When humanity performed its first trip through the “bulk,” a hyperspace path to distant stars, they were immediately confronted by the Saar: enigmatic aliens who casually incorporate Earth into their Commonwealth. Under the Saar, humanity is limited to its solar system and forbidden to interact with the other Saar client states—unless they’re called on to provide military assets to their never-seen alien overlords.

In Nathaniel Jungheim’s SAVAGES OF THE BULK: Book One of the Lightborn Series, Jake Dawes is barely able to celebrate his entry into the Terran Joint Expeditionary Forces before a violent attack sends him to the hospital short a few limbs. He’s offered a new role: get cybernetic implants and robot limbs attached. This is to interface with an AI battle robot, but it comes at the heavy cost of never seeing his friends or family again. Jake doesn’t see any other choice, and his decision soon has him involved in a war that will have immense implications for humanity.

Jungheim confidently builds his universe at a fast clip, without sacrificing detail or depth. The concept of the Saar—far advanced of humanity and almost completely inscrutable—is a good one, allowing for a lot of ranging about the solar system and beyond. Jake and his friends tackle separate adventures until events converge in a spectacular manner. The characters are well-shaded, too, even the ones who are more than one person.

The mystery of the Saar and its rule is initially intriguing, but the story adheres too closely to that premise. Other aliens are mentioned, but we only meet one race in the course of the book (technically two, but the second still just present as completely human in their attitude and reactions). It’s likely that Jungheim intends to reveal more in future instalments, but the direct result in SAVAGES OF THE BULK is frustration. There is a moment later in the story, for example, when one of the Saar client races chooses to make a decision when a space battle goes south for humanity. This should be a touching, meaningful scene; but the reader has never met these aliens and only recently heard of them, so it feels a bit muted. Introducing other alien races under the Saar’s thumb (while offering some hints as to the nature and intentions of the Saar themselves) would make everything more emotionally resonant for readers.

Despite that, SAVAGES OF THE BULK is still satisfyingly complex and well-crafted enough for space opera fans to enjoy.

Nathaniel Jungheim’s SAVAGES OF THE BULK: Book One of the Lightborn Series is a compellingly crafted space opera that offers some exciting ideas and thrillingly depicted starship battles, but an overreliance on mystery leaves the fictional universe feeling a bit hollow.

~ Jeff Somers for IndieReader