Endgame

Catch-22, damned if you do, damned if you don't. Fidelity, immortality, and cross species devotion, Aguirre has written a relationship unlike any other. In ENDGAME Aguirre attempts to offer these beloved characters closure. This last book doesn't dethrone AFTERMATH as my favorite in the series, but it did make me nostalgic to go back to book one and start reading this series all over again.

Poised between futures with Vel and March, I could have been happy being left with only Sirantha's possibilities. This last book closes doors, buttons up loose ends, and despite a happy ending, didn't impact me as deeply as AFTERMATH. In an effort to free an entire planet enslaved, Jax goes to war. The initial surgical strikes are vivid and elegant, but before long things begin to go wrong. No war is clean, and Aguirre writes a guerilla war that devolves into masacres, weapons of mass destruction, and heartbreak. Somehow, despite the high stakes, ENDGAME still manages to revolve around the tangled relationship of March, Jax, and Vel. I couldn't help but feel that March and Jax rush to fit a lifetime of emotional growth into one book.

Usually I'm not one for melodrama, but I have to confess that I responded more to the emotional wrenching parts of this love story than the happily ever after.

Full review to follow.

Sexual Content: Sex scenes. ( )

I'm really going to miss Jax, but at the same time, I'm glad this is the end. It wasn't a perfect ending, but they all still have their lives ahead of them. I'm also really glad that La’heng is free now. It wasn't a pretty thing, although I really liked Jax playing a La’heng even if it is odd to see her as a redhead. ( )

This final book in the series of Sirantha Jax was a departure from the previous books. This book is even more filled with violence and loss. I actually appreciate the way the story is crafted for this last book. While I enjoyed reading the book, I don’t think I would enjoy another Jax story like this one. So, it made for a good ending to the series, for me. Sasha, March's nephew plays a role in the struggles in this book.

As a spoiler, I would say that for those readers who cannot read about war and killing, this book might not be for you. War fills about half of the story. Jax learns skills in fighting and killing. She kills more people in this book than any other in the series. That was always an aspect of March’s character and Vel was a competent fighter, but this seems new for Jax.
Aquirre does a impressive wrap-up at the end as usual. How do to pull off a successful conclusion to a multi-year military-political struggle in a few pages, read it and learn.

The characters grow and change in this story. Jax, March, Loras and Baby-Z are all different at the end. Vel does not seem to change but has to assume several different identities in the story. The connection between Jax and Vel becomes even closer in this story. The relationship between March and Jax is complicated. I know, what else is new? I like that they are not a perfect couple, which reminds me of real life. I admire the writing because people make bad decisions because there are no good choices. Then people have to live with the consequences of those bad decisions they make.

Over all a very satisfying end to the series. I would like to continue reading, but oh well, thanks for the memories Jax and Aquirre! ( )

ahhhh - sigh. The very last novel of a series. Always a bittersweet read, especially when the author has kept the series interesting and decides to end it while people are still enjoying...

There's no doubt that Ann Aguirre has put Sirantha Jax through the wringer in the series. Starting with Jax being held in a hospital and being "treated" for post traumatic stress - but really being brainwashed and used as a patsy, going through a war, being an ambassador and having to help create an entire fleet to fight those pesky yet extremely dangerous Morgut - Jax has had to fight for every bit of happiness that she experiences. Aguirre does not write Happy Ever After Endings for her characters - but she writes the possibility of a future for her characters.

In Endgame, Jax finally gets to try to fullfill a promise she made to Lorass long ago - to help free his people from being helplessly compliant slaves to their protector/oppressors. If you've read the previous novels, then you know the history of the L'Heng planet and people. Artificially made into compliant people, they've had their most basic rights stripped away and are at the mercy of others. Sirantha has promised to come up with a cure, and at the end of book #5 a cure had been obtained. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best available. Only the keepers of the L'Heng won't let Sirantha and her allies even approach the people within legal channels to offer the cure.

But while she's been keeping busy with filing appeals and requests and more appeals, Lorass - who has taken the cure - has been busy gathering a core resistance group, starting the beginnings of a revolution.

Endgame is the story of the revolution of the L'Heng and the story of Jax and March's struggles to come to terms with their relationships, their hurts, their angers and jealousies. Vel and Jax also have their own relationship to acknowledge; Jax has been treated for her J-gene side affects with nanobots that keep her healthy and as a result has changed her lifespan more in tune with the extremely long lifespan of Vel's people. If you haven't read any of these novels, you're not going to know what I'm talking about. I strongly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys SciFi with strong female characters who are a little flawed and yet keep ticking out of sheer tenacity.

Endgame seems to have an oddly fun mixture of angst, relationship issues, science, war and effects that I enjoy from Aguirre. There are references to previous events from previous novels that I didn't quite remember, so I might eventually re-read the whole series just for fun. Happily, there aren't long drawn out references to the past - just short quickies. And as with the previous novels, the tone is a touch dark with threads of hopefulness weaved in. The inner narration is pure Jax - enjoyable for me to read. The dialogue between characters remains just as readable as ever; her characters SOUND like they should. Vel is a bit formal, Sasha is a teen complete with perverse and changeable moods; March is jealous and martyrlike (his personality) and there's the ribbing from the soldiers Jax is fighting with that shows venting and acceptance of each other as well as anger from newly freed populace.

The novel covers a span of a few years - they're fighting a revolution after all. And not all actions by the revolutionary freedom fighters are palatable, but as in any war the wrong people get hurt in the name of progress and change. All in all, Endgame was a good ending, a natural ending to an interesting series with some unforgettable characters.

While I'm a little sad to see a series I love to read end, I'm happy to find out that there will be more novels in the same universe. The Dread Queen series starts out on a prison in the universe of Jax and I'm looking forward to finding out who the main character is, and reading about new adventures. It's bound to be interesting. ( )

The premise: ganked from BN.com: Regret nothing.

Sirantha Jax has the J-gene, which permits her to “jump” faster-than-light ships through grimspace. She loves nothing more than that rush, but the star roads have to wait…

Her final mission takes her to La’heng, a planet subjugated during first contact. Since then, the La’hengrin homeworld has been occupied by foreign conquerors.

All that’s about to change.

Now, as part of a grassroots resistance, Jax means to liberate the La’hengrin. But political intrigue and guerrilla warfare are new to her, and this will be the most dangerous game she’s ever played—spies and conspiracies, a war of weapons and hearts, and not everyone is guaranteed to make it out alive…

My Rating: Good Read

It's a good conclusion with an ending that's both expected and not. I loved seeing how Aguirre developed Jax's relationships with others, particularly coming to the heart of her and March's somewhat rocky relationship. I also loved seeing the extent of the bond that Jax and Vel have for each other. The only real flaws of the book are Aguirre's tendency to summarize the action, but I see why it was a necessary tool, given how much time the novel spans. I definitely look forward to the day when I re-read this series. I can't wait to see it start from the beginning and watch how everything develops, without having to wait six months to a year between volumes. It's certainly been a fun and satisfying series, combing elements of space opera, military SF, horror, and romance. Some books have heavier elements than others, but as a whole, the series has been a joy to read, with characters I'm not likely to forget. Jax's story may be over, but there's still a new series in this world to look forward to, and you can bet I'll be picking it up as soon as it's available.

Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. It's the end of the series, and if you want it spoiled, you'll have to look elsewhere (or ask me very, very nicely, and ask privately). So if you want a sense of how the series ends, feel free to read the full review, which may be found at my blog if you click below. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: Ann Aguirre's ENDGAME

Happy Reading! ( )