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Wanderer's Odyssey #2

Wanderer - Echoes of the Past

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Freedom was only the start. The crew of the Wanderer face ever greater challenges as their journey continues. Knowing the Empire will hunt them down Jess and the others must seek help from another source.

Turning to the criminal underworld seems like their only option, but it soon threatens to end in disaster. Especially when past events return to haunt the present.

Will even the incredible Wanderer be enough to keep Jess, and those he cares about, safe?

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 10, 2013

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141 people want to read

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Simon Goodson

29 books73 followers

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5 stars
247 (38%)
4 stars
267 (41%)
3 stars
118 (18%)
2 stars
12 (1%)
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5 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
Profile Image for Arnaud.
491 reviews6 followers
December 30, 2025
A lot better than volume 1, and picking right back up from where we left off in the first volume. This second volume introduced some interesting new characters, and an intriguing goal to say the least. We learn more about the evil empire in place. My curiosity was piqued with the suggested age of the Wanderer (the main ship) and also by the unknowns around potential alien species. One of the new characters, Dash, should prove interesting. Also liking the no-BS approach to characters that may or may not meet an early demise. Straight to the point, nothing unrealistic. Payment comes when payment is due :-)
Profile Image for Jay.
96 reviews1 follower
August 14, 2014
It's a tough universe out there...

This book picks up where 'Wanderer's Escape' left off. Our intrepid travelers Jess, Ali, Elizabeth and Teeko have decided to seek out the origin of Wanderer, and quickly discover a number of obstacles that they will have to overcome.

This book is a far more satisfying read than I expected, a definite improvement over 'Wanderer's Escape'. There is a thread where we are introduced to the origins of a pirate, a character that our adventurers eventually meet.

There's almost none of the fumbling around discovering what the ship can do this time around, but there is a peek at both the age of the ship, and the age of the human Empire itself. There's also a nice setup for book 3 in the series. Speaking of the Empire, we learn a bit more about that too.

I could nitpick a bit, but really, if you liked 'Wanderer's Escape' at all, go ahead and continue with this volume. You won't be disappointed.
Profile Image for J.S. Burke.
Author 8 books508 followers
September 30, 2018
Wanderer’s Odyssey #2 continues this delightful space adventure series with freed slaves and a sentient ship. Jess is an appealing character as he copes with everything new: freedom, first love, unexpected friends, and an impressive connection to a sentient ship/friend. This book has non-stop action and plot twists. Well done!
Profile Image for Meghan.
10 reviews
August 1, 2014
Better than the first and starting to develop more interesting concepts. Needs more Mr. Goodson! I think this series has potential if the author would dive even a little more deeply into the characters.
14 reviews
August 9, 2016
I really like this book. It is science fiction with a twist. I loved the characters - very believable. This book ended on a good note but left alot of questions - can't wait until book 3
Profile Image for Jim.
1,239 reviews50 followers
August 12, 2017
I’ve finally returned to this series after a year and a half. I had to read my own review on book 1, “Wanderer” to get caught up. This is a story about a human slave who happened to come upon a mysterious ship. He was accompanied by his owners, other humans who were definitely in the slave market. This is in the far future so humanity hasn’t learned much and the Empire is even worse than we could imagine.

Anyway, Jess, is ordered by his owners to board the space ship, but only after the first two slaves were killed by booby traps while moving towards the bridge. So, he’s not all that sure he’ll survive, but he has no choice. He and two other slaves board the ship and tentatively head toward the bridge. Surprisingly, they make it. Jess sits in the pilots set and that’s when things start happening. The ship grabs Jess’ head and starts a physical merging with his brain. His head is fixed to the seat and he can’t move. Then he finds out that he ship is not his enemy and has designated him to be the new pilot and Captain. All the doors shut and their slave collars drop off. Jess, Sal and Matt are now free for the first times in their lives. Obviously, they take off in their new ship. That’s a re-cap of book one.

Now the crew has grown a little and lost one of it’s members. Ali and Elizabeth have joined the crew with Elizabeth, an exceptional engineer, and Ali as another slave now free. They have also picked up a alien called Teeko. I’m not sure where he came from, but the Empire has always declared that there are no aliens in the known galaxy. He was a former slave who speaks somewhat like Yoda (Star Wars©). The ship is called the Wanderer of all things. They currently have a breather from their escape from captivity and now much figure out what to do. Jess is only 17, which is mighty young to be the Captain of a starship, but that he is. He is guided somewhat by the ship and has full knowledge of the ships capabilities and those capabilities far exceed any other ship in the Empire.

