Audiobook Review: Undercity by Catherine Asaro

Undercity
Author: Catherine Asaro
Narrator: Suzy Jackson
Series: Major Bhaajan (Book 1)
Publication: Recorded Books (December 24, 2014)
Length: 10 hours and 58 minutes

Description: Book One in a brand new series by Nebula and Hugo Award Winner Catherine Asaro set in the world of her Skolian Empire universe.

In the galaxy-spanning future, Major Bhaajan is a tough female P.I. who works the dangerous streets of Undercity. Major Bhaajan, a former military officer with Imperial Space Command, is now a hard-bitten P.I. with a load of baggage to deal with, and clients with woes sometimes personal, sometimes galaxy-shattering, and sometimes both. Bhaajan must sift through the shadows of dark and dangerous Undercity - the enormous capital of a vast star empire - to find answers.

My Thoughts: Bhaajan, who used to be a Major in the Imperial Army and who is now a private investigator, is hired by the Majda family when one of its precious princes disappears. The case will be a challenge in many ways.

First of all, the Majdas are one of the most powerful families in the Imperialate with many serving as ranking officers in the army. They are wealthy beyond counting and demand excellent service. Second, finding the missing prince means that Bhaajan will have to go back to the Undercity which she left to join the military. That means reconnecting with old friends and old enemies and going home to a place she had never meant to see again. 

When she finds the prince and learns that his kidnapper had planned to sell him to the Imperialate's enemies, she finds herself in the middle of a big political deal above ground and a war between rival drug gangs below ground. 

Bhaajan also finds that she can no longer abandon the Undercity which was her home. She needs to find a way to reconcile its culture with that of the above ground city. Those above ground, especially the Majdas, want to help but Bhaajan knows that their kind of help will destroy the unique culture that exists in the Undercity. 

Bhaajan learns that she'll have to be an envoy for her people if she wants them to survive especially since they now have something that the rest of the Imperialate wants. 

I enjoyed this story which starts as a mystery and ends as something else. It is great space opera. It is a part of Asaro's Skolian Empire series which consists of quite a few books, but it stands alone well since it is about a unique event and person only peripherally connected to the huge political picture. 

Suzy Jackson's narration did a good job with all the characters and with the mood of the story. 

I got this one from Audible Plus. You can buy your copy here.