“A Warm Touch” by Connor Shane

• 01/09/2023
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A Warm Touch

Connor Shane
Independently Published (2022)
ISBN: 979-8367615197
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (01/2023)

“A Warm Touch” by Connor Shane is an adventure set several hundred years in the future where WWIII has destroyed all humans. Prior to their extinction, scientists had been experimenting with gene splicing, combining the DNA of 22 humans with the DNA of eleven species. A male and female were created from each species, including the wolf, kangaroo, snake, hawk, hyena, tiger, coyote, monkey, fox, panther, and even a dragon. In addition to carrying both human and animal traits, these humanoids tend to be very colorful. The test subjects were hidden underground when the humans were annihilated. After the damage to the planet settled, earth became known as FourEarth. Society developed within the United Cores. There are eleven cores which are further broken down into sectors. The area outside the cores is undeveloped and much of it is unexplored.

In this fantasy, a group of teenagers are Level 2 scouts, sent on missions into the unexplored territory. Two key individuals are a fox named Similic, and a kangaroo named Drift. They are best friends until a dragon kidnaps Drift, and she is gone for six months. When she returns, she has to deal with reforming her friendships and building trust back with her friends. No one understands what she experienced, and they aren’t sure what to believe. The dragon wasn’t horrible to her, he just was an uninvited intrusion into her life. Similic is more affected than the others because they were the closest. The dragon has not completely gone away either and Drift fears for Similic’s wellbeing while she is trying to understand what kind of connection he wants with them.

“A Warm Touch” is divided into four parts, with some scenes repeated in different parts. Initially, I found this a bit confusing, but I could see that there were different perspectives applied to them. The settings are vividly described and the characters tend to be very unique and colorful. The author has a wonderful gift for being able to bring the settings to life! I loved that there was so much vibrant color infused into the descriptions. Readers should check out the pictures of the furmans at the back of the book before they start reading. 

Despite the characters’ unique appearances, they aren’t much different from humans at their core. Shane did an excellent job of creating a futuristic tale that teens and young adults will find relatable. The author successfully incorporates themes of friendship, problem solving, self-examination, and the inevitable cycle of change in relationships. Relationships are very complicated at their age and whether you are human or a furman nothing has changed about that in the future. I completely enjoyed following the characters, who I view as furries, in their adventures. Whether they are in the sectors, or out in unexplored territory, each place had its own unique features.

Teens and young adults will really enjoy reading, “A Warm Touch.” Connor Shane truly has a creative gift for putting his active imagination into words. I hope that there are future fantasies planned for this unique world. I would love to see it made into a series.