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Tritium Gambit
Agents Max and Miranda fall tonsil-deep into betrayal.
On their first mission together, Max and Miranda hunt a predatory alien on Earth. Max has survived missions through sheer indestructibility and persistence, but this has cost the lives and limbs of less durable teammates. This time, he is determined to keep his new partner alive. When Max becomes dinner for an alien ruler, Miranda begins doubting her decision to become an agent.
A threat grows with every bite.
Together, Agents Max and Miranda must overcome deceit, conflicting evidence, and evisceration to stop a growing menace on Earth and apprehend a traitor to the Intergalactic Secret Service.
On their first mission together, Max and Miranda hunt a predatory alien on Earth. Max has survived missions through sheer indestructibility and persistence, but this has cost the lives and limbs of less durable teammates. This time, he is determined to keep his new partner alive. When Max becomes dinner for an alien ruler, Miranda begins doubting her decision to become an agent.
A threat grows with every bite.
Together, Agents Max and Miranda must overcome deceit, conflicting evidence, and evisceration to stop a growing menace on Earth and apprehend a traitor to the Intergalactic Secret Service.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 22, 2012
About the author
Erik Hyrkas
9 books7 followersAuthor of Tritium Gambit, Mercury's Curse, Dusk County Crossing, Soul Cycle, and Not Quite Divine. Erik has lived in Minnesota and Illinois and now lives in Arizona. He's married and has two adult children and two dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 17, 2019
Tritium Gambit (Max and Miranda) By Erik Hyrkas
I've said it before and I'll continue saying that humor is subjective and so are novels like this when they are slathered in it. This one also contains a lot of pop references. And the novel itself reads like a redo of Men in Black movies. Add in a little Buckaroo Banzi and Howard the Duck.
The plot if fairly simple; Max and Miranda are the two loose cannons of the Intergalactic Secret Service. They hunt down aliens that land on earth with the intent of causing havoc. They are both in visiting their injured partners and are about to be assigned together because some desk jockey thinks they might just finish each other off.
Captain Johnson is their commander and Wendy is their mission coordinator. And before they can leave the ground they pick up one more member to the team, Tyler, an old acquaintance of Max. Max is not excited about any of this because he'd rather work alone.
The Agent are all non-human or part human with special abilities that help in their work to secure Earths blissfulness at being unaware of alien influences.
The story contains a lot of references to actors and singers and movies and other pop references as it goes along. The characters wear tee shirts with some sort of pop references.
I could have probably given this an easy five star had the characters engaged me just a bit more than they did. I'm not exactly sure why I couldn't get into them enough to really care about what happened to them. If they'd captured my attention it would have made up for some of the uneasiness I felt with the plot. The humor again is subjective and I could catch most of it but sometimes I wasn't sure. There is a place half way through the novel when I feel like it enters some really poorly constructed MMORPG when Max, who has extra life and health, has to go on a quest to acquire 100 special snakes in order to get enough fuel to get them back to Earth.
Overall it was interesting though. And Max is nearly indestructible what with having four hearts and all. Although he could die he still is almost the perfect indestructible character whose only flaw seems to be that he gets all of his partners injured; sometimes fatally.
It's a fun read SFF mostly fantasy that stretches your limits with suspension of reality. If you can catch the pop references and the humor it will add to the enjoyment. (one small spoiler::) It all comes to a satisfactory conclusion leaving room for you to decide when you want to pick up the next installment of the adventures of Max and Miranda.
J.L. Dobias
I've said it before and I'll continue saying that humor is subjective and so are novels like this when they are slathered in it. This one also contains a lot of pop references. And the novel itself reads like a redo of Men in Black movies. Add in a little Buckaroo Banzi and Howard the Duck.
The plot if fairly simple; Max and Miranda are the two loose cannons of the Intergalactic Secret Service. They hunt down aliens that land on earth with the intent of causing havoc. They are both in visiting their injured partners and are about to be assigned together because some desk jockey thinks they might just finish each other off.
Captain Johnson is their commander and Wendy is their mission coordinator. And before they can leave the ground they pick up one more member to the team, Tyler, an old acquaintance of Max. Max is not excited about any of this because he'd rather work alone.
The Agent are all non-human or part human with special abilities that help in their work to secure Earths blissfulness at being unaware of alien influences.
The story contains a lot of references to actors and singers and movies and other pop references as it goes along. The characters wear tee shirts with some sort of pop references.
I could have probably given this an easy five star had the characters engaged me just a bit more than they did. I'm not exactly sure why I couldn't get into them enough to really care about what happened to them. If they'd captured my attention it would have made up for some of the uneasiness I felt with the plot. The humor again is subjective and I could catch most of it but sometimes I wasn't sure. There is a place half way through the novel when I feel like it enters some really poorly constructed MMORPG when Max, who has extra life and health, has to go on a quest to acquire 100 special snakes in order to get enough fuel to get them back to Earth.
Overall it was interesting though. And Max is nearly indestructible what with having four hearts and all. Although he could die he still is almost the perfect indestructible character whose only flaw seems to be that he gets all of his partners injured; sometimes fatally.
It's a fun read SFF mostly fantasy that stretches your limits with suspension of reality. If you can catch the pop references and the humor it will add to the enjoyment. (one small spoiler::) It all comes to a satisfactory conclusion leaving room for you to decide when you want to pick up the next installment of the adventures of Max and Miranda.
J.L. Dobias
tbr-later
December 9, 20159 December 2015: $0.00 FREE on Kindle
January 18, 2017
This was a fun read although I have to admit not something I'd read every day. The author wrote a scifi with humor. Although some of the jokes were predictable, overall it made me smile. On the flip side of the coin, those jokes sometimes removed some credibility to the story itself, and to the characters, kind of the way Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy might do. So if you are a fan of the latter, which I am not, you might want to consider trying this book.
April 21, 2021
I really liked the story. Sadly, the author let it go on too long. A lot of things could have been cut to make the book flow better.
March 4, 2012
Tritium Gambit by Erik Hyrkas is a science fiction tale featuring Intergalactic secret service agents Max and Miranda. The Intergalactic Secret Service is here to protect the unknowing and unaware humans from aliens. Each having lost or incapacitated their previous partners, Max and Miranda are thrown together and ordered up to Minnesota to investigate a ping - a potential problem with aliens. The chapters alternate between each character's point of view.
Tritium Gambit could be described as: part irreverent sci-fi spoof; part tribute to sci fi novels, TV shows, and movies; part Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Max carries his towel); and part innuendo and bad puns. It really was all non-stop fun and action. Even as I chuckled and groaned over their dialogue and continuous escapes from danger during their adventures, I was compulsively reading to see what happened next. It was sort of like being the insider to a great spoof or perhaps watching a bad movie with a funny friend, you know, the one who can quote dialogue from other movies as the action rolls along.
This isn't doing the book justice because it really became funnier as it went along, especially if you caught the many hints and references to other pop culture or sci fi materials. I about died laughing from one scene toward the end of the book featuring Max wearing a too-small T-shirt with a pop-culture "team" saying on it.
The best recommendation could be this: I picked up the book last night and am reviewing it the next day. It was pure enjoyable escapism and a light and entertaining read. Hopefully this is the first book in a Max and Miranda series. I can definitely see the series continuing and Hyrkas getting better with each book. Highly recommended
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author for review purposes. http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/
Tritium Gambit could be described as: part irreverent sci-fi spoof; part tribute to sci fi novels, TV shows, and movies; part Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Max carries his towel); and part innuendo and bad puns. It really was all non-stop fun and action. Even as I chuckled and groaned over their dialogue and continuous escapes from danger during their adventures, I was compulsively reading to see what happened next. It was sort of like being the insider to a great spoof or perhaps watching a bad movie with a funny friend, you know, the one who can quote dialogue from other movies as the action rolls along.
This isn't doing the book justice because it really became funnier as it went along, especially if you caught the many hints and references to other pop culture or sci fi materials. I about died laughing from one scene toward the end of the book featuring Max wearing a too-small T-shirt with a pop-culture "team" saying on it.
The best recommendation could be this: I picked up the book last night and am reviewing it the next day. It was pure enjoyable escapism and a light and entertaining read. Hopefully this is the first book in a Max and Miranda series. I can definitely see the series continuing and Hyrkas getting better with each book. Highly recommended
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author for review purposes. http://shetreadssoftly.blogspot.com/
June 17, 2013
For the price (free) well worth the read. This book is not an instant masterpiece, yet is a fun little story. I was tempted to stop reading it after about 3 chapters, but I try to make it a habit of finishing any book I start no matter how much I might dislike the beginning. In this case I'm glad I did.
The back and forth first-person was a little bit of a turn-off at first, but it was a style I came to accept and think I even enjoyed by the end of the book. I'm not sure what kind of history this author has or how many books they have published, but I would read more of this series if priced in the $0.99-$1.99 range. If the author started showing higher quality work I would go up from there.
Like many others had mentioned, the one incongruity that bugged me throughout was the supposed intense academy training that left both of our heroes fairly inept. Not to mention an inter-galactic save the world organization incapable of outfitting agents with much more than clothing and food for a mission. In the end I accepted that the book was a comedy more than it was some realistic portrayal of intergalactic spy life and relaxed enough to enjoy it.
The back and forth first-person was a little bit of a turn-off at first, but it was a style I came to accept and think I even enjoyed by the end of the book. I'm not sure what kind of history this author has or how many books they have published, but I would read more of this series if priced in the $0.99-$1.99 range. If the author started showing higher quality work I would go up from there.
Like many others had mentioned, the one incongruity that bugged me throughout was the supposed intense academy training that left both of our heroes fairly inept. Not to mention an inter-galactic save the world organization incapable of outfitting agents with much more than clothing and food for a mission. In the end I accepted that the book was a comedy more than it was some realistic portrayal of intergalactic spy life and relaxed enough to enjoy it.
February 15, 2013
I'm a big fan of paranormal and science fiction so I was excited when I found this free book. The concept and story line was good the delivery lacked just about everything. I'm not sure if the author thought Max and Miranda were funny but they came off as dumb and unprepared (think bull in china shop + clueless girl). I would hope that if an Intergalactic Secret Service existed Max and Miranda wouldn't make it out of the academy. There was however plenty of action. They couldn't stay out of trouble if they tried. If I had to sum up the book in one word: idiotic.
I would say this would be perfect for YA but there are several adult references throughout the book.
I would say this would be perfect for YA but there are several adult references throughout the book.
May 1, 2013
I enjoyed this book and found it to have a good pace. Max and Miranda are both quite likable. Some of humor seemed out of place. That wasn't enough to make me dislike it, though. Nicely written and professional appearance. I also thought the settings and time were described well. I got a solid picture of where they were and what was happening all of the time.
*Note: I am also an author. Since I am a reader, too, I leave reviews on books I enjoy. The author did not ask for a review. If for some reason you feel that an author can't honestly review another's work, please do disregard my review and read the other ones. Thank you. :)
*Note: I am also an author. Since I am a reader, too, I leave reviews on books I enjoy. The author did not ask for a review. If for some reason you feel that an author can't honestly review another's work, please do disregard my review and read the other ones. Thank you. :)
February 13, 2015
The story was very fast-paced, which was made it more interesting to read. I felt there were too many cliches and references to pop culture. If the story takes place as part of an intergallactic allegiance, it seems as if some of the references and connections were too Earth-related.
The writing style and wording got to be overly repetitive at certain points, as well. It seems like the writer is fairly inexperienced, so the relationships and conflicts were a little superficial and underdeveloped throughout the story.
The concept was very fun and entertaining. I would read it again, but I hope future writings by this author improve.
The writing style and wording got to be overly repetitive at certain points, as well. It seems like the writer is fairly inexperienced, so the relationships and conflicts were a little superficial and underdeveloped throughout the story.
The concept was very fun and entertaining. I would read it again, but I hope future writings by this author improve.
February 27, 2012
alien agents protecting earth people from predatory aliens. some hilarity. a pairing of 2 somewhat jinxed agents as partners. both have had bad luck with priot partners being badly injured or dying during past missions. 2 bad agents who break the law and keep trying to kill the new partners. not bad. I'd like to read the next if there is a next one. The format is a little confusing as each partner has a chapter. partner 1, them partner 2, then partner 1, then partner 2...since the 2 partners are very similar except for gender, it gets confusing.
February 29, 2012
Defending the Earth from colossal alien monsters takes highly trained, exceptionally competent, and above all, amazingly well armed intergalactic agents. Sadly, the north woods of Minnesota have to make do with Max and Miranda who fall slightly short on all three counts. Tritium Gambit is a great little roller coaster comic adventure that doesn't take itself or the fate of the human race too seriously.
June 22, 2012
It was cute, but not a real page turner for me - fine for a freebie from Amazon, though. I liked the chapters switching between the voices of the two main characters, Max and Miranda, but some of the pop culture references felt forced (did we really need two Princess bride references?!) I felt that it could be better with some editing and guidance. I agree with a another reviewer who said it was "linear" and they too kept "waiting for a big climax that never came."
April 17, 2012
There were some very funny parts in this story, and a lot of potential. However the plot felt very linear and forced sometimes. I kept waiting for a big climax that never came.
A full review will come soon.
A full review will come soon.
March 11, 2012
Fun book with lots of goofy humor...a little romance...lots of action. Can't wait for the next Max and Miranda adventure! :-)
February 29, 2012
A fun sci-fi freebie. (Watch the Amazon Kindle freebie sites!) Better editing than most of the $0.00 books I've been reading.
September 14, 2016
Dumb book. Mildly amusing. Not worth my time giving it a review.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews