Song of Scarabaeus

Scarabaeus #1

by Sara Creasy

Philip K. Dick Award nominee 2010
Aurealis Award nominee 2010


Trained since childhood in advanced biocyph seed technology by the all-powerful Crib empire, Edie's mission is to terraform alien worlds while her masters bleed the outlawed Fringe populations dry. When renegade mercenaries kidnap Edie, she's not entirely sure it's a bad thing... until they leash her to a bodyguard, Finn -- a former freedom fighter-turned-slave, beaten down but never broken. If Edie strays from Finn's side, he dies. If she doesn't cooperate, the pirates will kill them both.

But Edie's abilities far surpass anything her enemies imagine. And now, with Finn as her only ally as the merciless Crib closes in, she'll have to prove it or die on the site of her only failure... a world called Scarabaeus.

Genres: Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Romance, Space Opera, Space

354 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published April 27, 2010

About the author

I write heartwarming/heartwrenching family drama.
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WYNTER WILD SERIES

Reviews

[new_user · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, these timid, fainthearted reviews gave me no clue what I was in for! I loved this book!

If you've watched the trailer, then you know Sara Creasy's Song of Scarabaeus follows prodigy Edie Sha'nim -it's not a fantasy without apostrophes- as she confronts her greatest failure with the help of your friendly neighborhood kidnappers.

Yes, I saw shades of Gabriel's Ghost and Grimspace , but unlike the heroines of those novels, Edie Sha'nim isn't immediately chummy with her kidnappers (OMG, BFFs 4ev!) Though we learn more about these morally ambiguous people, suspicion and questions lend another layer of tension to Scarabaeus.

Hero Finn, similarly, has his own questions and mistrusts everyone after years of slavery, Edie included. Now I know what you're thinking. Finn's no name for a hero! LOL. He's probably the first plausible slave character that I've read in genre fiction, and the first urban fantasy/scifi hero with genuine reason for coolness.

He's also smokin'! I love a competent hero, and was it wrong that I drooled when he was handcuffed nekkid to the rails? LOL. (No, this is not erotica. PG-13, in fact.) We never read mystery man Finn's perspective, only absorb subtle clues about him from conversation and scenes that conveys the kind of man he is. We know just enough to want more, to squeal at innocent little touches and statements and see sensuality in every letter, intended or not. (I want them together nao!)

1000 points for Edie. Edie's brilliant with wetware, but she's also resourceful, and that saves her more than once. Creasy suggests that you don't have to be superhuman to triumph. I like that message. I like a heroine who fights with her wits. There are plenty of clever women. What do you say? I think we can duplicate her successes. Creasy proves that a female character doesn't have to have werewolf muscles to beat her foes. She's sympathetic too!

Sometimes Edie doesn't have an answer. Nail-biting action and a driving pace made Scarabaeus a delight. I was a little shocked at one point. Creasy's world-building, while well-developed, doesn't require much suspension of disbelief. Her world even seemed natural and familiar, despite all the advanced technologies, because she draws on real life elements to people her conflicts and frame her characters. For example, observing a family's ship, Edie thinks,

"Despite the ramshackle state of their vessel, it was an expensive piece of hardware that required generations of family money to fund."

She draws on real barriers to entry for landowning or business-owning to imagine a future where ships are the new real estate and just as cripplingly costly. I guess I can see why there are so many outlaws in scifi. ;)

Creasy captures the vulnerability of an unarmed woman among enemies, or even against one man, a reality that many authors miss.

However, I admit to some surprise when this rational narrative turned suddenly towards horror/surrealism with some spooky creatures, even some graphic, anime-esque tortures. Must be the season? That aside, I really enjoyed Scarabaeus, despite the cliffhanger ending. [image error] Any action fan would enjoy Sara Creasy's Song of Scarabaeus, especially if you like a slow-burning romance that develops naturally instead of in great leaps and the reluctant bodyguard theme. This is soft scifi, so keep a ship glossary handy, stomach a few techy explanations, and get immediately immersed in the action from page one! 4.5 stars!

Free six-chapter excerpt here. Also, the author has illustrations of the ship at her blog, yay! It is hella hard to picture that stuff for us unimaginative folk, LOL. Presenting the Hoi Polloi.

[Lore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A BOOK ABOUT SPACE BANDITS?! HELL YES!

Fergie Ferg, back me up here.

We're Space Bandits! Here we come... We're coming for ya.
Space Bandits! Here we come... We're taking ya higher.


I think that's high enough, crazy. Why don't you come back down now?

Why you might be interested:

It takes cues from Battlestar Galactica - large cast of interesting characters and similar wardrobe (gold flight suits for pilots, tank tops with cargo pants, etc...)

Uses similar tech and future speak from Grimspace - using technology to interface with nature, and in this case, linking to the human mind or biological environments.

It's reminiscent of Mass Effect - with it's names, tone and setting.

Has the feel of Firefly - a cast of outcasts, scouring the universe looking for shady investments.

An element of Ender's Game - an anti-gravity battle game.... For adults!

_______________________________

Song of Scarabaeus is hard science fiction romance. You're probably thinking, "Oooooh yeah." But when I say "hard", I'm talking about the technology. Get your minds out of that sex gutter!!

There is a lot of technical language. However, this book actually has a strong urban fantasy vibe, with the exception of having sci-fi jargon, instead of paranormal slang. It can be confusing at times, but no more complex than the most in-depth urban fantasies. It's just a different type of language that can take some adjustment if you aren't a sci-fi reader.

Our heroine, Edie, is a cross between River from Firefly and Jax from Grimpsace.


No, really. She can.

She was taken from her family by a corporation at a young age to train her "special" abilities. She is able to interact with technology through wires embedded in her fingertips and an implant in her brain, and she can control the electrical impulses to certain types of tech with her brain, telling it what and what not to do.

Almost 20 percent into the book, we start to get Edie's back story. The lengthy wait actually felt very refreshing as I am not really a fan of prologues and immediate infodumps. I need some Gorram ACTION!! Thank the Lords of Cobol, that's what happened in this book.

The love interest, Finn, is the kind of man who says very little with his mouth, but says all kinds of naughty things with his eyes. This particular book is lighter on the romance and allows the relationship to develop slowly and naturally. Definitely not a quickie space romp.

As you might have seen from my one What can I say? I've been a slacker. status update: Haller is a prick! He makes me so angry. So angry that I want to smother him in the goo from the inside of a frakkin Cadbury egg. Wait - that doesn't sound like much of a punishment. Submerge him in it! No, maybe not that either. Damn. Sorry, I can't stop thinking about Cadbury eggs. Oh!! I could convince that lion that dresses up like the Cadbury bunny to go all RAWR on him. Yeah, let's go with that.



Now I'm not sure if I'm reaching here, but the author seems to throw in quite a few science fiction homages. Like the section of space called the "Fringe". Or the character Rackham, possibly named for Mazer from Ender's Game.

Did I mention that this book is about SPACE BANDITS? Space bandits who plan to steal terraforming technology that helped create an entire world. It is one hell of a whirlwind train job. Except, this time the train is a planet. A living breathing freaking planet, that doesn't NOT want to be taken advantage of.

