Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

The Rush’s Edge was right up my alley: hard sci fi, found family, and nanite technology used in human bodies. I thought it was a fascinating dive into the mindset of someone who knows they’re destined to die at 35, and how they would choose to live their life and with whom. I enjoyed Hal and Ty’s relationship the most, as true brothers in arms, and I was intrigued by the underground movement of vat soldiers that they accidentally uncover along with a piece of alien technology. Fun book for anyone who enjoys a good space opera or supersoldier sci fi!

Hallvor Cullen is an ex-soldier. A genetically-engineered, high-technology implanted ex-soldier know as a 'vat.' As a vat soldier he was often fed a chemical drug that would give him an adrenaline rush and keep him fighting. No longer in the service, Cullen is just searching for his next rush. There's no point in doing much else because a vat is engineered to work fast and hard and to live a very short life.

Cullen's best friend is his former Commanding Officer, Tyce, and Tyce is determined to find a way to prolong Cullen's life. In the meantime, he hopes to distract Cullen by taking him off to do some salvage work in the far reaches of the galaxy. One more crew member is added just before they depart - Vivi, a tech genius who had been a hacker. Out on 'the edge' an alien presence is downloaded into their ship.

I found this to be a very disappointing read.

The book takes some very typical sci-fi tropes and adds a few unremarkable characters and has them wandering without any real goal. Not exactly a glowing recommendation, is it?

There were moments that I enjoyed - generally very active moments, such as a bar vat fight - but those moments could have been pulled out of the book and it wouldn't really have any negative effect on the story.

I was hoping for something to actually happen ... something unique to this book ... and it just never happened.

Looking for a good book? Keep looking.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Is there such a thing as romantic military science fiction? If not, Ginger Smith is inventing the field. In this dystopic, far-flung star empire, human soldiers are too costly to waste in battle, so technologically enhanced vat-grown troops have become the era’s cannon fodder. With accelerated growth, limited life expectancy, and nearly unbreakable psychological conditioning, they’re considered expendable during their term of service and disposable afterward. One such retired vat soldier, Hal, has found sanctuary in a salvage ship captained by his former CO, Ty. Hal, like other vats, is addicted to the overwhelming adrenaline rush of combat, which will rapidly burn him out, but Ty has been able to talk him down from the worst episodes. Into this tight ship family comes Vivi, a young tech expert fleeing an abusive relationship. As her mind and body heal, she and Hal grow closer, although Hal is still subject to being triggered into the “rush,” and each bout shortens his already fast-shrinking span. Various adventures ensue, pitting this small crew against the Coalition Powers That Be (and their fear of the growing power of vat-grown soldiers). The gradually developing love story is interwoven throughout, neither hijacking the action nor feeling like a pasted-on element. It’s integral to how humans bond to another, how trust and devotion only heal the past and forms the foundation of hope. It’s a lovely tale, at times page-turning drama, at times heartfelt, always reflecting what makes a person and what are the limits of personal autonomy.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a well written sci-fi romance novel. Hal is a geneticaly modified ex marine who alongside his friend Tyler rescue a hacker running from a crazy, abusive ex. They form a crew and seek to bring their brand of justice to the world. Hal has some definite issues with violence and PTSD but somehow they make it work. Very realistic futuristic world building.

La portada de The Rush’s Edge me llamó la atención desde un principio y la sinopsis disponible también me pareció atractiva, así que decidí darle una oportunidad a esta autora con su primera novela. Lo cierto es que esta publicación de Angry Robot no es muy novedosa en su planteamiento, pero está escrita con gracia y aunque camine por rutas ya transitadas, resulta agradable leerla.


En el universo que ha creado Ginger Smith, hay humanos de primera y de segunda categoría, porque algunos son creados ex profeso como carne de cañón, con una esperanza de vida bastante limitada y condicionamiento genético para la búsqueda de un chute de adrenalina. Si esto os trae a la cabeza la palabra «replicante» no iréis muy desencaminados.

Esta injusticia subyacente al modelo de vida humano es la fuerza motor que impulsa hacia delante toda la narración. Cuando estos soldados terminan su periodo obligatorio de servicio en la guerra, han de luchar contra sus propios instintos, en un tratamiento muy similar al que hemos visto en otras ocasiones con el estrés post traumático de los veteranos militares, pero corregido y aumentado por las necesidades inherentes a su morfología.

