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Taken to the Stars #2
War of the Liberator
You can’t fight a war without guns.
Charlie and his friends need to arm their ship, but they have a small problem—black market particle cannons cost a lot of money. And they don’t have any.
Which leaves them only one option. They have to steal the guns from the Anguilar Empire.
It’s a daring plan, but it backfires when Laranna is captured by the enemy and taken back to her homeworld of Strada, which has been conquered and garrisoned by the Empire.
Charlie won’t abandon her and when he and Giblet crash land on Strada, they’re forced to team up with the local resistance fighters to free not only Laranna, but the whole planet.
If they win, they’ll have struck the first meaningful blow in the war against the Anguilar.
If they lose…not only are Charlie and his friends dead, but tens of thousands of innocent civilians could die in reprisal.
Can a college student from Earth, taken to the stars by forces beyond his control, win the first victory in an interstellar war?
Charlie and his friends need to arm their ship, but they have a small problem—black market particle cannons cost a lot of money. And they don’t have any.
Which leaves them only one option. They have to steal the guns from the Anguilar Empire.
It’s a daring plan, but it backfires when Laranna is captured by the enemy and taken back to her homeworld of Strada, which has been conquered and garrisoned by the Empire.
Charlie won’t abandon her and when he and Giblet crash land on Strada, they’re forced to team up with the local resistance fighters to free not only Laranna, but the whole planet.
If they win, they’ll have struck the first meaningful blow in the war against the Anguilar.
If they lose…not only are Charlie and his friends dead, but tens of thousands of innocent civilians could die in reprisal.
Can a college student from Earth, taken to the stars by forces beyond his control, win the first victory in an interstellar war?
436 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 8, 2023
1124 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
J.N. Chaney
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
October 19, 2023
Another exciting and nerve wracking premise, with the edge of seat scenes. I highly recommend this series!
October 18, 2023
A BOOK & A SERIES EVERYONE WILL ENJOY!
J.N. CHANEY & RICK PARTLOW have done it again with book 2 "War of the Liberator" in the TAKEN TO THE STARS series is very well written and will hold your interest throughout the book. The action will keep you on the edge of your seat rooting for the characters to win their fight for their freedom. I highly recommend this series for all science fiction fans. I really enjoyed this book and the series so far and hope you do too.
Don't forget to check out the short story (kind of prequel) "Cowboy Up" taken to the stars if you get a chance.
J.N. CHANEY & RICK PARTLOW have done it again with book 2 "War of the Liberator" in the TAKEN TO THE STARS series is very well written and will hold your interest throughout the book. The action will keep you on the edge of your seat rooting for the characters to win their fight for their freedom. I highly recommend this series for all science fiction fans. I really enjoyed this book and the series so far and hope you do too.
Don't forget to check out the short story (kind of prequel) "Cowboy Up" taken to the stars if you get a chance.
October 11, 2023
exciting read!
Running from the fire back into the frying pan follow along as Charlie and his team take on the role of revolutionaries and try to understand their roles in their new reality!
Book 3 is 6 weeks away and I can’t wait!
Running from the fire back into the frying pan follow along as Charlie and his team take on the role of revolutionaries and try to understand their roles in their new reality!
Book 3 is 6 weeks away and I can’t wait!
October 19, 2023
Predictable, Unimaginative
I fought to finish this book. It was pretty bad. I don’t expect great literature from Chaney, but I’ve liked other series he’s collaborated on. The story is so predictable. It lacks the humor of other books Chaney has been involved with. I won’t read any of the other books in the series.
I fought to finish this book. It was pretty bad. I don’t expect great literature from Chaney, but I’ve liked other series he’s collaborated on. The story is so predictable. It lacks the humor of other books Chaney has been involved with. I won’t read any of the other books in the series.
December 5, 2024
Just dumb sci-fi fun with a small side dollop of romance. Starting book 3 tonight.
March 11, 2024
Even better than the first book. Now we've got a proper crew and it's time to go to war with the bad guys and find out exactly what's been going on for 35 years.
John Pirhalla's narration is stellar.
John Pirhalla's narration is stellar.
June 21, 2024
Done
I'm sorry, I don't usually create reviews. Charlie acts and sounds like an angst ridden beta male that is being forced to act all alpha. Charlie is neither likable nor believable. So, that being said, I'm done with this series
I'm sorry, I don't usually create reviews. Charlie acts and sounds like an angst ridden beta male that is being forced to act all alpha. Charlie is neither likable nor believable. So, that being said, I'm done with this series
March 15, 2024
Predictable, cliche but entertaining.
