Enjoyable Space Opera
579856
I have really enjoyed this trilogy. The central character is sort of a super-human nice guy.  The alien encounters and technology are interesting.
1880905
Quite okay light reading in the science fiction / action genre. The books follows more or less directly from The Terran Gambit, the first book in The Pax Humana series. The rather badly mauled Phoenix is on the run from Admiral Trajan and his cronies and of course in need for supplies. Not a very original story of course but a working one.

The book is enjoyable to read. The writing is quite okay and I would say that it has improved somewhat from the first book. With the exception of the temporary bad guys introduced in this book the characters are the same which means that they are quite good, both the heroes and the nasty main villain, Admiral Trajan. The story itself is a bit of a shift from the story in the first book in that instead of involving some major fleet action we have ventured into the realm of lone ship running away and most of the story develops on the ground of the planet, Destiny. Personally I am more in favor of the major fleet action.

Also, the way this story went I am now wondering whether this is going to be a endless string of adventures with a red thread going through them for sure but where we still never really see the end. I really hope that intention for the series is that Jake and the Phoenix recovers, builds some muscle (as in a proper fleet) and proceeds to dish out some [censored]-whooping to the empire within a reasonably limited series of books.

The author is throwing around the grand plan of the Emperor quite a lot. I hope that, when it is finally revealed, it measures up to the expectations that the author is building.

Bottom line is that this is quite enjoyable reading although I am a bit worried that it might turn into a never ending Fugitive / Battlestar Galactica type of story.
1934114
Giving this book a 4 - good universe building. Characters need a little more development. Not sure which side I should be rooting for, except the story is told from one perspective. There were grammatical errors, minor typos, and misuse of words, but not distracting to the good read. Read it in one sitting. Next book needs a good copy editor,and should be longer. I will purchase the 2nd book in this series. I do enjoy a good, well written battle, especially in space. Looking forward to more from this author!
3942504
A well written Space Opera. A SciFi version of the some of the old naval history sagas.
The action and the space tactics are also quite well done.
2054631
I love space opera. Humans blasting into far-flung star systems, big damned heroes, and a big, heroic story to boot. (Still waiting for an actual opera set in space, but oh well.)

So I picked up Grimspace. And I was not disappointed. The story is laid out pretty quickly, at least what the protagonist, career jumper Sirantha Jax, knows of it. She's in a maximum security medical facility recovering from an interstellar disaster that she's being blamed for. Easy as she was the lone survivor. Jumpers are people born with a special gene that allows them to enter 'grimspace'--a sort of cyberspace that lets them navigate across great expanses of space. They link closely, psychologically and frequently sexually with the pilots that they 'jack in' with.

The science isn't really delved into too much, but that didn't detract from the story for me. Jax isn't all that clear on it herself.

The corporation that owns the monopoly over shipping in this region of space is holding her, apparently to make her quietly disappear. And then March appears in her prison cell, making an offer she can't refuse.

He represents certain interests that are opposing the spacing corporation, and they need  a jumper. Jax is special because she's survived into early middle age without burning out--once a jumper has jumped a certain number of times they just sort of fizzle out and die. Or so everyone believes. Jax is not always the most reliable narrator, but she's the only one we've got--the author did great work with her unreliable narrator.

And so Jax, March, and crew bound from system to system figuring out the truth and avoiding the corp's security forces and mercenaries. There are some great action sequences and a developing romance between Jax and March that made me anxious to carry on the series. But that's enough plot detail. I've told you enough. Get out there and read this book.

I don't really see any big problems with Grimspace. It fits nicely into the space opera/space western genre--so if you liked, oh, say, Firefly and/or Cowboy Bebop this is a book you'll want to check out. And there's five more where that came from. The big pieces in the plot are nothing groundbreaking--plucky crew with the odds so not in their favor, outspoken and crotchety captain, evil corporation monopolizing all the things, morally ambiguous bounty hunter--but Aguirre does a great job putting them all into play.
2702834
Having read Quarter Share I had an idea what to expect going in. I enjoyed most of this book though some characters were not up to par with Quarter Share. It is an enjoyable read and I'd recommend it to any reader interested in space opera.
1050726
I will review all four book in this series, overall this series is a good read. The action scenes are OK or better.

The scenes where information is being given takes a little getting use too but a lot of info is passed on this way.

Overall, excellent space opera.
3083793
Id considered reading this series for a long time since the majority of the reviews seemed generally positive.  The first book in this series, The Silver Ships, is engagingly written and is a quick and easy read.  Having read lots of the space opera genre, I would consider this first book to be space opera light.  By that I mean the characters and premise are lightly defined. The characters start with strong personalities but with the exception of the protagonist, Alex, the others whither (or become anything other than strong) as the book progresses.  Alex, a space tug captain, discovers a drifting alien starship rendered inoperable by attacking Silver Ships, boards it for salvage, discovers a crew in stasis and the adventure begins.  What I did like the most about this book were the running interpersonal exchanges between Alex and the alien starships AI, Julien.  I did finish reading this book very quickly as it was engaging.  I plan on reading book 2, Libre, and suspect the depth of character development and plot will deepen.  Since Im late to beginning this series, Im pleased there are currently four books available which certainly enhances the continuity of the story telling.
3347174
I enjoyed the first two books very much, and this one continues at the same pace.  More than space opera, but some of that genre is clearly a part of it.  Well edited and easy to suspend disbelief, especially due to good character development, albeit focused upon a handful in particular.  Good series.
4535698
This is a good start to a space opera. The characters, while not terribly nuanced, seem well formed. The story isn't quite what it seems at first, but that's good. It is, however, a good action story that doesn't move too slow or too fast. I enjoyed it.
1403365
Solid space opera. Although it is not deep and could be described as formulaic, I found it a fun read throughout.
3395717
This book is not a barn burner, but.  It is a good read for a space opera.  The characters are believable, the battle scenes well written.  I believe the first book was written as a singleton but was so successfull, it is a series now.  when will the next one be out?
2932170
Sometimes I'm wary of cross-overs.  I like Romance just fine, but I've got to be in the mood for one (usually am just looking for a light, easy read).  I don't mind reading the SF-themed romances, but if I'm in the SF section of the bookstore, I really would prefer something a bit more hefty.

Well... These books have a LOT of Romance in them, but also enough story and action and complexity to be satisfying on the SF level as well.

I have to admit I used to really enjoy the Space Opera genre of past decades.  I think Catherine Asaro is doing her job to keep that alive single-handedly.  Sinclair's books have a lot of the old Space Opera feel.  Good space adventure with battles and intrigue and interplanetary travel mixed in--with good characters and personal relations mixed in.

This particular story also has quite a Star Wars like feel (first trilogy, 4-6), which was odd at times, but also good.  (Most of it was due to the term "droids" and the presence of a protocol droid that talked too much.)

The heroine is a rough and tumble girl from the wrong side of the tracks, running solo in her own rust-bucket of a ship, engaging in suspect trading runs.  The hero crash-lands almost in her lap, a dangerous military type engaged in an interstellar war.  And of course, these two opposites attract when they find mysterious plots against their peoples --and involving them personally.

So if you like Romance mixed with your SF, or even just a good old-fashioned SF adventure, I'd give this a try!
1692075
Matt Verish's space opera was a pleasant surprise.  It has some of the irreverent humor of Guardians of the Galaxy with hints of an intriguing backstory. I look forward to more adventures of this unusual crew.
950063
The storyline of a space navy officer being assigned to go on a one way mission by his enraged superior only to find interesting characters along the way is interesting. There is good character development along with a little space battle action, romance and the activities of an evil, 'superior" civilization. A good read overall.
122050
Excellent character driven space opera. I found that the pacing lagged a bit compared to the first book in the series. It seems to me though, that this installment is setting up a third book, which I eagerly await.
1357947
A really good read.  The story is a a good space opera with lots of action.  The story is very plausible.  It has some good science, but not so much that you it goes over your head.  It also had some good characters.  The story is told in such a way that the characters all seem real, even if they are bit players and do not have the page time to get detail about.  I am waiting for the next book already.