I read this novel for The Self-Published Science Fiction Competition, SPSFC. The following review is my own personal opinion as a judge and does not reflect the views of the team as a whole. Find out more about the competition here and my team, The Space Girls, here, and read all my reviews for the competition here!
Veteran Marine Mint only worries about one thing—herself. But after being ordered back to the front lines, she has a decision to make—stand up and do the right thing, or finally get what she always wanted.
Fifteen-year-old Frida lives in deep space on a pirate vessel. Her father is a dissident warrior who fights the corporations running the system. When a corporation battle cruiser catches up to the ageing pirate vessel, death appears to be the only escape.
This short novel/novella is actually part of the author’s larger Cold Rush universe, but it says on the tin that it can be read as a standalone. This is true: the book quickly and efficiently explains its universe to be able to then focus on the characters. We first follow our main character, Mint, an older, experienced soldier/mercenary serving one of the mega corporations that control life in this future Solar System. Immediately in the first chapter we’re thrown into an emergency situation with her, as a training exercise is interrupted by an attack on the space station she lives on. Mint tries to repel the intruders and manages to do it, too, while unfortunately getting herself into a sticky situation as they are escaping. The next we see her, due to her actions during this event, she is sent on a mission babysitting a rogue officer who is taking part in the main media attraction and competition for resources in the system: the titular Cold Rush. Meanwhile, a somewhat decrepit pirate vessel is also nearing the scene, and an old resistance warrior and his rebellious daughter will get entangled in a political scheme none of them will understand until it’s too late…
I really liked the character of Mint throughout the book: a badass, experienced, strong fighter who takes no bullshit and is perhaps even a bit selfish: she just wants to survive, do her job, and be left alone. I love these types of characters, and she remains capable and relatable during the story. Through her new mission, we get to know the status quo: big corporations fight over space and resources of the outer solar system, making a show out of it, while a weak, ineffective UN is mostly just watching on and playing guard dogs to this. During deadly races, the Cold Rushes, rival corporate mecha teams lands on new asteroids entering the system to stake claim of them at all costs. It’s a cruel, dangerous world, an overdrive of capitalism where no one is safe, and it comes through the book clearly, especially enhanced by Mint’s sarcastic, bitter tone. But her main arc through the book is actually a relation to another character: Frida, the young girl from the pirate ship who ends up in her care. The emotional core of the story is their connection and how Mint’s life and personality changes in the wake of what happens to them. The book takes us to see many settings and powerful players and becomes quite dark and gory by the end as we near the solution of this tangled mess of a game. The story remains quick-paced and action-filled right until the end, and the mecha fighting and strategy games are, for sure, very-very cool.
At the same time, I really felt the limitation of the page count in this one, especially regarding that core relationship and considering where it goes by the end. When I got there, I wished there was a better foundation given to some of the characters and their relationships. While they were unique and interesting (even the side-characters like a sympathetic pilot, a physically enhanced arena fighter, or the abhorrent villains and their sidekicks), I needed a bit more from them to get immersed and to truly care, to be able to enjoy the finale properly. The pace of the book also felt jumpy: the first chapter threw me into very quick action which felt like main plot, but then the attack is swept aside, we jump forward, and the topic only comes back towards the end. In the middle of the book, we also flash through several weeks with Mint and Frida living together, navigating a new life and their connection. The final explanation as to how the different pieces of the at first seemingly ad-hoc-ish plot that they go through fit together also felt to me less well-prepared or foreshadowed. And while I appreciated the theme and where Mint’s story got by the end, I would have liked to see it better weaved through the novel(la).
However, if you are someone who enjoys military sci-fi with a focus on characters and a critique on the capitalist hellscape, I advise you to try this out for size. A quick, enjoyable sci-fi read playing unique quirks on a familiar concept.
Helyna L. Clove 
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