No-Nonsense Reviews: Retribution Falls by Chris Wooding

Darian Frey is the feckless captain of the Ketty Jay, living day-to-day unburdened by such little things as morals, skittering from one failed enterprise to another--an existence no longer viable when his life goes belly-up and he becomes the most wanted man in the civilised world, dragging his loose crew of desperate individuals and the occasional fugitive with him...

Pros
+ Likeable characters
+ Enjoyable, engaging plot
+ Incredibly difficult to put down
+ Nice 'extras' at the end of the book

YMMV
+/- Pitches you in at the deep end (this depends on whether or not you like this kind of thing)

Cons
- Occasionally prone to repetition
- One moment of something that felt a lot like a deus ex machina, even though it technically wasn’t (confusing, I know)

In short, I couldn’t put the book down.  The chapters are short enough to be snaffled in quiet moments and usually end on enough of a cliffhanger that not reading the next one is difficult.  I did have to check if there were any books before it as I did feel like I was missing something, but over a very short space of time the feeling ceased and I was just as desperate to find out what happened to the people as I was to discover the plot.  I became very attached to the characters, even Frey who I’d have been happy to slap now and again--something I’m sure was intended and his development into a genuinely likeable man was enjoyable--and even for the one whose awful past was revealed, I felt nothing but genuine sorrow for him.

In fact, the only major downside I can see is that I didn’t realise it was the first in a series when I bought it and now I’m forced to buy the next one.  Forced, I say.  I was bereft when I finished this.

• Retribution Falls at Goodreads