Venk is a wonderful character living on a planet where the color of one's head crest is a sign of one's sexuality. I felt sad for Venk as he never fit in. This bittersweet story parallels the GLBT community here on Earth. It is alright to be different and Venk needs to learn that. ( )

This is a fantastic story, set on a planet with four genders, who each have their own pronoun - I loved that little detail. The world is creative and even though the four genders had me a little confused at first, the explanations were helpful and the roles of each gender quickly became clear as the story unfolded. Very imaginative!

Venk is a great person and he tries so hard to fit in. By the way, he is the only character referred to as a "he" - possible since he is of undecided gender. On this world people are expected to become one gender, attracted to other genders once they mature. Venk cannot let go of being all genders )hence his crest remains multicolored) and being attracted to all genders (each in turn, mind you), including his own, the one he finally chooses in a last-ditch effort to fit in.

And that is fundamentally the key problem he faces: he does not fit in. In this world, being of a different sexual orientation is visible, so in the long run, Venk cannot hide. Unfortunately there is no happy ending for him, and I hated that. Yes, I was warned (it does say "bittersweet" in the blurb), but I couldn't help but feel the ending was more bitter than sweet. Despite all that I found I really liked this story and, like many others, would love a sequel or a full novel set in this world - with a "sweeter" ending, pretty please!

If you like creative, imaginative worlds that do not feel like Earth, yet have some disturbing similarities in the way people behave, if you want to expand your understanding of gender and gender roles by challenging your assumptions, and if you're looking for a read that is as interesting as it is depressing, then you will probably like this short story. ( )