The Backworlds

The Backworlds #1

by M. Pax

Librarian's note: There is an Alternate Cover Edition for this edition of this book here.

After the war with Earth, bioengineered humans scatter across the Backworlds. Competition is fierce and pickings are scant. Scant enough that Craze’s father decides to hoard his fortune by destroying his son. Cut off from family and friends, with little money, and even less knowledge of the worlds beyond his own, Craze heads into an uncertain future. Boarding the transport to Elstwhere, he vows to make his father regret this day.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Fiction, Amazon, Fantasy, Ebooks, Science Fiction Fantasy

123 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 30, 2011

About the author

M. Pax is author of the sci-fi series, The Backworlds, and the new adult urban fantasy Hetty Locklear series. A Browncoat and SG fan, she's also slightly obsessed with Jane Austen. In the summers she docents as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory where the other astronomers now believe she has the most extensive collection of moon photos in existence. No fear, there will be more next summer. She lives in stunning Central Oregon with the Husband Unit and two lovely, spoiled cats. Want to connect? Visit www.mpaxauthor.com

Reviews

[S.J. Higbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

The initial couple of chapters pack a real punch – Craze’s hurt and amazement at his father’s double-cross is believable and immediately had me rooting for him. Pax shows her experience in the slick handling of her protagonist – too much fury and resistance would have unduly slowed the pace, while a mere defeated shrug would have still had the reader convinced that his father was a complete ratbag, but would not necessarily have engendered quite as much sympathy for the main character.

After his unpleasant ejection from his village, the story follows a familiar pattern – an inexperienced youngster having to make his way in an innately hostile and uncaring world. This time around, the worlds are hostile with knobs on. In the aftermath of an interplanetary war, no one is particularly welcoming – except for the two aviarmen he encounters on his first journey offworld… And immediately the three of them spin off into an adventure, while trying to find a foothold somewhere to make their fortunes.

The writing is pacy, direct and very readable. Pax knows how to write an interesting, detailed character, provide an entertaining and believable backdrop, while keeping the action coming. I was swept along with the action and particularly enjoyed the colourful dialogue.
9/10

[Hallie]

Good Lord, how this did not work for me. Disliked the protagonist, disliked the prose, pretty much only liked that it was free and short. I'm kind of glad I didn't see any FIREFLY comparisons before reading it, as that would just have made the annoyance more intense.

[Catherine Stine · Rating 5 out of 5]

M Pax has visited the stars, you can tell. In fact, her bio says that she’s a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory in Oregon. In her sparkling new space opera, Backworlds, her main character, Craze talks about shopping for a used rocket with scrappy cabins and a limit of “100 more jumps ‘n’ stops”. She’s created a nuanced galaxy of Backworlds and Foreworlds, with thugs on Wism, Jix cons on Elstwhere, and a rather verdant home planet of Siegna. If only Craze hadn’t been kicked off his own planet by his very own devious dad, Bast, and dumped by his girlfriend who ran off with Bast. But Craze is plucky and as optimistic as a space-age Candide.

Like Candide, the awkward but loveable Craze runs into a shipload of trouble! On Elstwhere, a sexy Jix, who’s not entirely female and has multiple hands (!) offers him a deal that’s hard to refuse, but quite suspect. Craze is desperate for money (or chips as they call it), and he has dreams of opening a tavern in some pleasant, humble corner of the galaxy. To this end, the Jix’s deal involves a black market chocolate trade. Of course! What else in the far future would be worth more than food, more than water itself than chocolate?

The Jix seems to have Craze exactly where she wants him, but Craze, as bumbling as he seems, is no fool! He figures that she must be using chocolate to cover up some even bigger deal—maybe outlawed Frizzers—nasty weapons that can calcify bone. So he gathers his own secret tribe around him, Lepsi and Talos, professional rocket pilots, to double cross the Jix. No spoilers here! Suffice it to say Backworlds is a completely entertaining ride.

M Pax’s inventive mind conjures up food like pickled Snoink feet, and lyrical descriptions, like the one of the second-hand ship: “A lime-green spacecraft, color chipping off the hull, sat on the rotting tarmac. It was a bizarre shape marrying six caterpillars ringing the center where a couple of beetles met, back-to-back.” No shiny Virgin Galaxy ship with bells and whistles here.

This novel is refreshingly trim, in a sea of books that seem to get longer and longer and longer, with no added value. Backworlds is highly recommended for those who like original writing and world-building. I look forward to the sequel, Stopover at Backworld’s Edge.

[Marcha Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Craze is a Verkinn, a stocky race which can control their ear holes and have living hair that can braid itself. He's a big guy with a good heart who wears life-support overalls which help keep him out of hibernation when he gets in low oxygen environments. His family has betrayed him and undeservedly labeled him a leecher so he's on the run, determined to live out the old adage "The best revenge is to live well." During his quest he encounters a variety of other characters and they share numerous adventures along the way.

The author did an absolutely tremendous job describing alien races and different worlds in this well-written and entertaining story. I found Craze endearing; for some reason he reminded me of Shrek without the green skin. The imagery is vivid, the characters original as well as convincing, and the worlds fascinating. If you're looking for an entertaining escape into a scifi-fantasy world this is a great place to start with numerous sequels available so you won't have to look anywhere besides Elstwhere, a place in the Backworlds, anytime soon. What better place to visit than a world that reveres chocolate as one of the most valuable substances around?

[Rusty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Cow! I bow before the master of science fiction. M Pax should be on the Hugo Ballet right now for this story.

I became a fan of the author when I read Semper Audacia last year. I can't remember the details of that review, but I decided that I was going to be reading everything I could get my hands on that had M Pax on the cover.

So, this came around and my perception of what this author is capable of just went up considerably. This is MAJOR league awesome. I need, what? I need another star to hand out, can I do that? It's a six star read.

Oh, the story? It's a tale of a poor, bio-engineered, far-future human that just wants to be the owner/operator of a bar. That's it. But all of damned creation seems to be hell bent on making sure any opportunities for success are taken from him before he can achieve them.

I rooted for this guy, and felt thrill after thrill as he fell into, and out of, trouble from the very first sentence of the story. I cannot wait for the next installment.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars is a first-novel gift.

This isn't space opera. It isn't really even science fiction. It's an off-world coming-of-age story. Sort of like Star trek (that's no complement), it has aliens, technology and space geography pasted on to resemble science fiction. Everything was too easy.

Having said that, there's potential here. Pax shows talent.

[Jeff Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Betrayed by his father, his girlfriend, and community, Craze is cast into exile, forced to make his fortune on his own. His father has taught him a few skills, but Craze never intended to set up a business on another planet and he's going to have to earn a lot more chips before he can hope to buy what he needs to start his own tavern. A few chance encounters and a back alley deal with stolen goods seems to put the fortune he needs within reach. Well, maybe and maybe he'll be lucky to get out alive.

The Backworlds is a fast-paced, short novel that introduces this space opera series. The characters are varied and well-drawn, the planetary settings fascinating. The story of friendship and shady business dealings in some rather unsavory places drew me in and held my interest. The ending of course is a set up for the next adventure, but I'm looking forward to another ride with Craze and his new friends. He can probably trust them.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Due to the greed of his Father and Community Elders, Craze finds himself exiled from his home world. But all is not lost for him as he teams up a crew journeying the "Backworlds". All the while considering how he will make his fortune and take revenge on those back home!

This story introduced some interesting characters and original concepts. It was also a very enjoyable read and I will be adding book 2 in the series to my reading list!

[M. Pax]

I think it's fab ... of course :)

[M Hamed · Rating 1 out of 5]

one of the first things the protagonist do,is buying boots .leather,hand made with a gemstone
yeah,that's right
in the age where humans settled a quarter of the galaxy
boots are a fucking issue

[Fabien · Rating 2 out of 5]

J'ai commencé The Backworlds sans connaître ni l'auteur, ni son univers et autant dire que j'ai eu du mal à me passionner pour ce premier tome de la saga.
La faute à la lecture en anglais, moins naturelle certainement, mais aussi au manque de rythme du livre. De longues plages de dialogues dignes de westerns taiseux, un personnage principal dont l'ambition est d'ouvrir un bar (sans plaisanter), peu d'action...
Le seul point que j'ai apprécié est l'amitié qui naît entre Craze, le personnage principal et les aviarmen Talos et Lepsi. Mais là encore j'ai trouvé ça un peu caricatural.
C'est pas vraiment un livre de SF, plutôt entre une sorte de roman d'aventures un peu décousu et une quête initiatique bof bof, qui aurait pu se passer dans une ville crasseuse du Far West.

Globalement chiant.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad introduction for a sci-fi series. It's not gritty or deep, but it was entertaining watching the main character get himself in and out of trouble as he tried to find his feet in the universe having just been thrown off his home planet. From the very first chapter I just wanted to scoop Craze up in a big hug and whisk him away, the poor bloke. I love a good underdog and I love a motley crew of different species. Looking forward to carrying on with this series and seeing what Craze gets up to.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pax is excellent at world-building, but Backworlds is ultimately not nearly as interesting as it should be. The biggest problem is that she leaps into the story without looking, sending the reader into the lead character's dilemma of being cast out by his father without first establishing why we should care about the poor guy to begin with. And then just sort of stumbles on from there. Some readers have apparently been turned off by what might be described as the backwoods, stereotypical Appalachian nature of Craze and his native culture. There's nothing wrong with coming up with a new way to depict the future (in some ways, Pax has created a more authentic version of what Joss Whedon semi-famously depicted in the sci-fi TV series Firefly). But what Pax fails repeatedly at is making Craze himself sympathetic, relying on a superficial, and often repeated, description of his circumstances instead.

So after a while, the reader, or at least this one, loses patience and writes the whole thing off. Too often, you wish writers of this caliber would simply accept a little humility into their craft, and take on a co-writer...

[Brinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have confessed to having a soft spot for sci-fi. I was hooked from the first page when I felt immediate sympathy for the main character, Craze. He's an underdog with limited material resources, but his drive and ingenuity come through loud and clear. After being betrayed by his father and booted out of his home planet, he makes new alliances in a desperate attempt to survive. Craze is a charming character. The Backworlds is a scary place with all sorts of bioengineered beings. I loved reading the author's descriptions of the characters and setting. Although the descriptions are written with a light hand, the setting came across as very authentic and set my imagination in gear. I could picture a dark, gritty, desolate setting. Also, I admired the author's use of consistent language and "voices" for the characters. I kept turning those (digital) pages because I needed Craze to come out ahead in this dog-eat-dog world!

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a fast read, yet did a great job of introducing the reader to the "Backworlds" and the characters there. Craze is young man who suddenly finds himself shunned by his father, his girlfriend and his home-world. Forced to move off-world (literally chased off the planet), and carrying only a few coins and even fewer possessions, he finds himself relying on the skills (scamming and manipulating) that his father taught him. But, when trouble soon finds him, he has to rethink his outlook on people, and place his trust in strangers. Maybe what his father taught him was not the best way? Pax paints an image of a world full of shifty opportunists and survivors living on the edge. Technology has its place, but also present is nature. I kept thinking as I read it that I hope this goes big--and is made into a TV series. The premise could outshine "Farscape" in entertainment value. Looking forward to the next in the series.

[J.L. Dobias · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Backworlds(Book 1) by M. Pax

This book really entertained me.

I love character driven stories and I frankly thought at the beginning that there was no way a shallow self absorbed character like this was going to get me through the story.

The problem is that for the most part the story is well written and the style of writing drew me into the story.

It took a while for my thick head to figure out that Craze was some sort of gene-engineered made for space being. And as I read I began to wonder if perhaps he wasn't a victim of some bit of inbreeding. Craze reminds me of a few people who at the age of 30 were still sponging off their parents. But, it might be in this case that his parents may be overly opportunistic and have continually used him and this time they gave him the boot and his father stole his girlfriend. Also, unless I got things wrong I think all of this happened with the approval of his mother.

These things come out throughout the narrative and some of Craze's inner dialogue.

Reluctantly Craze leaves. To be honest he's forced out by use of some sort of electronic prod. He has to go to Elstwhere and from there he has to make his own life. Craze wants to own a bar and his thoughts constantly return to the orderliness of his racks of exotic liquors. I think that Craze may be a bit OCD. On the way to Elstwhere he meets Lepsi and Talos some Aviarmen who are on their way to obtain a ship to begin their own enterprise. Craze gets involved with them from the point of view that he too must make his own life now. He sees them as a means to his end.

They also seem to have the same revenge filled nature that Craze is beginning to acquire.

This whole story begins to become of comedy of errors with most of the characters coming off as being users. They are using each other and any one they can to obtain their goals.

Craze meets the -possibly bisexual -Gattar, a Jax who introduces him to a scheme to obtain chocolate- which is precious. Lepsi and Talos recognize the Jax and clue Craze into how the chocolate might be a red herring for the trafficking of prohibited weapons from Earth or the Fore'worlds.

Add in the involvement of local authorities and all the best laid plans....

As a forewarning to everyone even though this book is long enough to be considered at least a novella and probably a novel it completes with the air of being incomplete because it's part of a series and because the author chose to end it as she chose to end it.

All I can say is if her engaging and humorous style prevails throughout the series I'll have no problem with these stories. It kept reminding me of the Retief stories by Keith Laumer- except lacking the strong sensible character that was Retief.

Nonetheless Craze has some redeeming qualities and his associates prove to be both a foil and a balance for him.

Nice Entertaining Sci-Fi and Strange alien fiction- these characters are not human and for the most part don't act any more human than a bit of anthropomorphizing here and there like salt an pepper for flavor.

J.L. Dobias

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that this series shows a lot of promise, but I had a lot of trouble figuring out whether I liked the protagonist, Craze. I think that the fundamental problem is that the author gives us so little about the alleged hero of the story. We know that he ran a bar with his father and that he was jilted out of a career by both his father and his girlfriend. We know that he is one of many races who inhabit the Backworlds, he likes things orderly, and that he is prone to hibernation.

Craze is certainly a victim, but I still had a lot of trouble finding empathy for him. In fact, I found the motivations for most of the characters questionable beyond their desire to make a living. The author has created worlds filled with different sentient species, yet we know so little about them.

As for story, I found that it moves along at a nice pace. The overall premise for the story and the worldbuild has a lot of potential, however I think that it is let down by inconsistent character motivations and a simplistic story.

I believe this is a series with eight installments, and I have the second story as well. Although I was not completely satisfied with this story, I think there is enough here to warrant a second chance on the next book in the series. I am going with a wishy-washy three of five stars on Goodreads.

[Kanwarpal Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The initial couple of chapters pack a real punch After his unpleasant ejection from his village, Craze’s hurt and amazement at his father’s double-cross is believable and immediately had me rooting sympathy for him. Author shows her experience in the slick handling of her protagonist – too much fury and resistance would have unduly slowed the pace, while a mere defeated shrug would have still had the reader convinced that his father was a complete ratbag, but would not necessarily have engendered quite as much sympathy for the main character.

The story follows a familiar pattern an inexperienced youngster having to make his way in an innately hostile and uncaring world. This time around, the worlds are hostile with knobs on. In the aftermath of an interplanetary war, no one is particularly welcoming – except for the two aviarmen he encounters on his first journey offworld… And immediately the three of them spin off into an adventure, while trying to find a foothold somewhere to make their fortunes.

This novel is refreshingly short, in a giant sea of books that seem to get longer and longer ,with no added value. Backworlds is highly recommended for those who like original writing and world-building. I look forward to the sequel, Stopover at Backworld’s Edge.

[C. Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun science fiction novel that follows a Verkinn named Craze who is abruptly forced off his home world by his dodgy father. In shock, and with little to his name, Craze must fend for himself and find a way to make his fortune.

What makes matters worse is he’s never been away from his home world before, and because of the Verkinn’s sensitivities to environment, he’s not even sure he will be able to survive on other planets. Overwhelmed by all the new places, species, and situations, Craze finds himself adjusting to his new circumstance by doing the only thing he’s really good at––wheeling and dealing in shady business practices just like his father taught him. Along the way, Craze stumbles across good fortune and bad, but also makes some good friends along the way.

I gave this book four stars because I am not a fan of heavy dialect, and this book has quite a bit. Also the story has a little too abrupt ending. I think it could use at least another chapter to wrap things up a little better.

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. It's an ok story, but I don't think I'd have been very happy with it if I'd paid for a copy. (guess it's a good thing it was free then). It's not a bad story overall, but a lot of it is centered around a human looking robot that is treated like dirt at nearly every opportunity. I've never liked stories that where people are treated like objects, and in this case, it's literally an object, and to be honest, I see very little gain to the story with all the scenes where the bad treatment happens. It could have been left out entirely, and changed the story very little. In fact, after the first encounter with the owner of the robot, he could have been left out of the story entirely with no impact at all (besides a way to get rid of most of their illgotten gains). Sorry, but although the story could have been a really good one, I didn't really care for this one very much.
I already have the next one though, so guess I'll be reading that one too. (good thing that was free too)

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A good book makes you want to live in its world. A great book gives you no choice." I can't remember who said it, but The Backworlds is therefore a great book. It doesn't quite make it to five stars because I like more thematic depth from books, but as a fast-paced adventure of planetary wheeling and dealing, it's a great one. Pax's writing hits that hallowed mark where I wasn't conscious of the words on the page (well, kindle screen) but there, in the Backworlds.
Some of the reviews are saying that there wasn't enough background to the setting or characters, but I didn't get that feeling at all - I would like more, but it wasn't really necessary and I'm sure it will be slowly revealed in later books. Patience, people.
Craze was a brilliant protagonist as well, and I do not understand those people who wrote in their reviews that they didn't like him or found it hard to sympathise with him. I thought the total opposite - I liked him really well and by later chapters I just wanted Pax to give the guy a break.
I certainly will be out to get those later books (*points at where I've shelved this thing*)

[The Mysterious Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that M. Pax‘s The Backworlds is a masterful achievement in that it does what really (really) goood science fiction is supposed to do: set up a future universe that really makes sense and then have fun inside it. That’s certainly been done here and the story of lead character Craze is a great one. Not only is thus a fun book in itself but I can already see that it’s going to be the tip of a an iceberg of a truly great space opera adventure series. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises - the book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, it is easy to highly recommend. I’m definitely looking forward to more Backworlds stories.

[Jewell Moreno · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first introduction to this author. Story about a young extraterrestrial who is kicked off his home planet when his father decides the planet isn't big enough for the two of them. His exploits at his first time away from home. Consist of most of the story. He meets a large number of shady characters and also some very good friends. I had a hard time visuallizing some of the characters and locations, because descriptions were so foreign to me. I liked this story the more and more it went on, until by the end I had realized I had enjoyed it. Space adventure with some stealing, heists, bad guys and an entire universe to explore.

[Tristan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a light and frothy space opera novella. No technobabble here. It’s a heist story involving chocolate (genius idea), a precious resource in this run-down universe. There’s some good ideas here and interesting characters, despite the stereotypical old gangster film dialogue. It’s well written and rattles on pleasantly. Good simple fun.

Until the last scenes, involving the rescue of a robot slave girl (why something that hackneyed?) and all the main characters bonding as a crew of best mates before flying off into the sunset. That’s just an ending for an ending’s sake, spoiling a good read.

I had considered looking out for the sequels. Maybe not, after that.

[Sherry Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Backworlds is a quick-read sci-fi story that introduces the reader to Craze, a young man who's been kicked out of his home by his father and must make his way into the universe. He encounters a rough crowd involved in weapon smuggling. This first installment is basically the story of how he deals with this and how he meets some friends who will help him on his journey.

Sci-fi enthusiasts will enjoy the unusual humanoid characters and the interplanetary space hopping. It's a good start to a promising series.

[Adam Windsor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really did want to like this. The book does a pretty good job of establishing the protagonist and making us want to see him succeed ... and then basically fail to give us anything like that. Instead we get lots of contrivance to keep him involved in events, most notably characters becoming dedicated friends and allies after knowing each other for a page or two. The text needs to work harder than it did if it wants me to buy into the level of loyalty being displayed.

[Pétur J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are several things that bothered my with this book. The protagonist wasn't interesting nor did he keep his "alienness" throughout the book, i.e. he was pretty strange in the beginning but towards the end he was just a human doing human stuff.
The storyline simply didn't interest me. How he befriended a bunch of random characters with practically no effort at all, how he as a master hustler somehow forgot to hustle his marks and more.

Sadly I will not be reading the sequels.

[Les · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very intense story. The author grabs you from the start and doesn't let go. You are dropped into a world without any background, but the author's writing provides just enough detail for you to fill it in for yourself. One of the hallmarks (for me) of really good writing is that you can picture what is happening in your mind, as if you are watching a movie. This book has that. I can't wait to read the next installment!

[Anne Patkau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still memorable from years ago. Naive giant alien is kicked off planet by dad. He stumbles with new also alien maybe trustworthy pals through and slips past criminal elements of and between worlds toward goal of his own tavern.

The high value of chocolate in the future is so believable. Here WW aviators and soldiers tossed tons to kids. On both sides, military rations included some for energy and morale. Hooray chocolate.

[PJ Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 star beginning.

Craze is ostracised and loses everything for dubious reasons. He then gets into, and out of, tight spots as he tries to find his way.
I liked Craze as well as the new friends he meets. The story is fun to read, a well written tale with excitement aplenty to keep you reading.