Review: Galactic Mercenaries Omnibus: A Space Opera Series

Galactic Mercenaries Omnibus: A Space Opera Series by Richard Fierce
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Space Zombies!

I got a great surprise when I started the Galactic Mercenaries Omnibus because I didn’t actually read the publisher’s summary before I got the book. It had an interesting cover and I like space operas, so sue me. So, imagine my surprise when I fall into an atypical plot all about undead plagues and zombie invasions. Sure, its got your aliens and their politics, intergalactic wars, and a ragtag assortment of interesting characters on a mercenary ship. But all the standard elements are well done and with the addition of the zombie space apocalypse, Galactic Mercenaries was so much more than just a space opera!

All three books in the Omnibus were pretty solid space opera fare, though I think the last book was my favorite. You do have to start to endure from a bit of predictability after getting into the plot, as Murphey’s law becomes one bitch of a cruel mistress for Jayde and her crew. Jayde is also pretty awful at being a mercenary -- she’s got a big heart and the tendency to play the part of a hero, so “do the right thing for free and get screwed over because of it” seemed to be a repeating theme throughout the books. Of course, with no crazy hijinks, the books would have been pretty boring, so perhaps its not all bad.

I really enjoyed getting to know each of the core characters. Each one was unique, with their own developing personality and backstories. We never got to fully see into all of their pasts, but what was there made the narrative all that more interesting. But on the flip side, I also got the feeling that every character who wasn’t part of the core crew was pretty much a one-dimensional red shirt. So, don’t get too attached to anyone new. But with the short nature of each story, I suppose it is hard to run with a large cast of characters.

Galactic Mercenaries is a fun series and definitely one I’d like to see continue on past its three novella run. I kind of felt like it ended just when it was getting good. Captain Jayde Thrin and the crew of the Determination are an interesting cast of characters and they deserve another story or two. A prequel story would be pretty great to really flesh out the characters.

Max Simshauser did a decent job with the narration and I really enjoyed the details that she put into her inflection, tone, and character voices. She did nice work creating believable male and female voices for the core characters and though not all the supporting cast was as unique, I enjoyed her performance.

Special thanks to Richard Fierce, who provided me with this book at my request.

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Review: Lucifer's Nebula

Lucifer's Nebula by C.T. Phipps
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Great follow up, even better than the first one!

Lucifer's Nebula follows the continuing story of Cassius Mass as he attempts to live out his life in relative obscurity aboard his essentially stolen starship, the Melampus. However, that wouldn’t have made a very good story, so instead, poor Cassius is written back into the spotlight and tossed into a web of intrigue, politics, and plots to destroy all of humanity. Want to know more? Then read it!

Lucifer's Nebula started out with (and kept) a much faster pace than Lucifer's Star. I suppose that’s the benefit of a second book, as it can skip over the majority of the world-building and character introductions. But it’s not all action -- we do get to know each one of the Melampus crew a bit better and I really felt like a lot of secondary characters from Lucifer's Star got fleshed out a bit more in Lucifer's Nebula. All in all, I really enjoyed Lucifer's Nebula more than the first book and I think it was a combination of the aforementioned pacing, character development, and the lighter tone of the second book. Lucifer's Nebula has a surprising amount of humor for a book that’s basically about fallen empires, orphaned scions, and mass genocide on a stellar scale.

Eric Burns does a great job narrating Lucifer's Nebula, I loved almost all the character voices, the performances, and how the personality of each character really comes through in the narration. My only complaint is that Burns does some voices for some of the female characters that are somewhat off-putting, but opposite gender voices tend to be a challenge for a lot of narrators, so I can’t really hold it against him. I certainly couldn’t do a better job.

Special thanks to C.T. Phipps, who provided me with this book at my request.

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Review: Zombie River Run

Zombie River Run by Javan Bonds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This series is Still Alive!

