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Lost Starship #1
The Lost Starship
Ten thousand years ago, a single alien super-ship survived a desperate battle. The vessel's dying crew set the AI on automatic to defend the smashed rubble of their planet. Legend has it the faithful ship continues to patrol the empty battlefield, obeying its last order throughout the lonely centuries. In the here and now, Earth needs a miracle. Out of the Beyond invade the New Men, stronger, faster and smarter than the old. Their superior warships and advanced technology destroy every fleet sent to stop them. Their spies have infiltrated the government and traitors plague Earth’s military. Captain Maddox of Star Watch Intelligence wonders if the ancient legend could be true. Would such an old starship be able to face the technology of the New Men? On the run from killers, Maddox searches for a group of talented misfits. He seeks Keith Maker, a drunken ex-strikefighter ace, Doctor Dana Rich the clone thief stuck on a prison planet and Lieutenant Valerie Noonan, the only person to have faced the New Men in battle and survived to tell about it. Maddox has to find a place hidden in the Beyond and bring back a ship no one can enter. If he fails, the New Men will replace the old. If he succeeds, humanity might just have a fighting chance…
392 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 27, 2014
2001 people are currently reading
3617 people want to read
About the author
Vaughn Heppner
145 books569 followersYou can visit Vaughn at www.vaughnheppner.com
I was born in Canada and remember as a small boy crawling in my snow-fort. I closed my eyes, and when I tried to open them, they were frozen shut. I didn't panic, but wiped away the ice crystals, unglued my eyes and kept on building my tunnel. Those were great days! I moved to Central California before seventh grade and couldn't believe I lived in a land where oranges grew on trees and you could pick grapes from the vine.
I used to wonder what I wanted to do with my life, what kind of work specifically. I was miserable not knowing and bordering on desperate. Then one day a friend gave me his typewriter. I began working on a novel. A different person told me it was much easier on a computer, so I bought one and began getting up at 4:30 A.M. each morning before work, writing for three hours. My eyes were unglued once again as the pang of misery left my gut. I knew exactly what I wanted to do: write. So now that's what I do, I write, and write, and write, and I love it.
I was born in Canada and remember as a small boy crawling in my snow-fort. I closed my eyes, and when I tried to open them, they were frozen shut. I didn't panic, but wiped away the ice crystals, unglued my eyes and kept on building my tunnel. Those were great days! I moved to Central California before seventh grade and couldn't believe I lived in a land where oranges grew on trees and you could pick grapes from the vine.
I used to wonder what I wanted to do with my life, what kind of work specifically. I was miserable not knowing and bordering on desperate. Then one day a friend gave me his typewriter. I began working on a novel. A different person told me it was much easier on a computer, so I bought one and began getting up at 4:30 A.M. each morning before work, writing for three hours. My eyes were unglued once again as the pang of misery left my gut. I knew exactly what I wanted to do: write. So now that's what I do, I write, and write, and write, and I love it.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 556 reviews
June 21, 2015
also posted on Amazon:
This is all sorts of awful. From the very first sentence you know you are in for pulp fiction mantasy, and Heppner does not disappoint. The characters are straight out of a B movie cast list: the hero with special powers and a secret history, the regulation obsessed officer who grew up in a bad neighbourhood and was bullied by the rich kids in the academy, the doughty sergeant, the alcoholic flying ace, the mad scientist (who in fairness also owes a great deal to the Robert Carlisle role in SG Universe), and the utterly unsympathetic enemy hell bent on destruction.
With those ingredients the story pretty much writes itself, and in places it looks like it did. There are non sequiturs and lacunae, particularly in the character ruminations that either leap diametrically from one direction to another or just fizzle out and go nowhere.
The text of the Kindle edition is riddled with errors, I think we should expect someone who has put this many words together to know the difference between wrenched and wretched, defy and defined - I could go on, there is a howler every couple of pages. A top tip for all budding authors - MS Word is not your friend; it will not fix your mistakes. So cultivate a broad acquaintance that are intimate with the English language and get them all to proof read your work.
The story unfolds like a literary car crash until the point where we learn that sexual assault can cure depression in women. Yes folks, we have authorial time travel and it is the 1950s all over again.
That said it is blessedly short, quick and cheap, and it serves as a reminder for everyone who loves good Sci-Fi and good books in general just how talented the other authors really are.
New authors should read it as a guide of "what not to do."
This is all sorts of awful. From the very first sentence you know you are in for pulp fiction mantasy, and Heppner does not disappoint. The characters are straight out of a B movie cast list: the hero with special powers and a secret history, the regulation obsessed officer who grew up in a bad neighbourhood and was bullied by the rich kids in the academy, the doughty sergeant, the alcoholic flying ace, the mad scientist (who in fairness also owes a great deal to the Robert Carlisle role in SG Universe), and the utterly unsympathetic enemy hell bent on destruction.
With those ingredients the story pretty much writes itself, and in places it looks like it did. There are non sequiturs and lacunae, particularly in the character ruminations that either leap diametrically from one direction to another or just fizzle out and go nowhere.
The text of the Kindle edition is riddled with errors, I think we should expect someone who has put this many words together to know the difference between wrenched and wretched, defy and defined - I could go on, there is a howler every couple of pages. A top tip for all budding authors - MS Word is not your friend; it will not fix your mistakes. So cultivate a broad acquaintance that are intimate with the English language and get them all to proof read your work.
The story unfolds like a literary car crash until the point where we learn that sexual assault can cure depression in women. Yes folks, we have authorial time travel and it is the 1950s all over again.
That said it is blessedly short, quick and cheap, and it serves as a reminder for everyone who loves good Sci-Fi and good books in general just how talented the other authors really are.
New authors should read it as a guide of "what not to do."
December 3, 2014
Sexism and predictable stereotypes
The main character (male) sexually assaulted the beautiful support character on multiple occasions. This was apparently ok because she secretly wanted it, even though she was saying no.
Characters all fulfill stereotypes, very predictably. The evil aliens are super condescending and arrogant. Super genius character is anti-social and has no friends. Hero makes all the right choices, just in time to avoid destruction.
I don't recommend this book.
The main character (male) sexually assaulted the beautiful support character on multiple occasions. This was apparently ok because she secretly wanted it, even though she was saying no.
Characters all fulfill stereotypes, very predictably. The evil aliens are super condescending and arrogant. Super genius character is anti-social and has no friends. Hero makes all the right choices, just in time to avoid destruction.
I don't recommend this book.
January 31, 2021
Ouch.
You know most of what I've read by Vaughn Heppner I've liked, in some cases really liked. That's why I'm a little surprised at how disappointed I am in this one.
Staying with the universal truth that we all have different tastes in most any kind of entertainment I know some of you will like this book more than I. Some of you will like the book for the very things that I dislike. Still, this is a subjective review so I can only relate my views.
The story opens with humanity facing extinction (again). We have encountered "The New Men". It seems some group went off into interstellar space and bred a super-race. Now the New Man are taking over star systems which always fall silent after conquest. We seem to have only one hope.
See there''s this legend of a lone super advanced star ship sentinel put in space and if we can get it and either convince it to fight for us or at least copy it's technology why we might defeat our Darwinian replacements....
Good luck huh?
But that's not all. It seems this mission requires bringing together a group of misfit/genius individualists under the command of an unusual (yet again genius) captain. So we set off to convince, kidnap and even rescue from a deadly prison planet the people we need.
Sounds exciting right?
Yet somehow in this case Heppner manages to bog the whole thing down with slow story-telling, side issue internal dialogues, personal angst and just plain lack of continuity. I was so bored with this book i finally resorted to skimming through parts of it. I would go on about some of that but that would get us down into later parts of the book and be "spoilery".
Suffice it to say that I'm very disappointed here and that the book "only just" escapes my 1 star pile. This is sad as I truly like the author's work.
As noted this is my take on the book. If you like the more emotion laden, angsty type story this may appeal to you more than to me, so try it for yourself. As for me I can't recommend it.
You know most of what I've read by Vaughn Heppner I've liked, in some cases really liked. That's why I'm a little surprised at how disappointed I am in this one.
Staying with the universal truth that we all have different tastes in most any kind of entertainment I know some of you will like this book more than I. Some of you will like the book for the very things that I dislike. Still, this is a subjective review so I can only relate my views.
The story opens with humanity facing extinction (again). We have encountered "The New Men". It seems some group went off into interstellar space and bred a super-race. Now the New Man are taking over star systems which always fall silent after conquest. We seem to have only one hope.
See there''s this legend of a lone super advanced star ship sentinel put in space and if we can get it and either convince it to fight for us or at least copy it's technology why we might defeat our Darwinian replacements....
Good luck huh?
But that's not all. It seems this mission requires bringing together a group of misfit/genius individualists under the command of an unusual (yet again genius) captain. So we set off to convince, kidnap and even rescue from a deadly prison planet the people we need.
Sounds exciting right?
Yet somehow in this case Heppner manages to bog the whole thing down with slow story-telling, side issue internal dialogues, personal angst and just plain lack of continuity. I was so bored with this book i finally resorted to skimming through parts of it. I would go on about some of that but that would get us down into later parts of the book and be "spoilery".
Suffice it to say that I'm very disappointed here and that the book "only just" escapes my 1 star pile. This is sad as I truly like the author's work.
As noted this is my take on the book. If you like the more emotion laden, angsty type story this may appeal to you more than to me, so try it for yourself. As for me I can't recommend it.
September 28, 2014
Assembled entirely from cheesy cliches, but chugged along at a good pace. A really unpleasant subplot about the virtues of sexual harrassment turned up near the end, and I hope the author is at least a little ashamed of it.
January 18, 2015
While I was expecting a cheesy pulpy space romp I wasn't expecting the surprise that was how horrible the entire book turned out to be.
Filled with awful stereotypes, bad clichés, nary a drop of original science fiction ideas, and even worse "romance" (Which is a nice way of describing the collection of sexist / creep actions). The plot itself is full of holes, which one could be forgiven in thinking these will be resolved in the next few books based on how quickly and rushed the ending came across. I will not even touch on the writing quality.
If you enjoy eye-rolling, then perhaps this book is for you.
Filled with awful stereotypes, bad clichés, nary a drop of original science fiction ideas, and even worse "romance" (Which is a nice way of describing the collection of sexist / creep actions). The plot itself is full of holes, which one could be forgiven in thinking these will be resolved in the next few books based on how quickly and rushed the ending came across. I will not even touch on the writing quality.
If you enjoy eye-rolling, then perhaps this book is for you.
March 25, 2015
Bah! Just bah ... This book is riddled with typos, misused words, grammatical errors and even passive voice. To compound the poor editing, the science is so outlandish it kills any possible suspension of disbelief. And I don't even want to get started about the grandiose main character who believes his sexual masculinity is the cure for what ails the female characters.
November 3, 2014
The Lost Starship by Vaughn Heppner is a rollicking great read. The Commonwealth of Man, ruled by Earth is facing its greatest threat. More, the very future of homo sapiens is at stake. The New Men, genetically modified supermen, have invaded the Commonwealth from beyond the known stars systems. They have conquered three star systems and obliterate battle fleet sent against them.
