Junkyard Roadhouse is the fourth book in Hunter’s exciting Shining Smith futuristic sci-fi series. The book, set a few to several months after the war with Clarisse Warhammer, marks a new start and the beginning of another story arc. Shining is moving forward with her own sanctioned MC and a neutral ground roadhouse. In a passing thought, readers learn that when Clarisse was killed, Shining (and her AI Jolene) discovered a trove of intel indicating a massive conspiracy that spans government, military, and other MCs. We witness a bit of this in the primary plot of Junkyard Roadhouse.
Overall, I continue to enjoy this series for both the interesting storylines and the unique and fascinating characters. Junkyard Roadhouse is a great addition, transitioning the original trilogy into a larger conspiracy with global implications. There are additional characters, new bad guys, and more to fight for. Shining is coerced into help a neighboring militia save a kidnapped girl; however, it’s something I think she would have done anyhow. I love that Shining is tough but has a moral compass. While this plotline is self-contained to the book, it is just the tip of the iceberg when dealing with the new foe. I am excited to find out the extent of the mysterious dark riders and what is their ultimate end game.
The book also opens up some threads that felt unfinished, like the emaciated coal miners, Mina’s mental state, and what her boyfriend Jaeger is really up to. I hope these threads are also picked up in subsequent stories.
Narration: Junkyard Roadhouse is shared via the first person POV of Shining. Ms. Hvam’s voice for the narrator/Shining is on the deeper side of average female and has a gravely component at times. She alters the voice for dialogue, using distinct accents and dialects for each character. I especially enjoyed the southern accent of Jolene, and the metallic/robotic accent of Mateo. She also does an amazing job voicing a young child, sounding authentic. I like how she portrays Shining. She’s got an edge and you can hear it in her voice… it’s not soft and comforting. It’s got grit. You can also hear exasperation with the situation in her non-spoken verbal cues. She brings Shining and the world to life.
My Ratings:
Story: B+
Narration: A