Review: Star Scavenger Boxed Set: Complete Five Book Series

Star Scavenger Boxed Set: Complete Five Book Series by G.J. Ogden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fun sci-fi series set in a unique world

The Star Scavenger Series has a lot going for it. The world-building in the series was excellent, and the overall story was interesting and unique. I enjoyed the entire idea of relic hunting in the wrecks of ancient alien ships and how this was tied into both the political structures of the various government factions and the plot that ran throughout the series. I know it's not a unique concept, but once you read the series, you'll see how well it was all thought out and woven together.

Though the story setting and the plot were well done, the characters felt like they were built around tropes, and the overall growth and direction of the narrative were reasonably predictable. Hudson Powell is an average guy with a chronic hero syndrome who pairs himself with the engineer who happens to be a gratuitous ninja. Other supporting characters fill different trope roles, and the antagonists are just pretty much your typical scoundrels that never learn from their defeats. The narrative starts in the first book with Hudson battling a hostile work environment and dirty co-workers -- and then it takes the typical evolution through the series until the fate of the entire human race is left in the hands of Hudson Powell and his band of unlikely, but clichéd heroes. I liked the series, but the characters never really developed, grew, or deviated from their stereotypes -- and that made much of the book predictable. The consistency of the actions of the characters could be downright irritating at times.

I also wanted to point out that I've read other reviews that bashed the "science" in the series. I'm afraid I have to disagree with the critique. For example, the alien relics tended to work without explanation; however, I think this was the point and believe it was done well. The science from the alien wrecks was advanced to the point of almost being magical -- like how a cave dweller would view an airplane. The alien technology was just that much beyond the earth's technological level that things did seem to "just work" rather than being explained.

So, all that being said, would I read another book in the series? It's likely. Everything other than the trope characters and predictable nature of the series was solid, and I did have fun reading them. Ogden has talent as a writer and knows how to tell and structure a great sci-fi story. Would I read another book placed in the same universe but with a different (and less stereotyped) cast of characters? Definitely.

In the audiobook version, the narration was decently done. Doug Tisdale Jr. had a way of characterizing the villains of the series that certainly made them memorable. All the characters had a unique voice, and I think the narrator captured their personalities, but he had a lot of trouble with some of the female characters. Of course, that's a common problem among male narrators, so I'm not going to hold too much against Tisdale for it.

Special thanks to G. J. Ogden, who provided me with this book at my request.

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