The authors Chaney and Partlow have produced an entertaining snd predictable book filled wth cliches not very sharp protagonists and even dumber antagonists. The Authors are definitely talented but basically phoned this effort in. I recommend this book for anyone that is bored to the liimit.
The authors Chaney and Partlow have produced an entertaining snd predictable book filled wth cliches not very sharp protagonists and even dumber antagonists. The Authors are definitely talented but basically phoned this effort in. I recommend this book for anyone that is bored to the liimit.
May 29, 2024
Ok, this is where this story really takes off. In the first book, we all kind of got introduced to the new characters and how their situation developed. It seems that there’s an alien civilization that loves to send out AI controlled ships to gather other aliens for their zoo. One of the recent captives was none other than Charlie Traverse, an Army officer by way of ROTC on Earth. He was with his other zoo inmates, Laranna, a Stradan and Giblet, a Varnell. They had taken over the zoo ship with the help of the AI who wasn’t happy with what his owners wanted him to do. Unfortunately, the AI, now called Lenny, wasn’t an engineer, but just the pilot/operator of the ship. The ship had broken down in empty space and sat there for some 35 years until the zoo captives started freeing themselves. One other captive, Brazzo, a half bug and half metal, was an engineer which came in handy because he was finally able to get the ship moving again.
Now they were on planet Castillon looking for a way to arm their zoo ship. It used to be a military ship used by the Anguilar, but they found a better use for it and its AI. They stripped all its weapons and sent it on its collection mission. But, now that the ship was in control of the rogue AI and his few surviving zoo captives, they wanted to put some weapons back on it so they could defend themselves. They have found out that during the past thirty-five years, the Anguilar had pretty much conquered the entire know galaxy. That was not going over well with Laranna. She was a warrior of the planet Strada and could not believe her planet had been conquered. But, she, like Charlie didn’t necessarily want to go to Strada just to see for herself unless their ship could defend itself. Their hope was to find someone willing to trade some other exotic zoo animals for weapons.
They had to keep a low profile while wondering around Castillon. Laranna and Giblet were recognized species of the galaxy, but not so much Charlie. Oh, there were a few humans around, but not many so he kind of stood out from the crowd which wasn’t all that good. Still, they found someone who at least would talk to them about the weapons for their ship. He didn’t have them but he knew where they could be able to get some without a whole lot of trouble as long as they were discreet about it. Unfortunately, the location of the weapons was on a moon in orbit around Strada. Strada isn’t on the main path of anything in the galaxy. It’s really an outlier at the edge of known space, but did have a contingent of Anguilar permanently located on the planet and probably guarding the warehouse on the moon.
So, they devise a plan to sneak up on this moon with the codes they obtained from the information peddler and break into the containers. That was until they observed a larger freighter flying towards the moon and then figured that it might be an easier target with less Anguilar aboard than on the moon. Unfortunately, they should have stuck to their original plan because things didn’t go as planned on the freighter. One of the worst parts of the failed plan was that Laranna was captured. She was subsequently taken down to the surface of Strada with the intent of making an example out of her for the rest of the Stradans.
To make matters worse, Charlie and Laranna were definitely having feeling for one another, but they squabbled like an old married couple. Still Charlie wasn’t going to allow anyone to put Laranna up for a public execution. So how is he going to free Laranna from an occupying army on a planet he knows nothing about. And he’s only got himself, Giblet, a con-artist, and Brazzo, a sworn pacifist, and an AI that was programmed to not hurt anyone or anything. This is going to be a very interesting and exciting mission.
Additionally, we’re going to find out that not everything is as it seems. The AI, Lenny, hasn’t been telling them the truth about everything. They’re going to find out that there are other plans that have been in the works for a long, long time. These plans just needed the right people. I wonder who those people could be.
A real good series after just two books. I wouldn’t expect any less from two of my most prolific and favorite authors. I’m putting book 3, “Eclipse of Empire”, on my reading list right now.
Now they were on planet Castillon looking for a way to arm their zoo ship. It used to be a military ship used by the Anguilar, but they found a better use for it and its AI. They stripped all its weapons and sent it on its collection mission. But, now that the ship was in control of the rogue AI and his few surviving zoo captives, they wanted to put some weapons back on it so they could defend themselves. They have found out that during the past thirty-five years, the Anguilar had pretty much conquered the entire know galaxy. That was not going over well with Laranna. She was a warrior of the planet Strada and could not believe her planet had been conquered. But, she, like Charlie didn’t necessarily want to go to Strada just to see for herself unless their ship could defend itself. Their hope was to find someone willing to trade some other exotic zoo animals for weapons.
