Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Was Once a Hero

Rate this book
Reluctant privateer Robert Fenaday searches the stars for his lost love, Lisa, a naval intelligence officer whose ship disappeared near the end of the Conchirri War . He’s joined by the genetically engineered assassin, Shasti Rainhell, whose cold perfection masks her dark past. Both are blackmailed by government spymaster, Mandela, into a suicidal mission to the doomed planet Enshar. Leading a team of scientists and soldiers, they must unravel the mystery of that planet’s death before an ancient force reaches out to claim their lives.

The classic Planet Stories of S/F have suffered abandonment, without a rescuer, until now. Edward McKeown's "Was Once A Hero" combines adventure and romance with the dark humor and human complexities absent from a more black-and-white age. Robert Fenaday and Shasti Rainhell are real people. They make mistakes, they hurt, they stumble in the dark emotionally, and they save the world. They are flawed, wounded heroes, and they make you realize, as you hungrily turn each page, that the best fiction contains excitement and passion; and the best aspect of life is the possibility of personal redemption. Was Once a Hero provides both." Tim McLoughlin, author of "Heart of the Old Country" (Movie The Narrows) and Editor of "Brooklyn Noir"

Paperback

Published January 1, 2011

25 people are currently reading
101 people want to read

About the author

Edward McKeown

47 books62 followers

Edward McKeown is best known for his two Confederation Space Series: The Robert Fenaday/Shasti Rainhell series of SF novels set on the Privateer Sidhe & set in the same universe, The Maauro Chronicles featuring a 50,000-year-old android named Maauro and her friend, a disgraced pilot named Wrik Trigardt, as they battle governments and the Thieves Guild for their freedom.


Fenaday/ Rainhell: Reluctant privateer Robert Fenaday searches the stars for his lost love, Lisa, a naval intelligence officer whose ship disappeared near the end of the Conchirri War. He’s joined by the genetically engineered assassin, Shasti Rainhell, whose cold perfection masks her dark past. Both are blackmailed by government spymaster, Mandela, into a suicidal mission to the doomed planet Enshar. Leading a team of scientists and soldiers, they must unravel the mystery of that planet’s death before an ancient force reaches out to claim their lives.


The Maauro Chronicles: “Three alien machines descend to the asteroid base of their enemies. The ensuing battle is short and savage. The lone survivor hopes either for rescue, or for another chance to engage its enemies. It will be a long wait…

Wrik Trigardt ekes out a living in the Kandalor system with his small ship, Sinner. He is caught between his failed past and a grim present in service to the local crimelord, Dusko. An expedition to the Rift Asteroids promises better days, but when the well of time is disturbed--no one can say what will surface.

***

His forays into Fantasy and Horror include the urban fantasy series Knight in Charlotte. He is the editor of the Sha’Daa anthologies of tales of the Apocalypse.


Ed enjoys a wide variety of interests from ballroom dance to the martial arts. Find him on Facebook, www.copperdogpublishing.com and at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004NM9ZU2

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
62 (38%)
4 stars
58 (35%)
3 stars
33 (20%)
2 stars
7 (4%)
1 star
2 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for Ron.
Author 2 books170 followers
June 13, 2013
I gave up after 116 pages. (see below)

Hard to take supposed military fiction seriously when the three top officers of an expedition insist on going on a suicide mission. We know the author won't kill them, but what happened to verisimilitude?

Hard to believe a confederation of sentient species, who have just survived attack by a killer specie, would ignore the mysterious de-population of a planet and destruction of a military probe to inquire.

Further, repeated references are made to orbital windows despite the Sidhe supposedly being in a geosynchronous orbit. If it was, the orbital opportunities would not change.

People who can't pass high school physics shouldn't write science fiction.

Too much fiction, almost no science.

Later: having subsequently read an even worse novel, I went back and finished this. It still stunk, but I gave it an extra star because it wasn't that bad.
Profile Image for Bruce.
Author 17 books12 followers
May 26, 2012
What the world needs is more SF like 'Was Once a Hero'. This is classic space opera, with interesting characters, fast action and a great mystery-laden plot. Better yet, sequels are coming. I highly recommend this well-written book.
Profile Image for Sadie Forsythe.
Author 1 book285 followers
May 3, 2015
4.5
This is space-opera at it's best. Fenaday, Shasti, and the rest of their regular, rag-tag crew of "cutthroats, screw-ups and a few pros" have an easy going rapport that was a lot of fun to be part of. Fenaday is your basic nice guy. Someone referred to him as a "gentle pirate" and it's an appropriate nomen descriptivum. He's not nearly tough enough for what he does, but he's smart enough to surround himself with those who can make up for it. I think it would be almost impossible not to like him. Shasti is just plain kick-ass...and let there be no doubt, she both has a nice ass and could kick your ass. Her character does fall a little vicim to the painful trope that for any real woman to be a brave, strong soldier she must also be broken or emotionally injured in some manner, but I'll overlook it. Then there are a whole host of side characters, some of whom I suspect will carry over into the next book. I especially liked the Tok brothers, Telisan and Mmok.

