Where He Belongs by Rachel Haimowitz

Where He Belongs by Rachel Haimowitz
Publisher: Storm Moon Press
Genre: Fantasy, GLBT
Length: 31 pages



Summary: The hottest name in network news is Daniel Halstrom. He is a sensation, a rising star. He is also a slave, owned wholly and completely by NewWorld Media.

But before he was a star, he was a frightened child from a bad place with a promising, if limited, future ahead of him. In The New Kid, young Daniel begins his schooling. Then, for a slave, the simple pleasure of a Bathroom Break is sometimes the only pleasure to be had. Later, Daniel doesn't know it, but A Chance Encounter might be the most important of his life. Next, in Camera Obscura, one of Daniel's colleagues reflects on the fact that as much as the camera may show, it can hide even more. Finally, when you're a slave, Independence Day is just another day.

Exclusive Bonus Content!

Excerpt from Anchored by Rachel Haimowitz, the debut novel in the Belonging series
The never-before-published prequel to Anchored
A sneak peek at Counterpunch, the upcoming Belonging novel by Aleksandr Voinov
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In a series of very short, flash-length stories, Rachel Haimowitz outlines an entire world, giving hints and glimpses, and somehow managing to build a rather complete society in Where He Belongs. Meant as companion stories to the already published novel Anchored, they still stand alone and completely sucked me in.

Each story is a small gem – Daniel is revealed through others' eyes in three stories and two are in his POV. He's beautiful, bright, and not so beaten down with the pain of being a commodity that he can't dream of more. The alternate universe that contains him isn't explained to death, instead, major societal differences are laid out tidbit by tidbit. With each story, I ached for Daniel and his limited horizons, wishing his world contained more. From the simple skills Daniel came to late, to the crashing importance of someone named Victor, seen only in glimpses and memories, there is a sense of striving, and sometimes of desolation and resignation.

These are vignettes more than stories in a "completed arc" sense, and they are excellent teasers for the larger work, which I am now thoroughly anxious to read. 5 marbles