All who enjoy science fiction space operas need to add THE LAST WATCH by J.S. Dewes to their tbr list come April 2021. It’s fabulous.

The setting is a colonized universe many, many millennia into the future. A governing body known as the System Collective, composed of an Allied Monarchy and a military called the Legion, rules with an iron grip. Soldiers are banished to the starless boundary of the known universe as a disciplinary measure. There they become Sentinels guarding the furthest reaches of space from an advanced alien race thought to be extinct. At least that is the given reason; really they are exiled to be erased.

One of these outposts is a ship named the Argus. Its crew of two hundred is tight-knit and bored, having little to do but hold a grudge. They don’t take kindly to a new, wise-cracking recruit with a redacted record and Imprint tattoos that hint at royal blood. Coinciding with this strange arrival is the discovery that the boundary of space is no longer static but collapsing at increasing velocity and the Sentinels have been abandoned to fend for themselves.

I was drawn in almost immediately—right after the body cavity search that comes with processing our mysterious new recruit. Dewes was trained in film with experience as a script writer, which helps explain why her staging is flawless. The science is also technically strong, but it doesn’t stall or overwhelm the plot, which can happen in the genre. As the first of THE DIVIDE SERIES, the world-building and character backstory are rich and Dewes is deft in recounting history while staying in the present of a high-stakes adventure. And by high stakes, I mean the ultimate stakes of total annihilation. I grew annoyed by all the real-life distractions that pulled me away from saving the universe. The end comes with a righteous, rallying cry leading to a mission of epic proportions. I’m already on the lookout for the sequel.

my fan art

I visualized the alien technology referred to as Imprints, or “nanite tattoos that grant the user a variety of enhanced abilities, and are reserved for the aristocracy and elite soldiers,” according to Jenny.
My spouse was patient enough to model as I used sticky-tack to adhere the metallic paper. When I asked him if I had enough of the copper on one side, he said, “Do you think I have any idea what you’re up to?”

the author

Here is a photo of Jenny looking lovely after our virtual event together with Boswell Books.
Her impressive bio: J. S. Dewes has a bachelor of arts in filmmaking from Columbia College Chicago and has written scripts for award-winning films, which have screened at San Diego Comic-Con and dozens of film festivals across the nation. Her debut novel The Last Watch is coming from Tor Books on April 20, followed by the sequel The Exiled Fleet on August 17. Dewes resides in Madison, Wisconsin.

2021 Debut Review: THE LAST WATCH by J.S. Dewes