She was a warrior of words.

As a journalist she exposed corruption across the Interstellar Commonwealth, shifting public opinion and destroying careers in the process.

Long-since retired, she travels back to the planet of her childhood, partly through a sense of nostalgia, partly to avoid running from humanity’s newest―and self-created―enemy, the jenjer.

Because the enemy is coming, and nothing can stand in its way.

Ok, before I write my review, I just need to point something out. While the synopsis above paints a pretty accurate picture of what The Undefeated is about, there’s also this little blurb that’s attached to the book’s description (on Amazon, Goodreads, the publisher’s website, etc.):

“Una McCormack’s The Undefeated is a thrilling space opera adventure featuring a no holds barred heroine on the front lines of an intergalactic war…”

That…that honestly could not be more misleading. While this novella didn’t blow me away, it’s a good story, and Una McCormack is a great writer. But holy fuck, that blurb is going to hang you out to dry!! This is not an action-packed space adventure, and the intergalactic war that’s mentioned…I don’t know. The main character, Monica, is a retired war reporter, but there are exactly zero scenes that take place during any type of war, and so she is certainly not on the front lines. Oof…that blurb is bothersome.

Anyway…this is the story of Monica Greatorex, the aforementioned retired war journalist. She’s returned to her home world of Sienna, and to the area she grew up in, Torello. Much of this slim 106-page novella is spent on Monica reflecting on her childhood, specifically to when she was around twelve years old. Monica (or Monnie, as she was known at the time), had an interesting childhood, growing up in a wealthy area, and basically being left to her own devices for much of the time.

The whole crux of this story is that there are people called jenjers, and for all intents & purposes, they are slaves. Somehow the jenjers were created by humans, though that’s not made terribly clear at all. So we see Monica’s different perspectives about jenjers in two very distinct periods in her life. What does become clear is that there is some type of jenjer uprising happening “off screen”…basically, it’s payback time for the humans.

This is a tough review to write, especially given the length of the book. I didn’t quite love this, but it was easy enough to read, and…there’s something there I did enjoy. It just feels like a way-too-big idea for a book this short. This one needed more room to breathe, and to allow for more & better characterizations. And it’s also just dawning on me now, I’ve read this & have no real understanding of what the title means. On the plus side, that Chris McGrath cover is fucking glorious!

Big thanks to TOR.COM PUBLISHING for sending me a copy! The Undefeated releases today, 5.14.19!