But, the ship has a yearning to return to its home system. That happens to be on the far, far side of known space almost beyond what man has explored. To get there, they have to travel through a very narrow corridor of slip-space which is highly guarded and protected by the Empire. They need new papers to disguise who they are. Of course, getting new papers means they might have to do some illegal trading so they head to a planet that might have the resources. Again, this is where things start getting good. Their ship is unlike anything in the Empire; it’s almost as if it’s a live! It’s going to have to be something special to get them out of the trouble they soon find themselves in. Great reading and very interesting.

I’m going to get the next book in the series, “Wanderer - Tainted Universe (Wanderer’s Odyssey Book 3)” which is already available on Amazon.
Profile Image for Michael.
Author 179 books38 followers
September 20, 2017
Before you start this book, please note it is the second in a series. You need to read Wanderer's Escape (Wanderer's Odyssey Book 1) first or this one won't make much sense to you. As I type this review, the first book in the series is free for your Kindle.

This installment of the book was good overall, but I was a little disappointed in the lack of character development and seemed rather rushed and short: not much progress is made on the way home for Wanderer and Jess is really turning into an immature child. Adult science fiction fans will find this a little thin in terms of believability, but the young adult crowd will probably enjoy this one tremendously. As a parent, however, I wouldn't let my child read it because the author has his characters preoccupied with having sex in every horizontal or vertical surface at the drop of a hat - sure, that's what's on a lot of teenager's minds but it's either a science fiction tale or something to get the YA crowd excited.

There's a lot more out there that could be told with this tale and, while I was a little disappointed in how this chapter of the story turned out I'm looking forward to seeing where book #3 in the series takes us.
624 reviews4 followers
June 3, 2023
It’s #2 in the series. It was a year ago that I read the first book, and it was easy to pick right up where the first book left off. The main characters were the same, so the transition was seamless. It is space opera with all the trimmings: space battles, an Empire, skullduggery, betrayals, and a love story. Add to that a forward movement in the general themes of taking on the Empire and getting back to Wanderer’s original home.

I like sci-fi, and this series is pretty good. Some new characters emerge in this book, and that adds to the spice. There is a bit of philosophy regarding ethics. How many innocents can be saved; how to justify the killing of folks just doing their jobs for the Empire, and what do the answers do to one’s personality? Those are tough questions, and the answers are muddy.

These books are fun if a person likes space opera. It’s a long series, and I hope to continue to read some more of the books. Be advised, the stories are full of action and rather engaging, and the end of the second book promises more conflict in the next book. The Empire knows where they are headed and is coming after them. Oh, yes, there is still lots to come.
68 reviews1 follower
March 18, 2020
A very fascinating & developing story line !!!

This series challenged me to follow through the story in book (1) and in book (2) as well !!

I couldent grasp just how the characters and the original neginnin setting could keep me interested enough to keep me to want to keep
reading it !!!

Next thing i was chewing on into book (2) !!!
And grateful I am for seeing the out of this world of a ship discovery of having neen created by non human hands !!! Advanced beyound expectatiom and able to hrow itself - thevship even more !!!

Turned out to be a very Science Fiction at its best and yet it still had a very human element through out !!!

Well done !!! And ready to step into book 3 now !!! Looking forward yo going to its current 6 bolumes !

Kind of book that you really do not want it to
stop !!! But kust keep goinh on like many who are over 18 or
more books and keep churning out new volumes !!

I RECOMEND this book for several reasons but What I said already is enough !!

Cherles R.
3,120 reviews13 followers
June 30, 2024
“Wanderer - Echoes of the Past”, second in the 'Wanderer's Odyssey' series, continues from where the reader left off.
Jess's connection to the ship continues to deepen, maybe too much so.
Sal, living with young love (Jess and Ali), is unhappy and, despite it being impossible, wants to try and find her only love, Markus.
But Markus is not who she thought he was and the galaxy can be a very small place when an author sets things in motion.
As in the first episode a lot of pages are concerned with broadening the story and introducing new characters - it is well past the halfway point before the book gets into its stride.
'Wanderer', a fantastical alien spaceship, is both a curse and a blessing - it makes almost anything possible and the author takes advantage at every opportunity.
While “Wanderer's Odyssey” was quite juvenile in places (in particular Jess's moral problem over the death penalty) this second outing is more adult (and I am not targetting the sex scene!).
4 Stars.
Profile Image for Bonhomous.
314 reviews4 followers
October 11, 2023
Very Simple

The author creates problems for the crew to solve with its overpowered ship. "Oh no! Eating breakfast will be hard when the floor is lava."
And the solutions are laughably simplistic. "I'll tweak the ship's engines a bit to get more power." Is the most detailed explanation we get. Very lazy.
Profile Image for Bruce McNair.
299 reviews2 followers
December 30, 2024
IMO this is a better book than the first book in the series. I thought the characters were better developed. And the plot revealed a lot more about the potential future story lines. I gave it 4 stars.
42 reviews2 followers
September 8, 2017
3EGOOD SPACE OPERA!

EBID from my last review on the first book of this set of books. Why is 20 Words demanded for a review? I thank that covers the count?
Profile Image for Chris B.
531 reviews
February 1, 2020
I gave book 1 a slightly generous 4, but feel that book 2 deserves a solid 4: fairly simple space opera, still with a 'magic' alien ship, but very readable and mostly engaging
26 reviews
May 31, 2022
Good read

I enjoyed the book and was entertained. Looking forward to reading the other books in the series. But the book Sunday morning finished it by Monday night.
40 reviews1 follower
May 10, 2024
Really Nice Book

Well, what a surprise, more excitement, got caught by action I don't see coming. I love that. I hope it continues in the next several books in this series.
2,000 reviews10 followers
July 2, 2024
Second in a series. Just an adventure story. It's okay.
831 reviews10 followers
October 6, 2016
5 Star's fora fantastic series.

Thank you Simon Goods on for a fantastic series worth my 5 Star's rating. Again my 2nd time reading book 2.
Profile Image for Jon Spriggs.
95 reviews
July 14, 2015
So... it's OK. As the second book in the series, you're given no opportunity to rediscover the characters... I'd forgotten there was a tame rescued alien aboard ship, until it popped out! Fortunately, I remembered enough of that plot line to not be completely swamped.

On to the story. 20 years ago an imperial marine refuses to kill civilians and flees rather than die. Now he's the captain in charge of a pirate crew and regularly takes slaves and kills far more people than he left the empire for before. The crew of the Wanderer, meanwhile, are trundling around the universe looking for a planet that probably doesn't exist, a lost love (surprise, it's him... or is it....?) and to free as many slaves as possible.

So yep, the plot is a bit weak, and the leaps of faith we go through when transitioning from one plot line to the next are... well giant.

That said, I did not spot the plot twist near the end (although in hindsight, there were plenty of clues it was coming) and the climactic battle sequence was quick and to the point (many space opera battles relate the intricate display lines and stress the delays of space battles, when really all we want is "pew-pew, boom") so, I can't be exceptionally critical...

I'll probably get the next one.
Profile Image for Brooke Cornwell.
7 reviews
December 22, 2018
I can't believe no-one else has rated this book. It's amazing. Full characters for whom you find yourself truly rooting for. Action, a bit of suspense, full on sci fi! Just as good as the first book, maybe a bit better but that would be hard. I can't wait to read the third book in the wanderer series!💚✌
333 reviews1 follower
August 19, 2014
The mystery ship

The mystery ship

Like I said before it's not the grammar,or the spelling,IT'S the storytelling, and this a very good one.you will not whont to put book one or two down.and rush for three to read.
Profile Image for Michael.
144 reviews1 follower
January 10, 2015
OMG a great sequel!!!!!!

A must read from the start of the season series. Intrigue, deception, and a plan. Can they do it??? Wow threw me for a loop will buy next book immediately. Must Buy!!!!
Profile Image for Darwin.
34 reviews
July 19, 2015
Excellent follow up to the first novel. the author has corrected the issues with the first novel, and has created a story that has much more depth than the first one. Great read!
Profile Image for Scott Benoit.
247 reviews2 followers
May 21, 2015
simon good story here. heading to book 3.
enjoyed more than i thought
Profile Image for MIKE ROBERTS.
54 reviews2 followers
June 10, 2015
As good are the first be

Well another good book. I am liking the way the story unfolds. For action and a little romance to boot. I run this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews

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