Enter Captain Maddox of Star Watch Intelligence. He is an enigma, boasting superior abilities and intelligence, but not knowing why, although he has his suspicions. His superiors send him to retrieve an ancient lost starship that, according to legend, has the technology required to defeat the New Men.
Captain Maddox has to gather a ragtag group as his team, and so his adventure begins. The book is full of mysteries - the origins of the New Men, their goals and extent of their abilities are all unknown, and the Captain is full of questions about himself.
The members of his team are all varied and as each has his or her own agenda, causing them to clash frequently. The dynamics of the team and how they strive to form an effective team is one of the strengths of the book.
The book presents a detailed background, both on the characters, and on the universe.
Ignore all criticisms aimed at the book, this is a first class science fiction adventure, and I simply could not put it down. The book leaves many threads unresolved, so hopefully he will continue this into a trilogy or longer series of books.
Enter Captain Maddox of Star Watch Intelligence. He is an enigma, boasting superior abilities and intelligence, but not knowing why, although he has his suspicions. His superiors send him to retrieve an ancient lost starship that, according to legend, has the technology required to defeat the New Men.
Captain Maddox has to gather a ragtag group as his team, and so his adventure begins. The book is full of mysteries - the origins of the New Men, their goals and extent of their abilities are all unknown, and the Captain is full of questions about himself.
The members of his team are all varied and as each has his or her own agenda, causing them to clash frequently. The dynamics of the team and how they strive to form an effective team is one of the strengths of the book.
The book presents a detailed background, both on the characters, and on the universe.
Ignore all criticisms aimed at the book, this is a first class science fiction adventure, and I simply could not put it down. The book leaves many threads unresolved, so hopefully he will continue this into a trilogy or longer series of books.
January 26, 2015
Compelling story weak execution
This book started out with a lot of promise. The human race, now no longer shackled to earth, was being threatened by a mysterious alien race intent on annihilation. There is only one hope for humanity - a long lost alien space ship. The search is on for this great ship, and the team searching for it is a motley crew of skill and dysfunction.
WARNING **spoilers** WARNING
The beginning, as the team was assembled, was action packed. I was drawn into this story.
The problem is that, after the first 100 pages or so, the story slowed down to a crawl and the author apparently lost any desire to make the story interesting. Huge chunks of the book were devoted to them floating through space in sub-lights owed ships. While not a bad thing necessarily, it was for this book. These sections could have been used for character development, back story exposition, etc. instead, we start to see the main characters exhibit behaviors totally opposed to how the author had set them up in the first part of the book. So we spend much of the time in the book watching metaphorical paint dry.
Secondly, the characters are often thrown into terrible circumstances with little hope of escape. Except they do. Easily. And very little explanation is made. For example, in one section we end a chapter with the fate of our hero very much in doubt. The next chapter starts two days later with everything fine, only a little sentence describing how the problem was resolved. Chapters upon chapters are written of them drifting in space, and scant sentences are left for resolving the action.
I stuck with the book, though, even as the quality continued to get worse and worse the further in i went. I at least wanted to see how this terrible situation was resolved and how it ended. That's where the book earns one star. I get to the end, hoping to see that earth has taken this amazing battleship and defeated the New Men. What happens? They drop off the ship like they're a freaking delivery service and go on their merry way. No climactic battle with the bad guys. Actually, the admiral says they probably can't even use the ship to help them all that much. WHAT WAS THE POINT THEN?!? It ended like some crappy teen movie where we see the pictures of people as they've gone on with their lives and a short explanation. No conclusion. No victory or even defeat. Just, "hey thanks for risking your lives to get this ship. It's pretty crappy. "
Im sure the author was setting up a series, and that's fine. Just let me know it's a series. That way, when I got 100 pages in and I started to see how crappy it was getting, I could have given up then knowing I wouldn't see a resolution.
Don't waste your time on this book.
This book started out with a lot of promise. The human race, now no longer shackled to earth, was being threatened by a mysterious alien race intent on annihilation. There is only one hope for humanity - a long lost alien space ship. The search is on for this great ship, and the team searching for it is a motley crew of skill and dysfunction.
WARNING **spoilers** WARNING
The beginning, as the team was assembled, was action packed. I was drawn into this story.
The problem is that, after the first 100 pages or so, the story slowed down to a crawl and the author apparently lost any desire to make the story interesting. Huge chunks of the book were devoted to them floating through space in sub-lights owed ships. While not a bad thing necessarily, it was for this book. These sections could have been used for character development, back story exposition, etc. instead, we start to see the main characters exhibit behaviors totally opposed to how the author had set them up in the first part of the book. So we spend much of the time in the book watching metaphorical paint dry.
Secondly, the characters are often thrown into terrible circumstances with little hope of escape. Except they do. Easily. And very little explanation is made. For example, in one section we end a chapter with the fate of our hero very much in doubt. The next chapter starts two days later with everything fine, only a little sentence describing how the problem was resolved. Chapters upon chapters are written of them drifting in space, and scant sentences are left for resolving the action.
I stuck with the book, though, even as the quality continued to get worse and worse the further in i went. I at least wanted to see how this terrible situation was resolved and how it ended. That's where the book earns one star. I get to the end, hoping to see that earth has taken this amazing battleship and defeated the New Men. What happens? They drop off the ship like they're a freaking delivery service and go on their merry way. No climactic battle with the bad guys. Actually, the admiral says they probably can't even use the ship to help them all that much. WHAT WAS THE POINT THEN?!? It ended like some crappy teen movie where we see the pictures of people as they've gone on with their lives and a short explanation. No conclusion. No victory or even defeat. Just, "hey thanks for risking your lives to get this ship. It's pretty crappy. "
Im sure the author was setting up a series, and that's fine. Just let me know it's a series. That way, when I got 100 pages in and I started to see how crappy it was getting, I could have given up then knowing I wouldn't see a resolution.
