Their mission was to colonize the stars. Now, they are humanity’s last hope for freedom.
Captain Gideon Wallace is the commander of Trailblazer Eight, an interstellar colony ship carrying six hundred souls to a distant star. Their first stop along the way is the thriving human settlement on Aurora, also known as Proxima Centauri b.
IRIS, the ship’s robot caretaker, awakens the crew early with a chilling message from the president of the United Star “Earth has fallen to an extraterrestrial invasion.”
Wallace’s orders are to stay as far away from Earth as possible, and to pick a new destination so that they can’t be followed.
The survival of the human race depends on them.
But when Wallace discovers the true nature of the enemy’s plans, he realizes that running is no longer an option. They have no choice but to fight back.
Take flight on the Trailblazer with USA Today Bestselling Authors J.N. Chaney and Jasper T. Scott in this thrilling new science fiction series. If you enjoy stories about space colonization, alien invasions, and monsters that give you nightmares while you’re awake, then Rebel Galaxy is the series that you’ve been looking for.
This is a voluntary review of a GoodReads giveaway win of a Kindle ebook.
Part one of a long saga. And by long, this book by itself is some 600 pages. Not that I have anything against long story lines, but I was wondering where this story was going at times.
I has a great storyline setup. Well developed characters and their dilemma. There is a lot of universe building. And it comes to a good stopping point without a cliffhanger. We know this story will continue into the next installment, but I am longing for more complete books with familiar characters in complete segments. Segments that can almost be read in any order. I don't mind continuing subplots, but I have grown to prefer briefer story completions. I am more of a binge reader and I want all of the pieces in front of me when I start. Of late it seems to me that authors are creating more multi-volume sets.
I likely will wait a few years to see if this comes to a conclusion and then binge read the entire set.
An intriguing fresh set up for a space exploration & first contact series
For those of us that remember the Apollo moon launches and the International Space Station evolution and the travels back and forth from the latter, this series manages to set the realistic pace of what space travel must be like. The first novella, "Contact," sets the stage for the travel which can be boring but authors Scott & Chaney efficiently use the time to introduce us to the characters. All are very human/flawed but realistic. By the time they make first contact on an alien world for colonization contrasts in personalities are soon noted.
"Rebel Galaxy " follows the story arc of the Trailblazer colonization fleet. Again, these new characters are well developed yet a bit more inexperienced and maybe "naīve." What I found very interesting was the psychological defenses of the aliens as well as the efforts of the crew at creating countermeasures. In addition, we find out more of the cast structure of the aliens and some potential allies as well as human betrayal.
Fascinating reads. Develops at it's own pace but keeps you hooked due to the efficient (and probably more realistic) story arc, pace and characters.
This was an interesting story with aliens, traitors, romance, space exploration, and as Captain Kirk said - "to boldly go where man has never been before."
Captain Gideon Wallace of Trailblazer Eight is sent with 600 people to colonize a distant planet. On the way they are to call in on Trailblazer One's colony, Aurora on Proxima Centauri b system.
However, before they can reach Aurora they are woken by the ship's robot IRIS, with the chilling message “Earth has fallen to an extraterrestrial invasion.” They are informed to forget their destination and seek somewhere else to settle.
This is a gripping story of sabotage and terror. I wait impatiently for the next book to arrive.
I didn’t particularly like this book. The main character is just too dumb or stupid even though he’s a starship Captain! That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it. Captain Gideon Wallace has dreamed of going into space and exploring new worlds. Well, he gets to live his dream, but due to his stupidity and wonton disregard for his crew and passengers (colonists), he almost gets everyone killed. And to top it off, his has a competent crew that try many, many times to convince him his course of action is extremely dangerous to everyone. Captain Wallace doesn’t listen.
*Trailblazer Eight* is the next colony ship to leave Earth hoping to find a habitable planet for the colonists it will carry to start a new life. As mentioned, the ship is commanded by Captain Gideon Wallace, with Commander Aria Page as his XO and Second-in-Command. The crew also consists of Lieutenants Cyrus Hunt and Venus Vasquez. Hunt is the Chief Engineer and Vasquez is the System Engineer. They have all trained together for some time for this mission and all seem to know their jobs very well. Gideon and Aria are romantically involved. Gideon has asked Aria to marry him right before the mission. Bad timing!
Their mission will take them first to the Proxima Centauri system and specifically to Proxima b where they will either pickup more colonists (Pioneers) or just check-on how things are going with this growing colony. Earth has sent out seven previous colony ships loaded with excited colonist. *Trailblazer One* had previously landed on Proxima b now called *Aurora* twenty years ago so it either had a thriving colony or they needed rescuing. Due to the time difference involved, direct communications couldn’t be made back to Earth, so Trailblazer Eight would contact the colony about half-way through their journey. The journey to *Aurora* will take eighty years even though they will be traveling most of that time in cryo-stasis. The crew will be periodically awaken to check on things aboard the ship and then go back into cryo. The colonist will stay in cryo the entire trip, even the backup crew will remain in cryo unless there is a need to wake them. Cryo-stasis will allow the colonist and crew to age only months compared to the eighty years the trip will actually take.
Included in the colonist are Bailey and Gemma. The former is the daughter of Aria while the latter is the sister of Lieutenant Hunt. Having loved ones as part of the colonist contingent will cause problems down the line, but only one of many problems. Captain Wallace has received a highly classified briefing about the original *Trailblazer One* landing on Aurora. That briefing gave new meaning to this being a dangerous mission. He was not to reveal what was in the briefing to his crew until he felt it necessary. I don’t understand this reluctance to include the entire crew on the situation of TB-1 and Aurora. They needed to know that danger could be awaiting them and not go blindly stumbling into it. But, Wallace still decides not to say anything until it’s almost too late.
*TB-8* blasts off as scheduled. Another member of the crew is an IRIS or Intelligent Robotic Interface System. Yes, IRIS is a robot and a very capable one at that. He will be doing most of the checks on the ship while the crew are asleep. The ship, *TB-1,* is actually taken care of by Cora, the ships Artificial Intelligence. IRIS and Cora will function as a team the entire eighty years of the trip with only occasional interaction with the crew. Well, that’s was the plan anyway.
Captain Gideon Wallace is unexpectedly awoke while only a year and three months from Aurora, but it was a year earlier than planned. IRIS is telling him that they have just received a message from Earth and that the Captain must listen to it now! What he hears changes their entire mission or it should have, but Captain Gideon Wallace is an idiot. Even with a strong warning to not do something, he does it anyway even with his crew telling him not to. He does this a lot and it gets very irritating. Then we find that Aria can’t handle her emotions where her daughter is concerned. She almost becomes non-functional and then gets mad when told to do her job. This is where the story bogs down. Between Gideon making the wrong decisions and Aria going on rants about whatever, I kind of got tired of reading the story.
Still, this is just the beginning of a series titled, “Rebel Galaxy”, but there really are no “rebels” in this story. Just a bunch of people trying to survive after Gideon’s stupid decisions. The next book, “Factions”, is now available on Amazon. I’m not sure I want to read it.
### Book Review: *Rebel Galaxy* by J.N. Chaney and Jasper T. Scott ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5 stars)
What a stunning interstellar adventure! *Rebel Galaxy* grabs hold of you right from the opening pages and never lets go. From pulse-pounding suspense to rich, imaginative world-building, Chaney and Scott have created a masterful journey across the stars.
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#### Overview The story kicks off with an ambitious colony ship on Earth, poised for its maiden voyage to Proxima b Centauri. But what begins as a hopeful step toward the future takes a dramatic turn when the cryo-sleeping crew is awakened prematurely—and not by design. News of a sudden alien invasion on Earth shakes the crew’s resolve, leaving them with no choice but to steer toward uncertain safety among the stars. As the plot unfolds, the race against time becomes urgent: Can the crew dodge alien threats, locate survivors from other ships, and ultimately secure sanctuary in a hostile universe?
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#### Highlights Chaney and Scott weave a tapestry of intrigue and urgency with their dynamic storytelling. The sense of vulnerability aboard the colony ship mirrors humanity’s collective fear of extinction, while the diverse crew embodies resilience in the face of overwhelming odds. The pacing is relentless, expertly balancing action-packed sequences with moments of emotional introspection.
