Title: Richard Subtitle: An Unlikely Love Story Author: Michael W Hickman Genre: Young Adult - Sci-Fi Appearance: The appearance of a book can make a significant impact on the experience of a reader, whose enjoyment is often enhanced by an enticing cover, an intriguing table of contents, interesting chapter headings, and when possible, eye-catching illustrations. 5 Plot: The characters of a book should be well defined with strengths and flaws, and while they do not have to be likable, the reader does have to be able to form a connection with them. The tone should be consistent, the theme should be clear, and the plot should be original or told from a unique perspective. For informative books -- those without plot and characters--this rating refers primarily to your concept and how well you presented it. 5 Development: Development refers to how effectively you told your story or discussed your topic. The dialogue should be realistic, the descriptions should be vivid, and the material should be concise and coherent. Organization is also a key factor, especially for informative books -- those without plot and characters. The order in which you tell your story or explain your topic and how smoothly it flows can have a huge impact on the reader's understanding and enjoyment of the material. 5 Formatting: Formatting is the single most overlooked area by authors. The way in which you describe scenes, display dialogue, and shift point of view can make or break your story. In addition, excessive grammatical errors and typos can give your book an amateurish feel and even put off readers completely. 5 Marketability: Marketability refers to how effectively you wrote your book for your target audience. Authors may include content that is above or below the understanding of their target reader, or include concepts, opinions or language that can accidentally confuse or alienate some readers. Although by its nature this rating is very subjective, a very low rating here and poor reviews may indicate an issue with your book in this area. 5 Overall Opinion: The overall starred rating takes into account all these elements and describes the overall reading experience of your reviewer. This is 5 the official Readers' Favorite review rating for your book. Review: Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite Richard: An Unlikely Love Story by Michael Hickman charts the extraordinary journey of Richard, an Ohio teenager, destined to inherit a millennia-old galactic kingdom from the Plantagenet dynasty, an ancient lineage of humanoid aliens. Gifted with superior powers by a black hole's energies, Richard struggles to control these while grappling with an unlikely romance with Amber, a marginalized humanoid fox-creature from Beowulf. Simultaneously, Richard has to evade assassination plots from adversaries like Senator Spartacus who yearn for elected democratic rule, comprehend his role as the prophesied messiah for billions, and navigate the complexities of diplomatic etiquettes. With the aid of allies including a faithful Artificial Alien Lifeform (AAL), Richard strives to balance his dual existence between Earth and Krel, surmount the challenges posed by his foes, and prove himself worthy of his royal heritage. In this second book of the Richard series, An Unlikely Love Story by Michael W. Hickman continues with another excellent installment that is able to subvert the usual issues of a 'saggy middle' and keep a reader flying through its pages. As with the first book, the suspense and tension are palpable, from a disturbing conversation among senators about eliminating Richard, the last member of the royal family, who is still a teen, to a twist with a betrayal by a trusted person who reveals themselves to be otherwise and pulls a weapon on Richard and Amber. Hickman balances these with lighthearted moments. Richard actually farts in front of Amber and it's very real and very funny. I'd say 'poor Richard' but it's more like 'poor Amber'. The extraordinary world-building is the highlight for me with a favorite being the exploration of an alien underwater civilization with its unique architecture and interaction between Richard and his companions and the inhabitants. I am becoming a quick fan of the series and do, once again, look forward to where Hickman takes us next.

