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Cosmic Cowboys #1
Out of Time
How can the chance of a lifetime go so horribly wrong?
Mining Engineer Cole Hudson signed up for NASA astronaut training, but after washing out short of getting his gold wings, he retreats to Alaska where he stakes out a gold claim. When billionaire entrepreneur Duncan Janson offers him an opportunity to join a mining team on an asteroid, Cole jumps at the chance.
But nothing is as it seems. Former NASA reject and rival classmate, Tessa Hernandez, is also a member of the team, and from the beginning of the mission test flight, things go wrong. They soon discover they’re not the only ones on the asteroid. As they try to escape, they are pulled through a wormhole and back to the early 1800s New Mexico desert where aliens and Apaches may be the least of their problems.
Mining Engineer Cole Hudson signed up for NASA astronaut training, but after washing out short of getting his gold wings, he retreats to Alaska where he stakes out a gold claim. When billionaire entrepreneur Duncan Janson offers him an opportunity to join a mining team on an asteroid, Cole jumps at the chance.
But nothing is as it seems. Former NASA reject and rival classmate, Tessa Hernandez, is also a member of the team, and from the beginning of the mission test flight, things go wrong. They soon discover they’re not the only ones on the asteroid. As they try to escape, they are pulled through a wormhole and back to the early 1800s New Mexico desert where aliens and Apaches may be the least of their problems.
- GenresScience Fiction
181 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 21, 2015
12 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
July 16, 2015
Originally published at Reading Reality
While Space Cowboys & Indians isn’t really like the 2011 movie Cowboys & Aliens, it also isn’t not like it. Along with a bit of Farscape or the time-travel episodes of Stargate: SG-1. Also a bit of John Heldt’s The Mine. Along with a small contribution from the rebooted Star Trek.
Which is just fine. I love all of those antecedents. Admittedly some more than others. (I wish they’d kept their rebooting craziness away from MY Star Trek.
Space Cowboys & Indians really only has one erstwhile cowboy in it. Texan Cole Hudson is a mining engineer who flunked out of the NASA astronaut program in a very near version of our future. When he receives an offer he doesn’t want to refuse – trading mining in Alaska for a chance to mine an asteroid – he’s all in.
His pilots are also late-program washouts from NASA, Tessa Hernandez and Noah Wright. While Noah and Cole get along just fine, something about Cole has always rubbed Tessa the wrong way, and nothing about their new jobs has changed that.
There is a Space X contest, similar to the one going on right now, that will award jillions of dollars to the first company to establish tourism on the moon. Duncan Janson’s brilliant idea is to send Cole, Noah and Tessa out to mine an asteroid. Sales of the space minerals will more than fund his Lunar Hotel – if it works.
Cole definitely finds minerals on the target asteroid – but their little ship is not the only one stopping on this particular asteroid for a mining and refuelling stop. When both their little Space X capsule and the alien ship get sucked into a wormhole, the crew finds themselves in the middle of the adventure of their lives. One even bigger than the adventure they were already on.
They crash in the New Mexico desert, not far from where both the Space Xport and Roswell NM will be, nearly two centuries in the future.
Instead, they have landed in early 1800s Apache country, and they need to convince the most fearsome tribe in the Old West to help them kill an alien, commandeer its space ship, and leave the way they think they came.
It might work. It might kill them. Or the alien might get them all first.
Escape Rating B: The time travel is a bit of handwavium. But then again, time travel pretty much always involves handwavium. What’s more interesting here is the result.
Once Cole, Tessa and Noah figure out where and when they are, they are left with a fascinating dilemma to discuss. Has this all happened before? Will it all happen again? Did the aliens in Roswell really exist? Who else (or what else) has accidentally found him, her, or itself on Earth after a one-way trip through that semi-stable wormhole?
How much of their own history are they messing up just by being where they are? And how much of it are they creating?
Finding the Apaches was a stroke of luck. That the downed alien also finds the Apaches is a stroke of luck. Good for our astronauts, bad for the alien and some of the Apaches. We get just enough of a glimpse of life in the tribe to wonder how realistically they are portrayed, but it doesn’t matter for this story.
What does matter is Cole’s outrageous lie to the tribe – that he and Tessa are married. It keeps them together, and sets up the possibility that their rivalry will turn romantic.
The story as a whole is a bit lightweight, but those questions that the reader is left with have echoes which will hopefully be resolved in later episodes in this series. Meanwhile, this first episode is a ton of fun.
Speaking of the series – I read some material that led me to believe that this was the first part of a serial novel. If it is, this one is done right. The story has a beginning, middle and end that provides definite closure of the events in this book while still leaving plenty of teasers for the next installment. Readers are left hoping for more, but not dangling in mid-story. Thank you, Lisa!
While Space Cowboys & Indians isn’t really like the 2011 movie Cowboys & Aliens, it also isn’t not like it. Along with a bit of Farscape or the time-travel episodes of Stargate: SG-1. Also a bit of John Heldt’s The Mine. Along with a small contribution from the rebooted Star Trek.
Which is just fine. I love all of those antecedents. Admittedly some more than others. (I wish they’d kept their rebooting craziness away from MY Star Trek.
Space Cowboys & Indians really only has one erstwhile cowboy in it. Texan Cole Hudson is a mining engineer who flunked out of the NASA astronaut program in a very near version of our future. When he receives an offer he doesn’t want to refuse – trading mining in Alaska for a chance to mine an asteroid – he’s all in.
His pilots are also late-program washouts from NASA, Tessa Hernandez and Noah Wright. While Noah and Cole get along just fine, something about Cole has always rubbed Tessa the wrong way, and nothing about their new jobs has changed that.
There is a Space X contest, similar to the one going on right now, that will award jillions of dollars to the first company to establish tourism on the moon. Duncan Janson’s brilliant idea is to send Cole, Noah and Tessa out to mine an asteroid. Sales of the space minerals will more than fund his Lunar Hotel – if it works.
Cole definitely finds minerals on the target asteroid – but their little ship is not the only one stopping on this particular asteroid for a mining and refuelling stop. When both their little Space X capsule and the alien ship get sucked into a wormhole, the crew finds themselves in the middle of the adventure of their lives. One even bigger than the adventure they were already on.
They crash in the New Mexico desert, not far from where both the Space Xport and Roswell NM will be, nearly two centuries in the future.
Instead, they have landed in early 1800s Apache country, and they need to convince the most fearsome tribe in the Old West to help them kill an alien, commandeer its space ship, and leave the way they think they came.
It might work. It might kill them. Or the alien might get them all first.
Escape Rating B: The time travel is a bit of handwavium. But then again, time travel pretty much always involves handwavium. What’s more interesting here is the result.
Once Cole, Tessa and Noah figure out where and when they are, they are left with a fascinating dilemma to discuss. Has this all happened before? Will it all happen again? Did the aliens in Roswell really exist? Who else (or what else) has accidentally found him, her, or itself on Earth after a one-way trip through that semi-stable wormhole?
How much of their own history are they messing up just by being where they are? And how much of it are they creating?
Finding the Apaches was a stroke of luck. That the downed alien also finds the Apaches is a stroke of luck. Good for our astronauts, bad for the alien and some of the Apaches. We get just enough of a glimpse of life in the tribe to wonder how realistically they are portrayed, but it doesn’t matter for this story.
What does matter is Cole’s outrageous lie to the tribe – that he and Tessa are married. It keeps them together, and sets up the possibility that their rivalry will turn romantic.
The story as a whole is a bit lightweight, but those questions that the reader is left with have echoes which will hopefully be resolved in later episodes in this series. Meanwhile, this first episode is a ton of fun.
Speaking of the series – I read some material that led me to believe that this was the first part of a serial novel. If it is, this one is done right. The story has a beginning, middle and end that provides definite closure of the events in this book while still leaving plenty of teasers for the next installment. Readers are left hoping for more, but not dangling in mid-story. Thank you, Lisa!
December 30, 2020
Wow. I finished it. Despite this being a 180-page book, that feels like an accomplishment. This is...not good. I would normally have never read this, but it was an attempt for my friend and I to get our husbands to read a romance novel. We let my friend's husband research and choose, and since this has lots of tech/space/science-y stuff, it was the winner.
