Deviant Flux

Durga System #3

by Jessie Kwak

She thought nothing could come between herself and her new family. She was wrong.

It’s been five years since Starla Dusai’s home station was destroyed by the Alliance, and she’s spent every minute searching for evidence that she wasn’t the only survivor.

When she receives a tip that her beloved cousin Mona is alive and well on an astroid station out in Durga’s Belt, she drops everything to find her. Thrust into an unfamiliar world of crime cartels and union politics, Starla soon realizes Mona is caught up in a dangerous plot — and that saving her might just mean giving up the new family she’s come to love.

If it doesn’t get them both killed first.

Genres: Science Fiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2019

About the author

Jessie Kwak has always lived in imaginary lands, from Arrakis and Ankh-Morpork to Earthsea, Tatooine, and now Portland, Oregon. As a writer, she sends readers on their own journeys to immersive worlds filled with fascinating characters, gunfights, explosions, and dinner parties. When she’s not raving about her latest favorite sci-fi series to her friends, she can be found sewing, mountain biking, or out exploring new worlds both at home and abroad.

She is the author of supernatural thriller From Earth and Bone, the Bulari Saga series of gangster sci-fi novels, and productivity guide From Chaos to Creativity. You can learn more about her at www.jessiekwak.com, or follow her on Twitter (@jkwak).

Reviews

[Riju Ganguly]

Starla had thought that Alliance had destroyed everything and everyone she knew. But that hadn't stopped her from looking for other survivors. Eventually she found someone. But, trying to meet her at Maribi asterioid— while the cartel running it goes into grim negotiations with crime bosses of the system— is not a good idea. Even Gia, coming to the table as Jaantzen's representative, suddenly finds her past catching up with her amidst all the conspiracies and threats.
Would they survive all these, especially the emotional punches?
This is the lengthiest of the 'Durga Systems' novellas. Unfortunately, almost all of that space has been taken up by weighing down the characters with emotions and throwing them down into some extremely uncomfortable rabbit holes where the past waits to devour the future. As a result, it was a tough read with lots of unpleasant characters as well as pleasant characters behaving like biohazard wastes.
Action was over even before we got a grip.
But the story is good. Flashes of humour and wit make the journey worthwhile. And of course, as the characters redeem themselves and make the system a slightly better place to live, we also can sign out with adequate flourish.
Recommended.

[Kate Swed]

The Durga System books just get better and better. This one finds Starla on an asteroid station searching for her cousin Mona. The setting is fully realized and enhances the story with every line, as Starla adjusts to being back in space and haunted with memories of her family. It’s just so beautifully written, and once I picked it up, it was really tough to stop reading.

It was also great to get a fuller glimpse into Gia’s life with a POV from her. Her romantic subplot is really sweet.

If you haven’t read the other Durga System novellas, the book definitely stands alone. Though I do recommend Negative Return and Starfall, too, which are both amazing! The wry humor, character dynamics, interesting world(s), and great writing remind me of James S.A. Corey's Expanse series in a lot of ways. If you like that, you'll like this too.

[Barbara]

Five years after Starla Dusai lost her home and family and was taken in by her godfather, she goes along with Gia to an asteroid station to check out a tip that her cousin Mona is living there. Gia’s mission is a political one, she is part of a group that is attempting to negotiate better terms with the Maribi Cartel on tariffs and docking fees. She doesn’t plan on running into the one man she thought she’d never see again. And both Starla and Gia didn’t plan on getting in the middle of a rebellion against the ruling cartel either. But they both roll with the punches and do what is needed to get through the upheaval and take care of the ones they care about. I hope there are more stories in the Durga System series, because I love these characters and world a lot.

[JL Henker]

Author Jessie Kwak continues to push a great story in the Durga System novellas. Gangster sci-fi series (who knew this was a thing?) that is full of strong women characters and exciting plot. Really enjoying this series and look forward to future installments.

[Kelly]

Excellent series. Strong female characters and lots of diversity.

[Toymom]

Awesome addition to the series. A stand alone side story that develops the character and world just that much more. With tantalizing bits of mystery thrown in for a spicy and attention grabbing read.

[AJ Kerrigan]

My favorite of the prequel novellas

I love Starla and Gia, and this bit of backstory before the mainline Bulari Saga books was very much my speed.

[Thom]

Space is no place for sissies. These gals don’t shy away from a challenge.

The universe is a mess. Sometimes you gotta have girls along to get the job done. But can Starla make a difference when she can’t even hear. A simple negotiation turns into way more than anyone bargained for.

Jessie Kwak knows how to get your attention. There is nothing simple about her heroines. They have issues. They have history. But no Alliance trash was going to slow them down.

I loved the characters, the drama and there is nothing like a bang-em-up, shoot-em-out battle on the rough edge of space to get your SciFi senses tingling.