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The Rehumanization of Jade Darcy #1
Jade Darcy and the Affair of Honor
Jade Darcy, the sole human on the planet Cablans and the last living member of her family, accepts a suicidal assignement against a race of violent alien conquerers
- GenresScience FictionFiction
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
4 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Goldin
149 books47 followersBorn in Philadelphia in 1947, Stephen Goldin has lived in California since 1960. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Astronomy from UCLA and worked as a civilian space scientist for the U.S. Navy for a few years after leaving college, but has made his living as a writer/editor most of his life.
His first wife was fellow author Kathleen Sky, with whom he co-wrote the first edition of the highly acclaimed nonfiction book The Business of Being a Writer . His current wife is fellow author Mary Mason. So far they have co-authored two books in the Rehumanization of Jade Darcy series.
He served the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America as editor of the SFWA Bulletin and as the organization’s Western Regional Director.
He has lived with cats all his adult life. Artistically, he enjoys Broadway musicals and surrealist art. Philosophically, he is an atheist.
Learn more about him at his Web site. . Many of his books can be bought through his online bookstore, Parsina Press.
His first wife was fellow author Kathleen Sky, with whom he co-wrote the first edition of the highly acclaimed nonfiction book The Business of Being a Writer . His current wife is fellow author Mary Mason. So far they have co-authored two books in the Rehumanization of Jade Darcy series.
He served the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America as editor of the SFWA Bulletin and as the organization’s Western Regional Director.
He has lived with cats all his adult life. Artistically, he enjoys Broadway musicals and surrealist art. Philosophically, he is an atheist.
Learn more about him at his Web site. . Many of his books can be bought through his online bookstore, Parsina Press.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 24, 2014
I want to be Jade Darcy. She’s so bad ass. Given that statement, clearly I found this book to be a complete riot and it now tops my list of Sci-Fi I Bought Solely for the Cover. I loved pretty much everything about it. The writing was actually good, as in there weren’t repeated phrases or conceits and the language wasn’t simplistic or tried to be more than it was… and it was funny, exciting, and what really surprised me was that I had no idea what was going to happen next. Usually when I’m reading anything I have an idea of where it’s going and I am generally not surprised by the result, but with this novel I had no idea what Jade was going to do next, which was great. Not like everything was a complete surprise, but for the most part I wasn’t just expecting something to happen and it did.
I loved the setting – the aliens were all over-the-top but they were at the same time realistic, because they were so well-described; they had their own culture and dynamics so you understood why Jade had a job as a bouncer in the first place. And what I really liked about the aliens was, with the Lemnant in particular, that nothing was glossed over regarding the question you know everyone has (don’t deny it!) about their anatomy. This book was mature and serious.
And the characters were fun. Jade herself was awesome – she was a total bad ass but she also had very human fears and concerns. And she was definitely very female; a lot of the time I find sci-fi in particular misses the boat when it comes to accurately getting inside a woman’s head, but Jade was bang-on. I could be biased because of this, but everything she did was what I would do, which was kind of strange but definitely why I felt such an affinity for Jade. And Megan was great. I was expecting her to be a male, have a battle with Jade over something, and then they fall in love. But nope! We get Megan instead and avoid stupid tropes. Rock on!
The other characters had depth and purpose as well; they weren’t just stand-ins for Jade to hang around with. And I also liked how everything wasn’t explained – you were supposed to infer things on your own, which I always appreciate. Too much exposition is not only boring, but kind of insulting. Like the Greest. None of them really understand how a trans-dimensional/temporal being works, so neither do we. It's really quite mimetic.
Anyway, if you like action-packed sci-fi with a bad ass heroine who DOESN’T fall in love, then this is the story for you!!
I loved the setting – the aliens were all over-the-top but they were at the same time realistic, because they were so well-described; they had their own culture and dynamics so you understood why Jade had a job as a bouncer in the first place. And what I really liked about the aliens was, with the Lemnant in particular, that nothing was glossed over regarding the question you know everyone has (don’t deny it!) about their anatomy. This book was mature and serious.
And the characters were fun. Jade herself was awesome – she was a total bad ass but she also had very human fears and concerns. And she was definitely very female; a lot of the time I find sci-fi in particular misses the boat when it comes to accurately getting inside a woman’s head, but Jade was bang-on. I could be biased because of this, but everything she did was what I would do, which was kind of strange but definitely why I felt such an affinity for Jade. And Megan was great. I was expecting her to be a male, have a battle with Jade over something, and then they fall in love. But nope! We get Megan instead and avoid stupid tropes. Rock on!
