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Privateer Tales #1
Rookie Privateer
Alternate cover edition can be found here.
When you are old enough to finally become an Earth Mars citizen, everything should be perfect. Right? Not for Liam Hoffen. He's stuck on a mining asteroid called Colony 40, helping his father work a claim that is never going to pay out. His best friend, Nick James is set for life in James' Rental business and Liam just discovered that the girl he's known forever thinks he's pretty great and now she's leaving for the Mars Naval Academy.
Liam dreams of sailing the stars. Whenever he gets the chance, he jets into space and floats, wishing to be free of the asteroid that has claimed him. What he doesn't realize is that fate is about to change everything.
Sometimes you have to lose parts of yourself to gain the stars, and Liam discovers that while it isn't easy to literally lose parts of yourself to the pirates who attacked your home, gaining the stars is worth everything.
He and Nick are about to find out what the real world has to offer and they end up meeting exciting people along the way.
When you are old enough to finally become an Earth Mars citizen, everything should be perfect. Right? Not for Liam Hoffen. He's stuck on a mining asteroid called Colony 40, helping his father work a claim that is never going to pay out. His best friend, Nick James is set for life in James' Rental business and Liam just discovered that the girl he's known forever thinks he's pretty great and now she's leaving for the Mars Naval Academy.
Liam dreams of sailing the stars. Whenever he gets the chance, he jets into space and floats, wishing to be free of the asteroid that has claimed him. What he doesn't realize is that fate is about to change everything.
Sometimes you have to lose parts of yourself to gain the stars, and Liam discovers that while it isn't easy to literally lose parts of yourself to the pirates who attacked your home, gaining the stars is worth everything.
He and Nick are about to find out what the real world has to offer and they end up meeting exciting people along the way.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 18, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 300 reviews
September 29, 2014
Rookie Privateer is a basic space opera, though a bit far-fetched. Sure, this is science fiction, and we all make big allowances in what's allowed on the technical side. In that regard this story is fine, a classic space tale of mining and space ships and independent colonies and pirates. But the character fiction is a little over the top for me. I was never really able to accept that two people, fresh out of required levels of schooling (presumably something like high-school equivalent) and newly legalized as adults, somehow have all the necessary knowledge to jump directly into a complicated business in which neither of them has any experience. In fact, great pains are taken to make sure the reader knows the protagonists have very little experience in anything outside their tiny personal circles prior to these adventures. Yet not only are they instantly able to cope, but they are immediately welcomed by the regional space military authorities who had never heard of either of our heroes, and tasked with a military operation the authorities have been unable to carry out themselves. It all comes across as a bit Walter Mitty-like.
If you can lay that aside, Rookie Privateer is a decent story. But there were two main irritations for me. First, the dialogue is very stilted, the sort that comes from an inexperienced writer who hasn't read his dialogue out loud and so doesn't realize it sounds like people practicing speaking in a language foreign to them. This crops up in all situations, not just when our two heroes are trying to sound official onboard their spacecraft. The second problem was a third major character who was missing for most of the book. After a budding romantic interest is introduced at the beginning of the tale, she is whisked off elsewhere and never participates in the action again. But she does come up again and again in references and a couple swapped messages. It's a clear indication that she's meant to reappear somewhere down the line in another book. I guess that's OK, but I don't like being bashed with repeated reminders that I'm reading a component in a series.
If you can lay that aside, Rookie Privateer is a decent story. But there were two main irritations for me. First, the dialogue is very stilted, the sort that comes from an inexperienced writer who hasn't read his dialogue out loud and so doesn't realize it sounds like people practicing speaking in a language foreign to them. This crops up in all situations, not just when our two heroes are trying to sound official onboard their spacecraft. The second problem was a third major character who was missing for most of the book. After a budding romantic interest is introduced at the beginning of the tale, she is whisked off elsewhere and never participates in the action again. But she does come up again and again in references and a couple swapped messages. It's a clear indication that she's meant to reappear somewhere down the line in another book. I guess that's OK, but I don't like being bashed with repeated reminders that I'm reading a component in a series.
October 17, 2019
My rating 4.0
Rookie Privateer (Privateer Tales # 1) by Jamie McFarlane is a solid science fiction novel. The writer takes us into the world of miners near Mars where our main character Liam Hoffen lives. His father is a miner on a large asteroid and he wants his son to be a miner like him. Although Liam dreams of becoming a pilot, he still accepts his father's advice. But a pirate attack on a mining colony will change his life and he will have to choose which path to take. The story, world, and characters in the book are well developed and it was a pleasure to read this book. I would recommend the book to space lovers, action and space opera. Funny and relaxing stuff.