Zombie River Run is the follow up for the first four books in the Still Alive series by Javan Bonds. It chronicles the continuing struggles and adventures of the crew of Viva Ancora and the survivors of Guntersville. I really can’t say enough good stuff about this entire series, I love its humor, its cast of characters, and the storyline. And as an Alabamian, I find the characters, their interactions, and their culture extremely relatable. I swear that I’ve met and know some of them. This series still manages to horrify me and make me laugh out loud at the same time.

I think Zombie River Run suffers a bit in the storyline because of where it falls in the series as its working to resolve a few loose ends from the first books and set things up for the next few. That means after the story arc was wrapped up in the first four books, Zombie River Run transitions us into what is sure to be a great second story arc. It's a bit slower than the previous books and doesn’t end with the same adrenaline rush of climax, but it still has some great scenes, excellent dialog, and fun culture references.

Salzman continues to do a great job with the narration and delivers an amazing production. I still can’t believe he can perform the extraordinary range of character voices that he puts into this book. I’m definitely adding Salzman to my favorite narrator list and will be hunting down other books that he’s recorded.

Special thanks to Javan Bonds, who provided me with this book at my request.

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Review: Still Alive: Series Box Set Books 1-4

Still Alive: Series Box Set Books 1-4 by Javan Bonds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Maybe a zombie apocalypse wouldn't be that bad?

The Still Alive series was a total shock to me. I’ve read or listened to a lot of indie books recently and most are pretty solidly average to a bit above average in entertainment value. When I read Still Alive’s summary and premise, it didn’t seem to be anything that special and I expected it to fall in line with other indie authors in the genre - I was very wrong.

The premise is clever and I’ve loved the way the series breaks the 4th wall in order to both create a satirical analysis of every zombie book, tv-series, and movie out there while at the same time telling an interesting and unique story of its own. Most of the chapters in the novels are presented as the diary of Mo Collins, who has found himself forced into the role of a hero in a zombie apocalypse story. Mo is guided by his friend ‘Smokes’ who uses his in-depth knowledge of the zombie apocalypse genre to predict events and situations to ensure that Mo survives and fulfills his role as the hero and the story continues on.

Even without the unique and intelligent critique of its own genre, Still Alive would be a great series. It's full of humor, wit, and entertaining banter and checks almost every box for me. It takes you on a roller-coaster of emotions as there’s plenty of moments that will have you laughing out loud, then absolutely disgusted, then angry, then fearful, back to laughing again before you curse Javan Bond’s name for putting you through it all. The characters, despite the fact they are purposely written to be cliché, feel real and it's easy to connect to the main cast of characters and become vested in their survival. The books also really spoke to my inner geek with plenty of pop culture refers to video games, movies, and TV shows.

There were only a few things in the books that I could find any fault with. Though I did really like the writing and premise of the book, I think there were a few parts, especially in books 3 or 4 where I thought the “we are living in a zombie apocalypse script” got a bit out of hand. I also found the pacing and passage of time a bit odd in places. It may have been more subtle commentary poking fun at the genre, but the survivors seemed to accomplish a huge number of tasks in only a limited amount of time and the progress that was made during the course of the novels seemed implausible. Several times I had expected days or even weeks to have gone by only to find out that the events described in the next chapter or book happened literally the next day. But these were very minor quibbles

To be honest, when I listened to the sample narrated by S.W. Salzman, I wasn’t sure if I could make it through the entire book listening to Mo Collins’ accent. I’m glad I ignored my initial feelings and started listening to the series; within a few chapters, Mo’s voice quickly became one of my favorites. If you start listening, just give it a chance and it will quickly grow on you. After a while, you will realize that Salzman is an amazing artist -- I have a hard time believing there weren’t secretly multiple narrators for this series. Salzman produced such a range of such completely different voices that it still blows my mind. The narration absolutely made this book come alive. If you have any doubts, just do a quick google search for “Blue Christmas With Smokes (Zombies On A Plane Holiday teaser)” and enjoy.

Special thanks to Javan Bonds, who provided me with this book at my request.

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