Category: My Likes and Dislikes

The tipping points between buying and not buying!

Posted in My Likes and Dislikes

The Collateral Part 1

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Please remember that this story is set in a dystopian future where the illegal immigration problem was solved by reducing people to slavery. Is it dark? Yes, Is it against our current laws? Yes. Could it happen? One last time, I feel compelled to answer “Yes.” – Reluctant Retiree

“It’s just a formality.”: An Intense MM Dystopian Saga

This isn’t supposed to happen to guys like me. I’m not a criminal or an illegal alien. I’m a middle-class boy from a good family.

But my dad’s business hit a rough patch, and he needed a loan to save it. And he only had one asset left that the bank would accept as collateral.

Me.

Dad said that it wouldn’t be so bad. That it would only be for a few years, and I’d be a free man again as soon as he paid off the loan. He made it sound like I’d be waiting tables or mowing lawns. Hard work that would “build character,” he told me.

But Dad hadn’t thought about how things would change once I was in the collar.Or what other uses the bank might find for a blond eighteen-year-old slave.

Note: This is the start of an intense dystopian MM saga. While the series ends in an HEA, the first few books are a descent into the shadows. Expect high angst, psychological intensity, and a hero pushed to his limits.

The Reviews!

The Collateral — Part 1: “It’s just a formality.”: An Intense MM Dystopian Saga by Josh Hunter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a great start to the series!

Let me recap what we have learned about our main characters:
1. Dominic (the father) is a restaurant owner who has no idea how to change with the times. When the town was booming, he built a successful restaurant business. However, when things in the town went downhill, he either had no idea how to keep his business afloat, or was unwilling to make the necessary changes.
2. Doug (the older brother) apparently has been a bully all his life. Unfortunately as he has endeared himself to his father, he can do no wrong in his father’s eyes. Doug is the one who convinced his father to talk Wes into becoming a slave so Dominic can use Wes as collateral for a loan. Dominic apparently hasn’t researched anything about owning a slave but you can be sure that Doug has.
3. Wes (main character) is within mere weeks of turning 18 and becoming a citizen. Unfortunately the only way his father can get a loan to save the family restaurant is for Wes to be enslaved and used as collateral for the loan. Wes loves his little sister and doesn’t want to see her homeless. So he naively believes his father’s promises.

View all my reviews 
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars 
A great dystopian novel
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2025
Verified Purchase
The Collateral is a great dystopian novel masquerading as an mm dark romance/erotica. Set in an ordinary California town in a future not so far away (and startlingly realistic) where slavery is back as a way of solving the problem of rounding up undocumented workers en masse, it chronicles the slow and steady degradation of Wes, an ordinary middle-class blond, blue-eyed teenager who agrees to allow himself be enslaved for four years to solve his father’s money problems, as a way of getting his father to love him. He is so naïve, so innocent.
In the first volume, the outline of his likely future is laid out in some telling short episodes: as a slave, he is simply regarded as a sexual object. The power of the enslaver to abuse slaves sexually, to make them the object of sexual violence and humiliation, is at the heart of slavery (shades of Toni Morrison and any other number of Black theorists) in Hunter’s analysis: this is where the genre of gay erotica and dystopian novel overlap. Most of his father’s promises to him are quickly broken within the first few hours of his enslavement: this first installment only covers a few hours, with some backstory. It only gets worse. This series really got me by the throat, in part because it uses the violence that is now being made visible in our politics and takes it one step further. Is this our future?
Posted in My Likes and Dislikes

Crystal Singer: A Novel (Crystal Singer Trilogy Book 1)

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

“No dragons, but [Crystal Singer] has all of [Anne] McCaffrey’s gifts for world-building and characterization . . . an excellent book.”—Chicago Sun-Times

Her name was Killashandra Ree; and after ten grueling years of musical training she was young, beautiful—and still without prospects. 

Then she heard of the mysterious Heptite Guild on the planet Ballybran, where the fabled Black Crystal was found.

For those qualified, the Guild was said to provide careers, security, and the chance for wealth beyond imagining. The problem was, few people who landed on Ballybran ever left.

To Killashandra the risks were acceptable . . .

