Nastragull, Pirates, Part 1 is an intergalactic tale about the battles of a new federation in outer space. Huge ships are being boarded and attacked by vicious space pirates in the future. Alexa was kidnapped at a very young age and eventually taken in by the pirate lord Zuzack and his violent gang of followers on the huge ship called Bitch. Alexa knows no other life, except one of stealing, looting, and battles, but her deepest desire is to buy her freedom and escape the pirate life. Soon her life changes when the pirates board a new boat and take new hostages. Alexa is captivated by one young man named Alec, who is a Silver Guard from the Elite citizens in Tallas, the eleventh Federation of Nastasturus. He is from the Oman family, which is highly esteemed with a wealthy, prestigious background. Alexa must try to free Alec from the pirates’ enslavement, while at the same time trick her adopted father Zuzack.

Erik Martin Willén writes his pirate tale with extremely graphic scenes of sex, violence, and everything a reader imagines in a looting tale. His scenes are fast paced and action packed as everything is X rated and multiplied by three. It is a highly gripping read if your genre is of the “in your face” kinky, “free for all” imaginative sex scenes between different intergalactic species. The plot runs thick as different factions are fighting towards an ultimate goal of galactic supremacy and dominance. The violence is sickeningly addictive as you turn the pages!

So what is Nastragull about? It is hard to put the plot into just a few lines as it is a wild mix of science fiction, a little bit of fantasy and adventure mixed with a fair bit of action and horror. If I had to put it into just one category, I would say it is a space opera, and this is only book 1 of the series. Alec, who you could call the "good" guy, and Marquessa De La Hoff, who is a rather dubious character, are the only people in the universe who can hear/understand Nastra, the voice of the universe. However, only one person is supposed to do so. Alec's fate is intertwined with Alexa, a space pirate - and how they meet is not exactly the best way to start a friendship (or, in their case, a bit more).

There is a rather complex story-line in Nastragull, yet it always is easy to follow and you don't lose the plot. However, I found that there is far too much violence (which includes rape scenes) that kind of makes a point but takes up too much space. Some people also might find that the descriptions are too vivid (if you can't stand horror books, then this is not for you). The vivid descriptions in general are something the author does very well. It is easy to get drawn into the story as everything can be imagined quite well. The characters are well developed, even though sometimes they did things I did not expect of them (but a surprise in a plot is a really good thing). In general, it is a book I would recommend to people who like well written science fiction with a bit of horror, erotic scenes and quite a bit of violence thrown into the mix.

Nastragull (Book 1) is Space Opera with space being a metaphor for the vastness that the oceans represented before technology made the distances seem smaller. This is actually a traditional approach to Space and Science Fiction and Erik Martin Willen does it as well as most. The story starts with a space battle as a cruiser is captured. The heroine is a space pirate who was captured as a young girl. In the tradition of just about any adventure novel you can think of, Alexa is stunningly beautiful as well as being a very capable pirate. When she sets eyes on Alec, a cadet captured in the initial battle, a series of events begin that have consequences for the entire galaxy. Alec and Alexa are special with an entertaining array of characters, both friends and enemies, in tow and thus we begin to learn how special they are.

Erik Martin Willen gives us a hint of the royal nature of Alec and Alexa in the beginning of Nastragull and slowly develops this theme throughout the novel. The situations and predicaments our heroes find themselves in are realistic and gritty, but their innate goodness and nobility see them through. There are some awful situations and villains to overcome but Alec and Alexa are up to the task. The writing is straight to the point and the dialogue is exactly what you would expect from characters living in such arduous times. I especially liked the way the minor characters add flavor and realism to Nastragull. This is action-packed Space Opera.

Vivid dreams disturb the sleep of two different characters in Nastragull: Pirates Book 1 by Erik Martin Willén. These dreams seem to mean something but neither Alec nor Alexa has any idea what – and they don’t even know each other! As the worlds of Alec, a high ranking military cadet, and Alexa, a slave forced into piracy, crash together, the dreams become even more vivid. Circumstances are not good for the pair, however, and the roles of each continue to shift as the action creates battles, imprisonments and unexpected freedom based on skill, connections and good old fashioned luck. In his efforts to capture the pirate leader, Zuzack, who had held him prisoner, Alec comes into contact again with Alexa. The question remains whether or not Alexa is Alec’s prisoner or if she is the pirate who has stolen Alec’s heart.

Great action and tremendous creativity are the keys to this terrific story by Erik Martin Willén. Nastragull: Pirates Book 1 covers the vastness of space with greedy traders and merchants, warring federations and rampaging pirates. Extremely gruesome at times with some highly detailed sexual encounters, the book includes many different characters with a wide variety of needs, desires and ways to get what they want. Although somewhat complex, the plot is still easy to follow as the characters ‘line up’ based on their respective roles. Diplomacy, persuasion, mutiny and corporal punishment are just some of the techniques used to get countless different intergalactic species to do what needs to be done. As the parties square off, the book ends ... leaving the reader anxious to move on to Nastragull: Hunted Book 2.