If you need a little more persuasion, I guess I'll allow you to check out the Book Trailer. Or read the excerpt on Amazon. The first part of the book is great, but it gets waaaay better.

The paperback is available on Amazon for about 5 dollars used and the Kindle edition is $7.99.

It was a Eco-rad fighting, nodespace jumping, wet tech hacking, biocyph stealing, hanging from the vines and getting fighting against the vines type of good time. See, the language easily becomes second nature once you get used to it. Now, I have a ton of new words from more fantastical worlds in my encyclopedia de brain.

In case you couldn't tell, I LOVED this book. I am about to internally combust from the excitement that this series could be epic. But I will refrain, since that sounds rather uncomfortable.

Onto the next!!

[AH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Song of Scarabaeus started off slowly for me. I was bombarded by all sorts of technological terms to keep track of. Words like cypherteck, datastream, wet-teck interface, and biocyph retroviral automated terraformer (or BRATs for short) were thrown at me, making me wonder why I had picked up this book. But suddenly, around page 30 or so, the story took over. I was mesmerized. I could not put this book down.

One of the reasons why I loved this book was the main character Edie. Edie is a cypherteck, a kind of computer programmer. Cyphertecks are extremely rare. Edie’s computing capabilities make her integral to the mission and she is made an offer she can’t refuse – literally. I loved how Edie constantly put others’ needs before her own. When Finn was brought on board with Edie, Edie insisted that his voice snag (a device to inhibit speech) be removed before she would cooperate with the crew. Edie also vowed to disable his proximity chip so that he could be free of her. Edie’s compassion and sincerity made her a realistic character.

The interactions between Finn and Edie were interesting. I loved how they could practically read each other’s thoughts. There was a very slow build up to an attraction. To say that this book is a science fiction romance would probably be inaccurate – I found that Edie and Finn’s relationship was more of a symbiotic relationship. I enjoyed their work as a team. Edie did not want Finn to stay with her because he had to, but because he wanted to.

It kind of seemed that every character in this book was out to get the other. You never really knew where each character’s allegiances lay. I was surprised several times.

This is truly an original book. It is a world where computer programmers are able to get inside any type of programming using their minds. The various layers of computing is made into a kind of music that needs the fine tuning or a computer maestro to make it work well. It is also a world where the space ships are beat up, rickety, and slightly dented. The spaceship’s name had a touch of humor in it – The Hoi Polloi. There are even ecological radicals wreaking mayhem wherever needed.

I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series Children of Scarabaeus.

Favorite quote: "Nodespace. It was beautiful. Serene in its monotony, and terrifying."

Review posted on Badass Book Reviews.

[Keertana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fine, I'll admit it: I lost faith in the science-fiction genre. I did. Completely. Granted, I haven't read all that much science-fiction in the past two years as I may have wanted to, but the ones that I have read have been disasters of monumental proportions. As such, I was a little skeptical about Song of Scarabaeus when I went into it. I was more than a little eager to read a duology (for once!), but I was not keen to be burned by science-fiction, yet again. Sara Creasy's debut, thankfully, is science-fiction done right; a masterful blend of world-building, action, and romance that leaves your heart beating erratically, the wheels in your brain turning to keep up, and a smile of relief plastered on your face by the end.

Song of Scarabaeus starts out with a kidnapping and from there, it only gets better. Edie is a cypherteck working for the Crib, an international space company. Edie is the best-of-the-best and her job entails terraforming new planets for habitation. Yet, Edie is a slave for Crib. As a native Talasi, Edie cannot leave her planet without a certain toxin. Ironically enough, though, she is only half-Talasi and the same planet she is tied to is full of people who despise her for being a half-breed. It is because of her estranged childhood that she entered into a contract with the Crib - one that she now sorely regrets. As such, when a gang of mercenaries threaten to kidnap her, planning to use her talents for their own profit, she becomes stuck between a rock and a hard place. And, to make matters worse, her life is tied to that of a serf, Finn. Finn has been assigned as Edie's bodyguard and, to give him incentive to keep her alive, he will die if she does or if he travels out of a certain range. If Edie thought things couldn't get worse, though, it turns out they could, for Edie's first mission aboard the merc ship? Scarabaeus.

What makes Song of Scarabaeus so instantly compelling is its rich world-building. Although Sara Creasy never tells us what became of our own planet, Earth, it isn't difficult to surmise that extenuating situations forced mankind to look to space for habitation. And, with terraforming capabilities, any planet with minimal complex life forms could be transformed into habitable areas for human survival. In addition to this entirely unique idea, though, Creasy's world is full of spaceships and advanced brain technology. With each passing chapter, our understanding of the world deepens and it is shocking to take a step back, re-read your page, and wonder how you are able to understand pages and pages of complex terminology with such ease. Honestly, that is the degree to which Creasy enables her reader to enter her world and, just when you think you know it all, a curveball still manages to surprise you.

Yet, Song of Scarabaeus didn't garner 5 Stars from me based solely on its unique exploitation of science-fiction capabilities, or its thrilling plot line. Instead, what makes me such a huge fan of this debut is Edie herself. Edie is not made of the same stuff that fist-punching, pelvis-kicking heroines are. Instead, her power lies in her talent, which in turn renders her quite vulnerable. As a pawn in the game of space politics, alone and without anyone to turn to, Edie is easy to view as a weak heroine. Yet, her strength comes from within, from her stubborn refusal to treat Finn as a serf, instead treating him as another human being. From her moral values of never usurping the power she has over Finn. From the manner in which she puts the well-being of Fringe planets, whose are under the controlling thumb of the Crib, before herself.

In all this, Edie is a good, righteous protagonist, one whose cunning and stealth we cannot help but root for. As the story unravels, so does Edie's own past and her strange connection to the planet Scarabaeus. Thus, by the end, we have not only allowed Edie into our hearts, but find ourselves additionally marveling at the clever manner in which everything has been brought together. Finn, unlike Edie, is not as vulnerable or see-through. Instead, he's the typical strong-and-silent type who we cannot help but fall for - every time. Although he initially distrusts Edie, their gradual companionship develops over time and is heart-warming to see unfold. Moreover, the sexual tension between the two is practically palpable, ricocheting off the page in heady waves and forcing us to wait in anticipating. Obviously, it's the best type of medicine for a masochist like me who thrives on putting my heart through high patient zones.

While Song of Scarabaeus is one of those books I cannot find fault with, I know plenty of other readers who can, have, and will. Unfortunately, I doubt it is for everyone. Edie is the type of heroine you will either love or find yourself irritated by and the plot of this novel, focusing mostly on time spent on a spaceship before delving into the planet of Scarabaeus itself, is another decision some readers may find to be grating. Yet, for me, every aspect of this novel melding together perfectly, from Edie, to Finn, to the score of other characters gathered in this sparkling debut as well. Scarabaeus, too, as a planet is breath-taking to behold, reminding me of the very first time I saw "Jurassic Park." It is a dangerous place, but one with beauty side-by-side with death. As such, it piqued my interest almost at once and simply never let go. Sara Creasy, mind you, is an author to watch out for, as her debut most certainly proved, and by the end of this installment, I find myself already scrambling to get my hands on the sequel.

You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.

[Laura Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. Wonderful characters, fast paced action, strong world building, and immersion into the world instead of info-dump, which I always prefer.

I haven't read much Sci-Fi, but I love the Sirantha Jax series and this one ranks right up there with Jax. Scarabaeus is more sciencey and technical than Jax--the main character, Edie, is a hardcore bio techie, and with the quick immersion into the world, she's throwing futuristic tech terms around and I'm like, whoa, slow down! Not confusing, per se, but not fly-through reading, either. But once I got 30 or so pages in, I was off & running.

Edie is a wonderful character, a woman who uses her brains to beat the bad guys. How novel. ;) And she is so wonderfully empathetic, and able to see the gray when others only see black and white. I love that in a character. And a real person, for that matter. ;)

I usually don't love female characters who need a man to physically protect them, but Edie & Finn have a great partnership--if Finn's muscle doesn't solve a problem, Edie's brains do, and vice versa. Not everyone can kick ass, all I ask for is a female character who has something to offer. Besides her womanhood, of course.

And Finn. Love him. A strong, stoic, tortured hero. My fave kind. A war vet who was neither decorated nor honored, instead, he ended up a POW/slave. I always love reading about guys like Finn, and watching him learn to trust again, and to begin caring again about the world that shit on him so badly. Baby steps. But I like baby steps. It's just so much more realistic. I'm not a fan of characters who undergo a lobotomy because they've met their stupid soul mate. Gag me.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I didn't realize that Song of Scarabaeus was part of a series, so I almost gave it 3 stars just for the ending. In fact, I was fully prepared to go on a long rant about it. And, let's face it, nobody wants to hear my whining.
Soooooo, in light of new evidence, I gotta say this was a pretty good book. If you're not the least bit interested in sci-fi, then don't bother with this one. I've seen some things on Goodreads indicating that this was a romance. Eh, not so much. There is a teensy bit of a budding romance between Finn and Edie, but nothing to write home about. In other words, all you ladies out there who are looking for a book with some hot space lovin' need to look somewhere else.
It is, however, a good story. I have a fairly limited list of books in this genre to compare it to, but it held my attention and kept up a good pace. As a bonus, even if you're not used to all of the futuristic space-jargon, it's still kind of easy to follow (after the first hundred or so pages, anyway).

[Felicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really well done sci-fi book with a romance in it but it's secondary. I really enjoyed the characters and the world built up. It felt like a first book a bit, but definitely intrigued me enough to order the sequel!

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started Song of Scarabaeus without really knowing whether I would enjoy it or not. But, since I've been enjoying Aguirre's Sirantha Jax series, I thought I'd give it a go.

We are dropped into Edie Sha'nim's military-like world full of Fringers, the Crib, serfs, cyphertecks and BRATs right from the start, but quickly find our way through it as Creasy feeds us, sometimes slowly, details which help us become knowledgeable and immersed in this colorful world.

Edie is the best cypherteck there is, she's been on eighteen missions and eighteen worlds have been "molded by {her} hands, {her} mind, over the last seven years. And not one has failed. {In fact,} Two of them have already been announced publicly as colony worlds ... for settlement within the next five years."

Edie has been forced to work for the Crib, a gov't organization who develops, changes and modifies worlds making them habitable for humans. But, her impressive records makes her a target for a group that wants to use her to their bidding. When they get their hands on her, she finds herself tied to Finn, a Saeth ("rogue, independent fighters"), by a (mind) "leash" that will cause his head to explode if they get more than 1,989 meters apart. He's to be her bodyguard.

Finn has had a troubled past, war-hero who lost all and gained nothing, years of slavery, even had his voice taken from him. Of course, all this means you immediately fall in love with him. ;) Edie is a kick-ass heroine who uses her mega mind to thwart the bad guys instead of her muscles. Gotta love that! The two find themselves in a situation where they cannot be separated. If Edie dies, so does Finn. Since their lives depend on each other, they quickly adjust to situation while working together to find a way out.

Although the book is sometimes called Sci-Fi romance, the romance, little that there was, has the feeling of something that will develop over time throughout the series. The beginning was interesting, but the second half really takes things up a notch. Once the characters find themselves on Scarabaeus, things get wicked! I couldn't stop reading, only did because my iTouch battery died. Creasy does a great job of making you feel like you are right there. She also creates side characters that you come to enjoy almost as much as the h/H.

I look forward to continuing the series with #2, Children of Scarabaeus.

[Linda (NOT RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given the book four stars (possibly five) if I knew that the story was a cliffhanger and if Ms. Creasy had a sequel published at the same time. Then, I would have ordered the two books at the same time and read them. SONG OF SCARABAEUS is a sci fi fantasy first with a dash of romance. Our heroine, Edie, is written as a strong female. She has managed to stay alive at a time when the world as we know it no longer exists. She has a gift; an ability that the ruling regime wants to exploit. In fact, any group that comes in contact with her, wants to use it. What makes her story interesting is Edie being 'leashed' to Finn, a freedom fighter. How they cope raises the bar on this scifi fantasy.

The characters are well-developed and the action is nail-biting at times but the story lacks closure. Tension is underlying throughout the narrative and the some big questions become, who can Edie trust? What happened to Finn? Can Edie use her abilities to help others without living in fear? Too many questions are left unsolved. I think it is safe to say that you, the reader, need to know this before purchasing the book. I wish I did. Have CHILDREN OF SCARABAEUS ready when you pick up this book.

[CJ - It's only a Paper Moon]

/edit - So I have this book, got it early and how is this for odd - this is the third book that I've bought within the last two years that features that same woman on the cover. She's from the MM edition of the Elantris book, The Reckoners and now this book. I'm pretty convinced that the guy model is on the Mistborn books and pretty damn sure he's on the Reckoner's novels...weird.

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[Anna (Bobs Her Hair) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Song of Scarabaeus is an action-packed, science fiction book with a hint of romance. If you like Linnea Sinclair and Marcella Burnard then you'll like Sara Creasy. (Those are the only other sci/fi authors I have read btw. Well, there's Gini Koch but she's different.) This author does take her world-building up another level in sci/fi. I wish this book had a glossary because she introduces new terms in this futuristic world.

This book is also very smart and the world descriptively written. Sometimes, I felt as though it was too smart for me. There's quite of bit of technical material but if you are well-versed in computers and other technology it may come easier to you. Sara Creasy writes three-dimensional characters. They are not black and white. Some commit wrongs against others, display cowardice, show apathy and compassion, and then a few redeem themselves.

The first half of the book is taut with tension then the story seemed to slow down and pick up again. It does end with a cliffhanger so make sure you have the next book handy.

Grade: B+

Memorable Quote

"Oh, spare me that crap." Finn pushed her away. "You did what you did. That's the past. Maybe you can convince yourself you deserve to die here, but don't make me the victim of your guilty conscience." His eyes held more emotion than she'd ever thought him capable of. Fury, even hate, but above all a passion for life.

