Blanchland Blues

The John and Alvis Sessions #1

by Tom Dell'Aringa

He’s a disgraced Star Corps pilot. She’s a runaway with no future. And they’re the good guys.

Since being dishonorably discharged from the Star Corps, pilot John MacAlister has struggled to make ends meet with less-than-legal cargo runs across the cosmos. He’s desperate to get his life back, but every time John thinks he’s found that “one last job,” some new disaster lands him back at square one.

After an ill-fated smuggling run ends with a disastrous crash landing on the moon (and an even more disastrous landing in the local lunar lockup), John is offered a choice: rot in a Galactic Union prison forever or locate a teenage runaway named Ril and bring her back to the authorities.

It seems like an easy decision—until John actually meets Ril, and discovers the scrappy teen isn’t just a runaway; she’s the only witness to a murder. And the killer? Why, none other than the very man who got John kicked out of the Star Corps: Captain James Kedron, a ruthless, power-hungry officer who will stop at nothing to silence Ril forever.

For the first time since his dishonorable discharge, John has a purpose. Despite facing impossible odds, he vows to protect Ril and expose his former commander’s corruption no matter the cost.
The only challenge? Living long enough to actually do it.

Pick up BLANCHLAND BLUES because you love upbeat, character-driven SF with humor and drama. Suggested for fans of Firefly, Douglas Adams, or the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers.

Genres: Science Fiction, Humor, Action, Westerns

428 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 3, 2023

About the author

Tom Dell’Aringa is a science fiction writer from the Chicago area who loves great characters. Rick Deckard. Dirk Gently. Ellen Ripley. Roland Deschain. You know who these people are, right?

His stories have believable worlds populated with people you’ll learn to love - and possibly hate. Either way, his books are called “page turners” by his readers for a reason. Each chapter is like the end of that latest Netflix show you are binging... just... one... more.

When he’s not listening to an interesting podcast or chasing down a new bottle of whiskey for his collection, you’ll find him on a long walk working out the next big moment in his next book.

Join Tom’s newsletter where he explores artificial intelligence, robots and future tech! He also writes about self improvement and wellness. You’ll get his short story STINGER for free:

https://www.subscribepage.com/stinger

Reviews

[Ziggy Nixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Current probability of death at the end of this job is calculated at 74.5346 percent and rising…

I don't know why I feel like I should be apologizing in any way… but daggum ya'll, I am rightly and mighty sorry, but I just really REALLY enjoyed the heck out of "Blanchland Blues" by Tom Dell'Aringa. This was a just honest-to-goodness FUN scifi jaunt with some delicious tastes of western lore thrown in to boot! ("This town ain't big enough for the both of us!") No, it's not all that complicated but good scifi doesn't really have to be! I thought it was indeed really well-crafted and paced and just all other bits, too (for example, you'll love the cover even more once you read it)! I would compare it very favorably to another series I finished some months ago - namely Jim C. Hines' "Janitors of the Post-Apocalypse" trilogy - simply because it mixed great sf with extremely sympathetic human and alien interactions!

“In some cultures, throwing up on someone is a sign of affection.”
“What cultures?”
“I don’t know. I just made that up.”

And not just the humans and local aliens (which I guess is backwards when you're on their planet, huh?) were a pleasure. I really enjoyed that the 'artie' - the robotic AI unit - is so well-described and defined from the start! Yes, I have long loved sympathetic and well-integrated robots/droids in my stories and I find it far too rare that writers get their roles right! I mean, totally beep boop wheee and all that! And the very Star Wars-esque back and forth between he and John, our main protagonist, is just delectable. Heck, we even had the most realistic space elevator ride described, too! Yes, very random thoughts but still, I'm busy smilin' here! Thinkin'll come later!

I’m not some new-fangled fake human with a castrated brain. I’m a fully functional, sentient, self-sufficient entity. I’m easily the most intelligent being on this planet.

And yes, John, the rogue-ish Hans Solo wanna-be of our tale is actually a very deep and sympathetic character as well. He shows real humanity not only with the situation we're faced with in this chapter but also in his reflections of what's gone on in his past. The fact that Dell'Aringa took the time to show us that John wasn't JUST a 2-dimensional, failed smuggler with a mysteriously dark past was terrific. Not only with how it turned out but how the author slowly but surely worked us through what was at stake throughout the book.

Why are you here, you do-goody, ship-crashing, disaster-causing Star Corps washout?

So overall and in conclusion, too, I thought this was an outstanding read and really well put together! Sure, I would have loved to have seen the climax stretched out a bit, but battle scenes like that rarely lend themselves to multi-chapter structures in a book like this. But at the end of the day, the humor was spot on and I really enjoyed meeting the folks on this far away 'outpost'. The bad people were perfectly Spielberg-esque (Nazis are bad, m'kay?) and there was just enough of a teaser for what's coming up next to have me quickly subscribing to any updates!

So she wasn’t surprised when they pulled peanut butter guns.

Highly recommended. You folks enjoy now, ya hear?

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story !! . . .

John MacAlister is a dishonorably discharged Star Corps pilot whose attempt at being a smuggler is not very successful either. On one mission, he crashes his ship and gets noticed by a shady lawyer who has what sounds like an easy assignment. He has to grab a 16-year-old runaway, Meryl Amelson, from Kaldikar-6 and bring her back to face charges. If he does that, he won’t have to deal with his own incarceration.

In the hostile Blanchlands of Kaldikar-6, John finds that Meryl was the only witness to a murder. And that murder was arranged by the officer responsible for getting John kicked out of the Star Corps, James Kedron! Can he protect Meryl and get her to expose the depth of his former commander’s corruption? Or will they both end up dead before they can accomplish this?

You will love John and his robot partner Alvis who have an unusual relationship trading insults. I loved the story line and the characters. There is far more going on here, so grab your copy and find out if they can survive and expose the evil plans of James Kedron.

[Dr susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sci fi adventure

The worldbuilding is excellent, the non-human sapients are wonderful (both biological and technological), and the main character grows on you. Blues is a great story of redemption and adventure, but it is grim and violent at times. The best part is the hint that there will be a sequel, because who wouldn't want more John and Alvis?

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read this author before. His bio says he likes good characters, and I think he created some here. This is not the kind of story I'd normally pick up, but I liked this. I think those seeking a good sci-fi tale with some humor will like this one.

Thanks very much for the free review copy!!

[David Pospisil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rollicking western adventure set on a strange, distant planet.
Even includes a shootout on main street.
An interesting , thoughtful story about ideals and sacrifices to maintain them.
Great characters with some comical interactions.
Not what I expected, but I did enjoy this book.

[Jay Sprenkle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable but not terribly intelligent. The usual down on his luck character, saddled with a super annoying junk yard scrap robot. He gets in further trouble and a sleazy lawyer bails him out. He just needs him to do one job and he'll get a big payday...

Yeah, when a lawyer wants to meet in a by the hour hotel and offers you a big payday for breaking a few tiny little laws... You're most likely better off saying no.

I could mostly ignore the stupid choices and the annoying robot. They get attacked by a hired killer in a desert wasteland on a lawless planet it went over the top for me. It wasn't that they were attacked... It was that they let a paid killer go free. Lawless planet! Hired killer! Plot complication!

Rules of survival in the big bad world:
* Check your kills.
* Don't let paid killers go. They'll kill you, or someone else.

Good try, but not for me. Maybe I'm just cranky.

[rayandebbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

a very good book

The action never stops and the word play between the characters makes it funny as well. Well worth the time to read it.

