Review by Booklist Review
Set against a galactic backdrop where the main economic players are the Union and the Trust, and the paramilitary Guild exists as a check against both, Sagas' debut introduces Jalsen Red, who is looking for a ship to get him closer to the center of the spiral. He finds the Ambit. Captain Eoan is an essentially immortal AI. Saint and Nash are the Ambit's crew; Saint knew Jal once and believes the note in his service record that marks him as a deserter. They're diverted en route to deliver Jal to the Captains' Council by a Guild distress signal from a dead planet. It looks like a terraforming systems failure, one that happened too fast to allow anyone to escape--but then they find the final player in their little crew, Anneka Ahlstrom, a terraforming programmer. She's discovered the Trust's dirty little secret: there's a self-destruct built into the system. An epic quest to save lives ensues, with sacrifice, revenge and the consequences thereof, what really constitutes "doing the right thing," and friendships forged, broken, and reforged--an entertaining beginning for a series.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Sagas debuts with a fun romp through a faraway galaxy where three political powers' jittery coexistence is threatened when a mysterious disaster strikes a terraformed planet. Trust wields corporate power, Union controls the labor necessary to exploit new worlds, and the paramilitary Guild tries to keep both factions honest. Former Guild ranger Jal Red, suspected of desertion, is lured aboard the old spacer Ambit, joining three other entertaining misfits: philosophical AI Captain Eoan; Nash, an augmented doctor-engineer who knits; and Saint, Ambit's XO and Jal's grumpy former battle buddy, who has plenty of unresolved issues with Jal. Answering an SOS from a planet stricken by a mysterious weapon, the crew brings aboard Anke, the lone survivor and a whiz-kid programmer who wants to stop what he calls the "Deadworld Code," a high-tech, planet-destroying weapon developed by forces preferring profit to people. Rapid-fire adventures spiked with army jargon and balanced with touching resolutions of personal conflicts keep the pages turning. Add in a charming found family--and even a space-faring cat--and this spirited space opera is a resounding success. (Mar.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
DEBUT Accused of desertion, Jal just wants to get home and clear his name. Instead he runs into the Ambit, crewed by Eoan, Nash, and Saint, whom he parted with on bad terms. Before Saint can drag Jal in to face justice, the Ambit picks up a distress signal from a hacker, Anke, trapped on a dead planet. Intergalactic megacorporation the Trust has been cutting costs by sabotaging terraformed worlds that have outlived their usefulness. Anke needs help to take the Trust's Deadworld Code down. But can the crew of the Ambit trust each other? This book will appeal to fans of Becky Chambers's The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet who enjoy heartfelt sci-fi featuring a tightknit crew but are looking for a grittier plot. The Deadworld Code leaves behind eerie, barren landscapes that the characters race through to undo corporate sabotage while evading other factions with their own agendas. Jal and Saint's history hangs between them, lacing the story with themes of betrayal and how far people will go for forgiveness--or revenge. VERDICT Sagas's debut combines galactic and personal stakes in an entertaining series starter that leaves plenty of space for future adventures.--Erin Niederberger
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