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"Grimspace", Ann Aguirre's debut novel, tells the story of Sirantha Jax, the longest-lasting Jumper in history, when she becomes wanted for the crash of a spaceship.
Full of larger-than-life characters whose growth over the course of the novel interweave seamlessly with the plot, and a sharp, witty edge of humor, Ann Aguirre's Grimspace, (published in 2008) is an action-packed novel that contains space travel, beasties, unlikely friends, and a very nasty corporate enemy. Sirantha Jax is a professional jumper for inter-stellar travel, and she must fight back alongside her rescuer, March, against the big bad corporation, both human and alien, when they accuse her of crash-landing one of her ships. Sirantha JaxJax is the carrier of a special J-gene that allows her to jump ships through grimspace, yet she has lasted years longer than most other "jumpers" before they had burned out or retired. And when she becomes framed by the Corp for a crash she cannot remember, she takes up forces with the man who rescues her from the psych ward, a man named March who has his share of secrets. Her freedom comes with a price, however, and she must decide just how much of that price she is willing to pay. Jax maintains her skeptical and smart-mouthed attitude through everything, from hiding from killer robots in an outbuilding to freezing in a cave with a giant alien, and she is a constant thrill to read. MarchMarch rescues Jax, but tells her she is merely useful for his plans, though he does not tell her why. Him and his crew aboard the ship immediately dislike Jax, but each one of their characters develop delightfully over the course of the novel. March is a man with more than his share of a dark past, though is still delightfully naive when it comes to human emotion - which gives the book a realistic feel and keeps the novel from becoming too much of a doom-and-gloom storyline. His multiple faces and practical decisions are a welcome foil against Jax's blunt and sarcastic (and humorous) attitude. The rest of the characters are dotted with quirky facets and unique personalities that can make even the dullest situation shine with humor or action. The plot was quick, but did not have as satisfying an ending as most. There were points where the plot seemed to get lost in all the side stories, and it was not easy to tell which storyline was holding everything together. For a debut novel, Grimspace shows talent and potential that will certainly carry over to her future novels. About Ann AguirreOther works include Stone Maiden and Wanderlust (due out August 26, 2008), the sequel to Grimspace. She lives in Mexico with her husband and two children.
The copyright of the article Book Review - Grimspace in Sci-Fi/Fantasy Fiction is owned by Valerie Suydam. Permission to republish Book Review - Grimspace in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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