Devi Morris isn't your average mercenary. She has plans. Big ones. And a ton of ambition. It's a combination that's going to get her killed one day - but not just yet.
That is, until she just gets a job on a tiny trade ship with a nasty reputation for surprises. The Glorious Fool isn't misnamed: it likes to get into trouble, so much so that one year of security work under its captain is equal to five years everywhere else. With odds like that, Devi knows she's found the perfect way to get the jump on the next part of her Plan. But the Fool doesn't give up its secrets without a fight, and one year on this ship might be more than even Devi can handle.
If Sigouney Weaver in Alien met Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica, you'd get Deviana Morris -- a hot new mercenary earning her stripes to join an elite fighting force. Until one alien bite throws her whole future into jeopardy.
*My Thoughts*
Fortune's Pawn is the first novel in the Paradox trilogy, and I am happy to say that it was absolutely worth all the peer pressure that I received by not reading this series sooner. As such, I tossed away all other review books I had scheduled to read, and decided to read the entire series over the course of the weekend. I am glad I did.
Fortune's Pawn is told in the first POV by Paradoxian Deviana "Devi" Morris who has only one real goal in mind; to be come a part of the King's armored unit called the Devastators. Devi has spent the past 9 years of her life rising thru the ranks in the army, and then as a mercenary. She pushed the limits of what she could achieve without being stuck behind a desk which would taken all of the joy our of living away from her.
Promotions, achievements, and heroic actions are only part of Devi's path to becoming a Devastator. Unwilling to wait in order to gain experience to be considered, she takes the advice of her "friend with benefits" Anthony Pierce to hitch a ride with the infamous Captain Brian Caldswell, and the eclectic crew of the Glorious Fool. Agreeing to a one year contract, which in any other area would be considered 5 years experience, Devi gets a first hand look into Caldswell crew, and their adventures push Devi to the extreme limits where she has to make quick decisions on her feet without running away or becoming too emotional.
It's actually fun to be able to say that the comparisons between Sigourney Weaver in Aliens, and Devi in this series, are spot on. Both characters are extremely confident, strong women who can match the snark and attitude of any man that gets in their way. I love that Devi calls her weapons names, including her specially made armor she calls Lady Gray. I loved that she can make mistakes because her heart is in the right place. But, she doesn't allow anyone to keep her down for long.
Bach definitely has a way of writing science fiction. I love her world building, and her characters. I love that she introduces other alien races like the aeons, lelgis, xith'cal, and phantoms, as well as Terran and Paradox humans that are just as hard core as their descriptions. As a science fiction reader, I love action scenes, even if they are bloody, and gory, and just down right stomach ache inducing. The more action, the more I gobble up the story like turkey on Thanksgiving day.
So, why you ask, didn't I rate this book 5 stars? Well, let's just put it this way; while I enjoy a bit of romance as much as the next person, I am more of an action, adventure, lots of fights, and kick assery person. I don't want the romance to interrupt the flow of the story just for the sake of entertainment.
So, Devi's relationship with Rupert Charkov wasn't the highlight of this book for me. Don't get me wrong, Rupert is hard core through and through, and his relationship with Devi is filled with desire, and but also a whole lot of angst. As I have already read the next two books in this series, things only get more intense and stranger from here on out!
Next up, Honor's Knight!
Author - Rachel Bach
Title - Fortune's Pawn (Paradox # 1)
Published by Orbit
Released - November 5, 2013
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance
Format: E-Book 300 pages
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