Book #25–Broadcast 8: Renegades

Broadcast 8: Renegades is the latest book in the Spinward Fringe series. In this one, we have lots of characters and stories coming together. Aryan is building something at Haven Shore, the island she negotiated for, but struggles as a part of their council when there are people that don’t want the Warlord crew to become citizens.

Meanwhile Clark continues as the leader of the Eden cult. He sends some Issyrians to negotiate with Aryan, though it’s hard to tell if he’s saving them, or expects something else. It’s also hard to tell if he’s really worried about the Edxian’s attacking humanity. The sparse parts of the story we see leave it unclear. Maybe in #9?

We also have Alice, training as a Ranger on the island, but then kicked out when she discovers some AI androids and destroys them. She joins Jake on the Warlord as they head out for their first capture She’s struggling to fit in as a teenager, though we find out it’s her framework that keeps regnerating her at 16. She’s upset that she’s stuck on the Warlord during the attack, but discovers Edxian’s on the hull later and has her own battle.

Meanwhile we find Jake leading the charge, and brutally taking over a destroyer and a hauler. It’s a crazy battle, and he is brutal in how he gets their codes. It’s somewhat shocking.

This was a hard book to read, and it dragged a bit. I still enjoyed it, but certainly if you hadn’t read 7, and maybe even 6, you’d be lost.