They faced off for breathless moments.

And then with the same passion brought firmly under control, he said, "Don't you let me die."

p. 268

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am, well, there's no other way to put it, distressingly late in finding this absolute gem of a book. I don't know how it slipped under my radar until now. I'm not complaining too loudly, of course, because I discovered and devoured it just in time for the sequel to come out at the end of this month. And that, my friends, is nothing to sneeze at. I'm used to waiting years for books. A couple of weeks will not kill me. At least, that is what I tell myself so I can sleep at night. I am, in fact, positively pining away for Children of Scarabaeus as I type this. But it is just a tad embarrassing how long it took me to discover Sara Creasy's debut novel. After all, some of my favorite reviewers featured it back when it came out last year. Clearly, my head was not where it should have been. But I am happy to say that I've spent the last two nights rectifying the situation and that, if scifi adventure with an enticing hint of romance is even remotely your thing, you need to run out and read SONG OF SCARABAEUS right now so that you, too, will be able to snatch up the sequel the moment you can get your feverish little hands on it.

Edie Sha'nim is the best there is. A trained cyphertech, she works for the mighty Crib empire terraforming new worlds. In other words, she's the girl they take to a barely formed planet in order to remake it in the Crib-approved image. Taken away from her home world as a young girl, Edie has been trained and tested to within an inch of her life. A life that resembles indentured servitude more than anything else. She's held all her defiance and all her rage inside all these years, only once letting it out in a burst of independence and refusal to submit to the Crib's all-encompassing will. But that was years ago, and the only memento she keeps to remind herself of that moment of defiance is the small shell of a beetle, embedded in her skin. Then one day, Edie is confronted by a gang of mercenaries determined to kidnap her and put her considerable (and lucrative) abilities to their own purposes. Longing to escape, but unsure of the right thing to do, it is a fellow captive and serf named Finn who changes her mind. And before she knows it, the mercs have leashed her (quite literally) to the mysterious former slave. His mind is connected with hers. He is to serve as her bodyguard and ensure no one else intent on stealing their new biocyph expert has a chance to do so. And just to make it that much more threatening, if Edie dies, so does Finn. Or if the two are separated by too much distance, the leash will sever, and Finn will be destroyed in the process. And so the two unlikely allies must stick together long enough to figure out a way to break the leash and escape. But then Edie realizes just what planet they're headed for, and the past comes back to haunt her in a truly horrifying way.

So good. This book is just so very good. It reminded me why I have always loved science fiction so much and it did so in such a seamless and readable way that I have to give it up for Sara Creasy and her mad, debut writerly skills. Sometimes a scifi book tries and fails to walk the line between tech-term/infodumping extravaganza and drippy/emotional hot mess. This is so not the case here. Rather, SONG OF SCARABAEUS is like a primer on how to combine excellent characters who capture your heart with a detailed and fascinating look at the ethics of exploration and the treatment of humankind on a grand scale. And how nice it is to have a relationship that doesn't start with insta-sparks the moment two hotties lay eyes on each other. *insert eye roll* This book has been highly recommended for fans of Linnea Sinclair and Ann Aguirre, and I do absolutely think it will appeal to those readers. I love both authors myself. But I do feel I should mention here that it stands entirely on its own merits. And that, in addition to having endearing characters and an utterly compelling and heart-racing relationship unfolding between them, SONG OF SCARABAEUS is the real deal as far as science fiction goes. And holistic storytelling. The truly elaborate and organic world building blew me away and kept me engrossed from beginning to end. Edie and Finn's foray onto Scarabaeus is the thing of nightmares and the cringeworthy factor is pretty high in certain parts. But it only serves to impact the reader's experience and expand the themes of the story. That said, I am all in when it comes to the relationship, and I will shamelessly beg for more development between these two in future installments. Because the romance is in early stages here, but what's there is choice. And I, for one, am ready for more. This one kept me up late, guys. No finer recommendation. Also--major points for a perfect last line. I do so love those.

[The Flooze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Song of Scarabaeus is absorbing. Though Creasy’s tone differs, I’d liken her storytelling talents to those of Ann Aguirre (author of one of my favorite series, Sirantha Jax). This is a study in full-immersion, where tech-speak is casually (but not carelessly) thrown about, reactions are realistic, tension is high and characters fall mostly within the grey zone.

In the larger view, Creasy paints a somewhat familiar picture: far-off planets ravaged by a power-hungry empire, deprived of their resources and freedom because of the callous whims of The Powers That Be. Her particular spin brings bio-tech and ecological nightmares to the fore. It’s these aspects, and her incredible attention to detail, that make this debut shine. Add in terrorism, slavery, and zealotry and Song of Scarabaeus has plenty of controversial topics to explore. Each is handled with care, made more poignant through short dream sequences of past events.

We view the action through Edie’s eyes. She’s a master at her job, understanding the ins and outs of datastreams with envious ease. However, she has a distinct lack of ego - a result of her sheltered upbringing at the hands of her trainers - which makes her quite likable. She's a trustworthy character with a strong moral code and good instincts. If I had any complaint about her, it was that her seemingly boundless mercy was overplayed at times. Over the course of the book, her sense of self strengthens without hardening her or lessening her desire to help others. She’s learning from her experiences and I applaud the subtle changes her character undergoes.

The male lead, Finn, is of the enigmatic sort (what good hero isn’t?). However, Creasy chooses to create in Finn a balanced character, something for which I am extremely grateful. He’s calculating and practical, utterly capable in a fight, and has a lethal quality to him that’s hard to ignore. At the same time, he is never so gruff or unruly as to make certain concerned gestures seem out of place. Creasy’s writing ensures that we never forget the man that exists behind the bodyguard’s façade.

Many categorize this as SFR. I would put it closer to sci-fi with a blush of growing romance. There’s a slow build-up of intimacy between Edie and Finn - quieter moments which allow development, but their brevity prevents them from intruding on the greater plot. This adds another level of realism to the piece, and I was not surprised to learn that Creasy only amped up the sexual tension of certain scenes at her agent’s behest. This is an author who understands that two people fighting for their lives should not be stopping for a quickie in the engine room.

The world is complicated at times. As I mentioned, there is a fair amount of techno-babble thrown about. Don’t let this act as a deterrent. Context clues clear up any confusion rather quickly, and within a short time the parameters of Edie’s skill-set become accessible to the reader. Her comparison of datastreams to a musical symphony, teasing apart the layers to discern one instrument’s contribution, goes a long way toward easing comprehension.

There are just two books planned in the series. How sad. Based on this introduction, I’d love the chance to poke around every inch of Creasy’s galaxy; it seems a wild and fantastic place. For now, I’ll console myself by picking up the sequel, Children of Scarabaeus and eagerly keep an eye out for the next project Creasy puts forth.

[Evelyn Swift (Featherbrained Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

EDIT June 30 2018: re-read this and still blown away.

Original Review:

Simply amazing.

This book completely blew me away.

Song of Scarabaeus is a must-read if you liked the Sirantha Jax series by Ann Aguirre (also amazing).

Edie grew up essentially an orphan, completely abandoned by her own people, and worked for the Crib government since she was little. It isn’t exactly forced, but no one asked her either, and she isn’t allowed to leave. Edie and Finn have a lot in common in this regard, even if Finn doesn’t see it. We meet Finn right away, when Edie is captured by “rovers”. Finn is a slave, he used to be a freedom fighter but ended up captured once the Fringe government signed peace accords.

When Edie is captured she finds herself in another form of servitude, from the Crib to the group of rovers who “attach” her to Finn, meaning that if she dies, he dies and if she gets too far away from him he dies. He is her bodyguard from then on, protecting her from any attacks, as she is highly sought after for her special ability. Edie is a “cyberteck” who manipulates technology with her hands and can create “life” on inhabitable planets, such as the Scarabaeus, the first planet Edie ever worked on and only one she failed. Eco-terrorists try to kill her and Finn must protect her, as the rover group kidnapped her to “free” Fringe planets from the Crib, who do not looked after the planets that are at the fringe of the universe. One of the reasons she stays is because they offered her a lot of money and a new identity to start over once her mission was complete. Another reason she stayed is because of Finn.

Oh Finn. I love him so much. The romance was a nice slow build. If you are expecting sexy times right away you will be disappointed but the wait is SO worth it. I kept picturing Finn as Tom Hardy from the Mad Max movie. Stoic, calm, with a violent dark inner turmoil, but also a surprisingly sweet side that we see with his interactions with Edie.

I just can’t believe this is Sara Creasy debut and only series…she is an amazing writer and does such a great job with world building and explaining technology and technical terms. I am SO very excited to read the next book and I hope to hell she keeps writing more!!

[Vanessa theJeepDiva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Edie is a cypherteck. This fact makes her very valuable. Her value as a wet-teck is how the book begins. She is kidnapped from her current employer so that she can perform illegal work for them. The rovers that have kidnapped Edie are actually working against the Crib, the employer that she was kidnapped from. Due to her value she must have a bodyguard. Not only do various people want to kidnap her so that she will work for them, but there is a faction called eco-rads that do not believe in her work and they want her dead. Unfortunately for Edie her current possessors have used her wet-tek against her and her new bodyguard. Finn has been leashed to Edie. If she dies he dies, if she is taken too far from him he dies. Edie is a gentle soul with a conscience. She does not like the leash and wants to help Finn get his life back, thus removal of the leash. Edie still has to contend with her captors and the job they have planned for her. The book moves along with tiny conflicts. Nothing really grabbed me, pulled me in and kept me drawn to the book.
This is not a bad book. It has a slow pace that never really picks up. There is a great sci-fi concept behind this book. It keep me interested enough to finish this book, but not to venture on to the next in the series. Readers are given a hefty amount of information into Edie’s and Finn’s past. I think this is to hook you into the series. The characters are fascinating. At the end of a book I like a certain amount of closure. This book ends in a way that I had more questions than any closure to the conflicts that were brought up in the book. Several of the reviews I read about this book mentioned romance. I would like to point out that this book does not have any romance. There is a male character and a female character that are both equally sexually attracted to each other. That is the extent of the romance.

[Kay ❣ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A future where a powerful company monopolizes on terraforming planets. When terraformed planets don't pay their subscription fees, they are left to slowly die as the equipment is shut off...

This is an excellent set up, right?? I really enjoyed the premise and the corporate overlord details. But things fell flat for me whenever the author tried to get into flowery prose about hacking and technology. And there is an endless amount of flowery tech prose. 😴💤

The romance is also non-existent. I feel like I was ripped off for expecting any romance. They should have either gone all the way or remained friends, instead of whatever half-baked resolution the book finished on.

[Tammy Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of all types of Sci-Fi. Hard, soft, fantasy mixed, romantic, etc. That being said, I have rarely read a romantic sci-fi that had any sort of hard sci-fi in it. This one did. Granted it's not the The Mote in God's Eye but it aint even close to this crap Slave.
Thank you Ms. Creasy.

Trained since childhood in advanced biocyph seed technology by the all-powerful Crib empire, Edie's mission is to terraform alien worlds while her masters bleed the outlawed Fringe populations dry. When renegade mercenaries kidnap Edie, she's not entirely sure it's a bad thing . . . until they leash her to a bodyguard, Finn—a former freedom fighter-turned-slave, beaten down but never broken. If Edie strays from Finn's side, he dies. If she doesn't cooperate, the pirates will kill them both. But Edie's abilities far surpass anything her enemies imagine. And now, with Finn as her only ally as the merciless Crib closes in, she'll have to prove it or die on the site of her only failure . . . a world called Scarabaeus.

This story has a lot of the elements I love in both the Sci-Fi and Romantic Genres.
*Epic Technology.
*Believable explanation of the science.
*An underlying message. (The greater good and all...)
*POS jerk of a bad guy.
*Last but not least sexual tension. YAY
Imagine being "leashed" to an ex-soldier with all the macho goodness that comes with him. What could possibly go wrong?
This is no where near being a hot and heavy bodice ripper. I am happy that the Author is allowing the relationship between Edie and Finn grow at a reasonable rate. They have important things to do.
Did I mention sexual tension?

I look forward to the second installment.

[Katyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent start to a new series. The opening is a little chunky - casual use of lots of unfamiliar terms, giving the read a little bit of a stagger / stutter until you get familiar with them - but after the first 20-30 pages, the story takes hold and doesn't let go.

I was amused and irritated by the number of characters that "took possession" of Edie and then expected her to be happy with her situation and loyal to them. It's funny how everyone in this book - the Crib, Natesa, the rovers, Cat - all felt that way, as if they were improving her life and she should be grateful, as they all used her for their own ends. It is no wonder that she empathizes with the slaves; she is one herself, just in a slightly more gilded cage.

I am excited to see where this goes now that they are free to make their own choices...!

[Hallie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly don't know whether to add the "sf" tag to this or not, despite the fact that it obviously should be sf, and everyone else calls it that. Possibly the whole biotechnology-music deal was just lost on me as I haven't read enough biotechnology-related sf, but also possibly, it's really fantasy wearing a not-very-well-fitting sf-suit. I mean terraforming should be extremely cool! And I like that Edie tries to maintain some kind of ethics, despite her lack of almost all agency. The book just -- didn't feel solid enough for sf, honest enough about being fantasy for that, or romantic enough to work as a romance. The latter *should* have played nicely with the sf, but never quite did. The first reason relates to the closest the book comes to any real romantic action, and is only the mildest of spoilers, so just putting it up here for anyone who hates any scene spoiling at all. When they're not only stuck together in a (very small - it's a space ship!) suite of rooms, but actually tossed out into space in a wee little pod, alone, drifting with no reason to believe they'll ever survive, ALONE, and Finn has finally satisfied his doubting self that Edie will never again jolt him (she only did it the first time to save his LIFE, but y'know, he's got issues), and they've both admitted their attraction and are going to act on it, Edie draws back. Because why? Because her last bodyguard was sleeping with her mentor and they had a quarrel and he stalked off and she died. Fine, but I only have a very limited degree of patience for this as an excuse, as Finn HAS TO KEEP HER ALIVE OR DIE HORRIBLY. He's shown over and over again that he's not the sort to allow silly sentiment get in the way of avoiding that horrible death, so really, it takes Edie far too long (till the end of the book) to wonder if maybe, just maybe, she shouldn't have pushed Finn away, because maybe that wasn't the real/any kind of reason?) Second spoiler is more for me to vent with those who've read the book or decided not to. I was thinking Finn would make quite an acceptable romantic hero, if they ever got a move on with that romance, but I lost all such feeling when he walked away and left Haller dying ever so slowly in a horrific manner. Really horrific. After we'd finally been allowed to see that Finn had been a perfectly honourable military guy before being enslaved, I would have expected him to show that degree of mercy for anyone. Haller was unspeakable, but even if he'd done it just for Edie's sake (and she was pleading and desperately trying to stop Finn stalking off with the gun), he should have put him out of his suffering. As a plot device to leave Edie dying for lack of her poison, it was weak.

