Barbarian Alien

About “Barbarian Alien”

Twelve humans are left stranded on a wintry alien planet. I’m one of them. Yay, me. In order to survive, we have to take on a symbiont that wants to rewire our bodies to live in this brutal place. I like to call it a “cootie.” And my cootie’s a jerk, because it also thinks I’m the mate to the biggest, surliest alien of the group. Raahosh thinks the cootie’s right, because he steals me away from the group, determined to make me like him—or else. He has no idea who he’s up against. And if I didn’t want his insufferable self so much (thanks, cootie), I’d let him know just what I’m thinking. As it is, I’m doing my best to fight this instant attraction. Just because the symbiont thinks we’re meant to be together doesn’t mean I have to go along with it. And if we fool around a little, it’s just biology. It doesn’t mean I’m in love. Or that I’m meant to be his. (Description courtesy of Penguin Random House.)