The other characters had depth and purpose as well; they weren’t just stand-ins for Jade to hang around with. And I also liked how everything wasn’t explained – you were supposed to infer things on your own, which I always appreciate. Too much exposition is not only boring, but kind of insulting. Like the Greest. None of them really understand how a trans-dimensional/temporal being works, so neither do we. It's really quite mimetic.
Anyway, if you like action-packed sci-fi with a bad ass heroine who DOESN’T fall in love, then this is the story for you!!
August 21, 2010
Jade Darcy is a carc (Computer Augmented Reflex Commando) who has gone awol, and is hiding on the backwater planet of Cablans where she is the only human.
This was one of my favorite books when I was younger, and it still holds up pretty well.
I love the Greest, a four dimensional being who is in the business of transporting people and cargo across interstellar space. I also really like the suicide mission she goes on at the end.
This was one of my favorite books when I was younger, and it still holds up pretty well.
I love the Greest, a four dimensional being who is in the business of transporting people and cargo across interstellar space. I also really like the suicide mission she goes on at the end.
February 9, 2019
I love good 80's Science Fiction. This book deals with big problems Jade Darcy has as she hides out on Cablans. The strength of this story is in the way Jade handles all of her problems: take care of it, don't whine about it and move on. If you have been looking for a well-written story that deals with serious issues but doesn't bog you down, you have found it. I am definitely going to read the sequel; Jade Darcy and the Zen Pirates.
January 6, 2026
A great redemption arc, though a questionable decision by the authors to include a graphic and disturbing rape nightmare as the prologue. I felt that the rest of the story more than made up for that, but what a rough start.
June 27, 2018
Great world building and so wonderful to have a kick ass and smart woman lead.
listed
March 27, 2021(Female friendship as a basis for personal growth)
February 3, 2013
This review can also be found at my blog
Top of the Heap Reviews - joehempel.wordpress.com
Stephen Goldin is a science-fiction author that has over 40 novels to his name. Lately he has moved into publishing his novels an indie author in eBook format. This book was co-written with his wife Mary Mason. Reading this work, originally published in 1988, reminds me of the pulpy science-fiction of old. Fantastic worlds, interesting species, and technology that’s futuristic but easily understandable.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read this type of science-fiction, and I’m glad to have the opportunity to read about such an amazing character as Jade Darcy.
Setting: The planet Cablans is a planet on the outskirts of the galaxy. It’s a place where interstellar commerce is it’s main source of income, and due to where it’s at, a source of the scourge of the universe. Most science-fiction that I read as a setting or foreign planet that feels very much like earth with just more technology. This place doesn’t. It truly feels like a different place, with different cultures, with different species. Everything co-exists on this planet, no matter how fantastical. From humans to insect type aliens, to aliens that look like mythological creatures. Stephen Goldin paints a good picture with well thought out descriptions, without bogging the story down by being overly wordy.
Characters: The central character in this book is Jade Darcy. She is a CARC (computer augmented reflex commando) who has jumped away from that life for some reason. She is essentially an outcast among humans and hasn’t see another in around 7 years. There are a lot of other characters that are introduced, but the focus is entirely on Jade. Her character really grows from the beginning of this book to the end, and her shifts come from the most unlikely sources. From beginning to end this journey is Jade’s journey.
The other characters, except for the other human, Megan Cafferty, all have exotic makeups, and have their own way of dealing with the other species around them. One race has you trying to out maneuver being humble, and another has you slinging insults. Just don’t tell any Yo Mama jokes…that might start a war. They are all well thought out, and aren’t just names on the paper. One of my favorite aspects of this book is that each species has their own little quirks and their own little things that can help us identify on a personal level with each of these species. Everyone has a role to play, and they play them well.
The only character that I didn’t quite get, was this manipulative four-dimensional being called The Greest. It’s not determined if it’s a he, or she, or it. Or what it’s role really is, or if playing people is something that it just likes to do. I’m hoping more of it will be explained in the sequal.
