Liked it, look for other books from this author ( )

I haven't been reading much science fiction lately...so much of it seems derivative and cliché and, quite frankly, boring. Therefore, it's a good feeling finding an author who seems fresh and original.

I read Buckell's Crystal Rain last year—this book is the sequel, moving the conflict from a single planet, "Lost Colony" type of story, to the wider, interplanetary backdrop of a space opera. There's something of Reynolds in his plotting and and maybe a hint of Cherryh in his aliens, but his voice seems quite unique to me. One of the interesting things is that a lot of the background in his stories is based on Aztec and Caribbean cultures. It doesn't come across as a gimmick, just a natural part of the story. The larger events of the plot in both of the books aren't particularly surprising; the details of the paths to get there are intriguing and exciting.

With well-drawn characters, good plots and plenty of action, this is fun science fiction. The third volume has been published...I'm looking for it. ( )

http://www.lonelymountain.net/books/m... ( )

Sequel to Crystal Rain, heavier on the Space Opera end of the mix than the previous book, with shadings off into cyberpunk. Whereas Crystal Rain felt very male-centric (despite the presence Dihana, the Prime Minister of Nangada), here we get to follow a kick-ass woman warrior around. A kick-ass woman warrior whom I adore.

Ragamuffin is far more philosophic than its swashbuckling predecessor. The human diaspora has not fared well in space, and in most places is under the "protective" knuckle of powerful non-human societies. Various bodies of humans have developed different responses: some choose the prosperity and mobility of becoming alien bits, some choose the highly-restricted freedoms of reservations, some claim the status of enforcers of alien power structures (self-justifying their actions as being a net benefit to humanity), and there are revolutionaries and personal resistances of many shapes and motivations. Who shares your motivations enough to be trustworthy? Anyone? And in the absence of trust, who shares your motivations enough that they might allow themselves to be mutually used?

Centered on the character of Nashara, a woman who has been reengineered into a super weapon for use against Humanity's alien overlords, you essentially have a spare chase novel about the flight to get her into position to wreak havoc on the "Benevolent" Satrapy and their Human running dogs. If nothing else I give Buckell points for tighter plotting as compared to "Crystal Rain." ( )

The "Benevolent Satrapy" (for want of a better name) trilogy continues in this second installment, breaking out from a steampunk inspired war between humans on a lost colony into an all out interstellar conflagration. There’s a lot to keep track of in this book and things get complicated enough that I think I prefer Crystal Rain to Ragamuffin. But it’s a good book despite the flaws and I will pick up the final part, Sly Mongoose when it appears in mass market paperback format.

(Full review at my blog) ( )

http://mentatjack.com/2008/08/04/revi... ( )

Do you enjoy space opera with a little Caribbean flavor? Do wormholes and rum sound like the perfect mixture for a good time? If you are like me (and let’s hope you are not, that could be messy), you likely have no standard in which to answer these questions. I could count on one hand how many Caribbean-flavored space operas I’ve read, and still be sporting a closed fist at the end. Yes that’s right, zero Caribbean space operas for me. I suddenly feel so sheltered.

Luckily, Tobias Buckell decided to enlighten me and write “Ragamuffin”, a Caribbean-styled space opera extravaganza (minus the singing and dancing). I can honestly say it is the best one I’ve ever read, but that doesn’t add to this discussion. “Ragamuffin” takes place in the same universe Buckell created in his fine debut novel, “Crystal Rain”. However, it is not a straight sequel, but more of a standalone with a few recurring elements. The characters of John deBrun, Pepper and Jerome, introduced in “Crystal Rain”, return in “Ragamuffin”, but the story is not a direct continuation of the storyline from the previous novel.

The universe which is a collection of forty-eight worlds connected by a network of wormholes is ruled by the mysterious Benevolent Satrapy (not like we would expect them to name themselves the Malevolent Satrapy). The Satrapy employ the Hongguo as their military arm, using them to curb the development of technology. Humans are treated as a lower caste in the universe, relegated to a various collection of their own colonies and habitats. Nashara is on the run after killing a Gahe breeder at Pitt’s Cross. Barely escaping the planet, Nashara is trying to stay one step ahead of the Hongguo. She finally finds refuge on a Ragamuffin ship. The Ragamuffins are pirates and rebels that maintain their own free society near a dead wormhole. Eventually, Nashara and the crew of Ragmuffins will uncover the insidious plans of the Benevolent Satrapy and the Hongguo.

