The Last Jager by S Naomi Scott

I would like to thank the author for an advance copy of this novella in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher - SNS Media

Published - Out Now

Price - £7.99 paperback £2.99 ebook

Kaatje Heigerman is a pariah amongst her own people, a woman from a community of pacifists, who went to war and then tried to come home again.

When one of the community is killed by something they don't understand it's Kaatje the elders turn to for help, charging her with putting a stop to the killing.

But it's been a long time since she last took up arms in anger, and even with the training and implants she got from the war she soon finds she's not ready to deal with what's really going on in the backwoods of Kapra's Landing.

The frontier in science fiction has a long history and while exploration of the unknown is a late element a lot of stories also explore the places on the borders where the technology and population is perhaps not as well guarded and people find rules optional. For example Stark Holborn’s Fractal series has a unique modern spin on this idea with tips to the western. In S Naomi Scott’s compelling novella The Last Jager we have a tense mystery of an unpopular woman that her community now needs to save their lives.

Kapra’s Landing was going to be a simple new world for farming and perhaps using its not quite dinosaur based fauna. Life is simple and in the town of Goodwill a mysterious death is puzzling and alarming the town Elders and so they reluctantly conclude they need someone with knowledge of the wider world and beyond. Unfortunately there is only one candidate Kaatje Heigerman who taught in the bitter war for independence when it was discovered Kapra’s Landing was actually a planet full of rare earth minerals. Kaatje fought for her community but by becoming a soldier and by virtue of a woman is now shunned by many. Kaatje though recognises the signs of a dangerous technology known as Reapers and she goes to investigate.

I really enjoyed this story very much throwing us into a mystery full of action and secrets to unpeel. Scott does a great job of setting up the world as a futuristic simple border town as you’d see in many a western but throws into it some interesting wildlife. This is handled on an early good set piece with Kaatje protecting her herd from dangerous predators named Needlabacks; which neatly shows Kaatje can use weapons and tactics to get what she needs.

Upon discovery of the reaper technology we then follow an investigation and yes indeed things are more complicated than we realise. I really warmed to Kaatje who is incredibly competent and thoughtful on what she does. Her military training lets her spot things out of place, put clues together and then she the fan is inevitably hit by the proverbial she hits back. Scott handles action very well making the various threats encountered very credible and also a match for Kaatje’s skills of investigation and fighting. I liked how this served the character that Kaatje while very much at home with sort of work is shown still to have a strong bond for her community even though they feel unappreciative of her efforts. I am always there for an outcast with a heart tale.

The one thing I think I’d had liked to have seen is a little bit backstory on the page for Kaatje - what was she like before and during the war and what drover her choices that seem out of place for her community. The story is fast paced but the novella format does allow for action to stop and start when needed.

I really liked the story’s final acts bringing all the elements together. Kaatje is not invincible and that brings tension and some worries as things particularly dicey by the end but it also neatly tied to her issues at Goodwill to be a satisfying conclusion with room for more stories to be told.

I highly recommend The Last Jager for fans of fast paced action science fiction tales. An interesting setting and a very interesting lead character should deliver the kind of excitement we need more of in our lives without us being hurt in the process! I look forward to see what else Scott has for us in the future.