The Reviews

Paige Turner
5.0 out of 5 stars 
Engaging Sci Fi- Sheer Joy
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2009
Verified Purchase
I absolutely love this book. I'm already a fan of Anne McCaffrey from her Pern series, but I think this trilogy is even better. My favorite of the trilogy is this book, the first of the series. In this book we learn what the Crystal Singers are as Killashandra, the lead (female) character enters the Guild after failing to become a musician. This is sci-fi at it's best - fast-paced, interesting, fanciful, future-looking, and most important, it contemplates real issues. In the midst of an engaging story that is easy to escape in, the author challenges us to think about real dilemmas. For example, a side effect of "singing crystal" is extraordinary longevity and loss of memory. I found myself thinking, "do events still exist if we can't remember them?" and "how will our lives be affected if we have extraordinary longevity but our friends and family do not?"

I read this book as a teenage boy 2 decades ago, and just re-read it last week. I find that good works of fiction affect me in different ways at different stages of my life, and Crystal Singer was no exception.

As an adult, I understand Killashandra's challenges, and understand her relationships more fully than I did as a teenager. As a teenager, I was "along with her," discovering Crystal Singing for the first time. Her entry into the Heptite Guild had many parallels with my entry into West Point. For example, the Guild appears to discourage new recruits from joining, but this is actually a subtle psychological technique to recruit a certain type of individual. (West Point does the same thing) This made the story, despite the futuristic setting, more realistic.

Anne McCaffrey develops the character of Killashandra in a brutally honest way - we love her and also see her making mistakes. This is engaging Science Fiction - I think McCaffrey doesn't get enough critical acclaim - she's considered "pulp" sci fi by many but in my opinion she's right up there with Isacc Asimov and Harlan Ellison. She's not in the same league as Frank Herbert, but no one is.
Cheryl Stout
5.0 out of 5 stars 
Great first book in Crystal Singer trilogy
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2023
Verified Purchase
I loved this book when I first read it years ago and I loved it just as much this time around. I went through quite a McCaffrey stage when I was younger, reading all her dragon books, and then I happened across Crystal Singer and I was so glad I did.

Killashandra Ree trained for ten years to be a top-ranked concert singer on the planet Fuerte and then wasn't accepted because of a minor burr in her voice. Her perfect pitch and eidetic memory didn't help her there. But then she hears about the Heptite Guild of the planet Ballybran, and despite many warnings, she is intrigued by what she hears about Crystal Singers on that planet.

This first book in the trilogy takes Killashandra to Ballybran, through many adventures and leaves me ready to re-read the second book in the trilogy right away Killashandra.
Posted in My Likes and Dislikes

My Apologies to Everyone

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

I want to apologize to everyone. Some people wanted to comment on a post on my blog, but couldn’t find the comment section. I wondered why some posts received many comments, but others received none. It wasn’t until an author of a recent book reached out to me that I became aware of the problem.

I searched first for the post about his book, then others. Time and time again, there was no way to add a comment! Even on posts where I had received notifications that someone had commented, there was no sign.

Finally, I found the problem. The comments I had received were from people who read the post on the WordPress Reader. I hadn’t thought about that before. Anyone who read the post on Facebook or Instagram had no way to comment. That’s just not right!

After a search of the settings and customization sections, I found the solution. A quick change of the footer design, and now everyone can comment!

Again, my sincere apologies. I hope you will revisit your favorite posts and leave me a comment. I promise to reply to each one!

Posted in My Likes and Dislikes

The Hobbit: Or There and Back Again

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

This beautiful gift edition of The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic prelude to his Lord of the Rings trilogy, features cover art, illustrations, and watercolor paintings by the artist Alan Lee. 

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum. 

Written for J.R.R. Tolkien’s own children, The Hobbit has sold many millions of copies worldwide and established itself as a modern classic.

Posted in My Likes and Dislikes

Plan Your Hurricane Strategy Now!

Posted on by Reluctant Retiree

Somehow folks, we’ve made it to the end of last year’s hurricane season. Your experiences will have varied. One thing I can tell you is that one of two things happened. Either you were prepared for the storms, or you weren’t! So why don’t you start planning now for this year?

