Reviewed: - (Review Updated: )
‘Conclave of Conspiracy’ picks up the story of the girl from Earth, Amanda, the next morning after Amanda makes her choice. It is the second story in A Strange Geek’s Narlass series.
Amanda has been collared and is a slave, and her lover has become her Trainer. But Amanda is different to other trainees. There is something that has not happened, and that missing element combined with her intelligence and spirited nature causes difficulties for the girl and her Trainer/Lover Sirinna. Amanda constantly questions why she is ‘difficult to train’, and her constant questioning leads her to an uncomfortable discovery about the methods of the Overlords in taking Captives and making them slaves.
National politics, an assassin, a spy willing to perform a ‘distasteful’ task, as he refers to it, and the maneuvering of opposing cliques of Overlords to achieve the two-thirds majority of votes needed for the Conclave to succeed or fail, run parallel to Amanda’s story. More of the complex background of Narlass is filled in as the story progresses.
Much of the early sex in ‘Conclave’ is centered on the training of a sexual slave. It is done exceptionally well. Apart from the training Amanda has to face being used by a variety of Overlords. Again, the sex scenes are integral to the story and help drive the plot along.
A Strange Geek continues to show he is an exceptional storyteller. Technically the story is almost perfect.
I have read this story twice now, my second reading more thoughtful and detailed, in contrast to my first read where I raced to find out what would happen to Amanda. Reading both ‘Amanda’s Choice’ and ‘Conclave of Conspiracy’ has been very satisfying and I enthusiastically recommend them.
Reviewed:
In "Conclave of Conspiracy", we get to again enjoy the wonderful story of Amanda, a 14yr old Earth girl that has submitted herself to be a slave in training. (This story is a sequel to "Amanda's Choice. That story does not have to be read to enjoy this one, but your enjoyment will not be as complete if you skip it.)
Coming right on the heels of "Amanda's Choice", Amanda begins her training as a sexual slave. Her lover Sirinna is her Trainer, but how will their relationship handle the change from lovers to trainer/trainee? How will she handle her first sexual encounter with a male, her master, Overlord Roquan? And, how will the events of Roquan's Conclave effect her? Read along and find out!
The sex in this story is frequent enough to keep you reading along if you are looking for pure stroke material. It didn't have the same sense of urgency at times that "Amanda's Choice" did, but that makes perfect sense, since Amanda's relationship is different with Sirinna. Many of the sexual scenes were ones involving Amanda's training, and that was very well handled by the author. Some of the encounters are romantic, some are surrounded by Amanda's wonder and surprised enjoyment, and others are D/s. A great blend to read!
The story's plot is again nothing short of brilliant. The refined mixture of political intrigue, sexual tension, and Amanda's wonderful spirit all create a fascinating tale. The political aspects of the plot are handled with a deft touch. The sexual tension created between various persons was powerfully done. And Amanda's spirit continues to shine throughout it all.
Technically, this story is essentially flawless. I don't remember a single item jumping off the monitor at me, making me lose my enjoyment of the story. And considering this reviewer has a new baby in the house and hasn't slept decently in a month, that's saying something!
This story again shows A Strange Geek knows how to write a story that has just the right mixture of those elements to keep me enthralled. The story ends with an open invitation for the author to continue this tale at a later date, and this reviewer is hopeful the author will do just that.
As with "Amanda's Choice", this one goes to 11!