Plot: There are several stories that each kind of have their own beginning, middle and end. They are all inter-woven masterfully, and flow from one into another in the most natural of ways. It starts out with a nightmare that Jade always has involving rape. I’m not sure, but I think that might be a reason why she’s on the outskirts of the universe, and went awol in the military. It’s not really explained (or I just missed it). With the end of that she’s working for Rix essentially as a bouncer at his establishment that caters to every sort of being you could find.
She finds out that there is another human on Cablans, specifically looking for her. Not knowing if it’s someone after her due to leaving the military, she goes out of her way to hide, even so far as to take what is thought of as a suicide mission with Fastal to assassinate a Commancor General that killed his family. It was his “affair of honor” to avenge the death of his family.
The paths of Jade Darcy and Megan Cafferty intertwine shortly after the return. And she realizes that Megan is only there to hire her for a job, brokering a deal for fallen dead leaves. But Megan does find a secret that Jade has been keeping from the world, and Jade has to make a decision on if she is going to kill Megan or not.
It was the meeting of Megan that really started Jade’s character on an interesting internal struggle, and you see that the book becomes about Jade’s retribution and about making peace with herself against all odds. The world doesn’t become about her and only her, and she goes on her own sort of “affair of honor.”
Only a master at his craft could take the intricacies of each species he’s created, and weave them so seamlessly into a story about redemption and honor and friendship.
This book is real science-fiction. This isn’t some story calling itself science-fiction because it uses a laser gun, and has a ship that flies in space. This is a complex tale set in a complex universe, of real human (or alien) emotion. It was truly an honor to read such a tale, and I highly recommend this to anyone looking for great science-fiction.
Top of the Heap Reviews - joehempel.wordpress.com
Stephen Goldin is a science-fiction author that has over 40 novels to his name. Lately he has moved into publishing his novels an indie author in eBook format. This book was co-written with his wife Mary Mason. Reading this work, originally published in 1988, reminds me of the pulpy science-fiction of old. Fantastic worlds, interesting species, and technology that’s futuristic but easily understandable.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read this type of science-fiction, and I’m glad to have the opportunity to read about such an amazing character as Jade Darcy.
Setting: The planet Cablans is a planet on the outskirts of the galaxy. It’s a place where interstellar commerce is it’s main source of income, and due to where it’s at, a source of the scourge of the universe. Most science-fiction that I read as a setting or foreign planet that feels very much like earth with just more technology. This place doesn’t. It truly feels like a different place, with different cultures, with different species. Everything co-exists on this planet, no matter how fantastical. From humans to insect type aliens, to aliens that look like mythological creatures. Stephen Goldin paints a good picture with well thought out descriptions, without bogging the story down by being overly wordy.
Characters: The central character in this book is Jade Darcy. She is a CARC (computer augmented reflex commando) who has jumped away from that life for some reason. She is essentially an outcast among humans and hasn’t see another in around 7 years. There are a lot of other characters that are introduced, but the focus is entirely on Jade. Her character really grows from the beginning of this book to the end, and her shifts come from the most unlikely sources. From beginning to end this journey is Jade’s journey.
The other characters, except for the other human, Megan Cafferty, all have exotic makeups, and have their own way of dealing with the other species around them. One race has you trying to out maneuver being humble, and another has you slinging insults. Just don’t tell any Yo Mama jokes…that might start a war. They are all well thought out, and aren’t just names on the paper. One of my favorite aspects of this book is that each species has their own little quirks and their own little things that can help us identify on a personal level with each of these species. Everyone has a role to play, and they play them well.
The only character that I didn’t quite get, was this manipulative four-dimensional being called The Greest. It’s not determined if it’s a he, or she, or it. Or what it’s role really is, or if playing people is something that it just likes to do. I’m hoping more of it will be explained in the sequal.
Plot: There are several stories that each kind of have their own beginning, middle and end. They are all inter-woven masterfully, and flow from one into another in the most natural of ways. It starts out with a nightmare that Jade always has involving rape. I’m not sure, but I think that might be a reason why she’s on the outskirts of the universe, and went awol in the military. It’s not really explained (or I just missed it). With the end of that she’s working for Rix essentially as a bouncer at his establishment that caters to every sort of being you could find.
She finds out that there is another human on Cablans, specifically looking for her. Not knowing if it’s someone after her due to leaving the military, she goes out of her way to hide, even so far as to take what is thought of as a suicide mission with Fastal to assassinate a Commancor General that killed his family. It was his “affair of honor” to avenge the death of his family.