I was a little confused about people's country of origin. A number of characters are stated to be from certain countries (Ireland, Israel, etc.) but others are from planets (Mars, Enchari, etc.). I never could decided if the earthlings were meant to be from the actual geographic countries designated or if those countries were meant to have colonised beyond the confines of our Blue Planet. I would hope that intra-galactic travel would have weakened such human divisions.

The story itself had a little bit of mystery, a decent amount of action, a few heart-felt moments, and a couple good laughs. The book did seem to wrap up quite quickly once the mission had been accomplished and I never felt completely satisfied about the whole Lisa situation. But then again I don't think I was meant to. This is definitely worth picking up.
Profile Image for M.L. Chesley.
Author 3 books27 followers
October 26, 2012
Sometimes it is difficult for me to get into a science fiction story. Some of the terminology used can be quite confusing. Not this time around, though. It was an easy read for someone like me who isn't a hard core sci-fi fan.
Robert Fenaday's loss of his wife is heartbreaking and his search for her seems fruitless. Now, with the Conchirri War over, funding his search becomes a bit of a problem. Enter the little Enshari who is about to change all of that. Granted, the government wants to see Fenaday go on this mission ... and not come back, but this isn't why Fenaday chooses to accept.
Shasti Rainhell is definitely not a woman you want to mess with. She lives up to her surname in lots of ways. Always by Fenaday's side, she isn't about to let him go to the Enshar planet without her.
This book contains a myriad of aliens and robots, cyborgs and intrigue. Enshar was attacked by an unseen force and McKeown keeps you guessing until the end as to what exactly wiped out almost an entire species and then some. Very well written, great plot and strong characters. I would definitely read more from this author.
Profile Image for Katelyn (Lost as Alice, Mad as the Hatter).
150 reviews3 followers
February 26, 2016
The one failing in this type of science fiction (Space Opera) is that there is often a significant amount of background. As in the real world, science based fiction seems to need more proof than the magic based.

I really liked this book...once it got moving. The first nine chapters were pure background music. We had to be introduced to the universe. The science. The cultural (special?) intricacies. And, of course, the relationships between the characters had to be hammered out. I still felt the first nine chapters could have been sumed up in two. And the first chapter almost made me put down the book, it was so cheasy an unrealistic.

The overall plot of the novel: A young shipping company heir loses his wife around the same time a planet mysteriously loses its entire population to an unknown (but violent) adversary. During both of these events there is a galatic war against an alien species bent on murdering everyone not them.

Fast forward a few years and the shipping heir has turned himself into a privateer (barely legal space pirate) who is searching the universe for a wife he refuses to believe is dead. Along for the ride, is an assasin with secrets of her own and a mean temper. After being blackmailed by the government, the duo is forced to take on a questionable crew to aid a professor of the remaining aliens left of the dead world. The professor is determined to find out what killed his planet and bring his people home.

(And we have now reached chapter 3. The next few are about them outfitting the ship. My frustration almost had me replacing the book.)

Once they travel to the world, other team not only have to battle personality conflicts, a hostile planet, and government interference; but to top it all off, the crew is divided and none too happy about being forced to the planet that destroyed a race.

On the planet, myth becomes fact and forgotten gods have risen to take vengeance on the planet they cannot leave. The team has to fight there way to the very heart of the world in order to get home.

Once they reach the planet, the novel is a page turner of adventure. While somewhat predictable, it is never the less a worth whole read. Just, next time, a little less talk at the beginning would be appreciated.
Profile Image for Elena Alvarez Dosil.
855 reviews14 followers
September 9, 2017
Review originally published at: http://www.lomeraniel.com/audiobookre...

Robert Fenaday is in the constant search for his wife Lisa, whose spaceship was lost during the Conchirri War. Not wanting to give up he is making money now as a privateer and at the same time, still looking for her. Blackmailed by the government, he is assigned a suicidal mission: going to the planet Enshar, and find out what was that killed the remaining population and anyone trying to approach the planet.

I found this novel quite entertaining and action packed. Robert and Shasti are quite a charismatic duo, and it is almost impossible not to fall for them. With a past in common and some dark secrets, these are the most interesting characters of the book.

There are many characters in this story, and most of them are not very developed, which made difficult at times the task of following everything. I don’t think most of them were even necessary, but I guess it is the way McKweon decided to use to show how dangerous this mission was, since many of them did not make it. Nevertheless, I think it would have worked better with less characters and more developed.

I found the mystery of the planet Enshar very intriguing, until the point where we almost know what they are up against. I found it a bit disappointing, and anticlimactic. There was something in its execution that did not completely click with me. It was a pity, since the story was quite promising.

My main issue was with the narration. I was not comfortable with David Loving’s narration and at times he seemed to run out of air. All characters sounded the same, and this is what threw me back the most, since there were many and at times it was difficult to know who was talking. I had to make an extra effort that did not really pay off.

I received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.
3,964 reviews14 followers
August 28, 2017
"Is not each person a unique universe?"
In the last days of the Cinchirri war, something happened on the home planet of one of the United allies and all intelligent life was destroyed along with the cities and with explosions and outbreaks of fire everywhere. The cause was unknown. Five years later, the planet was a forbidden area still, an earlier expedition to monitor and look for causes having been destroyed by invisible forces even before reaching the planetary surface. But now the handful of Inshari survivors, living as refuges, want to go home. And it has been agreed that one of their number be allowed to return to the planet to determine the cause of the dsaster, if possible.
Considered a suicide mission, a ship's crew is secretly recruited under the command of a space pirate blackmailed into the task. With the unknown ahead, the ship faces anger, fear and possible betrayal. But the money is good - very good.

This is a well written, clever classic science fiction story with strong characterisation, plot and action. It is also very atmospheric, reminiscent of, though completely different from, Forbidden Planet. The narration by David Loving enhances the text and there is never a dull moment even when the action quietens. A book to recommend to any science fiction fan

I received my complimentary copy of Was Once a Hero, from the rights holder, free of any obligations, via Audiobook Boom. Thank you. I enjoyed it immensely and will look out for other books in the same series.
Profile Image for Sarah Baethge.
Author 14 books123 followers
March 20, 2012
Was Once a Hero by Edward McKeown is a fun science fiction story set in the distant future. After years of inter-planetary war, where Humans and six other alien species have had to team up and brought down the terrible Conchirri that were spreading havoc wherever they could; no one is ready to place themselves in harm’s way by attempting to study the frightening unexplained force that apparently came out of nowhere and was able to destroy the entire Enshari civilization within hours. Few will even talk of it, but whatever horror befell these people, it seems to have had enough intelligence to attack only the peaceful Enshari; it left the wildlife of their planet Enshar unharmed.
As a pirate crew is not usually comprised of kind souls willing to risk themselves for the sake of helping others, much trickery, and ultimately unbelievable rewards must come about to get everyone to approach the unknown cause of unequaled calamity. Captain Fenaday is not surprised that his lying to outlaws in an attempt to throw them unsuspectingly against mortal danger can’t be taken without talk of a mutiny. Still, the ageing Enshari, Belwin Duna, is able to tunnel his way into even the darkest of hearts on the ship. What evil awaits on this planet that would indiscriminately wipe out his entire non-threatening people?
Profile Image for M.A Grace.
Author 5 books70 followers
May 25, 2012
Story Line: A dead wife, no job, a government that knows all your illegal actions and can take you down, a vanishing race, and a mission that very well could be your death. In a pleasantly entertaining and decently quick read you get to follow the way Robert Fenaday went from being on top to being almost blackmailed into giving away possibly his life for a mission.

Characters: Lisa, Robert, Telisan, Shasti, and a whole ships worth of crew.

My Favorite Part: When Robert and Mandela have a conversation about wanting Robert to go on this suicide mission as it would appear. Mandela tells Robert of all the illegal actions that the government knows about but has not taken him to court on yet. I found the whole conversation hilarious.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. There were some parts in there that seemed to drag on for me which was a bit disheartened for a short story. HOWEVER, minus those few parts I really enjoyed this read. I don’t want to go too much into it because I don’t do spoilers. However I do recommend if you want a very enjoyable space adventure to sink into then you should pick up this book. Follow Robert as he watches his wife leave on a mission to find out 11 months later she will not be returning. Selling all he has to get a ship to search for her leaving him with no money, no work, and no wife until a request to go on a mission that may be his last.
Profile Image for Angus.
Author 9 books33 followers
November 25, 2013
This is the kind of Science Fiction with military-space opera and aliens that I thoroughly enjoy. Robert Fenaday and his somewhat trustworthy mash-up of a crew take on a mission to reunite a planet with its native sentient species at the barrel of a gun. Doing battle with an ancient and powerful foe which killed off an entire planets occupants the crew of the Sidhe (pronounced 'she') will have to rely on people they would never turn their backs on in the bright light of day.

I have not thought of an alien being that resembled an otter the size of a human in puberty before and it seems reminiscent of the Beaver from the Chronicles of Narnia. To often in contemporary Science Fiction do authors neglect the possibility that we will encounter life out there not like us. Works like this are necessary to prepare us with and open mind.

Excellent world building, awe-inspiring looks at where the human species may go and top-notch editing define this work. It took me nearly a year to reach it in my 'to be read' pile but I am glad that I did.

I give this work five out of five stars and advise you parents out there to let your teenager read this book, it won't harm them at all.

http://www.amazon.com/Once-Hero-Fenad...
Profile Image for Beth Wright.
Author 39 books85 followers
July 27, 2012
What an amazing Scifi read :D Talk about hard times and cool adventures this one is filled with both :D Believe it or not the sexy assassin is one of my fav characters 0.o Hahaha sorry but true, although I do love the captian as well :O I'm horrible. Robert pulls together a crew to help him search for his lost wife, awwww isn't that sweet :) Still love the sexy assassin the most lol nothing not to like about her :) Ok, this story is most defiantly a wonderful read, this amazing author has made outstading characters, wonderful plots and one hell of an adventure :) Must read for all of you scifi fanatics :) So can't wait to see more of your stories :D

♥♥♥♥♥
Profile Image for Sarah.
602 reviews5 followers
November 26, 2015
This one has been on my "to read" list for a while and I've finally gotten around to giving it a go. The story was well written and interesting. For me, I think the highlight was the number of characters and their various backgrounds and personalities. I especially liked Belwin and his wise old ways. The pace of the story was decent with bits of action intermingled with the exploring and politicking. I would have liked a bit broader view of fleet and the organizational structure of the military and political situations. There were parts where I was trying to remember who belonged to which group. Overall a good story and I will definitely follow up with subsequent books.
Profile Image for Wynand Schoonbee.
118 reviews23 followers
June 12, 2013
A tale perhaps a tad simplistic but with a sufficiently interesting background milieu, which is what you want in a space opera novel where you don't want to get bogged down in irrelevant minutia.

This novel delivers a good read, interesting characters & universe development which leaves me wanting more information on the various aliens, technology etc.

I will certainly read the next in the series!
Profile Image for Nathan Schulte.
11 reviews1 follower
February 9, 2014
Despite the odd cover art and choppy start, this book did end up coming together. It was nothing all that original, but once started it provided good pacing, action, and the main characters were very likable. The only real downside I had trouble with were the poor mechanics denoting the passage of time which made the first chapter very hard to get through.
Profile Image for Burt Md.
75 reviews2 followers
July 25, 2015
Great Space Opera

Was Once a hero is a great scifi novel set in a Galaxy of McKeown' s creation. We find similar alien species found in his other novel. The story is beautifully written with great characters and an interesting plot. I can't wait to read the next. Please keep them coming!
Profile Image for Ed Dasso.
32 reviews1 follower
July 12, 2013
Edward McKeown is a new sci-fi author for me even though I've been reading sci-fi since I was old enough to read. I'll have to say this book has quickly made him a new favorite sci-fi author. Great characters, plenty of action and a good story line. I've already bought a couple more of his books.
47 reviews5 followers
September 19, 2017
I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I really enjoyed this one and will look for more from this author.

Entertaining story. Pulled me along with nice pacing.
339 reviews2 followers
December 6, 2021
Excellent Reading

Action starts immediately, characters leap from the page and continue to develop through the entire book. Lots of action with twists and turns keeping those pages turning.
Profile Image for Neil.
1,593 reviews14 followers
June 28, 2024
This is a good space opera.

The story has good, well developed characters, fast pacing and a very different space world.

An entertaining story with the two main characters keeping you totally engrossed.

5 reviews
March 10, 2025
I enjoyed it immensely

This is a well of written book that kept me entertained page after page. I would recommend it for all space opera fans such as I. Even though it is absolutely fantasy it was a good story
Profile Image for John Hundley.
Author 14 books22 followers
May 13, 2013
Good sci-fi adventure tale and good start to a series. I'll definitely read the others.
2 reviews
December 14, 2016
O

Well written with a good back story to the main protagonists
Will definitely be reading more of this series and by the author
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.