Happily, I found Gravity Lost as satisfying a read as the first book in the series, Cascade Failure. I often like first books in series more than the others because I prefer character development to action, but this book introduces several new characters which helped round out the story. The Ambit series echoes Firefly, Guardians of the Galaxy, Killjoys, and (to a lesser degree) Becky Chambers’ Wayfarer series.
The series is set in a future world run by three entities, the Trust, the Union, and the Guild. I’ll admit I have some trouble keeping their roles straight, but basically the Trust represents corporate interests, the Union represents workers, and the Guild is like a military, a force of rangers meant to neutrally protect life. The crew of the Ambit, with their AI captain, serve the Guild. In this sequel they’re forced to go rogue when the sister of one of the crew is kidnapped. The crew has been tasked with delivering mass murderer Isaiah Drestyn to the authorities. Unfortunately the kidnappers have something else in mind.
I’ve only just learned the term “found family” but that’s clearly something I like – I identify with outsiders coming together. These books are a great example of that concept. Each character is wrestling with something – past trauma, heartbreak, and physical limitations. I genuinely like each character for different reasons, and they feel fleshed out in a very realistic way. I enjoyed the way they lovingly make fun of each other.
These books are a great blend of emotion and action. Plus a lot of creative swearing. And a cat.
I would have loved a little more of a recap from the first book – I just read the first book but I often go quite a while between books in a series, and since the world-building is complicated a little more set-up would have been helpful.
I don’t know that the writing of these books is amazing – it’s a bit repetitive and predictable at times – you know the characters will face near death situations, have epic battles, and race against time. These are not books that are doing anything new. But if you like space adventure, mystery, outlaws, and characters with heart, you’ll enjoy these books.
Note: I received an advanced review copy of this book from NetGalley and publisher Tor Books. This book published July 23, 2024
