Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - The 5th Gender

The 5th Gender is set in the same sci-fi universe as Crudrat, but where Crudrat was firmly YA, The 5th Gender is very much adult (including sex scenes between male humans/aliens and discussions of sex, murder and suicide).

Tristol, the main character, is a lovable, enthusiastic lavender alien from a race (Galoi) with 5 sexes/genders. Detective Drey Hastion is human, but seems to be from a different set of space humans than the Wheel humans from Crudrat. Comparing the different species in space and their attitudes to sex, gender and sexuality made for an interesting and open exploration of humanity's own, sometimes limited, views on those topics.

Overall the book is light, funny and sweet - generally what one expects from a Gail Carriger book! I think I preferred it to Crudrat, maybe because I felt like the sci-fi elements were less present? At its heart, the book is a romance and mystery story.

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mackenzi's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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alwaysshure's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

Should've been called the sixth gender???? Because the plot was exploring zyga, which keeps being referred to as a gender.

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jinnayah's review

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

When I picked it up and read the first chapter or two, I thought I'd be getting a murder mystery and slow burn romance. It was actually erotica with a little bit of murder mystery squeezed in around it. If you're into that, it's OK as a bubblegum read -- sweet and fun, but don't chew on it too long and definitely don't swallow.

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the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

The book tried to build a diverse and complex science-fiction world, which I think it does with relative success. This being said, some elements of the galoi felt a bit transphobic to me. The author tries to differentiate them from humans with galoi having 5 genders and humans having fewer, but this dichotomy erases the infinite number of genders that humans have.

The relationship between Tris and Drey felt rushed and without any real substance, though both characters were likeable enough. I did like the general plot of the book, but I think that many elements of the story could have used more polishing and detail.

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hopeevey's review

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funny hopeful

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I originally rated this a 3, but changed it on reflection. The plot primarily sets up the hot male/male(ish) sexytimes - which is a good and noble goal. At the same time, the mystery plot is remarkably clever, especially for a steamy romance mystery novel. All of the characters are well developed, humans and aliens. The romance storyline and the mystery each add depth to the other, and kept me thinking about the book long after I'd finished reading it.

And, much to my delight, this author avoided the most common-yet-aggravating trope of M/M romance - sex acts not physically possible for the characters' anatomy. That itself is a big plus for me.

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