Fallout Strike

Parse Galaxy #8

by Kate Sheeran Swed

Sloane Tarnish's crew is in tatters–her science officer captured, her pilot gravely wounded. She's not looking for revenge; she just wants justice. And an end to the Cosmic Trade Federation's galactic takeover attempt, because enough already.

When the CTF debuts a new weapon, chaos threatens to hand them an easy victory. But Sloane thrives on the impossible, and she's ready to finish this once and for all.

Fallout Strike is the final volume in the Parse Galaxy space opera series, which includes:

Book 1: Chaos Zone
Book 2: Bounty War
Book 3: Traitor Game
Book 4: Exile Sky
Book 5: Battle Fringe
Book 6: Empire Claim
Book 7: Current Drift
Book 8: Fallout Strike

Genres: Space Opera

222 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 13, 2024

About the author

Kate Sheeran Swed loves hot chocolate, plastic dinosaurs, and airplane tickets. She has trekked along the Inca Trail to Macchu Picchu, hiked on the Mýrdalsjökull glacier in Iceland, and climbed the ruins of Masada to watch the sunrise over the Dead Sea. She holds degrees in music from the University of Maine and Ithaca College, as well as an MFA in Fiction from Pacific University. Her stories are forthcoming or have appeared in the Young Explorer's Adventure Guide Volume 5, Daily Science Fiction, Electric Spec, and Andromeda Spaceways. You can find her on Twitter @katesheeranswed.

Reviews

[Maren · Rating 4 out of 5]

-scratches head-

Well. That was an ending. Semi-reasonable, I guess? Not exactly disappointing, but slightly befuddling and definitely weird. I am not entirely sure if the author meant for it to go that direction, but honestly... as someone who used to occasionally write short stories just for funnsies, I can fully attest how sometimes the muses go off on unintended tangents without your consent, and that's just how it is.

But, all the quirky crew antics and crazy-a$s plans that we know and love are there, and we get more kooky robots and BRO, and I am not at all dissatisfied with the ending even if it was weird. I was mostly in it for the journey anyway, destination optional.

[Joseph Lau · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Currents are a mess, and a madman is both trying to control them, and delude the universe into believing he is their savior. Sloane and Gareth are at wit’s end (and exhausted after all the adventure). What is real (or isn’t)? How can they protect the Moneymakers crew and the Fleet? And what do you do to finally (hopefully) defeat the biggest enemy of mankind?
Hard to tell if I like Gareth or Sloane more. They are perfect complements of thoughtful and reckless (both can be guilt of each at times, and sometimes both at once).
Great series finale. Look forward to the author revisiting this universe in her future work.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unfortunately this is the end of Sloane’s Parse Galaxy story. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the ride the author has taken us on and can only hope we see more of Sloane, perhaps by going after some coffee (read the books if you don’t get the reference, *smile*). The characters the author has created along with the story kept me reading. I can only hope we see more of the main characters in future books.

[M.J. Blehart]

A satisfying conclusion

I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. Great sci-fi action, fun characters, and excellent storytelling all the way through. Do yourself a favor and reAd the Parse Galaxy series.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic and fitting finale to the series! I am sad to say goodbye to Sloane and the Moneymaker-crew, but I still need to catch up with Sloane dropping in to our Milky Way and getting addicted to coffee, so there's that. :)

[Ken Woytisek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chaos, chaos, and more chaos the book ends abruptly with no resolution. I think I’m going to skip the last book of this series because I don’t want to deal with the chaos any further and I can probably figure out how it all ends.

[Jayda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the whole series overall, but I was a bit underwhelmed with the finale. It just felt a bit anticlimactic. But, like I said, I did like the whole series. It was a fun ride.