Rika Outcast (Rika’s Marauders #1) is a 2017 military science fiction novel, the first book of the Rika’s Marauders series written by M. D. Cooper. The story follows a young woman named Rika who gets enlisted into military to be turned into a cyborg killing machine for the Genevian military in a war in space. Years later, she’s gained her freedom only to be caught up in another conflict after joining a group of freedom fighters known as the Marauders.

The story I thought was a very interesting and evenly paced thrill ride. The story starts in strong with Rika’s enlistment into the Genevian military and boy is it a complete mind f#$%. Rika gets turned into a cyborg and it is not pretty. We don’t get to see her extensive nine-year military career, but we do get to see the aftereffects of it. What it has done to her mentally and physically. The story isn’t the most original, but it does its best when focusing on her and her day-to-day life.

There are some subplots leading to other aspects of the universe involving political and military sabotage that lends itself to the bigger scope of things. I didn’t find myself bored and there’s a lot of action as the story begins diving more into the growing conflict. I liked the ending and thought it was good enough spot to conclude the current story being told while opening up for a sequel. (4 out of 5)

The characters I thought were good. Rika is the main protagonist and the star of the show and damn she’s one of those characters I felt sorry for from the start. But unlike that jackass Luce Price from the book Fallen, Rika doesn’t let her circumstances turn her into a whimpering corn nugget all the time. She’s got strength, she’s smart, she’s likable, she’s optimistic and those are good qualities to have for a protagonist.

The supporting characters are okay, but outside of Chase, most of them don’t really stand out. It’s a good cast and there’s some good conversations but it doesn’t help fleshing them out. Most of the characters introduced strongest qualities are their experience in the military but outside of that you don’t really know much about them, their past, or their motivations. The characters are okay but Rika’s definitely the standout. (3 out of 5)

Since I listened to the audiobook, I have to give credit to Alison Stinnett for a good performance. She’s talented enough to give distinction among the characters while being able to show range in terms of emotional emphasis. Her narration is good, the pacing pretty consistent. (5 out of 5)

M. D. Cooper does a good job with the writing and direction. Cooper does a good job of keeping the story engaging with interesting twists and strong characterization. Descriptive writing brings the world to life, and the dialogue is deep enough to be witty and strong enough to distinguish characterization. One of the things that impressed me was Cooper’s approach to Rika’s transformation and mechanical detail.

The action sequences are pretty intense that begin to pick up near the second and third acts. It’s descriptive and fast paced. One of the most effective scenes in the story is how it begins. Rika’s treatment through the legal system, her transformation into an android, were very tough reads. And those aspects show how serious the story is and that’s the type of depths that shows you the stakes. (3 out of 5)

The Verdict: In the end, Rika Outcast (Rika’s Marauders #1) is a solid read. I didn’t think I’d like it but despite not being original and the supporting characters lacking depth, the story is solid, dialogue good, action good, fantastic narration by Stinnett, and just as talented writing by Cooper. Rika Outcast (Rika’s Marauders #1) gets 4 out of 5.