The Wild Alien Tamer

Fun easy read. Heavily male-centric - the only women we ever meet are there for sex. But I was too busy enjoying the homo-erotic subtext of the main plot to much care.

Set in a Earth-style carnival touring alien planets, the "wild alien tamer" who first appears to fit the title has to go searching for alien animals for his act, his Earth animals having all died. Nothing quite fits the bill until he meets a sentient but scary-looking alien who suggests that the alien pretend to be the 'animal' on worlds which consider humans to look most like them, while the human be the 'animal' and the alien be the 'animal tamer' on other planets.

Their act is an instant success, and gains in popularity as the rivalry between the two intensifies. Along show more with the whips, extreme stunts, and blood spilled. The story just begs for fanfic in which they move their contest to a more private arena, I'm just saying.

But then perhaps the real "wild alien tamer" is their boss the circus manager... show less

This is the third in a series of four, though it stands on its own fairly well. It's another tale of Thaddeus Flint's galactic traveling carnival, this time about Jupiter Monk, the animal trainer. When his Earthling animals eventually die, Monk has no act and must find alien beasts to replace them. When he comes across a tour guide who looks as foreign as any animal, they come up with an interesting idea for a con. However, things eventually get out of hand. It's a fun book, almost as light-hearted as the prior two in the series. Good beach read.