Book Review Series: Renegade, Book 1 in the spiral Wars

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Joel Shepherd's opening salvo in what becomes a 10-book series is a grand introduction to a set of characters and a universe that is consistently rich with material.

I want to preface this review by saying that I had previously read this book the year it released; this is my second read, having left off the series several years ago. A friend started reading them last year and convinced me to return, so here we are.

Renegade, Book 1 of the Spiral Wars, is perhaps one of the lesser of the 10 books in the series, but it serves as a great introduction to the primary protagonists (the crew of the UFS Phoenix) and the politics of the universe they inhabit (Spacers vs. Worlders vs. aliens of all kinds... oh, and AIs). It also dips a toe into the massive world-building required to stand as the backbone of such a long series: post-war societies across the galaxy and a plethora of aliens all scheming for control in the aftermath. For these points, it's a masterwork on its own. It culminates very well in a final, rip-roaring few chapters where our protagonists must escape a space station on the brink of destruction by opposing forces. It works well and enthusiastically sets us on a path with the renegade crew of the Phoenix that our author hopes will hold our attention for nine more installments.

Shepherd has his own unique style of writing. He's at times over-explanatory about background, politics, or even surroundings... but he is never boring. The world we're asked to accept as reality for the crew of the Phoenix is both lived-in and brimming with mystery at every turn. The risks they take are meaningful, calculated, and almost always logical, if not realistic.

Renegade begins as the celebrations kick off for humanity as they celebrate the triumphant end to a long, 160-year war with an alien species, the Tavalai. The crew of the UFS Phoenix, the most advanced carrier in the Spacer Fleet, returns for the celebrations. Lieutenant Commander Eric Debogande (our MMC) is a young third-shift officer aboard the Phoenix who feels as if he barely even experienced the war. Having joined the Phoenix only three years before, he's on the outside looking in at those with more tenure, even though he is technically the third in command. He's less excited to return home—not that he wished to see more combat, but he knows returning holds questions. Questions of, "What's next for me?"

Luckily (or unluckily) for Eric, those questions are answered for him when the legendary commander of the Phoenix, Captain Pantillo, is arrested for treason and subsequently assassinated. Conveniently, Debogande is made the scapegoat. However, the venerable Major Trace Thakur (our FMC) is not buying it. In fact, as a Kolina (the most highly respected group of warrior people humanity has to offer—incorruptible to a fault), Major Thakur does what she believes is the only correct thing to do: she breaks into the prison holding Eric Debogande and kills anyone in her path to make sure he gets off the planet alive. The mystery takes off from there.

The UFS Phoenix's crew is split between those that stand with the Fleet, who say Eric killed the captain, and those who believe the incorruptible Major Thakur, who says that the Fleet is to blame. As such, Phoenix is now considered "renegade" and on the run with a skeleton crew and a lot of questions. The search for answers will take them deep into the mystery of exactly why they were fighting the Tavalai to begin with, and for whom.

Renegade does an excellent job answering the questions it poses early in its opening salvo, and it also does a good job asking fresh ones to carry it along to the next books to follow. We meet a great cast of characters that help our primary protagonists along the way, and we can easily see why this universe deserves its subsequent books.

I consider this series an influence on my own works. Kudos to Shepherd; I hope he keeps up the great storytelling.