A very cardboard cast of villains and an Evil Empire to end them all didn't add to the enjoyment, but the non-ending ending misfired, and left me decided not to read on, while I might have thought about it otherwise.

[rameau · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s really difficult for me to improve on what’s been said about this book already. Just go look at Anachronist’s or AH’s reviews and you can consider yourself fully informed.

For me, the difficulties in the beginning of the book weren’t due to the language fitting for science fiction. I could adjust well enough to cyphs, tecks and streams, but I objected to the undefined acronym jargon. Throw BRAT’s and CCU’s at me all you want but tell me what they mean—Biocyph Retroviral Automated Terraformer and Crib Colonial Unit respectively by the way. It’s one of the first Finnish lessons about analytic writing I remember from school: Define your acronyms. I imagine something similar has been taught to native English speakers around the globe.

I appreciate that Creasy was avoiding infodumping by revealing these critical details later within the story. I appreciated the full on immersion to the world-approach but I do think she took it a step too far with the acronyms. For everything else it worked just fine. The fresh angle on familiar scifi concepts such as terraforming and cyborgs as well as the limited third person voice from Edie’s point of view kept the story focused on the events and gave just enough clues about the other characters for me to fill in the rest. Active imagination does have its perks.

Being someone as close to anti-musical as it is possible for a human being to be, I loved Creasy likening coding to composing. Edie talks about making notes and creating harmonies like a true virtuoso would. It was just another aspect of interconnectedness this author utilised.

In her review, Anachronist mentions the episodic nature of the adventure. While I can see why she would, it didn’t bother me at all. It felt like the natural rhythm of someone who needs to rest between periods of extreme activity. She also mentions the romance being practically non-existent and it being a compliment, and I have to agree. What evolves between Edie and Finn feels organic and real, and the obstacles Creasy sets for them towards the end are enough to feed the UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension) hungry readers for a long time.

[Erica Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book and can't wait for the next installment, Children of Scarabaeus. While Song has created a buzz among SFR readers, it isn't really a romance, though there are certainly romantic elements. Creasy sets up readers in this first book for what promises to be a multi-book adventure in which the H/H's relationship develops gradually.

Finn, the hero, is the strong silent type--enigmatic and intriguing (the cover artist for the book did a great job with him). Finn and Edie, the heroine, are tied together by a "leash" that will cause Finn's head to explode if he gets too far from Edie. Amazing plot device--wish I'd thought of it.

This book will totally do it for you if you like SF with biotech elements and evolutionary biology. There are a couple of amazing chapters in which Finn and Edie try to survive on a planet gone adaptively haywire. I was totally glued to the pages and actually tried to read while getting dressed for work.

SFR readers should be sure to get in on what promises to be an amazing series. Though Edie isn't as kick-ass as Jax from Grimspace, I suspect that Creasy is going to go places with her character and I definitely want to be along for the ride.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars a great follow up to the sirantha jax series. It was a great storyline and the whole cypher tech and seeding planets theme was very original. The characters needed a little more umpf. I liked Edie, I just think that she could have been better. I liked the crew members, but a poker party or some kind of friendship building activity would have added a little bit of character depth. The author focused on action, which was good...the story did not lack in that dept. but if you are going to have an obvious love interest, then it would only make sense to put at least ONE romantic scene in the book...and I don't count the make out session in the escape pod as a romantic scene. There was a lot left to the reader's imagination there. Which is different...I can't say that I was too upset that there weren't any bedroom scenes, I was expecting at LEAST a simple declaration of love. Maybe it will be in book two? Which I will definitely read.... There are some really awesome villains, and they get what is coming. Bonus points for that...i love revenge. Good recommendation from Damali!

[Cece · Rating 2 out of 5]

Colonialism ruins the party again

By one metric, Song of Scarabaeus was an enormously successful read for me because its action-packed propulsive plot was engaging, the environmental world building was intriguing and well developed, and I loved the equitable partnership between Edie and Finn. They alternate rescuing one another and their skill sets are complimentary, which is a part of genre romance I really appreciate. Their sexual chemistry is put on the backburner, but the author does a solid job of imbuing their hornier moments with great tension and immediacy (even if their physical relationship abruptly stops at PG-13...?).

Unfortunately, I can’t bring myself to rate Song of Scarabaeus higher than 2 stars because it perpetuates harmful colonialist stereotypes.

In this book, Edie is half-Talasi. Her unnamed father – who she has been prevented from meeting because of her “tribe” – belongs to a community who chose to change their DNA generations ago, rather than scientifically interfere with the biology of the planet they’ve settled on. This decision hints that the Talasi live in closer accordance with the natural world around them, mirroring how we understand the cultures of indigenous groups today. Eventually, corporate colonizers realize the potential value of the Talasi’s land and begin colonizing the planet for profit. As part of this process, they dramatically alter the environment to make it immediately habitable for the colonizers’ non-modified bodies, which ends up backfiring badly and poisoning the environment for the Talasi. In response, the colonizers retreat to their underground compound and force the natives into aboveground “camps” that the colonizers administer (i.e., reservations).

With all this, it’s pretty clear that the Talasi in Song of Scarabaeus are analogous to indigenous people on Earth: they’ve respected the natural world around them and lived closer to it, self-organized into tribes, had their land stolen and subsequently poisoned by a colonialist force, and now they’re forced to live in desperate, impoverished proximity and are policed by the very people who have wrought this destruction in their lives. They’re operating in this text as an equivalent to the native victims of colonization we’re familiar with.

But what’s shocking and terribly disheartening is how the novel justifies this colonialism by suggesting that the indigenous people are barbaric, uncivilized, savage, and ultra-violent.

To begin with, the book establishes the Talasi as a name-less monolith that despises and rejects Edie out of superstitious disgust of her mixed heritage. Then, on page 200, we learn that the Talasi communicate exclusively in sign language, so when Edie and a group of children learn audible language from the colonial troops who patrol their community, the elders are upset at what they see as a loss of their tradition – their reaction is to maim Edie’s peers by cutting the children’s tongues out (the unfettered, hostile ableism here is INSANE)! Finally, when the corporate colonizers adopt Edie for her special talents, she sees it as a wonderful rescue from the “deprived” society of the camp.

