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Gem Jackson
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The Aggressive: A science fiction thriller (Book 1 of the Titanwar saga) Kindle Edition

by Gem Jackson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 out of 5 stars 34 ratings

He has a plan to set the Solar System on fire...
She will stop at nothing to hunt him down...
Caught in the middle, a young pilot officer just wants to survive...

When a destroyer is mysteriously hijacked, triggering a crisis around Earth, three misfits are thrown together on the warship Aggressive. What happens next will change everything.

THE AGGRESSIVE plays out across a Solar System dominated by power struggles and commercial interests. As they leave Earth, the trio must navigate epic ship-to-ship battles, brutal gangsters and a web of deception as they approach an explosive climax around Saturn.

The Aggressive is adult sci-fi with a gritty edge and page turning action from British author Gem Jackson - fans of Corey, Kloos and Hamilton will love it.

NOTE - Think 'The Boys' v 'The Expanse', so expect smart action and adult content.

Anton Biarritz is a ruthless career terrorist. After a devastating attack on Earth, he escapes aboard the warship Aggressive, posing as a misanthropic diplomat. To fulfill his task and ignite a conflict across the stars, he must preserve his identity and reach the edge of the Solar System.

September Long is a brilliant but disgraced intelligence officer. Having hunted Anton for a decade, she is determined to bring him to justice, whatever the cost. As the stakes rise, she finds herself isolated and caught in a deadly battle of wits in the cold emptiness of the outer planets.

Pilot officer Leon Wood grew up under an oppressive regime on Titan. He joins the Aggressive to escape his past and find something more in life. As Titan breaks ties with the ruling powers on Earth, Leon finds himself trapped between forces far greater than he ever imagined possible.

Don’t miss your chance to get this no holds barred sci-fi thriller. If you like high stakes, complex characters and bone-crunching action, this is probably the book for you!

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  1. Book 1 of 1
    Titanwar saga
  2. Print length
    387 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    August 25, 2020
  6. File size
    5.2 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Aggressive by Gem Jackson is a gut-wrenching explosion of a debut, and one of the best sci-fi books I've read this year." 4.5 stars, 'Jake Is Reading: sci-fi & fantasy book blog'

"The very first page had me hooked ... The Aggressive is a bold and strong start to the Titanwar saga and I cannot wait to read the next instalment. This is a must read for any fan of thrillers and SciFi" ★★★★ - Book Vagabond

"Perfect for when your heart calls for a plot-driven ride amped up by military action and merciless plot-twists, The Aggressive has plenty of tense, suspenseful moments to hold you to your seat at the same time you wish to jump out of it." - The Bookwyrms Guide to the Galaxy

​"This is great SF that really put me in mind of The Expanse series - yeah, it's that good." ★★★★★ - Greg, Goodreads

"Gem Jackson, as a debut novelist, has some serious writing chops... I strongly recommend picking up The Aggressive, where things start out with a bang and just keep coming." ★★★★ -Michelle, Goodreads

"I love it! I experienced a heavy vibe from The Expanse, spiced up with superb characters and a dash of influence from Peter F. Hamilton. If that's too vague for you...well, you should read it for yourself and find out." ★★★★★ - Anders, Goodreads

"The Aggressive will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. Be prepared for unexpected turns and twists. It is a great read for everyone who wants to read an action packed Sci Fi thriller without too much technological explanations...I am seriously impressed by the story he has crafted... Calling it now, I say the Titanwar series will become one of your favourites in no time!" ★★★★ - Alejandria, Goodreads

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08GQBR6QT
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amazon
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 25, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5.2 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 387 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 1 ‏ : ‎ Titanwar saga
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 out of 5 stars 34 ratings

About the author

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Gem Jackson

Gem Jackson

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Gem Jackson was born in 1984 and has terrible eyesight because of a childhood spent reading Verne, Herbert, Feist and Pratchett in eye-straining gloom when he should have been sleeping.

He grew up to study philosophy and then law, but spent most of his time watching Red Dwarf, Alien(s) and Battlestar Galactica instead.

He currently lives in the beautiful North West of England with his wife and two children.

By day he teaches philosophy ("there are MANY right answers!") and law ("there is ONE right answer, and it's this!"). By night he writes about imaginary worlds filled with characters who are far more interesting than he is.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
34 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the book's storyline, with one review highlighting its rich and detailed world-building. They appreciate the character variety and find the book easy to read, with one customer noting its believable dialogue.

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4 customers mention "Storyline"4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the storyline of the book, with one review highlighting its rich and detailed world-building, while others appreciate its clear narrative and promising ending that hints at more excitement to come.

"...I absolutely loved the setting and backdrop that Gem constructed, I've always been a fan of space games, think E:D, EVE, Stellaris etc and seeing a..." Read more

"...The world-building was rich and detailed without bogging the reader down or being overly-conscious of itself and didn’t toss in too much tech just..." Read more

"...engaging characters, fluid dialogue, sophisticated writing, sufficiently scienced, shockingly violent moments, and an ending that promises more..." Read more

"...crafted worlds, awesome battle strategies, with a nice "Sci-Fi'ers flair for portending.. or creating, our possible future state.. which often means..." Read more

3 customers mention "Character variety"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the variety of characters in the book.