Rookie Privateer (Privateer Tales # 1) by Jamie McFarlane is a solid science fiction novel. The writer takes us into the world of miners near Mars where our main character Liam Hoffen lives. His father is a miner on a large asteroid and he wants his son to be a miner like him. Although Liam dreams of becoming a pilot, he still accepts his father's advice. But a pirate attack on a mining colony will change his life and he will have to choose which path to take. The story, world, and characters in the book are well developed and it was a pleasure to read this book. I would recommend the book to space lovers, action and space opera. Funny and relaxing stuff.
February 19, 2017
I received a copy of this book from Booklikes in exchange for an honest review.
In no way was this a bad book. If anything I was a bad reader for this particular book. I hate reviwing books that were well written but not my style. Here it goes.
McFarlane's writing is very matter-of-fact, straight forward, and technical. If you really like sci-first mechanisms and machinery and how they work, this is a great book for you. Unfortunately, I'm not such a huge fan and was a little bored with the in-depth descriptions. Also, these descriptions read more like a technical manual, which is not a bad thing, but again, not what I really enjoy reading. There is no flowery language in this book, so if you are like me and need a little fluff in your descriptions, look elsewhere. Said descriptions due have a tendency to get a little long as do those describing mundane events. I definitely could have skipped over the cleaning scenes (I get it, you're still cleaning. It's still gross. If it's not interesting to you, it sure as hell isn't interesting to readers.)
My only real criticism was that I hated the descriptions of female characters. There was some really creepy 'male gaze' stuff going on. While men were described as being short with brown eyes, every curve of the female bodies were analyzed and when the main character was caught admiring them, most of the time the women responded by giggling, winking, smiling, or shooting back a flirtatious line. If some guy was gawking at me in such a way, I can tell you none of those would be my first reaction. As far as females went in the book, most didn't do anything. Tabby definitely had potential, but Liam's fascination with her anatomy distracted me from her as an actual character. The same holds true for Marny. She was pretty awesome and led most of the action at the end of the book, but Liam's repetitive descriptions of her curves rely emphasized the whole 'what a great fighter (for a woman)". And to keep the spoilers to a minimum, I was disappointed in the compulsive need to pair off strong females. I need a little more out of my characters.
Overall, not bad, mostly just not a good match for me. If you like straight forward writing with no flowery descriptions, check this book out. It's an interesting story with lots of twists and turns.
In no way was this a bad book. If anything I was a bad reader for this particular book. I hate reviwing books that were well written but not my style. Here it goes.
McFarlane's writing is very matter-of-fact, straight forward, and technical. If you really like sci-first mechanisms and machinery and how they work, this is a great book for you. Unfortunately, I'm not such a huge fan and was a little bored with the in-depth descriptions. Also, these descriptions read more like a technical manual, which is not a bad thing, but again, not what I really enjoy reading. There is no flowery language in this book, so if you are like me and need a little fluff in your descriptions, look elsewhere. Said descriptions due have a tendency to get a little long as do those describing mundane events. I definitely could have skipped over the cleaning scenes (I get it, you're still cleaning. It's still gross. If it's not interesting to you, it sure as hell isn't interesting to readers.)
My only real criticism was that I hated the descriptions of female characters. There was some really creepy 'male gaze' stuff going on. While men were described as being short with brown eyes, every curve of the female bodies were analyzed and when the main character was caught admiring them, most of the time the women responded by giggling, winking, smiling, or shooting back a flirtatious line. If some guy was gawking at me in such a way, I can tell you none of those would be my first reaction. As far as females went in the book, most didn't do anything. Tabby definitely had potential, but Liam's fascination with her anatomy distracted me from her as an actual character. The same holds true for Marny. She was pretty awesome and led most of the action at the end of the book, but Liam's repetitive descriptions of her curves rely emphasized the whole 'what a great fighter (for a woman)". And to keep the spoilers to a minimum, I was disappointed in the compulsive need to pair off strong females. I need a little more out of my characters.
Overall, not bad, mostly just not a good match for me. If you like straight forward writing with no flowery descriptions, check this book out. It's an interesting story with lots of twists and turns.
April 30, 2014
Incredibly detailed and engaging on an immensely human level, McFarlane's "Rookie Privateer" displays - in this reader's opinion - glimmers of Heinlein. From P-Zero to Baru Manush to the decks of the Kuznetsov, I thoroughly enjoyed the richly textured world our protagonist, Liam Hoffen, finds himself in... and could absolutely relate to his initial resignation to a life of toil and monotony. Complete with space pirates, friendship, budding romance, and infinitely relatable (albeit interstellar) themes I definitely recommend "Rookie Privateer" to any fan of the thinking man's science fiction.
August 6, 2020
Action packed fun!
September 3, 2019
I... I don't know why I liked this book, but I did.
Seriously, there's several things in this book that I _shouldn't_ like. Extremely direct prose lacking nuance and metaphor. Creepy descriptions of female characters. Long, detailed descriptions of things that *do not matter*.
No, really, I read several pages' worth of descriptions of the main character cleaning dried feces from all surfaces of a disgusting bathroom. Why did I do that?
Despite all this I found myself wanting to keep reading. I wanted to know more about the universe these kids are living in and, to a smaller extent, I wanted to hear more about the technology that exists. And the book kept giving me little doses of that information, just enough to keep me going.
All that said: I'm going to try reading the next book, but I suspect it's going to take more than an IV drip of world development to keep me sustained through another book of the same writing style.
Seriously, there's several things in this book that I _shouldn't_ like. Extremely direct prose lacking nuance and metaphor. Creepy descriptions of female characters. Long, detailed descriptions of things that *do not matter*.
No, really, I read several pages' worth of descriptions of the main character cleaning dried feces from all surfaces of a disgusting bathroom. Why did I do that?
Despite all this I found myself wanting to keep reading. I wanted to know more about the universe these kids are living in and, to a smaller extent, I wanted to hear more about the technology that exists. And the book kept giving me little doses of that information, just enough to keep me going.
All that said: I'm going to try reading the next book, but I suspect it's going to take more than an IV drip of world development to keep me sustained through another book of the same writing style.
July 13, 2015
A thoroughly enjoyable pulp sci-fi novel for a young reader (not too young as there were some references to sex and prostitutes... not to mention violence, I'd say on the younger end of the young adult set).
December 20, 2016
Good space adventure
Good likable characters, technology seems good without any obvious flaws, well edited, with a satisfying ending. Recommended. I would rate as adult or new adult. No excessive sex or violence but does have both
Good likable characters, technology seems good without any obvious flaws, well edited, with a satisfying ending. Recommended. I would rate as adult or new adult. No excessive sex or violence but does have both
November 13, 2017
Good start to a military sci-fi
A fun read, my only complaint is that the main characters seem to develop there skills rather more quickly than would seem likely but I understand needing to keep the reader interested. I look forward to the next book.
A fun read, my only complaint is that the main characters seem to develop there skills rather more quickly than would seem likely but I understand needing to keep the reader interested. I look forward to the next book.
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February 10, 2017Excellent, Wow, A fast paced high action and adventure sci-fi space opera type book, I loved it, A must read. Needs to be added to a required reading list for schools. Masterfully Written. Get your copy today! and read this one.
May 17, 2020
Interesting book.
Some of the chapters were way too long.
I did like the characters.
Not sure if I will read any more in the series....I think there are like 15 more books.
Some of the chapters were way too long.
I did like the characters.
Not sure if I will read any more in the series....I think there are like 15 more books.
August 6, 2019
Surprisingly good. I found the bad guys to be a little bit stereoptypical and 1 dimensional, but other than that, this was a rather enjoyable read that reminds me a lot of Nathan Lowell's solar clipper.
July 1, 2019
If you are looking for a good space adventure. Rookie Privateer is one for those young adults to teens. It about a group of kids. Well one teen that is looking for his future. He is currently stuck working with his father. He know not much to making money.
He seem to attract attention when something happens when he with is friends. What happens then goes not to be an adventure for him and his friend. Liam want freedom will get it? His friend Nick is set up for life. They are becoming Earth Mars Citizens. Someone or something is attacking their home. Will Liam reach the stars or will he not. He and Nick will they find out what the real world has to offer. Things begin to change and it changes them as well.
Find out how this book end. The authors does really well on the plot of this story. It bring you along for the ride. I could not stop reading and wanted more. What will happen to Nick James and Liam Hoffen? I hope to find out more by reading the next book. I just got to find out when it will be out. Great for teens and young adult readers. If you are into space or thrillers this really good for you as well.
He seem to attract attention when something happens when he with is friends. What happens then goes not to be an adventure for him and his friend. Liam want freedom will get it? His friend Nick is set up for life. They are becoming Earth Mars Citizens. Someone or something is attacking their home. Will Liam reach the stars or will he not. He and Nick will they find out what the real world has to offer. Things begin to change and it changes them as well.
Find out how this book end. The authors does really well on the plot of this story. It bring you along for the ride. I could not stop reading and wanted more. What will happen to Nick James and Liam Hoffen? I hope to find out more by reading the next book. I just got to find out when it will be out. Great for teens and young adult readers. If you are into space or thrillers this really good for you as well.
October 31, 2017
If you are looking for a Science Fiction Series that is written in the Old fashioned Space Opera Manner "Rookie Privateer" is the Book for You!! I totally enjoyed it!!
Liam Hoffen, Nick James, and Tabby Masters are of the age to take the SAT and become Adults on Mars. This book is a True Space Opera. Liam is expected to take over his Families' Mining Claim, but his whole life's dream is to go into space as a pilot. Nick is expected to take over his families mercantile/Rental Shop business, but his goal is to be and do wherever Nick does. Tabby is going into the Mars Space Academy. They play their last Game as the team "Loose Nuts"and pass their Tests.
They are celebrating and talking about the Future in a local Pub, when Alarms go off and the glass dome is shattered and the place decompresses. All of a sudden Space Pirates change our Hero's goals and Futures. They become involved in defending Martian Astroid #40 and..... Wait!!!! Thats all the Story you get from me! I would Hate to spoil your Read by telling you the Whole Thing. Let me say this is very good Book and Best thing is, it's a series.
So Enjoy Your Read!!
Santa Mike
Liam Hoffen, Nick James, and Tabby Masters are of the age to take the SAT and become Adults on Mars. This book is a True Space Opera. Liam is expected to take over his Families' Mining Claim, but his whole life's dream is to go into space as a pilot. Nick is expected to take over his families mercantile/Rental Shop business, but his goal is to be and do wherever Nick does. Tabby is going into the Mars Space Academy. They play their last Game as the team "Loose Nuts"and pass their Tests.
They are celebrating and talking about the Future in a local Pub, when Alarms go off and the glass dome is shattered and the place decompresses. All of a sudden Space Pirates change our Hero's goals and Futures. They become involved in defending Martian Astroid #40 and..... Wait!!!! Thats all the Story you get from me! I would Hate to spoil your Read by telling you the Whole Thing. Let me say this is very good Book and Best thing is, it's a series.
So Enjoy Your Read!!
Santa Mike
April 26, 2017
Hero Pirates = Privateers
Liam wants to get out of the mining business that his father and mother operate. Guess what, he gets his wish. All be it through heroic defense of the colony by he and his friends along with the loss of his foot. He discovers that the girl he loves reciprocate. Unfortunately she is on her way to the academy. They claim and receive the pirate s the pirates used to attack their colony. The navy also gives them a letter of marque limited to action against pirates. They begin a freight business and are attacked by pirates. They respond big time and do in the pirates and capture their base. Liam''s partner Nick finds romance with their new security officer, and Liam longs for his girlfriend Tabby. I like the story and characters. I like the honor and loyalty of the protagonists. Will Liam and Tabby get together in a less long distance fashion? I look forward to the next book.
Liam wants to get out of the mining business that his father and mother operate. Guess what, he gets his wish. All be it through heroic defense of the colony by he and his friends along with the loss of his foot. He discovers that the girl he loves reciprocate. Unfortunately she is on her way to the academy. They claim and receive the pirate s the pirates used to attack their colony. The navy also gives them a letter of marque limited to action against pirates. They begin a freight business and are attacked by pirates. They respond big time and do in the pirates and capture their base. Liam''s partner Nick finds romance with their new security officer, and Liam longs for his girlfriend Tabby. I like the story and characters. I like the honor and loyalty of the protagonists. Will Liam and Tabby get together in a less long distance fashion? I look forward to the next book.
January 3, 2017
This book would seem to be targeted at a younger audience, perhaps 10 to 14 years old. As such, it is written at a fairly simple level and I'm more than willing to lower my "believable or not" filter based on this being the target audience. So unlike some reviews I was OK with some of the less believable aspects of the story and the extraordinary capabilities of the characters.
My challenge, and the reason I dropped the rating from what would have otherwise been a 4 star review, was the unnecessary language the author put in Tabby's mouth. If this was targeted at YA I'd have said OK, but in my opinion the book is too simplistic for a 17-18 year old audience.
I liked the book enough that I purchased the second book in the series.
My challenge, and the reason I dropped the rating from what would have otherwise been a 4 star review, was the unnecessary language the author put in Tabby's mouth. If this was targeted at YA I'd have said OK, but in my opinion the book is too simplistic for a 17-18 year old audience.
I liked the book enough that I purchased the second book in the series.
August 21, 2017
I say.... I say....
ABSOLUTELY.........
SPIFFY !!!!
FDJ.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Period ! ! ! ! ! !
ABSOLUTELY.........
SPIFFY !!!!
FDJ.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. Period ! ! ! ! ! !
May 15, 2023
A very enjoyable read, I really look forward to the rest of the series.
April 9, 2021
I like the world this book takes place in. It is a very high technology level, more so than most science fiction I read, but also with a flare for the old. At the start of the book the mix of old and new is pretty apparent. The mining is high tech, but also similar to down and out gold prospectors working their latest claim, they just use different tools.
The setting is in our solar system which I was a bit surprised to realize. With the tech level being so high I thought this book would be spanning multiple systems. The mode of transportation is the flip and burn seen in so many science fiction novels, just no way to get between stars, at least not in book one.
I'm a sucker for this type of story. The two main characters Liam and Nick are from a poor mining settlement in the asteroid belt. Their settlement is attacked by pirates called Red Houzi, and the book takes off from there. They file for salvage rights to a beat down ship with hopes of using it to start their own company and get out of the mining settlement. The story is about them and their journey in trading, fighting, and surviving in the system.
Liam and Nick are very proactive and very likeable. This is the most important thing in any book I start. A character who isn't always moving forward is not a good character. Luckily here they are moving forward at speed, probably faster than they should be. They pick up another crew member on the way, and she adds another level of competence to the cast. Overall this makes for a really enjoyable read. That mixed with the book's plot, and the setting up of a solid series plot, and I'm sure I'm going to enjoy reading the rest of the books in this series.
The characters are good, and I enjoy them, but I feel they need more development to be fully flushed out. One of them leaves the cast almost right off, and that was a bit of an issue for me. I don't know if she will be a part of later books, or if she will just be something holding the main character back. There are a lot of books in this series though, so I assume all will be answered in time.
I ran across this book from a Reddit thread where it was suggested as similar to Nathan Lowell, and so far I'm not disappointed. The characters aren't as rich, but the story seems to have more meat and conflict which is a fair tradeoff for me. Overall it seems to be a solid series to dive into, and one I'm planning on blowing through.
The setting is in our solar system which I was a bit surprised to realize. With the tech level being so high I thought this book would be spanning multiple systems. The mode of transportation is the flip and burn seen in so many science fiction novels, just no way to get between stars, at least not in book one.
I'm a sucker for this type of story. The two main characters Liam and Nick are from a poor mining settlement in the asteroid belt. Their settlement is attacked by pirates called Red Houzi, and the book takes off from there. They file for salvage rights to a beat down ship with hopes of using it to start their own company and get out of the mining settlement. The story is about them and their journey in trading, fighting, and surviving in the system.
Liam and Nick are very proactive and very likeable. This is the most important thing in any book I start. A character who isn't always moving forward is not a good character. Luckily here they are moving forward at speed, probably faster than they should be. They pick up another crew member on the way, and she adds another level of competence to the cast. Overall this makes for a really enjoyable read. That mixed with the book's plot, and the setting up of a solid series plot, and I'm sure I'm going to enjoy reading the rest of the books in this series.
The characters are good, and I enjoy them, but I feel they need more development to be fully flushed out. One of them leaves the cast almost right off, and that was a bit of an issue for me. I don't know if she will be a part of later books, or if she will just be something holding the main character back. There are a lot of books in this series though, so I assume all will be answered in time.
I ran across this book from a Reddit thread where it was suggested as similar to Nathan Lowell, and so far I'm not disappointed. The characters aren't as rich, but the story seems to have more meat and conflict which is a fair tradeoff for me. Overall it seems to be a solid series to dive into, and one I'm planning on blowing through.
January 4, 2019
Like "Citizen of the Galaxy" while Heinlein learned to write.
Go for it if you like : space-opera, coming of age, technical detail, feel good stories
Look for something else if you look for : very good writing, convincing/leading female protagonists, high realism/internal consistency
Although I enjoyed the book, it is severely overrated. It is a "coming of age"/technical SF space opera, written in first person in the style of Citizen of the Galaxy, Have spacesuit..., or Starship troopers. This would not be bad at all, but the writing is very stilted, forced and sometimes just plain bad. I honestly considered putting it down after the first pages, but McFarlane got it up to the point that I am willing to get the sequel just to see if he improved. To give an example: "... I said to my artificial intelligence (AI)" or " my Mars Competency Test (MCT)". Explanation of acronyms is fine in technical writing, but has really no place in first person fiction.
