambitions, frailties, and gifts. Although the prose isn't as jewel-like as the Ukiah Oregon books, I still intend to keep this book, and re-read it many times. The story is a rollicking adventure story with a plucky young thing, determined to protect both his new family and his birth family.

Wen Spencer, the innovative author of Tinker and the Alien Taste series, has once again rung changes on the historical bodice ripper plot of the family daughter sold to enhance the family fortune. In this case, the female roles are reversed, with men being the protected and virginal ones, and the women serving as soldiers, butchers, bakers, candlestick makers and rulers. Spencer is so matter-of-fact with the milieu that we are left with questions only after the story is over. Why is the ratio of women to men so skewed? How did these women create a society like this, with approximately early 19th century tech? Wen's writing is so good that you don't really start asking those questions while you are reading the book. Like time bombs they only occur to you afterward. Wen invokes a nearly indestructible willing suspension of disbelief, and does it so easily that it is hardly noticeable. I'm looking forward to a sequel. Please let there be a sequel. Walt Boyes, the Bananaslug. at Baen's Bar

I thought this an original and thoughtful novel. The concept of a female dominated society with a shortage of males was intriguing to me, because of the realism. Many people (both female and male) have voiced the opinion that if only women were in charge of the world, the world would be a far better place. Obviously the author of this book, doesn't buy that concept. The world portrayed in this novel is as screwed up as any male dominated society in our own history. What with brothers being sold to multiple wives or worse being sold to a slave brothel (called a crib in this book). With many novels I tend to imagine myself in the settings that are portrayed, NOT WITH THIS ONE. I'm a guy, living in that world sounds like a d**n scary thing to do. I enjoyed the book, but wouldn't want to live there. I hope that this is the first of a series. I would really like the author to explore the relationships between countries and the impact that the female/male ratio has on those political relationships. The technological level portrayed in the books seems to be a mix of American West (Post Civil War) and the Civil War period. The author seems to present the fabled fast draw skill of the American West as being a necessary skill of her Queensland soldier in the novel. It might be that in her envisioned world, more emphasis is placed on the warrior attribute (the lone fighter), than the idea of organized and disciplined soldiers. As I said earlier, I hope there are more explorations into this world.

Imagine a world where women have trouble giving birth to mal children because of an extremely high rate of still births and miscarriages. Women rule the world, run the factories and farms, and keep the males hidden to protect them from desperate females who are husband thieves. Men are considered property with no rights whatsoever. They are sold to wives of their family's choosing. Jerin Whistler is luckier than most because his family loves him and want to make a match for him that will make him happy. That chance comes when he helps rescue a female on his property who had been attacked. It turns out she is a royal princess and her sister Ren comes to find her. Ren falls in love with the handsome Jerin who shares her feelings. Because they have royal blood flowing through their veins Jerin is considered eligible to be the prince consort. When they get to the capital, all Ren's sisters agree to the match but there is a plot to overthrow the crown and Jerin is caught in the crosshairs. When it comes to fresh, innovative storytelling, almost nobody is better than Wen Spencer. In a world where men are cosseted and hidden away because they are so rare, the hero accepts his lot in life as the norm since that is how it has always been. Feminists are going to take this book as their symbol because the author proves women can do what are traditional male roles in our world. Once the audience starts this novel, they will find it absolutely impossible to put down. Harriet Klausner