Richard: An Unlikely Love Story by Michael W. Hickman starts with Richard and AAL's sudden appearance at Henry's privy chamber in the Atlantic Ocean. Richard, a fifteen-year-old boy from Ohio, was destined to be the next heir to a spanning galaxy kingdom. He was always assured of his future role whenever he visited the moon to gain more superpowers to equip him for his position as the next in line to be crowned. AAL was the artificial lifeform that always helped him whenever he went to visit his chamber. Upon their appearance, he felt so much pain and burning sensations in his butt, which made him uncomfortable. AAL reassured him that he would soon adjust to it and be fine, even though he assumed that would always be the case whenever he teleported. Funny enough, Richard's privy chamber could freeze and pin anyone who got in without his prior permission. Hence, he did not need to worry about who entered his chamber while he was away or on Earth. However, he always missed Amber, a partner he loved and admired so dearly, whenever he left, and he wished he could talk to her at the slightest touch. Amber was like a fox, and she was from another planet. How did the two lovebirds cope with their love lives with all that was happening to Richard? Was Richard able to finally get used to his power and position? Grab a copy of Richard: An Unlikely Love Story by Michael W. Hickman, the second volume in the Richard series, to find out. This book is extremely interesting! I enjoyed the roles of all the characters, but mostly those of Richard and the artificial life form named AAL. AAL truly helped the young boy, both in answering the most confusing questions he had and in helping him evolve most times into the races he was meant to be. AAL ensured everything was kept in place while he was away from Earth. For instance, when Richard was worried about missing the speech he was to make in the Senate, AAL assured him there was no reason to worry as he equipped the intelligent Henry to step in for him and act like him to avoid being recognized as the wrong person. How this book's characters developed and evolved interested me as they made the storylines more thrilling. I also enjoyed the intimacy and friendship between Richard and his lover, Amber. They truly cared for and loved themselves. The effort of AAL and others to see that Richard was always rescued thrilled me. The only character I had an issue with was Senator Spartacus, who was intentionally against Richard and his throne, but hey, the antagonist makes the protagonist spectacular! Even though this book is the second in the series, it can be read as a standalone. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars for being exceptionally well-edited, with no trace of a grammatical blunder. I must appreciate the author for an incredible job well done in writing a well-engaging story with well-developed characters. The plot was well thought out, and the author's writing style made it easy to imagine the story. Honestly, this is the kind of science fiction that should be adapted into a movie. There was absolutely nothing I disliked about the book. I recommend this book to adult readers who enjoy mystical stories and thrilling stories of space travel with well-developed characters. I do not recommend it to younger readers because it contains a lot of profane words and light sexual content. ****** Richard: An Unlikey Love Story

Awaiting coronation as the long-lost, mighty king of the Milky Way, human youth Richard must dodge threats from deadly space enemies in Hickman’s sequel. The title refers to a seemingly average teenager who carries the singular and irreproducible DNA of the spacegoing Plantagenet family, a humanoid alien dynasty who ruled and defended the many planets of the Milky Way galaxy more than 1,000 years ago. Back then, a usurper within the royal house murdered noble King Dolloff and his brethren before being assassinated himself. One survivor, the prince’s pregnant fiancee, found sanctuary on remote Earth—a “barbaric” place of dread and exile in galactic culture whose very existence is often doubted except as fearful folklore. Centuries later, in the present, Ohioan Richard is contacted by scattered supporters—including a resourceful and ever loyal Artificial Alien Life dubbed AAL, who enlightened the lad to his incredible bloodline. On the planet Krel, Richard was revealed as heir to the throne prematurely, and AAL had to place a duplicate with the lad’s oblivious family back in Ohio. The real Richard, in the galactic capital city before his coronation, must be a quick study in etiquette, diplomacy, policy, and virtual messiah-hood for billions of worshipful subjects. There are also enemies, such as the influential family of Sen. Spartacus, who want the youth killed to allow an elected democracy (in other words, Spartacus) to take control. Preparing novice Richard for his challenges includes granting superior abilities (such as teleportation) via accelerated evolution using the energy of a mystic black hole. However, these newfound superpowers are often beyond Richard’s control. Another unforeseen complication: the boy-king finding true love and passionate sex with Amber, a humanoid fox-creature from a planet called Beowulf, in a galactic culture that often marginalizes nonhuman creatures. Hickman continues a multivolume saga that was launched with Richard: Distant Son (2022). Over the course of this novel, the author’s wide-ranging cosmology scrambles together elements of SF, high fantasy, and fairy tales; key alien species in the ensemble include such creatures as centaurs, satyrs, dragons, and winged horses. As noted above, readers should be prepared for xenosexual consensual relations as well as the fact that in addition to a healthy libido, Richard has an unusually active bladder for an SF adventurer; multiple scenes take place in his “privy” (a royal one, of course, that is guarded by a powerful AI). However, space-vulpine dating and mating tips and bathroom emergencies are only parts of the narrative, which never sits still. Amber’s single mother, Kit, happens to be a top reporter for the Galactic News Network, or GNN (not Fox News; the overall tone is not as satirical as that in a Terry Pratchett, Robert Asprin, or Jody Lynn Nye mock-epic). Assassination plots and lethal traps, grievous wounds, spaceship battles, heartache, tragedy, and miraculous resurrections comprise briskly paced episodes that alternate with scatological comedy, door-slamming farce, and monstrations of Richard’s inherent kindness and nobility. The dialogue ranges from passably profound pronouncements to comic-book melodrama (“The beast let out an earth-shattering laugh. ‘Puny part-human, how dare you defy me’ ”). A lively rumpus-room of mythology-tinged high-fantasy SF adventure. —Kirkus Reviews