Meanwhile, John deBrun, Pepper and Jerome are living on Nanagada, when a wormhole above the planet reopens. The Teotl, the alien gods worshipped by the Azteca, have returned, and enlist John, Pepper and Jerome to help them. The Teotl’s survival is in jeopardy, and outside help is needed. Can the Ragamuffins help? Will Nanagadans save the Teotl? Will Nashara escape the Hongguo? And can the Ragamuffins survive the advancing Hongguo onslaught?

The uniqueness and creativity of Buckell’s universe cannot be understated. The universe is vividly imagined and developed. The story is more mature than “Crystal Rain”, as more complications evolve over the course of the novel, and the overall depth of story is more comprehensive. Short chapters of only a few pages keep the action moving for a fast-paced and enjoyable read. Buckell’s character development has also matured from his debut novel. The characters are not as flat, and harbor more complicated motivations for their actions. I still would like to see more world-building in Buckell’s novels; he has so many interesting ideas that I would love to see explored further. But at this point, Buckell appears satisfied in writing fast-paced enjoyable action novels. Still, this is a strong sophomore effort.

Last Word:
“Ragamuffin” is a solid step forward for Tobias Buckell. Showing a maturing sense of story and character development, Buckell has written a tremendously engaging space opera with a slew of turns and twists along the way. If Buckell continues to show the same rate of improvement, his future looks extremely bright. ( )

Following the events in Crystal Rain, Ragamuffin has a separate story, but a continuation as well. In a universe where humans are treated as lowest of species, and some even as slaves, Nashara is a paid assassin trying to find her way home. Meanwhile, John deBrun and Pepper (from the previous novel) are trying to piece back order to the tattered culture on Nanagada. When a ship arrives, claiming to harbor Teotl refugees, the two men know not to trust the aliens. But John and Pepper need their help too. With a mutual enemy on the horizon, can the two races work together to save them all?

In my eyes, Buckell's writing rose to a new level with this latest release. With a lot more action and suspense, and having that background already laid in the first novel, Ragamuffin impressed me from beginning to end. My favorite characters were back as well as the entirely unique Nashara, who fascinated me to no end. Instead of being stuck on one planet, we are treated to a space opera at its finest.

Action, adventure, intrigue, and betrayal - science fiction fans will definitely enjoy this one. ( )

http://www.tobiasbuckell.com/sampler/... (first third online)

Time to get all mongoose-man space opera on our alien overlords.

Buckell has done something good here : improved with a second book in the series. The writing is better, and you are thrown into the story straight away. Where the previous book just scraped in for a 4, this is a solid 4 all the way, and maybe a little bit more.

The main character to begin with is an enhanced human, and has been imprisoned for anti-alien activities. First thing to do when you get out of jail is to kill one of 'em, of course, and hence she needs to get away fast.

More than one human faction wants to do something about the ruling Satrapy and things accelerate when the Satrapy decides that they would rather have humans not be alive anymore.

The main character Nashara is even more surprising than she seems, and as the action bails into space things become a little Peter F. Hamilton.

There's a wormhole network that functions a little like a cross between a freeway and a railway, and with the introduction of this element you begin to realise how this novel will tie into the previous book, which it does around half way through that makes it all more clear.

Hopefully this does well, as Buckell has a normal length novel here, not an animal killer sized series. Iif he can help show people will still buy those, along with people like Scalzi and Williams and others, then this is a good thing.

He could have actually thrown a few extra pages in at the end perhaps, but I think this is a case of keeping you keen to find out what is going on and wanting more, so possibly deliberate.

All in all, very entertaining.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/11/ragamuffin-tobias-s-buckell.html ( )

Time to get all mongoose-man space opera on our alien overlords.

Buckell has done something good here : improved with a second book in the series. The writing is better, and you are thrown into the story straight away. Where the previous book just scraped in for a 4, this is a solid 4 all the way, and maybe a little bit more.

