Cedar Sandersons' Tanager's Fledglings and Tanager's Flight: Books One and Two of Tanager

Off we goooo into the wild black yonder (Listen, guy. Space isn’t blue)
Climbing high into the sun (Or actually, assuming that I understood the way spaceflight works in the Tanager universe away from the sun, but whatever)
Here they come, looking to meet our thunder (Except they really, really don’t wanna catch these hands)
Atta boy, give her the gun (Well, maybe not exactly…)

Okay, so maybe that gives the wrong impression. Cedar Sanderson’s Tanager’s Fledglings and Tanagers Flight aren’t exactly military science fiction. As a matter of fact I’m not sure if any one character is a member of the military. In at least one case, I’m not totally sure that she’s not either. But we won’t go down that road because it’s spoiler-ific. Just trust me here. Or go read the books, because they’re worth your time and money. There’s no need to just trust me there. Keep reading. I’ll tell you why.

The main character’s name is Jem. No, not Jim (I could see how’d you’d get confused there though, seeing as you’re in Jimbo’s house currently) Jem. I like Jem. Jem recently lost his mentor/the captain of his ship, The Tanager. No specific cause of death is given that I remember, just that old Walter got sick and passed on. It’s a sad kind of thing but it’s totally believable. We all know someone that it’s happened to.

And Walter looms big in Jem’s life despite his absence. Walter raised Jem, taught him everything he knows but survival on the streets (Jem started life as a “dock rat”) and left him a ship to captain. Walter made the connections that Jem needed to make his living. Walter taught Jem how to deal with people. Walter is now gone and Jem is on his own.

Jem works for a time as a trader on his own. It’s not easy. There’s an absolute ton of stuff he has to do. He has to meet with all kinds of people. He has to try to feed the livestock in his hold (SPOILER ALERT: If you’re not familiar with the term “beeves” it means cows basically. That’s where beef comes from, right?). He gets a wee bit lonely at times, too. Who wouldn’t, alone in a spaceship for weeks at a time?

Jem doesn’t stay alone forever though, and his new crew teach him a thing or three about things like togetherness. It seems that Walter was a good man who did a good thing but may not always have been the galaxy’s most demonstrative type. Jem has a lot to learn about how to associate with a group of close associates that start to function like a family. He finds a way to do it though, and it’s fun to watch him try to figure his way through actually having a family. It’s kind of like Harry Potter and the Weasleys without the death of Fred.

Jem finds himself in situations that he doesn’t want to be in vis a vis some cloak and dagger type stuff. He gets a bit cranky about it, but he does his job despite the fact that he doesn’t really like it or some of the people who gave it to him. This leads me to one of the weird thoughts that make me Jimbo. And I know I joke a lot, but I’m serious here. I also have a BA in History and this is something that I’ve thought about but not really studied or talked about much. Hear me out here.

Jem is, in essence if not by lottery, drafted into the service of a planet as opposed to a nation. He is basically forced to serve against his will. He gets paid for it, but that’s not the point. I read a memoir written by a Marine that served in World War II. He denigrated draftees and didn’t want to serve with men who had been drafted into the corps. While I thank him for his service, and respect his right to have and voice an opinion, I have to disagree with him. What Jem does in the book, and what at least thousands and maybe millions (I’m too lazy to research the correct number) of men have done in the service of the US is no less important or impressive because they weren’t given a choice.

Draftees served with honor regardless. They took the same risks that the guys who stood in line at the recruiter’s office did. Despite the fact that they never asked to be there, their contributions were just as important and they deserve just as much credit as anyone else who served in the conflict they served in.

*SIGH*

Sorry. I’ll put my soapbox away now. This is probably not the right blog for that discussion. I’ve been looking for a way to get that off my chest for literally years though, and Sanderson is the one who put the plotline in both books so it’s her fault!

Thanks Cedar!

Continuing…

May other most favoritest character is a woman named Jade. I can’t tell you too much about Jade though, because she’s Jade. She says Jade stuff and does Jade things. She has a background that is very Jade. She also has a very Jade family, but we don’t find out about them till the second book. But keep an eye out for Jade because she’s really cool.

Huh?

You want to know what’s so cool about Jade. You want to know why I’m not saying anything about her. I will tell you what I told my oldest when she asked me who the Half Blood Prince was: READ THE BOOKS.

My daughter still hates HBP by the way. Sucks to be her. I’ve read it five times and I’ve seen the movie elebenty bajillion.

The action sequences in the books are not all that frequent but they’re well written, fast paced and believable. Seriously, I need a spacesuit like that one. Jem seems to be a guy who understands that everything is a weapon if you try hard enough. The bad guys don’t always seem to take him seriously, but that’s their fault. That was some of the most fun I’ve had reading a boarding action ever.

But enough about me. Thou shalt go forth and sticketh thy noses into the tomes whilst and succeedeth in the quest for quality entertainment.

Or sumfin’

Bottom Line: 5.0 out of 5 Ostrich Feathers

Tanager’s Fledglings and Tanager’s Flight are available for purchase at the following links. If you click the links and buy literally anything from Amazon, I get a small percentage at no additional cost to you.

Tanager’s Fledglings

Tanager’s Flight