Jalsen Red (nickname Jal pronounced “Hall” in the audiobook) has been tagged as a deserter by the Trust (aka big corporate) and has spent a long time on the run, bumming under-the-table jobs on various spacecraft. One day, he comes aboard the Ambit looking for a job and is shocked to find his old mentor, Saint, is one of the tiny crew. The others are Nash, the temperamental mechanical genius, and Owan (that’s how it’s pronounced in the audiobook; don’t know the real spelling), the nonbinary AI captain.

Saint isn’t about to let Jal leave, and the issue becomes moot anyway when the Ambit receives a distress signal. On a planet that had been under development, the crew finds a whole lot of dead people and one live programmer, Anneke (nicknamed Anki), who they rescue. With severe complications along the way, the Ambit’s crew is off to find and disable the people and software behind a “deadworld” code that acts as a mass-murderous but cost-efficient way for Trust corporations to shut down unprofitable operations.

I wondered how much this book might resemble the Murderbot setup. Superficially, it does, what with the AI running the ship, and a main character who is different to the point of being almost an outcast. But Owan is more camp than ART’s snarky, and Jal, while he’s augmented, is human, not a bot (though Murderbot is way more than a bot). Author Sagas does aspire to the same sort of snappy dialogue, but this is a debut author so it’s not surprising that this isn’t as well executed. To me, this has more of a flavor of YA lit, with a lot more histrionic emotional content. (Though part of "histrionic" might be because of the narrator, who makes Anki sound like she's nearly in hysterics much of the time.) It’s not really to my taste, but that’s because of my age more than anything else. I think the book will find an enthusiastic readership.

Cascade Failure reads like a lost spin-off of Firefly, a small crew on an old but steady ship reconnect with a friend from the past and get pulled in to a dangerous conspiracy. In this universe, known as the Spiral, there are three real powers: the corporations (The Trust), the labor (Union) and the militaristic guild. The good ship Ambit is captained by a colorfully philosophic AI, Eoan. Nash is doctor/engineer with a passion for tools, knitting and tea. Saint is the chief officer and former ranger. There is also a ship cat forever seeking treats and samples of the crew's meals. The story begins with their reunion with Jal Red, an augmented former miner who has been labelled a deserter from the rangers, but is an old battle buddy of Saint.

The goal is to take Jal before the Guild to state his case, but as they head out they detour to answer an SOS that brings them to a planet suffering a catastrophic terraforming failure. Ambit's crew arrive just in time to save Anke, the apparent sole survivor, they are a coder who wants to stop what they call the "deadworld code" from propagated and killing millions.

It's a fun romp that is based on strong interpersonal relationships. Some of the characters are familiar archetypes, but they are far from one note or trapped in those roles. They care for each other, but there are no romantic entanglements.

The beginning to a fun space opera series that shows the power of working together and asks the reader about what makes a film or how trust is earned.

I really enjoyed this! The narrator was great and made unique voices for for each character that made it easy to understand who was talking
A very fun space adventure with compelling characters and interesting twists!

I knew this book was going to be a fun ride right from the get go. I enjoyed all of the character development and the action this story provided. There were parts that were super funny, super deep and a little sad and I don't have any negative thoughts to share. If you like stories that have a lot of action in a world in distant but maybe not too distant futures, like a band of misfits and fk ups and can enjoy good times and bad times during a story this is perfect!

A chaotic but fun and interesting tale with many twists and turns to keep the reader interested, I enjoyed the plot and characters. The dialogue was witty and the action was fun.

This was really a 4.5 star read for me. I loved the characters - I am a sucker for a found family in space, so these characters really won my heart. The plot was also very intriguing and kept me on my toes. I felt like the relationships developed a little quickly for my taste, which is why I am taking off a half star. We went from strangers to family in .5 seconds with some of these people, and I just didn't find that very realistic. That being said, this was everything I want in a sci-fi found family romp. I highly recommend!

This was a fun Sci fi romp. It features a group of likable misfits. It has witty banter, and a fun Sci fi adventure and the characters are so funny that you just can't help but like them. Looking forward to more in the series.

If you like fast-paced space adventures with found family and fun barre, then this is story absolutely delivers. It was a quick and entertaining time and I’m looking forward to the next installment though if you are one to shy away from series, just know that this one could be standalone story wise. There is just side stuff open for the next book.

This was a great sci-fi book! It was non stop action, and filled with so much that I went through so many emotions. I loved the witty banter, and the misfit family feeling! I look forward to the next!

I really do not understand the incredibly high rating for this book on Goodreads (although reading some of them, if you told me they were ringers written by the publisher and/or the author's friends, I'd understand that). They're just ridiculously over the top and glowing. Comparing it to Firefly and The Expanse (two of the most wildly popular scifi shows of the past 20 years) and talking about "unabashed awe"... Firefly and The Expanse had grit, they had characters you cried over, and it was a world where a main character could suddenly get killed or the captain could get his ear sliced off. This book has all its sharp edges sanded off to the point where I cannot understand where the comparisons are coming from, unless it's as simple as "This book also has a group of characters in a spaceship." I'm glad the author has such a strong support system, but *wow* do I feel it's unwarranted with this book.

It's fine. There's nothing wrong with fine. Becky Chambers fans might find a lot to appreciate here. But the characters don't have heart, and I'm positive I won't remember them by the time the second book comes out (not that I'll be bothering with it when it does). A more honest rating would probably be two stars, but rounding up for people who go in expecting Becky Chambers coziness instead of anything resembling The Expanse.