Ahoy there me mateys! I didn’t know that this was the first book in a series but y’all I be so glad cause dang this was fun. The book follows Fergus Ferguson who is sent to repossess a sentient AI ship from Arum Gilger the man who stole it. Gilger lives in a backwaters colony called Cernee. It is supposed to be a slightly tricky but doable job for Fergus. It so isn’t. It’s a mess.

This is one of those stories where Fergus should die multiple times and doesn’t because of zany things that are improbable but not impossible. And fun! This book has a little bit of everything – scary aliens that kidnap people, space battles, gang warfare, smuggling, humor, fantastic characters, and bad guys that it be fun to cheer against. Even though the story is lighter toned, it also has excellent character development, extremely believable world-building, realistic but not overbearing politics, and heart-felt relationships. I also really enjoyed the cultural differences of the various groups of spacefarers. I loved Cernee and the glimpses ye got of other places too. It be a world I wouldn’t mind exploring with a good guide.

It was wonderful to follow Fergus and I loved the way the author provided the reader with backstory and explanations in a manner which folded them into the story without derailing the action or plot. There are cool flying pogo sticks (seriously this makes sense). I want one. I loved all the secondary characters too – snarky teen Mari in particular. And no romance!! By the end of the book, I was sad because I didn’t want to leave the characters and wanted to know more. Luckily I will get me wish. Arrr!

Side note: the e-book of book one is super cheap on Amazon US. Maybe ye should get a copy asap.