# Anyone a Science Fiction Romance fan?



## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I could have sworn there was a thread on this already. But I must have dreamed it. Good sci fi romance is harder to find than the elusive unicorn it seems. So here is a thread to share the stuff we liked, read and want to read.

Today I got an email about the Galaxy awards they gave out and I am already digging through the lists. They are really open about the themes and stuff and on the right of the list, you can go to all the rounds. The first listed is the latest #7. 
http://sfrgalaxyawards.blogspot.com/2016/01/4th-annual-sfr-galaxy-awards-round_31.html

Unfortunately, a few I thought looked oh so interesting and when I found them, they were only novella length series. Sigh. I pretty much only read full length stuff. But there is still plenty of other things to find for me I hope. I like that they lay out the stuff that interests especially SFR readers. As suppose to just SF readers.

I'll start here by listing a couple of SFR that I totally loved
 


Yes same author. 

I think I lean more towards earth connected sci fi, if that makes sense. I think if its new species and new planets and not a atom of earth included in a story, if feels a lot like fantasy to me. 
First contact, new colonies, or even SFR without aliens at all. But I am open to anything really. I mean I love the JD Robb series, flove it. And there are no aliens in it. Although its not SFR in that sense, more like a SF procedural with a romantic line going through? How does one categorize that series. I have not find anything even remotely like it. Brilliant is what it is. Just read #21 in the series and it was the best yet for me. Yet, I do not like Nora Roberts romances, go figure.


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## S.R. Booth (Oct 6, 2013)

Hey! Thanks for starting this. I have nothing useful to contribute right now, but I'm off to check out the books you recommended! They look interesting!


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

I wouldn't say I am a "fan" of the genre but as a sci-fi fan there is a lot of overlap. May favorites that may fit in the category are the Liaden universe books by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Well worth the time. Some of my favorite books in any genre. Lots of romance, but no explicit stuff if that is important


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I read anything from no steam to lots of steam, as long as its SFR and not just SF. For some reason, I love watching SF stuff, but not read it. But I love SFR. Go figure.  . The steam as in any romance subgenre must fit the story and characters. Its not its own entity, but interwoven with the emotions and actions. 

I'll take a closer look at that Sharon Lee title. Blurb reads a lot like fantasy. Probably with the dragon in the title and all those weird names . Is that a romance? I mean at the least I don't want an entity of the couple to be dead at the end, but together. Doesn't have to be picket fence HEA, its sci fi after all, but a positive HFN at the least. Hard to tell by the blurb who the hero/heroine are. Its Outlander length  . Something to sink the teeth into.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

its light sci-fi romance with a great story. I would say positive and feel good. The good guys win, not sure there are even any bad guys in first book. Scout's progress is my favorite. Not fantasy, Dragon is the name of the family/clan.

Actually, Agent of Change in the 2nd omnibus is probably my favorite. 

Most of the books involve the getting together of a couple within the family

I would be very surprised if they didn't grab you


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Thank you, adding them to my list. I am keeping a collection on my kindles and I send samples to of stuff. Not usually one to read samples in general, but they make good placeholders on the device and I can read all the way through from there when needed. 

eta: wait, the one you listed is not the beginning according to goodreads. I am of the OCD reading order so I have to star with Chrystal Soldier. The one you listed seems to have book 4-6 in it. OH dear, the reading order is even more complicated according to goodreads, some intertwining series and then some different publication order. Yikes, I'll have to sort that one out first. I have to make sure the first is the first. Chronological that is. Why do authors do this. Whyyyyyyyyyyyy.  Those earlier ones sure look like straight up SF though. Hmmmm.

These words from the author give me the hives  



> The author suggests several reading orders, from her website


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)

Atunah said:


> Thank you, adding them to my list. I am keeping a collection on my kindles and I send samples to of stuff. Not usually one to read samples in general, but they make good placeholders on the device and I can read all the way through from there when needed.
> 
> eta: wait, the one you listed is not the beginning according to goodreads. I am of the OCD reading order so I have to star with Chrystal Soldier. The one you listed seems to have book 4-6 in it. OH dear, the reading order is even more complicated according to goodreads, some intertwining series and then some different publication order. Yikes, I'll have to sort that one out first. I have to make sure the first is the first. Chronological that is. Why do authors do this. Whyyyyyyyyyyyy.  Those earlier ones sure look like straight up SF though. Hmmmm.
> 
> These words from the author give me the hives


LOL, I see your dilemma. I would definitely start with the omnibus I listed, then second omnibus, that was how they published and I think the early chronological ones are only interesting if you want to find out more about how the universe started, but would not grab a new reader I think. Definitely not necessary and not a continuation of story


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## TriciaJ82 (Jan 18, 2011)

I am a fan of Cathryn Cade, she is definitely romance. She has two series that would fit your particular interest. The first one is her Orion series, I am pretty sure that earth isn't really involved except in a very minor way. Tyger, Tyger burning bright is the first in the series. Its okay but there are others that are better in the series. The other series is loadstar. It is a 4 book series with the first and last featuring the same couple. The first book does have a cliff hanger.

There is also Evangline Anderson who writes the kindred series. It is set on modern day earth and the heroines are human. The first book in the series is free Claimed (Brides of the Kindred Book 1)


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## worktolive (Feb 3, 2009)

Hey Atunah, I've got a couple of recs for you. I don't read that much SFR, but The Best of All Possible Worlds, by Karen Lord, was an exception. I won it in a contest and since the hero was described as being like Spock, I had to read it. It ended up being one of my favorite books of 2013. It's a road trip novel. It's been criticized as being slow and I'll admit, there isn't a ton of action, it's more of a cultural exploration, but I loved it. The romance is understated, but lovely, as the heroine slowly is introduced to and comes to understand, appreciate, and respect the hero.



The other rec is for the Paradox series by Rachel Bach starting with Fortune's Pawn. I haven't read this yet, but I absolutely adore her Heartstriker's series (Nice Dragons Finish Last) which is UF rather than SF. I think there might be a romance subplot, but I'm not sure. If there is, it's not the focus of the series. I first heard about it when Ilona Andrews recommended it on her blog - since she's my favorite UF writer, I really want to read it.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Well, since Ilona Andrews recommended them.  

"The Best of All Possible Worlds" sounds really interesting. And thank lard its available at my library, 11.99 for an ebook?    
Putting in on the wishlist at library for now. I don't mind slow, I don't have to have action all the time. And your recommendation has a lot of weight with me anyway. 

Thanks everyone. Glad I started this thread. Its a tough genre to find stuff in and in other genres where there is lots to pick from I have the luxury of being picky. Its hard to be picky when there isn't a lot in the pool so to speak.


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## worktolive (Feb 3, 2009)

Atunah said:


> "The Best of All Possible Worlds" sounds really interesting. And thank lard its available at my library, 11.99 for an ebook?
> Putting in on the wishlist at library for now. I don't mind slow, I don't have to have action all the time. And your recommendation has a lot of weight with me anyway.


I was lucky enough to win an ARC in a contest, otherwise I probably wouldn't have read it. Plus, The Book Smugglers blog had just written a really good review of it, because otherwise, it would have languished on the TBR mountain forever.

Another one that I'll mention is The Last Hour of Gann by R. Lee Smith. I haven't read it but it has gotten rave reviews on the blogs I read and has a 4.20 rating on Goodreads. It's self-pubbed and 900 pages long, but it's $6.50 which is why I haven't bought it yet, although that price is reasonable given the length. It's also a stand-alone.



Similar theme, but much more lighthearted is the Ice Planet Barbarians series by Ruby Dixon. The first book is $0.99, so much more affordable.  Haven't read this one either.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I own the Hour of Gann.  . Bought it with those book credits we got back in early 2014. Of course I haven't gotten to it yet. I think it might have gotten lost in my pile too. Shame on me. That is a weekend read, when I have longer blocks of time since its a long one. Its loanable worktolive if you want to borrow it from me.


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## worktolive (Feb 3, 2009)

Atunah said:


> Its loanable worktolive if you want to borrow it from me.


