Sektor 47

Sektor 47 is a gem. It’s a fast-paced space adventure combined with a very sweet (and emotional) story about human relationships. It features very heavy topics such as the brutality of colonialism and disability, but it’s also quite light as its main characters (Saída and Rodok) are hilarious and quirky.

This novel is told in two timelines: the past in Sektor 47 where Saída lives with Uncle Abbas and they are routinely harassed and assaulted by the colonizers; and the present, where Saída is traveling space with her android Rodok, looking for a way to save Uncle Abbas from Sektor 47. The bits in Sektor 47 are brutally sad and frustrating to read - the inequality, harassment, racism, etcetera is just difficult to read, but Uncle Abbas’ kindness is heartwarming. And the present is fast-paced and FUN.

I truly loved this book. I tend to say this all the time, but I’m a character-focused reader, and I truly enjoyed spending time with Saída and Rodok. The bits with Uncle Abbas were slightly melodramatic at times, but very enjoyable nonetheless. This being said, I LOVE Rodok. Love love love Rodok. I tend to hate AI and I’ve only liked Bero from Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe, but dang. Rodok was just so caring, funny, and snarky. Well done, N.N. Jehangir. I’ll be keeping an eye out for more books by him for sure.

World-building was good but not as detailed as I would have liked. This was pretty much a light fast-paced space adventure with many moving pieces, and I am not sure I fully understood the little of the world we got to see. Which led to a few deus ex machina situations and others where I just had to nod my head and assume things made sense.

And lastly, the reason why I’m not giving this five starts is because of the Redcoats and all the ‘bad guys.’ One of my least favorite tropes is when a book has good characters that are very good and bad characters that are very bad, I like my shades of gray. But this book had flawed good characters, and just plain evil bad guys, which sort of didn’t work for me.

So, in short, light fast-paced space adventure with a heavy focus on colonialism (and all its cruelty and brutality). It was fun, highly recommend it!

'Sektor 47' is a fun and exciting story with bounty hunter Saída as protagonist. Accompanied by her android Rodok, she travels through the galaxy in search of criminals. This, in order to make a living for herself, but also because she is looking for people who possess items and information that can help her free her uncle, whom she calls Uncle Abbas. Abbas raise her, tried to protect her from the Grand Design who rule the galaxy in an all but democratic manner, and eventually was imprisoned while helping Saída escape. Both plots --the search for Uncle Abbas on one hand and the childhood years of Saída on the other hand-- are told in alternating chapters. Both plots are nicely balanced: the story in the past provides answers and explanations about the now, but spreads them out nicely over the entire book.

The book has a lot of Space Western vibes. It is always fast paced, never bores and shows good humour in the way Saída en Rodok interact. It reminded me several times of the TV series 'Firefly' and the film 'Serenity' which imho belong among the best Space Western ever produced for TV. As a result I had so much fun reading this book. The story kept me interested and I had a hard time putting the book away. Both main characters are very likable and well developed. The worldbuilding contains a few nice finds on top of that.

My star rating is actually a rounded up 4.5 and that is because of the ending. This comes very sudden, when the plot actually hasn't come to a satisfying conclusion yet (another similarity to 'Firefly'). I assume this is because there is at least a second instalment planned, but that is never made clear. Now, the book ends with almost more unanswered questions than what it started with. But regardless of that it is a very recommendable novel. I am already looking forward to its --presumed-- successor.

(Thank you NetGalley and The Book Guild for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.)

Just finished an incredible space adventure! Meet Saida, the ultimate badass, and her trusty robot companion, Rodok. Together, they're on a wild mission to rescue a loved one, and let me tell you, it's a rollercoaster from start to finish!

We follow the story with two different timelines, one is Saida's childhood in Sektor 47 and the other is Saida/Rodok in the present. Saida's childhood flashbacks are a highlight for me. They really flesh out her character and her bond with Rodok. But be warned: these parts are heavy, we're talking violence, racism, police brutality... but they are paired with incredible moments of kindness, resilience, and love, especially with her interactions with uncle and Rodok. It's a tough but rewarding read. I loved the diversity in this story!

Why didn’t I gate it 5 stars? Well, even though I enjoyed the pace of the story, I did found myself wondering about quite some things at the end that where left unexplained, like what happened to Aveline Gardener?, what’s up with the emblem or the grand design? It felt that maybe these will be answered in the second book but I feel like they could have been explained on this one.

Highly recommend if you like space with a complicated history and politics, paired with wonderful adventure.

*Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of my honest review.

Plot: ⭐⭐⭐ 3
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4
Relationships: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4
Spice: 0
World-building: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.75

You can find this review in Spanish too in Storygraph and Instagram under daffodil.reads.

Zoom into the galaxy with "Sektor 47," a sparkling space adventure that mixes heart, humor, and some serious themes! This gem of a novel stars Saida and her quirky android sidekick, Rodok, tackling colonial brutality and disability with surprising lightness and lots of laughs.

Saida and Rodok are a dynamic duo that will steal your heart. Rodok, with his snarky, caring, and hilarious personality, is an absolute scene-stealer. Kudos to N.N. Jehangir for these delightful characters!

The tale zips between two timelines: the tough-as-nails past in Sektor 47, where Saida and her Uncle Abbas face relentless harassment from colonizers, and the thrill-a-minute present, where Saida and Rodok are on a wild quest to rescue Abbas. The past chapters are a tough read with all their injustices, but the present-day escapades? Pure adrenaline and fun!

While the world-building could be richer, the book's Space Western vibe keeps the pace lively and the mood high. It's an exhilarating ride through the cosmos. The ending did feel a bit rushed to me. But these are minor bumps in an otherwise stellar journey. "Sektor 47" is a blast, and I can’t wait to see what N.N. Jehangir dreams up next!

Sektor 47 was a great sci-fi bounty hunter read that was humorous, fast paced, and ultimately quite heavy in an approachable way. The way this story dealt with colonialism was done very well and while there are some very heavy parts the book was very balanced in tone.

What a fantastic debut novel, this is aboslutely a hidden gem and I hope more readers discover it and fall in love with this world as I have. I was drawn in immediately by the fast-paced writing style and the space-cowboy vibes, but the depth of emotions, themes of colonialism and racism, and the trauma of family sacrifice against all odds kept me hooked. I loved the dynamic between Saida and Rodok and the quiet but overt loyalty they both showed towards one another throughout the book, especially as you learn more about Saida's background and what drives her determination to rescue her uncle, no matter how much time has passed. The flashbacks/flashforwards was a really interesting way to tell the story and served as a view into Saida as she was developing, who she has become, and also gave us glimpses into who she may still be changing into as the story progresses. I was sad to see the story end and I can't wait to read book two!!

A great science fiction book. The first half of the book was a bit confusing for me although the second part was all the better. Most of the time I'm not a fan of retellings but in this book they were my favorite part. The storyline and the maincharacters are enthralling.

This stupendous novel tells the story of Saída, who—for reasons not revealed to us—was raised by her saint of an uncle, Abbas. Saída is from a planet, called Sektor 47 by the empire and Meraj by the locals, that’s been colonised by the Grand Design (also not explained) and whose enforcers, Redcloaks, oversee the exploitative mining of illuminite, or Roshun in the local language, which has special properties. But little Saída gets into one unavoidable scrape after another involving the Redcloaks, until one night something terrible happens that separates her and Uncle Abbas, and that leads her to leave the planet for her safety. The only reason little Saída can do this at all is someone she met underground after one of her scrapes: a robot/android she calls Rodok.

One of the things that makes this novel stupendous is the world- (or rather, universe-) building! Even without giving the reader much lore to draw on, Jehangir creates a very believable structure, a universe that works: a implacable enemy, various oppressed peoples, and a hero’s journey, as Saída strives to return to her home planet and to Uncle Abbas.

I love robots and androids always and anyway, but I think Rodok is one of the best robot/android characters I’ve encountered in SF (and yes, possibly better even than Murderbot). Saída is exactly the kind of woman you would expect a young girl who encountered the brutality of colonialism to grow up into. This novel is a heartwarming coming-of-age story that explores the impact of colonialism, details a wonderful human-android friendship, and that has lots of adventure, space stations, cool spaceships, and even a space battle.

It’s a wonderfully fun read that ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, suggesting there may be more Saída and Meraj in store.

Many thanks to The Book Guild and to NetGalley for access to a DRC!