My Outcast State: When the well of time is disturbed, who knows what will emerge?

by Edward McKeown

Three alien machines descend to the asteroid base of their enemies.  The ensuing battle is short and savage.  The lone survivor hopes either for rescue, or for another chance to engage its enemies.  It will be a long wait… 
  
Wrik Trigardt ekes out a living in the Kandalor system with his small ship, Sinner.  He is caught between his failed past and a grim present in service to the local crimelord, Dusko.  An expedition to the Rift Asteroids promises better days, but when the well of time is disturbed no one can say what will surface. 
  
Set in the same universe as the Robert Fenaday/Shasti Rainhell stories, but decades later, My Outcast State begins a new cycle of exploration of Confederation Space.

Genres: Science Fiction

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 15, 2015

About the author

Edward McKeown is best known for his two Confederation Space Series: The Robert Fenaday/Shasti Rainhell series of SF novels set on the Privateer Sidhe & set in the same universe, The Maauro Chronicles featuring a 50,000-year-old android named Maauro and her friend, a disgraced pilot named Wrik Trigardt, as they battle governments and the Thieves Guild for their freedom.


Fenaday/ Rainhell: Reluctant privateer Robert Fenaday searches the stars for his lost love, Lisa, a naval intelligence officer whose ship disappeared near the end of the Conchirri War. He’s joined by the genetically engineered assassin, Shasti Rainhell, whose cold perfection masks her dark past. Both are blackmailed by government spymaster, Mandela, into a suicidal mission to the doomed planet Enshar. Leading a team of scientists and soldiers, they must unravel the mystery of that planet’s death before an ancient force reaches out to claim their lives.


The Maauro Chronicles: “Three alien machines descend to the asteroid base of their enemies. The ensuing battle is short and savage. The lone survivor hopes either for rescue, or for another chance to engage its enemies. It will be a long wait…

Wrik Trigardt ekes out a living in the Kandalor system with his small ship, Sinner. He is caught between his failed past and a grim present in service to the local crimelord, Dusko. An expedition to the Rift Asteroids promises better days, but when the well of time is disturbed--no one can say what will surface.

***

His forays into Fantasy and Horror include the urban fantasy series Knight in Charlotte. He is the editor of the Sha’Daa anthologies of tales of the Apocalypse.


Ed enjoys a wide variety of interests from ballroom dance to the martial arts. Find him on Facebook, www.copperdogpublishing.com and at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B004NM9ZU2

Reviews

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another Kindle Unlimited binge read, meaning books I am only reading until I decide whether or not I want to finish them. I got 8% through this one (up to Chapter 4) before I decided I wasn't interested enough to continue. It's not bad, but the writing is nothing special and neither is the plot.

Basically an AI war machine is trapped on a remote ball of rock, destroys its enemies, and left isolated and unable to get off planet, shuts down and goes into hibernation.

50,000 years later, humans and some other races have colonized this part of the galaxy, and your basic standard issue Free Trader/merc pilot Han Solo type is running fortune hunters around the system looking for alien artifacts. He's hired by a hot chick whose large breasts are described repeatedly, and they're all double-crossed and ambushed by the local mob boss. Maauro (the AI) wakes from hibernation, slaughters all the bad guys, and saves the Han Solo dude. She reads data from his ship and turns herself into an anime waifu from his video games. They form an impromptu partnership, and rescue Miss Big Titties.

If I had paid for this book, I would probably keep reading because it was moderately entertaining, but because I am churning through books with my KU subscription looking for those worth the time, this one goes into the DNF pile (though I might revisit it someday).

[Eugene Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great read!

This is one of those books that grabs your attention and imagination and doesn’t let go. I can usually read more than one book at a time, but once I started The Maauro Chronicles, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down.
If you’re looking for a book that captures your focus and keeps it, this is it!
~
EM

[Phil Matthews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty darn good

A female Data meets Han Solo. Leia is a Wookie. Throw in a criminal Mr Spock and you have the "network". A few composition errors and inconsistencies keep it from five stars.

[James Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite fun

This book was a lot of fun. You'd think that the flipping back and forth between perspectives would make it somewhat hard to follow, but it's very well done. I'm looking forward to the next one.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story, I was having fun with it and was sorry to be finished. I am glad though because I already have Against That Time, the next book, so I'm going to be reading that right away.

I really like the characters. And I really dislike the ones I'm supposed to dislike.

[Burt Md · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great space opera

This full length novel was filled with action and great science fiction. The characters and plotters beautifully developed. I can't wait for a sequel!

[Volpot · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Pretty good, but Fenaday & Shasti books were better. Might buy a sequel.

[Mark O. Gnaedinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great AI android story full of adventure and believable plot twists.

[Scott Shjefte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Similar to The Murderbot Diaries Science fiction book series by Martha Wells. Purchased this item on July 11, 2023, from Amazon for free.

[D J Winebrenner · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW

Never stops we!l written. Kept me on the edge of my seat. The scenes are well done. The characters come to life. I hope there is more