The paths of Jade Darcy and Megan Cafferty intertwine shortly after the return. And she realizes that Megan is only there to hire her for a job, brokering a deal for fallen dead leaves. But Megan does find a secret that Jade has been keeping from the world, and Jade has to make a decision on if she is going to kill Megan or not.
It was the meeting of Megan that really started Jade’s character on an interesting internal struggle, and you see that the book becomes about Jade’s retribution and about making peace with herself against all odds. The world doesn’t become about her and only her, and she goes on her own sort of “affair of honor.”
Only a master at his craft could take the intricacies of each species he’s created, and weave them so seamlessly into a story about redemption and honor and friendship.
This book is real science-fiction. This isn’t some story calling itself science-fiction because it uses a laser gun, and has a ship that flies in space. This is a complex tale set in a complex universe, of real human (or alien) emotion. It was truly an honor to read such a tale, and I highly recommend this to anyone looking for great science-fiction.
July 15, 2012
Jade Darcy and the Affair of Honor
By Stephen Goldin and Mary Mason
Paperback ISBN 978-1452445052 $15.95, Kindle ASIN B007KDGON2 $6.99, NOOKbook 2940033116409 $6.99
Also available from Smashwords
It has been awhile since I have read a book I enjoyed as much as Jade Darcy and the Affair of Honor. It is complex and intricately developed. The action is driven by the characters in the story and by Jade Darcy in particular.
The slate of foreign characters is amazing. The story is set on a planet on the edges of developed society. It is comprised of many different species, some of whom are humanoid and others who are insectoid and still others who inhabit more or less dimensions than our simple three dimensions. The characters are rich, interesting, and the different problems that can occur when such varied life forms, with all their intricacies, interact causes situations that range from the comic to the life threatening.
Jade Darcy herself is an enigma. Early in the story we are led to believe Jade Darcy might not be her real name, but other than a clue to part of it at the end of the book we aren’t let in on that particular secret. What we do know is that Jade has had a specialized operation to computer augment her reflexes. She is a carc, a computer-augmented reflex commando, and her existence outside of the military world makes her a rarity. She hides the fact she is a carc for reasons that aren’t clear. It is implied that she may be wanted. She takes what is certain to be a suicide mission rather than face another human being – the first to come to the planet of Cablans where Jade lives in the seven years she has been there. It is apparent she has run from human contact before.
The story and the action in it are wonderful. The science fiction in it feels realistic; it isn’t simply another Earth-like setting with futuristic sounding problems, but a setting on an outpost planet favorable to life that teems with diversity that becomes a driving force for part of the story. The matter of honor the story addresses exists on several different levels and becomes the driving force for the evolution of the main character. And the Greest, why he/she or it will just have you wondering how many dimensions it is possible for a being to exist in and what creatures from all those different dimensions might be like. I know I personally will be puzzling over the Greest and hiss/hers/its manipulativeness for some time.
If you are a fan of science fiction, or even just futuristic literature that doesn’t simply result in some apocalyptic version of our demise, then you should read Jade Darcy and the Affair of Honor. I think you will find it believable on all the levels that count and thoroughly enjoyable. I know I did.
By Stephen Goldin and Mary Mason
Paperback ISBN 978-1452445052 $15.95, Kindle ASIN B007KDGON2 $6.99, NOOKbook 2940033116409 $6.99
Also available from Smashwords
It has been awhile since I have read a book I enjoyed as much as Jade Darcy and the Affair of Honor. It is complex and intricately developed. The action is driven by the characters in the story and by Jade Darcy in particular.
The slate of foreign characters is amazing. The story is set on a planet on the edges of developed society. It is comprised of many different species, some of whom are humanoid and others who are insectoid and still others who inhabit more or less dimensions than our simple three dimensions. The characters are rich, interesting, and the different problems that can occur when such varied life forms, with all their intricacies, interact causes situations that range from the comic to the life threatening.
Jade Darcy herself is an enigma. Early in the story we are led to believe Jade Darcy might not be her real name, but other than a clue to part of it at the end of the book we aren’t let in on that particular secret. What we do know is that Jade has had a specialized operation to computer augment her reflexes. She is a carc, a computer-augmented reflex commando, and her existence outside of the military world makes her a rarity. She hides the fact she is a carc for reasons that aren’t clear. It is implied that she may be wanted. She takes what is certain to be a suicide mission rather than face another human being – the first to come to the planet of Cablans where Jade lives in the seven years she has been there. It is apparent she has run from human contact before.