Planning & Budgeting

For many families, the Christmas holidays is when they start planning for next year. Friends of ours would take time during the holidays to actually sit down and write out the new year’s budget. Others formalize in writing their desires for vacations. Other major events may be happening in your families’ life.

So why not take the time to plan for possible hurricanes affecting your area? As the people in the Carolina’s can attest, it isn’t just the hurricane stage that you have to worry about. Tropical storms can cause just as much havoc, and not just along the coast!

Let me give you a personal example. The links are included to give you an idea of the countryside and the waterways I’m describing.

The featured photo is from Tropical Storm Agnes in June 1972. That diner is in Pottstown, PA, which is located a 2-hour drive from the New Jersey coast! Dempsey’s was located just 2 blocks from my dad’s place of employment. We’d never had flooding like this before! Pottstown is located alongside a tributary of the Schuylkill River called Manatawny Creek. The creek had overflowed one bank into a ballpark before, but never like this! To add insult to injury, there was an oil reclamation plant upstream that overflowed!

The facility in question was the Berks Associates oil reclamation plant—also known as the Douglassville Disposal Site—in Union Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania. During the flooding from Tropical Storm Agnes on June 21–22, 1972, some 12–18 inches of rain raised the Schuylkill River over its banks, inundating the plant’s unlined waste‐oil lagoons and causing 140,000–190,000 barrels (roughly 6–8 million gallons) of waste oil and sludge to spill into the river

https://incidentnews.noaa.gov/incident/6214

So please, take a few minutes to do some planning!

Budgeting

Let me start by saying, this is just what I plan on for my family’s needs. There is no way I can tell you what will work in your situation. I simply want to encourage you to make a plan! Remember Murphy and his law folks!

Emergency Fund

I have a savings account with almost enough to cover 3 months expenses. It took me awhile to accumulate enough, but I’ve saved it. Naturally, I intend to keep adding to that account.

Emergency Expense Credit Card

Recently I was offered a new credit card account from an institution where I already have an account. This one, though, is a “Cash Back” account, always a good thing. I made the decision to accept, and it came with a nice sized credit limit. I get enough funds during the month to pay all my expenses. So, I decided to keep this one strictly for Hurricane expenses. As someone who has lived with the possibility of storm damage her whole life, this is a definite possibility.

Planning

Again, let me reiterate, this is my plan. Look around at your neighborhood and make your plan! First, I live in a mobile home park. I have to deal with mandatory evacuations if a storm gets too close. Second, I already have a plan made out for the physical things to do, i.e., bring things on the screen porch, put others in the shed, that thing.

Locate Some place safer than your home

For my family, we have a friend who lives in a 3-bedroom house just down the street from us. For the last several years she has opened her home to us during the storms. I just need to bring our personal belongings with us. Starting last year, I decided to make that undertaking a little easier.

Pre-stage Emergency supplies

I grabbed a good-sized backpack from my local Walmart for each person. Here’s my list for what goes in each one.

  • one of those lovely little travel kits filled with trial sized bottles of soap, shampoo, deodorant, etc. for each person. (You know the kind!) Think small here folks, there’s more to go in those backpacks!
  • a small, portable camping lantern
  • a power bank and the necessary cables to charge phones and tablets
  • any medications that are needed
  • Finally, I intend to buy a couple of the space bags for travelers. (I haven’t done this just yet.) These are the ones that you roll up to squeeze the air out. I want to fill each one with one change of clothes from the skin out, before sealing them. This way, I have clean clothes for at least two days. Now, I’ve never needed more than one change of clothes, but I’m a firm believer in Murphy’s Law!

I can put my packed backpack in the closet until I need it, then just grab it and go. If you have fur babies, you want to do something similar!

In Conclusion

Plan your strategy now!

  • If you can, assign one credit card for emergencies.
  • Create an emergency fund. Many financial planners suggest saving between 3 and 5 months of expenses.
  • Plan where you will go and what you need to take with you. A good suggestion is to create personalized “Go Bags” for each person in your family.

When bad weather comes calling, be prepared for anything. The time you spend now getting ready, will save you time when you need it the most.