Lo que me convenció definitivamente con The Rush’s Edge fueron los personajes, ya que aún siendo un poco maniqueos exhalan empatía por los cuatro costados y resulta muy fácil encariñarse con ellos. Es que son buenas personas y esto no es tan fácil de encontrar en la ciencia ficción habitualmente. También es de agradecer el giro un tanto inesperado que provoca la aparición de un nuevo factor en la nave en la que transcurre la mayoría de la acción, para añadir algo de sabor a una novela correcta aunque un tanto plana.

Las escenas de acción están bastante bien narradas, tanto los enfrentamientos cuerpo a cuerpo como las escaramuzas espaciales. Y también es muy de agradecer que se trate de una obra auto conclusiva, aunque la autora ha dejado varias tramas que pueden ser continuadas si así se requiriera. Nos encontramos por tanto ante una novela que no cambiará la literatura, pero que tampoco lo pretendía.

I received a copy of this book to review from Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity.
I really enjoyed this Sci fi novel. It has plenty of action and adventures paired with great characters. I particularly liked the love between the crew, not just romantic love but friendship and brotherhood between Hal and Tyce. I liked the world building and the issues posed in this book suct as second class citizens.

I like parts of the book but the intrigue served more as a background for the love story and suffered in consequence. It uses staples of the genre but brings nothing new to the table. Because there's plenty of dialogue, it reads quickly.

Hal Cullen, a genetically engineered ex-soldier, is now working on a scavenging ship under the command of his best friend and former CO, Tyce. Hal wasn’t engineered to live long, just to kill efficiently.

Vivi, a hacker, is in need of a new beginning. She’s homeless after being dumped by her abusive ex-boyfriend after messing up one of his jobs. She is saved by Hal and Tyce when two guys try to kidnap her in a bar and she decides to join their crew. However, she doesn’t expect her first mission to involve dealing with evil corporations, rebels and aliens.

I love Star Wars and I’m sucker for stories about rebels fighting against evil corporations and governments. I also love reading about characters who appears a bit rough around the edges but that are actually softies trying their best to care for their people. On paper, The Rush’s Edge sounded exactly like something I would enjoy and I was very excited to read it.

Sadly, I don’t think it lived up to its potential. The basic bones of a fun and exciting story were there but the execution feel flat for me. The writing was very mediocre and some words were repeated so much that I picked up on them after a few chapters and English isn’t even my first language…

The book is called The Rush’s Edge, I usually like when authors make references to the title of their books in their stories. However, the references to the title were so obvious that it became annoying. I did a quick word search in the eARC I read and, here are some stats:

“Rush” was used 50 times
“Edge” was mentioned 63 times
“OK” was used 203 times mostly in sentences such as “Are you OK?” “I’m OK” and “it’s OK”
Mind you, the book could have gone through another round of edits before its release so, I might be overly picky for nothing. However, it annoyed me enough that I thought it was important to mention.

As for the characters and the plot well, they weren’t bad but they weren’t particularly good either. The relationships between the characters were very surface-level. Tyce and Hal are supposed to have an amazing bromance but I didn’t believe in it. The same goes for the romance between Hal and Vivi. I didn’t care for the major insta-love between them. Yes, you can have immediate attraction to someone but, the instant feelings and the over-protectiveness of the male character towards Vivi were unsettling (if not completely creepy). The argument that he is an ex-soldier engineered to protect his crew no matter what could be made but, it still didn’t sit right with me. I also really, really didn’t like the fact that Vivi kept on justifying Hal’s violent behaviors as “he would never hurt me, I trust him, he can be violent to other people but he would never hurt me”. I know this is fiction but I don’t want to read about a romantic people between someone with violent tendencies who is also over-bearing to his partner.

If you are looking for a very straightforward science fiction adventure that you can read with your brain cells turned off, you will probably enjoy it. However, if you are looking for an original story with interesting and complex characters, I wouldn’t recommend The Rush’s Edge. It’s a debut so I hope Ginger Smith’s writing will improve in her next works.

⭐⭐

Highly entertaining science fiction read. Action packed; characters are fleshed out. The setting is detailed and easy to follow. Science fiction fans and those new to the genre will enjoy the ease and plot pacing of The Rush’s Edge.

