"Sarah Branson's novel, A Merry Life, is a rousing page-turner. Her tough-as-nails heroine is relatable and genuine, and the plot is action-packed from start to end. Great for any reader ready to buckle in for a lightning fast ride of a book!”  

A Merry Life is the first book in the Pirates of New Earth series. It opens in 2349, where the human survivors of climate change and pandemic crises have forged a new life in a new world.

Kat Wallace has inherited the legacy of these Old World humans in a milieu based on the ability to survive not just the environment, but the predatory humans around her.

Kidnapped by human traffickers, Kat's struggles and efforts to regain her freedom lands her in the pirate nation of Bosch, where she forges a new identity, purpose, and ideals of freedom.

"Dying is not an option. At least not today. Freedom is my only goal."

As Kat absorbs Bosch's unwavering dedication to the cause and reflects this in her own passion for independence, readers receive a dystopian novel driven not just by individual relationships and goals, but by community-building paradigms that threaten established world orders.

Kat's new identity is deeply rooted in her new home: “I’m Bosch. I do not run from an enemy.” So deeply that she may be overlooking what it means to be human as she confronts those who have unleashed terror and pain into her existence.

Sarah Branson creates a compelling saga of a life not always so merry. From the wellsprings of Kat's newfound strengths and sense of purpose to her choices in wielding her own axe of confrontation and change, readers receive a satisfying adventure replete with personal growth, social inspection, and confrontations over control and Kat's own responsibility for inflicting pain on others.

The ethical and moral dilemmas woven into her story create a dystopian environment replete with elements not often seen in dystopian stories of struggle as Kat confronts what kind of survivor she will be, as well as the kinds of justice and strength she will encourage in this new environment.

Readers who look for more than just a satisfying futuristic adventure story of survival will find plenty of social, ethical, and psychological inspections in A Merry Life which bring this futuristic world and its competing forces to vivid life.

A Merry Life is highly recommended for libraries strong in dystopian sagas as well as book discussion groups who will find it holds plenty of points for lively dialogue on the nature of survival, community-building, and loyalties to self and ideals.

"The author's Kat Wallace is one of the best heroines you'll find in contemporary sci-fi. We recognize Kat's flaws but admire her emotional depth and strength of character as well as her burning desire to do what's right — even if it means breaking conventional rules. Her passion is palpable.”

“A Merry Life is a fantastically fast-paced page-turner, with a dark streak.  From the very first paragraph, Sarah Branson plunges readers into the action and doesn’t let us catch our breath until the very last page.  We follow the adventures of Kat Wallace, Branson’s bad-ass heroine, as she escapes from slavery and is recruited to become a swashbuckling, skyborne soldier in the Bosch Pirate Force.  Once you pick up A Merry Life, you won’t be able to put it down!”

A Merry Life starts as an adventure tale but quickly becomes something richer---Kat Wallace gains far more than just her freedom when she flees to the New Earth pirate nation Bosch. Branson shines at depicting the nuanced familial bonds which form the heart of this story. Watching Kat develop from hot-headed revenge seeker to a competent, mature, powerful woman is deeply satisfying. 

Loved it! 

Swashbuckling, vengeance and heart - all wrapped up in one heck of a strong woman. 
 

Kat Wallace is a Thrall, a slave, to an unbelievably rich and powerful man. After three failed escape attempts - for which she's faced almost life ending beatings, she finally manages to stow away on a small plane (or vessel). There, she's taken into the care of a Pirate Captain, and given the chance to start to live her life.

It is the second half of the 24th century, and earth as we know it has been ravaged. Floods, fires and pandemics (sound familiar?) have decimated land mass and the population. New nations have risen and new civilisations flourish - a Federal Alliance runs most of the planet - protecting its peoples; but as with most civilisations their reach is only so far. In some areas crime, trafficking and drugs are still the main currency.

What follows is a story that meanders beautifully over the next eight or so years of Kat's life. She's adopted into the kindly Pirate Captain's family, and becomes a Pirate herself. She learns to love her new family as well as give her heart to a man. She learns how to be patient, how to stay her hand when the opportunity for revenge presents itself at an unexpected moment. She becomes everything she never thought she would be, a leader, a daughter, a wife and a mother. As Kat's story unfolds, your heart will break along with hers; you'll feel her joy and her terror.

As the book reached its climax, I was sobbing. A testament to how beautifully written this was. It was a true rollercoaster - with soaring highs, a few belly laughs, true desperation and overwhelming sadness. I sincerely look forward to the next instalment in Kat's story.