Series ✦ Penny’s Take
Down Among the Dead
K. B. Wagers · 2019
82/100
👍 Worth It
Wagers's second Farian War entry is praised by Publishers Weekly and Tor.com for doing something rare — digging into genuine grief and depression without stripping the protagonist of agency — while keeping the political space-opera machinery turning. The authorial content warning is an honest signal, not a flaw, and for adult SF readers who want emotional weight alongside action, this delivers.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
⚠ Parent note — our reviewers flagged: Authorial content warning for depression and self-harm themes — not suitable for younger or sensitive readers. We still scored it 82; these are context for your family, not an automatic skip.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety68
substance84
craft83
originality80
accuracy80
hype76
age-fit78
human-eye84
Penny’s verdict82
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