Like a Boss: Windswept Book Two

By Adam Rakunas

In this breathless and hilarious followup to Windswept, former labor organiser Padma’s worst nightmare comes true: she gets yanked out of early retirement. After buying her favourite rum distillery and settling down, she thought she’d heard the last of her arch nemesis, Evanrute Saarien. But Saarien, fresh out of prison for his misdeeds in Windswept, has just fabricated a new religion, positioning himself as its holy leader. He’s telling his congregation to go on strike, to fight the system. And unfortunately, they’re listening to him.

Now Padma’s summoned by the Union president to help stop this strike from happening. The problem is, she’s out of practice. And, the more she digs, the more she realises this whole strike business is more complicated than the Union president let on…

File Under: Science Fiction

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 7, 2016
• ISBN: 9780857664822

Reviews for Like a Boss

[pwaites_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Like a Boss is the sequel to Adam Rakunas’s rousing sci-fi novel, Windswept. I’m not sure if I enjoyed it quite as much as the first book, but it was a good companion when I was sick in bed with a cold.Former Union organizer Padma Mehta has finally achieved her dream: she’s bought her favorite distillery and settled into a well deserved retirement. Sure, she’s working a lowly slot in waste management too and lots of people are mad at her for the events of last book, but you can’t have everything.But Padma’s peaceful retirement is not to last long. Evanrute Saarien, the antagonist from the last book, has just gotten out of prison, and he’s started a cult. And he’s telling all his followers to go on strike. Including the workers at Padma’s distillery. Then, the Union president starts demanding that Padma prevent the strike, and that’s only the beginning of Padma’s problems…The good news is that I still really love Padma as a heroine. She’s got this brassy confidence that makes her so great to read about. However, I wish there were more overlap in the supporting characters from the last book. I miss Jilly! How come we didn’t get to see her? Besides Saarien (and he basically doesn’t count), the only returning character I noticed was the chief of police. I like her, but I think series are strongest when the build up a good supporting cast, more than just one or two characters. In general, I don’t think the supporting cast was as good as Padma.I’m glad that Like a Boss continues to address Padma’s mental health issues. It was an interesting aspect of the first book, and it’s developed more here. Padma has something she calls the Fear (I read it as intense anxiety), and she’s been treating it with a nightly ritual of a sip of a specific rum. Hence, her obsession with owning the distillery and maintaining her supply.I found the plot of Like a Boss confusing, and I don’t know how much of that was because I was sick and how much of that was because of the book. Sometimes I would have to skip back and read a few pages again, and I’m still not sure I understand what the villain’s motivation was. On the other hand, even if Like a Boss was confusing, I still enjoyed the ride. All in all, I can’t wait for book three.Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.

[imyril · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book made me cry on the way to work. And it's really hard to explain to a bunch of strangers that no, really, you're fine, you're just SO HAPPY to see idealism and hope not only given space on page, but championed. But luckily I live in London, so nobody was making eye contact / seeing me and I didn't have to try. When you're not looking because the narrative is just so much fun, Adam Rakunas takes on privilege, socialism, corruption and the politics of anger as Padma Mehta tries to find out just why the hell everyone on Santee Anchorage wants to go on strike. Is her nemesis Evanrute Saarien behind it? Why is the President of the Union so determined Padma gets involved? And is it going to interfere with her six o'clock ritual sip of Old Windswept?A riot (several, actually), with big ideas propelling its comic noir energy and a new host of awesome characters. This is not message fiction. But it's got a message anyway: don't let all the grimdarks and dystopias wear you down. Sometimes you just have to do the work and keep a wrench handy. Hugely entertaining.Full reviewI received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.