Review for The Backworlds (Book 1)

Blurb:
After the war with Earth, bioengineered humans scatter across the Backworlds. Competition is fierce and pickings are scant. Scant enough that Craze’s father decides to hoard his fortune by destroying his son. Cut off from family and friends, with little money, and even less knowledge of the worlds beyond his own, Craze heads into an uncertain future. Boarding the transport to Elstwhere, he vows to make his father regret this day. 

My review:
Craze is his father, Bast's son. He's learned how to swindle with the best of them. Bast announces he's sending Craze off to another world to make his fortune. Craze thinks maybe his pa believes in him. But then Bast says he's sending him away from his home for good, stealing his girl, and having him declared a leecher, shamed in front of his people. Surely Craze's luck can't get worse than that? Yet as he heads off to Elstwhere, he discovers a whole universe meaner and greedier than his pa.

This was so much fun to read. The world building, or shall I say, universe building, is incredible. Amazing planets and beings. The imagery is vivid and filled my head with so many amazing sights. It was the little details. The living hair and amazingly soft skin of the Verkinn. The gender-bending of the Jix and the bird-like aviarmen. M. Pax so easily transported me to this other world and took my breath away.

There's edge-of-your-seat action and tension. Who to trust? Craze is immediately likable. Clever and yet naive. I found myself cheering for him and hoping he made it through in one piece. The friends and enemies he made came alive on the page, well, screen. I particularly liked Talos and Lepsi. They're fascinating and made the story all the more entertaining.

The Backworlds (Book 1) is a fantastic piece of science-fiction. I cannot wait until the next book comes out and we can see what sort of trouble Craze gets into next!

I'm craving chocolate now. *winks*

The Backworlds (Book 1) is now available for FREE on: Amazon / AmazonUK / Smashwords / Feedbooks / iTunes / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Diesel.

Please visit M. Pax's site and pop on over to her blog!