Thanks for the offer! I've got a bunch of library books that I'm trying to read, and my book club picked The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt this month, which is 750 pages long , so I'm swamped right now. I may take you up on that offer later though.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

worktolive said:


> Thanks for the offer! I've got a bunch of library books that I'm trying to read, and my book club picked The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt this month, which is 750 pages long , so I'm swamped right now. I may take you up on that offer later though.


Just send me a pm whenever you want it. It'll be there for you. Don't matter if its in a month or 6. Just let me know. 
I have not yet seen that authors books go on sale, one I found in KU, but only one. They pretty much are 6.50 all the time.


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## MicaK (Feb 17, 2016)

Ooh, I know one. Ruby Lionsdrake (pen name for a KB member, but I have only just joined, so I don't know if she's "out" here?) has the Frost Station Alpha series of novellas. There are six little books that add up to one pretty good story with a fair amount of steam.


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## Chad Winters (Oct 28, 2008)




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## WDR (Jan 8, 2014)

It doesn't have to be explicitly a romance, but I do like stories that have at least some romantic potential between characters if nothing else. I greatly prefer characters who can care for things beyond themselves, and having a romantic possibility is a good way to show that.


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## kdiem (Feb 29, 2016)

I second Ruby Lionsdrake. 

She's a prolific author too, so I believe she's got the Frost Station Alpha series, the Mandrake Company series (I recommend this series most), and a standalone. She may have published something while I wrote this. Most of it's in Kindle Unlimited if you're a subscriber.


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## Nikki Vaughn (May 21, 2014)

I'm sort of weird because I love romance novels and I love science fiction novels, but I tend to be not that hot on sci-fi romance as a sub genre. Don't get me wrong, I love having romance as a subplot of science fiction books, but straight up sci-fi romance usually falls flat for me for some reason. I think maybe it's because I'm reading the wrong stuff. The books I've tried, usually the world building and science are a complete afterthought (and rather sloppy), I think if I found something that combined all three really well, I'd probably love it.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Dang, I had to dig deep to find this thread. Just shows again how little of this subgenre there is to find.

But here is a freebie. So yay. 

I could not make a link of the kindle version that is free for some reason. Only the paper. So click through to the right one before you hit the buy now button.



I also read this one recently and really enjoyed it. Leave it to Carina Press to come up with some SFR. 


I am looking forward to the next in the series.


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## MartaDec (Mar 21, 2017)

I read quite a bit of SFR a while back. I second Rachel Bach with her "Paradox" series - I've read "Fortune's Pawn" and it was pretty good. I'd also recommend anything by Ann Aguirre - both her series about Sirantha Jax and "Dred Chronicles" have elements of romance, and they're fantastic.


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## worktolive (Feb 3, 2009)

How funny that this thread popped up again. There's a SF Romance called Escape Velocity by Jess Anastasi on sale today for $0.99. It's part of MacMillan's Entangled Otherworld Select line. The second book, Damage Control is also on sale for $1.99.


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## soche (Jun 16, 2017)

I love science fiction romance! My very favorite is Lord of the Storm by Justine Davis and another one that I loved is Shamara by Catherine Spangler.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

soche said:


> I love science fiction romance! My very favorite is Lord of the Storm by Justine Davis and another one that I loved is Shamara by Catherine Spangler.


I just looked up Lord of the Storm and found out I bought it on sale in 2015. I had no idea.  Got lost in the shuffle I guess. Moved it up on my list. 
Thanks for those recs.

Glad to see a few more SFR readers in the thread.

eta: and I just realized I own the first in that Spangler series, Shamara being the 3rd. The first called Shielder was also lost in the depth of my books. 
I did not see them in my SFR collection for some reason, I must not have added them. No wonder they got lost.


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## kdiem (Feb 29, 2016)

There's a 99 cents Sci Fi Romance sale this week... http://author.carolvannatta.com/solstice-sfr-99-cent-sale/

It includes the new Ruby Lionsdrake series, Star Guardians. I like her stuff.


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## worktolive (Feb 3, 2009)

Here's an SF Romance trilogy that has a pre-release price of $0.99 from Crimson Romance:



I haven't heard of the author, but for that price it might be worth a try.


