Salvaged
A WOMAN ON THE RUN. A CAPTAIN ADRIFT IN SPACE. ONE OF THEM IS INFECTED WITH AN ALIEN PARASITE.
In this dark science fiction thriller, a young woman must confront her past so the human race will have a future.
Rosalyn Devar is on the run from her famous family, the bio-engineering job she's come to hate, and her messed-up life. She's run all the way to outer space, where she's taken a position as a "space janitor," cleaning up ill-fated research expeditions. But no matter how far she goes, Rosalyn can't escape herself. After too many mistakes on the job, she's given one last chance: take care of salvaging the Brigantine, a research vessel that has gone dark, with all crew aboard thought dead.
But the Brigantine's crew are very much alive--if not entirely human. Now Rosalyn is trapped on board, alone with a crew infected by a mysterious parasitic alien. The captain, Edison Aries, seems to still maintain some control over himself and the crew, but he won't be able to keep fighting much longer. Rosalyn and Edison must find a way to stop the parasite's onslaught...or it may take over the entire human race.
Title: Salvaged
Author: Madeleine Roux
Genres: Science Fiction
Paperback, 352 pages
Publishing Date: October 15, 2019
Publishing House: Berkley Publishing House, AceRocBooks
ISBN-10: 0451491831 (ISBN13: 9780451491831)
Edition Language: English
My Review
I was drawn to this novel's edgy and timeless cover design since I laid my eyes on it. It didn't even take a whole chapter to suck me into the story. It had me pretty much on page one.
Rosalyn Devar doesn't have all her shit together. How do you go from being a bio-engineer with a brilliant career opportunity ahead to the workforce of space janitor, cleaning up decomposed bodies in a hazmat suit knee-deep in soupy sludge of human decay? Well, first off, the relationship with her parents is very difficult and second, she is wanting to escape the fame of her family's name. So where do you go? Into space!
"The job got more familiar but not easier. Never easier. And this was way beyond skin slippage, this was putrefaction on a level she had never seen before in person. Digital images just didn't capture it, really. The microscopic bacteria on the bodies were having a field day, turning once soft but decidedly human humans into a soup as dark and hideous as black gut blood, the kind of blood one never wanted to see squirt out of anything. But now she had to look at it. Now it was her job."
(Quote is taken from an ARC and not the final book!)
This is her day to day life! Sucking up the sludge of those perished on ill-fated research missions and dealing with it the best way she can: blasting music and drinking on the job.
Unfortunately, she has a way of getting herself into trouble and after a while is given a warning with the last chance to clean a special mission ship gone dark and its crew gone cold. Should she fail, she will be out of a job and has to go back home.
As Rosalyn embarks to the vessel, there are signs of life aboard, but she won't be able to make accurate predictions and calculations for rescue unless she figures out how the crew could still be alive with so little oxygen on board after several days of going dark!
Upon entering the Brigantine, things go haywire and she becomes trapped with the rest of the crew that's infected and mostly controlled by a parasitic alien. Edison Aries, the captain seems to have some capabilities to still control his actions and the two of them will try to save what they can and get out. Unprepared for an onslaught of biotech warfare, the two of them are fighting an uphill battle with their lives on the line and unveil a corruption that hits close to home and could take out all of humanity as they know it.
***
Filled with heaps of blemished characters, this galactic sci-fi thriller is edgy enough to satisfy and emotionally charged so it's easily read and relatable. The main character, despite her flaws or perhaps because of them, is a kick-ass heroine strong character and I liked her from page one.
The plot offers a myriad of dead ends that will keep you guessing at the resolve while racing through heart-pounding action and intrigue. A decent mix of AI, microbiology, and backstabbing sabotage will keep you reading into the night and root for Rosalyn.
This novel didn't hit all the notes in its pacing for me as a lot of action parts were told vs shown and left me behind sometimes, requiring a reorientation in it all by me rereading some lines. I personally do better living through the characters' actions or emotions then it being told from another angle.
This was my first novel to enjoy by Madeleine Roux. She has published several other novels in horror fiction and young adult genres including the 'Asylum', 'Zombie', and 'House of Furies' series.
I received an arc of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you kindly Berkley Publishing, AceRocBooks for my review copy.