They had to keep a low profile while wondering around Castillon. Laranna and Giblet were recognized species of the galaxy, but not so much Charlie. Oh, there were a few humans around, but not many so he kind of stood out from the crowd which wasn’t all that good. Still, they found someone who at least would talk to them about the weapons for their ship. He didn’t have them but he knew where they could be able to get some without a whole lot of trouble as long as they were discreet about it. Unfortunately, the location of the weapons was on a moon in orbit around Strada. Strada isn’t on the main path of anything in the galaxy. It’s really an outlier at the edge of known space, but did have a contingent of Anguilar permanently located on the planet and probably guarding the warehouse on the moon.
So, they devise a plan to sneak up on this moon with the codes they obtained from the information peddler and break into the containers. That was until they observed a larger freighter flying towards the moon and then figured that it might be an easier target with less Anguilar aboard than on the moon. Unfortunately, they should have stuck to their original plan because things didn’t go as planned on the freighter. One of the worst parts of the failed plan was that Laranna was captured. She was subsequently taken down to the surface of Strada with the intent of making an example out of her for the rest of the Stradans.
To make matters worse, Charlie and Laranna were definitely having feeling for one another, but they squabbled like an old married couple. Still Charlie wasn’t going to allow anyone to put Laranna up for a public execution. So how is he going to free Laranna from an occupying army on a planet he knows nothing about. And he’s only got himself, Giblet, a con-artist, and Brazzo, a sworn pacifist, and an AI that was programmed to not hurt anyone or anything. This is going to be a very interesting and exciting mission.
Additionally, we’re going to find out that not everything is as it seems. The AI, Lenny, hasn’t been telling them the truth about everything. They’re going to find out that there are other plans that have been in the works for a long, long time. These plans just needed the right people. I wonder who those people could be.
A real good series after just two books. I wouldn’t expect any less from two of my most prolific and favorite authors. I’m putting book 3, “Eclipse of Empire”, on my reading list right now.
March 19, 2024
5 Blooded Warrior Of The House Of The Rising Sun Stars
War of the Liberator is the second book in the Taken to the Stars series by J. N. Chaney and Rick Partlow.
Love and War. Two words to describe this entire book succinctly. Charlie has surprised me with his capabilities and combat potential. When these abduction victims first woke up on the zoo ship, he seemed the least impressive among them. Sure, he didn't immediately use mind controlling abilities to persuade or advanced engineering knowledge to save their ship or even kick a lot of alien ass. But he has shown improvement and a level of competency I wasn't prepared to find.
Lenny turned out to be the manipulative force behind their joining each other in battle against the Anguilar. To be expected truly. But he still had a few surprises for us readers when he finally revealed his intentions and hard efforts.
One planet freed from enslavement. There are many more to go. I'm excited to see this story advance further and take the war effort and resistance forces straight to the Empire.
War of the Liberator is the second book in the Taken to the Stars series by J. N. Chaney and Rick Partlow.
Love and War. Two words to describe this entire book succinctly. Charlie has surprised me with his capabilities and combat potential. When these abduction victims first woke up on the zoo ship, he seemed the least impressive among them. Sure, he didn't immediately use mind controlling abilities to persuade or advanced engineering knowledge to save their ship or even kick a lot of alien ass. But he has shown improvement and a level of competency I wasn't prepared to find.
Lenny turned out to be the manipulative force behind their joining each other in battle against the Anguilar. To be expected truly. But he still had a few surprises for us readers when he finally revealed his intentions and hard efforts.
One planet freed from enslavement. There are many more to go. I'm excited to see this story advance further and take the war effort and resistance forces straight to the Empire.
October 21, 2023
A daring rescue as the search for weapons goes awry
Charlie, Laranna and Giblet visit a hustler to try and get some weapons in exchange for the animals remaining on their zoo ship. Unfortunately all they get are the access codes for an Anguilar weapons cache near Laranna's home world of Strada, meaning that a daring raid is required. Things go wrong and one of them is captured so now the others must plan a way to rescue them and perhaps free Strada too....
There is much action, suspense, intrigue, romance, questions of conscience, surprisrs, last minute events and a big twist right at the end that changes everything.....
A highly entertaining read leaving you eager for the next book in the series.
Charlie, Laranna and Giblet visit a hustler to try and get some weapons in exchange for the animals remaining on their zoo ship. Unfortunately all they get are the access codes for an Anguilar weapons cache near Laranna's home world of Strada, meaning that a daring raid is required. Things go wrong and one of them is captured so now the others must plan a way to rescue them and perhaps free Strada too....
There is much action, suspense, intrigue, romance, questions of conscience, surprisrs, last minute events and a big twist right at the end that changes everything.....
A highly entertaining read leaving you eager for the next book in the series.
October 22, 2023
A SPECTACULAR Second to a wonderful First!
War Of The Liberator is an inspiring roller-coaster ride of a book. Honestly, this entire series has "movie spectacularama" written all over it; if Hollywood had as much brains as they do CGI skills or appetite for woke garbage, they would drop everything they were doing and make the Next Big Thing.
"The Liberator" has everything going for it, plasma guns mounted on the backs of reptiles, terrifying space combat, military action, political intrigue, and a heartwarming story of sacrifice and love. The good guys are great, and the bad guys are a terrifying reminder of what happens when cancer is allowed to run rampant.
War Of The Liberator is an inspiring roller-coaster ride of a book. Honestly, this entire series has "movie spectacularama" written all over it; if Hollywood had as much brains as they do CGI skills or appetite for woke garbage, they would drop everything they were doing and make the Next Big Thing.
"The Liberator" has everything going for it, plasma guns mounted on the backs of reptiles, terrifying space combat, military action, political intrigue, and a heartwarming story of sacrifice and love. The good guys are great, and the bad guys are a terrifying reminder of what happens when cancer is allowed to run rampant.
March 15, 2024
Hmm
I'm not too sure about this series. First book was OK, and this one wasn't much better. I stuck with it because I thought it might get interesting, and it kinda did, but not until the last chapter. This is another "chosen savior" story, but instead of long dead prophesized tales, it was an algorithm that lead to this collection of humanoids being on this one ship.
Going to give the next one a go, but if there isn't a marketable improvement in the story, then I will abandon it and move into the next hopeful adventure.
I'm not too sure about this series. First book was OK, and this one wasn't much better. I stuck with it because I thought it might get interesting, and it kinda did, but not until the last chapter. This is another "chosen savior" story, but instead of long dead prophesized tales, it was an algorithm that lead to this collection of humanoids being on this one ship.
Going to give the next one a go, but if there isn't a marketable improvement in the story, then I will abandon it and move into the next hopeful adventure.
November 4, 2023
Good Read
Charlie and his fellow misfits abducted from various races are trying to meld together. There are trust issues that are hard to overcome but the group is pulling together. With one of their own captured and facing public execution at a highly secure facility it looks like a no win situation even if they can convince the local population that has been subjugated for 20 years to help. Buckle up Buttercup for a rip roaring ride!
Charlie and his fellow misfits abducted from various races are trying to meld together. There are trust issues that are hard to overcome but the group is pulling together. With one of their own captured and facing public execution at a highly secure facility it looks like a no win situation even if they can convince the local population that has been subjugated for 20 years to help. Buckle up Buttercup for a rip roaring ride!
March 27, 2025
I really like this series, so far I have read the first two and I am looking forward to reading the rest. I enjoy all the characters and how they have struggled to fit together and work as a team. Charlie is a nice guy and I'm happy he is capable of smart action. I love Laranna, she is a kick ass female from a warrior planet, nothing better than a strong female character.
Together with their gang of misfits they take on a ruling empire.
And then the AI in the group has a grand secret plan!
Together with their gang of misfits they take on a ruling empire.
And then the AI in the group has a grand secret plan!
May 31, 2025
Liberator gives Liberty to Alien Planets and People
The Stars shine on as a small group from the Zoo Ship collect needed supplies and allies from a small planet that was home to Lorraine's family. It was an outpost now for the evil empire.
Jax was her past husband and the father of Wulf who became Charlie's friend. Lenny was the AI who piloted the Zoo Ship and choose who to select from among the many random species the ship visited for specimens.
The Stars shine on as a small group from the Zoo Ship collect needed supplies and allies from a small planet that was home to Lorraine's family. It was an outpost now for the evil empire.
Jax was her past husband and the father of Wulf who became Charlie's friend. Lenny was the AI who piloted the Zoo Ship and choose who to select from among the many random species the ship visited for specimens.
July 5, 2025
pretty good book. Hooray. good prevailed. And the good gu got the girl.
I read all books in the series. I loved the female character L. The romance with her and the male lead drew me to and through the books. I also liked all the ship’s crew, including the bird. Forgive me for the short review. Your briefness of the romantic/sex scenes was too short. Good luck with your career.
Dave Wilmont
I read all books in the series. I loved the female character L. The romance with her and the male lead drew me to and through the books. I also liked all the ship’s crew, including the bird. Forgive me for the short review. Your briefness of the romantic/sex scenes was too short. Good luck with your career.
Dave Wilmont
December 17, 2023
He'll Unleashed
This is what the authors have done and this novel they have unleashed the fury of the human spirit upon the aguilar...... As time goes on we will find out more about how our species and those are the universe work together the authors have done a great job Of the elements now they will expand upon it thank you
This is what the authors have done and this novel they have unleashed the fury of the human spirit upon the aguilar...... As time goes on we will find out more about how our species and those are the universe work together the authors have done a great job Of the elements now they will expand upon it thank you
January 26, 2024
As this series moves forward, the author has continued to develop the plot and characters, creating more depth and nuance. The story is gripping and fast paced. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and waited impatiently for the next one (#3) to load to my reader. I'm hooked! Chaney leaves us enough bread crumbs to be able to guess where the story is going - so far, I've been about 60% right. I highly recommend this series!
July 13, 2024
Following up on the first book, which was average, I was craving for something to read. So I started the 2nd book in the series. The first book had the advantage of surprise, discovering the new world. The 2nd entry unfortunately is a lot more boring and lot less witty than the first. I did not finish it, since this is clearly low effort formulaic work that aims at quantity rather than quality.
October 29, 2024
This volume was really action-heavy but that helped everything grow on me as far as the series goes. It gave Charlie a place to shine and sort of justified his whole existence in the story. I was on the fence about finishing the series but about halfway through this book I made the commitment and think I'm in for a good ride here.
October 6, 2025
How to start a revolt
The alien species that took over most of the planets in this area of the universe is now after the Zoo Ship and all it's awake inhabitants. But having a Earthling who was raised on tales of the revolutionary war and WWII made it impossible to predict what what would happen when he was cornered. Good Read.
The alien species that took over most of the planets in this area of the universe is now after the Zoo Ship and all it's awake inhabitants. But having a Earthling who was raised on tales of the revolutionary war and WWII made it impossible to predict what what would happen when he was cornered. Good Read.
October 15, 2023
Craziness
How much trauma can a body take? The battles and determination to win are graphic and well designed. I kept going back to this book. It was very hard to stop reading. So I didn't. I'm looking forward to the next book!
How much trauma can a body take? The battles and determination to win are graphic and well designed. I kept going back to this book. It was very hard to stop reading. So I didn't. I'm looking forward to the next book!
November 16, 2023
Good against the universe villian
Fun restrictions on main characters with growth although the amount of injury and broken body parts is challenging to suspend disbelief for near the end.
Fun restrictions on main characters with growth although the amount of injury and broken body parts is challenging to suspend disbelief for near the end.
December 12, 2023
Really good
Quite a good book! Not quite in the same vein as his other series as it does not have nearly as much humor. But still very good. And I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
Quite a good book! Not quite in the same vein as his other series as it does not have nearly as much humor. But still very good. And I'm looking forward to reading the next book.
December 31, 2023
Great story with great characters
I'm amazed that this author can write so many fantastic novels, I hope that he never stops writing. His books are some of the best Entertainment I have read and worth the time to read them. Thank you for a very fun entertaining read.
I'm amazed that this author can write so many fantastic novels, I hope that he never stops writing. His books are some of the best Entertainment I have read and worth the time to read them. Thank you for a very fun entertaining read.
February 8, 2024
Another Great Book
Boy! This was a page-turner for sure - finished in one day. I love the character development. I'll have to start book 3 tomorrow as I need to get some sleep. Excellent storyline!
Boy! This was a page-turner for sure - finished in one day. I love the character development. I'll have to start book 3 tomorrow as I need to get some sleep. Excellent storyline!
February 22, 2024
Kidnapping, adventure, space ships and so much action
Very exciting action, space, and planet wars. Well written adventure series. There is romance and intrigue. I fully recommend it.
Very exciting action, space, and planet wars. Well written adventure series. There is romance and intrigue. I fully recommend it.
April 22, 2024
Excellent Writing
The pacing, writing, and dialogue were all top-notch. The story in this one is pretty good - nothing mind-blowing, but kept me turning pages. 8/10, would recommend if you like funny and well-written sci-fi.
The pacing, writing, and dialogue were all top-notch. The story in this one is pretty good - nothing mind-blowing, but kept me turning pages. 8/10, would recommend if you like funny and well-written sci-fi.
April 26, 2024
Enjoyable reading for me.
An aficionado of science fiction novels, I find this series one I'll continue following so long as they keep up my interest. And, to this point, they're doing very good in that regard!
An aficionado of science fiction novels, I find this series one I'll continue following so long as they keep up my interest. And, to this point, they're doing very good in that regard!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews