Reviews

Rubicon by J.S. Dewes

pettylatinobatman's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

jeffdecker's review

adventurous inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ryn_bow's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Let's just say I'd like to sue this book for emotional damage. I loved every second of it tho

bosermoki's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

nightshift8's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.75

kittenmittons's review

4.25

J.S. Dewes has very quickly and easily become my favourite sci-fi writer (well, maybe she doesn't feel it was easy, to actually, you know, write these books). She's great at writing characters, at having stakes actually feel like there's something to lose, usually something horrifying, and especially great at writing natural bonds between characters which, as an absolute glutton for found family, I lap up every time. And Rubicon hits all of these marks handily.

Military sci-fi and with AI isn't the kind of thing that draws me to a story, but this was so well-written and my heart was in my throat for too much of it to even allow me a breath to think about how this wasn't my thing. The first chapter sets the stage for how tightly written this is, how the bonds with characters are a stand-out, and, oh yeah, how horrifyingly messed up Adrienne very understandably is.

There are a lot of comments about how infuriating the ending is, so I guess I'll add my two cents: I can't say that I found the ending satisfying, per se, but it was a hell of an arc and I felt like the arc came to a very strong conclusion. I'd absolutely read a sequel (but then, I'd do that no matter the ending), but I also don't know how the sequel would possibly be written. Regardless of what you think of the ending, this was a total ride.

aische24's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

muddywookiee's review

adventurous dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

ginger95's review

adventurous tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wonderful read! Great characters, interesting plot, and the ending had me biting my nails! Great if you love her other works as well! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and War

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Violence

ninegladiolus's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Whew. Rubicon by J.S. Dewes was a captivating military sci-fi read, but one I still struggle to rate. The novel follows Sergeant Adrienne Valero. After her 96th death and subsequent resurrection in service to humanity’s war against artificial lifeforms, she’s reassigned to a special forces unit and given a virtual intelligence aid that turns sentient; drawn into a web of dark political intrigue, Adrienne learns firsthand how far some people will go to end a war.

How you feel about this book will really depend on where the ending lands for you. It is definitely a CHOICE of an ending, and for me, it unfortunately eviscerated the satisfaction I took from the narrative. An argument could be made that evisceration was the point, and I can respect that while recognizing it was not for me. Still, up until that point, Rubicon held me spellbound with its adrenaline-infused and heart-racing pages.

This is a hard one for me to recommend without spoilers. I think fans of heavy, dark military sci-fi would absolutely find value and enjoyment in this novel. I’m definitely curious to check out Dewes’ other work.

Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.