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On the planet Felida, where cat-like humans dwell, marriage is, shall we say, liberal. It’s also biblical, like back when kings were allowed to possess as many concubines as they wished in addition to a wife. What’s more, grown men can choose a wife who isn’t even out of infancy—though, of course, they wait until she’s of child-bearing age before consummating the marriage. Andrew Malcolm McAllister, a.k.a. Sinbad sh’en Singh, finds himself having to face both possibilities in his latest adventure.
Amir-Kasdan sh’en Singh (Kas) has fallen in love with his cousin Sinbad’s daughter, N’Sagar. The only problem is N’Sagar is only six months old. Sinbad’s human wife, Andrea Talltrees, thinks that Kas is a pervert—but only because she doesn’t understand Felida customs.
Meanwhile, Sinbad is required to take a concubine to join his house with a powerful ally. Andrea is definitely not happy about that, but she has no say in the matter.
When Sinbad decides to return to smuggling, he suddenly finds himself facing hostile enemies, allies, and concubines, while trying to hold his “den” together.
Author Toni V. Sweeney doesn’t play by the rules when she writes. It gives her novels an edge that can make you cringe at times—especially when it comes to Sinbad having sex with his fifteen-year-old concubine. But this is a different culture, where that kind of behavior is accepted, so it works within the plot.
Sinbad is somewhat egotistical as a man/cat, but he can also be gentle, which softens his character. Though he’s the ruler of his house, and Andrea doesn’t have much say in how things are run (which always rankles me), he’s never cruel with his power. This makes him likable—even though, at times, you might find yourself not liking him at all.
No matter how you might feel about the characters, though, there’s never a dull moment in Sinbad’s Pride. As soon as you get over the shock of one plot point, another one will hit you between the eyes. So if you’re looking for something different, give Sinbad’s Pride a try, and you might find yourself wanting to go back and read the first two novels in the adventures of Sinbad.