I will be very clear in saying this is NOT a romance novel. It is an action/survival book with two short sex scenes and an extremely random exchange of "I love you's" at the end. The writing is cliche and overdramatic and cheesy. (And full of editing misses and typos.) The "hero" (I refuse to actually call him that) is full of machismo and calls the female lead "precious" throughout the book. He's gross and obnoxious, and reads like a badly-written spoof of Han Solo. There is this terrible running gag about not quoting lines from movies that I found super annoying. There is no reason other than proximity and desperation that the main characters would ever get together, even knowing barely anything about them. Yelling at each other and bickering constantly does not equate chemistry if there is nothing else there.
The version I read has the updated title, sans "Indians" thank goodness. Despite that, there still were lots of moments of insensitivity that I found troubling. The lead idiot, Cole, even calls the Apache boy who is translating for them and honestly helping keep them alive a "brat" for no apparent reason. (Did I mention already that he is awful?)
I did not like this. I could go on more about that, but I feel like it wouldn't be worth my time. Inserting an explicit sex scene into a book does not automatically make it a romance. I have no idea why this is listed as such. I gave it 2 stars (really 1.5) only because the only 1-star ratings I've given have had consent issues. At least this didn't have that!
I will be very clear in saying this is NOT a romance novel. It is an action/survival book with two short sex scenes and an extremely random exchange of "I love you's" at the end. The writing is cliche and overdramatic and cheesy. (And full of editing misses and typos.) The "hero" (I refuse to actually call him that) is full of machismo and calls the female lead "precious" throughout the book. He's gross and obnoxious, and reads like a badly-written spoof of Han Solo. There is this terrible running gag about not quoting lines from movies that I found super annoying. There is no reason other than proximity and desperation that the main characters would ever get together, even knowing barely anything about them. Yelling at each other and bickering constantly does not equate chemistry if there is nothing else there.
The version I read has the updated title, sans "Indians" thank goodness. Despite that, there still were lots of moments of insensitivity that I found troubling. The lead idiot, Cole, even calls the Apache boy who is translating for them and honestly helping keep them alive a "brat" for no apparent reason. (Did I mention already that he is awful?)
I did not like this. I could go on more about that, but I feel like it wouldn't be worth my time. Inserting an explicit sex scene into a book does not automatically make it a romance. I have no idea why this is listed as such. I gave it 2 stars (really 1.5) only because the only 1-star ratings I've given have had consent issues. At least this didn't have that!
July 15, 2015
Three, two, one. Ignition. Base. We have liftoff.
Space. The final frontier. No $hi!. Houston, we have a problem. WHOA! What a cool story! Who would ever have thunk that a spaceship/time travel/alien/Apache story could rock! This one does and more! I will admit that the reason I read this was because I LOVE Lisa's Reaper series, but it turns out that I also love a futuristic, retro, sci-fi romance!! So many great features to this that are worth mentioning, but beyond what I have already said...the complete uniqueness to well, everything! And the humor was great! Lisa has outdone herself with all of the Space/pop culture references!! I won't give you examples because having them pop up when they do is priceless!! This is definitely a very entertaining read and pretty interesting trying to look at 'future tech' from an era long gone by. I actually was so engrossed in the story that I was almost startled when I reached 'The End'! Once again Lisa has shown us her phenomenal talent and I cannot wait to see what will happen next!!
Space. The final frontier. No $hi!. Houston, we have a problem. WHOA! What a cool story! Who would ever have thunk that a spaceship/time travel/alien/Apache story could rock! This one does and more! I will admit that the reason I read this was because I LOVE Lisa's Reaper series, but it turns out that I also love a futuristic, retro, sci-fi romance!! So many great features to this that are worth mentioning, but beyond what I have already said...the complete uniqueness to well, everything! And the humor was great! Lisa has outdone herself with all of the Space/pop culture references!! I won't give you examples because having them pop up when they do is priceless!! This is definitely a very entertaining read and pretty interesting trying to look at 'future tech' from an era long gone by. I actually was so engrossed in the story that I was almost startled when I reached 'The End'! Once again Lisa has shown us her phenomenal talent and I cannot wait to see what will happen next!!
February 17, 2016
Space cowboys, an asteroid, aliens, wormholes, time travel, and indians! never a dull moment here.
Add in a billionaire, a washed out wannabe astronaut, a sexy rival teammate, and things get bumpy pretty quick.
How could I resist this one. I watched the movie, Space Cowboys and Aliens, and really enjoyed it. So, I couldn’t pass this up. Right from the start I liked the characters, the back and forth humor and sarcasm, the romantic teasing, and the bets they make.