"...I appreciated the way Gem split up the chapters and made use of the different characters...." Read more

"...and believable dialogue, as well as his well-rounded, unique cast of diverse characters...." Read more

"Fresh plot, cohesive and clear storyline, engaging characters, fluid dialogue, sophisticated writing, sufficiently scienced, shockingly violent..." Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read, with one customer noting its sophisticated writing style and believable dialogue.

"...grammatical issues towards the end being my biggest gripe everything read very well!..." Read more

"...I really liked Jackson’s effortless writing voice and believable dialogue, as well as his well-rounded, unique cast of diverse characters...." Read more

"...and clear storyline, engaging characters, fluid dialogue, sophisticated writing, sufficiently scienced, shockingly violent moments, and an ending..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Cindee D
    4.0 out of 5 stars It's like I'm reading an after action report of Elite Dangerous or EVE online
    Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I stumbled upon this book after finishing 'Infinite War' by another author and though I had zero expectations going into this of what to expect I was very pleasently surprised! Aside from a few grammatical issues towards the end being my biggest gripe everything read very well! I appreciated the way Gem split up the chapters and made use of the different characters. Everyone introduced into this great story felt useful and had their role. I absolutely loved the setting and backdrop that Gem constructed, I've always been a fan of space games, think E:D, EVE, Stellaris etc and seeing a story that could quite easily be reproduced in one of those games was fantastic! Although Gem calls themselves an indie author I can quite easily see the polish beginning to show and that as this series progresses were going to see even better things be written. Great job Gem I can't wait as the best is yet to come from you!
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  • H. C.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great space adventure
    Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    While I’m not normally a sci-fi reader, Gem Jackson’s The Aggressive left me turning pages until the very end. I really liked Jackson’s effortless writing voice and believable dialogue, as well as his well-rounded, unique cast of diverse characters.

    September and Tariq were definite favorites of mine, although I could have happily seen more of September, as I found her concept fascinating. Leon was at the top of my list, as he was an Everyman thrown into one desperate, terrifying situation after the other and had to evolve into an unlikely hero as he went.

    The world-building was rich and detailed without bogging the reader down or being overly-conscious of itself and didn’t toss in too much tech just to be fancy.

    Jackson held no punches when it came to his action sequences, and being able to see from the villain’s point of view was refreshing and made the story much more complex and worthwhile.

    Overall, I really enjoyed The Aggressive and can’t wait for the sequel.

    -PS, oh dear god, meat plants.
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  • Brad Dosland
    4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Stellar Read
    Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Fresh plot, cohesive and clear storyline, engaging characters, fluid dialogue, sophisticated writing, sufficiently scienced, shockingly violent moments, and an ending that promises more excitement to come. With the exception of dozens of typos (not unusual for independent authors), this is a mostly flawless read and I look forward to the next installment.
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  • Gregory Johnson
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Aggressive - strong start for a new series
    Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2020
    (I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

    “A pilot. A terrorist. A special agent. Three lives, one ship and a Solar System on the edge.

    In a dark vision of the near future, humankind has settled the Solar System as far as the moons of Saturn. What began as scientific exploration quickly turned to commercialization, crime and violence. As Earth and Titan stand on the brink of conflict, three lives collide on the warship Aggressive in a way that risks igniting a conflict across the stars.”

    I started reading this book with some apprehension. My experience with self-published SF has taught me that, for the most part, there’s a reason a publishing house hasn’t brought it out.

    But then a Sci-Fi thriller like The Aggressive comes along. I started it and was immediately sucked into the action, the characters and the story. After a few chapters I stopped to search the internet for information on Gem Jackson, because no first-time author could have this kind of mastery of plot, of characters, of dialogue. I even tracked him down on social media. No previously published fiction writing. He’s just one of those rare writers who’s a natural, first out of the gate.

    Buy this book! This is great SF that really put me in mind of The Expanse series - yeah, it’s that good. Think of authors who started as self-published, like Marko Kloos & Hugh Howey; writers of great SF thrillers like Eric Flint, Chuck Gannon, David Drake - soon you’ll be adding Gem Jackson to that list.

    I can’t wait for the next book in the series. I’m now a Gem Jackson fan, and I’ll bet after reading The Aggressive you will be too.
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  • K. Lynch
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great Debut Novel
    Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Juicy villian; wonderfully crafted worlds, awesome battle strategies, with a nice "Sci-Fi'ers flair for portending.. or creating, our possible future state.. which often means, the more things change, the more they stay the same..
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  • Kindle Customer
    3.0 out of 5 stars A long view at space war
    Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    September Long is a distant relation of Lazarus Long with a bit of Dorsal fighting spirit. In short, she's a kick-was no nonsense came and a dogged detective to have chasing after clues in a crime.
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  • Anders Jändel
    5.0 out of 5 stars I love it!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2020
    I experienced a heavy vibe from The Expanse, spiced up with superb characters and a dash of influence from Peter F. Hamilton. If that's too vague for you...well, you should read it for yourself and find out.

