REVIEW: Wanderlust

Ann Aguirre
Wanderlust
Ace
ISBN-10: 0441016278
ISBN-13: 978-0441016273
Science fiction
August 26, 2008

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**Warning: There are NO spoilers of this book, but If you have not read Grimspace, check out my review here. YES, there are slight spoilers in that review.

Maybe they finally believe I’m telling the truth, but they don’t like me for it. Thanks to me the status quo has been destroyed, and now we have multiple parties rushing to fill the vacuum, some of which are worse than Farwan. Sometimes the truth doesn’t set you free; it just presents a different set of problems.

–Sirantha Jax, on the state of the universe following the collapse of the government

Sirantha Jax is a jumper, a woman possessing the right DNA to navigate grimspace, a space traveler’s ultra-fast way to get from point A to B. She had it all, a jumper’s dream come true life, that is until the Corp’s greed became obvious. The most famous jumper in history just became even more so when she causes the collapse of the intergalactic superpower. To top it all off, it means she’s out of a job.

When the new government steps in and asks her to head up a diplomatic mission, she’s in no position to quibble. It’s simple, act as ambassador on a goodwill trip to convince the natives of Ithiss-Tor to join the new Conglomerate. The only problem is now there’s no long-arm of the law to oversee interstellar space travel as the new government gets on its feet. The trade routes are packed with space pirates and who knows what else. And with Jax’s luck, there’s bound to be trouble.

When you end a book wanting the next one immediately, you know what you just read a little slice of awesome. Of course, there was the unable-to-put-down-edness of it too. How I had to quarantine myself in the house because suddenly bathing wasn’t anywhere near as important as keeping this book in my hands.

Subtle little clues like that.

A word to the wise, you will want to read Grimspace, the first book, prior to Wanderlust. It’s worth it. See subtle clues above.

There’s one prevalent thing that marks these books, something that keeps me glued to the pages and that is action. There really is never a dull moment in this book. Just when we think Jaz is about to catch a break, something bustles by and upsets the slight bit of order the book may have achieved at that point. Jax almost literally does seem to attract trouble.

Jax herself gets a very real, in-your-face dose of character development in this second installment. We got a preview of her thoughts on mortality in the first book, but we really get down to the root of it in this one, so much that it begins to affect almost everyone around her, most especially her lover, March.

She’s very practical in the way she loves. She’s realistic, sometimes too much so perhaps. The choices she makes are meant to be better for those involved, in the long run. It’s a mark of her strength that she can make these decisions and hold to them, no matter how much it may hurt her, or hurt those involved. I didn’t always agree with her. As a reader, I wanted many things in this book to be different for Jax even as I understood her reasons. There’s an enormous amount of pressure on her. Her reputation as a jumper has caused all sorts of assumptions about her character to circulate, so she has those to deal with from various other characters. She has one heck of a mother from hell to deal with. A war to wage through and a mafia to contend with. An unexpected setback in health that attempts to deny her the one thing she lives for. The woman literally never gets a break! Through it all, she has highs, lows and I felt as if I could experience each one with her. I feel she is an exceptionally developed, 1st POV heroine, one I am glad to say I look forward to much more from.

And then we have March, who is perhaps the only one who truly understands her, though other characters come close. He and Jax have a deep relationship, steeped in love and a mental connection. We are clued into his dark past as a mercenary in the first book and in this installment we get to see first hand what he was like then. I loved getting a look into his past even as I mourned what it meant for him and Jax. There was a moment, when they revisit the planet Lachion, that I literally could not hold back the tears their conversation induces. And that’s another thing this series has not skimped on – engaging the reader’s emotions. Jax and March have a powerful relationship and even though this is science fiction, I was able to feel their connection throughout, for he is never far from her mind or heart.

Together, Jax and March make for a fascinating if unstable pair. Their inner demons get in the way, cause fears and anxieties that at times not even love can conquer. To this reader, it was painful, so hard to read some aspects of their relationship this time, but I appreciated the realistic approach as well. These are not characters you’ll sigh at with every choice and speech they make, but they’re real and have true problems to overcome. It’s when they can reach a tiny bit of that resolution that I sighed.

