Jati's Wager
A space opera heist brimming with action, twists, and turns that doubles as a story of personal growth, mentorship, and sacrifice.
Ailo is a streetwise teen surviving alone on the remote moonbase, Tarkassi 9. She wants nothing more than to flee into the wider world of the Arm. When her chance arrives, she makes it no farther than the first ship out of the system. That’s where Jati, the Patent War veteran and general fighting the Monopolies gives her a second chance. It's an unlikely partnership, but Ailo's rogue status is just what Jati's People’s Army needs to drive the final spike of victory into a weakening Garissian Council.
A team of experts assembles and hope rests on Ailo's skill, stealth, and tenacity to pull off the impossible. It’s a wild gambit, and a moral code may need to be bent, or broken, to achieve success. When an internal shadow rises, casting doubt on their plans, Ailo and Jati are forced to weigh the cost of revenge against honor and justice.
Jati's Wager: a space opera inspired by the Greek myths of the Trojan War.
Title: Jati’s Wager
Series: Wind Tide (Book II)
Author: Jonathan Nevair
Genre: Sci-Fi
Paperback: 436 pages
Publication Date: 08/18/2021
Publisher: Shadow Spark Publishing
Language: English
ASIN : B09CRND3Y9
ISBN-13 : 9798458177009
My Review
This was such an amazing novel to follow up Goodbye to the Sun by Jonathan Nevair. I would love to see it as a screen adaptation! If spacey tech stuff, the banter of a rogue space crew, heart-pounding action, and endearing characters are your thing, this space opera is one you want to put on your tbr.
“Fate’s refrain was a reminder. Epochs die hard, and rarely do they go peacefully…”
How do you infiltrate your opponent in space in a story inspired by the Greek myths of the Trojan War? You dismantle their shield bubble from the core within! However, it will be a choppy ride, so you better hold on.
It’s been nine years since the Patent War Veteran and freedom fighter Jati began their mission in leading the People’s Army after the Tide Wars. Building a crew of allies and loyal soldiers, they are planning to rescue Arira, Jati’s daughter, who has been abducted by the Garassians years ago. On the up of liberation, independent planetary nations are taking shape and Jati’s philosophy is one to welcome anyone on their ship the Carmora, as long as they are willing to put in honest work for the ride. But the day that young teenage stowaway Ailo is caught, Jati’s resolutions on freeloaders is put through the wind when a bond and mentorship forms.
Ailo has gone through much in her young life to make it to the Carmora. With this new rogue family of a crew adopting her on, she finds out that she is the daughter of the famous rebel philosopher Teluv who’s books have been wiped from existence except for one…and that one went missing. Jati and Ailo share a commonality/bond that unites them in their upcoming mission. Not only has Ailo’s father been killed by Hekron the Garassian assassin, but he was also responsible for the abduction of Jati’s daughter.
In a tumultuous operation filled with traders, surprise attacks, and sacrificial decoys, the story of Jati’s Wager unfolds action-packed providing an amazing reading experience. It is a page-turner of a novel, but it is also filled with amazing passages and wisdom.
“But the shocking revelation in the nav room opened a different gate. There are doors we rush through with reckless abandon, seeking answers. Others hide the ominous, and we push them with a delicate finger ever so slowly. We peek through the crack and hope the hinges are well-greased and silent so we can turn and run if what we confront is so frightening and threatening it will undo us. But too often what we see on the other side are shadows and illusions. “
There is much to be liked about the characters. First off, the two main characters Jati and Ailo are amazing. In a sort of defense mechanism for her difficult young life without parents, Ailo has developed this inner friend she talks to for confirmation or processing information and new encounters. Jati’s role as a mentor is wholesome and endearing without caudle. Their (Jati’s) leadership and guide in Ailo’s path encourages and slowly fills the voids and space Ailo had to bridge with “Gerib” in her mind. This entire process was a slow progression and less obvious perhaps, but stood out to me overall. Memorable other characters and banter rounded everything out. From different walks of life and backgrounds or alliances, the team creates and atmosphere that puts you in a room with them and makes you want to be a part of their friendships. Nevair continued his usage of fluid pronouns as it was set in the first novel and it reads well and adds divination of heritage and language in different planetary cultures.
I loved this novel. Period. I already was a fan of Goodbye to the Sun and Nevair’s brilliant writing and mindful thinking. However, book one had a darker tone overall to it with war-battered soldiers encompassing much bleaker a view. Jati’s Wager was much lighter in many ways and flowed more effortlessly. I enjoy intellectual, mind-bending, or challenging concepts, and when it is married with the writer’s gift of show and not tell…it turns into something brilliant. To me, Goodbye to the Sun was a fire starter; Jati’s Wager is the blaze of all the best in prose and plot united. Very well done!
Do you enjoy space operas? Then give this a try. It can be read as a separate novel on its own without prior knowledge, but for a greater understanding of the economic setting and the politics in the Sagittarius Arm, you may want to read Goodbye to the Sun first.
Happy Reading!
I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.
All opinions are my own.
Thank you!