    Different things make different books stand out, but to me the "unputdownability" of a book is in some ways a universal measure, and The Aggressive has that in spades.
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Martin Senz
    5.0 out of 5 stars space-grimdark
    Reviewed in Germany on February 28, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Sehr lesenswert. Ein guter Start für eine Serie. Das Setting ist realistisch. Kann ich nur empfehlen fur Fans von SciFi plus Grimdark.
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  • Dean Osborne
    4.0 out of 5 stars A big impact from a new name in SciFi
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 27, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    The very first page had me hooked. You are thrown in the deep end without any arms bands or prior knowledge of what lurks beneath. This is a promising start to a debut saga from a new name in SciFi.

    In The Aggressive, Gem Jackson does not hold back on detail... at all. There are some quite violent scenes throughout and one of the most bizarre sexual encounters I have ever read in a book that will most likely hold that title for a long time to come. There is a nice sprinkling of humour throughout which helps break up the action nicely so as not to feel like an over-engineered action movie from the 1980s.

    There is a whole host of interesting characters that we discover on our journey. The biggest impact being September Long. In the very first chapter, we are introduced to September Long an APSI agent whose duty is to maintain order and peace within the solar system which is perched upon a cliff edge. September or Tem as she is referred to throughout the book is a kick-ass albeit slightly unstable character who takes no crap from anyone. Tem is headstrong and often shoots first and asks questions later. Gem Jackson has crafted Tem well and throws her headlong into the centre of this SciFi thriller. I found it extremely refreshing that we had an intriguing and strong female lead instead of the much used rugged and brooding action man, chiselled jawline included, that is all too often used to save the day.

    Gem Jackson has created an incredibly interesting setting with the first instalment of the Titanwar saga and I look forward to learning more about the interplanetary relationships and politics and for me this is was a small downside to The Aggressive. I wanted more info on the fore mention relationships/politics. I wanted to have a much broader understanding of how we got to where The Aggressive starts. I can only hope that the next instalment shines more light on the matter. Now, this isn't a deal breaker and for most people, you will be more than happy with what information we are given and will thoroughly enjoy this book.

    The Aggressive is a bold and strong start to the Titanwar saga and I cannot wait to read the next instalment. This is a must read for any fan of thrillers and SciFi and what I really liked about The Aggressive is that it is not what I would call hard science fiction. You don't need to be clued up on the internal workings of interstellar space travel, you don't need to understand the impact of high G manoeuvres on the human body. Gem Jackson takes it easy on these finer details of human activity in space so this is a great place for any strong stomached newcomer to science fiction to start.

    Keep an eye on Gem Jackson as his name will become big in the SciFi world if his debut is anything to judge by.
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  • jakeisreadingdotcom
    5.0 out of 5 stars A gut-wrenching, perfectly orchestrated sci-fi thriller
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 1, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    4.5 stars

    The Aggressive by Gem Jackson is a gut-wrenching explosion of a debut, and one of the best sci-fi books I’ve read this year. It’s a perfectly orchestrated sci-fi thriller that will appeal to fans of recent titles like Velocity Weapon and Stormblood, as well as grimdark readers looking for a sci-fi (spacedark? grimspace?) escape.

    The book is aptly named, completely discarding subtle tension for head-to-head confrontations, sinister politics, and visceral scenes of violence that aren’t for the faint of heart.

    The three protagonists range from loose cannon to completely unhinged serial killer. Jackson alternates between their POVs and weaves them together in an unpredictable way. I thought reading the perspective of both fugitive and detective would kill some of the intrigue, but instead, it ramps up the action and leads to some thrilling scenes.

    There are plenty of pleasing sci-fi elements, and I learned a couple of new physics concepts like Kessler Syndrome, which is critical in the early chapters. It also never occurred to me that you would experience acceleration in space, though perhaps I’m just an unobservant fan of sci-fi.

    The Aggressive is an excellent example of how under-appreciated great self-published books are. Whether or not it’s Jackson’s goal, I wouldn’t be surprised if this book gets snapped up by a big publisher.

    Thank you to the author for providing a copy, and congrats on a great debut – please write the sequel soon!
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  • Suzanne Clune
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fast Paced Sci-Fi Thriller Debut
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 6, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    The Aggressive is a fast paced sci-fi thriller with some great action and engaging characters. September Long is an intelligence officer on the hunt for a career terrorist. Anton Biarritz is that criminal, and he is in the middle of his biggest job yet. And finally Leon Wood is a pilot from the Aggressive thrown into the middle of it and quickly finds himself overwhelmed.

    As Anton's plan goes into motion, chaos soon descends on the solar system. Tensions rise and there is plenty of action between spaceship battles, street chases, and straight up violence and gore. The sci-fi angle was easy to follow, if like me you are still relatively new to reading sci-fi. The thriller angle of the plot was highly entertaining. This was the first book to a series, and I can already tell I'm in for good time if the series continues as strong as it has started.
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