Aguirre, Ann: Endgame
Endgame (2012)
Written by: Ann Aguirre
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 337 (Mass Market Paperback)
Series: Book Six (Sirantha Jax)
Why I Read It: I've been following this series since its debut in 2008, and it's hard to believe that with Endgame, the series is finally over. September brought a lot of books to my doorstep, but Endgame was the first one I wanted to read, because I couldn't wait to see how Aguirre wrapped up the series….
The premise: ganked from BN.com: Regret nothing.
Sirantha Jax has the J-gene, which permits her to “jump” faster-than-light ships through grimspace. She loves nothing more than that rush, but the star roads have to wait…
Her final mission takes her to La’heng, a planet subjugated during first contact. Since then, the La’hengrin homeworld has been occupied by foreign conquerors.
All that’s about to change.
Now, as part of a grassroots resistance, Jax means to liberate the La’hengrin. But political intrigue and guerrilla warfare are new to her, and this will be the most dangerous game she’s ever played-spies and conspiracies, a war of weapons and hearts, and not everyone is guaranteed to make it out alive…
Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. It's the end of the series, and if you want it spoiled, you'll have to look elsewhere (or ask me very, very nicely, and ask privately). So if you want a sense of how the series ends, feel free to keep reading, unless you're in a hurry, and then you can jump to "My Rating." Everyone else, onward!
Reading this from the start was a little jarring. Totally not Aguirre's fault either, but I'd just finished reading The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham and the print size for that massive trade paperback is actually large. So large that when I came to Endgame, I'm like, "Oh, MY EYES!!! TINY PRINT HURTS THE EYES!!!" And proceeded to wail and moan mentally while reading. My husband, who is a graphic designer, thought it was perhaps eight point font. I thought it was smaller than that, but really, even eight point font is too tiny. Or maybe I was spoiled by Abraham's large print. Whatever the case, I had annoying headaches for three nights running, and those three nights I was reading this book. I blame the font. :)
The story itself actually surprised me. When I read Aftermath (review @ LJ || @ WP) , I mentioned that I really felt like that book felt like the end of the series, so I was super-curious to see just how the series would really end.
It ended in war, of course. The war to free the La'hengrin from their human oppressors. I really wasn't that invested in the storyline. For most of the book, I wished that this particular conflict had been book five and book five had been the final book, but I finally got over that, because frankly, in order for the characters to grow the way they needed to, Aftermath absolutely had to come first.
There was also the fact that Jax and March had to be resolved. Sure, some readers love them together, but book after book, it's clear that these two people have issues in their relationship and what they expect of the other person and why. And that was addressed, and it was addressed well. Very adult, and I continue to love how Aguirre recreates real, adult relationships with real, adult problems. I won't tell you how March and Jax end, because that would be a spoiler, but I will say I didn't see it coming.
The friendship between Jax and Vel also deepened, and I had to marvel at the way Aguirre handled certain events in the book. There was a point where Vel and Jax could have slept together easily, without any weirdness, and I think other writers would've taken that chance. Not Aguirre. The focus of the book is the war and what must be done to win it. The focus is to stay true to these characters and watch them stay true to each other. I loved the way Aguirre handled Jax and Vel.
Yet the action of the book, especially given the timeframe for which all of this happens, gets summarized and glossed over a lot. Oh, there's intimate moments. There are heartbreaking moments. But so much gets glossed over that by the end, that's almost all we're getting as Aguirre is wrapping up the guerrilla warfare and getting to the book's climax. Even the book's climax felt like a non-event for me, but perhaps I never had any doubts going in how this would end. Yes, characters we know and love die. But we also get new characters. And again, I didn't quite get the ending I was expecting. But the end, the very end, was solid, and I loved that sense that Jax was aware that this phase of her life was over, that it was time to embark on something new, and that story was only beginning. This book makes me wonder if Aguirre's new SF series, which takes place in this universe, will feature any of the side characters who were developed here (Sasha, perhaps?).
My Rating: Good Read
It's a good conclusion with an ending that's both expected and not. I loved seeing how Aguirre developed Jax's relationships with others, particularly coming to the heart of her and March's somewhat rocky relationship. I also loved seeing the extent of the bond that Jax and Vel have for each other. The only real flaws of the book are Aguirre's tendency to summarize the action, but I see why it was a necessary tool, given how much time the novel spans. I definitely look forward to the day when I re-read this series. I can't wait to see it start from the beginning and watch how everything develops, without having to wait six months to a year between volumes. It's certainly been a fun and satisfying series, combing elements of space opera, military SF, horror, and romance. Some books have heavier elements than others, but as a whole, the series has been a joy to read, with characters I'm not likely to forget. Jax's story may be over, but there's still a new series in this world to look forward to, and you can bet I'll be picking it up as soon as it's available.
Cover Commentary: Love it. I can't sit here and tell you which of the Jax covers is my favorite, but this is up there, that's for sure. I loved the style used for this space opera series. So bright and colorful. In this cover, I don't know what Jax is crouching on, but it's a great pose, and I love how she looks like a warrior.
Next up: The Book of the Night by Pearl North