This depiction of the Talasi as barbaric, savage, uncivilized, or ultra-violent is a direct product of colonialism. For centuries, colonialism has had a vested interest in depicting indigenous people in these terms, so it could justify large-scale environmental exploitation, mass-rape, and genocidal crimes. Since colonialism is immoral in all its iterations, it has always required justification for its existence, and one of its excuses for its exploitation, rape, and genocide has been the racist idea that indigenous people cannot or should not self-govern because they’re barbaric, savage, uncivilized, etc. After all, if a population is singularly unable to self-govern, it creates a moral imperative for colonialism: the “civilized” colonialists must step in and govern however violently or unjustly they see fit, since the “barbaric” victims of colonialism are explicitly incapable.

Tugging at this thread in the book even further, we can see how Edie’s removal from the camp and adoption by the colonizers mirrors the forced removal and abductions of indigenous children, which we know resulted in generational trauma, child abuse/neglect, and death. But in Song of Scarabaeus, this same forced removal and abduction of a native child is re-framed as a good and necessary act – it becomes a helpful intervention that the child herself repeatedly expresses gratitude for! Once again, this book plays off of a long, long tradition of colonialist propaganda that depicts colonialist oppression as beneficial to its victims. After all, if “barbaric” indigenous people must be made “civilized” through colonialist intervention, all kinds of systemic abuse (child abduction/re-education/white adoption, forced conversion, violent removal, etc.) becomes permissible AND something the “ultra-violent savage” should be consistently thankful for. Of course, this has horrific real-world results that we’re still in the process of confronting: the widespread death of native children in North American residential schools would not have been possible, if colonialism hadn’t propagated these reprehensible ideas.

So yes, this book takes colonialism as its central project.

And yes, it’s interested in villainizing colonialism for its environmental crimes.

And sure, there’s a criticism here of speculative capitalist colonialism and how it might take financial advantage of space-faring homesteaders who become dependent on terraforming technology.

That’s all well and good! However, this book refuses to summon real empathy for the original settlers who exist as ongoing victims of colonialism and goes so far as to suggest that colonialist intervention is necessary and beneficial for its “deprived” victims. Criticism of colonialism is as old as colonialism itself, which is one of the reasons why this propaganda was developed in the first place.

Song of Scarabaeus easily could’ve been a 5-star read and a new favorite, but the book’s decision to rely on toxic stereotypes drops this book down to a frustrating, disappointing, and un-recommendable 2-stars.

[Linnea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of reading this as an Advanced Review Copy. A fabulous read, and fans of Julie Czerneda and Ann Aguirre will find SONG much to their liking. Fast-paced, with excellent plotting and characterization.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those books where I got to the 2/3rds mark and was just DONE and skimmed the rest. Which is not to say I was super loving it before, but I liked it well enough to keep reading. It was a lot of world building and I didn't get to know the characters well enough or their backstories and it just . . . wasn't enough.

(This is also one of those books I bought 7 years ago because I just HAD to read it. Sometimes you miss your window on books, but I don't think that was the case here. I think maybe this never would've worked for me. Anyway, this is also a note to say I'm proud of myself for a) no longer buying books I "need" and then letting them sit on my shelf forever and b) actually tackling my poor owned unread stack from when I wasn't so careful with my book buying!)

[Gwen (The Gwendolyn Reading Method) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always on the lookout for good sci fi romance as I think it's a criminally under-served genre these days. This one I loved! Even though they never really truly get to the romance part in this book (they better in the next one or then I will feel cheated), I found the plot thought-provoking, clever and unpredictable.

[Jess the Romanceaholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.

Wow. This book completely blew me away. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a good sci-fi/space odyssey novel, and I’d forgotten how much I could enjoy one. I first became interested in this book when it was nominated for the DABWAHA tournament for 2011, and finally managed to get my hands on a copy when the sequel, Children of Scarabaeus, came available on Netgalley.

Edie Sha’nim was born on a planet where the natives are completely dependent on a neurotoxin present in the environment to live. She was an outcast from birth, because while her biological father was a native, her mother was a human scientist, and frankly the native community in which she lives is very xenophobic. As a young teen, she was “rescued” by the Crib — a mega-corporation that controls the majority of the known universe — because of her incredible talent manipulating “biocyph”, which is a combination of biological material and computerized data. After years of being exploited by the Crib, and being forced to participate in a their terraforming program, she is kidnapped by a group of renegades who want her to help recover and reprogram Crib technology to help the worlds who are failing under the Crib’s thumb. Of course, they’re also interested in the profit that can be made…

In order to ensure both her cooperation and her safety, they tether a convict, Finn, to her, so that if he ever gets a certain distance away from her or if she dies, his head will literally explode.

To say that Finn doesn’t trust her is a complete understatement. He resents both his initial years of slavery and the tether placed in his head that forces him to serve Edie, and the political games around them on the ship they are imprisoned on only make things worse.

To add insult to injury, the planet that the renegades want to visit to hijack the Crib technology is Scarabaeus — a planet that Edie holds very dear to her heart, and the site of her biggest failure.

There were so many things I loved about this book. Edie wasn’t a wimp, but neither was she super-woman either. Sure, she was incredibly talented at manipulating cypertech, and wasn’t afraid to try to use her talent as leverage to get what she wanted from those who were using her, but she was also emotional, not incredibly strong physically, and had a tendency to trust too easily. Finn was such a tough cookie and it took a long time for him to trust Edie, despite the fact that she’d proven that he could trust her multiple times.

One point to note is that while Edie certainly started to develop some feelings for Finn over the course of the novel, this is not a romance novel. There is some very mild second-base action, and there is no HEA. Well, honestly, since it was such a horrific cliff-hanger, there wasn’t any sort of resolution to the end at all, so the lack of HEA is unsurprising.

Speaking of the cliff-hanger, it literally cost this book an entire star in my final rating. The novel was so incredible that I read it in a single sitting. Despite the lack of romance and HEA, I found myself completely invested in not only the universe that Ms. Creasy created, but in Finn and Edie’s lives, as well as those of the unlikely comrades they’d found, and of Scarabaeus itself. However, the cliff-hanger was so unexpected and infuriating, that I could no longer go with the 5 Star rating I’d intended up until the last chapter, and in the end, my final rating is an astoundingly solid 4/5 Stars

[Miss Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 - 4 stars

Well, first, a huge "Thank You" is in order to Angie of Angieville. Yet another amazing recommendation!

It was a bit dense at times, with less flowing transitions and characterization than I would like to see, but as a debut effort I feel that there is so much room to improve and she has a solidly enjoyable story here. Fairly tech-heavy, with lots of terms being dropped and little time explaining what those terms are - you get dropped into this world, immersed with the characters, which in this case I felt helped me believe in the story more than if every other sentence was spent explaining how each little thing worked or what it meant.

I liked the characters a lot. I liked that her two leads did not fall all over each other immediately. There is still room to grow in that relationship and it is based on trust rather than base attraction (as seems the norm). There is still so much to learn about them both. The plot device that brings them together may sound contrived, but it is made believable and genuine within this world and this narrative. And as such, it allows Edie's personality to be conveyed to the reader, even as Edie herself searches for an identity and purpose beyond that dictated to her by her universe's totalitarian government.

Despised and mistreated as a child by a people who refused to claim her because of her tainted bloodline, then removed to the care of the Crib government and exploited for her extraordinary talent with biocyph technology, Edie is effectively indentured in servitude to the Crib for their raising and training her. They force her to terraform new worlds and Edie has some ethical concerns regarding that. She has been given very little room to express personal individuality. She had no chance to be herself in her role as a tool of the Crib. Yet she still retains a fierce defiant streak, which compels her to sabotage the mission to Scarabaeus in order to preserve the beauty of this wild, untouched world rather than destroy it for use of the Crib. But something changed and the biocyph evolves on its own into something unprecedented and astounding due to Edie.

From the first moment, Edie craves the freedom to make her own choices. When that freedom is offered, she wants to use it to make a difference, to help the Fringers, even at risk to herself. And she is honorable - she is immediately concerned for Finn - this complete stranger whom they have tied to her. She wants his freedom, his rights restored, before she ever comes to know him. I look forward to how they develop her character and explore these traits.

Finn is a good person, giving up his chance at freedom to help others. He is a solid male lead, even though we still don't know all that much about him. I hope to see him more developed in Children of Scarabaeus. Most of the secondary characters have little history but sufficient personality which is all that is needed for this story as it rushes along.

Again, I think that in terms of prose, the author has a ways to go, but with such a wonderful voice & great characters she is one to follow and I'll definitely be piking up Children of Scarabaeus. It promises to be a rare treat!

[Anachronist · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I liked

I have to admit Song of Scarabaeus started off slowly. It was sometimes difficult to wade through all sorts of technological terms to keep track of. Words like cypherteck, datastream, wet-teck interface, and biocyph retroviral automated terraformer (or BRATs for short) were thrown at me, making me wonder why I had picked up this book and whether it was switched with a tech nerd vocabulary. Then I adjusted and my reading was progressing more smoothly. Mind you it didn't feel like infodumping but there was a LOT to know.

The concept is intriguing as well – a human who can change planets with a mere thought, mentally chained to a killer who must protect her or die. Brilliant.Finn and Edie, the heroine, are tied together by a "leash" that will cause Finn's head to explode if he gets too far from Edie. It was an amazing plot device, making all those silly insta-love or insta-lust twists unnecessary. Still don't let yourself be swayed by the blurb or the cover art, describing this one as a sci-fi romance of a kind. Let me assure you that the romance was practically non-existant(it is a compliment). The characters did share a strong bond, they cared for each other, and they occasionally had some real moments of heat, but the closest thing to a romantic interlude in the first 150 pages quickly got shut down by the heroine.

Also Scarabaeus the planet and its creepy inhabitants were excellently portrayed. It would be quite a challenge for any ambitious sci-fi movies director but the results could be astounding.

Finally I found Ms. Creasy's storytelling ability really gripping - I was able to finish the novel in two evenings despite the initial problems.

What I didn't like:

The structure of the novel is somewhat episodic - to the point that it seems like reading a script for an television series. No, it is not a compliment in my view. Kidnapping – one episode. Coming to on the ship – another episode. Lag escape – another episode. And so on. Not to mention those blasts from the past that happen in Edie's dreams or rather nightmares.

Because we only got one POV, I felt we spent a lot of time in the heroine's head, as she navigates what's happening to her and what's going to happen. I felt like the relationships she formed with other characters, not only with Finn, were only superficially developed if developed at all.

Apart from that the world building which at first promised me exotic planets and aliens didn't deliver, nor really. You see, two thirds of the book takes place on the ship called Hoi Polloi. The problem is that it’s a very plain ship, in full accordance with its name (meaning 'ordinary, simple people, the commoners' in Greek). It has no odd aspects, it’s never bombarded by asteroids, it never loses propulsion. It’s just a ship. The rover crew of the ship had potential, but just like the main characters, neither Haller nor the captain ever mature into the full fledged villains.

Finally one more carping: Song of Scarabaeus? Really? In my humble opinion that's a terrible title! When I looked at the book first without seeing the cover I was sure it would be actually about Egypt!

Final verdict:

This book will totally do it for you if you like SF with biotech elements and evolutionary biology. It’s unique, it’s SF, it has a female protagonist. We don’t get many of those.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Song of Scarabaeus is the first book in the Scarabaeus series and is definitely one worth putting on your list of books that you should read especially if you liked the Ann Aguirre's Sirantha Jax series.
Recommended for those who enjoy Science Fiction, and Romance, although don’t expect a lot of sexual encounters in this first release. Not happening.

Edie Sha’nim was been forced to work for the Crib since she was 10 years old. She has absolutely no clue who her father was, and her mother disappeared from her life when she was very young. She ended up growing up in camps, unwanted by her own kind, and then led to the Crib by a guard she came to trust. The Talasians don’t have the ability to speak, so they use sign language instead.

Edie was implanted with a splinter in the crook of her elbow which acts as an umbilical cord to her home world of Talas Prime. If her neurotoxin runs out, she dies. She has a two month supply, which dwindles quickly in this story. She is also a cyperteck, a person who can manipulate technology and biotechnology with the touch of her hand. One of her first mission was to the planet of Scarabaeus, one that she thought she would never see again.

The mighty Crib Empire develops, changes, and modifies worlds making them habitable for humans by means of terraforming (seeding). Thanks to Edie’s impressive record, she a target for any group that wants to use her to do their bidding, as well as eco terrorist who want to kill her.

*If you’re looking for comparisons, The Crib is like the Corp in Grimspace. Same idea basically that they are ruthless and don’t care about outlying planets, only the income they can steal and extort from them.* Edie could an offset of Sirantha, in that they are both wanted quantities, and the best at what they do.

Edie is then kidnapped by a group known as rovers, who work against the Cribs interests, and believe that Edie is a valuable tool in order to break the Fringe planets from the clutches of the Cribs underhandness. They want her to work for them and return back to the planet of Scarabaeus, where if she is successful, they will give her an entire new Identity and the money to escape the Crib.

Edie is then assigned a bodyguard, Finn, who has no choice in the matter since he has been permanently hooked into Edie to prevent him from escaping. Finn is a March wannabe character. He is a Saeth, or special ops solder who fought for the Fringe planets during the Reach Conflict for independence from the Crib. The Fringe governments turned their back on him and the others like him when they signed the peace accords. He was then placed into serfdom, and now he has a boundary chip in his head that is linked to Edie’s splinter. If he gets too far away from her, he dies.

Ms. Creasy does an amazing job describing the future technology, and this looks to be a series worth following. Her storytelling ability is gripping, and even the sub characters like Cat, and Gia, are easily to relate to. This reader can only hope that Ms Creasy continues the series after Children of Scarabaeus, which released 04/01/2011.