Tangent
by Brett James

Fallacy Publications
Sci Fi & Fantasy
Pub Date:  Jan 9, 2016

Review

Tired of Firefly reruns and looking for a new science fiction series to follow?  Tangent has exactly what you're looking for - a ragtag bunch of misfit not quite heroes living and working in a crumbling long past obsolete space station on the edge of the universe.  What they are missing in tech and backup, they make up for with moxy and creativity.  They are led by Commander Xianx Paul, an almost forgotten hero of the last war. Tangent is not the easiest posting.  By law noone is allowed on the planet.  In reality several million people live amongst the ruins of a long absent civilization.  Smuggling scavenged tech is how the people of Tangent survive, and Paul is used to being pragmatic rather than following the letter of the law, particularly since the smugglers have more firepower.

When a Vice Admiral arrives from Central Command to take over the station, it's only a matter of time before her hard enforcement of the rules brings trouble.  Something big has been found on Tangent and more than one party is interested in getting their hands on the item.  

One character neglected in the description plays what I feel is the most important role.  Tanyat "Red" is the government's political liaison.  She is clever, a talented pilot, quick on the draw, and not afraid of her own sexuality.  Without her, the rest of the crew would be up the proverbial creek without a paddle.  In this, what is clearly the first of a series of books, her character has a more central role than Paul.

This is a stand-alone novel, but Tangent is clearly the first in a series.  I look forward to see what Brett James has up his sleeve for the next installment.  

4/5

I received a copy of Tangent from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom



Description

Three billion miles from home, Commander Xianx Paul helms an antiquated space station orbiting Tangent, a lonely planet at the edge of the solar system. Tangent is a fabled El Dorado, its wealth taking the form of artifacts left behind by its long-lost civilization—powerful relics that have attracted some of the system’s most dangerous criminals. Understaffed and under-equipped, Paul’s crew struggles to maintain order with nothing but the distant threat of military retaliation to back them up. But when an admiral arrives from Central Command intent on advancing her own career, she dismisses Paul’s warnings, accuses him of inaction, and wages a reckless war against a savage gang of smugglers. But there are more eyes on Tangent than anyone realizes. As other forces rush in to take advantage of the turmoil, Paul and his crew are trapped in a desperate, three way battle for their very lives.