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The Wages of Sin (Underside series Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Zoë Sumra (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 5 ratings
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In a city streaked with vice
on a planet upturned by ganglanders’ ambition,
why would anyone care about the murder of a cleaner?


One young woman dies and another vanishes on the same chilly spring night. Connor Cardwain sees no reason to link his cleaner Merissa’s murder to a mystery anchored within a high-end warship sales team, but reconsiders his position when he realises both women were connected to a foreign runaway.
   Armed with an enterprising widow, an imperial spy and his own wits, Connor sets out to find the missing woman, in a city streaked with vice and a planet upturned by other ganglanders’ ambition. If he fails to beat arms dealers, aristocrats, pirates and human traffickers at their own game, he and all his team will pay the price – and the wages of sin are death.




We were introduced to Zoë’s universe, not to mention Connor Cardwain et al, in her acclaimed debut novel Sailor to a Siren, the first book in the Underside series:


“If you like your space opera fast and violent, [Sailor to a Siren] is for you” – Jaine Fenn


“[Sailor to a Siren is] a perfect example of how to write entertaining and fast-paced space opera for adults with compelling characters and gritty scenes … she is a talented author who has managed to pack a lot of story into a single novel and she has done it well. (More, please!)” – RisingShadow


“Sailor to a Siren is classic science fiction … Zoë Sumra’s world-building is the best I have seen in a very very long time … [an] outstanding debut novel” – Marion L. Thorpe



With a fantastic cover by artist Alex Storer
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Previous page
  1. Book 2 of 2
    Underside series
  2. Print length
    319 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    June 9, 2017
  6. File size
    572 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B071P6TRYG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Elsewhen Press (June 9, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 9, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 572 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 319 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 5 ratings

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
5 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

robert adams
5.0 out of 5 stars Zoe rocks
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
The wages of sin was very refreshing and i was hooked from the start. Really enjoyed the ease of reading and made me feel like i was right in the action.
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"Seregil of Rhiminee"
5.0 out of 5 stars Immersive and well written escapism for adult readers!
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2018
Zoë Sumra's The Wages of Sin is an excellent addition to the Underside series. It's just as entertaining and epic as Sailor to a Siren, because the author pays attention to delivering a good and addictive story with an emphasis on fluent characterisation and fast-paced action. It has a fine and well-maintained balance between action, characterisation and plot.

I've often experienced moments of disappointment and frustration when I've begun to read modern space opera novels, because it feels like many science fiction authors don't put enough effort into their writing and create shallow characters that lack depth. The Wages of Sin and its predecessor, Sailor to a Siren, are fortunately perfect antidote to these novels, because they're immersive entertainment for adult readers.

I'm glad to say that, in this novel, the author fulfills the promise that she showed in her debut novel and delivers a rewarding, satisfyingly complex and action-packed story that feels wonderfully fresh and exciting. I was positively surprised by it, because it exceeded all of my expectations.

The gradually unfolding story is highly entertaining, because Zoë Sumra skillfully moves the story fast forward. It's great that the author keeps readers wondering what will happen next and how things will be resolved, because it makes for an addictive and intriguing read. Whether you're a newcome to science fiction or a dedicated fan of the genre, you'll find something to enjoy in this novel, because it will hook you immediately when you begin to read it.

Here's a bit of information about how the story begins:

Connor Cardwain examines the body of a 19-year-old cleaning girl, Merissa. Merissa's killer has beaten her so badly that her face is unrecognisable. Connor has asked for one of Mistress Falavière's cousins and expects a male cousin, but instead gets a female cousin, Yasmine, who will take Éloise's place during her pregnancy... Connor believes that somebody has taken advantage of Éloise's absence to kill one of his menial staff members. Soon he hears from his factory manager, Mina Jai, that somebody has managed to enter the factory during the night... Connor is visited by Atalanta who tells him that Dominic, her father-in-law, who was a powerful Spellweaver, has died and he needs to come to Port Logis. Connor travels to Port Logis to attend the funeral and meets his brother. After the funeral he meets Dominic's wife, Gisele. Gisele tells him how things are and asks for something that surprises him... Soon Connor finds out that a woman, Nerys Capuin, has gone missing on the same night as Merissa was killed...

This marks the beginning of an action-packed story with plenty of surprises.

I'd love to write more about what happens in this novel, because it has many intriguing scenes, but I'll have to restrain myself from writing too many spoilers or I'll end up revealing too much information about the story.

The fluent characterisation is one of the reasons why this novel is different from other novels of its kind. The author has created a compelling cast of characters, because the characters struggle with their own problems and have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Connor Cardwain is a well-created and interesting protagonist. The author writes realistically about him and his deeds. He is barely into his thirties, but he can already feel the effects of the life he has lived on his body. He has built a life for himself, but has to deal with arising problems. The other characters that range from Connor's brother to Gisele are also well-created.

I have to mention that I enjoyed reading about how the author wrote about relationships, responsibilities and expectations between family members. Her subtly complex vision of them is satisfyingly realistic.

This novel has many excellent and well written scenes that impressed me. For example, the scene in which Connor meets Yasmine for the first time is excellent, because he notices that Yasmine is different from Éloise. The scene in which Connor meets his brother, Logan, and Éloise is also great, because Connor gets to see Éloise's other side that she keeps hidden from others (Éloise is normally ruthless, but now she is totally different).

I enjoyed reading about what Gisele asked of Connor, because it came as a total surprise. I won't reveal what happens between Connor and Gisele, but I can mention that what follows is highly entertaining.

I'm impressed by the fluent and believable worldbuilding, because the author effortlessly reveals bits and pieces of information about the world as the story unfolds. The author has created an interesting vision of the universe where life can be cheap and extremely harsh. Brutality is part of the universe and death comes easy to those who are not wary about who they meet and what they do.

I enjoyed reading about Spellweavers and their abilities, because the author writes captivatingly about them. It's great that magic and abilities come with a price: those who use magic have to pay a price for their abilities, because magic will eventually be harmful to them.

Just like Sailor to a Siren, The Wages of Sin is a prime example of how to write compelling, fast-paced and gritty space opera for adult readers who want to be entertained by a good story. There aren't any boring or stale moments in this novel, because the author makes sure that there's always something going on to satisfy the needs of readers who enjoy action scenes.

The Wages of Sin has fascinatingly gritty scenes that will appeal to those who like their space opera with a pinch of roughness. It's great that the author doesn't shy away from brutalities and harsh elements, because they're an important part of the story and its thrilling atmosphere.

I give this novel five stars on the scale from one to five stars, because I found the story entertaining and enjoyed reading about the characters.

My final words are:

I found The Wages of Sin excellent in every regard, because Zoë Sumra has done her best to write an entertaining novel that will instantly hook the reader. This novel is immersive and well written escapism for adults who love fast-paced science fiction novels.
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Top reviews from other countries

AMS
5.0 out of 5 stars Super read. As good as no 1
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 25, 2017
Verified Purchase
Super read.
As good as no 1.
Highly recommend
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William
3.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing mix of murder mystery and science fiction
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 9, 2018
Verified Purchase
I thought “Sailor to a Siren” was an interesting mix of gangland thriller and science fiction novel (with a small amount of fantasy thrown in). This book picks up a few years after Sailor to a Siren, focusing on Connor Cardwain whose status has risen in the intervening years and is now in charge of a large and lucrative business with both criminal and legitimate sides.

This book introduces a new genre to the series - the story is a murder mystery with Connor investigating the brutal death of one of his employees in a locked room nobody else had entered. The investigation quickly spirals out of control as Connor comes to realise he is a pawn in the middle of a much bigger game and faces loses everything he has built. However, he isn’t a character who would ever be content to be a mere pawn.

There are a lot of different factions in this story where everyone has their own agenda, including Connor himself who always seems to have several schemes going on. The sheer number of different characters can start to feel slightly intimidating at times, but they do all have a motivation that makes sense from their perspective (even if it is initially well concealed). Connor is an interesting protagonist, capable of being extremely ruthless and committing just about any crime, but also very loyal towards his friends and employees and capable of more compassion that might be expected from someone in his line of work.

I thought this book had a more ambitious plot than Sailor to a Siren, although the pacing does perhaps suffer a bit because of the increased complexity. The pacing of the story was a bit slow to begin with as the large cast of characters were introduced, but it does pick up once the plot starts in earnest and the story becomes more compelling as it goes along. Halfway through the book I was struggling to see how the different story strands connected together but by the end it has been brought together into a neat conclusion.

I think I preferred the first book in the series overall, but this was still a good mix of murder mystery and science fiction.
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