When D.Wallace Peach [Diana to her friends] said that she was going to read Vokhtah, I warned her. I said that the story was nothing like Innerscape. I told her that there were no humans in it, that it was all about these weird aliens on another planet…
And then I promptly forgot about it because I didn’t expect her to finish Vokhtah, and I certainly didn’t expect her to review it. But she did, she did. 🙂
Forgive me for posting Diana’s review in full, but Vokhtah is my firstborn, and I still think it’s the best thing I’ve ever written.

D.W.Peach – 4/5 stars
This is a hard book to describe. “Pure Alien” is a good start, and I’m impressed by the author’s ambition and execution. Vokhtah is an alien planet and the characters are insect-like (my impression) creatures who engage in their own sort of political intrigue, espionage, and social caste system. They’re clever, dastardly, selfless, and selfish – much like humans – but there the similarities end.
The world-building is rather amazing and humans won’t find much that’s familiar here. Even the speech is different. The iVokh and Vokh are genderless “its” and don’t have names, referred to by their role in society, their ranking, and their talents. Social norms are dictated by groups and reinforce variations in dominance and subservience. It takes about a third of the book to get used to.
The story unfolds from multiple points of view, all alien. Flory doesn’t pamper the reader with backstory or explanation, but tosses us right into the strange world – sink or swim. The experience is immersive, but it requires patience to figure out who these aliens are and what the heck they’re doing. I enjoyed the story-telling, the fascinating world, the author’s imagination and writing skills. The pace was excellent and kept my interest.
I did spend a fair amount of the book confused about the characters, though. This is primarily, I think, because they don’t have names and, in many cases, go by multiple designations. For example, there are a number of Sixths and Sevenths. A Blue is also a Messenger who is also a Healer. A Teller is also a Trader, and is sometimes an Apprentice, so sometimes they’re the same character, sometimes not. There are a lot of identically designated characters as each location/eyrie in the story has the same basic social structure, and the book involves travel. I struggled to keep them straight until about 50% through when the plot began to narrow down the action and further define the characters’ personalities and motivations.
But then, I struggled to keep Erikson’s Gardens of the Moon straight. That one I gave up on; this one I didn’t. And it was worth it. By the end, I was ready for the next book in the series. I highly recommend Vokhtah to readers who love pure alien sci-fi, love a reading challenge, and want to engage with the work of a wonderfully creative imagination.
For those not familiar with ‘Gardens of the Moon‘, the book is the first volume in Steven Erikson’s mammoth Malazan Book of the Fallen series. It has an eye watering 1,221 ratings and an overall ranking of 4/5 stars.
To have something I’ve written even mentioned in the same sentence as ‘Gardens of the Moon’ makes my heart swell to epic proportions. But to have Diana say that she didn’t give up on Vokhtah when she did give up on Erikson’s first book…gods, I think my heart is going to burst!
To Diana, and every one of the amazing readers who read Vokhtah, and left a review, thank you. From the bottom of my heart.
Meeks
January 22nd, 2020 at 8:26 pm
big grin here. And glad you did your own ticking off 😉 x
LikeLike
January 23rd, 2020 at 9:50 am
lol – it was a case of self defence coz I know you would if I didn’t. See? You don’t even have to nag me any more. :p
LikeLike
January 23rd, 2020 at 8:10 pm
#MyWorkHereIsDone ?!!
LikeLike
January 23rd, 2020 at 9:28 pm
lmao – see?
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 21st, 2020 at 12:49 am
WOW! Congratulations! ❤
LikeLike
January 21st, 2020 at 11:53 am
Thanks. I know that’s not a lot in the grand scheme of things, but each one is precious. 🙂
LikeLike
January 20th, 2020 at 8:10 am
Yaaaaaay!!! ** waves arms in the air like Kermit and runs around in circles** .. what a great review!!! 😀
LikeLike
January 20th, 2020 at 11:09 am
-giggles- I am /not/ doing a Miss Piggy impersonation. :p
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 20th, 2020 at 1:44 pm
Oh, go on! 😀
LikeLike
January 20th, 2020 at 1:54 pm
….”Kermiiiiiiiii!”….
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 21st, 2020 at 7:53 am
Bwhahahahahaha!!! … bloody brilliant! 😀
LikeLike
January 21st, 2020 at 11:48 am
-giggles- I blame the Offspring for making me watch so many hours of the Muppets. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 20th, 2020 at 8:04 am
Thank you for sharing the informaton! Congratulations, and sorry for the late wishes for a beautiful and blessed New Year! Michael
LikeLike
January 20th, 2020 at 11:09 am
Hi Michael! Lovely to hear from you again, and the very best of 2020 to you too. 🙂
LikeLike
January 20th, 2020 at 6:19 am
I’m so glad you shared the review! And it looks like you might get a few takers. 😀 Now I’m waiting for book 2. I have to see what happens with the Apprentice! Ha ha. Is it in the works?
LikeLike
January 20th, 2020 at 11:11 am
-grin- No way I could resist. And yes, I’m working on book 2 but life’s been getting in the way. Or perhaps I’ve just been procrastinating a bit too much. I hope to finish and publish this year. -hugs-
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 20th, 2020 at 11:39 pm
Oh good. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 20th, 2020 at 2:00 am
Very well deserved, ac. You my opinion of Vokhtah and I am delighted for you that other readers are discovering the absolute genius of that novel *hugs*
LikeLike
January 20th, 2020 at 11:19 am
Ah Chris. -blushes furiously- I’ve been doubting myself a lot lately. You and all my blogging friends truly do give me heart. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 20th, 2020 at 4:48 pm
Self-doubt is an important part of the creative process which helps us a great deal with quality control. On the other hand, not giving a sh*t is equally as important a part of the creative process. Write what feels right 🙂
LikeLike
January 20th, 2020 at 10:16 pm
lol – I doubt I’ll ever ‘not give a sh*t’, but I will keep telling stories. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 19th, 2020 at 3:20 pm
Congratulations!!! You know I don’t read sci-fi or fantasy, but after reading this review, I find I want to pick this one up! Perhaps I’ll download a sample on Amazon and give it a whirl!
LikeLike
January 19th, 2020 at 8:25 pm
lmao – my friends are all masochists! I’m kidding. Of course I’d love for you to try Vokhtah. As always though, I will NOT feel bad if you don’t like it. Well, I may, but I won’t make /you/ feel bad about it! lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 20th, 2020 at 9:15 am
Ha ha … you are funny. For just $3.99, I went ahead and bought the book … will check it out soon, perhaps tonight if I can get my head above water before 3:00 a.m.! 😉
LikeLike
January 20th, 2020 at 11:08 am
You lovely lady, you! Please don’t think I’m biased if I say ‘get to bed early’. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 20th, 2020 at 12:56 pm
Awwww … thanks. Ha ha … biased? Never! You are funny, though! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 20th, 2020 at 1:17 pm
-grin-
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 19th, 2020 at 1:11 pm
Is the link on the pic? I’m going for a look!
LikeLike
January 19th, 2020 at 1:34 pm
Um…no? But it is on the sidebar. Just scroll down until you see the cover. Sorry, Dawn will have my guts for garters for forgetting, again.
LikeLiked by 2 people
January 19th, 2020 at 10:58 am
Fantastic review by Diana, Meeks! Sharing… 🙂
LikeLike
January 19th, 2020 at 12:44 pm
Thanks, Bette! -hugs-
LikeLike
January 19th, 2020 at 10:28 am
A review like this is always a thrill! Good for you!
LikeLike
January 19th, 2020 at 10:35 am
Thanks, Audrey. I rarely check my reviews on Amazon so finding this one was a glorious surprise. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person