As I said, the writing either improved or I got used to it, because once over the first pages, it was an easy read-through. There is some suspension of doubt required. Again reminding of Heinlein's writing, the plain abilities of recent school graduates are plain amazing (and unlikely for anybody who knows or has ever been a high school graduate). Likewise, although the protagonists are much concerned with it, the economic success of our niche marchandizers and their performance in space combat is plain unrealistic. This, however, does not stand in the way of a good story and if you accept from the beginning that it is a "white hat/black hat" story and not "Once upon a time in the west...", it is well thought-through story.
As I said, I will get the sequel and, having lower expectations than for the first, I will probably thoroughly enjoy it.
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September 19, 2020This, folks, is the real deal. If H. Beam Piper had written juveniles, they’d be a lot like this. It’s got everything you’d expect: fire fights, dueling lawyers, courtroom scenes, hard-ass veterans, clever tactics overcoming long odds, and young love. The only thing missing is someone commenting to another character on how they can get their jackets tailored to hide the bulge of their sidearm.
This is fairly hard sci-fi. It all takes place within our solar system and there’s no FTL. There is some sort of anti-grav/inertial dampening tech. A magic shield kinda-sorta thing shows up at the very end in a very non-dramatic moment (doesn’t save the day or anything like that).
Keep in mind this isn’t wall-to-wall swashbuckling. Actually, a good chunk of the story is cleaning and repairing toilets, believe it or not. And yet, it’s a great yarn. What’s most amusing is the dissonant tone; our hero is a gosh-shucks good kid from the out back of beyond, an asteroid-miner’s son who thought he’d die mining asteroids like his old man. And the universe he lives in is a pretty nasty, unforgiving place. It’s a very interesting tone that feels like it’s got a touch of Robert Asprin but without the saccharine Asprin would bring to the story. You like our hero because he’s a good guy. But the universe isn’t so bowled over with his decency that it’s going to change its ways just for him.
If you’re missing the sci-fi of yesteryear, if you grew up reading Alan Dean Foster, and you want a nice, fluffy little entertaining read, definitely give this one a look.
Wish I could remember who recommended this one to me. I owe them a big thank-you!
This is fairly hard sci-fi. It all takes place within our solar system and there’s no FTL. There is some sort of anti-grav/inertial dampening tech. A magic shield kinda-sorta thing shows up at the very end in a very non-dramatic moment (doesn’t save the day or anything like that).
Keep in mind this isn’t wall-to-wall swashbuckling. Actually, a good chunk of the story is cleaning and repairing toilets, believe it or not. And yet, it’s a great yarn. What’s most amusing is the dissonant tone; our hero is a gosh-shucks good kid from the out back of beyond, an asteroid-miner’s son who thought he’d die mining asteroids like his old man. And the universe he lives in is a pretty nasty, unforgiving place. It’s a very interesting tone that feels like it’s got a touch of Robert Asprin but without the saccharine Asprin would bring to the story. You like our hero because he’s a good guy. But the universe isn’t so bowled over with his decency that it’s going to change its ways just for him.
If you’re missing the sci-fi of yesteryear, if you grew up reading Alan Dean Foster, and you want a nice, fluffy little entertaining read, definitely give this one a look.
Wish I could remember who recommended this one to me. I owe them a big thank-you!
May 25, 2018
This was a truly well written book with strong characters and an excellent action filled plot line in an extremely well constructed universe. So, excellent writing, strong plot with great action scenes and really great character development. The characters are very well developed and if you think for a minute that everything is fine and dandy all the way through and the good guys triumph everywhere, it's not without cost. Let me preface this review by declaring that I have a few issues with sci-fi when it comes to stories about the colonization of space, and about trading and mining. Too many sci-fi writers seem to grossly underestimate the size of space and the cost of traveling in it, or if they knew these things, then they forget them rather quickly and comprehensively when it comes to writing their stories. I don't mind if they invent new technologies to explain how their space-farers travel much faster than ours can here in this reality. That's fine. I do have a problem when they ignore little things like cost, and the state of current technology. Too many sci-fi writers also forget that today, we already have quite advanced robots and AIs which are used extensively. Why those writers think these things would disappear or would somehow have stagnated a hundred, five hundred, a thousand years into the future is a never-ending mystery to me. This was such kind of problem with the beginning of this novel. When I finished this book I immediately checked for the second volume and I hope that the second part will be impressive too.
June 8, 2021
3 A Room Full Of Monkeys Had Been Fed Prunes And Let Loose Stars
Rookie Privateer is the first book in the Privateer Tales series by Jamie McFarlane.
I’m not entirely sure why I didn’t fully appreciate this book. It’s definitively an encouraging start in a space opera series. Maybe it’s the lack of irresistible draw before we get to the crux of Liam and Nick taking on the Red Houzi. Or the ridiculous notion that an elite space force, such as the Mars Protectorate Navy, would put so much faith in two barely adults.
Honestly, Liam’s personality was also a little off to me. I mean he was mentioned to be incredibly smart, but then in turn would act in such ignorant ways. Or as with the trial after the attack on Colony 40, where he zones out of the trial to horndog after Tabby on the vid. Made me want to hit him. For murder, he’s being (wrongfully) charged with murder and he’s only sitting there thinking “she’s so pretty”.
That’s not even taking into account how completely obvious all of the traitors/spies/antagonists still on Colony 40 were. The dichotomy between differing scenes within the book; be it the plot, or level of believability really cut into any entrenchment within the story itself. I feel as if I was dragged out of it more times than I can reasonably place a good rating on, with how jarring this impacted my enjoyment for the work.
Rookie Privateer is the first book in the Privateer Tales series by Jamie McFarlane.
I’m not entirely sure why I didn’t fully appreciate this book. It’s definitively an encouraging start in a space opera series. Maybe it’s the lack of irresistible draw before we get to the crux of Liam and Nick taking on the Red Houzi. Or the ridiculous notion that an elite space force, such as the Mars Protectorate Navy, would put so much faith in two barely adults.
Honestly, Liam’s personality was also a little off to me. I mean he was mentioned to be incredibly smart, but then in turn would act in such ignorant ways. Or as with the trial after the attack on Colony 40, where he zones out of the trial to horndog after Tabby on the vid. Made me want to hit him. For murder, he’s being (wrongfully) charged with murder and he’s only sitting there thinking “she’s so pretty”.
That’s not even taking into account how completely obvious all of the traitors/spies/antagonists still on Colony 40 were. The dichotomy between differing scenes within the book; be it the plot, or level of believability really cut into any entrenchment within the story itself. I feel as if I was dragged out of it more times than I can reasonably place a good rating on, with how jarring this impacted my enjoyment for the work.
September 24, 2024
To be charitable, I’ll give this 1.5 stars. The book was mildly entertaining but wildly, even laughably, implausible. In fact, I can’t think of an adjective that properly describes the book’s legal of implausibility. Let’s see: Three 18-year-olds who grew up on an isolated mining colony, successfully fend off an armed pirate attack and capture a military space craft in the process. The mayor of the colony then sues the heroes for destruction of property and seeks to have them prosecuted for murdering a pirate. Two of the 18-year-olds hire a lawyer who successfully convinces a navy judge to award the teens the military spacecraft as the spoils of war. The judge also signs them up as some form of militia to get the pirates under control. The two, with zero experience operating a spacecraft of any sophistication, manage to rehab the ship and become traders. On their first trading trip, they thwart an internal attack by an experienced pirate, and later, with the help of one 22 year old female veteran manage to out duel three warships and conquer a highly armed and well defended pirate base. See what I mean? Ludicrous.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2017
A fairly enjoyable space opera that was easy to read. However, you have to suspend belief when confronted with the idea that the navy would give a letter of Marque to a couple of naïve kids straight out of school.
It turned out that they were very naïve, far too trusting and at times incredibly stupid. Who goes on a long space voyage with no working toilet or water reclamation system?
Parts of the book were quite frustrating to read, as it was so obvious they where putting their trust in the wrong people. On top of that, the middle of the book became quite boring reading about the endless list of repairs they needed to do to their spaceship. However the moments of action were quite exciting.
It turned out that they were very naïve, far too trusting and at times incredibly stupid. Who goes on a long space voyage with no working toilet or water reclamation system?
Parts of the book were quite frustrating to read, as it was so obvious they where putting their trust in the wrong people. On top of that, the middle of the book became quite boring reading about the endless list of repairs they needed to do to their spaceship. However the moments of action were quite exciting.
April 6, 2018
Awesome sauce
I thought this was really clean storytelling with enough twists to surprise but not overwhelm. I read book 2 first, then went looking for this one. This is a very good series in every way. Both books have natural closure and as I discovered are both great standalone stories. This is an awesome series.
The cast of characters is splendidly diverse and well fleshed out, even pirates who could be throwaway items. It takes the pirates preying on miners theme in a new direction. Dialogue is not stilted nor over the top. Action from scooter races to ship to ship combat is clear, easily understood, fits the tech level and the story.
I'm ready for the rest of the series.
I thought this was really clean storytelling with enough twists to surprise but not overwhelm. I read book 2 first, then went looking for this one. This is a very good series in every way. Both books have natural closure and as I discovered are both great standalone stories. This is an awesome series.
The cast of characters is splendidly diverse and well fleshed out, even pirates who could be throwaway items. It takes the pirates preying on miners theme in a new direction. Dialogue is not stilted nor over the top. Action from scooter races to ship to ship combat is clear, easily understood, fits the tech level and the story.
I'm ready for the rest of the series.
February 10, 2025
Liam Hoffen is a spacer (someone who grew up in the asteroid colony) living with his parents. Liam’s father works at the mines out of the asteroids. Liam and his friends Nic and Tabitha try to save the colony from pirates attacking the colony. Liam really likes Tabitha but she is being shipped off to the Naval Academy. Liam is stuck on the colony even after passing the Mars Competency test until an opportunity comes up. As the pirates flee, leaving behind one of their ships and Liam and Nick take command of the ship. Liam and Nick get an offer from a naval commander to become privateers to help the navy and go after the pirates. Liam and Nick go on a journey across the galaxy seeking adventure. I really enjoyed this fascinating young adult space science fiction novel.
May 1, 2025
How does this book get high ratings?
I picked this up based on a. high reviewer rating, but I am at a loss for how this book achieved high ratings. The story is weak and the characters are shallow. The story lacks a strong plot - the main characters just plod along from one amazing happenstance to the next, becoming more and more unlikely as it goes. The only kudos is the lack of current vulgarity (they use their own words for cursing) and no explicit sex, though there is a recurring teenage guy theme of admiring women. I have zero desire to read any more of this series or the author. Perhaps this book works for middle school age readers, but there are better books for that age group too. Not recommended.
I picked this up based on a. high reviewer rating, but I am at a loss for how this book achieved high ratings. The story is weak and the characters are shallow. The story lacks a strong plot - the main characters just plod along from one amazing happenstance to the next, becoming more and more unlikely as it goes. The only kudos is the lack of current vulgarity (they use their own words for cursing) and no explicit sex, though there is a recurring teenage guy theme of admiring women. I have zero desire to read any more of this series or the author. Perhaps this book works for middle school age readers, but there are better books for that age group too. Not recommended.
June 11, 2017
First time reader hooked forever
I've never read a spaced based book as I thought it would be boring. Imagine my surprise when I couldn't put this one down. It started as a normal family with a teenage son ready to fly away from the family business as any normal teenager. Then boom his world explodes with a pirate attack , with help from his friends they defeat them and get to keep their ship as spoils of war. Perfect way to break from the family business. I'm not telling anymore as to many spoilers will ruin the book for others. Suffice it to say you just have to read it to believe it .
I've never read a spaced based book as I thought it would be boring. Imagine my surprise when I couldn't put this one down. It started as a normal family with a teenage son ready to fly away from the family business as any normal teenager. Then boom his world explodes with a pirate attack , with help from his friends they defeat them and get to keep their ship as spoils of war. Perfect way to break from the family business. I'm not telling anymore as to many spoilers will ruin the book for others. Suffice it to say you just have to read it to believe it .
August 11, 2018
Interesting and worthwhile
It was a little slow to start to get my interest but it definitely did. I know there are several more books in series not all with crew But really looks like a series and author I will stay with reading! This is the second series and I have read and sadly I am sorry I did not realize it or maybe that is good sense since I started Witchy World and this one based on book content and not author?!
Overall well worth time and money and we’ll be reading next several books in series. I might get caught up to all of them currently out in this series??? Sadly my time is more limited than funds - isn’t always one or the other!!!
It was a little slow to start to get my interest but it definitely did. I know there are several more books in series not all with crew But really looks like a series and author I will stay with reading! This is the second series and I have read and sadly I am sorry I did not realize it or maybe that is good sense since I started Witchy World and this one based on book content and not author?!
Overall well worth time and money and we’ll be reading next several books in series. I might get caught up to all of them currently out in this series??? Sadly my time is more limited than funds - isn’t always one or the other!!!
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