“Jax,” he whispers.

With shaking fingers, I touch the pale bandage at his temple. It looks like he’ll have another scar for his collection. In turn he brushes rough fingertips across my cheek. I’m surprised to see them come away wet.

I have no words.

For now it doesn’t matter how complicated things have become between us. It only matters that he’s here.

More than ever, this book tests their feelings for one another, on a level no one person should ever have to or need to. In their line of work though, it’s almost inevitable. How they overcome it, eventually, will mark their character more than anything.

Supporting Cast – The Crew

Other characters really got a chance to shine in Wanderlust too. Dina, the ships mechanic, is their to lend her signature word sparring with Jax. I would have liked a bit more about her background, but we may have learned all we need to in the first book as well. Still, I loved her contributions and mourned for her during one painful moment in the book.

Velith, the bounty hunter from the previous book in charge of bringing Jax to heel, makes a return trip and he’s with Jax, taking part in her adventures throughout the whole book. He’s of the same species she’s on her way to see on Ithiss-Tor, so he’s to help her learn his people’s customs. His usefulness as a character doesn’t end there. In fact, if it wasn’t for him, Jax may never have made it. A genius at mechanical devices and computer hacking, the “bug” is literally a godsend to Sirantha in terms of her small circle of friends.

Jael is a newcomer who ends up as Sirantha’s bodyguard. A mercenary like March, his background is still as yet unclear. He adds a devil-may-care air to the book though, and another level of expertise that aids them during a very messy situation. He has a unique genetic makeup from the rest and it’s this aspect of him that I look forward to more about in the next book. He’s secretive though, I feel, and I do wonder if he’ll be good for Jax in the long run, or if he’s hiding something sinister perhaps. Time will tell, but so far I like him very much.

A Well-Built World, the Perfect Backdrop

Human life, or any sentient being for that matter, isn’t all that valued in this series. Profits, elections, the bottom line and coming out on top – literally survival of the fittest – are what counts to too many, to the ones in power at any given moment. I think this is a major factor that sets Jax, Dina, March and others apart, makes them special in a way that became very noticeable. It’s a kill or be killed mentality this universe has. At times, Jax succumbs to it, but in the end she rises above.

Like I said in the beginning, this book is slam full of action. A pace opens up at the beginning and accelerates from there. Things slow down a bit when Jax and crew reach a remote emergency space station, but here it was meant to be. A terrifying species has taken over there and the chills I experienced reminded me of a horror book, but one in which the monsters actually scared me for once. Readers of Grimspace will recognize the species in question, but beware; you will not be prepared for their way of life.

We revisit the terror of invisible winged creatures on the planet Lachion, the place that reminded me of the movie Pitch Black. Warring clans carve out a strange, bare existence, carefully balanced between survival against these voracious creatures and rights over the mines there that fuel the galaxy in many ways. Once again, we see in yet another way that the value human life has never been the determining factor in the machinations of cultures and governments in Aguirre’s carefully constructed world. It’s driven home on Lachion, but also celebrated in one of the most elemental ways as well, by the coming together of Jax and her ragtag crew to beat the odds once again.

The worldbuilding was very well established prior to this one, and carries out smooth as silk. I loved that Aguirre revisits some aspects of Grimspace, expands on them and still lead us into plenty of new territory. The plot is tight and every part is integral to the story. The only questions I had by the end were: where will Jax go next and when can I go with her? Because I want to, very much. An exceptional heroine, a bevy of great supporting characters and a wide, wide world in which to explore with them – what more could a lover of science fiction want?

Rating: Five Scoops

Visit the author’s site for more information on all her work. Stay tuned for more Sirantha Jax and Co. Book three, Doubleblind, releases in October of ’09. It’s a bit too far off for me, but somehow, I shall manage. Can we say, reread?