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Season #1
The Matilda
Smuggler. Fugitive. Cyborg. Bounty Hunter. Far off into the future in a distant part of the galaxy, the Consortium controls the human colonies held together by the jump gates. Where the Consortium doesn’t hold sway, crime flourishes. Through the use of a hellish engine that goes where no one should, the crew of the Matilda slips its way between the two. But nothing has gone smoothly after they broke out one of their own off of a prison ship.Fighting their way past shadowy government agencies and a dangerous crime lord; monstrosities from an unknown layer of the universe seem dead set to break through into ours.When their pasts come back to haunt them, can Jacquotte Delahaye and her crew of misfits come together as they are attacked from all sides? Will the galaxy work hand in hand with them to survive the alien onslaught? Strap yourself in for a bumpy ride in the first book of the series, the Matilda.
319 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 18, 2018
13 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Jon Gray Lang
7 books5 followersAuthor, Screenwriter, Filmmaker & occasionally Actor. Handy with a Sword, Ukulele & Skis. Author of the Matilda series & its upcoming sequel Waltzing Matilda.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 19, 2020
I just finished Matilda (Book 1.) Good job old chap! Would it be appreciated if I said it has the texture of Serenity? It isn't cloak and dagger, more like cloak and big coil gun? I enjoyed the song titles. Not many still care about Marty Robbins or TE Ford, but I do. I shall have to research the new songs like B&S by Hide.
Matilda it is a great "space opera" and a valid extension of the Buck Rogers legacy.
Matilda it is a great "space opera" and a valid extension of the Buck Rogers legacy.
October 6, 2021
A fun romp through space set to an unforgettable soundtrack!
April 1, 2021
Great sci fi adventure
The world building is fantastic, the collateral damage is higher than I expected, but the Matilda's crew is a quirky, intriguing cast of characters. The story is riveting with plot twists and multiple mysteries. That the story is well-written is just the whipped cream on this awesome science fiction adventure.
The world building is fantastic, the collateral damage is higher than I expected, but the Matilda's crew is a quirky, intriguing cast of characters. The story is riveting with plot twists and multiple mysteries. That the story is well-written is just the whipped cream on this awesome science fiction adventure.
December 4, 2018
Great!
I want more please! You had me hooked in the first few pages. I love the strong female characters and I like the ambiguity of who’s good and who’s evil.
I want more please! You had me hooked in the first few pages. I love the strong female characters and I like the ambiguity of who’s good and who’s evil.
June 1, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on November 23, 2020
What struck me the most about this story as a whole is the diversity of the cast and the strength of the female characters. Race, gender, and sexual orientation ain’t no thang and people are just people. Their differences are clear in their names, physical descriptions and backgrounds but they are not all “generi-white” and boring. This really gives the story, and the whole universe, a lot of depth. (And if you’ve read my Black Prism post, you’ll notice I called this out there as well!).
However, I will say that while Lang’s female characters are really well developed in this first book, you don’t get to see much dimension of the male characters until book two, Twistin’ Matilda. However, it’s happening which gives me hope for the continued series.
Matilda is a fairly quick read. The premise is engaging and the dialog snappy. The reader can really tell the relationships the characters have with each other. They are real and honest. Regardless of where the story went, I would read more just to see the characters interacting with each other. And the dialog…yuuuuus! On top of that, Lang puts together beautiful visuals, and his prose is smooth. Also, it amuses me that Major Tom is now their new deity-figure (as in “Ground control to Major Tom).
Where the story miss-stepped is in the long-game plot arc. It almost works for a stand-alone novel, without the need for sequels, though there are a few slightly vague references to “greater evils”. While I am particularly inclined to the type of world Lang created, the anti-hero mentality of the main characters, and his rich diversity and picturesque images, I don’t know there are enough seeds there for the average Joe to pick up on for the “greater evils”.
As it is Lang’s first novel, it did feel a bit rushed (which may be attributed to it’s shorter length). He does make it clear that each character has their own backstory and they will need to confront a ghost of their past within the timeline. However, I was left with a few question marks as to how they got to where they did in the end.
The crew’s adventures are like a series of TV episodes with a kind of nebulous underlying conflict that I couldn’t quite grasp onto. The mega threat of these interdimensional tentacle horrors will likely play a part in this “long game” plot arc (because this is a multi-book series) but then there are also the mobsters and the umbrella-like “universal government” hunting the crew, though the motive especially of the latter is not yet clear.
Additionally, there wasn’t a ton of growth in most of the crew, except for Galena, the genetically created super soldier. Her exploration of what it means to be human or be like the “natural borns” is extremely sweet and awkward. It’s been a great journey so far, and I hope for it to continue! Also, Luli, the cyborg pilot is my favorite character by far. I just love her.
That being said, the first book wrapped up nicely with the small conflicts tying together while also giving the reader threads of new information. And the end scene left enough of a teaser that I did feel the need pick up Twistin’ Matilda. The fact that the characters are enjoyable and the world interesting are bonuses
What struck me the most about this story as a whole is the diversity of the cast and the strength of the female characters. Race, gender, and sexual orientation ain’t no thang and people are just people. Their differences are clear in their names, physical descriptions and backgrounds but they are not all “generi-white” and boring. This really gives the story, and the whole universe, a lot of depth. (And if you’ve read my Black Prism post, you’ll notice I called this out there as well!).
However, I will say that while Lang’s female characters are really well developed in this first book, you don’t get to see much dimension of the male characters until book two, Twistin’ Matilda. However, it’s happening which gives me hope for the continued series.
Matilda is a fairly quick read. The premise is engaging and the dialog snappy. The reader can really tell the relationships the characters have with each other. They are real and honest. Regardless of where the story went, I would read more just to see the characters interacting with each other. And the dialog…yuuuuus! On top of that, Lang puts together beautiful visuals, and his prose is smooth. Also, it amuses me that Major Tom is now their new deity-figure (as in “Ground control to Major Tom).
Where the story miss-stepped is in the long-game plot arc. It almost works for a stand-alone novel, without the need for sequels, though there are a few slightly vague references to “greater evils”. While I am particularly inclined to the type of world Lang created, the anti-hero mentality of the main characters, and his rich diversity and picturesque images, I don’t know there are enough seeds there for the average Joe to pick up on for the “greater evils”.
As it is Lang’s first novel, it did feel a bit rushed (which may be attributed to it’s shorter length). He does make it clear that each character has their own backstory and they will need to confront a ghost of their past within the timeline. However, I was left with a few question marks as to how they got to where they did in the end.
The crew’s adventures are like a series of TV episodes with a kind of nebulous underlying conflict that I couldn’t quite grasp onto. The mega threat of these interdimensional tentacle horrors will likely play a part in this “long game” plot arc (because this is a multi-book series) but then there are also the mobsters and the umbrella-like “universal government” hunting the crew, though the motive especially of the latter is not yet clear.
Additionally, there wasn’t a ton of growth in most of the crew, except for Galena, the genetically created super soldier. Her exploration of what it means to be human or be like the “natural borns” is extremely sweet and awkward. It’s been a great journey so far, and I hope for it to continue! Also, Luli, the cyborg pilot is my favorite character by far. I just love her.
That being said, the first book wrapped up nicely with the small conflicts tying together while also giving the reader threads of new information. And the end scene left enough of a teaser that I did feel the need pick up Twistin’ Matilda. The fact that the characters are enjoyable and the world interesting are bonuses
November 4, 2022
I was a bit worried about this read at first, because the early chapters made me feel nothing - it was like the characters weren't feeling anything either and I wasn't getting a feel for their personalities. But before I did give up, I started to enjoy the read. I was invested in this gang of misfits and their fortunes (and misfortunes, occasionally). I was also highly entertained from time to time.
The book has a lot of action, twists and turns, and it kept me on my toes (as the characters were kept on theirs) as the plot unfurled. I'm pleased to have gone from being sure I'd "DNF" this book to being eager to get into reading the second book. The book wasn't perfect, clearly, and it had a few typos here & there that appear to have simply been overlooked during line editing. But all in all I was excited by the interesting world that the author built, and I was fond of the characters I got to know for the first time. There are questions at the end, about Galena's fate, and that's a big reason I will be reading on - to find out what happens.
There were definitely some familiar-seeming characters and moments (I was reminded of Firefly/Serenity here and there), but I feel like the world-building was really richly done and the author seems to know a lot about the mechanics of flying spaceships (but what would I know? I'm no spaceship flying expert!).
Anyway, that's all for my review. Now I shall forge onward, to the next read!
The book has a lot of action, twists and turns, and it kept me on my toes (as the characters were kept on theirs) as the plot unfurled. I'm pleased to have gone from being sure I'd "DNF" this book to being eager to get into reading the second book. The book wasn't perfect, clearly, and it had a few typos here & there that appear to have simply been overlooked during line editing. But all in all I was excited by the interesting world that the author built, and I was fond of the characters I got to know for the first time. There are questions at the end, about Galena's fate, and that's a big reason I will be reading on - to find out what happens.
There were definitely some familiar-seeming characters and moments (I was reminded of Firefly/Serenity here and there), but I feel like the world-building was really richly done and the author seems to know a lot about the mechanics of flying spaceships (but what would I know? I'm no spaceship flying expert!).
Anyway, that's all for my review. Now I shall forge onward, to the next read!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews