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Carson Mach Adventures #1
The Atlantis Ship
A legendary enemy attacks...
Galactic peace is threatened...
Unless one man can find and stop the Atlantis ship
Carson Mach, a former war hero turned freelancer, seeks the biggest payday of his life when he’s tasked to hunt down a ghost ship that has echoed through the centuries. The legendary Atlantis ship has become a reality, appearing at the Commonwealth frontier, and obliterating an orbital station.
Facing a lack of resources, a ragtag crew, and aliens who want him dead, Mach must use all his leadership skills and experience if he’s to beat the overwhelming odds.His mission will take him across the galaxy and to uncharted dark areas of space.
Failure to stop the Atlantis ship will not only mean the death of Mach and his crew, but the end of the Commonwealth and all of humanity. Somehow, Mach must find a way to solve an ancient mystery if he’s too succeed where everyone else before him has failed.
Galactic peace is threatened...
Unless one man can find and stop the Atlantis ship
Carson Mach, a former war hero turned freelancer, seeks the biggest payday of his life when he’s tasked to hunt down a ghost ship that has echoed through the centuries. The legendary Atlantis ship has become a reality, appearing at the Commonwealth frontier, and obliterating an orbital station.
Facing a lack of resources, a ragtag crew, and aliens who want him dead, Mach must use all his leadership skills and experience if he’s to beat the overwhelming odds.His mission will take him across the galaxy and to uncharted dark areas of space.
Failure to stop the Atlantis ship will not only mean the death of Mach and his crew, but the end of the Commonwealth and all of humanity. Somehow, Mach must find a way to solve an ancient mystery if he’s too succeed where everyone else before him has failed.
402 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 26, 2015
149 people are currently reading
386 people want to read
About the author
A.C. Hadfield
16 books50 followersA.C. Hadfield is long-time Star Trek and Star Wars fan and dreamed of writing space adventures as a young child. As an adult, he's now living that dream and writing exciting space operas in distant galaxies as well as our own solar system.
Author of the Carson Mach Series, Blackstar Command, and Vanguard Rising.
Author of the Carson Mach Series, Blackstar Command, and Vanguard Rising.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
March 11, 2015
I had fun with this book. I liked the characters and the world they were in. I'll read the next one as soon as I can. It is a space opera, and until they start writing StarFist again, I'll just keep looking around for good ones.
Meanwhile, I'd like to pick a nit or two.
First, you need to have a very high quality Belief Suspender. The things that happen to keep the Good Guys from being crushed by the Bad Guys are improbable. References to programming, bugs, and hacking are an example.
Second, be ready to ignore most specific references to distance. The author describes events in space by saying that objects are "only a klick away" when interplanetary speeds might be about 10 kps at a minimum.
And a 3rd complaint? At the climax, when everything is still in doubt, the scene fades out, so to speak, and we go straight to the denouemont after a victory. I see this sometimes, and I feel like the author has omitted a critical scene.
Again, those are just nits and I enjoyed the story. If they are big hot buttons for you, maybe you should keep driving.
Meanwhile, I'd like to pick a nit or two.
First, you need to have a very high quality Belief Suspender. The things that happen to keep the Good Guys from being crushed by the Bad Guys are improbable. References to programming, bugs, and hacking are an example.
Second, be ready to ignore most specific references to distance. The author describes events in space by saying that objects are "only a klick away" when interplanetary speeds might be about 10 kps at a minimum.
And a 3rd complaint? At the climax, when everything is still in doubt, the scene fades out, so to speak, and we go straight to the denouemont after a victory. I see this sometimes, and I feel like the author has omitted a critical scene.
Again, those are just nits and I enjoyed the story. If they are big hot buttons for you, maybe you should keep driving.
August 10, 2022
Hi, my name is Stefan, and I'm an addict. An addict to Space Soap specifically and series in general.
Alright, this is not a meeting of the Space Opera Addicts Anonymous, but I've wanted to get this off my chest nevertheless. It provides context for this review and my motivation in reading this series.
Space operas are my guilty pleasure. They're like soul food to me - and like soul food, they don't need to be of the haute cuisine variety, provided by chefs featured in the Guide Michelin. They need to have a heart and a soul and inperfectness. In short, they don't need to be good to be good. If you catch my thrift. (Like army of darkness - bad in a kind of way that actually makes it good again.)
Yeah, we're in spaaaace!
Space Operas are able to deliver these goods by making heavy use of tropes in their story telling. This book features the trope of the Outlaw Hero - the charismatic bad guy who is really a good guy at heart, and don't you know it, because everyone knows it. And there's also the trope of assembling a rag-tag crew, a motley assembly of rather peculiar and unconventional, yet highly effective individuals.
That second trope makes sense, since this is the intro to a series, so we want to establish the gang for the rest of the ride. By the way, Hollywood uses those tropes too - take a look at Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, with Starlord as the Outlaw Hero and his rag-tag group.
Here comes the gang - you've seen this iconic scene in way to many movies; only the people differ.
And of course there's the big bad baddie. No Outlaw Hero worth his salt would even be getting up for anything less on the stakes than the future of the whole universe. Saving one world is for whimps, Outlaw Heroes ride into the proverbial sunset after saving just about everyone and everything.
In this case from the title giving Atlantis Ship, which is a really big danger. Which is why, of course, an outlaw gets tasked with bringing it down, with almost no resources at all (and did I mention his motley crew?). That's B movie logic.
Is it in any way realistic? Hell no. Does it contain plot holes as big as Jupiter? Hell yes. Is that going to be a problem? Of course not, why are you asking? Because it has action and lasers shooting and stuff.
Pew pew pew!
What is a problem, though, is the fact that A.C. has fallen prone to an addiction a lot of authors in this genre have: the addiction to acronyms and abbreviations. He uses them a lot, even in dialogues - in places when people would not use them. Honestly, saying CW is a mouthful - especially when you could just say Commonwealth. I can't imagine people would go out of their way to say Zeh Doubleyou everytime instead of just using Commonwealth. And that makes the dialogues involuntary funny at times.
Which all comes down to this: space opera, lasers, shooting, outlaws and evil aliens, cemetery cringeworthy dialogues. It's a solid 3 stars entertainment, in the best sense of the way!
You can read this review on my Blog.
Alright, this is not a meeting of the Space Opera Addicts Anonymous, but I've wanted to get this off my chest nevertheless. It provides context for this review and my motivation in reading this series.
Space operas are my guilty pleasure. They're like soul food to me - and like soul food, they don't need to be of the haute cuisine variety, provided by chefs featured in the Guide Michelin. They need to have a heart and a soul and inperfectness. In short, they don't need to be good to be good. If you catch my thrift. (Like army of darkness - bad in a kind of way that actually makes it good again.)
Yeah, we're in spaaaace!Space Operas are able to deliver these goods by making heavy use of tropes in their story telling. This book features the trope of the Outlaw Hero - the charismatic bad guy who is really a good guy at heart, and don't you know it, because everyone knows it. And there's also the trope of assembling a rag-tag crew, a motley assembly of rather peculiar and unconventional, yet highly effective individuals.
That second trope makes sense, since this is the intro to a series, so we want to establish the gang for the rest of the ride. By the way, Hollywood uses those tropes too - take a look at Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, with Starlord as the Outlaw Hero and his rag-tag group.
Here comes the gang - you've seen this iconic scene in way to many movies; only the people differ.And of course there's the big bad baddie. No Outlaw Hero worth his salt would even be getting up for anything less on the stakes than the future of the whole universe. Saving one world is for whimps, Outlaw Heroes ride into the proverbial sunset after saving just about everyone and everything.
In this case from the title giving Atlantis Ship, which is a really big danger. Which is why, of course, an outlaw gets tasked with bringing it down, with almost no resources at all (and did I mention his motley crew?). That's B movie logic.
Is it in any way realistic? Hell no. Does it contain plot holes as big as Jupiter? Hell yes. Is that going to be a problem? Of course not, why are you asking? Because it has action and lasers shooting and stuff.
Pew pew pew!What is a problem, though, is the fact that A.C. has fallen prone to an addiction a lot of authors in this genre have: the addiction to acronyms and abbreviations. He uses them a lot, even in dialogues - in places when people would not use them. Honestly, saying CW is a mouthful - especially when you could just say Commonwealth. I can't imagine people would go out of their way to say Zeh Doubleyou everytime instead of just using Commonwealth. And that makes the dialogues involuntary funny at times.
Which all comes down to this: space opera, lasers, shooting, outlaws and evil aliens, cemetery cringeworthy dialogues. It's a solid 3 stars entertainment, in the best sense of the way!
You can read this review on my Blog.
October 20, 2015
I just could not get into it. Gave up after 15% or so.
July 17, 2019
Nu tāda diezgan paviegla kosmosa opera, bet ar savu interesanto piesitienu. Tēli izkopti diezgan labi, lai arī nebija izmantoti pilnībā, bet priekš tā jau ir nākamās grāmatas.
Stāsts gan kā jau visām šāda žanra grāmatām: kosmosā notiek/taisās notikt karš, parādās no nekurienes kosmosa kuģis ar tehnoloģijām, kuras nevienam nav un randomā iznīcina te vienas, te otras karojošās puses bāzes un kuģus. Tad nu ir tikai viens cilvēks (Karsons Meks), kas to kuģi spētu atrast un noķert (praktiski plikām rokām) :D
Stāsts gan kā jau visām šāda žanra grāmatām: kosmosā notiek/taisās notikt karš, parādās no nekurienes kosmosa kuģis ar tehnoloģijām, kuras nevienam nav un randomā iznīcina te vienas, te otras karojošās puses bāzes un kuģus. Tad nu ir tikai viens cilvēks (Karsons Meks), kas to kuģi spētu atrast un noķert (praktiski plikām rokām) :D
September 30, 2015
I wrapped this one up in quick fashion, happily and easily.
The Atlantis Ship is a straight-forward, well written space opera. The technology and setting are fun and outlandish enough to be pure entertainment, yet believable enough that it doesn't feel far-fetched.
Most of the characters are cliched to the bone, but for a fun space opera, that's not a bad thing. Development is also thin through the book for said characters, but the action is thick, entertaining, and with the plot it's totally cool.
My primary complaint with the book is the abrupt ending. I was about 75% of the way to finished and had the thought, 'Well, there's no way this is a stand-alone. Gotta have a sequel.' And somehow, A.C. Hadfield squished the climax into the rest of the book. Of course to me the ending felt very rushed and simplified, and didn't do the good buildup justice.
Having said that.... This is a fun space opera that I enjoyed, and would recommend it to people who like their sci-fi pulpy and fast.
The Atlantis Ship is a straight-forward, well written space opera. The technology and setting are fun and outlandish enough to be pure entertainment, yet believable enough that it doesn't feel far-fetched.
Most of the characters are cliched to the bone, but for a fun space opera, that's not a bad thing. Development is also thin through the book for said characters, but the action is thick, entertaining, and with the plot it's totally cool.
My primary complaint with the book is the abrupt ending. I was about 75% of the way to finished and had the thought, 'Well, there's no way this is a stand-alone. Gotta have a sequel.' And somehow, A.C. Hadfield squished the climax into the rest of the book. Of course to me the ending felt very rushed and simplified, and didn't do the good buildup justice.
Having said that.... This is a fun space opera that I enjoyed, and would recommend it to people who like their sci-fi pulpy and fast.
April 9, 2017
A good, quick action adventure in space. Former military freelancer gathers a crew to capture mythical ship while war tensions between empires surge.
June 17, 2015
When I started this book I though Carson Mach was going to be like Han Solo, the Han Solo that shot first. It certainly was the impression the author gave in telling you everyone's opinion of the main character. Unfortunately He was unable to keep that feel.
In fact the whole book was more of telling the reader things rather than showing and/or leading the reader through the tale. There is little character development, other than Carson shifting to trying to be the team builder of the misfit crew. You are told, this person is an assassin with no feeling for anyone, and that's pretty much the end of that character development, pretty much the same for the rest of the crew.
There were many conveniently easy 'jobs' along the way of fulfilling the main mission. From a "jewel" heist with almost no guards, which made no sense as the crystals were the power source for the ships and in great demand because of a coming war and government purchase and ordering of new construction on capital ships. One thing that really annoyed me was the lack of Newtonian physics in the climatic end sequence. If you're going to write a space opera you need to have a grasp of physics in a weightless environment using kinetic weaponry.
In fact the whole book was more of telling the reader things rather than showing and/or leading the reader through the tale. There is little character development, other than Carson shifting to trying to be the team builder of the misfit crew. You are told, this person is an assassin with no feeling for anyone, and that's pretty much the end of that character development, pretty much the same for the rest of the crew.
There were many conveniently easy 'jobs' along the way of fulfilling the main mission. From a "jewel" heist with almost no guards, which made no sense as the crystals were the power source for the ships and in great demand because of a coming war and government purchase and ordering of new construction on capital ships. One thing that really annoyed me was the lack of Newtonian physics in the climatic end sequence. If you're going to write a space opera you need to have a grasp of physics in a weightless environment using kinetic weaponry.
April 16, 2015
I am a complete fan of Space Opera's. I have been a long time Trekkie and fan of Science Fiction in general. This really goes right along with it. Its a combination of Star Trek and Star Wars with a complete world all on its own. I have been waiting for a new series to keep my interest with a great background and action packed story. I highly hope that someone takes notice of this book and makes a T.V. series about it. I loved all of the characters in this story and a great start to the Carson Mach adventure. Left open to have this story spin off into many adventures. Even become part of the Kindle Worlds collection and allow other authors to write their own adventure in this world.
April 8, 2015
A perfect space opera
Everything needed for a good space opera is
In this story. A humble hero, an accomplished assassin, and big,ugly, powerful aliens.
I had tough time putting it down, and looking forward to the next installment.
Everything needed for a good space opera is
In this story. A humble hero, an accomplished assassin, and big,ugly, powerful aliens.
I had tough time putting it down, and looking forward to the next installment.
November 17, 2016
A passable story spoiled by poor writing and characterization.
October 16, 2017
A decent start.
Let me start with: this isn't a bad book. Not at all. It's not the greatest and it's not the worst. In fact it's better than average. Definitely worth a read of you're into the adventures of a band of rogue misfits in space that also happen to be the best at what they do. I love those kinds of books, but it's also in a sense one of the flaws of this book.
The editor should probably be beaten for letting some of the awkward phrasing and grammatical errors get by. There are entire sentences that don't make sense, but for the most part you get the gist of it and 90% of the writing flows along mostly well.
The characters are great, more or less developed, and charming in their own way. I appreciated the efforts to create an anti-hero in the protagonist but those efforts were abandoned in favor of keeping the reader's opinions about the crew clear. Still, I definitely enjoyed discovering them even as they seemed a little familiar... And I didn't mind it.
The premise, the plot, the story... Nothing super innovative here but it works as a yarn, somewhat jumpy, a little rushed, faintly formulaic, the kind of story you don't mind reading but aren't exactly surprised by. So there's that: no surprises here but also, no disappointment either.
It's a decent start. Good enough to be enjoyable and good enough that I'll read the next one in hopes that the author will continue to develop and grow. I encourage any and all to give this book a try.
To the author: worry less about labeling things that don't matter. For example, the brand and model of the Kill-o-matic Instakill 2000 blaster. It's slightly reminiscent of Harry Harrison and his Bill the Galactic Hero series, but those were clearly intended as tongue in cheek. Keep it simple and concentrate on what they're doing and why. It's the future, after all. That being said, good job with this one, and I'm looking forward to the next one. Keep up the good work!
Let me start with: this isn't a bad book. Not at all. It's not the greatest and it's not the worst. In fact it's better than average. Definitely worth a read of you're into the adventures of a band of rogue misfits in space that also happen to be the best at what they do. I love those kinds of books, but it's also in a sense one of the flaws of this book.
The editor should probably be beaten for letting some of the awkward phrasing and grammatical errors get by. There are entire sentences that don't make sense, but for the most part you get the gist of it and 90% of the writing flows along mostly well.
The characters are great, more or less developed, and charming in their own way. I appreciated the efforts to create an anti-hero in the protagonist but those efforts were abandoned in favor of keeping the reader's opinions about the crew clear. Still, I definitely enjoyed discovering them even as they seemed a little familiar... And I didn't mind it.
The premise, the plot, the story... Nothing super innovative here but it works as a yarn, somewhat jumpy, a little rushed, faintly formulaic, the kind of story you don't mind reading but aren't exactly surprised by. So there's that: no surprises here but also, no disappointment either.
