Before Ness, before Corny, before Leopold and Heckle and Mac, there was just Shax and Verin and a newly stolen, er, acquired cargo ship. Join Shax on his first adventure in space in which a pampered demon prince has a lot to learn.When a steel trap of celestial and infernal politics threatens to close around them, Shax and Verin flee Earth’s system in a stolen ship, leaving everything behind. … everything behind. It’s an elegantly simple plan, with a new ship and a new life as carefree brigands among the stars.
But the ship seems to hate them, and in order to have any sort of life they need funds. A frightened man offering them a contract to deliver three mysterious crates comes just in time, and Shax is sure their troubles are over. Out of his environment and in over his head, Shax scrambles to understand the players and the consequences of his new life. With cargo that’s not what it seems, shadowy motives around every turn, and a gorgeous rogue named Julian for a dash of added confusion, Shax’s grand schemes of a new start may be his demise before he can even begin.
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This whole Brimstone series is an absolute favorite of mine. I might be a little bit (okay, a LOT) in love with Shax…and Julian…and all the others. I especially love the way the author brings in characters of varied sexuality and gender identity. It’s perfection. And just the right combination of hilarity and feelz.
Shax is a demon prince who ran away from hell with his childhood friend Verin, a rather ill-tempered fellow. But the friendship between them is rather strong and, at times, quite touching. Their flight from hades necessitated stealing a cargo ship with a computer system whose personality is outrageously entertaining. In spite of his demon prince of thieves status, Shax is wonderfully soft-hearted with a craving for lovely things in addition to being handsome and sexy as hell, pun DEFINITELY intended. It stands to reason they’d get into some adventurous entanglements including agreeing to deliver questionable cargo in order to raise money just to get by. Of course, they wind up getting in well over their heads. This entire series is brilliantly narrated by Vance Bastian who has delightfully distinct and appropriate vocals for each and every character. Goodness, how I LOVE this series! It has become an addiction!
I wax poetic about Angel Martinez in pretty much every review I write, but honestly I have so much fun with her books I can’t help it! Her stories are funny, witty, wacky, and with plenty of heart and honesty at the core of each character. The Brimstone series is a comfort read, and it was technically my first of Martinez’s backlist. Luckily for us, another title is releasing soon, so what better time to do a re-read, right?
Before we meet other heroes like Ness and Corny, it was just Shax and Verin on the run from Earth. They stole a spaceship (as to be expected of demons) and with the help of their drag queen AI, take on the universe! Sort of. Not really. This is before Shax and Ver have any crew, concept, or money. And money turns out to be a big issue— what with needing things like fuel, food, clothes… So Shax agrees to taking on a load of cargo and making a delivery as their first freelance job and attempt at making business connections. But nothing is simple for the Demon Prince of Thieves and a Demon of Impatience!
This prequel is the perfect taster to the series. It gives new readers an idea of what to expect in this humorous, lighthearted sci-fi, while those already familiar with the titles have an opportunity to go back and fully enjoy just how completely out of depth our dear demons were. Side characters were absolutely charming—looking at you, Miss Ivana—and the plot excited me all the more to continue on enjoying the rest of the series for the umpteenth time!
I highly recommend this book for those looking for a good laugh, a wild adventure, and some heated bedroom moments. I’d even say, despite some folks skipping prequels, you’d enjoy Shax and Verin all the more in future titles if you take a moment to read about their humble beginnings.