Don't waste your time on this book.
June 22, 2018
Misspellings, boring characterization, and some reeeeeally creepy sexual harassment portrayed as romantic.
The idea is sort of interesting, but it falls flat on execution. The main character is too much of a cardboard cutout "I'm awesome and a maverick and every rash decision I make works out because I rule." His crew all fall into pretty stock character designs: the one who follows the rules, the washed up but talented guy who of course regains his will to live and beat alcoholism because of Captain Awesome's inspiration, and the silent stoic guy. The villain is just a standard smug "I'm superior" stereotype - nothing new or interesting.
Oh, and then there's the... *shudder* "romance." And by 'romance,' the author means: "grope and otherwise make unwanted sexual overtures to a woman who is your captive, and ignore her when she repeatedly tells you to stop! She'll see what a great guy you are and come around eventually." It was pretty creepy. And the author didn't portray it as a character flaw for his hero, either! He wrote it straight-up "no-means-yes-and-that's-adorable."
And the misspellings. This novel is a perfect example of why you can't forgo a proper editor in favor of spellcheck.
Still, the idea was sorta good, somewhere in there. Two stars.
The idea is sort of interesting, but it falls flat on execution. The main character is too much of a cardboard cutout "I'm awesome and a maverick and every rash decision I make works out because I rule." His crew all fall into pretty stock character designs: the one who follows the rules, the washed up but talented guy who of course regains his will to live and beat alcoholism because of Captain Awesome's inspiration, and the silent stoic guy. The villain is just a standard smug "I'm superior" stereotype - nothing new or interesting.
Oh, and then there's the... *shudder* "romance." And by 'romance,' the author means: "grope and otherwise make unwanted sexual overtures to a woman who is your captive, and ignore her when she repeatedly tells you to stop! She'll see what a great guy you are and come around eventually." It was pretty creepy. And the author didn't portray it as a character flaw for his hero, either! He wrote it straight-up "no-means-yes-and-that's-adorable."
And the misspellings. This novel is a perfect example of why you can't forgo a proper editor in favor of spellcheck.
Still, the idea was sorta good, somewhere in there. Two stars.
August 31, 2015
This is totally popcorn reading but it's engrossing and enjoyable.
Insurmountable alien force. Legendary ship of great power. Last ditch attempt to bring home this weapon to even the odds.
It's a wonderful combination of Stargate and Star Trek.
Characters are enjoyable if a bit archetypal. Great pace. Good mix of action, intrigue and humor.
Very fun read and will definitely be checking out the next book.
Insurmountable alien force. Legendary ship of great power. Last ditch attempt to bring home this weapon to even the odds.
It's a wonderful combination of Stargate and Star Trek.
Characters are enjoyable if a bit archetypal. Great pace. Good mix of action, intrigue and humor.
Very fun read and will definitely be checking out the next book.
May 25, 2019
The Lost Starship is just another sci-fi “space opera” romp through the galaxy complete with a military-based theme and a seemingly insurmountable threat to humanity. The romp goes on charging forward with that worn out combination of mystery, action, and adventure typical of the sci-fi genre.
The experience is entertaining enough. The goal of finding the lost starship is established at the beginning of the story. words and chapters follow that fill out Heppner’s outline. He gets his readers from the beginning to the end of the novel along a curvy road with a few surprises thrown in along the way. (yawn...stretch)
The characters all work like little soldiers dedicated to their own sense of duty. They all fulfill their parts and they seldom stray from their assigned personalities. There were scenes between characters that captured my interest, but there were other scenes that were gawd-awful awkward.
Like the characters, Heppner’s treatment of technology had its hits and misses. Some elements were simply glossed over and required automatic acceptance. Other elements, however, were thought provoking. Heppner’s treatment of faster-than-light travel and its effect on trans-galaxy communications, for instance, rested in harmony with the way humans and have traveled and communicated from the beginning of our existence. This was the best part of the book.
Overall, The Lost Starship could have been a much better book. Its biggest failing is that Heppner was content with adding one more space opera to sci-fi’s vast accumulation of similar books. It failed to strive for more and the worst part is that more was possible, even envisionable by this reader, at various points along the way.
The experience is entertaining enough. The goal of finding the lost starship is established at the beginning of the story. words and chapters follow that fill out Heppner’s outline. He gets his readers from the beginning to the end of the novel along a curvy road with a few surprises thrown in along the way. (yawn...stretch)
The characters all work like little soldiers dedicated to their own sense of duty. They all fulfill their parts and they seldom stray from their assigned personalities. There were scenes between characters that captured my interest, but there were other scenes that were gawd-awful awkward.
Like the characters, Heppner’s treatment of technology had its hits and misses. Some elements were simply glossed over and required automatic acceptance. Other elements, however, were thought provoking. Heppner’s treatment of faster-than-light travel and its effect on trans-galaxy communications, for instance, rested in harmony with the way humans and have traveled and communicated from the beginning of our existence. This was the best part of the book.
Overall, The Lost Starship could have been a much better book. Its biggest failing is that Heppner was content with adding one more space opera to sci-fi’s vast accumulation of similar books. It failed to strive for more and the worst part is that more was possible, even envisionable by this reader, at various points along the way.