3.2 / 5 ✪

https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2020/11/15/the-rushs-edge-by-ginger-smith-review/

Halvor Cullen was not born but made—grown in a tank until the age of twelve, then trained to fight and kill and die for those that made him, the ACAS. After his seven years of mandatory military service, Hal washed out, as all VATs do. For there he was expected to continue fighting and kill up until he bit it, while trying to fill the void within, mostly with drugs. Instead Hal joined up with his old CO, taking off to salvage the edge of the galaxy for advanced tech.

During one of his layovers in central space, Hal meets Vivian Valjean, a tecker trying to escape her old life and her old mistakes—most recently a man named Noah. Through a series of circumstances, Vivi ends up accompanying the crew on a mission—and the rest is history. But between the discovery of an alien sphere, trouble with the ACAS, and a deadly assassin, possibly the most interesting development is between Hal and Vivi. For what happens when a natural born human and a VAT super-soldier fall in love? I guess we’ll find out—that is, if either of them live long enough.

The Rush’s Edge is the debut novel from author Ginger Smith, part science fiction, part romance with action, adventure, space opera, and cyberpunk elements all thrown in. If this sounds like a lot—that’s because it is. If it sounds too good to be true—again, yeah. The Rush’s Edge tries too hard to be too much, and ultimately topples beneath its own grand desire.

My main problem with the Rush’s Edge, was how it was sold to me. I was sold an epic space adventure with “a little bit of romance, a smudge of aliens, and a whole lot of butt-kicking”. And to be fair—we got all of that. What I expected though, was a complete story. And didn’t necessarily get this.

The Rush’s Edge IS a complete story in the way that The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet is a complete story. Just where the latter tells you up front that this is a tale of how people become a family with some space-exploration-y elements, the former kinda makes you find that out on your own. Now, if I’d been sold “it’s basically like the Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet”, that’d’ve been great! While Becky Chamber’s first book wasn’t a masterpiece, it was quite a good read. But between wondering if it was setting me up for a sequel or cliffhanger and then reaching the end with none of these questions actually answered… the Rush’s Edge didn’t captivate me in quite the same manner.

The conclusion also drew on quite a few overused clichés, which I really would’ve ditched. And I DO understand that when you’re writing something and decide to throw in a few classic plot twists you never want to think they’re cliché. But sometimes they are. Instead I would’ve liked to see the author try something different—maybe it’d work, maybe it wouldn’t—because, as they say, “nothing ventured, nothing gained” or “you’ll never succeed if you don’t try”.

The POV can change from paragraph to paragraph, so sometimes it’s difficult to tell who is talking/thinking, unless it’s explicitly mentioned. While this does allow the author to include several characters’ perspectives on any situation at almost any time (so long as they’re present), I’ve always found it incredibly frustrating to switch back and forward without knowing exactly when.

It’s really kinda science light fiction. There’re spaceships, yes, but there’s no explanation on how they travel between the stars. Do they use a hyperdrive? Faster than light travel? Wormholes? Instant transmission? We don’t know—it’s not explained, or mentioned. They just leave and… then they’re somewhere else. It must be some kinda faster than light travel, but we’re not told, which is a disappointment. While I realize not every science fiction tale is heavy science, I would’ve liked to see more—but I’m like that in my tastes.

Even if the action falls a bit flat, it’s the story that steals the show—specifically the romance between Hal and Vivi. One a natural born human, the other a vat grown super-solider; while it sounds kinda silly, it’s difficult to put into words just how much it’ll pull at your heartstrings. My main problem with the romance is that I don’t really read a book specifically FOR the romance, so when it’s the most entertaining element, there’s probably some things wrong. That being said (again), if this had been pitched as a becoming-a-family, Wayfarers-type story: I’m pretty sure I’d’ve been sold. Just leave off the (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) action-elements, the fights, the mysterious conflicts and battles that I can’t get into without spoilers. The alien presence can stay as it (minor spoilers) isn’t really the focus of the story. The romance isn’t really all that romance-y, even. It’s a bit as if the author didn’t want to sell out on romance, but then sold out on action instead. So now there’s not even enough of a romantic element to carry the story entirely on its own.

