Review: Killbox

Ann Aguirre
Sci-Fi
353 pages
Sirantha Jax #4
Chapter 1
Ace


Synopsis:

Talk is cheap when lives are in jeopardy
Sirantha Jax is a “Jumper,” a woman who possesses the unique genetic makeup needed to navigate faster than light ships through grimspace. With no tolerance for political diplomacy, she quits her ambassador post so she can get back to saving the universe the way she does best—by mouthing off and kicking butt.
And her tactics are needed more than ever. Flesh-eating aliens are attacking stations on the outskirts of space, and for many people, the Conglomerate’s forces are arriving too late to serve and protect them.
Now, Jax must take matters into her own hands by recruiting a militia to defend the frontiers—out of the worst criminals, mercenaries, and raiders that ever traveled through grimspace…




Review:
The whole universe is changing and Jax, March, Dina, and Vel are at the helm of its evolution.  March has been tasked with rallying captains and ships to begin fighting against the Morgut, who continue to kill thousands and wont stop until all worlds crumble.  This puts Jax and March in a sensitive position again because March knows as fleet commander, any vulnerabilities he may have would be exploited to the fullest degree. Aguirre continues to draw such deep rooted emotions from me with the situations she puts her characters in.  With each battle, each struggle I feel as though my friends are on the battlefield.  I worry as though these characters are flesh and blood, and I cry and hold breath while their under duress.  The characters remain exciting and continue to surprise me chapter after chapter. 


I was worried (I don't know why) that Aguirre would have a difficult task of keeping this chapter engaging so late in the series, but she does a fantastic job of shifting the series' focus from a selected few to the activities and the well-being of the universe's future.  Jax, Doc, and Dina are trying to figure out how the Morgut jump through grimspace wherever they like, instead of at the designated portholes that the "jumpers" are restricted to.  It was fascinating to watch them wade through theories and introduce nanite technology in an attempt to repair damage inside someone's body. This is what makes sci-fi such an interesting genre.  The possibilities are infinite and the imagination is free to go wild with ideas.  Aguirre takes things just far enough to be futuristic while still keeping things believable and relatable.  


The action is pretty constant as per usual, but the "good times" are fewer and farther between in this installment.  I mean we're in the middle of a inner-stellar war people, it's not gonna be easy.  I will say that even though my heart was heavy at book's end I'm left hopeful.  I can't WAIT to see what Aguirre has in store for the us in Aftermath and Endgame, the final 2 books of the series. 


Bottom Line: Just like wine and cheese, the Sirantha Jax saga gets better with age.


5 stars