Once this team lands on the asteroid and discovers they aren’t alone, things happen quickly. They end up going through a worm hole and come out on Earth in the 1800s. As they try to figure out how to get home to their present time again, they must make friendly with the indians and fight off an extremely dangerous alien.
Strap on your six shooter, pilgrim. From the present to the 1800s, this book shoots you into action and dribbles humor throughout, keeping you laughing and dodging bullets, arrows, and acid spitting aliens.
I received this book as a gift. Now I must read more episodes!
Add in a billionaire, a washed out wannabe astronaut, a sexy rival teammate, and things get bumpy pretty quick.
How could I resist this one. I watched the movie, Space Cowboys and Aliens, and really enjoyed it. So, I couldn’t pass this up. Right from the start I liked the characters, the back and forth humor and sarcasm, the romantic teasing, and the bets they make.
Once this team lands on the asteroid and discovers they aren’t alone, things happen quickly. They end up going through a worm hole and come out on Earth in the 1800s. As they try to figure out how to get home to their present time again, they must make friendly with the indians and fight off an extremely dangerous alien.
Strap on your six shooter, pilgrim. From the present to the 1800s, this book shoots you into action and dribbles humor throughout, keeping you laughing and dodging bullets, arrows, and acid spitting aliens.
I received this book as a gift. Now I must read more episodes!
December 31, 2015
Medley's new series is FTW!
I don't read a lot of space fiction, preferring more fantasy than sci-fi, but after reading Lisa Medley's Reaper series, I'll give anything she writes a go. So when she came out with Space Cowboys and Indians, the first episode in her Cosmic Cowboys series, I was ready to dive in! I'm so glad I did, too. This novella packs a punch, with non-stop action and a super fun cast. The banter and sexual tension between Tess and Cole is great, and even Noah, the apparent third wheel of their crew, has some fun lines. I really had no idea how they were going pull through all the trouble they ran into on their mission, but I was so anxious to find out, I read the entire story in one sitting. Now I'm patiently (okay, maybe not patiently, but I'm waiting, all right) for the next episode, The Astronaut's Princess. Good stuff!
I don't read a lot of space fiction, preferring more fantasy than sci-fi, but after reading Lisa Medley's Reaper series, I'll give anything she writes a go. So when she came out with Space Cowboys and Indians, the first episode in her Cosmic Cowboys series, I was ready to dive in! I'm so glad I did, too. This novella packs a punch, with non-stop action and a super fun cast. The banter and sexual tension between Tess and Cole is great, and even Noah, the apparent third wheel of their crew, has some fun lines. I really had no idea how they were going pull through all the trouble they ran into on their mission, but I was so anxious to find out, I read the entire story in one sitting. Now I'm patiently (okay, maybe not patiently, but I'm waiting, all right) for the next episode, The Astronaut's Princess. Good stuff!
July 15, 2015
Space Cowboys & Indians blends sci-fi, history, and romance into compelling story that keeps you turning pages from beginning to end. Author Lisa Medley is an awesome storyteller who blends just the right amount of detail and action to keep the reader hooked. Like her other novels (The Reaper Series and Haunt My Heart), Space Cowboys & Indians is awesome. You don’t have to be a sci-fi nerd to love this book. Space Cowboys & Indians starts off strong, continues to move fast, and has a great ending. The characters are likable and engaging, and it’s easy to identity with them. There’s enough factual detail about space mining and Apache history to create a believable world, but not so much that the casual SF or historical reader feels overwhelmed. Try it—you’ll love it!
July 15, 2015
Space, a romance, time travel, and kick-a$$-ery all in one novel. Ms. Medley's brought us reapers and ghosts, but now she's taken us to the edge of existence as we know it. Cole, Tessa, and Noah make a venture to harvest precious minerals from a comet, but things go horribly wrong when an alien life form does the same. And he doesn't like humans treading on what he considers his turf. Things get even hairier when they're sucked into a worm hole and thrust into the past. Apaches, aliens, and small pox, oh my!
The witticism is fun and sharp, the writing smooth. The story is packed with fascinating (and accurate) tidbits about space, and the pop culture references make this a hard book to put away. You gotta love a space cowboy.
The witticism is fun and sharp, the writing smooth. The story is packed with fascinating (and accurate) tidbits about space, and the pop culture references make this a hard book to put away. You gotta love a space cowboy.
July 1, 2017
Ehhh
It was an okay read. Not much amusing moments. It was well written, but the lead male annoyed me. He annoyed the lead female until they got along. I am curious what happens in the next one. It was insinuated that H had a weak character, and I guess that's what I didn't like. Who wants a weak male with no control.
It was an okay read. Not much amusing moments. It was well written, but the lead male annoyed me. He annoyed the lead female until they got along. I am curious what happens in the next one. It was insinuated that H had a weak character, and I guess that's what I didn't like. Who wants a weak male with no control.
May 25, 2017
A very quick read and flight to outer space and beyond.
A fast read and a very fast story. I totally loved this novel . Can't wait for the next version.
A fast read and a very fast story. I totally loved this novel . Can't wait for the next version.
November 2, 2020
Enjoyable read!
May 6, 2021
A short fast read
I liked this sorry and look forward to reading the next one. Time travel. Aliens. Indians. What more could you ask for
I liked this sorry and look forward to reading the next one. Time travel. Aliens. Indians. What more could you ask for
Want to read
March 12, 2023Purch Amazon May 22, 2017
January 13, 2016
When Cole Hudson gets the chance to join a team on a mission to mine an asteroid for a private enterprise, he’s all in. After he washed out of NASA astronaut training, he’s thrilled to get a chance to make it to space, and the fat paycheck doesn’t hurt either. The rest of the team consists of Noah Wright and Tessa Hernandez as the pilots, and he’s the one with the mining expertise. Their mission goes terribly awry and they are pulled through a wormhole, along with an alien craft they encountered on the asteroid. Both ships land back on earth in the early 1800’s in the New Mexico desert, right where the team's original mission began. This time there’s no space port or rescue team, just a band of Apaches that may mean trouble unless they can communicate with them and make friends. I’ve always enjoyed time travel stories, and this one had a great twist in the space / wormhole aspect of it. I liked how the team found a way deal with the Apaches and did their best to help them while they figured out a way to get back home. I liked all the main characters, from the fiery, independent Tessa, to the cocky Cole and steady, reliable Noah. The romantic aspects of the story were an added bonus, but didn’t get in the way of the adventure, which I feel was the main focus of the story.
February 16, 2016
I do love me some Sci-fi Romance...
This is the first book I've read by Author Lisa Melody and I can say, I can't wait for more by her. Space Cowboys and Indians is book 1 in the Cosmic Cowboys Series and I'm looking forward to continuing to book 2, The Astronauts Princess.
Author Lisa Melody brings us a diverse mix of Romance, Space Cowboys, Apache's, going back in time to the 1800's, Asteroid's, Aliens and so much more.
It was an exciting and romantic adventure that you won't want to miss.
****I received this ARC in exchange for an honest Review****
Laura Redmon
Cutting Muse Blog Review URL:
This is the first book I've read by Author Lisa Melody and I can say, I can't wait for more by her. Space Cowboys and Indians is book 1 in the Cosmic Cowboys Series and I'm looking forward to continuing to book 2, The Astronauts Princess.
Author Lisa Melody brings us a diverse mix of Romance, Space Cowboys, Apache's, going back in time to the 1800's, Asteroid's, Aliens and so much more.
It was an exciting and romantic adventure that you won't want to miss.
****I received this ARC in exchange for an honest Review****
Laura Redmon
Cutting Muse Blog Review URL:
November 22, 2016
I was looking for a sci fi with a bit of romance. This was a fun, interesting story set in the near future. Three astronaut-rejects are hired to mine an asteroid by a private company. What starts out as a profitable, exciting venture turns into a life or death struggle. The romance was steamy, but didn't overpower the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
December 18, 2015
Based on the title this wasn't something I would generally be interested in but I surprised. If was very imaginative and entertaining. The characters were colorful and interesting and the plot took you on a journey not only emotionally/romantically, but through time and space.
May 15, 2016
3.75
October 12, 2015
Fun Read. It has everything. Quick read since you won't want to put it down.
Buy, Read, Review. Buy Lisa's next book. Repeat.
Buy, Read, Review. Buy Lisa's next book. Repeat.
February 2, 2019
DNF @ 69%
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews