Grimspace (Sirantha Jax, Book 1)
by Ann Aguirre
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Book Reviews of Grimspace (Sirantha Jax, Book 1)
Book Review: A Pleasant Surprise
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm not usually a sci fi reader. Call me a wuss, but whenever I would try to read sci fi, I usually got too distracted by all the sciencey stuff to remain focused on the story. But I had seen Grimspace advertised on a website and the cover caught my eye. At that point my reaction was about as intellectual as "Ooo, pretty colors..." but hey, attractive covers are a plus. Then the book caught my eye again, this time in the bookstore, and lo and behold, it sounded interesting. I figured, what the heck? What I didn't know at the time of purchase was that it's something called "romantic" sci fi. This left me a little worried; I wanted what was promised to me on the back of the book, not a romance novel with spaceships and lightsabers.
Starting out, I really wasn't sure what to make of it. I found Jax to be inconsistent as a character at first and hard to empathize with. There were little quirks of writing style that drove me crazy, like the incessant use of the word "frag" as a swear and Aguirre's habit of leaving off things like proper nouns from the start of a sentence. For example, you'd get "Could have seen it" rather than "I could have seen it". This became really fragg--er, really frustrating pretty quickly. But for all of that, I found it pretty easy to keep reading. Okay, I suffered a major WTF moment on the planet Lachion. You've got gobs of space open to you and you choose to colonize a planet with packs of man-eating flying dinosaurian creatures that can rip through the plate armor on vehicles and smell blood in the air from miles away? Why!? I think perhaps that taking time for a little bit more history of these sorts of places would be good, and I think Aguirre could manage it fine without bogging her story down.
So about halfway through I suddenly realize that I'm rather enjoying myself. A short time later I notice that I'm really enjoying myself. The book is fun and witty, and those little quirks that were annoying me either thinned out or became less noticeable (hard to tell in the middle of reading). You learn more about Jax, which makes her character come together at last, and she's remarkably easy to empathize with. Her thoughts are often selfish, her first instinct tends to be about what is good only for her, but I could understand where she was coming from after a while. She's an interesting protagonist with a lot of potential, I think.
Grimspace is light on things like technobabble and scientific info dumps, which keeps it from bogging down. And the romantic element really isn't a concern. It's far from being the main plot focus and though it gets a little bit obnoxious towards the end, it never comes close to consuming the whole novel (I think some of this feeling has to do with the first person POV, which makes it difficult to get across the perspective of other characters). Being far from savvy when it comes to science, though, and sci fi for that matter, I wanted the opinion of someone who was; my fiance, in this case. He didn't find the romance element to be obtrusive either and the science that was there was mostly sound (he did question what precisely these dinosaur creatures eat when human flesh is unavailable, since that wasn't mentioned. Which I have to admit is a pretty good point). So that's a pretty strong recommendation from someone who has a clue what they're talking about.
I personally was a bit concerned with the end. I found it seemed a bit too pat, too perfect, and I really hope it will be addressed in the second one. Even with the few misgivings I have, I'm looking forward to the second one a lot. Good thing it'll be out in September. You can already see the cover for it on Ms. Aguirre's site. Ooo, pretty...
Book Review: Light, fast paced adventure-romance
Summary: 4 Stars
So, there I was, stuck in Rockford, Illinois. Not that much of a hardship, mind you, considering that I was sucking down a mocha while meandering through the science fiction and fantasy section of the local Borders. In any event, the book whose cover caught my eye and whose jacket copy eventually opened my wallet by Grimspace by Ann Aguire.
Grimspace tells the story of Sirantha Jax, a starship navigator, and the turn of events that follow a tragic accident and set her on a path directly against the company who had made her into a near-celebrity of space travel. Sirantha goes from the highs to the lows because of a horrible accident, the details of which emerge during the telling of the tale. Trapped in a "recovery facility" where she is being systematically brainwashed to take responsibility for the crash, an unknown rescuer appears to lead her from her quasi-imprisoned state to freedom.
Her relief dies quickly, though, when she realizes that her hand has been dealt against her will with a group of unlikely and antagonistic mercenaries hired simply to recover her for an anonymous client with motives unknown.
As I read that brief introduction of the beginning back to myself, I realize that I should mention that most of that takes...um...let's see: a whopping 14 pages. This highlights the most enjoyable aspect of Grimspace: Aguirre's fast-paced and action-packed writing style. There's precious little time to catch your breath in this book. Events happen so fast that they trip over each other beginning and ending. The characters themselves at times seem out of breath keeping up with the flow of the narrative. Frankly, that's really, really good.
One of the primary requisites for a good book is keeping the pages turning. Make the reader wonder "What happens next?" so that they don't lose focus and go out for a cup of coffee with friends instead of staying curled up in the easy chair reading. Aguirre is very, very good at this.
Now, if you're looking for lots of depth, keep moving. What you see is pretty much what you get in keeping with the fine tradition of pulp romance novelists everywhere (which is another of Aguirre's callings). There's no great innovations in technical application here. No references to up and coming tech or deeper cultural concepts to be mined for reference to events current, past, or pending. In fact, the once cultural referent of note is an "Oh, looK! EEEEEEVILIE CORPORATE EMPIRE!" cliche. Which, frankly, is a predictable "FAIL" in terms of plot devices.
Of course, if you can shake your head, shrug, and keep going, the story is a lot of fun to read for all its predictability. The fast pace and the empathic presentation of the main characters really does hook the reader into finishing as fast as they can. I even handed it off to my son as an example of how to keep things "clicking" with your presentation.
So, if you're in the mood for some light romance grafted onto an action-packed adventure novel, dig in. I know when the mood hits me again, I'll be looking for the next novel in the Sirantha Jax series. And no, I won't be looking for any kind of deep, introspective meaning, either. Just a thumping good story.
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Book Review: Her Novel is a Nova!
Summary: 5 Stars
What can I add to what 52 reviewers have already written? Without plowing through all those reviews? Maybe what I have to say has been said before, but two points bear repeating.
First, GRIMSPACE is the biggest surprise I've read in quite a while.
Second, Ann Aguirre has science fiction in her bones.
Her debut novel comes with blurbs from SF Romance novelists Linnea Sinclair and Robin D. Owens, and several others whose names I don't know and who I surmise come from the same area of interest. But it could probably have gotten raves from genre sf writers as well. Maybe her later books have; I'll have to check that out.
Reading GRIMSPACE is like reading Larry Niven or Allen Steele or John Scalzi for the first time. We see echoes of cyberpunk: Heroine Sirantha Jax (What a name!) "jacks in" to the system that allows her to see the beacons of grimspace (Aguirre's version of hyperspace) placed by the old ones (a riff of sf in which the relics of long-dead alien civilizations are part of human experience). Unlike Elizabeth Moon, she doesn't adopt Ursula K. Le Guin's term "ansible" for her instantaneous message communicator, but any sf fan will recognize the significance of "bouncing" messages -- essential to resolution of the plot, but introduced early on so it doesn't come off like deus ex machina. But the thing is, Aguirre puts all these elements, plus others (several of her own invention) together in a new way. She has created a universe all her own, and her story is told in a voice all her own.
Sirantha Jax is a heroine all her own, and she grabs you from the very first page. She's a jumper, one of the rare humans with the genetic gift of being able to "see" in grimspace. We first meet her in prison, where she is being held by the Corp that monopolizes intestellar travel, blamed for a crash that took the lives of interstellar diplomats. To the rescue comes a man named March, who needs a jumper for some sort of agenda of his own that may or may not be to her ultimate benefit. Their relationship develops into a romance, but not in any standard manner -- it often seems like one step forward, two steps back. It doesn't help that they both have serious attitude problems, but working through those is the core of the romance plot. As for the sf plot, it's incredibly complex and often bizarrre, but it all hangs together. Elements that seem to come out of left field turn out to exactly right. It's the same with surprise twists; the reader is left thinking, "Why didn't I see that coming?" That includes the climax, in which Jax is caught in a seemingly hopeless jam, but the resolution turns out to have a perfect logic -- the logic of character. Yet in her depictions of several strange planets, Aguirre explodes the common but unjustified assumption that rich world creation and rich character creation don't belong together in an sf romance novel.
Ann Aguirre is GOING PLACES. You can depend on that. And you can bet that I'm going to grab her other novels first chance I get.
--John J. Pierce, author of IMAGINATION AND EVOLUTION
Book Review: Add a very human, interesting protagonist with a whole lot of action ... for an addictive mix.
Summary: 4 Stars
Sirantha Jax is a jumper. A 'jumper' is the rare person genetically able to 'jump' a ship through grimspace. Jax embraces the cavalier life of a jumper--even knowing that each jump brings her closer to her own death, because the inevitable end of each jumper is burning out. When one of the ships she was navigating crash lands, killing everyone on board but her, Jax is held in a facility to 'heal'. Instead, she's subjected to horrible treatments and brought nearly to her breaking point. When a man name March shows up and offers Jax freedom, she must take the offer or be lost.