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## C. Gold (Jun 12, 2017)

On a lark I picked up one of those alien abduction sci-fi romance books with the typical beefcake cover and wound up finding a really interesting world consisting of three races who were cursed by a goddess in different ways. One lost their food, one lost their ability to birth females, and the other went crazy. There's this whole political and survival thing going on in the background when a slaver race finds Earth. The discovery that Earth women are compatible starts an explosion of events that could either destroy all these civilizations or ultimately save them. 

The books are by M.K. Eidem. I think a couple had bad formatting issues but the rest read fine. There is a series for each of the non-crazy races - The Tornians and the Kaliszians. She also has a third series which is about a few human survivors from a destroyed Earth.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

C. Gold said:


> On a lark I picked up one of those alien abduction sci-fi romance books with the typical beefcake cover and wound up finding a really interesting world consisting of three races who were cursed by a goddess in different ways. One lost their food, one lost their ability to birth females, and the other went crazy. There's this whole political and survival thing going on in the background when a slaver race finds Earth. The discovery that Earth women are compatible starts an explosion of events that could either destroy all these civilizations or ultimately save them.
> 
> The books are by M.K. Eidem. I think a couple had bad formatting issues but the rest read fine. There is a series for each of the non-crazy races - The Tornians and the Kaliszians. She also has a third series which is about a few human survivors from a destroyed Earth.


They do look interesting, but I am really concerned about the many mentions of editing issues. That is one strike already and then I see that some had issues with the present tense, which is not something I like reading. That is 2 strikes for me. I just don't think I want to deal with obvious editing issues anymore at this point. As much as I hate present tense, I'd overcome that over editing stuff. Baffling to me that someone would put stuff out like that. Those reviews come from folks I trust on goodreads and those I don't know. Just too many mention it. Sigh. Not like its hard enough as it is to find decent SFR.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

This is free now



Some reviewers call it more space opera than SFR. Diener is suppose to be a good one though.


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## A.Q. (Jul 29, 2017)

I can't say I'm a fan of romance stories - by that, I mean, the main purpose of the narrative is purely about romance - but I am a fan of romance acting as a dedicated sub-plot in stories. 
Genre doesn't matter for me: crime, mystery, sci-fi... If your aim is to imbue your story with a sense of drama, romance is often a critical component in doing so (but not always necessary, and I tip my head off to any author who can create a compelling dramatic story without using a romance trope)


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## Galaxy Dog (Aug 2, 2017)

I had no idea Sci-Fi Romance existed. I would not be averse to it. My sci-fi tastes are more at the hard end of the scale with Alastair Reynolds and Arthur C. Clarke. I don't think I'd enjoy anything where people were being cursed by a goddess. Is there sci-fi romance at this end of the spectrum?


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## Don DeBon (Jun 18, 2016)

It is hard to find good novels in this sub genre, and many of the ones suggested here I have not read.  But they are now on my TBR pile. 

It is far more common to have more action/adventure than outright romance where the core of the plot is not about the two characters getting together.


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## C. Gockel (Jan 28, 2014)

I love Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold:
https://www.amazon.com/Shards-Honor-Vorkosigan-McMaster-Bujold/dp/1476781109/

And Barrayar: https://www.amazon.com/Barrayar-Vorkosigan-Saga-McMaster-Bujold/dp/1476781117/ (This one isn't as romantic as the first.) There is no on scene sex, so if that's your thing, you might not be interested.

I will third Michelle Diener's Dark Horse: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Horse-Class-Michelle-Diener-ebook/dp/B00Z9R1W9W/
It has a believable romance, but the story really centers around the girl and her friendship with an AI.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

bringing this one up in case there are more unicorns, I mean SFR to be found.


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## worktolive (Feb 3, 2009)

Ok, Atunah, continuing the discussion from the HR thread, the book I just finished is called Thanemonger by Bex McLynn. This appears to be the author's first book and it was quite good. It had space opera elements, a solid romance and the editing was clean. It's in KU and is $2.99.



I found some good SFR authors through the Pets In Space II anthology and was excited to see that there's a new anthology coming out in a month or so. These might not work for you because some of them were in the middle of established series and I know you don't like that, but I found all of the stories to be enjoyable (the alien pets were adorable) and didn't find them confusing even though I hadn't read any of the series they were related to.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Yay, you found it. I had to dig a bit to bring up up. 

Thanks for the recs, I'll check them out. 

As far as the anthology, I don't like series in middle, but this way I can see some names and look through their backlist. And start at the beginning of a series. As is proper.


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## worktolive (Feb 3, 2009)

Just finished Overload Flux, the first book in the Galactic Concordance series by Carol Van Natta, along with 2 novellas in the same series. I found this through the Pets In Space anthology. This is SF Romance, although the romance is not overemphasized IMHO. This series doesn't have any aliens, but it does have humans, some of whom have developed mind powers like telepathy, who have spread out and colonized various worlds in the galaxy. There are evil big pharma companies, a somewhat evil quasi-gov't agency that is supposed to protect people with "minder" powers, but actually exploits those powers, a spaceship crash on an supposedly uninhabited world - lots of fun action in other words.


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## worktolive (Feb 3, 2009)

On sale today as part of the Kindle Daily Deal, Polaris Rising, a fantastic space opera type SF Romance by Jessie Mihalik, new author whom I've been following thanks to a rec from Ilona Andrews. I actually just read this through the library a couple of weeks ago, but bought a copy today for my archives. The next book, Aurora Blazing, is out in in the fall I think. I've already read the first chapter from it and it's on the wishlist.



Another debut SFR that I read recently and quite enjoyed is Spacer's Cinderella by Adria Rose.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Polaris Rising was great. Enjoyed that one very much. I see the other you listed is in KU so I can give it a try. Title is a wee bit of a turnoff, but I trust your reviews.


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## JamieE1998 (Jun 25, 2019)

I don't know if it's already been mentioned but i LOVE the "Across the Universe" series. Excellent writing. Great characters, and just enough of both genres to be awesome. I highly recommend it.


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## worktolive (Feb 3, 2009)

worktolive said:


> Just finished Overload Flux, the first book in the Galactic Concordance series by Carol Van Natta, along with 2 novellas in the same series. I found this through the Pets In Space anthology. This is SF Romance, although the romance is not overemphasized IMHO. This series doesn't have any aliens, but it does have humans, some of whom have developed mind powers like telepathy, who have spread out and colonized various worlds in the galaxy. There are evil big pharma companies, a somewhat evil quasi-gov't agency that is supposed to protect people with "minder" powers, but actually exploits those powers, a spaceship crash on an supposedly uninhabited world - lots of fun action in other words.


I recommended Overload Flux awhile back and it's on sale today for $0.99 if you want to check it out.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Thank you  
Cost me nothing as I had a $1 no rush shipping digital promo code.


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

Boy, this one dropped far down. Back from June 2019. Remember 2019? When we were still innocent.  

Anywho. I finished "The Hour of Gann" and I can' get the link maker to work. That book I can't even describe. Its gets dark, very dark at times, but it is a super epic love story. And a lot more. It will have lots of bad things in so don't read if those things bother you. A bit of horrific stuff/rape/sex. The hero is a lizard. I mean not a shifter, he has no lips, he has a snout. He's a lizard man. So I wasn't sure how that would go, but this author is masterful. Holy moly I could not stop reading. What a skill in world building and just the epicness. Kind of like Outlander in that way. If Jamie was a lizardman  . But it has that epic feel to it. Its long. Just like Outlander. But holy moly I am impressed by this author.


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## TriciaJ82 (Jan 18, 2011)

Orchid by Jayne Castle (aka Jayne Ann Krentz) is on sale today for 1.99 It is the 3rd book in a trilogy about Earth 2 and everyone has psychic abilities. While it is the last book you can totally read them as stand alones. I really enjoy all of the books and the spin off books as well. I am terrible at synopsis so its better to just check it out on amazon 

https://www.amazon.com/Orchid-St-Helens-Book-3-ebook/dp/B003YUC6HS/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=orchid+castle&qid=1604269564&sr=8-1


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