Rating: 3 1/2 stars

The great conglomeration Farwan has fallen, thanks to space-jumper Sirantha Jax and her crew. Unfortunately for Jax, this leaves her broke as her prematurely announced death has led to a freezing of her accounts. Now Jax has been approached by the government to take on an ambassadorial position.

Sounds easy enough, but this is Sirantha Jax. Things can always get worse.

Things like hitmen from the local Syndicate, spider-like aliens that enjoy the taste of people, a mysterious illness that is draining Jax, and a bloody clan war that Jax never wanted to be a part of. Gotta take the good with the bad, right?

Wanderlust is Aguirre's follow-up to Grimspace. I read and reviewed Grimspace and I was looking forward to this sequel in the hope that the story, the characters, the world itself would have evolved some. I really don't think it has though. While I like the idea, and the character of Jax, the concept still smacks too much of a Firefly/Serenity influence. It just doesn't feel like it's standing on its own legs. Not only that but too much of this book seems a rehashing of feelings and narrative from the previous book. Even when Sirantha jumps grimspace (to warp drive a ship more quickly) it doesn't feel fresh. It was also a little surprising how very quickly she became ill. It seemed rushed, almost an afterthought that was tossed in at the last moment.

While I still value the idea of the story and it's place setting, I just can't get completely on board with it.
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Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Pub. Date: August 2008
ISBN-13: 9780441016273