Artemis City Shuffle

Nanshe Chronicles #0.5

by Jessie Kwak

Playing bodyguard for a grandma vacationing in Artemis City should be an easy day's work for someone with Raj Demetriou's skill set—but as the bullets begin to fly, Raj is starting to think he picked the wrong old lady to guard today.

Lasadi Cazinho knows there are harder people to rob than the head of Artemis City's biggest criminal organization — but probably not many. Still, she's up the challenge—until a series of mysterious assassinations have her scrambling for her life.

Raj and Lasadi may both be down on their luck. But as a series of near misses and close calls spin their futures into a collision course, that's about to change.

Genres: Science Fiction, Action, Mystery, Crime

120 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 25, 2021

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 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A man, desperately needing a clean break with his adrenaline-junkie attitude, takes a job that's very homely— working as a bodyguard to a rich grandmother out on shopping.
A woman, desperately needing to complete few tasks to have a ship as well as a home of her own, takes a relatively safe job after careful profiling— picking the pocket of one amongst three persons working as associates of a crimelord.
Unfortunately, amidst all the glitz and shine of Artemis City, those calculations go horribly wrong. Bullets fly and bodies drop. As the two person have their stories curiously mixed without knowing each other, we rush towards the end, secretly hoping to jump the rails and take the leap.
It was exhilerating. But the adrenaline rush took place around realisitic characters and a crisp plot. The writing was fast-paced, with crisp dialogues and occasional humour.
And of course, the story opened up the vista for something much bigger.
Highly recommended.

[Toymom · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun start to a new favorite series!

[OldBird · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I'm no fan of third person present tense narration, this short prequel novella uses it and somehow manages to pull it off to tell not one but two stories linked only by space and time. Futuristic heists and badass grandmothers anyone? Welcome to Artemis City.

One half of the story follows Raj, a down-and-out type whose last flirtation with the criminal underworld nearly lost him everything. He's decided to do an easy, (relatively) safe and legal job: escort an elderly lady around Artemis City, the bustling commercial metropolis burrowed deep inside an asteroid. Sure, there is that underworld element around, but doing a bit of shopping, meeting a relative - what could possibly go wrong? Our other tale finds Lasadi, a fellow sort-of-grifter, our to steal access codes to a gangster's mansion from his second in command(s). Just a few more jobs like this and she'll be free to buy her beloved ship Nanshe from the boss who owns her. She's good at what she does, and the marks have gotten sloppy - what could possibly go wrong?

I loved playing guess the narrative crossover as the two characters circled each other. It's a great ship-passing-in-the-night style that alternates POV each chapter. They're your usual little sci-fi criminal heist/gangster tales, but they have fun with the tropes. Both stories have their steady build and adrenaline-filled climax, scattered with hints at the characters' pasts, hopes and dreams of the future. I always find third person present tense an othering sort of style that makes it harder to connect with the characters, but they're drawn with a wonderful kind of sympathy even if we do stay somewhat arm's length. The side characters too get enough detail to feel real and part of the strongly described futuristic setting.

The end... Oh yes, the end is a hook. While it does wrap up both the smaller stories well enough, the way is well and truly paved for this to lead into a series where the two misfits will undoubtedly tangle again. It does a great job of being it's own open ended short story and making you curious enough to want to find out more. As long as you're in the mood for that third person present tense narration and love a bit of space-crime-drama, I'd keep an eye on the Durga System.

-I received a free copy of this e-book in a giveaway. This does not influence my review-

[Shaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my absolute favorites from 2022! The Nanshe Chronicles follow the adventures of Lasadi and her growing crew of accomplices on the not-quite-pirate ship-but-definitely-less-than-legit vessel Nanshe as they ping from caper to caper across known space.

Volume 0.5 introduces us to both Lasadi and Raj, centerpieces of the series. It also introduces the sort of reckless and totally fun misadventures which propel them across space.

Kwak has constructed an expertly-drawn and lovingly-rendered set of characters, done solid world-building, and overlaid it all with creative plot twists and fun, precise and vivid writing.

[C.A. Morley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Artemis City Shuffle by Jessie Kwak is a quick read and a page-turner. It has fourteen short chapters between the POVs of Raj and Lasadi who are caught up in events while working for different bosses. I was invested in both characters from the get-go. The action keeps moving from one colorful place to another. I was smiling through each scene. And who doesn't like a bad-ass grandmother type?

My favorite line is in Chapter 11:
What kind of monster doesn't care what happens to his own granny?

I was sad when I reached the last chapter but it's the start of a brand new series, The Nanshe Chronicles. You can follow more adventures starring these two and their team in Ghost Pirate Gambit (Book 1), Blood River Blues (Book 2), and Cursed Saint Caper (Book 3).

[Karen Eisenbrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella gives you not one caper, but two! Raj and Lasadi are on parallel paths that almost but not quite intersect, both concerned with Artemis City’s biggest crime boss. They both have a lot to prove and a lot to lose. Raj’s partner in crime isn’t speaking to him since his recklessness almost cost them everything. Lasadi is trying to pull off one big score so she can own her ship outright and be her own boss. There are plenty of thrills and lots of violence (but also laughs) as Raj takes the “safe” job of bodyguarding an elderly woman tourist and Lasadi sets her sights on a crime lord’s treasure.

This novella kicks off a series, so I look forward to more of Raj and Lasadi.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually like 2 viewpoint storytelling... particularly when they don't seem to interact or have anything in common except location.... but this is the exception to that rule :) This was a well written, fast paced, action filled romp that I imagine will make complete sense in future books of the series. The main characters are both damaged but still likeable and I look forward to seeing some story-line as well as character development in the subsequent books, which I very much look forward to reading.

[Trina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I usually don’t like books that swap to different characters and stories but they come together at the end. Lots of action and twists and turns. Although not set in the same location as the Bulari Saga, it is a similar area, so it was like coming home. Do not need to read the other series to read this. Great world building as usual. With the different locations and character names it is not an easy read book you need to concentrate. Look forward to next in series.

[James Frederick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting little book. It was well-written and well edited, which is always nice to see. This is my first book from this author. I will be reading more.

There is no single main character. There are a number of characters that switch back and forth as the narrator. This was a little confusing and I kept getting certain plot points mixed up. Overall, I liked the vibe of the book and as it is a prequel for a series, there are more books to follow.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

entertaining story

⭐️ - awful, probably DNF
⭐️⭐️- didn’t like but not terrible, actually finished it
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - it was ok, passed the time
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - good story, good writing, entertaining, just not great
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - great, could not put it down, excellent writing and story

I liked the story and the writing. First time reading this author. Now I need to add the next book in the series to my buy list.

[Herschel Blackburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dual viewpoints in the story mean you can get easily confused if you don't pay attention. That is easily done because the characters of both viewpoints are instantly likable and the wonderfully done action scenes so typical of Jessie Kwak's work quickly sucks you in. I am eager to read the stories to follow.

[L.G. Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved reading this story 😄 The "Bell" and the Pearls of the Durga's asteroid belt are such wonderful concepts + I really enjoyed the weaving of the story's structure between the 2 main-chars 📖

All of the characters are really well written & I’m looking forward to reading the other books in the series 😃📚🙏🏽

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the start of the Nanshe Chronicles and gives us background on Raj Demetriou and Lasadi Cazinho before their paths cross. I thought it was great at setting up the series and showing who these two people are. I look forward to reading Ghost Pirate Gambit to see what happens next.

[Cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this short prequel to Ghost Pirate Gambit. It was a refresher for me to read before going on to to 2nd book in the series. Fun to see how close Lasadi and Raj got to each other before officially meeting!

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great combination of action, humor, quick-witted dialogue, and interesting characters. Another enchanting page-turner from Jessie Kwak.

[Pierre Fortier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very good book, fast paced, keeps ones interest throughout.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This prequel is fast paced with lots of action, it's entertaining, and the characters are intriguing. I'm in (and adding the rest of the series to my TBR)! 🙂

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although set off-Earth and in the future, the story could as easily be set in the current. Mob family problems both internal and external.

Interesting introduction to a set of characters

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read this and book one now and my only regret is not reading them in order. Fun light sci-fi if you just want an adventure story.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great prequel. Bought book 1 in the series immediately

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of like two stories that don't relate to each other, at least until the next (first) of the series. A pretty clear hint at the end, because both teams are due head for the same objective.

[P.L. Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun 4.5 stars rounded up

I think this story is more of a set up for future books, but I was fully engaged and our had a fast pace. Recommended.

[Scott Shjefte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read Kindle book using Alexa audio asset. Purchased this edition on January 13, 2024, from Amazon for free. A gun fight and murder inspires quick reallocation of loyalties and future ambitions.

[Torfinn Ingolfsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it.

[L.G. Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic novella that kickstarted my joy for reading the rest of the series :) I really liked how each chapter swapped between the POVs of the 2 main chars, & their lives were separate but also intertwined