[Tam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Dell'Aringa hasn't written a new story. But in his typical way he has taken an old story and given it new life. And his characters are original, noticeable, and (the heroes) are loveable. His alien people aren't derogatory stereotypes, but people that an old chronic big sister like me wants to hug and feed. Rill is not some pretty and emo little stock dolly, but a girl with a strong nose and a strong heart, who has faced loss and come out stronger. John can be an idiot, but he's the kind of idiot that you cheer for and want the best for, and who is ready to learn how not to be an idiot. He's also a hero who never really stopped trying to do good, despite how life seemed intent on stuffing him down the toilet.

And I love Tom's inadvertent play on words in making Alvis Hogan's Hero!

[Zuzu Burford]

Even though science fiction is not high on my reading agenda I did appreciate Tom Dell'Aringa's style with a mix that includes aliens, a wolf herder, the drug industry, human suprematists, murder, and two robots that almost steal the show.
A review thanks to NetGalley / BooksGoSocial

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Characters and good pace. Great story about foreign worlds and humans and their flaws and virtues.

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little sci-fi Western yarn. This one was a lot of fun with plenty of excitement and adventure.

[Ezekiel J · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Tom Dell’ Aringa theme of survival. For instance, I like how John is characterized as skeptical. As a random person bailed him out of prison and is told to meet up with a lawyer in a hotel to give him a mission and his reaction to it is ‘’ Im supposed to just waltz in there and kidnap a child? How would I get away from her protectors?’’ (Tom Dell’ Aringa 19). This shows how he is skeptical because he is getting orders from a random lawyer and could put his life at risk doing this mission.

In Addition I like Tom Dell’ Aringa’s use of imagery. After describing what a lizaphant is. A girl was working with two men harvesting and skinning phants and as the two men were planning to leave her to die in the hottest part of the Kaldikar desert the author explained her situation’’Two lizaphants were minted on each side of her, each over two meter tall with thick, sturdy legs. Their bipedal form was covered in mottled dark green scales similar to Earth's Gila monster. Their muscled upper arms ended in claws that could shred leather’’.( Tom Dell'aringa 27). This represents visual imagery because the author goes into a very descriptive state which helps you visualize the lizaphant.

Meanwhile I like Tom Dell’ aringa use of irony. After a argument that john is having with his team about not having an adventure and continues to say ‘’ I want my old life back said John If I wanted adventure, I could’ve- he stopped himself short of saying could have had plenty of adventures if I stayed in jail’’ (Tom Dell’ aringa 130) This is irony because he was about to explain how he wanted an adventure in his old life but realized in his old life he would’ve been in jail.

Therefore I loved the way Tom Dell’ aringa used crisis. After John crashed his ship into a building changing his life’’ His hand slipped off the stick as the bridge jolted. The warehouses were approaching rapidly’’ Impact imminent said alvis ‘’Son of a -’’ began John DARKNESS’’. (Tom Dell’ aringa 5) This is a great example because this is what makes him go to jail and change his life forever.

Finally the way Tom Dell’ Aringa uses Conflict is something I enjoyed. An example is when Ril and Tuk were scouting a farm but have been caught’’ They turned too late. Standing above them was a jack wolf, slavering and baring its teeth it moved menacingly as it shifted its weight, and suddenly another one appeared front eh east. Then a voice spoke’ ( Tom Dell ‘ Aringa 235) This is a great example of conflict because this makes John’s team have to rescue them.

[Diana T-C · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a slow start of a few weeks for me - setting the audio book aside in favor of other audio books - even going back to entire favorite series to listen to them again. I would try to start this book again, then decide to go to another book. This book didn't "hook" my attention at first.

Finally, a few days ago, I got past the first few chapters and the story moved along. It is entertaining and there were a few laugh-out-loud moments along the way. I enjoyed the humorous bickering and sarcastic remarks.

However, it's a basic story, built on the traditional bones of story telling and there is nothing innovative or new. The characters almost feel complete, but are not quite three-dimensional. None of the characters became Someone that I cared about. The entire listening experience was at arms-length.

However, it was entertaining. If you like entertaining science fiction with humor, then this would be great fun. But, since I was in the mood for great writing I actually listened to the Old Man's War series and other favorites when I was having trouble getting invested into this book.

The narrator is good, but I associate the deep gravelly voice with other books I tried out and abandoned - books that appeal to males with a lot of inner-hero-talk. The reason I didn't abandon this book completely was that this one was different because the females weren't sexualized or helpless victims. The narrator manages to do female voices, and distinctive voices for each character - more importantly he really knows how to read humor and deliver lines in a way to make people laugh.

It's fun, just recognizable as typical of many basic science fiction stories - but with the bonus of some good laughs and witty and sarcastic conversations. Entertaining.

[Readers Choice · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝑻𝒊𝒕𝒍𝒆: Blanchland Blues
𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓: Tom Dell’Aringa

𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘:
"Blanchland Blues" is an interesting Science fiction adventurous story penned by the author Tom Dell’Aringa. Main character of the story is John MacAlister, a former Star Corps officer. When his spaceship crashed on the moon, he was charged with reckless endangerment. He was put in jail. Even though John didn't have any friends or family on the moon, he got bail but his release was conditional.

John was given the task to locate Meryl Amerson, a sixteen years old teenager. He was asked to bring her to the Star Corps Office. Meryl is the witness of the death of a leaselander couple who was found torn to bits.

K-6 is an independent colony owned and operated by AMELCO. Star Corps officers can't show up there in force. That's why John was given this mission to bring Meryl for questioning. John didn't have a choice. He has to do this otherwise he will end up in jail. Read this story to know what path John will take.

Plot of the story is intriguing. I appreciate the Sci-fi world built by the author in this book. Cover photo of the book is nice and the title is according to the story. John is my favorite character from the story. His conversations with his robot is something I enjoyed a lot. Writing style of Tom is amazing. Those who enjoy reading science fiction stories should get their hands on this book.

𝑴𝒚 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈: 5/5

[Louise H's Book Thoughts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a wonderful read, a well written sci-fi mystery with an air of Douglas Adams about it. John, Alvis and Ril are superbly crafted protagonists, I quickly found myself fully invested in their stories. A great cast of supporting characters provide extra depth and interest to the tale. Despite his overenthusiasm, Hogan was definitely my favourite amongst these.


The world-building was solid and examined issues prevalent in society today. The story wasn't overly descriptive and left much to the reader's imagination but it did provide everything one needed to be able to follow and understand the plot, the settings, and the motivations of the characters. I loved the snarky banter between Alvis and John, it added a nice touch of levity to the book but also gave a good contrast to some more serious or emotion-filled scenes.


With themes of redemption, chosen family, racism (speciesism?) and community Blanchland Blues just has so much to offer. The prose flows smoothly, the dialogue was both easy to assign and felt natural and the plot moved along at a good pace. This was the first book I've read by Tom Dell'Aringa and it has left me wanting to read more by him.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful fast paced sci to book #1

John is a former military pilot trying to make a name for himself as a smuggler. He is not very good at it. Alongside of him is an obsolete robot with its own opinion. They are like oil and water.
John is blackmailed into finding a teenager who is hiding from the authorities on a very rough and a miserable planet. He is to capture her and return her to the company that runs the planet. In exchange, he would receive money and be exonerated of his latest charges.
This world is miserably hot and often windy. Humans are the colonists doing out a living farming an important crop. Its natives are a fascinating intelligent species looking part lizard and part elephant with a dangerous slipping tail and welding trunk. But, they are peaceful.

John soon discovers people are lying to him. And he, the teen and her native companions ate in serious danger.

It's been a while I found a book that kept me riveted with battles, great dialogue and character development.

[Kay Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why Did John MacAlister’s Space Ship Crash Land?

It seemed straight forward enough, he was on the right course, then everything went wrong. He’s facing jail time on an inhospitable planet when he is offered a chance to save himself. All he has to do is convince a rouge sixteen year old girl to go with him to talk to the man who is bailing him out. Soon he realizes that his benefactor has other plans for him and the girl and it becomes a race for their lives.

I was tempted to read this book when I saw the cover picture, a man and a robot walking down a dusty trail together. The robot named Alvis is an older model that John rescued from the scrap heap for 300 units. Alvis is a bit obnoxious at times but they team up to get the job done. It’s an interesting and well written tale that will have you rooting for the good guys. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Ed Robins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disgraced Star Corp officer John MacAlister is staring down a lengthy prison sentence having already lost everything else, except his acerbic robot Alvis. When an opportunity arises to escape a cell by helping find a runaway on a remote desert planet, he has no choice but to agree. Finding her means being dropped right into the middle of a vast conspiracy.

Blanchard Blues is packed with action, entertaining banter and interesting alien species. The world Dell'Aringa builds feels full, but with plenty of room to grow. Toward the end, I did think too many new (or only briefly mentioned) characters were involved, making the action a bit unwieldy. Still, it's a small price to pay for an otherwise enjoyable, well-written read.

[Val · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to like the protagonist

The premise seems pretty good, disgrace cop, trying to make a living on the dodgy side, turns around his life when he tries to protect the innocent. Unfortunately, I think the book went overboard trying to make the protagonist unlikable so his redemption would be greater. He comes across as incredibly stupid, unwilling to take advice, and blaming others for his mistakes. I suppose to make his eventual turnaround more impressive, but it was hard to like enough about the protagonist to make the book enjoyable.

[Denzil Ernstzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

I had to make sure that I read this book first before I started in on the 2nd book. Lucky to have made it it onto the it’s as one of the group for proof reading. Great privilege and looking forward to jumping into that book next.

Love the with and charm of the characters. A must read for everyone looking for a little bit of adventure and people to blame for the problems in the world. Heehee enjoy everyone.

[Lorna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eh.

The lead character is a jerk. Not a lovely jerk, it a charming jerk, just a jerk. Not even a rogue. I only made it twenty-five percent into the book, nothing redeeming had happened, so it got tossed to my DNF pile.

The setting is interesting, even if not very back filled, the robot side-kick makes up for a lot, but irritating stupid robot that they get stuck with makes everything worse.

[Regina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Space western* with strong buddy movie vibes - totally my jam!

This first-in-series was a fun introduction to John and his artie-partner-in-crime Alvis, whose bickering game is as strong as their do-gooder tendencies. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these two and the rest of the engaging cast of characters Tom Dell'Aringa brought to life in this entertaining adventure.

More, please!

* Gambler hat not included.

[Barrie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant!

What a great story, with wonderful characters fighting against the company intent on cheating the colonists out of their land and mega-profitable crop. When they discover that the on planet military corps are crooked and helping the company to cheat them by killing the farmers all hell breaks loose. A great read, Baz.

[Barb Valentine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Down on his luck pilot gets trapped

Bailed out of jail and blackmailed by criminals, our hero finds a way to untangle their whole plan. Throw in a snarky robot for humor and there you have the story.

I wish more of the names thrown in at the end had more backstory but basically a fun story.

[Laurie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action, Fun Read

Such a fast moving action packed book! Loved the characters John and Alvis. When the scenes take place in the hot desert of triple degrees, it's reminiscent of Death Valley. Enjoyed the plot and love Alvis.

[Brian Everson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spaghetti

Talk about a spaghetti western hear you have the space version of it but well done by the author has good characters some great sarcasm and a fine story line you will enjoy this book immensely.....

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book synopsis promises an upbeat, character driven SF with humor and drama and it definitely delivered. The story has a western feel to it with some very original characters. It's a welcome change from the mixed genre Sf I've read lately. 5 easy stars.

[Mark K Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice cowboy in space yarn.

Very nicely written story. The basic premise has been written many times before but this one has the perfect amount of twist and turns to keep you interested and waiting for the next one.

[Daniel Fedko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greet story

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.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, rough start

Overall I enjoyed the book. As a few others have said the MC was so miserable and unlikeable that it made you wonder if you should continue. But continue I did and you should too.