Pursue the Past: Samair in Argos: Book 1

by Michael Kotcher

Tamara Samair, a decorated Republic Naval officer, narrowly avoids a wrongful conviction at the hands of a jealous subordinate. Dropped in the void and left for dead, lost in survival sleep for centuries, she awakes to find her world has changed and hitches a ride on a decrepit freighter. Tamara and the crew work together to fix the dying ship, try to fight off pirates with a Republic Naval warship captain ruthlessly pursuing them, all while trying to turn a profit. The Argos Cluster is a dangerous place, but some of the worst threats are those left behind.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera

398 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 23, 2014

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where do I even begin? I haven’t been this engrossed in a book in a long time. From prologue to epilogue, every time I put it down was a regrettable decision. Tamara Samair is an incredibly relatable badass. I cried with her, I celebrated with her, I worried about her... and that’s just the main character! Don’t get me started about Captain Vincent Eamonn (my personal favorite) the outwardly stoic leader whose moments of empathy and compassion tend to get him (and his crew along with him) into trouble. Then there’s the complex and hilarious Stella, the jolly cook Cookie, and Verikkoth, the pirate you’ll love to hate, among others you’ll love. The winding story Michael takes you on is action packed and never dull, but the character development makes this stand out to me. This group of misfits could be sitting around a table doing something otherwise mundane and you’ll still cling to every word. I’ve laughed out loud to some of the witty one liners in public places without shame. Do yourself a favor and go ahead and buy the next book too, I guarantee you won’t want to stop at just one.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually when you read a new author's first book it is obvious and sometimes painful. That was not the case with "Pursue the Past", sure it still needs a serious copy edit, but the errors were few and far between and certainly didn't distract form the story.

The story is broken into 'Books' and may have originally come together as a series of novellas. I haven't seen the separate novellas, so I am not certain. The characters are interesting and just flawed enough to make then feel believably real. The elements felt like a combination of other authors that I have read recently; Jamie McFarlane's "Privateer Tales" series and Nathan Lowell's "Trader Tales" series. While Kotcher's style felt similar to these other authors, his style and universe are unique and make for a fun read. The only issues I had with the story were a couple minor character differences between the 'Books' and the statement that when stopping between star systems for repairs "there were no stars". Oh well, it is a first book after all.

I don't know how I missed this series before. It is exactly what I like to read and it is hard to put down. I can't wait to get into book two...

[Bluecobras09 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Samair in Argos has a story line that reminds me a lot of Chris Hechtl's Wandering Engineer. Tamara Samair is commander in the Republic Navy that was setup by her Captain to take the fall for crimes committed by him and one of his subordinates. Shot, thrown in to a damaged escapte pod and ejected at the start of a major war, Tamara wakes up 250 years later when her escape pod is recovered by a freighter. She, being a Commander in he Navy has the ability to operate replicators and she helps the dying freighter's crew repair the freighter until the priates come along.
Now everyone is just trying to survive.

[MKenfield21 · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF because of some anti-gun nonsense.

Plot of the book is almost identical to Chris Hechtl's The Wandering Engineer. The author is physics-illiterate.

[Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf, paper thin plot, Mary Sue main character, SF plot devices paper thin

[David Doenges · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read

Just the kind of space story I like, full of smart engineers, trade and meaningful interaction between the cast. A worthwhile story to spend some time with.

[Hessah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t expect that I would enjoy this Book; Tamara; a Commander who hibernated in an escape pod for 250 years is found by a freight spaceship. The science fiction x fantasy story revolves around the ex commander navigating her demons from her past life with a new found purpose of rebuilding and fixing a crumbling cargo shop across the stars. The series is underrated which is a surprise considering the intricate, yet comprehensible storyline.

[Steve Coutee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entreging story. Spellbinding; in seeing the development of the main character, the emotional suffering she's enduring; a few grammar issue. Formatting is a pain. The story changes from on event to the other without warning or correct notations. Not sure what the thought processes the author was hoping for. With all these problems the characters kept me coming back to see what happens next. The writer has some growing pains to over come but has promise. I'm differently looking forward to his chapter of Samair in Argos to see his writing style flourish. 4 stars.

[John Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! The storyline is fantastic, the action is continual, and character building on going. Dagnabbit you ended it on a cliffhanger!

Good thing I already have the second book. ;)

[Fiannawolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. It felt like Farscape meets Firefly b/c of the crew interactions. A lovable band of misfits.

[Razvan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very pleasant surprise! If you like space opera, pls. give it a try!