Double Edged

The Bulari Saga #1

by Jessie Kwak

With stakes this high, humanity doesn't need a hero. They need someone who can win.

**Series complete! (5 books)**

Willem Jaantzen has everything he could ever ask for: his goddaughter is safe, his businesses are thriving, and the upper crust of Bulari seem to have finally forgotten his notorious past. Until, that is, his oldest rival turns up murdered and the blame—and champagne—begins to flow.

It turns out Thala Coeur died as she lived: sowing chaos. And when a mysterious package bearing her call sign shows up on Jaantzen’s doorstep, he and his crew are quickly swallowed up in a web of lies, betrayals, and interplanetary politics.

It’ll only take one stray spark to start another civil war in the underworld, and Jaantzen is the only man who can stop it. If, that is, he’s willing to give up everything he’s worked for.

DOUBLE EDGED is the first book of the Bulari Saga, a five book series featuring gunfights, dinner parties, explosions, motorcycle chases, underworld intrigue, and a fiercely plucky found family who have each other's backs at every step.

Genres: Science Fiction, Action, LGBT, Crime

390 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 28, 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

[Kate Swed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picture the Sopranos, only in space. And then add some kickass women, lots of diversity, a FREAKING MOTORCYCLE CHASE, and big action-packed stakes. That is what it’s like to read Double Edged.

Holy wow. So here’s my favorite stuff:

-The characters. They’re funny and tough, capable and morally ehhh I mean there are blurred lines, you know? But they stick together, they’re a team. I can’t pick my favorite—maybe it’s smooth, trustworthy, trickstery Manu; or smart, quick, Starla, always looking toward the home she lost; or maybe it’s Jaantzen, whose past haunts him, whose future will always be tarnished by who he was.

-The world building. Every scene, I felt like I was there—rich details, layered according to character, each person seeing what illuminates their journey. It’s gorgeously written and all story-centric.

-The TWISTS. mwahaha.

-The pace. I couldn’t put it down. But really—that’s because of the characters. They’re just that good.

If you like sci fi like the Expanse or Becky Chambers Wayfarers series, you’ll like Double Edged. I really want all my sci-fi loving friends to pick up Jessie Kwak’s books, and Double Edged is my favorite so far.

[Andrew Hindle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn into this story immediately, its prologue was exciting and well-written and set up a very interesting heist and overall plot. Some parts of the prologue came back into the story proper, but some parts - *cough-cough-cough-Oriol-cough-cough* - took way too long and others just didn't seem to come back at all and so their relevance was a kind of annoying non-event. This happens with prologues too often in my opinion, so I might just be transferring some of my generalised irritation at the phenomenon onto this book specifically. Still, my point is it was a great prologue and the opening chapters were great too, the only drawback was how long it took to bring the two together.

The story is written in present-tense, which I found a bit off-putting but plenty of people like it, and it is a good way to give immediacy and stakes to a story. It's a perfectly cromulent tense, is what I'm saying. Wait, why is my spell-checker not tagging cromulent as a typo? Has the English language been embiggened? Holy shit. It's not tagging embiggened either. I digress, but you have to admit I have reason.

Just - look.

Anyway, back to the story. Jaantzen and his found family, including daughter-figure Starla, are enmeshed in a power-vacuum struggle in the sci-fi organised crime rings of Bulari, a cool sort of space Ankh-Morpork. With the death of crime lord Coeur - she's actually a crime lady but that sounds just incredibly dumb, and Kwak made exactly the right call in rendering the crime lord term as gender neutral and I don't care what the SJWs say - the underworld of Bulari is in turmoil. And since the underworld of Bulari also includes most of the actual civic leadership, it's probably just easier to say "world". Coeur was the mayor, after all. The Patrician, if you will.

Assassinations, political intrigue, mysterious locked cases and a sci-fi drug called shard are the order of the day in this action-packed and highly enjoyable story.

I was also really intrigued and delighted to see some outside-the-box character work going on here. It was a really interesting take on the space gangster / sci-fi godfather subgenre. While I've read enough good modern (independent) sci-fi by now to no longer consider strong female characters to be new or trope-busty, these ones were particularly enjoyable - and the sad fact is I am still mentioning them, so we clearly still need more of this good stuff. Also, I said "busty" by accident and now I keep looking back at it and wondering if I should change it but we all know I'm not gonna.

Furthermore, we had a really cleverly worked-in deaf character, and her deafness wasn't played as a plot-point or some inlet for a stupid superpower, it was just a fact. To such an extent that I was puzzled, quite a significant way into the story, why the main band of protagonists were signing and texting to each other, and not "saying" things except when they got agitated, and I wondered if maybe it was a part of the world-building, like a secret language or a cool "everyone on this world is silent" element, but nope. It was "just" an adjustment to this character and it was really excellent.

Expect some twists as you go, and the introduction of the big-picture plot arc but not much in the way of closure yet. This is, after all, the opening book in a considerably-sized series (8 books [5 main series books and 3 prequels], let me just say, is the perfect size and composition for a science fiction series and I thoroughly approve). We're treated to a nicely-constructed setup to a larger mystery and threat, with good characters and a nice mid-range plot for this book to get us into it. On a specific level I really enjoyed the setup of the planetary structure, the globe-encircling desert, all of that. I like. And Jaantzen's philosophising about parenthood is lovely and thought-provoking.

On the subject of the characters and the writing, for most of the book I was blinded by anger about why Jaantzen was even helping Coeur instead of shooting her in the face. Not to spoil anything but he has excellent reason to hate her and - well, my notes as I was reading were as follows:

I can't enjoy this because I'm just so mad Jaantzen isn't shooting Coeur in the face over and over again. Guess that's good writing? Unless the author doesn't nail the explanation. Because a vague "he gave his word" is not enough. I will decide if bad writing or great.

Ultimately, I was left with the judgemental declaration of "good writing," since while I was still utterly unconvinced and pissed off by his reasons for not killing Coeur and am absolutely livid that he didn't kill her and put her head on a spike over at the mayor's office or something, I hold out hope that we're going to get satisfaction one day - and in the meantime Coeur is a cool enough evil protagonist / antagonist / strange bedfellow that she's worth keeping around and expanding on for another couple of books. On a story-reader level it'd be a waste to kill her. Just ... I'm hesitant to read more of this series rather than just finish it in my head and pretend something satisfying happens, because I was burned by Robin Hobb and I'm not going back there. Never. A. Fucking. Gain.

It wasn't until around the 60% mark that Oriol returned from the prologue (aside from a couple of brief mentions) and we find out a little bit of what he was up to there and how it relates to the story, but it wasn't what I'd call a perfect link-up. The Demosga family is apparently not very important after all, but at least the Dawn was mentioned, and agriculture. Oriol's return to the story and his relationship with another of the protagonists is really very sweet, too.

We end on a cool epilogue and a final tantalising closure-but-not-really with the thingies in the globes that were in the locked cases. Was the prophet of the Dawn cult right about everything? Well, I mean, he was a murderous nutbag so fuck him, but maybe he was? Guess we'll see!

Sex-o-meter

There are some tender moments between lovers here but most of it is the familial love of Jaantzen and his crew, and a whole lot of space mobsters and shoot-outs and stuff, which are a kind of sex but in another more accurate way, there was no sex. And that's fine. I'll give it a shard out of a possible dark crystal. Wait, that's not sexy. Out of a possible dark, throbbing crystal. There we go.

Gore-o-meter

We get plenty of nasty murders, beatings and torture stuff, mob hits and gunfights and mad cultist rampages. It's good and violent, but not precisely gory. Still, I'll award it three flesh-gobbets out of a possible five. It's got some brutality to it.

WTF-o-meter

The story and plot elements are all quite clear-cut and don't have much in the WTF department. There are mysteries, sure enough, and alien relics and locked boxes and deep prophetic apocalyptic wossnames and all that, but they're none of them really WTFs. I give Double Edged a shard out of a possible all the different varieties of troll drugs on the Discworld.

My Final Verdict

This was an enjoyable read and the blurb-statement "Perfect for fans of The Expanse, Firefly, and The Godfather" is not an idle brag (nor is it in any way a humble one, but I'll allow it). I will still hesitate to look at the rest of the series until reassured that Jaantzen and Coeur get some kind of arc-ending that doesn't make me inarticulate with rage because I don't have time for shitty painful injustice in my fiction, I read this stuff for fun. So if someone can help me out that would be appreciated. Three stars on the Amazon / Goodreads scale!

[Colline Vinay Kook-Chun · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the cover art of this novel, don’t you? And while I was reading the story, I realised that the art suited the tale perfectly. The cover art and the words inside give a sense of another world – another world which is just as gritty as ours can be and which also contains people that are greedy and power seekers.

Double Edged is a story that is fast-paced – but not so fast-paced that we are not given the time to get to know the characters. We are shown an insight into the Bulari world with dialogue that is not superfluous, and with writing that cuts to the chase. Kwak has delivered the imagery of a world that reminds me of so much science-fiction literature and film that I have enjoyed in the past. While reading her words, I could see in my mind’s eye people using technology that hasn’t been invented yet set in worlds that have yet to be discovered.

I enjoyed meeting Kwak’s characters. They have a humanity to them that breathes from the pages. They are imperfect, yet loyal. They are confident, yet uncertain. I will read the second novel in the saga when it becomes available. And in the meantime? I will consider dipping into the novellas.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely the best work (amongst those that I have read) involving the world and the characters created by the author who make up her Durga system.
In it, some old enemies return to haunt and endanger the world Willem Jaantzen had carefully and painstakingly built around himself and his extended family.
As sparks fly, wounds bleed, conspiracies and treachury bloom like evil roses, a strange and unexpected future starts unfolding.
Who, or what lies in its womb?
Enjoyed it immensely. Makes me feel proud for ordering the next book in the Bulari saga already.
Highly recommended.

[Natasha Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Book 1 following the Durga System series, which I've not read, well, not yet anyway.

The characters are amazing. They are rich and unique and well-rounded and so full of life that I actually think of them when I have stopped reading (to feed my family, for example). The world created is profound in its expansiveness. The writing is crisp and humorous in a dry way that leaves you chuckling at the characters' witty/wry commentary. (Note: the characters are strong, physically; they are warriors, but they are vulnerable, they are not one-dimensional. Just because a person was say... a judge, they weren't necessarily the cleanest or noblest in the room. They have weaknesses and the way the author goes about exploiting those weakness through plot makes it a unique and rewarding read.)

The meticulousness of the tech, the towns and cities and its players was impressive. The tension was high and the overall plot was well-paced and laid out.

Without reading the previous series, which I suspect (based on the back of the book synopsis) sets up the explanation for the world and how the characters met, I was able to follow along this story. I am now reading Book 2 in the Bulari Saga series.

[Eric Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic world building and writing that just flies off the page. Jessie has created a fully-formed world full of fantastic characters in high-stakes situations. This book promises the mafia in space and absolutely 100% delivers. While this is a complete story, it is the lead-in to a deeper conspiracy which I assume will be addressed in future books. I've already begun book #2.

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

An evil woman known to one and all as BLACKHEART, and a suitcase with something unknown in it.

Suddenly a game begins called 'who can we trust'. No one is certain of what the true facts are. Is Blackheart really dead? If she is, who killed her?

What's the big deal with the suitcase? It's been delayed and hidden in a shipment going offworld but that's just the start of its journey. Willem Jaantzen (the main character) finds this case fascinating, however he hears a rumour that someone opened one and was killed in the resulting explosion. Now he wants his case carefully examined for a safe way in. Evidently it's contents, whatever they are, are worth killing over.

Between being harassed by the sister of Blackheart, and the crazy amount of people who want that suitcase, Jaantzen has his hands full.

The tension and fear of all those who know what's truly at stake here is incredible, it's almost as if you can hear the music that you get in movies where the bad guys are coming and you want to warn the ones who have no idea, but you can't...oh I loved it!

I love the steadily increasing level of threat that runs through this book, as gradually higher ranking and more brutally ruthless gang leaders come out of the woodwork towards a true clash of the titans.

I really enjoyed how the previous story by this author, NEGATIVE RETURN, grabbed my attention. Well this book has gripped me just as graphically. The battles in this book are so brilliantly written that they left me panting for more, which is always a great feeling!
I felt as if I was watching all the violence occur as I hid behind a handy tree right there where the action was! It was exhilarating and yet mesmerising all at the same time.
And the ending was brilliant and definitely not what I expected. Talk about a plot twist, oh my goodness yes, it's got a thrilling ending!

When you find an author whose books talk to your heart and mind so well, keep in touch with them and always, always buy their books, that's my advice anyway!

[Karen Eisenbrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a drawing during the launch of Crooked V. 1. Lucky me!

I don’t seek out crime stories, but sci-fi crime stories seem to find me. This one is a winner! (And it kicks off a 5-book series, so I may be in trouble!) Set in a post-Earth future where humans have scattered themselves and their issues among the stars, Double Edged follows ex-gangster Willem Jaantzen and his legitimate security business and associates. He’s a solid citizen, thinking of investing in an abandoned building in a rundown but up-and-coming neighborhood. He has left his old life behind. Then he gets word that an old enemy is dead, leaving a power vacuum in the underworld. Even worse, a dangerous cult has discovered an ancient serum with miraculous powers. Jaantzen might have to cooperate with his foes to keep his found family safe and Bulari from exploding.

Bulari felt like an established city, with its suburbs, slums, tourist traps, fine restaurants and neighborhood joints, and its problems of gentrification, crime, and drug dealing. While Jaantzen is the center of the story, I enjoyed the many chapters from other points of view, which allow the reader to get to know other characters and see things many of the characters don’t. The story is suspenseful and fast-paced, with a variety of characters with their own takes on the issues. The diversity didn’t feel forced or for show. For example, Jaantzen’s goddaughter Starla is deaf and speaks in sign language, reads lips, and has technical assistance that sometimes can’t keep up. This wasn’t played for pity—Starla is extremely capable—but was an important part of the character and the story. Everyone around her has learned to sign, so they can use it to communicate among themselves without their rivals necessarily knowing what is going on—an extra ability.

Highly recommended for fans of violent speculative crime fiction, such as Chuck Wendig’s Mookie Pearl series.

[voodoocactus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book claims to be “Perfect for fans of The Expanse, Firefly, and The Godfather,” and I can sort of see why. It has a very Expanse feel about it and Willem Jaantzen reminds me a lot of Miller. However, where The Expanse pretty much caught me from the get-go, this...didn't.

The action picks up right away and the story unfolds through POV Jaantzen, Manu (his right-hand man) and Starla, his goddaughter. It has twists and turns and surprise allies and betrayals and it doesn't really take a breath between scenes. Sadly, the characters failed to catch my interest and I wasn't really invested in what happened to them. On hindsight, the final face-off was obvious but again, not invested. Even more sadly, the last pages of the epilogue were more intriguing than the whole book so far--it felt more like an introduction to a story than a stand-alone story. However, I'm not interested enough to commit to four more books of this soooo... yeah.

I mean. It was okay? But that's all.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent example of how a master storyteller can elevate characters and story elements that at first glace appear ordinary and trite into a complex, richly imagined, fast paced story you can't put down. Characters with complex motivations and some very peculiar alliances of necessity. Plot twists you thought you predicted only for everything to go sideways.

This is book one in a series, and can be read as a standalone, but you will want to dive into the rest of the series! It contains a full story arc, no cliff hangers but there are some huge questions left open for subsequent books. It follows the Durga System books, which provide some further character development and world building that adds richness to this book but are not needed to understand and enjoy this book.

[Norma · Rating 3 out of 5]

( Format : Audiobook )
"The gift of the Fallen."

The opening chapter of this book is great, throwing the reader straight into a heist that goes wrong: it's pacy, dating and futuristic and introduces Willem Jaantzen the lead character. Really promising, colourful and offering great prospects for the book. There is also, coming up, a psychotic mayor, fanatical religious leaders, crime leaders and their followers, still living dead men, a newly developed orchid, a deaf girl (I think) with whom they all converse with text or gestures, a greenhouse, a suitcase, and something else which looks like a pea nestled in manure. Lots of guns and knives, too, with mostly murderous or desperate charactets and a really brilliant motor bike chase.

Good ending.
Good performance by J.S.Aquin.
But:
I really couldn't get into this book.

[Nikki B · Rating 5 out of 5]

What impressed me most with this book was the detailed history of characters, their backstories, or even info about locations, was so well thought out and filtered into the story without big info dumps. There were layers upon layers of history as if this was based on the real world rather than a fictional future world. Impressive!

This book definitely deserves 5 stars. The writing is succinct and never too wordy even though there was a lot of information. The characters were complex and diverse, and I loved reading a character who was deaf.

I'd recommend this book for anyone interested in underworld/mafia crime thrillers, the sci fi gave it an extra dimension and had me hooked. But even if you don't usually read sci fi, I think crime readers will still enjoy.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a story here. Action-packed as criminals and religious fanatics square off against each other and everyone else, too. The lead characters are sympathetic and well developed. This is the lead book in her Bulari saga all about a city run and screwed up by gangs. Some of the gangs have some concept of civic responsibility and others don't. Lots of interesting conflicts as a result and more with the religious nutballs.

The character, Starla, is most interesting in many ways. Brave, absolutely no nonsense and a total warrior she kicks stereotypes out the figurative window.

She promises more stories with these folks in the future Bulari books. I look forward to reading them

[Susan Lorrain · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters are good, the story is interesting it is worth the read. There is no dull moment, and a lot of well-defined characters. However, I think this book would be elevated from good to "I can't put it down' if there was a deeper emotional connection to the main characters. They all have those events in their past that would tie you to them emotionally if the character had those flashbacks or emotionally relayed the events. They are more clinically revealed which makes you want to know more, but the more never came. I did enjoy the book and will try reading more by Jessie Kwak.

[Barrie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outstanding

Nonstop action from the first page draws you into this story and doesn't let go. A fast-paced story with a complex storyline, plots within plots betrayals unlikely alliances, and widespread carnage in the battle for the prize that will either save the planet or cause all-out war. Well written with we'll fleshed out characters that grow as the book progresses and excellent worldbuilding this is well worth a read. Highly recommended, Baz.

[Matthew Case · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the characters and their development in this first novel. We are given deeper insight into their motivations and inner workings. The story is compelling and at times truly gripping. Don’t let my start/finish fool you, I read this in a few days and can’t wait to pick up the next installment. I expect these characters to deepen in the coming books, and I’m here for it all.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start to the series! Jessie Kwak has a knack for creating three-dimensional, complex characters I can't help but root for (hello, Jaantzen!), even if they are operating in decidedly grey areas. I enjoyed the fast-paced action and the twists and turns that kept me on my toes until the end. Definitely looking forward to reading more in this series!

[Mark Lucas-Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Double Edged

The first in a series of Bulari Saga novels and a very interesting start too.
Plenty of characters to get behind with quite a complicated plot. Intriguing enough to make me want to read more of the series.
One thing I did appreciate was the reader learns about what is going on at the same pace as Willem Jaantzen the main protagonist.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plenty of action, some history. This episode is many years beyond the prequel that I read. It seems several presumably key players died in this episode, so clearly some lesser folk will come to the front, probably Oriol, maybe Starla. Bulgari itself seems interesting enough to continue with this series, see what happens.

[Toymom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rousing start to a new series. The author has created a complete reality with fully formed complex characters moving within a complicated yet very real environment that feels familiar from the very beginning. The main characters defy simple pigeonhole descriptions. Fast paced action with people making the best choices they can to protect what's most important to them.

[Andrew McCollough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mafia in space

If you enjoy high action, characters with unexpected depths, and plot twists then you should check out the Bulgarian Saga. Balancing revenge against survival, Jaantzen must play the most dangerous game against cultists and traitors.

[Eilean Rawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, from the first paragraph this book explodes with action. I received this free through Voracious Readers and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. Fast, furious action from go to whoa. An interesting array of characters, some nice ideas, a new threat and there's more to come - can't wait.

[Trevor Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I do think that the plot was a bit slow and included a lot of info-dumping over interactions that would create more visceral reactions, I loved the atmosphere and characterization in this book.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read the Durga System books, the new Bulari Saga series features the same characters in more adventures, and I’m happy to follow. Willem Jaantzen has risen from nothing and is well respected by his fellow gangsters, he loves his goddaughter Starla Dusai and counts on her assistance, while problem solver Manu Juric and several other key employees make a great team that will get whatever needs doing done. This is an exciting, fast paced story with gangster families, mysterious packages, intrigue, religious zealots, and the chaos caused by the death of Willem’s enemy, Thala Coeur. With well developed characters, a fascinating world, and lots of action, I loved this story and look forward to the next in the Bulari Saga series.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book with twist and turns. Suspense and intrigue. Enjoyable.

[Laura Watty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going to save this author as a favourite. This book made me late for work. Loving it.

[JT · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ends on a cliffhanger. Luckily, I bought the next one at the same time!

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun. Action packed. Strong female It was like reading a tv show. Looking forward to the next one.

[Scott Gardner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too much characters crammed into the first 2 chapters , you feel your head burst.
The story itself is good , if your into gangsters then this is the book for you.

[S D Lawrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book was interesting and readable. Violent gang driven drama on an alien world.