The alien invasion itself is handled with chilling detail—both terrifying and believable, making it impossible to look away. And the book’s ability to pull readers into the bleak beauty of space, where hope and survival clash, is breathtaking.
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#### Final Thoughts *Rebel Galaxy* is a prime example of why we love science fiction. It's about exploration, survival, and the enduring human spirit—all set against a backdrop of thrilling extraterrestrial peril. If you're craving a book that's equal parts adrenaline and emotion, this stellar ride is not to be missed.
This was an unforgettable read, and I **cannot wait for the next book in the series**. The possibilities for where the story might venture are as boundless as the galaxy itself.
It's time to leave Earth and go out into the stars to find habitable worlds beyond their own. Dane Clark was assigned to go to Proxima b, but their arrival is quickly ruined by finding someone already there, and not very friendly. Now with just the humans on the planet, they pair up and populate the planet. Twenty-four years later the aliens are back en force. And the aliens' attitude has not improved. They are still not friendly. Almost five years under Draconian rule, Dane and his wife have an opportunity to leave the planet and so they do. I found this to be a great read and already I can't wait to read the next book in this series. Jasper T Scott and JN Chaney, you have done a fantastic job on collaborating on this book. Thanks for a job well done.
I got frustrated at first because the entire first half of the book moved so slowly. Then, the next section was perfect with some character interaction, plot complications, and danger-filled action. But then, the story kept going with too many plot twists and miraculous saves. A few plot twists keep a story interesting, but too many make the reader feel like, “Oh, not again!”. Miraculous saves are often necessary to keep a story going, but too many put too much strain on the reader’s credulity. In spite of its faults, it’s still a good book to read. I enjoyed the storyline, characters, and settings. Dialogue was well done. I can recommend the book, but with the aforementioned reservations.
Mankind is expanding out to the stars but get noticed by a brainwashing enslaver race of aliens with vastly superior technology. Gideon is leading one of 8 ships containing colonists and the aliens are patient enough to wait for them to reach their destination before enslaving them! Gideon leads a small band of people to try and free their colonists and other ship's colonists in a lopsided fight against the Drac.... There is romance, betrayal, patience, fighting, twists, more betrayal, suspense and danger a plenty in this first novel in the Rebel Galaxy series. An entertaining read.
I don't know about this Gideon person. Pretty reckless, borders on stupid decisions that luckily work out in the end. I think my favorite character is Rollem (sp? I listen to my books). Anderson is an interesting anti-hero. The whole push-pull romance between Gideon and Aria is a little silly and displaced in a story like this, but ok.
Overall it was entertaining - thanks Mark Boyett for the fabulous narration! - but sits for me right at average. Not sure if I'll continue the series but it's nice to have on hand in case I need something.
Exciting and fascinating with edge of the seat changes in the story time and time again.
Just when it seems life might be on track with a few wins for the humans there is another twist or turn and once again there is still much more to be done to hang on to life.
Sci-Fi at its best with action, relationship issues with a number of sub plots happening and threatening to derail everything.
You are on a, probably, lifelong mission in space, and are awakened from cryo sleep after 4 years to find Earth has fallen to an alien species and they are probably headed where you are to enslave you as well. Gripping, mostly believable story of a few people trying to be sure humankind survives, and NOT under the heavy claw of alien masters. Warning: while this book has a fairly satisfactory ending, you will want to get the sequels.
Another blockbuster novel from Jasper Scott and J N Chaney. A book that grabs you from the start, really well written plot and character development. Whenever I see the names Jasper Scott and or JN Chaney I know I am in for a great read, they write books that you cannot put down. I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
if you like these authors, you will enjoy this book.
It’s a Cheney book, what is there more to say. Good character development, good storyline, didn’t end on a cliffhanger or did it? If you like J and Cheney, you will like this book.
Interesting characters , great episodes rand story lines forming an integrated adventure. Will hold your interest. Reading the prequel adds to the story.
What can Captain Gideon do, is he able to save everyone or at least some. Full of action and secrets and danger. An amazing beginning to a new series by two great authors.