K. S. Merbeth

For a book that starts with a drunken crash landing, this did not go anywhere close to where I thought it would, and that’s a good thing. Of course, Merbeth delivers on space battles and smuggling shenanigans and everything else you’d expect from that scene, but this is also very much a story about trauma, family, interplanetary politics, ethics, and morality. It gets dark and deep, and it keeps you guessing as the problems just keep piling on.

Scorpia is by far my favourite character, show more though everyone with a lot of say in the story is well-written. She’s got this relentless optimism and creativity, but also a dark streak of cynicism and fear, and a lot of her arc is about dealing with the trauma of Mama’s parenting and what it means to be a good person. (She also makes poor choices when pretty girls are involved, which is endearing.) Corvus has a sadness and determination about him, Mama is objectively awful and terrifying, other characters show surprising depths just when you think they’re one-note, but Scorpia is definitely the star.

But it’s not the characters that shine here as much as it’s the solar system and the themes Merbeth’s exploring. She’s taken the premise of Single Biome Space Opera planets, added in “they will all kill you” and extinct aliens, and then delved into how the cultures and politics would shake out. It’s not good. Sometimes it’s genuinely bad. It’s entirely complicated, and the Kaiser family’s caught right in the vice between it all. In some ways, it’s like that gag of plugging one hole just for three more to open up, or maybe Whack-a-Mole, if the moles occasionally exploded.

And the themes? I’m used to space opera that’s either an adventurous romp or that really goes at some external issue. (See: the Expanse series and exploitative corporations.) This one goes into emotions a lot more, asks questions about the nature of humanity, and yes, also delivers a lot of the wild political ride that the Expanse does. I found some of the “oh but wait” moments a little hard to follow sometimes—there is sometimes a lot in play—but that didn’t stop me fearfully turning pages to find out what happens now.

Oh, and the family dynamics are something else. There’s so much fear and misinterpretation and distrust that those almost make for a satisfying story on their own. And family history, especially childhoods, factor into the intrigue and adventure surprisingly often.

For all that I’m glowing about this book, though, I didn’t love-love. Some of the narration kicked me out of the story, there were the moments I couldn’t always follow, and some of the more minor characters and moments just didn’t work for me. That said, it’s definitely a series I’m going to keep following and one I recommend, especially to fans of James S.A. Corey.

To bear in mind: Alcoholism. Maternal abuse. A really nasty bioweapon. A government that, if not fascist, is definitely getting there. PTSD and survivor’s guilt. Genre-typical violence and injury.

7.5/10 show less

It's funny how I can pick up highly-touted books that have received the full marketing push by their publishers, books that are getting much acclaim, and they leave me cold. Then I can find a book I didn't know existed, by an author I've never heard of in the back of a craft store that has a dog's breakfast of romance and action novels, all marked down to $3.00, and it's just a whole lot of fun.

That's Bite. I bought this novel a couple of months back with absolutely no expectations other show more than, if it sucked—and it was likely gonna suck—it only cost me the cost of a couple of coffees. Yes, I'm over 55, so I get the McD's seniors' discount, so three bucks gets me two coffees.

Anyway. While the author asks you to just kind of go with it (then again, what author doesn't?), she does ultimately reward you with some really enjoyable characters, some very real banter, and some great action.

I love an author who can do bleak dystopian with some humour. Merbeth pulls it off, and I'm now really looking forward to the follow-up, [b:Raid|31932878|Raid (Wastelanders #2)|K.S. Merbeth|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1483023767l/31932878._SY75_.jpg|52587901]. show less

Kid has been wandering around by herself for a while now. She is about to die in the wastelands when she happens upon a group of sharks, cannibals that indiscriminately kill and create trouble. It's either die or join them, so she joins them. The cannibalism and violence take some getting used to especially since she isn't the strongest person or any good at all with weapons. Despite all this, eventually Kid feels like she finally belongs somewhere. Their entire way of life is threatened show more when the Saint starts enforcing law and creating order. Kid and her group of misfits decides to attempt to destroy this Saint or die trying.

I happened upon this book at a bookstore because of it's kickass cover and the subject matter of cannibals. Cannibal stories are few and far between, but many are pretty awesome. Historically, cannibals have been painted as villains in most stories like The Walking Dead comic and TV show, Ravenous, The Silence of the Lambs, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and many others. In Bite, this group of sharks comprised of Dolly, Wolf, Tank, and Pretty Boy are not necessarily good or bad guys, but somewhere in the shades of grey in the middle. They are the protagonists of the story and arguably on the correct side at least some of the time. Their own survival is the most important thing, so they fight as hard as they can using unconventional or just plain stupid methods to defeat enemies and gather supplies.

The evolution of the group is what I like best about the book. Before Kid got there, it seemed that they simply coexisted together with desire for survival being the only thing they shared. Once Kid came along, she brought a sense of community and family with her that bonded them all together more than just surviving. Her influence made Pretty Boy a marginally better person, brought out Dolly's softer side, made Tank protective, and made Wolf trust in his group. They all definitely still have flaws, but the group becomes home for them wherever they are. Despite all the blood, mean eating, and violence, the story was quite heartwarming. You would think that ravaging cannibals would be hard to sympathize with, but they definitely grow on you after a while.

The world is a wasteland because of nuclear war in the past. Radiation is a part of everyday life. Few children survive to adulthood due to the radiation, but also because of starvation, murder, thirst, and tons of other things. Other dangers include crazies (people intend on cannibalism with no reason left in them), bandits (who steal from anyone they come across), and sharks (cannibals and murderers). Life is hard and people survive in small towns, usually unfriendly to strangers unless they have goods to trade. Each town rules in their own way. The largest is ruled by the Queen, who strives to be surrounded by luxury, but in reality, has a pathetic imitation of it. I loved that the situations they stumbled into were different than the usual post-apocalyptic fare.

Bite is a feast of new ideas that turn genre tropes around into something new. A book hasn't grabbed me like this in a while and made want to sit and read it all hours of the day and night. The characters have dimensions and are frankly pretty awesome. My favorite is Dolly, showing the strong silent type can be a woman as well. Wolf makes me laugh with all his crazy ideas and love for chaos and explosives. I love this weird found family that grew to love and trust each other.. The next book will probably come out next summer and I can't wait for it. show less

Clementine lost her family and her town due to tyrannical Jedediah, who demands increasing tithes from those who live in his lands. Now, she works as a bounty hunter, making ends meet in a solitary existence. Longing for vengeance but seeing it as impossible, she goes about her life being rebuffed by townies for her scarred face and violent job. One day, a strangers gives her a tip on how to get into Jedediah's mansion undetected which amazingly turns out to be true and not a trap. show more Clementine binds and gags him and runs into a problem. No one knows what he looks like, so it's hard to convince anyone to pay her for his bounty. Her journey takes her into the wild wastes full of danger and possibilities.

Raid wasn't exactly what I expected in the follow-up to Bite. It follows a separate set of characters that intersect with the oddly heartwarming cannibal crew at the end of the events of the first book and beyond. The characters are very different and expand the view of this post-apocalyptic world. Clementine is a competent bounty hunter that misses her role as town hero. As a child, she killed raiders to save her town and family, but when she kills a stranger, her parents set firm rules that she still carries with her to keep calm and stay controlled. Underneath all her anger and cynicism, Clementine has a childish fantasy of being a hero recognized by people again. The townies view her as a necessary evil and won't hesitate to try to shortchange her pay at every opportunity, squarely leaving her as an outsider.

Once she kidnaps Jedediah, everything changes. No one will take him, so Clementine decides to see the Saint out in the wastes who will take any raider. Together, they encounter rival bounty hunters, a huge wave of raiders, townies, and the barren, dangerous wastes. Jedediah seems a lot less imposing than his reputation and he later reveals himself to be Jedediah's son. Jed is Clementine's opposite in almost every way. Social situations are easy for him as he knows how to tell a good story and get almost anyone on his side with his affable nature and easy going attitude that mask a masterfully manipulative mind. He's also surprisingly capable with a firearm in battle and makes coolheaded decisions. Over the course of their journey, Clementine grows to trust and even like him because he treats her as a capable person, not a monster, and gets to know her despite her spiky demeanor.

Raid is a fun, adventurous read from a different perspective. The story has twists and turns that I didn't see coming and familiar characters popping up here and there. I loved the ending so much. Some may find it too abrupt, but I felt it reflects reality that doesn't wait for a stirring speech. The only aspect I didn't like was Clementine easily turning against her ideals. I felt they were too deeply ingrained to turn so easily even with her loathing for others and need for acceptance. Other than that, Raid is a good follow-up to Bite and I'd love to see at least another few books in this series. show less