Fallen Idol by Shelley Munro was set in the future where having sex in public was legal and like anything else these days, they had a reality show / talent show / competition for it. The book itself centered around 2 characters: Rafi Mura and Roberto. Rafi was son of a royal concubine on Maxis, dark skin and equally dark hair who at the present captained his own ship. He had a bunch of loyal crews and had always been in love with his childhood friend, Roberto (or Bob as he is preferred to be called). Unfortunately, Bob with his golden skin and long hair loved Fifi Do Groux, who was also Bob's partner in the Sex Idol competition.
The story starts when Rafi visits his old friend and found Bob down in a dumps (both physically and mentally). Bob used to be so confident and ambitious is living in a shady part of town, before he was left alone, broken and in debt by his former partner and lover because of an injury he acquired while practicing a Kama Sutra position. The muscular body that he once possessed had turned into big lump of fat as a side effect of drinking too much of an addictive beverage called Vroom. Unable to abandon the man that he had always loved, Rafi brought Bob to his ship and with the help of his crew assisted the once formidable Sex Idol competitor to stop drinking and get back to his glorious form.
Once he was nursed back to health, Bob decided to go back to the circuit (i.e. Sex Idol competition) to repay the kindness that Rafi and the crews had given to him. He knew that the competition’s prize money could help them buy better ship and pay off his debt. But to do that, he needed a training partner, and inevitably, Rafi offered himself. One thing led to another, and Rafi ended up as the actual partner in a real competition.
The book flowed nicely and ended neatly, but there was nothing there to give it the extra edge. It was predictable and in some parts felt unreal, not the kind of book that I would have loved to read again. Having said that, the book did have several interesting minor characters. Two of my favorites were Mac, the female engineer (who couldn't sleep when it was quiet because she got use to the sound of someone screaming in the night) and Baker the ship's medic, who is also a sex toy's inventor (with Bob and Rafi as his guinea pig). The sex scenes was not bad either, it was explicit and hot without being too rude. But sometimes it got too corny when they performed on the stage. On the other hand it was understandable because the performance was choreographed for the viewer's pleasure.
It was interesting however to see that some things had not changed in the future that "Fallen Idol" described. Proverty, prejudice, dangerous addictive substances, discrimination, and, of course, the reality shows. It made the book more approachable to readers from present time because there is so much that readers can relate to.