It's a decent start. Good enough to be enjoyable and good enough that I'll read the next one in hopes that the author will continue to develop and grow. I encourage any and all to give this book a try.
To the author: worry less about labeling things that don't matter. For example, the brand and model of the Kill-o-matic Instakill 2000 blaster. It's slightly reminiscent of Harry Harrison and his Bill the Galactic Hero series, but those were clearly intended as tongue in cheek. Keep it simple and concentrate on what they're doing and why. It's the future, after all. That being said, good job with this one, and I'm looking forward to the next one. Keep up the good work!
October 25, 2017
Classic Libertarian Space Opera
Hadfield's "Bleach" character cleans up messes that the officialdom can't handle. Libertarian in outlook, he really does not appreciate rules and regulations. After being cashiered by the Space Navy, Mach (seemingly his regular name) makes a living as a bounty hunter, until he is set up for a long prison sentence *UNLESS* he is willing to take on an impossible task.
I found it very readable, an easy, enjoyable read. Mach' s disagreement with the government would make him a Trump supporter in 2017, but in his time, he just does not fit in.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Hadfield's "Bleach" character cleans up messes that the officialdom can't handle. Libertarian in outlook, he really does not appreciate rules and regulations. After being cashiered by the Space Navy, Mach (seemingly his regular name) makes a living as a bounty hunter, until he is set up for a long prison sentence *UNLESS* he is willing to take on an impossible task.
I found it very readable, an easy, enjoyable read. Mach' s disagreement with the government would make him a Trump supporter in 2017, but in his time, he just does not fit in.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
September 18, 2018
I read this book as part of the "Galactic - Ten Book Space Opera Sci-Fi Boxset" because I would never have chosen to read it otherwise. It was just not so good. The characters were wooden, the technology was not believable and the aliens were a joke. I guess if I was 10 years old and reading this in the 1960s it would have been ok. But 50 years later and reading it now, my expectations are a bit higher.
September 8, 2025
A very good read
I read the Terminal war first and really enjoyed it. Just finished the Atlantis ship and enjoyed that just as much. Good characters, with plenty of scope for development.
I read the Terminal war first and really enjoyed it. Just finished the Atlantis ship and enjoyed that just as much. Good characters, with plenty of scope for development.
October 23, 2017
Satisfying
Well paced and interesting, good characters. Happy it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger. I read it twice and recommend it.
Well paced and interesting, good characters. Happy it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger. I read it twice and recommend it.
December 22, 2017
Not bad
July 12, 2019
A good reaf
I enjoyed the? Characters, the action, and the unexpected. A perspective of the writers ideas about our future. If he's rigjt, I can hardly wait.
I enjoyed the? Characters, the action, and the unexpected. A perspective of the writers ideas about our future. If he's rigjt, I can hardly wait.
March 23, 2021
I could not finish listening to it (audiobook) and I was done after 30 minutes. What did not help was the narrator, unfortunately.
May 19, 2015
The Atlantis Ship
Author: A. C. Hadfield
Date: 2015
Pgs: 402
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Summary:
Freelancer. Former War Hero. He hunts a ghost ship, a legend, a Dutchman, the Atlantis Ship.
Then, the object of his quest sails out of a wormhole and starts destroying everything in its path. Carson Mach finds himself against overwhelming odds on a mission across the galaxy. If he fails, all of humanity may pay the price. The mystery of the Atlantis Ship has to be solved.
Genre:
Adventure
Fiction
Military
Science fiction
Space
Space opera
War
Why this book:
Came to me on a read for review program.
______________________________________________________________________________
Favorite Character:
Carson Mach, ne’er-do-well, bounty hunter, troublemaker, washout, busted out of the service. He’s very Han Solo-ish, from the attitude that comes off of him to the bar fight with one of his bounty targets in his introduction.
Tululu, the vestan engineer. Love the line where Mach wonders if she is excited about her escape or if she is just insane as she pilots her small podship around the Black Swan Orbital.
Squid, the droid. One of Babcock’s many worker droids from his lone exile planet. This one was more companion and friend during his long lonely exile.
Least Favorite Character:
Admiral Morgan comes across as a bit of a cardboard cutout and cliche. And compared to Mach and his crew’s personalities, he seems to not be fully drawn in. The parts of the book where he features feel a bit like we are being lead by the nose rather than being told a story.
Character I Most Identified With:
Carson Mach. He’s a swashbucker. He’s what I’d want to be in that world. An excellent bit of escapism imagining yourself in his shoes.
The Feel:
This is a great mix of Trek, Wars, and Firefly.
Favorite Scene:
Love the open with the poor bastard out doing exterior maintenance on Orbital Forty as the Atlantis Ship wormholes in and destroys the station underneath him.
The Shawshank from the Commonwealth prison as a way to fill out the crew was great.
Tululua’s escape from the Black Swan Orbital.
Pacing:
The pacing is good, provided you aren’t drawn offsides by the occasional editorial lapse. The back-at-command with Admiral Morgan scenes drag on the pace of the story.
Plot Holes/Out of Character:
The Captain sent to investigate the destruction of Orbital Forty being snippy with Admiral Morgan over subspace because she feels that she was sent on a wild goose chase that could have been taken care of by the natives of the local planetary system and, then, intimates to the Admiral that he isn’t in her chain of command and that she is really there to challenge the horan movements in the area. If that were the case, then, she would need to be in the area anyway and her one sentence earlier reticence about the mission to the Orbital Forty debris field doesn’t wash.
Mack and Adira’s interactions are repetitious.
Hmm Moments:
A coup in the fleet, Morgan going over his boss’s head due to his being frozen out of the command chain and put on the Atlantis Ship chase without any resources to carry out the mission. How this plays in relation to Mack’s hunt for the Dutchman isn’t clear yet. And then, the coup in wider circles playing out as well. The scenes that take place outside of Carson Mach’s presence drag.
The best scene featuring Morgan is the last scene in the denouement where he is trying to talk Mach into becoming Sky Marshal.
Why isn’t there a screenplay?
This could go big screen. Heck, it could be a series.
Casting call:
You’d have to reach outside of the obvious choices for Mach due to his similarities to Kirk, Solo, and Reynolds. Maybe Idris Elba.
Dwayne Johnson or Vin Diesel as Sanchez.
Clancy Brown as Babcock.
Jim Parsons as the voice of Squid.
______________________________________________________________________________
Last Page Sound:
Very nice.
Author Assessment:
The story is strong enough to overcome the editorial shorcomings.
Editorial Assessment:
The story needed a few more passes under the editor’s blade and a re-read or two from the author. The repetitiousness between Mack and Adira should have been caught by an editor.
The dialogue is very rough in places. The novel desperately needed to be edited another time.
Knee Jerk Reaction:
really good book
Disposition of Book:
e-Book
Would recommend to:
genre fans
______________________________________________________________________________
Errata:
Author: A. C. Hadfield
Date: 2015
Pgs: 402
REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Summary:
Freelancer. Former War Hero. He hunts a ghost ship, a legend, a Dutchman, the Atlantis Ship.
Then, the object of his quest sails out of a wormhole and starts destroying everything in its path. Carson Mach finds himself against overwhelming odds on a mission across the galaxy. If he fails, all of humanity may pay the price. The mystery of the Atlantis Ship has to be solved.
Genre:
Adventure
Fiction
Military
Science fiction
Space
Space opera
War
Why this book:
Came to me on a read for review program.
______________________________________________________________________________
Favorite Character:
Carson Mach, ne’er-do-well, bounty hunter, troublemaker, washout, busted out of the service. He’s very Han Solo-ish, from the attitude that comes off of him to the bar fight with one of his bounty targets in his introduction.
Tululu, the vestan engineer. Love the line where Mach wonders if she is excited about her escape or if she is just insane as she pilots her small podship around the Black Swan Orbital.
Squid, the droid. One of Babcock’s many worker droids from his lone exile planet. This one was more companion and friend during his long lonely exile.
Least Favorite Character:
Admiral Morgan comes across as a bit of a cardboard cutout and cliche. And compared to Mach and his crew’s personalities, he seems to not be fully drawn in. The parts of the book where he features feel a bit like we are being lead by the nose rather than being told a story.
Character I Most Identified With:
Carson Mach. He’s a swashbucker. He’s what I’d want to be in that world. An excellent bit of escapism imagining yourself in his shoes.
The Feel:
This is a great mix of Trek, Wars, and Firefly.
Favorite Scene:
Love the open with the poor bastard out doing exterior maintenance on Orbital Forty as the Atlantis Ship wormholes in and destroys the station underneath him.
The Shawshank from the Commonwealth prison as a way to fill out the crew was great.
Tululua’s escape from the Black Swan Orbital.
Pacing:
The pacing is good, provided you aren’t drawn offsides by the occasional editorial lapse. The back-at-command with Admiral Morgan scenes drag on the pace of the story.
Plot Holes/Out of Character:
The Captain sent to investigate the destruction of Orbital Forty being snippy with Admiral Morgan over subspace because she feels that she was sent on a wild goose chase that could have been taken care of by the natives of the local planetary system and, then, intimates to the Admiral that he isn’t in her chain of command and that she is really there to challenge the horan movements in the area. If that were the case, then, she would need to be in the area anyway and her one sentence earlier reticence about the mission to the Orbital Forty debris field doesn’t wash.
Mack and Adira’s interactions are repetitious.
Hmm Moments:
A coup in the fleet, Morgan going over his boss’s head due to his being frozen out of the command chain and put on the Atlantis Ship chase without any resources to carry out the mission. How this plays in relation to Mack’s hunt for the Dutchman isn’t clear yet. And then, the coup in wider circles playing out as well. The scenes that take place outside of Carson Mach’s presence drag.
The best scene featuring Morgan is the last scene in the denouement where he is trying to talk Mach into becoming Sky Marshal.
Why isn’t there a screenplay?
This could go big screen. Heck, it could be a series.
Casting call:
You’d have to reach outside of the obvious choices for Mach due to his similarities to Kirk, Solo, and Reynolds. Maybe Idris Elba.
Dwayne Johnson or Vin Diesel as Sanchez.
Clancy Brown as Babcock.
Jim Parsons as the voice of Squid.
______________________________________________________________________________
Last Page Sound:
Very nice.
Author Assessment:
The story is strong enough to overcome the editorial shorcomings.
Editorial Assessment:
The story needed a few more passes under the editor’s blade and a re-read or two from the author. The repetitiousness between Mack and Adira should have been caught by an editor.
The dialogue is very rough in places. The novel desperately needed to be edited another time.
Knee Jerk Reaction:
really good book
Disposition of Book:
e-Book
Would recommend to:
genre fans
______________________________________________________________________________
Errata:
January 14, 2017
Fun space opera focusing on a ne'er-do-well swashbuckling hero (Carson Mach) drafted in to save 'the galaxy' (which feels a lot more like a local quadrant, or even just a solar system, than an actual galaxy). Although the tropes employed are somewhat cliched, Hadfield's writing reflects a sense of fun well enough to make the story enjoyable, and he manages to put his own spin on a couple of them. Occasional tautologies do pop up, but the pace is great, the action is well written, and the characters are oddly likeable, even Adira the psychotic assassin. I got this book with the Vast Frontiers: 6 Book Sci-Fi omnibus, so paying only about 49c for this made it well worth the price. Recommended as good value for the money.
June 5, 2015
This book struck me as short. It’s not really at 402 pages, but I read on my Kindle and I don’t know that converts. Still, it seemed short, or maybe it just went fast because of the action. I don’t know. Something puzzles me about this book.
Any way, we’ve got this disgruntled former Commonwealth (CW) spaceship Captain Carson Mach who finds himself recalled to active duty, but only on his terms. Seems like the one and only CW Admiral was a friend (former) of Captain Mach and he needs help.
Admiral Morgan is supposed to in charge of protecting the Salus Sphere. He has a large array of Orbital Forts stationed between the outer edge of the Salus Sphere and No-Mans-Space, which is the buffer between the CW and it’s enemies. That buffer and those forts were established and built some twenty years ago. There has been peace for all those twenty years, but now it looks like that’s all about to change.
A ship has come through a self-generated wormhole and destroyed Orbital Forty. Now, there’s a hole in the defense screen. More worry-some is the fact that the ship that destroyed the fort, isn’t supposed to exist. It’s been identified as the “Atlantis Ship” which is larger than anything currently in any know military fleet. The ship has the most powerful ion cannons and shielding that are far superior to anything currently known to exist. And this ship has been sighted for centuries. It is very old but still keeps coming back to attack different places for unknown reasons. Admiral Morgan must capture this ship and use the technology for the CW or at least disable it from destroying more CW defense installations. He calls on Carson Mach.
Of course, Mach isn’t just giving up his freelance days and happily going back into the CW Fleet. No, he wasn’t a fat some of money, a CW ship, and freedom to choose his own crew. Then he’ll go after the Atlantis Ship as long as it doesn’t try to kill him!
So, there you have the gist of the story. Captain Mach goes about finding a bunch of old “friends” who he wants to join his crew. It doesn’t matter that one potential crew member is trying to fulfill a contract on him. That contract wants Carson dead. Another potential crew member is a CW fleet officer who accidentally opened an alien artifact which let loose a virus that killed several thousand of his fellow humans. He was, unfortunately, told specifically not to mess with the artifact, but his curiosity got the better of him. The rest of Captain Mach’s crew are just a interesting.
You need to read the book to find out if Captain Mach and crew can actually find the Atlantis Ship. If they do that, how do they get close enough to do anything to it? Also, what happens to Mach’s mission when Admiral Morgan suddenly decides to turn traitor!
The book was easy to read and pretty exciting. I think I’ll follow Carson Mach on some of his future stories, provided he survives this one.
Any way, we’ve got this disgruntled former Commonwealth (CW) spaceship Captain Carson Mach who finds himself recalled to active duty, but only on his terms. Seems like the one and only CW Admiral was a friend (former) of Captain Mach and he needs help.
Admiral Morgan is supposed to in charge of protecting the Salus Sphere. He has a large array of Orbital Forts stationed between the outer edge of the Salus Sphere and No-Mans-Space, which is the buffer between the CW and it’s enemies. That buffer and those forts were established and built some twenty years ago. There has been peace for all those twenty years, but now it looks like that’s all about to change.
A ship has come through a self-generated wormhole and destroyed Orbital Forty. Now, there’s a hole in the defense screen. More worry-some is the fact that the ship that destroyed the fort, isn’t supposed to exist. It’s been identified as the “Atlantis Ship” which is larger than anything currently in any know military fleet. The ship has the most powerful ion cannons and shielding that are far superior to anything currently known to exist. And this ship has been sighted for centuries. It is very old but still keeps coming back to attack different places for unknown reasons. Admiral Morgan must capture this ship and use the technology for the CW or at least disable it from destroying more CW defense installations. He calls on Carson Mach.
Of course, Mach isn’t just giving up his freelance days and happily going back into the CW Fleet. No, he wasn’t a fat some of money, a CW ship, and freedom to choose his own crew. Then he’ll go after the Atlantis Ship as long as it doesn’t try to kill him!
So, there you have the gist of the story. Captain Mach goes about finding a bunch of old “friends” who he wants to join his crew. It doesn’t matter that one potential crew member is trying to fulfill a contract on him. That contract wants Carson dead. Another potential crew member is a CW fleet officer who accidentally opened an alien artifact which let loose a virus that killed several thousand of his fellow humans. He was, unfortunately, told specifically not to mess with the artifact, but his curiosity got the better of him. The rest of Captain Mach’s crew are just a interesting.
You need to read the book to find out if Captain Mach and crew can actually find the Atlantis Ship. If they do that, how do they get close enough to do anything to it? Also, what happens to Mach’s mission when Admiral Morgan suddenly decides to turn traitor!
The book was easy to read and pretty exciting. I think I’ll follow Carson Mach on some of his future stories, provided he survives this one.
June 11, 2015
From My Newsletter Number 102:
This review is on The Atlantis Ship by A.C. Hadfield. This is the first book I have read by this writer. It is a Carson Mach Space Opera.
The story starts out with a new character named Ethan who is working on one of the defense satellites near Orbital Station Forty. Ethan is trying to repair the satellite when a strange energy source opens a wormhole in space nearby. A very large warship exits the wormhole. It is shaped like nothing in the current space defense forces. If fact, it is considered to be a myth or rumor from the last Century War. This warship can appear and disappear at will. Nothing can destroy it. It is called the Atlantis Ship.
One of the main characters in this story is Admiral Morgan. He is in charge of the Command Center and Training Wing for the CW Commonwealth, which is part of the Axis Combine. They have a peace treaty with the Horan Empire that resulted from the recent Century War. The situation with the Horan Empire is unsteady and the balance of power is about to be changed with the appearance of the Atlantis Ship.
Admiral Morgan knows that whoever can find and control this ancient warship will win the next war. The only man Admiral Morgan can call upon to accomplish this deadly mission is Carson Mach. They had served together in the last war. Carson Mach left the service after the war and is operating as a freelancer. He can be counted on to complete the mission no matter what the cost.
The rest of the story involves Carson Mach enlisting a team of unsavory characters to go after the Atlantis Ship. I could compare the story to the characters in The Expendable s movies or similar stories about mercenaries hired for a mission by the government, except this story is set in the future.
I give this book four stars because the author entertains the reader with characters that are well developed with distinct personalities and traits. The action scenes are well written and the story is fast moving. I look forward to the next adventure by Carson Mach.
This review is on The Atlantis Ship by A.C. Hadfield. This is the first book I have read by this writer. It is a Carson Mach Space Opera.
The story starts out with a new character named Ethan who is working on one of the defense satellites near Orbital Station Forty. Ethan is trying to repair the satellite when a strange energy source opens a wormhole in space nearby. A very large warship exits the wormhole. It is shaped like nothing in the current space defense forces. If fact, it is considered to be a myth or rumor from the last Century War. This warship can appear and disappear at will. Nothing can destroy it. It is called the Atlantis Ship.
One of the main characters in this story is Admiral Morgan. He is in charge of the Command Center and Training Wing for the CW Commonwealth, which is part of the Axis Combine. They have a peace treaty with the Horan Empire that resulted from the recent Century War. The situation with the Horan Empire is unsteady and the balance of power is about to be changed with the appearance of the Atlantis Ship.
Admiral Morgan knows that whoever can find and control this ancient warship will win the next war. The only man Admiral Morgan can call upon to accomplish this deadly mission is Carson Mach. They had served together in the last war. Carson Mach left the service after the war and is operating as a freelancer. He can be counted on to complete the mission no matter what the cost.
The rest of the story involves Carson Mach enlisting a team of unsavory characters to go after the Atlantis Ship. I could compare the story to the characters in The Expendable s movies or similar stories about mercenaries hired for a mission by the government, except this story is set in the future.
I give this book four stars because the author entertains the reader with characters that are well developed with distinct personalities and traits. The action scenes are well written and the story is fast moving. I look forward to the next adventure by Carson Mach.
January 16, 2017
(2.5 Stars)
I understand the amount of blood, sweat, tears, research and time that goes into writing a sci-fi novel and want to take the time to thank the author for doing so.
If you're looking for almost non-stop action, a bar fight, a heist, a prison break and a bad-ass ship, this book might be for you.
However, that said, I really wanted to like this novel. The premise gave me the impression that I'd read a very well thought out, well plotted, fun, adventurous Space Opera.
Now granted, I read this novel as part of the Vast Frontiers box set. So, I have no idea if that version is somehow different from this one. It shouldn't be, as it is a marketing tool meant to entice the reader to want to read the rest of the series. That said, if what I read is a different version, then the box set needs to be revised.
The potential was definitely there for a novel that would make me stay up late reading. I really wanted to like this more and actually started off seeing that it could be a good, fun, ride.
Unfortunately, the only characters to have even the barest of a developmental arc were the twins. No one else had personal growth of any kind. The characters were one dimensional. There seemed to be too many instances when the crew was in trouble and then some out of nowhere quick fix saved the day at the last millisecond. And I found it annoying that the women "screamed" a lot when something went wrong. Especially Adira. I can't imagine her character screaming unless it's in rage.
Towards the end I was struggling to finish and then all of a sudden...the book stopped suddenly.
I already have book 2, so I will read it at some point. But I am hoping that the author has employed an amazing content editor, a line editor and proofreader for the next book. If not, I can honestly say I won't be reading anymore of his works.
I understand the amount of blood, sweat, tears, research and time that goes into writing a sci-fi novel and want to take the time to thank the author for doing so.
If you're looking for almost non-stop action, a bar fight, a heist, a prison break and a bad-ass ship, this book might be for you.
However, that said, I really wanted to like this novel. The premise gave me the impression that I'd read a very well thought out, well plotted, fun, adventurous Space Opera.
Now granted, I read this novel as part of the Vast Frontiers box set. So, I have no idea if that version is somehow different from this one. It shouldn't be, as it is a marketing tool meant to entice the reader to want to read the rest of the series. That said, if what I read is a different version, then the box set needs to be revised.
The potential was definitely there for a novel that would make me stay up late reading. I really wanted to like this more and actually started off seeing that it could be a good, fun, ride.
Unfortunately, the only characters to have even the barest of a developmental arc were the twins. No one else had personal growth of any kind. The characters were one dimensional. There seemed to be too many instances when the crew was in trouble and then some out of nowhere quick fix saved the day at the last millisecond. And I found it annoying that the women "screamed" a lot when something went wrong. Especially Adira. I can't imagine her character screaming unless it's in rage.
Towards the end I was struggling to finish and then all of a sudden...the book stopped suddenly.
I already have book 2, so I will read it at some point. But I am hoping that the author has employed an amazing content editor, a line editor and proofreader for the next book. If not, I can honestly say I won't be reading anymore of his works.
April 29, 2016
Not the best military/action sci fi around, but still a good read. I started reading the Carson Mach books more for time killing than any specific interest and they fulfilled their duty well.
Good: the characters are actually diverse and distinct. They usually act in ways you can appreciate, but there are a few "why would he/she do that?" moments where a character acts counter to the impression given to the reader up to that point. The story is solid, not ground breaking. Unique enough that it's not completely predicable, but also not so unique that the book stands out among others similar in the genre.
Bad: pacing and focus are a bit scattered. Chunks of story that almost seem to get in the way, and in fact gave me cause to put the book down in boredom and not return for a day or two, mixed in with too few moments of real events that shape the characters and plot. The book also tries to wear a few too many hats. The man on the ground fighting soldier, the strategic ship to ship combat captian, and the officer forced into the political arena; these all fall a bit flat and I think the removal of any one of these aspects would have left the other two improved.
It's the kind of book you can appreciate while reading, but forget once you start your next series.
Good: the characters are actually diverse and distinct. They usually act in ways you can appreciate, but there are a few "why would he/she do that?" moments where a character acts counter to the impression given to the reader up to that point. The story is solid, not ground breaking. Unique enough that it's not completely predicable, but also not so unique that the book stands out among others similar in the genre.
Bad: pacing and focus are a bit scattered. Chunks of story that almost seem to get in the way, and in fact gave me cause to put the book down in boredom and not return for a day or two, mixed in with too few moments of real events that shape the characters and plot. The book also tries to wear a few too many hats. The man on the ground fighting soldier, the strategic ship to ship combat captian, and the officer forced into the political arena; these all fall a bit flat and I think the removal of any one of these aspects would have left the other two improved.
It's the kind of book you can appreciate while reading, but forget once you start your next series.
November 10, 2015
I am not sure if this was a book. It felt like a lot of blundering and flailing by the author to force a plot into poorly constructed characters (who came off flat and lacked any development and all composed of a single dimension).
The plot jumped from one improbable situation to another with very little connection between them and the wonder captain ability to escape any situation without issue. As the story progressed the author took more and more shortcuts to go from one situation to another ending in suck poorly laid scenarios I started skimming the final few chapters.
I would not recommend wasting your time on this. This is also a prime example why shopping books on amazon is soo hard as this is one they keep pushing.
The plot jumped from one improbable situation to another with very little connection between them and the wonder captain ability to escape any situation without issue. As the story progressed the author took more and more shortcuts to go from one situation to another ending in suck poorly laid scenarios I started skimming the final few chapters.
I would not recommend wasting your time on this. This is also a prime example why shopping books on amazon is soo hard as this is one they keep pushing.
April 3, 2015
When a seeming derelict spaceship blasts its way through a human space system on the edge of a border waiting to spill over into war renegade Captain Mach is trapped into trying to track it down and salvage it’s advancements to save humanity from losing due to its newly weakened position. It will take an oddball crew and a lot of luck to save them from Alien mobsters, enemy combatants, opposition from home and of course the weapons of the most dangerous starship in the galaxy. More space Opera than Military Sci-fi, this was a fun book and one that fans of Dalzelle’s Warship or Starship Blackbeard will enjoy.
November 1, 2016
I really liked the overall plot line. Mystery ship provoking war throughout the galaxy. Cool!
Unfortunately:
It frustrates me when a main character never makes a wrong decision. Every time it seemed there was a chance for cast to make a wrong turn they didn't and if they did they shortly thereafter magically get out of it. Predictable.
Dialog and characters were weak. Mach, described as an outlaw and trouble maker doesn't really match his personality at all. Adira, the killer is probably the most consistent character but has next to no dialog or influence on the story.
Wanted to like this, but by the end was racing to finish it to move on.
Unfortunately:
It frustrates me when a main character never makes a wrong decision. Every time it seemed there was a chance for cast to make a wrong turn they didn't and if they did they shortly thereafter magically get out of it. Predictable.
Dialog and characters were weak. Mach, described as an outlaw and trouble maker doesn't really match his personality at all. Adira, the killer is probably the most consistent character but has next to no dialog or influence on the story.
Wanted to like this, but by the end was racing to finish it to move on.
December 11, 2015
As other people said earlier: a promising start but it gets a bit inconsistent near the end. In one of the final chapter for instant, at one moment blood is floating around because of the lack of gravity. The other moment an item crashes to the floor and comes to a grinding halt implying there is gravity after all. Another minor complaint is that at times the story is a bit predictable. A fair part of the story follows a “we need X but cannot get it unless we do assignment Y for these people we just met” idea.
Overall, I would still recommend the book for fans of the setting and the universe is well described and promising. I do hope Hadfield is more consistent in the sequels.
Overall, I would still recommend the book for fans of the setting and the universe is well described and promising. I do hope Hadfield is more consistent in the sequels.
June 27, 2015
Carson Mach and a group of criminals are tasked with capturing a ship which most considered a myth, until it once again arrives through a wormhole and starts destroying planetary defense centers. Carson, needing a crew buys one criminal friend out of prison, breaks out another and brings another back from exile. Working with minimal support, Carson and his friend obtain a ship and survive pirates, a new alien species and their own government to face down The Atlantis Ship.
A good story, book could use some editing work, but overall an enjoyable read.
Recommended read.
A good story, book could use some editing work, but overall an enjoyable read.
Recommended read.
June 30, 2015
This is the first book from A C Hadfield and follows the former Commonwealth war hero Carson Mach, who has been cast aside and is now working as a freelance fixer. The return of the mythical Atlantis warship, see's Mach putting together a crew for a big payday. This is a good first book and introduces Mach and his hastily put together crew, as they track down the Atlantis and prevent a new war. The crew dynamic looks good and hopefully will be developed on, in the next book.
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