Cascade Failure

A Novel

416 pages

English language

Published May 6, 2024 by Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom.

ISBN:
9781250871251

View on OpenLibrary

3 stars (3 reviews)

There are only three real powers in the Spiral: the corporate power of the Trust versus the Union's labor's leverage. Between them the Guild tries to keep everyone's hands above the table. It ain't easy.

Branded a Guild deserter, Jal "accidentally" lands a ride on a Guild ship. Helmed by an AI, with a ship's engineer/medic who doesn't see much of a difference between the two jobs, and a "don't make me shoot you" XO, the Guild crew of the Ambit is a little . . . different.

They're also in over their heads. Responding to a distress call from an abandoned planet, they find a mass grave, and a live programmer who knows how it happened. The Trust has plans. This isn't the first dead planet, and it's not going to be the last.

Unless the crew of the Ambit can stop it.

1 edition

Mid

3 stars

I had high hopes for this one but it fell short. The characters are rather one-dimensional with often very clichéd dialogue and mannerisms. There is an attempt at world-building but it remains rather vague as to what the Guild really is and does (apparently, they're supposed to be "the good guys" but they don't come off like that at all in this book) and howit would realistically work. The villains' plan is also pretty bad and ill thought-through. There are some interesting bits but not enough for me to check out the next book in the series.

Not for me

2 stars

Content warning Here are the problems: