Jak Jinnaka Series by John Barnes

Living on a 36th-century space station, 18-year-old Jak Jinnaka's seemingly normal life turns when strangers viciously attack him and kidnap his girlfriend, Sesh. When Jak learns Sesh is actually a princess from a distant world, and that he has been groomed from birth to be a secret agent, he sets out to free Sesh from her captor, the mysterious Duke of Uranium--and discovers a world he never knew existed.

Amiable thirty-sixth-century teen spy Jak Jinnaka hops to it when ex-girlfriend Sesh, now Princess Shyf of Greenworld, beseeches him to come help her with a few hazily described problems. Recruiting his friend Dujuv Gonzawara and Duj's just-ex-girlfriend, Jak decamps for Greenworld, where the three are dismayed to find Shyf a cruel, disdainful ruler... moreAmiable thirty-sixth-century teen spy Jak Jinnaka hops to it when ex-girlfriend Sesh, now Princess Shyf of Greenworld, beseeches him to come help her with a few hazily described problems. Recruiting his friend Dujuv Gonzawara and Duj's just-ex-girlfriend, Jak decamps for Greenworld, where the three are dismayed to find Shyf a cruel, disdainful ruler. Pulled into a sexual and political snarl, Jak grasps harsh reality when he realizes his world supports Shyf, even when her drive for power includes murdering her father. Fortunately, when Jak reunites with his formidable alien friend, Shadow on the Frost, fierce combat follows, leading to the friends' violent expulsion to Mercury, where Jak stumbles into another deadly struggle. In this satisfying sequel to The Duke of Uranium [BKL S 1 02], Jak has to comprehend and value different cultures and races, gets in situations in which even the best action casts a bad light on him, and sees friendships suffer when he follows his conscience. Dialogue and characters remain riveting, and Barnes injects a little libertarianism to mull over. Roberta JohnsonCopyright © American Library Association. less

A Martian monarch has taken possession of a priceless relic: the lifelog diary of the mysterious messiah who founded the Wager, the religion that forms the basis of all interstellar society. The Hive Intel conglomerate wants the lifelog and hires Jak to get it. It's a simple job, until other spies-including Ambassador Dujuv, Uncle Sib, and Jak's evil ex-girlfriend-arrive on Mars and turn the assignment into a wild ride of mind control, murder, and looming interplanetary war... moreA Martian monarch has taken possession of a priceless relic: the lifelog diary of the mysterious messiah who founded the Wager, the religion that forms the basis of all interstellar society. The Hive Intel conglomerate wants the lifelog and hires Jak to get it. It's a simple job, until other spies-including Ambassador Dujuv, Uncle Sib, and Jak's evil ex-girlfriend-arrive on Mars and turn the assignment into a wild ride of mind control, murder, and looming interplanetary war. For the lifelog contains a devastating secret that can overturn the status quo of whole worlds-a secret that Hive Intel will suppress at all costs. In the past, Jak has completed missions by betraying his friends. Now in order to succeed, Jak Jinnaka must betray the entire human race... less