The main character to begin with is an enhanced human, and has been imprisoned for anti-alien activities. First thing to do when you get out of jail is to kill one of 'em, of course, and hence she needs to get away fast.

More than one human faction wants to do something about the ruling Satrapy and things accelerate when the Satrapy decides that they would rather have humans not be alive anymore.

The main character Nashara is even more surprising than she seems, and as the action bails into space things become a little Peter F. Hamilton.

There's a wormhole network that functions a little like a cross between a freeway and a railway, and with the introduction of this element you begin to realise how this novel will tie into the previous book, which it does around half way through that makes it all more clear.

Hopefully this does well, as Buckell has a normal length novel here, not an animal killer sized series. Iif he can help show people will still buy those, along with people like Scalzi and Williams and others, then this is a good thing.

He could have actually thrown a few extra pages in at the end perhaps, but I think this is a case of keeping you keen to find out what is going on and wanting more, so possibly deliberate.

All in all, very entertaining.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/11/ragamuffin-tobias-s-buckell.html ( )

Nashara Cascabel is on a mission. She has returned to humanity from the cut-off world of Chisom to help free it from the oppressive, mind-controlling Satrapy. Unfortunately, the Satrapy has just decided that humanity may be more trouble than it’s worth, and they’re already after Nashara.

Crystal Rain told the tail of John deBrun, an amnesiac who found himself called on to save the country of Nanagada from the alien Teotl and their human servants, the Azteca. While it’s possible that you might be able to read Ragamuffin as a standalone, I wouldn’t recommend it: its tale does merge once again with that of Nanagada and John deBrun, and it would be best to have that background.

Tobias Buckell has created a grand and fascinating universe within the pages of Ragamuffin. He clearly excels at universe-building and character creation; everything he details positively comes alive, whether it’s a dying space habitat, a distant alien Satrap, or the sheer chaos of facing a copy of one’s self and having a chat.

Surprises and revelations flow naturally and aren’t used to artificially ratchet up the tension or bolster the pace. This means that if you figure something out in advance, it doesn’t cause an anticlimax or rob the story of its momentum. The story is fast-paced and intriguing, and I had difficulty putting it down once I started (in fact I first picked it up during a lull in something else, and ended up putting that first activity aside because the book was too engrossing).

I’m not sure how to detail everything I loved about this book. The characters are amazing and fascinating, every bit as much so as in Crystal Rain. In most authors’ hands the League of Human Affairs would have been a one-dimensional organization, but in Buckell’s hands even it comes alive with personality. We’re reunited with John, Jerome, and yes, even Pepper, who are dealing with a whole new (and very different) invasion of Nanagada by the Teotl.

Crystal Rain was an absolutely stunning debut, and Ragamuffin is a wholly worthy successor. It’s a touch slower in places due to the background provided on some of the aspects of the world, but not enough to detract from the novel in my opinion.

Full review at ErrantDreams ( )

With Crystal Rain, Tobias Buckell broke onto the speculative fiction scene with a bang. The blogosphere just ate him up, giving his Caribbean based science fiction novels rave reviews. In Ragamuffin, Buckell has upped the ante. A Sci Fi Channel Essential Book, Ragamuffin returns to the universe in which Crystal Rain is set. But whereas Crystal Rain’s story takes place entirely on one planet, Ragamuffin expands into the worlds of the not-so-Benevolent Satrapy.

Full Review at Grasping for the Wind
( )

It's a good read, faster than the first, and more space opera-y too. Lots of action, a developed female protagonist, and I'm still wishing Buckell's work would cross over to a visual medium (I know there's comic books supposedly in development, but I've not heard anything new about that lately), because both of these books would translate really, really well. Buckell's definitely for the visual reader, and for those who just enjoy a good space opera yarn to relax with.

If you're interested in a sample, you can read the first third of Ragamuffin for free! Just click here.

For a full review, which DOES include spoilers, please click here: http://calico-reaction.livejournal.co... ( )

A return to the universe of *Crystal Rain* (though in that novel the Ragamuffins were the police, which seems appropriate enough) in which Ragamuffins are pirates and smugglers of Caribbean origin in a far future in which humanity is not doing all that well.