Space Games and A Battle of the Sexes

I have to admit I read more mystery novels than sci-fi/fantasy, but when it comes to movies and television, I watch an equal amount of each. As I read Space Games, I could easily see it made into a movie or series. It’s about a reality television show which is played out on a space station called ISS2.

In Chapter Two, one of the show’s producers, Zimmer, decides how he’ll pitch the show: ‘A virile young man. A Venus-like hellcat. The ultimate Battle of the Sexes in the cramped weightlessness of space. No rescue ship within forty-eight hours’ distance.’ What a great way to sum it up.

Space Games is fast paced and intriguing from page one. Tons of action. Multiple points-of-view, shifting smoothly between both of the contestants (Robin Miller and Joe O’Donnell), the station commander and referee (Vince), and one of the producers (Zimmer). Full of tension and aggression. Contestants fighting with each other before games even began. Seedy producers trying to make money off of other people. Greedy audience eager for things to go wrong.

Dean Lombardo does a great job with details, such as when the trainer explains to the contestants how to use the bathroom in the Space Station/outer space. Great, too, is when the trainer shows them the space station’s arena. He explains: ‘“Under the floor is a spinning superconductor called a gravitomagnetizer. It uses its own dedicated power source to produce a powerful gravitational field that grounds us and everything in the room. When I pull that lever over there, artificial gravity acts on all of the objects in this room, and there’s no longer any need to bolt the equipment down or strap yourself in, though we’re still required to.”’

The producer, Zimmer, watches the progress of his contestants from the safety of his office back on earth. He relishes in the antagonist behaviour that Robin shows toward her rival, Joe, because their fighting means publicity. What more could a producer ask for? When a magazine article reports on the ever-increasing fights between Robin and Joe, with the headline:

Has Reality TV Gone Too Far?
“Space Games” Takes Cutthroat
Competition Off the Planet

Zimmer lifts a glass to his business partner, Morty, and says, “I couldn’t have said it better.”

And just wait until the actual competition events begin! Space Games is a page-turner and great entertainment.

By the way, Space Games is on a free promo on Amazon right now. Check it out.

http://www.amazon.com/Space-Games-Dean-Lombardo-ebook/dp/B00DJIEUPG/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1387377306&sr=1-1&keywords=space+games