The story and the action in it are wonderful. The science fiction in it feels realistic; it isn’t simply another Earth-like setting with futuristic sounding problems, but a setting on an outpost planet favorable to life that teems with diversity that becomes a driving force for part of the story. The matter of honor the story addresses exists on several different levels and becomes the driving force for the evolution of the main character. And the Greest, why he/she or it will just have you wondering how many dimensions it is possible for a being to exist in and what creatures from all those different dimensions might be like. I know I personally will be puzzling over the Greest and hiss/hers/its manipulativeness for some time.
If you are a fan of science fiction, or even just futuristic literature that doesn’t simply result in some apocalyptic version of our demise, then you should read Jade Darcy and the Affair of Honor. I think you will find it believable on all the levels that count and thoroughly enjoyable. I know I did.
March 28, 2013
I became aware of this book through the Mobileread forums, which I use as one reference, and where Stephen Goldin promotes his books vigorously. Also, the book description at Smashwords included a typically enthusiastic quote from Spider Robinson that had a slight whiff of oversell: "...it was her creators' deep insight into female sexuality and spirituality, as much as their mastery of action scenes, that gave Jade Darcy an uncommon plausibility, a realness, so often missing in other woman-warrior fictions..."
The titular character is a computer-augmented supersoldier who works as a kind of bouncer in an alien restaurant on a planet where she is the only member of her species. She on the run from other humans for reasons not yet revealed and also suffering from emotional trauma: she has recurring rape nightmares, one of which opens the novel. She has streamlined her life to bare essentials, trying to avoid forming attachments. This series of books is called "The Rehumanization of Jade Darcy," which implies that the challenges she faces will force her out of her isolated existence, and we may learn what caused it in the first place. I can relate to this character and her plight.
What I don't like so much is the way the problem of getting from one planet to another has been handled. Space travel is provided as a paid service by a mysterious multidimensional being called the Greest, who uses this power to shape the patterns of events to his liking. Basically, you pay your ticket, step into a room on one planet and step out on another. I guess it is no worse than the handwavey hyperdrives of other sf books, but it seems to take the fun out of space travel.
Anyway, in this novel Jade Darcy enlists on a suicide mission to assassinate a military commander, helps a businesswoman to negotiate a trade agreement, and liberates an occupied planet. Also she saves the life of a tiny animal and gets drunk.
The titular character is a computer-augmented supersoldier who works as a kind of bouncer in an alien restaurant on a planet where she is the only member of her species. She on the run from other humans for reasons not yet revealed and also suffering from emotional trauma: she has recurring rape nightmares, one of which opens the novel. She has streamlined her life to bare essentials, trying to avoid forming attachments. This series of books is called "The Rehumanization of Jade Darcy," which implies that the challenges she faces will force her out of her isolated existence, and we may learn what caused it in the first place. I can relate to this character and her plight.
What I don't like so much is the way the problem of getting from one planet to another has been handled. Space travel is provided as a paid service by a mysterious multidimensional being called the Greest, who uses this power to shape the patterns of events to his liking. Basically, you pay your ticket, step into a room on one planet and step out on another. I guess it is no worse than the handwavey hyperdrives of other sf books, but it seems to take the fun out of space travel.
Anyway, in this novel Jade Darcy enlists on a suicide mission to assassinate a military commander, helps a businesswoman to negotiate a trade agreement, and liberates an occupied planet. Also she saves the life of a tiny animal and gets drunk.
September 21, 2016
Great book. A bit intense in its theme but still a great sci-fi read.
Read
February 23, 2009This was an okay estrogen-filled sci-fi read. Very cozy. I wouldn't mind reading the sequel sometime if I can find it.
September 9, 2013
I liked some part of the book a lot- I thought the world building was quite clever, and the aliens interesting. But I didn't like the heroine- she seemed selfish and irresponsible.
May 14, 2019
great book... too bad he did not finish the series
Read
January 25, 2019Oh, such a good book! I'm really attached to Jade, even if she is the archetypal 'girl soldier'. There's something special about this one.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews