Sirantha Jax series

The Sirantha Jax series is written by Ann Aguirre.

✮ NEW Release: Breakout (Dred Chronicles #3) — August 25, 2015 (spin-off trilogy)

Genres and Sub-Genres[]

Science Fiction / Sci-Fi Urban Fantasy / Romantic Science Fiction / Futuristic

✬ "It's a little bit space opera, a little bit romance, a little bit horror, and a whole lot of fun." ~ SF Site

✬ Grimspace is space opera at its best, a genre that mixes science fiction and urban fantasy to deliver fast-paced action-packed adventures full of airships, multiple planets, aliens, and genetic engineering. ~ Ivy Book Bindings

Brief Series Description or Overview[]

✥ SIRANTHA JAX: Grimspace is space opera at its best, a genre that mixes science fiction and urban fantasy to deliver fast-paced action-packed adventures full of airships, multiple planets, aliens, and genetic engineering. In the world Aguirre creates, rare individuals born with a J-Gene are indispensable and used to jump through grimspace. Sirantha Jax is an anomaly among her kind, thirty-three years old and still jumping successfully unlike the countless others who have burned out young. Now, however, Jax is the sole survivor of a crash - one in which she lost her best friend and lover, Kai - and unable to remember the details of that event, she is kept in a psychiatric ward. Enter: March. A hard, inscrutable mind-reader (of a kind), March offers Jax a position with his crew to jump with them and help other planets. Needless to say, Jax takes the opportunity to escape her prison and before she knows it, she's on the run. ~ Ivy Book Bindings

✥ DRED CHRONICLES: Prison Break in space—on a prison ship filled with warring factions, hostile territories and savage retribution.

Lead's Species[]

Space Jumper — a woman who possesses the unique genetic makeup needed to navigate faster

Primary Supe[]

Aliens

What Sets it Apart[]

Interesting blend of Sci-fi and Urban Fantasy

Narrative Type and Narrators[]

First person narrative, present tense, told by Sirantha Jax, protagonist.

Books in Series[]

Sirantha Jax series:

Grimspace (2008)
Wanderlust (2008)
Doubleblind (2009)
Killbox (2010)
Aftermath (2011)
Endgame (2012) ~ Final

Companion Series, Spinoffs, Sequels or Prequels[]

Dred Chronicles: (trilogy set in the Jax universe)

Perdition (Aug 27, 2013)
Havoc (2014)
Breakout (Aug 25, 2015) ~ Final

Themes[]

Books 3–4: What happens when the rebels win and become part of the system?

Other Series by Author on Site[]

Corine Solomon series (UF)

World Building[]

Setting[]

New Terra

Places:

Matins IV: planet Jax crashed on
Ithiss-Tor: #2, Jax's mission for Conglomerate: convince them to join an alliance—Ithtorian inhabitants: reclusive race of alien insectoids; Vel's home planet;
Lachion: #2, stope to visit old friends—descends into a nightmarish period of violence and struggle as two feuding clans engage in an all-out, last-ditch war, with Jax and her friends caught in the middle
New Earth: Sirantha Jax may have saved New Earth and its allied planets from a war they cannot win against the flesh-eating Morgut, but it came at the cost of six hundred Conglomerate soldiers;
Venice Minor: #5, Jax returns there after changing the beacons in grim space
Nicu Tertius: March travels there in search of his orphaned nephew during Jax's trail.
La'heng: #6, home of the Lahengrin—

Supernatural and Sci-Fi Elements[]

✥ Grimspace, Space-Jumpers, aliens, telepaths, psychics, alien insectoids, pirates, flesh-eating spider beings, genetically engineered super people, space crime-mob, man-eating aliens, genetic engineering, clan warfare, starships, interstellar travel, hatchling, guerilla war, clones, cloning,

Glossary:[]

Grimspace: method by which people “jump” and travel through space—this world’s version of faster-than-light travel.
J-gene: allows a Jumper to jump a ship through space (grimspace) while jacked in and mentally bonded with her pilot.
Morgut: flesh-eating spider beings—insidious race of pitiless carnivores; a species of violent, frenzied eaters that see everyone as food—appear to be targeting scientists;
Ithtorians: inhabitants of Ithiss-Tor—reclusive race of alien insectoids (Mantis); Vel's home planet; the only species the Morgut have ever respected;
La’hengrin: race of beings given a drug to make them docile and wholly dependent on whomever can protect them best, making them, in effect, property instead of people; Loras is one;
Beacons: Jax changed the beacons in grimspace to prevent most of the vast Morgut fleet from jumping to their part of the universe;
Shinai-Bond: What kept the La’hengrin enslaved to the Nicuans—the cure is finally functional, if not entirely safe, and Loras’s people have a chance to stand up and fight, something they haven’t had in a very long time

Groups & Organizations:[]

Corp: hold a monopoly on interstellar travel
Conglomerate: interplanetary government, rules New Terra—names Sirantha Jax ambassador to Ithiss-Tor and charge her with opening negotiations to ally them;
Farwan Corporation: power-hungry institution who ruthlessly exploits personnel for its own ends
Syndicate: criminal space mob;
Nicuan nobles: enslaved the La’hengrin
La’heng Liberation Army: When peaceful measures fail to convince Nicuan nobles to make the cure available to the La’hengrin, Loras, Jax, Vel and a few other very competent friends are left with no choice but to form the La’heng Liberation Army and start a war to free Loras’s people from slavery.

World[]

✥ Every human jumper has a finite number of jumps in them. They tend to “burn out” if they jump too many times. And if they don’t want to burn out they choose to retire instead. March and his crew finally tell Jax their plan: they want to train a new generation of grimspace jumpers who last longer (Jax herself has been jumping far longer than the average human), by somehow incorporating alien DNA into their biology. So the team goes on a mission to recruit alien jumpers, and hijinks ensue. ~ Sirantha Jax | Making My Own Worlds

✥ Navigating a ship through grimspace significantly shortens a jumper’s life expectancy. Indeed, Jax has already outlived all her contemporaries—other than those who chose to retire and become teachers. But she has already decided that isn’t a lifestyle choice available to her, addicted as she is to the lure of grimspace. However, those around her have little patience or understanding with her frequent thoughts about her impending death, particularly March. One of the many sources of conflict between the two of them. ~ Brainfluff

Protagonist[]

✥ Sirantha Jax isn't a kick-ass fighter-esque chick the way Katniss is, but she knows how to hold her own and her sharp tongue, unexpected honesty, and sass make her a thoroughly enjoyable narrator. Furthermore, her back story and present psychological situation make for a perplexing and unusually deep character. Additionally, her relationship with March is so twisted and unusual, filled with two individuals who are broken, but who don't necessarily heal each other. If anything, they understand one another and manage to retain their individuality. Furthermore, March is a hero in his own right, one who tries to atone for his past sins through a better present and this only makes him all the more attractive. Although theirs was an unconventional relationship that took on a different arc than most, it fit them perfectly. ~ Ivy Book Bindings

✥ Jax is a very complex character, having gone through extreme heartache and loss. Part of her wants to live a normal life away from the dangers of “jumping,” but the other part would never be content with a mundane life. Jax is on the run from the authorities, so there is plenty of adventure. Sirantha Jax is a fascinating protagonist. Fearless, foul-mouthed, brash, independent, and severely broken on the inside, she won't let anyone—or anything—mess with her for long. She's got good reasons to hurt, but she doesn't wallow in her pity unnecessarily, accepting the need to change and grow as her experiences teach her, thus proving that at the core, she's really quite a strong character. ~ SF Site

Crew: Her chemistry with March is fun to watch, as she takes her measure of the telepath and gives plenty of attitude in return. Her relations with the rest of the tight-knit crew are equally fun, as she deals with their quirks and issues. Of the secondary crew, Dina is the rough-and-tumble mechanic who always has an insult, snarky comment, or pointed truth to offer her friends, even as she works miracles with the ships that they use and abuse in their line of work. ~ SF Site

Companions – a rather snarky lesbian mechanic (Dina), a peaceful alien slave, cold-hearted March, and a kind-hearted doctor (Doc) / or — cranky mechanic (Dina), a pacifist savant, a mild geneticist (Doc), and a telepathic pilot (March) (SF Site); newcomers of Hit (an exotic, unusual hitwoman) and Constance (an AI serving as Jax's personal assistant)

Sidekick[]

Vel / What: Ithtorian mercenary / Sidekick-to: Sirantha Jax / About: Jax's best friend; fierce loyalty, / Book First Seen: Grimspace (2008)

Characters Chart[]

Characters	What	About
Sirantha Jax	Grimspace Jumper, ambassador	Carrier of a rare J-gene that allows her to jump a ship into and navigate through Grimspace as a way of quickly getting between worlds; Conglomerate forces Jax into acting as ambassador to Ithiss-Tor;
March	crew, telepathic pilot, mercenary	rescues/kidnaps Jax; cold-hearted; intent on getting and training Jumpers; falls for Jax;
Vel, Velith	crew, alien, Ithtorian bounty hunter-mercenary,	master of electronics; Jax's best friend; caring heart, noble, loyal, brilliant; true affection for Jax; home planet Ithiss-Tor, Bk-3; insect-like, long-living, practically Vulcan alien; commander of the Ithtorian fleet bk-5;
Dina	crew, engineer, mechanic	master of engineering & guns; March's crew; snarky; lesbian; rough-and-tumble, often has a pointed truth to offer; works miracles with the ships they abuse; exiled princess;
"Doc", Saul	crew, geneticist scientist, doctor,	kind-hearted; duty-minded;
Hit	hitwoman	an exotic, unusual hitwoman; bounty-hunter-turned-pilot; great pilot;
PA245, Constance,	AI, crew	serving as Jax's personal assistant; problem solver;
Surge		roguish; new crew #2;
Koratati		inhuman; new crew #2;
Jael #2		cocky; new crew #2;
Keri Dahlgren #2	Dahlgren clan princess	heir to Dahlgren clan; forced March to fight her war which, knew it would turn him into a homicidal killer;
Evie	science	master of science
Loras #5, 6	Lahengrin	from La'heng;
Sasha	March’s psy nephew / stepson;	March’s adopted son; Jax develops a not-quite-motherly relationship;
Loras	La’hengrin male, alien	communications expert and resident alien on March's ship; from a planet that was given a drug to make his race docile, enslaved; acts on promise to him and his people to free them of their genetic servitude bk-5; great leader of the rebellion on La’Heng;
Kai	pilot	Jax's former partner and lover; died in the crash right before the book starts
Simon	ex-husband	Jax's estranged husband
Tarn	New Chancellor	of New Terra; Jax doesn’t trust the motivations of Tarn
Mareq	baby	Jax needs to clone the baby Mareq that died in her care, and return it to its mother.
Zeeka (Z)	?	very loverly in Adult form
Tarn		most powerful guy in the entire galaxy
Leviter

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Author[]

Ann Aguirre

Website: Ann Aguirre: USA Today Bestselling Author

Bio: Ann Aguirre is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author with a degree in English Literature; before she began writing full time, she was a clown, a clerk, a voice actress, and a savior of stray kittens, not necessarily in that order. She grew up in a yellow house across from a cornfield, but now she lives in sunny Mexico with her husband, children, and various pets. She likes books, emo music, and action movies. She writes all kinds of genre fiction for adults and teens. ~ About Ann | Ann Aguirre

Contributors[]

Cover Artists[]

Artist: Scott M. Fischer — Source: Bibliography: Cover: Grimspace

Other Contributors:[]

Audio Book Narrator: — Source:
Editor: — Source:
Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency

Publishing Information[]

Publisher: Ace Science Fiction, Penguin Group
Author Page:

Grimspace: Paperback, 312 pages, Pub: Mar 2008—ISBN 0441015999
Wanderlust: Paperback, 312 pages, Pub: Aug 26th 2008—ISBN 0441016278
Doubleblind: Paperback, 302 pages, Pub: Sept 29th 2009—ISBN 0441017819
Killbox: Paperback, 353 pages, Pub: Aug 31st 2010—ISBN 0441019412
Aftermath: Paperback, 307 pages, Pub: Aug 30th 2011—ISBN 044102078X
Endgame: Paperback, 337 pages, Pub: Aug 28th 2012—ISBN 193700774X

Book Cover Blurbs[]

✤ BOOK ONE BLURB—Grimspace (2008): As the carrier of a rare gene, Jax has the ability to jump ships through grimspace—a talent which cuts into her life expectancy, but makes her a highly prized navigator for the Corp. But then the ship she’s navigating crash-lands, and she’s accused of killing everyone on board. It’s hard for Jax to defend herself: she has no memory of the crash. Now imprisoned and the subject of a ruthless interrogation, Jax is on the verge of madness. Then a mysterious man breaks into her cell, offering her freedom—for a price. March needs Jax to help his small band of rogue fighters break the Corp monopoly on interstellar travel—and establish a new breed of jumper. Jax is only good at one thing—grimspace—and it will eventually kill her. So she may as well have some fun in the meantime. ~ Grimspace | Ann Aguirre (excerpt)

✤ BOOK TWO BLURB—Wanderlust (2008): Sirantha Jax doesn’t take chances…she jumps at them… Sirantha Jax is a “Jumper,” a woman who possesses the unique genetic makeup needed to navigate faster than light ships through grimspace. Jax has worked for the Farwan Corporation her entire career. But now the word’s out that the Corp deliberately crashed a passenger ship, and their stranglehold on intergalactic commerce has crumbled—which means that Jax is out of a job. She’s also broke, due to being declared dead a little prematurely. So when the government asks her to head up a vital diplomatic mission, Jax takes it. Her mandate: journey to the planet Ithiss-Tor and convince them to join the Conglomerate. But Jax’s payday is light years away. First, she’ll have to contend with Syndicate criminals, a stormy relationship with her pilot, man-eating aliens, and her own grimspace-weakened body. She’ll be lucky just to make it to Ithiss-Tor alive. ~ Wanderlust | Ann Aguirre (excerpt)

✤ BOOK THREE BLURB—Doubleblind (2009): It’s not easy to tread lightly wearing steel-toed boots. Sirantha Jax isn’t known for diplomatic finesse. As a “Jumper” who navigates ships through grimspace, she’s used to kicking ass first and taking names later—much later. Not exactly the obvious choice to sell the Conglomerate to the Ithtorians, a people whose opinions of humans are as hard as their exoskeletons. And Ithiss-Tor council meetings aren’t the only place where Ambassador Jax needs to maneuver carefully. Her lover, March, is frozen in permanent “kill” mode, and his hair-trigger threatens to sabotage the talks—not to mention their relationship. But Jax won’t give up on the man or the mission. With the Outskirts beleaguered by raiders, pirates, and the flesh-eating Morgut, an alliance with Ithiss-Tor may be humanity’s only hope. Which has Jax wondering why a notorious troublemaker like her was given the job. ~ Doubleblind | Ann Aguirre (excerpt)

✤ BOOK FOUR BLURB—Killbox (2010): Talk is cheap when lives are in jeopardy. Sirantha Jax is a “Jumper,” a woman who possesses the unique genetic makeup needed to navigate faster than light ships through grimspace. With no tolerance for political diplomacy, she quits her ambassador post so she can get back to saving the universe the way she does best—by mouthing off and kicking butt. And her tactics are needed more than ever. Flesh-eating aliens are attacking stations on the outskirts of space, and for many people, the Conglomerate’s forces are arriving too late to serve and protect them. Now, Jax must take matters into her own hands by recruiting a militia to defend the frontiers—out of the worst criminals, mercenaries, and raiders that ever traveled through grim space. ~ Killbox | Ann Aguirre (excerpt)

✤ BOOK FIVE BLURB—Aftermath (2011): DEAD HEROES GET MONUMENTS. LIVE ONES GET TRIALS. Sirantha Jax has the right genes—ones that enable her to “jump” faster-than-light ships through grimspace. But it’s also in her genetic makeup to go it alone. It’s a character trait that has gotten her into—and out of—hot water time and time again, but now she’s caused one of the most horrific events in military history. During the war against murderous, flesh-eating aliens, Sirantha went AWOL and shifted grimspace beacons to keep the enemy from invading humanity’s homeworld. The cost of her actions: the destruction of modern interstellar travel—and the lives of six hundred Conglomerate soldiers. Accused of dereliction of duty, desertion, mass murder, and high treason, Sirantha is on trial for her life. And only time will tell if she’s one of the Conglomerate’s greatest heroes—or most infamous criminals. ~Aftermath | Ann Aguirre (excerpt)

✤ BOOK SIX BLURB—Endgame (2012): REGRET NOTHING. Sirantha Jax has the J-gene, which permits her to “jump” faster-than-light ships through grimspace. She loves nothing more than that rush, but the star roads have to wait. — Her final mission takes her to La’heng, a planet subjugated during first contact. Since then, the La’hengrin homeworld has been occupied by foreign conquerors. All that’s about to change. Now, as part of a grass-roots resistance, Jax means to liberate the La’hengrin. Political intrigue and guerrilla warfare are new to her; this will be the most dangerous game she’s ever played—spies and conspiracies, a war of weapons and hearts, and everyone might not make it out alive. ~Endgame | Ann Aguirre (excerpt)

First Sentences[]

Grimspace (2008) — Are you afraid of falling, baby?
Wanderlust (2008) — The hearings have been going on for days.
Doubleblind (2009) — The ship cuts through the atmosphere, taking us down.
Killbox (2010) — Grimspace blazed through me like a star gone nova.
Aftermath (2011) — Dying isn't like living; it requires no effort at all.
Endgame (2012) — This is not a love story.

Quotes[]

Goodreads | Ann Aguirre Quotes (Author of Enclave)
Sirantha Jax Series ~ Shelfari

“… the world moves on, even when you don’t want it to, even when change feels like the end of everything. It never stops. That’s harsh and magical and somewhat comforting because nothing is immutable, however much we want it to be. Moments cannot be caught like fossils in amber, ever-perfect, ever-beautiful. They go dark and raw, full of shadows, leaving you with the memories. And the world moves on.” — Jax, Bk-5, Technomom

“The heart is not a glass of water, but more like an endlessly pumping spring.” — Velith, Bk-5, Technomom

Pain proves that we’re alive, gives us the ability to appreciate pleasure—everything in balance, everything in its time.

No matter how interminable something feels, there is always, always an ending.

“Nobody ever does until it’s gone, then they realize they had it all along.”

As I dive between the legs of a big Gunnar, I see Mair wind up and slam her shockstick hard as she can between the V of another guy’s thighs. Falling, he makes a noise that I can’t say I’ve heard a human utter before, sort of like I imagine a puppy would sound being put through a juicer.

Are you afraid of falling, baby? No, I’m afraid of landing.

“You don’t need to be afraid of falling,” I murmur, raising my lips to his, whispering into his skin, “when there’s someone around to catch you.”

Reality is March out there grieving. Reality is how he watches me when he doesn’t think I’m paying attention. Reality is the way he always keeps his promises. Reality is…him loving me although he’s seen every scar, every fault, inside and out, magnified a thousand times. Reality is him saying to himself: I want her, no matter what. She’s mine.

Part of me aches, like this is my fault, like I’m the butterfly whose wings create hurricanes.

~ Grimspace (Sirantha Jax 1) by Ann Aguirre ~ Shelfari

Awards[]

Trivia[]

~ Ranked on Goodreads | Best Urban Fantasy Series

Read Alikes (similar elements)[]

See Category links at bottom of page

Notes[]

FAQ | Ann Aguirre

✥ This is a closed ended six book series where all six books have been published. The series is basically one long epic story. As such, reading the books in order is a must, and reading the books in close proximity is recommended. ~ Goodreads | Sirantha Jax series by Ann Aguirre

External References[]

Books:

Adult novels | Ann Aguirre - Author
Sirantha Jax series by Ann Aguirre ~ Goodreads
Ann Aguirre - FF
Sirantha Jax - Series Bibliography ~ ISFdb
Sirantha Jax Series ~ Shelfari
Ann Aguirre: Sirantha Jax, Corine Solomon, Razorland, Dred Chronicles, Beauty Trilogy ~ FictFact
Sirantha Jax ~ LibraryThing
Ann Aguirre - Summary Bibliography ~ ISFdb
Ann Aguirre - The Jax Series Reading Order ~ Maryse's Book Blog

World, Characters, etc:

Sirantha Jax Series ~ Shelfari
The Sirantha Jax Series (Literature) ~ Tropes

Summaries:

Reviews:

1- Grimspace (2008)

2- Wanderlust (2008)

3- Doubleblind (2009)

4- Killbox (2010)

5- Aftermath (2011)

6- Endgame (2012)

Interviews:

Articles:

Saying Goodbye To Ann Aguirre’s Sirantha Jax | RT Book Reviews

Artist:

Scott M. Fischer - Summary Bibliography

Author, Misc:

Community and Fan Sites: