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Pirates of the Badlands #2
Payback Is a Given: Pirates of the Badlands Series Book 2
Raferty Hawkins has few rules, but those rules he has, he insists upon. The Goldenes Tor and their temporary Orion Confederation allies violated the rules by attacking a pirate settlement and killing a couple of hundred women and children. A few of the offending ships were destroyed in subsequent battles but that hardly balances the ledger. An example must be made and Hawkins and the ships of Pirate Flotilla One are just the group to do that.
Hawkins settles on an audacious plan to punish the Goths and OrCons while making a large profit in the process. He just needs a little help from his new best friends, the Aurora Empire. Help in the form of money, munitions, and one young Royal Navy officer with a talent for engine harmonics. Getting that support will set the plan in motion.
A risky demonstration for the Zeke Home Fleet proves the plan can be done. Once he has the backing of his Zeke supporters, the strategy is put in motion. The operation will not be complete until a Goth squadron is destroyed, the most important Goth base in the quadrant is hammered, and a secret Orion installation finds out the hard way that it is not nearly as hidden as the OrCons believe.
There is one powerful man who sees a different opportunity within the plan. The opportunity to train a Royal Navy officer in pirate operations so that officer can lead Aurora Empire forces back to the Badlands after the war is concluded. Good idea, but he chooses the wrong officer for the assignment. He also chooses the wrong people to attempt to fool.
Hawkins, Tactical, Baby Doll, O’Hare, Legrand, and Delacruz are back and bent on revenge. Despite the vast distances, great risks, and potentially high costs, the plan must be carried out because, after all, payback is a given!
Hawkins settles on an audacious plan to punish the Goths and OrCons while making a large profit in the process. He just needs a little help from his new best friends, the Aurora Empire. Help in the form of money, munitions, and one young Royal Navy officer with a talent for engine harmonics. Getting that support will set the plan in motion.
A risky demonstration for the Zeke Home Fleet proves the plan can be done. Once he has the backing of his Zeke supporters, the strategy is put in motion. The operation will not be complete until a Goth squadron is destroyed, the most important Goth base in the quadrant is hammered, and a secret Orion installation finds out the hard way that it is not nearly as hidden as the OrCons believe.
There is one powerful man who sees a different opportunity within the plan. The opportunity to train a Royal Navy officer in pirate operations so that officer can lead Aurora Empire forces back to the Badlands after the war is concluded. Good idea, but he chooses the wrong officer for the assignment. He also chooses the wrong people to attempt to fool.
Hawkins, Tactical, Baby Doll, O’Hare, Legrand, and Delacruz are back and bent on revenge. Despite the vast distances, great risks, and potentially high costs, the plan must be carried out because, after all, payback is a given!
- GenresScience Fiction
518 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 3, 2015
14 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 16, 2016
Tedious and Uninspired SciFi Worthy of Scuttling
The few, faintly flickering shadows of potential storyline merits, are totally sublimated by the author's uninspired, tedious, repetitive, pretentious, and immature writing. "Payback Is A Given: Pirates of the Badlands Series Book 2," continue the nonsensical storyline: a merry band of ruthless, "Robin Hood" type pirates battle enemies, sometimes allies, in future human stellar disputes. Competing empires jockey for power and position throughout space, throughout the universe. All the while using basically "Age of Sail," WW I, and WW II "wet navy" strategies and tactics, minus the air component, without consideration of rudimentary astrophysics.
The writer in his "Author's Notes," speaks of not "...letting facts get in the way of a good story." Problem is twofold-it's not a good story and he is not a good storyteller. He doesn't use his real name (embarrassed?), is excessively arrogant, writes like a middle schooler (spaceships on "sea-trials"), has no competent editing, infrequent proofreading, contradictory plot twists, plodding action-shoot tons of missiles, rinse, repeat-and is tone deaf to how awkward his writing is.
Book 1 of the series was reviewed by 57, Book 2 by 47, Book 3 by 12, and Book 4 by 6-notice a trend? Scuttle the series as it exists and maybe reduce from the"universe," to just the solar system. Take the basic storyline points, "trim your sails" to your limited talent and skill level, and try again.
This book is NOT recommended.
The few, faintly flickering shadows of potential storyline merits, are totally sublimated by the author's uninspired, tedious, repetitive, pretentious, and immature writing. "Payback Is A Given: Pirates of the Badlands Series Book 2," continue the nonsensical storyline: a merry band of ruthless, "Robin Hood" type pirates battle enemies, sometimes allies, in future human stellar disputes. Competing empires jockey for power and position throughout space, throughout the universe. All the while using basically "Age of Sail," WW I, and WW II "wet navy" strategies and tactics, minus the air component, without consideration of rudimentary astrophysics.
The writer in his "Author's Notes," speaks of not "...letting facts get in the way of a good story." Problem is twofold-it's not a good story and he is not a good storyteller. He doesn't use his real name (embarrassed?), is excessively arrogant, writes like a middle schooler (spaceships on "sea-trials"), has no competent editing, infrequent proofreading, contradictory plot twists, plodding action-shoot tons of missiles, rinse, repeat-and is tone deaf to how awkward his writing is.
Book 1 of the series was reviewed by 57, Book 2 by 47, Book 3 by 12, and Book 4 by 6-notice a trend? Scuttle the series as it exists and maybe reduce from the"universe," to just the solar system. Take the basic storyline points, "trim your sails" to your limited talent and skill level, and try again.
This book is NOT recommended.
June 8, 2016
Second volume of "pirate" trilogy--just as good as the first
Two intergalactic empires are at war. The "Badlands" lie between the empires, controlled by neither--the traditional hunting grounds of pirates. But these pirates are organized into loose formations, with little hierarchy, other than the respect accorded to those who are the most talented leaders.
In the first volume, one faction had destroyed the "home base" of a pirate ship....an unforgivable offense which must be avenged. This aligns the Pirates with what the series paints as the "good guys (although whether there is actually any difference between the empires is unclear.
As this volume opens, the Pirates make a sneak attack on the good guys' headquarters....or do they? As in the first volume, the pirate captain is the real hero of the book., as we follow his raids, triumphs, and near disasters.
Good book for anyone who likes what has become known as "space operas." However, also interesting as the author makes an anarchist society appear far more functional than traditional bureaucratic dependent democracies.
Two intergalactic empires are at war. The "Badlands" lie between the empires, controlled by neither--the traditional hunting grounds of pirates. But these pirates are organized into loose formations, with little hierarchy, other than the respect accorded to those who are the most talented leaders.
In the first volume, one faction had destroyed the "home base" of a pirate ship....an unforgivable offense which must be avenged. This aligns the Pirates with what the series paints as the "good guys (although whether there is actually any difference between the empires is unclear.
As this volume opens, the Pirates make a sneak attack on the good guys' headquarters....or do they? As in the first volume, the pirate captain is the real hero of the book., as we follow his raids, triumphs, and near disasters.
Good book for anyone who likes what has become known as "space operas." However, also interesting as the author makes an anarchist society appear far more functional than traditional bureaucratic dependent democracies.
March 17, 2015
Just keeps getting better !
Terrific follow-up to book one of the series. It is becoming one of the best space operas I've read in a long long time . Often times space operas out subtle themselves... The story is in your face from the very beginning to the end. From swashbuckling pirates to idiotic navy officers; all the characters are richly developed and interwoven into the story in a way that you just can't put this book down
Terrific follow-up to book one of the series. It is becoming one of the best space operas I've read in a long long time . Often times space operas out subtle themselves... The story is in your face from the very beginning to the end. From swashbuckling pirates to idiotic navy officers; all the characters are richly developed and interwoven into the story in a way that you just can't put this book down
March 21, 2015
Good read
I hope more from this author is forthcoming. One of the Bette books I have read and as of last
Count it was 187.
I hope more from this author is forthcoming. One of the Bette books I have read and as of last
Count it was 187.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews