WOW!!!!
This is the most original SF book that I have read in a long time.
Jal is an AWOL soldier from The Guild. Running for years he is finally caught by an AI Guild Captain.
Or is he?
Jal might just happened on his new home with The Ambit's crew of strays.
The Ambit crew find themselves in the middle of a planet destroying mystery that they must stop
before the next world dies.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

This one just squeaked out a fourth star from me.

The comparisons to Firefly are apt enough, with a small diverse crew of a spaceship plying trade between the stars while doing good and righting wrongs. Interesting characters, pretty good world/universe building with three conflicting organizations controlling the starways, while our crew attempts to balance their relationships with all three. A pretty good romp.

Conceptually, the story is really cool. The writing style is overly descriptive, extremely wordy, heavily expositional. and doesn’t pull me in. I stopped after chapter 2 (7%).

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC.

"Cascade Failure" by L. M. Sagas is a high-octane sci-fi adventure set in the Spiral. In this universe, three major powers shape the landscape: the corporate power of the Trust, the Union's labor leverage, and the Guild that attempts to maintain order between them.

The story follows Jal, who finds himself branded as a Guild deserter. However, fate takes an unexpected turn when he ends up on a Guild ship called the Ambit. The crew of the Ambit is a unique mix, including an AI at the helm, a ship's engineer/medic who blurs the lines between the two roles, and an XO with a clear warning not to provoke her.

As they respond to a distress call from an abandoned planet, the crew discovers a mass grave and encounters a live programmer who holds crucial information about the events. It becomes evident that the Trust has plans involving dead planets, and the crew of the Ambit is faced with the challenge of preventing more planets from meeting a similar fate.

The novel promises a thrilling blend of action, exploration, and a vibrant cast of characters in a sci-fi setting. Fans of J. S. Dewes' Divide series and the adventurous spirit of Firefly may find "Cascade Failure" to be an exciting addition to the genre.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.