October 15, 2014
Vaughn Heppner crafts a heck of an action novel, and "The Lost Starship," his latest ranks up there with his best. In fact, I just noticed Amazon.com just listed it as its No. 1 space opera seller. Heppner stories feature strong characters faced with intense, almost impossible challenges. They must pull out a win faced with odds that would vaporize the average Joe. In that respect, this one is no different. It starts with Captain Maddox, a conflicted guy who doesn't know if he's genetically related to the worst threat humanity's ever faced. He's also a total warrior: fast, deadly and a better fighter than nearly everybody in known space. Typically, Heppner focuses on the hero, centering the story strictly on his battle with evil/certain death. But here he opts for a different formula. Lost Starship uses an ensemble. This starts very much like a "Guardians of the Galaxy." But the two are only similar in that they assemble a group of misfits. Lost Starship is vintage Heppner. For instance, Maddox has to overcome a prison planet, a universe of military vessels, aliens in multiple guises and his own crew. Life isn't easy, nor is it expected. Death awaits around every corner. But back to his characters. Heppner gives his supporting cast at least as much weight as Maddox. His partner, Sergeant Riker, gets a lot of page time. He's a by-the-book guy and has one arm and one eye. But don't think that slows the old guy down. There's his pilot, an alcoholic Scotsman haunted by the death of brother in a previous war. His name is Keith Maker and he's amazing in a shuttle, getting away from starships. Maddox has to rescue the brilliant and devious Doctor Dana Rich from a poisonous prison planet that is a death sentence for whomever is sent there. Maddox also brings Meta, a super woman raised on a heavy gravity planet. He's got a thing for her. Lastly, there's Lieutenant Valerie Noonan whose role appears to be to keep Maddox from going nuts. All are well developed. Heppner has a note at the back. It says, "If you liked the book and would like to see it become a series, please put up some stars and a review to support it." My response: "Hell, yes." Here's to another in the series!
September 29, 2017
I ignored the reviews thinking it'd not be so bad. But it was super bad. Pulpy sexist trash. Read something else.
You will hate all the characters, especially the main dude.
You will hate all the characters, especially the main dude.
January 20, 2020
Heppner seems to employ a similar cast of characters in his novels; in The Lost Starship, we have a crusty old solider, a maverick captain, a busty barbarian beauty, a lovely female officer, and finally, a computer genius. The captain pulls together the crew and they venture off to find/claim a legendary alien starship and bring it back to Earth to help fight the 'new men'. A very linear story awash in stereotypes, Heppner still manages to keep interest throughout. While a newer novel, this could easily have been written in the 'golden age' of science fiction. 2.5 stars rounding to 3.
May 2, 2018
Very enjoyable
Interesting characters with a constant threat of death makes for a pretty enjoyable read,looking forward to seeing how the series progresses.
Good enough for me to want to read the next book in the series.
Interesting characters with a constant threat of death makes for a pretty enjoyable read,looking forward to seeing how the series progresses.
Good enough for me to want to read the next book in the series.
December 15, 2025
Huh
I don’t know what makes others love this book or this series so much. I just think it was a badly written plot and style, plot, tempo, and more. Don’t ask me why I even bothered finishing the book instead of DNF. I guess I just want to read through to be sure that I didn’t miss anything. If you want to read something like this style, but a better one try Marko Kloos.
I don’t know what makes others love this book or this series so much. I just think it was a badly written plot and style, plot, tempo, and more. Don’t ask me why I even bothered finishing the book instead of DNF. I guess I just want to read through to be sure that I didn’t miss anything. If you want to read something like this style, but a better one try Marko Kloos.
February 6, 2015
The Lost Starship - Vaughn Heppner
I would recommend The lost starship, by Vaughn Heppner. He is an accomplished science fiction writer, and has many books written. As I like Science Fiction very well (Of course, you should know, as my last book review was on The Martian.) It was a very suspenseful book, one that if you start reading you do not want to put it back down. That was the case for me, anyway. This book is book 1 of a series, and book 2 is currently out as well. I liked the plot: very action-packed and suspenseful, with twists in the book. This book is about Captain Maddox of Star Watch Intelligence. In an era where humans have finally taken to space, they encounter a threat: the New Men. Golden-Skinned, faster, stronger and better than the average human, no one knows where they have come from. As their starships devastate the Star Watch Fleet, Captain Maddox is sent on a quest to find an alien starship that was only passed down as myths. It is rumored that in a forgotten star system where it is a junkyard of dead ships from a long-forgotten battle, the planets destroyed by planet-busters of immeasurable strength, there is a starship. Everyone inside is dead, while only its AI constantly searches for danger for 6,000 years. With an ex-starfighter ace with drinking problems, a lieutenant that is a stickler for rules, and other characters, captain Maddox struggles to find the alien starship that could turn the tide and maybe save humanity from extinction. In the book, I especially liked Captain Maddox- a man with calm in the face of danger, a man with superb reflexes, strength and speed… (hey, wait that sounds like the…) oh well, you’ll have to read the book to find out!
“If we’re doomed, as you say, why not strive with every fiber in you to defeat the night? Why go quietly down to death? Let’s fight oblivion together. Let’s fight to live longer and do more than simply quit. If you admit defeat, the game is already up. If you strive, well, who knows, maybe we’ll produce another wonder.” -from The Lost Starship
Rating: 8.97/10
I would recommend The lost starship, by Vaughn Heppner. He is an accomplished science fiction writer, and has many books written. As I like Science Fiction very well (Of course, you should know, as my last book review was on The Martian.) It was a very suspenseful book, one that if you start reading you do not want to put it back down. That was the case for me, anyway. This book is book 1 of a series, and book 2 is currently out as well. I liked the plot: very action-packed and suspenseful, with twists in the book. This book is about Captain Maddox of Star Watch Intelligence. In an era where humans have finally taken to space, they encounter a threat: the New Men. Golden-Skinned, faster, stronger and better than the average human, no one knows where they have come from. As their starships devastate the Star Watch Fleet, Captain Maddox is sent on a quest to find an alien starship that was only passed down as myths. It is rumored that in a forgotten star system where it is a junkyard of dead ships from a long-forgotten battle, the planets destroyed by planet-busters of immeasurable strength, there is a starship. Everyone inside is dead, while only its AI constantly searches for danger for 6,000 years. With an ex-starfighter ace with drinking problems, a lieutenant that is a stickler for rules, and other characters, captain Maddox struggles to find the alien starship that could turn the tide and maybe save humanity from extinction. In the book, I especially liked Captain Maddox- a man with calm in the face of danger, a man with superb reflexes, strength and speed… (hey, wait that sounds like the…) oh well, you’ll have to read the book to find out!“If we’re doomed, as you say, why not strive with every fiber in you to defeat the night? Why go quietly down to death? Let’s fight oblivion together. Let’s fight to live longer and do more than simply quit. If you admit defeat, the game is already up. If you strive, well, who knows, maybe we’ll produce another wonder.” -from The Lost Starship
Rating: 8.97/10
December 26, 2014
The Lost Starship starts off a little rocky, but it gets better. And when it was over, there wer e far more questions (and stories).
The New Men are a group of super humans seemingly bent on dominating all human worlds. No one know where they come from, nor their full capabilities. Based upon a legend, Star Watch, the security and intelligence arm of the government, Captain Maddox and a ragtag group of people go chasing after this legend of an alien star ship. Before leaving Earth, though, assassins are after the group. Are the New Men behind this? More than likely, indicating deep seated conspiracies everywhere.
I enjoyed the book for the most part. It is a very long book, but nothing feels padded. Pacing is decent. There are lots of simple editing errors that should have been caught prior to publication. Thus are the downfalls of self-publishing, I suppose.
I recommend the book. But if you have no patience, don't bother.
The New Men are a group of super humans seemingly bent on dominating all human worlds. No one know where they come from, nor their full capabilities. Based upon a legend, Star Watch, the security and intelligence arm of the government, Captain Maddox and a ragtag group of people go chasing after this legend of an alien star ship. Before leaving Earth, though, assassins are after the group. Are the New Men behind this? More than likely, indicating deep seated conspiracies everywhere.
I enjoyed the book for the most part. It is a very long book, but nothing feels padded. Pacing is decent. There are lots of simple editing errors that should have been caught prior to publication. Thus are the downfalls of self-publishing, I suppose.
I recommend the book. But if you have no patience, don't bother.
March 15, 2021
I have one word - Boring.
After reading Marko Kloos I've tried this one because it remind me of Stargate Universe so I tried and was really upset it didn't check my internal boxes. Probably it was my own fault... But alas...
So humanity is facing extinction due to some really powerful called "New Men". Why the name? Don't know. Makes no sense - but let us see in the next novels ; oh wait will not see because I will not read the next one.
One of first things that bother was the almost perfect captain (genius and physically).
Second some parts of the novel were so boring that I skimming some pages.
All other characters are also very normal in the 70's and you've seen everywhere.
I really don't want to read more books on this series. I will rather read Marko Kloos second novel.
After reading Marko Kloos I've tried this one because it remind me of Stargate Universe so I tried and was really upset it didn't check my internal boxes. Probably it was my own fault... But alas...
So humanity is facing extinction due to some really powerful called "New Men". Why the name? Don't know. Makes no sense - but let us see in the next novels ; oh wait will not see because I will not read the next one.
One of first things that bother was the almost perfect captain (genius and physically).
Second some parts of the novel were so boring that I skimming some pages.
All other characters are also very normal in the 70's and you've seen everywhere.
I really don't want to read more books on this series. I will rather read Marko Kloos second novel.
May 13, 2019
Humanity seems to be on the verge of annihilation and Captain Maddox is facing his own problems when he sent off to find the ’lost ship’, in the hope it will provide the answer to the ’New Men’.
The author was certainly trying to make the journey exciting, but it was probably too frenetic as Maddox stepped from one confused crisis to another. I also found the characters were more like caricatures and I am afraid I didn’t feel any empathy for any of them.
Overall it wasn’t a bad book, but I don’t really enjoy stories that are just one disaster after another, I also found I didn’t really like Captain Maddock.
If possible I would have given 2.5 stars.
The author was certainly trying to make the journey exciting, but it was probably too frenetic as Maddox stepped from one confused crisis to another. I also found the characters were more like caricatures and I am afraid I didn’t feel any empathy for any of them.
Overall it wasn’t a bad book, but I don’t really enjoy stories that are just one disaster after another, I also found I didn’t really like Captain Maddock.
If possible I would have given 2.5 stars.
January 13, 2024
This book is written in a style I haven't seen since the 1960s. The hero is a man's man who will rise to any occasion... think Doc Savage, James Bond, or Flash Gordon. Technology is like magic. With a little study and wit, it is possible to make it do anything, even if it is alien-based. All the women are beautiful but troubled, just waiting for the right man to solve their puzzle. The villains are supremely arrogant and given to underestimating the hero while monologuing about their own greatness.
If you're in the mood for some extended pulp SciFi, then this novel will hit the spot. Sadly, it made me wince rather than smile.
If you're in the mood for some extended pulp SciFi, then this novel will hit the spot. Sadly, it made me wince rather than smile.
March 19, 2015
Some really good plot parts, but also a lot of not so coherent places (these might become clear in book two, in which case my rating will change)
A few likeable characters, but also one who I really didn't get.
I like the narrator's narrating voice, but he's not very consistent in his character voices.
A few likeable characters, but also one who I really didn't get.
I like the narrator's narrating voice, but he's not very consistent in his character voices.
June 13, 2021
A very good read! I look forward to more of this series.
January 30, 2023
Old style space opera, involuntary funny for all the wrong reasons.
Reminded me quite a lot about the Flash Gordon movie, with “real” manly heroes, damsels in distress and evil super villains, without taking itself too serious.
Apparently the novel is meant seriously, but read with an ironic distance it’s quite entertaining.
I might pick up one of the next in the series on a rainy day, but not right now.
Reminded me quite a lot about the Flash Gordon movie, with “real” manly heroes, damsels in distress and evil super villains, without taking itself too serious.
Apparently the novel is meant seriously, but read with an ironic distance it’s quite entertaining.
I might pick up one of the next in the series on a rainy day, but not right now.
September 6, 2021
I wouldn't say it's the best space opera SCIFI book. I would put it slightly higher than Nino Cipri series, but lower than Scalzi's Old Man War.
I enjoyed reading it. It doesn't drag. I kinda like the back and forth banters between characters.
The backstories are "just" nice, not too draggy like most books. None of the characters annoys me, so yeah it's good.
I enjoyed reading it. It doesn't drag. I kinda like the back and forth banters between characters.
The backstories are "just" nice, not too draggy like most books. None of the characters annoys me, so yeah it's good.
April 23, 2017
3.5 stars, better than average. Good start to the series. Good plot and diverse cast of characters but I'm not totally feeling the love yet. Will go on to book 2.
December 4, 2015
My original The Lost Starship audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
Captain Maddox is just a little faster, stronger and more perceptive than those around him. So when the “New Men” attack and decimate a military convoy, he questions if he might be somehow related. These so-called “New Men” are human beings that have been genetically enhanced to better than old humans in every way. No one is sure what they want, but their superiority clearly threatens the survival of the human race.
There is an old space rumor of an ancient alien star ship with superior technology that might be humanity’s only hope. Captain Maddox and a ragtag group of scientists and soldiers fight their way across the void to find the star ship and more importantly, get it back home in time.
There is a classic tone of the novel, reminiscent of the 1940s and 50s. The larger than life Captain Maddox leads the barely held-together group of criminals and misfits into certain death only to find the only possible escape at the last possible second. The characters make the story; they are quirky, alcoholic, angry, dangerous, brilliant and unpredictable. You don’t know if they are going to save the galaxy or tear each other apart. It’s a fun ride that is well worth the listen.
The story is read by David Stifel. He has a unique character to his voice, dramatic and human; sometimes stumbling to pronounce a word correctly. Perhaps not as polished as many performers these days, his reading is enjoyable none-the-less. It is such a personal thing, but this listener found his voice enjoyable because of the flaws.
Lost Star Ship is the first in a series of unknown length. The story wraps up nicely, but leaves the door wide open for its sequel. This quirky and strange space adventure is a thoroughly entertaining ride. You’ll want to find out what happens to Captain Maddox and his crew of misfits in the next installment.
Audiobook provided for review by the narrator.
Captain Maddox is just a little faster, stronger and more perceptive than those around him. So when the “New Men” attack and decimate a military convoy, he questions if he might be somehow related. These so-called “New Men” are human beings that have been genetically enhanced to better than old humans in every way. No one is sure what they want, but their superiority clearly threatens the survival of the human race.
There is an old space rumor of an ancient alien star ship with superior technology that might be humanity’s only hope. Captain Maddox and a ragtag group of scientists and soldiers fight their way across the void to find the star ship and more importantly, get it back home in time.
There is a classic tone of the novel, reminiscent of the 1940s and 50s. The larger than life Captain Maddox leads the barely held-together group of criminals and misfits into certain death only to find the only possible escape at the last possible second. The characters make the story; they are quirky, alcoholic, angry, dangerous, brilliant and unpredictable. You don’t know if they are going to save the galaxy or tear each other apart. It’s a fun ride that is well worth the listen.
The story is read by David Stifel. He has a unique character to his voice, dramatic and human; sometimes stumbling to pronounce a word correctly. Perhaps not as polished as many performers these days, his reading is enjoyable none-the-less. It is such a personal thing, but this listener found his voice enjoyable because of the flaws.
Lost Star Ship is the first in a series of unknown length. The story wraps up nicely, but leaves the door wide open for its sequel. This quirky and strange space adventure is a thoroughly entertaining ride. You’ll want to find out what happens to Captain Maddox and his crew of misfits in the next installment.
Audiobook provided for review by the narrator.
June 28, 2015
This is indeed a quite enjoyable science fiction adventure. I would not exactly call it hard science fiction but nevertheless the action, ship movements and tactics are plausible for a science fiction novel.
Although the main story is one of war between entities spanning numerous worlds the core story is one of a small team of heroes, sometimes quite unwilling ones, embarking on a quest to find the legendary starship, which has given the title of book. It is an interesting mix of, mostly likable, characters that are having very different personalities. Their quest is an adventurous one which spans various tasks like escaping the traitors in the commonwealth, getting themselves in and out of a prison planet and, of course, finding the previously mentioned starship (and surviving the encounter).
I fail to see why so many people seems to dislike this book according to the reviews. Yes it is a bit of simple pulp fiction but I have definitely read much worse stories. It is a good adventure story. It is a fairly light and quick read but, at least as far as I am concerned, it is an enjoyable story. A good mix of adventure, action and a decent enough background plot.
The final encounter with the lost starship was perhaps a bit of an anticlimax though in that, I felt, that it was not really the powerful warship that I was hoping for. Granted, it was not operating at full capacity and it was still powerful and it will, if the author so decides, have a fairly large impact on the future war. I could also have been without some of the “The New Men have infiltrated more or less everything” parts of the story but then, that is just a story type that I am not so found of. Nevertheless I am definitely looking forward to read the next instalment in the series.
Although the main story is one of war between entities spanning numerous worlds the core story is one of a small team of heroes, sometimes quite unwilling ones, embarking on a quest to find the legendary starship, which has given the title of book. It is an interesting mix of, mostly likable, characters that are having very different personalities. Their quest is an adventurous one which spans various tasks like escaping the traitors in the commonwealth, getting themselves in and out of a prison planet and, of course, finding the previously mentioned starship (and surviving the encounter).
I fail to see why so many people seems to dislike this book according to the reviews. Yes it is a bit of simple pulp fiction but I have definitely read much worse stories. It is a good adventure story. It is a fairly light and quick read but, at least as far as I am concerned, it is an enjoyable story. A good mix of adventure, action and a decent enough background plot.
The final encounter with the lost starship was perhaps a bit of an anticlimax though in that, I felt, that it was not really the powerful warship that I was hoping for. Granted, it was not operating at full capacity and it was still powerful and it will, if the author so decides, have a fairly large impact on the future war. I could also have been without some of the “The New Men have infiltrated more or less everything” parts of the story but then, that is just a story type that I am not so found of. Nevertheless I am definitely looking forward to read the next instalment in the series.
December 31, 2014
This has got to be one of the silliest books I have ever read. I don't know if the author meant this book to be that way, but, in my opinion that's the way it turned out. I don't know if the author is British or not, but if so, that can explain the weird way Captain Maddox was acting. He was one strange dude!
I think I have the ranks right, Maddox must have been a full Captain like in the Navy while Noonan was a Commander one rank below. I’m not sure what a Brigadier was doing working for the Lord High Admiral but that’s what she was. Brigadier is short for Brigadier General, usually an Army rank.
I don’t think the Star Watch is very good at war fighting. It seems they have way too many of their ships already compromised by New Men and they don’t even know it. Why they didn’t send someone to help with the extraction on Loki Prime I don’t know. Surely they would want to know that they had a compromised ship running around already knowing about Maddox’s “secret” mission!
And then there’s the stupid conversations with the alien starship Captain or computer! I don’t know why the computer could only speak with Maddox since everyone on the mission, except for Meta, should have the “right” brain patterns. And it was never explained why the ship had controls that would require a tentacle being to operate them.
All-in-all, I took this as a tongue-in-cheek story that I recommend NOT continue! It’s nice to read about Captain Maddox once but too much of him could get quite tiring!
I think I have the ranks right, Maddox must have been a full Captain like in the Navy while Noonan was a Commander one rank below. I’m not sure what a Brigadier was doing working for the Lord High Admiral but that’s what she was. Brigadier is short for Brigadier General, usually an Army rank.
I don’t think the Star Watch is very good at war fighting. It seems they have way too many of their ships already compromised by New Men and they don’t even know it. Why they didn’t send someone to help with the extraction on Loki Prime I don’t know. Surely they would want to know that they had a compromised ship running around already knowing about Maddox’s “secret” mission!
And then there’s the stupid conversations with the alien starship Captain or computer! I don’t know why the computer could only speak with Maddox since everyone on the mission, except for Meta, should have the “right” brain patterns. And it was never explained why the ship had controls that would require a tentacle being to operate them.
All-in-all, I took this as a tongue-in-cheek story that I recommend NOT continue! It’s nice to read about Captain Maddox once but too much of him could get quite tiring!
October 5, 2014
I enjoyed this book enough to finish it but I found myself disliking the main character too much to give it any more stars. Even the remaining characters left me mostly detached about their fate. Also, the final part of the story happens way too fast and almost becomes anticlimactic. I did however, enjoy the science part of this tale which was totally far-fetched of course but fascinating all the same.
A lot of questions raised in the story go unanswered which of course hints at a sequel but I was rather stunned to read at the end of the book, a short note by the author, asking his readers for good ratings so the he could decide whether to write the sequel at all. My son has recently completed his first novel (unpublished) and despite having no clue as to whether it will ever be published, has already started the sequel. Why? Because he wants to know how it ends. He wants to see how the characters he has grown to cherish, will succeed in their quest. He wants to know if they will live or die. I cannot imagine someone writing a book like The Lost Starship and decide not to finish the story at least for his own sake. Of course, Heppner, like the rest of us, probably has to pay the bills so he may have no choice. I realise I am not helping him make the choice of writing the sequel by giving the book a 2-star rating but perhaps that lack of passion for his own characters is what I felt when reading the story, in which case it is probably best that the story ends here.
A lot of questions raised in the story go unanswered which of course hints at a sequel but I was rather stunned to read at the end of the book, a short note by the author, asking his readers for good ratings so the he could decide whether to write the sequel at all. My son has recently completed his first novel (unpublished) and despite having no clue as to whether it will ever be published, has already started the sequel. Why? Because he wants to know how it ends. He wants to see how the characters he has grown to cherish, will succeed in their quest. He wants to know if they will live or die. I cannot imagine someone writing a book like The Lost Starship and decide not to finish the story at least for his own sake. Of course, Heppner, like the rest of us, probably has to pay the bills so he may have no choice. I realise I am not helping him make the choice of writing the sequel by giving the book a 2-star rating but perhaps that lack of passion for his own characters is what I felt when reading the story, in which case it is probably best that the story ends here.
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