GRIMSPACE is an incredibly tight read. By that I mean, the pacing is quick and the tension makes the book an incredibly quick read. Aguirre begins the story in a great spot. Jax is mentally hurting and fragmented after the crash. Her memories of the crash are lost to her and convoluted by the cruel 'treatments' she's receiving. Her career, life, and mind are shattered.
When March enters, the action begins.
I adored Jax as a character. She's scarred by her experiences, but alternately tough as nails (and just a touch crazy). I loved Dina, the mechanic of the crew, and March grew on me. And I could never claim that any character wasn't unique. Aguirre always has had a touch for excellent characters and relations between the characters. There's a romance. A incredibly well-done romance. Like I said, Aguirre does personal relationships. It's her strong ground.
Don't head into GRIMSPACE looking for the sci-fi. If you want the elaborately detailed worlds, technology, and aliens then GRIMSPACE might disappoint. Don't get me wrong: GRIMSPACE is definitely a sci-fi novel with all the elements; however, GRIMSPACE doesn't pause to become bloated with worrying overmuch on the details. Instead, Aguirre sets up a riveting protagonist, an intriguing plot, and a whole lot of trouble. The characters will sweep almost any reader away. Of course, this is great for those readers who tend to sidestep science fiction. For readers who ordinarily prefer urban fantasy or romance, I urge you to give GRIMSPACE a try.
Now, there were two places that really didn't work for with me in GRIMSPACE. Both ended up feeling hurried and just not quite right. (For those who've read, this would be the initial meeting with Hon and some parts with Velith). In both cases I was able to just make an extra effort to suspend my disbelief and just get past the problem areas without great detriment to the novel. All-in-all, I highly recommend GRIMSPACE and couldn't wait to get my hands on the next two in the series: WANDERLUST and DOUBLEBLIND.
GRIMSPACE is a science fiction novel that doesn't worry itself overmuch on the genre elements and instead devotes itself completely to the wonderful cast of characters. Mix up a very human, interesting protagonist along with a whole lot of action to get an idea of what makes Aguirre's GRIMSPACE so addicting.
Book Review: Wonderful SciFi action read for all!
Summary: 4 Stars
Sirantha Jax is, or was, a jumper for The Corp - until that crash happened. The one where the pilot, crew, and political members being transported where killed. It was a miracle Jax lived. But now she finds herself incarcerated in a psych ward at the hospital with constant mental testing done on her, or maybe it's torture. Then a mysterious man shows up and breaks her out of the hospital. Jax now finds herself on a new mission that she thinks she doesn't want. But one that could start a whole new batch of jumpers for people other than The Corp. Now taken in by this new loner group; they plan on learning Jax's secrets to living through jumping for so long where others burnt out, then teach it to others to jump. A new system of renegade jumpers to eliminate the tariffs of trade and use of The Corp. But Jax soon learns this all goes deeper than that, all the way down to genetics.
Where do I start on this book. This is a science fiction type read with the computers, technology used, and outer space setting. We go on a space exploration which kind of feels like Star Trek. But this is geared for even female readers who may not be big outer space fans. I really liked the idea of jumping. But I have to admit I had a hard time wrapping my brain around it at first. I think I was trying to hard to understand every minor detail of the idea before it was all completely spelled out for me. But once Jax was on her second jump, I was a pro to they systems and knew what was going on and loved what she saw.
The characters! Oh, I loved the way these characters where all written. I loved the whole small crew that Jax works with now. They all have their own quirks and histories. And I want to know all of it. They humor and complement each other wonderfully. As it's hard to pick my favorite character here I have to say I loved the relationship between March and Jax. In the beginning Jax torments March with cruel death thoughts of him and straight forward hate thoughts. Then when Jax realizes there has to be something special about March she does it to just get a rise out of him. And it works! They have quick comebacks that where just fun and made me chuckle and smile. And the relationship grows between these two as the book goes.
The writing is great Ann Aguirre through and through. She describes things in a way that is easy to understand and see in my minds eye. Yes, I had a little bit of troubles at first with the jumping, but I was jumping to try to understand before Ann got through describing it to us. Once she was through that I understood and could see it all working. The Chapters are short and direct. And the action never stops, which is a classic Ann Aguirre read. She kept moving with the action and the relationships constantly. I never got bored with the book. It we went fighting, we where laughing.
I will be reading the next book in this series.