"Gritty, thrilling ride of a woman's journey to discovering herself."
Sirantha Jax has a rare ability. Due to the J gene she has,
Jax is able to navigate through Grimspace. This is a highly
prized ability. So working for the Corp was pretty much a
given. Which is also why it's such a shock for Jax to find
herself incarcerated and undergoing "dream therapy" by Corp
shrinks. Unfortunately, Jax was the only survivor of a
crash which took the life of her pilot, Kai. See,
navigators and their pilots have a very unique
relationship. It's more of a bond than a relationship. Now
she's not only heartbroken after Kai's death, she's trying
to figure out what caused the crash. It was just a routine
mission with diplomats onboard. And as far as Jax can
remember, she got them safely through Grimspace. So when a
stranger comes to visit Jax in her cell, she's hoping he's
her counsel. Of course, no such luck. The man ends up
breaking her out of jail. When they finally make it to his ship, Jax finds out she's
supposed to navigate while he pilots. Even though Jax is
pretty sure this is not a good move, she agrees and they
escape the planet and Jax discovers the pilot, March, is
psy. This pretty much shocks Jax since piloting and being
psy just don't go well together. The crew consists of
Loras, who is really good with languages. A doctor, Saul,
more of a scientist though, and Dina, in charge of repairs. Exactly why did March break Jax out of jail? Does he have
any motive other than gaining a navigator? Will a
relationship develop between Jax and March? Who is behind
the ship crashing, killing everyone onboard but Jax? GRIMSPACE is a wild ride through space. Ann Aguirre tells
this story in a very gritty manner from Jax's point of
view. And while we have all the elements of a terrific
story—romance, love lost, danger, self-sacrifice—to me, the
changes Jax undergoes really make this one terrific read.
We watch as Jax transforms from a confused woman in the
beginning, back to her navigator self as self-absorbed and
cocky, and finally becomes what she was meant to be. This
is a story which will remain with me for a long, long time
to come. If you enjoy a good, character-driven science
fiction romance, don't miss this one.
Reviewed by Chere Gruver
Posted February 15, 2008
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**2008 PEARL NOMINEE - BEST SCIENCE FICTION OR FANTASY** By all accounts, Sirantha Jax should have burned out years ago… As the carrier of a rare gene, Jax has the ability to jump ships through grimspace—a talent which cuts into her life expectancy, but makes her a highly prized navigator for the Corp. But then the ship she’s navigating crash-lands, and she’s accused of killing everyone on board. It’s hard for Jax to defend herself: she has no memory of the crash. Now imprisoned and the subject of a ruthless interrogation, Jax is on the verge of madness. Then a mysterious man breaks into her cell, offering her freedom—for a price. March needs Jax to help his small band of rogue fighters break the Corp monopoly on interstellar travel—and establish a new breed of jumper. Jax is only good at one thing—grimspace—and it will eventually kill her. So she may as well have some fun in the meantime…
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