First published 2005
Charley trains hard and dreams of victory portraits. He pictures himself in racing silks, medal gleaming, frozen at the moment of triumph. But Charley carries riders instead of running free. He belongs to the Hoots, the aliens who conquered Earth and turned humans into property. His mother vanished years ago. His father fled to the mountains where Free Humans plot resistance. Charley knows every rule of being a perfect mount. He understands his place in this inverted world where aliens ride humans like horses. The Hoots control everything now, but the scattered humans refuse to accept defeat. War simmers between the species. Charley must choose between the security of servitude and the dangerous path toward reclaiming his humanity. His journey forces him to abandon everything he learned about survival under alien rule.
Genres: fiction, science-fiction, dystopia, fantasy
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, found-family
240 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Firebird