While overall I enjoyed the Rush’s Edge, there were definitely some issues with it. But it WAS a debut after all, so some of these an be forgiven. If I was to offer the author some advice: leave off on some of the overused tropes—they don’t add anything. Tell your own story—if it’s a thriller, then go action; if it’s a romance, then go romance. The Rush’s Edge is like a romance that tries to go all in on action—and just fails.

TL;DR

The Rush’s Edge is a debut that blends science fiction with romance, attempting to weave the tale of an unlikely romance between a natural born victimized woman and a vat grown super-soldier. It reads kind of like a Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet—where it’s more about the voyage than the destination, how the ending doesn’t matter as much as how we got there, and the ideals of family, love, and hope steal the show. As a heartwarming romance, it kinda works. As an action-adventure, it doesn’t. The action is overused and the adventure is incomplete. The science fiction is mostly fiction, with just the occasional science cameo. For a debut—it’s okay. Tries too hard to be too many things, play too many hands. Uses far too many cliché tropes. But these are to be expected. I just wish they weren’t.

I hope to read other books by this author because she delivers a gripping, interesting and highly entertaining story.
I loved how her storytelling and how she take cares about the human side of the story.
The plot is well developed and tightly knitted, the world building interesting.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

‘The Rush’s Edge tells the story of Hal and his friends who are fighting for freedom against the ACAS who are now after them.

Hal is an ex-VAT and is looking for a place to belong, but all the VATs know is how to fight. Brought up to fight for the ACAS, he now has to fight against those trained him and will stop at nothing to stop them from getting their freedom.

‘The Rush’s Edge’ is full of complex characters with some great storylines, character development and plenty of sci-fi action and a little bit of romance to whet your appetite.

I’ve only read a handful of sci-fi novels in the past and I thoroughly enjoyed this one, it was well-paced and well-written and found myself invested in the characters and seeing where they go next. I loved the world that the author has also created.

This is great for fans of ‘Akira’. If you’re like me and haven’t read many sci-fi novels, I’d highly recommend this one to start with.

I’m looking forward to seeing more in this world that that the author has built and can’t wait to find out more as to what happens next.

Space!!! The final frontier!! Wait, can I say that? Has Star Trek copyrighted that or something? Anyway….the point is…I love space and space adventures! This book was a wonderful found family space adventure, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

There are so many great elements of this story. I already mentioned found family, which is one of the best tropes of all time. But also the morals of genetic engineering, potential corrupt government, sentient robots/AIs, and more. I won’t go into more detail, because you all just need to go read it for yourselves!

I think science fiction lends itself particularly well to found family stories, or maybe I just have a particular inclination to scifi found family stories haha. This crew is a small but tight-knit group, and I loved reading specifically about the relationship between Hal and Tyce. They start out as soldier and commanding officer respectively when they first meet, and their bond grows over time. The two of them become brothers essentially, and seeing how they help each other in both good and bad times is heartwarming.

Since they are both soldiers, they both deal with their own personal forms of PTSD. I like that the novel didn’t shy away from that – super realistic for former soldiers to have that!!

Beryl, the ship’s medic and mother figure, is in my opinion an underrated character. I want more of her!!! I love older badass ladies, and she was super cool. Also, it was lovely that she acted as somewhat of a mother figure to Hal and Tyce (and then Vivi) but she never coddled them or treated them as anything other than friends and equals.

One possible issue that others may have is that the age of the main characters (minus Beryl) is roughly late 20s, but they definitely felt younger to me (speaking as a 26 year old myself). I didn’t have a huge problem with it, but others might.

I think the author did a great job of weaving in different plot elements into the big overall picture. Through the whole plot, there are undercurrents of issues such as humanity, human rights, trusting governments, xenophobia (to a degree), and so many other things. And it never feels overwhelming! It feels very natural.

She also did an amazing job of planting possible threads to follow up on in a sequel or prequel – yes, this is my not very subtle request to Angry Robot to please let there be another book in this world haha.

So as you can see I loved this one, and I think a lot of you will as well!! I hope you go check it out.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review.

The beginning of this book as absolutely attention grabbing. I was easily able to become absorbed in the world as it was interesting and well fleshed out. There are nats (natural born humans) and vats (vat born/grown humans that have been augmented). Set in space, interesting characters, and a mystery? This book was right up my alley...until it wasn't.

It's not that I didn't like this book. I liked the world and characters, but the plot seemed to take a looooong time to actually get going. One thing would happen and I thought we were getting somewhere, but that issue would be wrapped up and I was only halfway through the book. The actual conflict of the book was still fuzzy even near the end. I was just unsure where the plot was going because there didn't seem to be anything consistent other than the characters and their actions. And once something did happen, each conflict seemed to be the same formula.

Overall, this was just a middle of the road sci-fi book for me. It does seem like there will be a sequel, so perhaps we'll get to explore the Mudar (the alien species I thought was going to be a main plot point but was just a sidenote) and the larger world as a whole.

ACAS, the Armed Forced of the Coalition of Allied Systems, fill their ranks by growing their own soldiers in laboratories. Known as Vats, these lab-born men and women implanted with technology before they are ‘born’ and programmed for complete loyalty to ACAS, bravery and dedication to the cause. With heightened aggression, vat-soldiers are always spoiling for a fight and burn out before they reach forty.
Halvor Cullen is an ex-vat ACAS soldier explores the Edge with two other ex ACAS soldiers, his former CO, Tyce, and medic Beryl. Along with tecker, Vivi, they manage Hal’s addiction to adrenaline and aggression-focused nature by salvaging crashed ships. When a mission brings them into conflict with ACAS, they are saved by a group of ex-vat soldiers. They offer Hal the chance to fight back against those who rejected him. Accepting their offer leads Hal to question the nature of the tech implanted in his body and the real reason vats don’t live very long.
The Rush’s Edge is set after a great war against an AI force called Mudar where the vat-born soldiers were instrumental in the humans’ victory. Hal has served his time and doing the best he can to keep his aggression under control. Hal is a likeable character. While he might go from calm to fight in the blink of an eye, he is fiercely protective of his crew.
The bond between Tyce, Beryl, and Hal is tinged with sadness. They want to keep their friend alive as long as they can, and their world is overshadowed by the knowledge that Hal has about five years of life left. Yet, despite that undertone of sadness, there is acceptance and determination to do everything they can to fill those years with experiences and friendship. This determination increases when Vivi joins the crew and romance blossoms, something Hal would never have considered for himself before.
I feel The Rush’s Edge is a scene-setting novel. Smith builds the conflict between ACAS and the planets on the Edge of ACAS space at a good pace, weaving in the history and prejudice, so we care about the characters and feel their injustices, particularly the vats. The story centres on how Hal and other vats have been mistreated by ACAS made for a purpose then rejected after eight years of service. They are looked down on by nats, people born the traditional way. The vats serve, but they are not appreciated. Towards the end of the book, we discover there may be a way to change the early death sentence of the vats and to punish ACAS. As this hasn’t happened by the last page, I believe there is more to come, which makes me happy.
Reading like Firefly, The Rush’s Edge with fast, moving along at a breathless pace, going from event to event, and it’s lots of fun. An explosive debut from Ginger Smith and I can’t wait for the next instalment.

Halvor Cullen (Hal) is a genetically engineered soldier, referred to as a “vat.” His former commanding officer, Tyce Bernon, is a “nat,” or natural born person. Ty is now Hal’s captain on the Loshad, and they make their living as salvagers. Hal isn’t one to back down from a fight, and the book opens with him jumping in to rescue a woman from a couple of guys who are up to no good. The woman, Vivi, is a tecker, and as their ship doesn’t currently have one, Ty offers her a job as part of his crew.

Ms. Smith does a good job of writing an entertaining story. There are a lot of pretty standard sci-fi elements here – alien lifeforms considered to be evil, a scrappy crew of misfits, an ominously looming government trying to squash a rebellion. But they work well together, and the use of those standard elements makes this a story that’s very approachable for the less seasoned sci-fi reader.

The story also isn’t afraid to touch on heavy subjects. For instance, the treatment of vats – they’re considered to be basically expendable once they’ve completed their military service. They’re also programmed by the military to experience the titular “rush,” which basically puts them into combat mode and makes them very aggressive. A lot of nats don’t trust them, don’t like them, don’t want them around. But Ty doesn’t see Hal as “just” a vat. Hal is his best friend, and he will fight for Hal’s well-being, even when it means saving Hal from himself. There’s also the Mudar, the feared aliens who supposedly came intent on destroying humanity. There is more to them than what our heroes initially know, and once they’ve made contact with a Mudar, they realize that just because the government condemns an entire species as evil doesn’t make it so.

This was a fun read. There’s a touch of romance, lots of action, and tech toys aplenty on board the Loshad. Good guys versus bad guys. An epic quest is hinted at as the story closes, and I hope this means Ms. Smith will revisit this universe. My only question: who was actually trying to kidnap Vivi at the beginning of the story? If that question was satisfactorily answered, I missed it.

If you’re a regular sci-fi reader, The Rush’s Edge is delightful. If you’re new to the genre and want to give it a try, The Rush’s Edge is a good place to start. Either way, read with confidence!

Disclaimer: I received an advance reader copy of this book from NetGalley and Angry Robot. All opinions here are mine, and I don’t say nice things about books that I don’t actually like.

Tango & Cash. Butch & Sundance. Riggs & Murtaugh. Everybody loves a classic buddy partnership, right? Well, get ready to add another pair to that list. Hal and Tyce are destined to win a place in the heart of anyone who should be fortunate enough to read The Rush’s Edge.

Plying their trade as scavengers on the edge of the galaxy, the pair are immediately imbued with a roguish charm, a la Malcolm Reynolds or Han Solo. But these two aren’t like those almost larger than life, archetypal characters; they’re altogether more believable and human, even if one of them (Hal) is a vat grown soldier with a compulsion to seek out fights. When “The Rush” hits Hal, it’s Tyce who is able to talk him down from his genetically engineered combat high, their years of serving together in the ACAS (Armed Forces of the Coalition of Allied Systems) allowing him a degree of control over him. There is a believable and consistently heart-warming camaraderie between the two of them, the kind of platonic love between male friends that just doesn’t get acknowledged nearly enough in most science fiction. It is instantly established that nothing can come between the two, years of trust immediately evident in the way they behave around each other.

Joining the two friends on their crew is Vivi, recruited by Tyce as their “tecker.” Much of the worldbuilding is done very organically in conversations with Vivi, as she learns about life on the Edge from the rest of the crew. There’s lots of detail about exactly how ACAS functions too, much of which comes out in conversations with and about Hal. As a vat, he has been grown, conditioned and surgically modified to be the perfect soldier, then cast out of the military after his seven-year term has ended. Whilst he is required by his biology to seek out action, and more than wiling to pick a fight, he does possess a strong moral compass of his own, and it tends to only be those who deserve his retribution - or are asking for a fight themselves - that end up on the receiving end of his fists.

There are plenty of said fights too, and not just in the form of punch ups. A salvage mission beyond the Edge attracts some unwanted attention for the crew, and it’s from this moment on that the action really ramps up, with shootouts in a variety of locales and even some space battles. There’s never a dull moment, and these scenes are always exciting and visceral. Injury detail is reasonably graphic without being ghoulishly so, and the staging of these scenes makes them easy to visualise, with settings not overburdened with lots of unnecessary description. Every fight or big set piece action moment really rattles along, with extremely satisfying payoffs. Thanks to the fantastic relationship building and characterisation between these scenes, the stakes always feel high too.

Hal and Tyce are particularly well developed as characters, but Vivi is also excellent - the exchanges between her and Hal, as they struggle to trust each other thanks to his conditioning and her recent past, are layered with meaning and emotion. Even Beryl the ship’s medic, who is more of a supporting character, gets some wonderful moments with the rest of the crew. This is arguably more Hal’s story than anyone else’s though, and it’s not only an interesting decision on Smith’s part to make “The Muscle” the centre of the story, it’s a winning one. Hal’s arc is excellent, and you’ll be desperately willing him on when he faces moments of doubt and indecision. His character is much deeper than first appearances might suggest, as he struggles with life outside the military on an almost daily basis, as well as fighting to control his violent urges. His loyalty to his crew is also touching and absolute, without ever feeling cloying.

The perfect combination of excitement and heart make The Rush’s Edge an easy book to recommend, and the loveable characters make it a hard book to leave behind. There is huge potential for more stories in this setting too, with plenty of foreshadowing and ideas which are just begging to be built on
.
This is a terrific book, which really feels like the start of something special.

