Rating: 5 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


After being rescued by the very alien forces that shot his jet down, taken to a foreign world where language barriers make trying to negotiate his release back to Earth challenging, and discovering the job he signed on for in order to earn his transport home was not what he thought it was, can anyone blame poor Captain Max Davis if he’s a little unhappy? Upon discovering his new boss is a strange sort of octopus-looking, tentacle-wielding creature in need of a surrogate and that the best sex of his life involved said tentacles, Max is really unsure how to react to “Rick” and his constant hovering. When Max realizes just what happened when Rick did his intestinal exploration, it becomes even more imperative to update the communications system since Max is soon to be a dad.

Get ready because I am about to gush! Earth Fathers are Weird is my first Lyn Gala novel, but it will not be my last. I absolutely loved this sci-fi/mpreg/fantasy story. If Max and his humor and determination to make the best of a situation that would have sent any other human being off the deep end does not impress, then those darn alien babies, particularly Xander, will. This novel had a little bit of everything and, quite frankly, with so many genre plates spinning in the air, I was sure one was bound to fly out of control, but author Lyn Gala excels at weaving implausible and impossibly funny circumstances into a gratifying and entertaining novel.

Where to begin with what delighted me the most? Max. He was both a straight up Rambo type when it came to defending his own and a gentle giant where the tiny Xander was concerned. After birthing three alien babies, Zander being the weakest and the last one out, Max helped Rick ensure the tiny offspring survived. Not only did Max manage to take in stride his capture by aliens, but the idea of becoming a dad to a trio of alien babies didn’t even having him breaking stride. His humor, his conflicted emotions that stemmed from grappling with the idea of having feelings for the strange looking Rick and his boys, and his determination to help raise the offspring all combined to make Max the most incredible of characters. I just fell in love with the intrepid captain. His interactions with Xander and James, in particular, were just terribly sweet and smacked of laid back Earth dad vibes.

Then there were the boys—James, Xander, and Kohei. The author gave each one such human-like characteristics, but never let the reader forget they were essentially tiny octopus-like beings. Each one was a distinct creature with totally different ways in which they viewed their world. There were such intimate moments when these “boys” would hold on to or climb all over Max that I could just close my eyes and envision them as tiny human toddlers. I loved that Lyn Gala essentially leveled the playing field by making these guys so accessible to the reader and honestly I could just have eaten them up. Rather than coming off as annoying or just a side plot to add cuteness to the story, these three became Max’s whole reason for accepting his plight and that meant he could have some respite from the sad realization that he would have to return to Earth one day and leave them behind.

Finally, there was Rick and the whole conundrum he represented to Max. Could Max actually fall in love with such a strange looking alien? Was Rick merely using him as a surrogate or did the constant closeness he maintained to Max mean something more? And the tentacles? Tentacle porn made Max shiver in revulsion, but then again…that intestinal exam was pretty damn hot. Rick was a real source of conflict for poor Max, what with his becoming a friend that had the potential to be something more. Could Max actually learn to love an alien? Was there even a future for them?

Lyn Gala creates beautifully emotionally charged novel that is chocked full of humor, adventure, and delightfully chaotic offspring. This novel may not be for everyone, but I encourage you to give this one a try. This author is a gifted writer and Earth Fathers are Weird is a delightful example of just how talented Gala is at her craft.