Aguirre, Ann: Wanderlust
Wanderlust
Writer: Ann Aguirre
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 312
Given how much I loved Grimspace, it's a no-brainer that I snatched up this sequel as soon as it was available. Though, I did have a little trouble, since for some reason, Border's didn't want to put the book ON THE SHELVES after the release date, and I had to send an employee to go hunting of it (the three copies were found in the back). Whatever. I got my copy, and couldn't wait to settle in to read.
The premise: Wanderlust picks up right where Grimspace left off: Jax and her crew are going through hearings after the fall-out of the Corp, and she's offered a job: an ambassador to the Ithiss-Tor to convince them to join the government Conglomerate. Jax doesn't understand the importance of the job, no one does, save for Vel, our trusty bounty hunter who just happens to their cultural liason. And for all their best-laid plans, nothing is easy, and Jax is learning that her ability to navigate through the grimspace is taking a bigger toll on her body than anyone realized...
Spoilers ahead.
For giggles, I went back to my original review of Grimspace so that I could compare this book to that in terms of what worked and what didn't. We've still got the kick-ass, first-person, present tense POV, but Jax is changing. She's not quite the selfish person she was in the first book, and she's learning to put others first. Also, her body isn't healing like it should, and she's physically weaker, adding a new dimension to how she interacts with those around her. She keeps March at an arm's length, and she can't stop obsessing over the fact that she's going to die, she's going to die soon, and she doesn't want to get any closer to March because he's lost too many loved ones already.
As far as tension goes, it's not quite the same. For starters, I'm familiar with the world and characters now, so the book lacks newness, which is understandable. But the book, for all its action, isn't quite as action-packed as Grimspace, and I think that's due in part to the plot. In Grimspace, there was the singular focus of staying alive because the Corp was after Jax. This time, the tension is almost reactional to what's happening. Yes, there's a bigger story: it's no accident that the Conglomerate wants an alliance with Ithiss-Tor, because the Ithtorians are poisonous to the Morgut, another alien race that just happens to think humans are the yummiest thing ever. Now that the Corp has dissolved, the Morgut are attacking outposts, and if the Conglomerate doesn't put a stop to them now, humanity got's bigger problems on its hands than space pirates and the like.
So there's a larger plot, but it's not immediately obvious. Jax doesn't warm up to her role as ambassador. In fact, she's not sure why she's chosen to begin with, so it takes some time for that responsibility to really settle on her shoulders. There's the added tension that the Syndicate is blackmailing Jax, telling her if she doesn't fail they'll kill her mom (it works in context of the plot), but that too is essentially forgotten because Jax and her mother don't get along, so saving her mother's skin isn't on the top of her priority list.
And what about Jax and March? I have to admit, I'm a little edgy over this. Yes, they have their spats and yes, their chemistry is good together even when they're entirely pissed off at each other. But when they stop at Lachion so the Doc can check Jax's condition out, they arrive in the middle of a clan war, and March can't turn his back on the people who brought him out of the brink (namely Keri, whose grandmother was the one who saved March to begin with).
Now let me get something clear: it makes sense. March seems to NEED a damsel in distress to save, someone to take care of, and Jax refused to fit that bill. Yes, he loves her above all else, save his duty to Keri's clan, which he feels is his heroic obligation to defend. I understand that, I really do, especially given what I know of his character. I also recognize the need to have Jax and March separated for a good chunk of the book so that Jax "learns" to function without him. It's not a bad move, but it broke my heart.
There's the fact that Keri's ridiculously in love with March, and I can't shake the feeling that while her need for her clan was great, she wasn't above manipulating March to keep him around. That pisses me off, not from a shipper standpoint (it's obvious March loves Jax and that was made clear when they found each other in the tunnels), but from the standpoint that it was Keri's grandmother who made March human again after he slaughtered so many people, and here she's asking (or at least, not stopping him from doing so) him to do it all over again to save her clan. Jax knows what March staying means for his soul (and I don't mean in a religious sense) and it kills her. It killed me too, because I would've thought Keri, of all people, would've known what her grandmother did for March, and would've known to protect him from that happening again. There's also the fact I wish this whole clan war could've been resolved faster than it was so that March didn't have to stay behind.
But it didn't, and while March was able to pick up on Jax's signal that they were being held by the Syndicate and rescue her and the crew, he's been changed and not for the better. The March we see at the end of this book is not the March we know and love. I like that Jax and March are going to have to work for this relationship, but he's so distant and cold now (understandably, as he's slaughtered too many people to count) that it's not going to be easy, and I don't know what it's going to take for him to crack. I liked Keri as a character, but I want her to pay for this. She doesn't have to die, but the next time she, March, and Jax are in the same scene and she tries to manipulate March once more (because she's still so in love with him), I want her to be shoved in her place and I want Jax to do it. Moreso, I want March to recognize whatever debt he felt he owed her grandmother has been paid one-hundred times over, and I want her to feel the sting of March turning his back on her.
Maybe I'm just bitter. ;)
But there's no doubt about it in this book: Jax, while not literally a damsel in distress, has to be rescued over and over in this book. She wants to act on more than one occasion, but often, something stops her. Be it the weakness of her own physical condition or just plain circumstance, she's dependent on others for the whole of the book and while she hates having people save her ass over and over, there's not much she can do about it. I hope this doesn't become a trend in this series, and I hope Jax comes to her own and starts rescuing OTHERS for a change, especially March.
I'm picking on this book, but it's because I'm so involved with the characters. The whole thing strikes an emotional response from me, so it's no wonder I'm being picky. So let's give Aguirre a break: I loved having Vel back, and the friendship developing between Jax and Vel is awesome. Jael and Hit were great additions to the cast, especially Hit, but as much as Jael came through, I still don't trust him. When he apologized to Jax towards the end, but never was able to finish the apology, my suspicions rooted hard and deep. Something's up with him, and I can't wait to find out what.
But this book does have something of a middle-syndrome to it. It's almost a transition between Grimspace and the next title, whatever that will be. I can see how the transitions necessary, but nothing in this book is ever really resolved. Even the big reveal about Jax's mother was left wide-open, and I'm not sure I how I feel about that. I respect the fact that Jax's character isn't ready to actively kill her mother or give someone permission to do it, but on the other hand, I felt like it's just dragging out the inevitable, keep the woman around for the sake of the story. We'll see how all of that works out. The revelation that Jax was conceived in grimspace was interesting and cool, but I still don't understand the implications, save for that the fact makes Jax different. So I'm looking forward to that.
My Rating
Must Have: for fans of Grimspace. Though I will point out that for those readers who liked Grimspace but weren't fond on the romantic elements, that's toned down quite a bit in this book, and this book has a different focus. For new readers, be warned, Wanderlust not a stand-alone book by any means. I've read and adored the first, and I still had trouble remembering certain details and character names. I strongly recommend this series to those readers who like that urban fantasy voice in a space opera setting, just start with Grimspace first. It's comfortable and familiar, and enjoyable to read. The only reason I nit-picked this sequel so much is because I'm so involved in the world and the characters, and I can't wait to see where the story is going.
Next up:
Book: On the Prowl by Patricia Briggs, Eileen Wilks, Karen Chance, and Sunny
Graphic Novel: V for Vendetta by Alan Moore