Ginger Smith’s debut novel The Rush’s Edge is an intriguing, oftimes explosive, adrenaline fuelled shot of science fiction. We follow Halvor Cullen, a genetically engineered supersoldier (or “vat”) as the novel’s heart-of-gold protagonist as he and his crew become slowly embroiled in a fight against the government that created him.

At first, I must admit I wasn’t particularly sold on Hal as the protagonist. Picking up this novel that touted the main character as “genetically engineered supersoldier” put me in mind of the type of action novels I tend to avoid. One could all too easily read him as your stereotypical gun-toting cliched action man – a person written to have obvious style and charisma, but minimal substance behind them.

Yet, further on into the novel I read, Smith surprised me. As much as I am a fan of sci-fi that’s a touch more weird, her exploration of each of the characters, their relationships, and the dilemmas they faced did much to draw me into this book.

I’m hugely fond of the found family trope, and this novel serves that up in spades. Each of the crew members aboard the Loshad are compelling in their own way (I really liked the dynamic between Tyce, the ship’s captain, and Hal as bound brothers-in-arms) and there’s even a bit of romance in there (for those who like such things as I do!).

The Rush’s Edge is a book with heart, an adrenaline fuelled character driven story that takes a poignant look at human relationships and the ethics of human rights. The “vats” are shown and treated by wider society and their makers as disposable freaks. They are bred for fighting, and their physiology means they live incredibly short lives compared to “nats” (natural born folk) – a tragic reminder of their existence.

This focus on vats as this “othered” group was a conflict that really intrigued me, one which I was delighted to see explored more as the novel pressed on. What happens when you push science too far? When you sideline the living, breathing soldiers once they’ve served a purpose rather than see them as people? There is a poignant, heartbreaking undercurrent to this action-packed novel that Smith makes sure to remind us of at every turn, which does much to deter you from thinking this is your stereotypical “man turns up and shoots things but in space” book.

Smith’s enthusiasm for and knowledge of the genre clearly radiates off the page. Exposition and rich details about the world are crammed in with abandon, with this world giving off hardened sci-fi, cyberpunk vibes with seedy underbellies, “teckers” (also known as hackers), assassins, and A.I. Whilst many of the tropes used are well-worn ones, that is perhaps to its credit. Fans of sci-fi books that are simpler to follow will like this, and it is a solid entry into the ranks for readers looking to get started in this genre.

Whilst the pacing was sometimes too erratic for my liking, slow in some places and faster in others bouncing from scene to scene, some readers might prefer that as a way to explore more angles in the story. In fact, there is much to be said about the hints dropped and explanation of other-worldly beings and its history (A.I named the Mudar who fought humanity until they’d lost) that it made me want to find out more.

Final verdict:

A solid debut sci-fi novel, and a great book to introduce readers to the genre, The Rush’s Edge is a thought-provoking, fast paced, heart-wrenching story. I’m excited to see more written by her, and thank you Angry Robot and NetGalley for the ARC!

Sci-fi full of adventure, found family and a nice little romance in the background. Hell yes. Can I just say LOVE, LOVE, LOVE and be done because otherwise my review will be flailing and fangirling over my most very favourite male friendship ever. I'm not sure if the author was aiming for a crying reader, but there were some pure, sweet, wonderful moments of friendship that brought me to tears and that these moments could happen while characters were covered in other peoples blood was even better.

This was such an enjoyable read. The characters were so full of life and depth. I was completely blown away by how attached I got to them. In the midst of all this adventure and crazy battles and fight scenes is one of the most beautiful friendships you could ever hope for and this is what made the book so incredibly special. I loved that Hal and Tyce were so I open and able to admit how important they were to each other. Their moments alone on the page together were my absolute favourites. 

The connections between all of the characters elevated this story from just another space adventure to an endearing tale of friendship and love. It made me connect with the characters, it had me on the edge of my seat cheering for them. The way the romance was played throughout the story was subtle and never heavy handed. Hal is my very favourite character. He was written with such tenderness, which is in such contrast to the way he was raised and his nature forces him to be, that all of his soft moments even more precious.

This book has so much going for it, I just can't do it justice. I can only tell you that I read it almost two months ago and I still find myself randomly wondering what Hal, Tyce and the crew are up too. 

From the cover to the last page, every part of this book is an absolute wonder. It is easily in my top 5 list of the year so far. I'm blown away that this is the authors debut novel, it reads as though she has been perfecting her craft for years.