The Bookwyrm's Review of the Damsel by David Dixon

Author: David Dixon

Length: 212 Pages

Publisher: Kyanite Publishing

Release Date: November 20, 2020

Genre: Science Fiction

Rating: 9/10 Stars

Amazon Link

I have been reading quite a bit more sci-fi lately, and noticed the Damsel on one of my daily book searches on Amazon and added it to my wish list. Well, it's time rolled around and a day later, the book was read and it was time to review it. It's a pretty easy review, because this was definitely a fun read.

PLOT SUMMARY

After a hijacking attempt damages their decrepit Black Sun 490 freighter, Snake and his boss are desperate for cash.

Enter Carla, a gorgeous mercenary bad girl with a job offer that seems too good to be true. Unfortunately for him, while Snake is convinced she's stringing them along to their deaths, he's not the one in charge.

The job gets dicey in a hurry, and it doesn't take him long to figure out a fatal blow is coming. He's just not sure if it will come from the pirates that haunt the nav lanes, knife-wielding goons looking for revenge, Carla herself, or the cheap vodka he drinks to stay sane.

If Snake's going to make it out alive, he'll need every bit of his quick wit-and an even quicker trigger finger.

MY THOUGHTS

When I finished reading The Damsel, I definitely had a smile on my face. Why, you ask? Because it had such a Firefly vibe to it. The characters, while not being the kind of libertarian space cowboys that Firefly chronicled, were definitely that kind of scruffy grey area kind of space truckers. The two man crew of Snake, the ship's gunner, and his boss, called Boss throughout, have such good chemistry between them. They just bicker like a couple of brothers or really old friends. They also have some hilarious interactions with each other, even when they are covering each others backs in dangerous situations. And then there's that little problem Snake has, sleeping with every woman Boss is interested in, none of whom Boss had any chance with, although he still thinks he did. Its just a fun dynamic.

The secondary characters are a fun bunch as well. Carla the bounty hunter is especially good, being the kind of character you'd find in golden age space opera, taking out the trash with fists and guns as needed, and having no mercy on dirtbags. The other characters also add lots of flavor, and I think Carla's roommate is also a blast, playing well off her as well. Its just a great cast of characters, especially for a fairly short book.

The world building has a definite Firefly feeling as well. You get the idea there are some well controlled systems, and then some large lawless areas with bandits and pirates pillaging shipping through those areas. You get the impression that it's a big universe, and danger is around a lot of the corners. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

It's always refreshing to discover a new author who can take an idea already out there and twist and turn it to make it their own. David Dixon has created something special here, and I really look forward to seeing where he takes this next. I think fans of Firefly or lighter space opera will definitely enjoy this series.