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Peacemaker Wars #1

Peacemaker Wars: A Backyard Starship Series

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Would you choose to live an ordinary life. . . or embrace a destiny among the stars?In a single act of courage, a young American soldier named Mark Tudor saves an interstellar soldier from certain death at the hands of a vicious killer. Afterwards, she promises to show him the Galaxy, but only if he leaves his old life behind.Mark must fly far away from the only home he's ever known, towards a life not so different from that of a humble soldier. Out among the asteroids, he learns of swords and honor, starships and empires.He learns what it means to be a Peacemaker.Along the way, he’s joined by Perry, his combat AI companion who helps him survive—and earn a living—among the stars.And to his surprise, his first mission is far from simple, and it may prove to be his last.Mark's new enemy is smart and deadly, but they are highly specialized in one specific killing Peacemakers.And they're very good at what they do.Dive into a brand new adventure set in the bestselling Backyard Starship Universe and see where it all began. If you're a fan of Backyard Starship, Renegade Star, or classic science fiction, this is the series for you.

612 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 28, 2023

1339 people are currently reading
1618 people want to read

About the author

J.N. Chaney

462 books9,608 followers
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5 stars
878 (67%)
4 stars
322 (24%)
3 stars
77 (5%)
2 stars
16 (1%)
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10 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
Profile Image for Matthew Kennedy.
129 reviews6 followers
February 17, 2025
Fun, adventure sci-fi. Human becomes an intergalactic cop that pairs up with entertaining ship and combat AIs to dish out justice.
61 reviews1 follower
December 2, 2023
I like it!

Fills in information background for BYSS..that I was curious about. Enjoyed the detail and progression. Looking forward to the next.
Profile Image for Jen.
2,174 reviews154 followers
February 20, 2025
I'm so glad to be back in this universe! Mark Tudor is a wonderful character and there are old friends Perry and Nettie. And Valen, which we all know has a special relationship with Mark - not a spoiler if you've read Backyard Starship. There are the usual suspects but this plot is interesting in that it's the Peacemaker Wars - implying that the Peacemakers are not at all at peace.

I couldn't put this down. Chaney and Maggert have a good thing going here. I'm looking forward to lots of adventure and crazy aliens. And Tom Taylorson is perfect despite giving Perry the accent of a mob boss. He's got Nettie spot on. And is a great narrator, making the whole thing a pleasure to hear.
71 reviews
April 9, 2024
I won this book via Goodreads giveaway

This story is about a US farm boy in WWI that gets thrown into interstellar politics as a law enforcer.
I think the author did a nice job with world building & tech, it was detailed without being super tropey. I love the AI combat familiars, that was a fun idea. I also enjoyed a lot of the character banter. It was interesting, had some nice action, and leaves you curious where the series will go. The writing and timing were well done.
For me, sometimes Netty, Perry, and Mike were a little too interchangeable in terms of personality, but not enough that it hindered the story. I also didn’t love the beginning - the story should have started with the initial assignments and then peppered in some backstory, in my opinion. The injection? Kind of a cheap gap-filler, almost like, what’s the simplest way to justify how he gets caught up on knowledge after he’s plucked out of France. It would have been fun to explore that a little more.
Anyway, the gripes are minor and overall it was a fun, fast-paced read that covered a lot of ground. I enjoyed it.
Profile Image for Fred Barnes.
316 reviews41 followers
December 13, 2023
IF YOU LIKED THE BACKYARD STARSHIP SERIES, YOU'RE GOING TO LOVE THIS BOOK!

J.N. Chaney and Terry Maggert have written a GREAT insight into Mark Tudor (Van Tudor's grandfather in the BACKYARD STARSHIP series), Valint, Nettie, and Perry how they came to become a team against evil in the universe battling criminals, smugglers, murders, and the corruption of some of the Masters of the Guild and some of their fellow peacekeepers. This book is full of intriguing twists and turns and is action-packed throughout. It's well written, will keep your interests throughout, and is a great book for all ages. I really enjoyed this book and hope you do too.
Don't forget to check out the short story "Stars and Steel," which will give you a little background on Valint at the end of the book. It, too, is well worth reading.
222 reviews3 followers
December 21, 2023
How it all started? As a mistake.

A mistake has changed Mark Tudors life. As a soldier in the Great War of Earth, Mark dreams of space. It's his go-to thought. And as he's walking countless forms & letters to HQ, Mark sees a blazing streak in the sky, falling toward where he is now. What Mark sees next will change his Life. But for the better? That's the awesome thing; unless you read the book. And I highly recommend that you do. But I don't want to spoil anything, so check it out. You really won't be sorry. A great series that I am excited to keep reading.

A big Thank You to the authors for sharing their Universe. I've enjoyed the entire ride.
143 reviews3 followers
July 6, 2024
Too young for me, I think.

WWI soldier gets picked up by alien. OK - cool. Alien starts talking about AI and WWI dude gets it. I find that super annoying. But - OK - we're shortening things for the reader. I can go with it just to get along.

5 years later (next chapter) WWI dude gets his first ship of his own and some advice: depend on your ship AI heavily. Before he's out of dock it is clear the AI is fritzy. He does not have it run a diagnostic. He does not look for help with it. He ships out anyway and things go wrong immediately.

I just can't spend my reading time on a character that is so dumb.
Profile Image for Joe McGowan.
309 reviews3 followers
January 27, 2024
it could have been 5 stars

This is a very interesting look into secondary characters from the backyard starship series- we get to learn about Van’s grandfather, and the person who will become Van’s grandmother. It loses one star for something I think is contradictory. It seems that all the AI’s in the peacekeeper wars are treated as partners, but in the backyard starship series they’re not treated that way, so I wonder if there is a reason why there’s a change or this is just a disconnect..
70 reviews1 follower
December 7, 2023
Wow

Somewhat mind-bending to read a prequel to a story that I have been so immersed. Well, as quickly as they write it anyway. Seeing the characters met in The Backyard Starship when they are young and before the Peacemaker Wars is fascinating.

Considered whether it would be good to read this series before the other, but I don't think so. Exploring space with Van Tudor expands an understanding glossed over as this series takes off with Mark Tudor's development.
Profile Image for Steve.
220 reviews
December 10, 2023
An interesting read about those who came before!

Mark and his association of friends. It is great seeing from whom Van gets his insight! As with books about Van, his crew and his allies it is a very good read.

Thanks for going back to Mark and how he got his start. I would hope you'll continue to the point where Van takes up the baton but time will tell!

Either way, I am already looking forward to the next book!!!
Profile Image for Candace.
43 reviews6 followers
January 1, 2024
Much better than I anticipated

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I wasn't expecting much to be honest. I found myself actually enjoying it until the end. The biggest flaw is the long drawn out description of the battle. Others may find it interesting but for me it just dragged on. Even with that, I am looking forward to the next book in the series. There is a bonus short story included.
Profile Image for Jim.
751 reviews
January 7, 2024
Book 1 in the series

A precursor to the Backyard Starship series and set in the past timeline of that series, it starts with Valint recruiting Mark Tudor for the Peacemakers. You don’t have to have read any of the Backyard Starship books but it helps you to know the characters here if you have. The KU edition also includes a short story that introduces Valint. A great read.
Profile Image for Leo.
414 reviews7 followers
March 25, 2024
More of the same

Yet to be grandpa Tutor sounds and behaves a whole like his future grandson. So, much so that it difficult to tell which series im actually reader. It probably doesn't help that the other series is still ongoing when this prequel was released. That said, i am enjoying the prequel, Chaney and Maggert have honed a good formula for character development and story telling. Any addition to this Backyard Space ship universe is appreciated.
Profile Image for Steven.
38 reviews
May 5, 2024
A well written, if somewhat standard, fish-out-of-water sci fi adventure.

It takes some time for the actual story to start to develop, but the exposition sets up a lot for sequels and doesn't feel like boring filler.

As always, when reading a longer book like this, I question if the author could have told the same story in fewer pages. In a vacuum I believe that to be true of Peacemaker Wars, but I suspect that this book will be better in the context of the inevitable sequels.
16 reviews
May 31, 2024
entertaining but sloppy

There is decent character development. The poor details is distracting though. Tudor initially makes a big score with Valint at 30%, then jumps to 5 years of working with someone else before going on his own and he’s dead broke and wet behind the ears? Suddenly arriving at new places that he’d never have visited in 5 years and ignorance of the guild issues? It’s a common theme in the books of odd illogical jumps.
5 reviews
June 24, 2024
Sooo happy for this series!! A+++

I love the Backyard Starship series. I finally caught up with the publication dates and have to wait (the horror! the inhumanity!) for the next book. I was thrilled to find this prequel series!! Fantastic storyline, interesting and dynamic characters (both lovable and despicable), wittiest dialogue EVER, and a universe that is made all too believable. Please continue…
Profile Image for Shana Pare.
911 reviews6 followers
September 24, 2024
Entertaining

I have read the Backyard Starship series since the beginning, so it was only logical to pick up the Peacemaker Wars. This first book has only made me love Perry and Letty even more. They are absolutely delightful. This is not only the tale about Grandpa Mark, but also Grandma Valint who is still alive in Backyard Starship. I enjoyed this book enough that I will certainly read further into the series.
301 reviews1 follower
January 4, 2025
The Mark Tudor story. If you like Backyard Starship then read this.

This is a great introduction to the BS series. I'd read the short story about Mark Tudor and this now takes that forward.

The start of the relationships between the AIs that we have come to love and the humour they bring to the series starts here.

I'm reading all six books in the series now while I wait for the final Backyard Starship book.
1,014 reviews4 followers
November 22, 2025
An excellent origin story

I’m enjoying the Background Starship series already, but this gives the reader some fresh insight into Mark Tudor that is more than just telling about a beloved grandpa who is missed.

We’re given the chance to see how Mark Tudor became the legendary Peacemaker who made the various accomplishments Van Tudor hears about. I hope we get quite a few more of these!
425 reviews3 followers
December 15, 2023
A great start

Already I can see that this series is going to be a great tie-in to the Backyard Starship series. Like grandfather, like grandson. Great new characters and a great starting plot. Looking forward to many volumes in both series. Just hope they don't wait forever between volumes.
860 reviews5 followers
January 29, 2024
Really enjoyed this book and the characters

This was a really good book exploring the adventures of some really fun characters. Loved the combat and ship AI as well. Lots of action, interesting planets and stations, overall a lot of fun. I definitely love this book and universe and hope there are a lot more books exploring the adventures that these characters get into.
67 reviews
December 10, 2023
Interesting

Finally we get to see a little of how things started, as it were, of peacemakers and their providence. I truly hope there is more of this on the way. Valint is a profound character, whom I'd like to know more about! Wondering how this continues....
Profile Image for Keith.
2,144 reviews6 followers
December 13, 2023
Good Series Beginning

A well crafted storyline, supported by intriguing, well developed characters and an overall plot which promises to keep the reader both entertained and engaged.
249 reviews2 followers
December 18, 2023
Really good

Another spectacular backyard starship book. I usually don't care much for prequels but this book was awesome! Definitely worth a read if you got the time. Even if you don't have the time it's worth a read.
12 reviews
January 9, 2024
Chaney and Maggert are geniuses!

I have been totally hooked on this series from the beginning! Each book has drawn he further aged further into their web of familiarity and revelations.
Profile Image for Space Cowgirl.
4,133 reviews144 followers
February 2, 2024
Sci fi Space🚀💫 Adventure
Very interesting and well written book About a young veteran🐺💪🗡🔫 of world war I, who is taken into space by an alien peacemaker👽 And learns the trade to become a Peacemaker himself. Book 1 of 3.

I got this e-book from Amazon📚 with Kindle Unlimited
311 reviews4 followers
March 11, 2024
First new prequel

I love how. Mark and Perry interact. The deciding to grow together is always a great idea and action. That is how Mark got netty. I love t his new group of stories.
504 reviews2 followers
March 17, 2024
Great story and worth the time to read

I'm amazed that these authors can write so many fantastic novels, I hope that they never stops writing. Their 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.
Profile Image for Stephen Roberts.
41 reviews
August 24, 2024
For some reason this story just didn't resonate like the rest of the Backyard Starship books did. It was ok, but just not as enthralling to the point that some days I deliberately chose not to read more of it so it took a bit longer to read than some other books.
2 reviews
November 3, 2024
enjoyable read and ramble thru space

Just amp other fun read in the Backyard Starship Universe. Pulling threads together from the origins of the Backyard Starship realm and Mark Tudor history.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews

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