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Far Stars #1
Shadow of Empire
The first installment in the Far Star series, a swashbuckling space saga that introduces the daring pirate Blackhawk and the loyal crew of the Wolf's Claw, from the author of the bestselling Crimson Worlds sagaSmuggler and mercenary Arkarin Blackhawk and the crew of the ship Wolf's Claw are freelance adventurers who live on the fringe of human society in the Far Stars. A veteran fighter as deadly with a blade as he is with a gun, Blackhawk is a man haunted by a dark past. Even his cynicism cannot banish the guilt and pain that threaten his sanity. Sent to rescue the kidnapped daughter of his longtime friend Marshal Augustin Lucerne, Blackhawk and his crew find themselves drawn into one deadly fight after another. When the Wolf's Claw is damaged, they are forced to land on a remote planet subsumed by civil war. Pulled unwittingly into the conflict, they uncover disturbing information about secret imperial involvement that could upset the plans of Lucerne. For the Marshal is determined to forge a Far Stars Confederation powerful enough to eliminate all imperial influence and threats in the sector. He needs a skilled warrior like Blackhawk on his side, but the mercenary, plagued by dark memories from the past, refuses to join the cause. All too soon, though, he and his crew will have to take a stand.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published November 3, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
February 26, 2016
Well, you can't win them all. I'm part of the Harper Voyager Super Reader program, which just means they send me free books/egalleys and in return I give honest, unbiased reviews. If you've ever wondered how honest I am, this review (among a couple of others) should put any fears of ass-kissing to rest. ;)
Long story short: This could have been a great book. The stage that Mr. Allan has set up is huge, with lots of possibilites. Humanity has expanded far enough out that you actually have a section of the populace that is, for all intents and purposes, cut off from the rest of humanity. Think of it like the early American Colonies vs. the European Continent. Your antagonist (who happens to be the most accessible character) isn't necessarily a bad man, he just wants to become a Major Player and is willing to scheme his way into that position by any means. Even the action is fairly well written, tight and frenetic in all the right spots.
The problem is this: Every time you meet a character, you get an infodump about them.
The same infodump.
Every.
Single.
Time.
Ok, ok, I get it, Aragorn BadassStar is the Terminator, Conan, and Harry Tasker all rolled into one. (Harry Tasker, you know, True Lies. What? Well go watch it! You'll love the supporting cast, too.) The rest of the crew is the same way: Orphan/outcast/social pariah who just happens to be a technical genius/ace pilot/stone cold killer and is utterly devoted to Our Illustrious Leader.
Sooooooooo, yeah. That totally ruined the book for me. The plot and some of the secondary characters mildly redeemed the book towards the end, but in all likelihood I will put this book down and never think about it again, other than to use it as an example of how -not- to write a book.
2 stars, read it if you're really, really (really) bored or are looking for writing no-no's to avoid.
Long story short: This could have been a great book. The stage that Mr. Allan has set up is huge, with lots of possibilites. Humanity has expanded far enough out that you actually have a section of the populace that is, for all intents and purposes, cut off from the rest of humanity. Think of it like the early American Colonies vs. the European Continent. Your antagonist (who happens to be the most accessible character) isn't necessarily a bad man, he just wants to become a Major Player and is willing to scheme his way into that position by any means. Even the action is fairly well written, tight and frenetic in all the right spots.
The problem is this: Every time you meet a character, you get an infodump about them.
The same infodump.
Every.
Single.
Time.
Ok, ok, I get it, Aragorn BadassStar is the Terminator, Conan, and Harry Tasker all rolled into one. (Harry Tasker, you know, True Lies. What? Well go watch it! You'll love the supporting cast, too.) The rest of the crew is the same way: Orphan/outcast/social pariah who just happens to be a technical genius/ace pilot/stone cold killer and is utterly devoted to Our Illustrious Leader.
Sooooooooo, yeah. That totally ruined the book for me. The plot and some of the secondary characters mildly redeemed the book towards the end, but in all likelihood I will put this book down and never think about it again, other than to use it as an example of how -not- to write a book.
2 stars, read it if you're really, really (really) bored or are looking for writing no-no's to avoid.
November 19, 2015
This was recommended on one of the websites that I visit regularly as one of the Best New Sci Fi's of the month for November 2015. I am sad to say that if this is the case, November must be a horrible month for genre fiction. It isn't that this book is bad... it's an okay read... but the author is CONSTANTLY reminding us of how great the protagonist is and how this person or that person is completely loyal to him and/or owes him their life and/or would do anything for him. It got monotonous. If I had made a drinking game out of it, I would have been rushed to the hospital with alcohol poisoning in short order. There is NOTHING he can't do better than everyone else.
This book was recommended to people who were fans of the Firefly TV series. So, I will speak to that now... the influences are definitely there but the big difference is that Mal from Firefly was no where near the perfection of the protagonist here; he was well-rounded, with his weaknesses and his flaws and when he got into a fight, you were never quite sure he was going to come out of it whole.
Having said that, this wasn't a bad novel (although the author's repetitiveness (again usually about how loyal X was to the protagonist) was annoying). The villains were kind of interesting, if overly BLACK HAT for my tastes and the action was pretty much non-stop.
I had high expectations for this novel given the reviews of it that I read. As a result, I can't recall a recent novel that has so disappointed me. I may read the sequels; I may not... I won't lose sleep either way.
This book was recommended to people who were fans of the Firefly TV series. So, I will speak to that now... the influences are definitely there but the big difference is that Mal from Firefly was no where near the perfection of the protagonist here; he was well-rounded, with his weaknesses and his flaws and when he got into a fight, you were never quite sure he was going to come out of it whole.
Having said that, this wasn't a bad novel (although the author's repetitiveness (again usually about how loyal X was to the protagonist) was annoying). The villains were kind of interesting, if overly BLACK HAT for my tastes and the action was pretty much non-stop.
I had high expectations for this novel given the reviews of it that I read. As a result, I can't recall a recent novel that has so disappointed me. I may read the sequels; I may not... I won't lose sleep either way.
December 14, 2015
I really wanted to like this book. The premise is cool, and the world it's built around is really fun...but it ends there. Every character is exactly the same. They are all really generic, boring, dudes who are good at what they do, they are slightly snarky, a little grizzled, and "over it". Even all three of the chicks are like that. There is no character development at all. There's a set of characters, known as "The Twins", whose only role in the entire book is to be told to wait in the ship. It's explained about 8 different times that they are powerhouses in a fight but not what the crew needs right now, so they sit on the back burner. Did I mention the repetition? The same shit is stated like 100 times, sometimes even in the same paragraph, verbatim.
It had potential but failed to live iuip to it. I normally don't post reviews like this, but I did really want to like this book. I'll give the second one a try to see if it pans out more, but I'm not so hopeful.
It had potential but failed to live iuip to it. I normally don't post reviews like this, but I did really want to like this book. I'll give the second one a try to see if it pans out more, but I'm not so hopeful.
January 22, 2016
Unfortunately, this book has an overwhelming tendency towards same-y characters and writing that is detrimental to the story being told. Every character archetype you'd care to talk about is present, but not in a new and novel way. Our fearless captain is not only fearless, but the best at everything, and he has a dark past. So very dark. But secret, too. And his crew, are also the best. But unlike the captain, they're only the best at one thing, except when they need to be the best at other things, too. It stretches credulity to be told that the best mechanic in the universe also is a super-amazing crack shot that never misses and always kills. But for some reason, nobody in the story seems to be bothered by all of the killing they do except for the captain, except he can wave his magical discipline wand (which gets granted to other characters as the writer deems fit) and suddenly all thoughts of wrongdoing are swept aside like so much repetitive flavor text.
January 27, 2016
I liked the over all story line of this solid first book in the series.
It is well done but did not deliver the number of twists and turns I expected to get.
Maybe my expectations have been too high.
There is a whiff of firefly.
The character development has been slowed down by repetition of character back story.
Nevertheless I will read the next book in the series.
It is well done but did not deliver the number of twists and turns I expected to get.
Maybe my expectations have been too high.
There is a whiff of firefly.
The character development has been slowed down by repetition of character back story.
Nevertheless I will read the next book in the series.
February 4, 2016
A very solid story that was filled with adventure and intrigue. I will be reading the next one!
February 17, 2018
I read a previous book titled, “Blackhawk (Far Stars Legends)” by Jay Allan and liked what I read. He introduced the character Arkarin Blackhawk in that first book and he was a pretty tough dude with some kind of strange background. Apparently, he’s done some jobs in the past that he’s definitely not proud of and wants to forget. In the “Legends” book, I think he was kind of drifting along going no where when he befriended a guy that was trying to win a war. Anyway, Blackhawk took his side and command his army to victory. At least that’s how I remember it.
Now, we’re back with Arkarin Blackhawk and he’s immediately in big trouble. Seems like he was on a mission to rescue the daughter of a very close friend. He’s kind of accomplished that since the daughter, Astra Lucerne of Celtiboria, is aboard the Wolf’s Claw and ready to be transported back to her father, Marshal Augustin Lucerne. Marshal Lucerne was engaged in a planet-wide battle to control Celtiboria. He wanted to dispense with all the Warlords fighting over everything on Celtiboria and consolidate the planet under one government. He was just about to finish off the last Warlord when his only daughter was kidnapped. He sent his only really trusted friend, Arkarin Blackhawk, to attempt to return his daughter. He didn’t really think Blackhawk had much of a chance, but he knew that no one else stood any chance of finding and returning his daughter.
So, the Wolf’s Claw and it’s crew set out for the planet Kalishar where they believed, rightly, that Astra Lucerne was located. The only problem right now is that Blackhawk has ordered his ship and crew to immediately take Astra back to her father even though he has been captured and is now facing death in the pit. Little does he know that his crew of loyal misfits have ignored his orders and are bringing the Wolf’s Claw directly to the pit area intent on rescuing their Captain. His crew is comprised of various unordinary people that have been saved from some terrible ordeals at one time or another by Blackhawk. He’s the Captain of the Wolf’s Claw and his crew isn’t about to leave Kalishar without their Captain.
As you can see, the book starts off pretty exciting and gets better from that point on. We get to meet each one of his crew and find out the backstory on how they came to be with Blackhawk. They have multiple talents and have formed a great team aboard the Wolf’s Claw, but they have a tendency to ignore Blackhawks orders if Blackhawk is in any kind of danger. In this latest rescue of Blackhawk, the Wolf’s Claw gets damaged and they wind up stranded on a planet in the middle of a Civil War. They only need to steal a jump drive core from the only Imperial Star Ship on the planet to get back into space and back to Celtiboria. Should be a simple operation of the crew of the Wolf’s Claw!
It appears that book two, “Enemy in the Dark” and book three, “Funeral Games” are already on Amazon so I’ve got some great reading ahead of me.
Now, we’re back with Arkarin Blackhawk and he’s immediately in big trouble. Seems like he was on a mission to rescue the daughter of a very close friend. He’s kind of accomplished that since the daughter, Astra Lucerne of Celtiboria, is aboard the Wolf’s Claw and ready to be transported back to her father, Marshal Augustin Lucerne. Marshal Lucerne was engaged in a planet-wide battle to control Celtiboria. He wanted to dispense with all the Warlords fighting over everything on Celtiboria and consolidate the planet under one government. He was just about to finish off the last Warlord when his only daughter was kidnapped. He sent his only really trusted friend, Arkarin Blackhawk, to attempt to return his daughter. He didn’t really think Blackhawk had much of a chance, but he knew that no one else stood any chance of finding and returning his daughter.
So, the Wolf’s Claw and it’s crew set out for the planet Kalishar where they believed, rightly, that Astra Lucerne was located. The only problem right now is that Blackhawk has ordered his ship and crew to immediately take Astra back to her father even though he has been captured and is now facing death in the pit. Little does he know that his crew of loyal misfits have ignored his orders and are bringing the Wolf’s Claw directly to the pit area intent on rescuing their Captain. His crew is comprised of various unordinary people that have been saved from some terrible ordeals at one time or another by Blackhawk. He’s the Captain of the Wolf’s Claw and his crew isn’t about to leave Kalishar without their Captain.
As you can see, the book starts off pretty exciting and gets better from that point on. We get to meet each one of his crew and find out the backstory on how they came to be with Blackhawk. They have multiple talents and have formed a great team aboard the Wolf’s Claw, but they have a tendency to ignore Blackhawks orders if Blackhawk is in any kind of danger. In this latest rescue of Blackhawk, the Wolf’s Claw gets damaged and they wind up stranded on a planet in the middle of a Civil War. They only need to steal a jump drive core from the only Imperial Star Ship on the planet to get back into space and back to Celtiboria. Should be a simple operation of the crew of the Wolf’s Claw!
It appears that book two, “Enemy in the Dark” and book three, “Funeral Games” are already on Amazon so I’ve got some great reading ahead of me.
June 9, 2016
Have you ever wanted to be The Best At Everything®? Have you ever been so desperate that you wrote a super buff self-insert who could do no wrong and come to no harm? Welcome to Arkarin Blackhawk’s life.
The story opens in an arena where Blackhawk is fighting for his life. According to the blurb, Blackhawk was asked to find a missing daughter. That’s not even part of the plot. Blackhawk rescued the daughter before the story begins, and this is the first in a series–he didn’t rescue her in a previous book, we don’t join him as he’s rescuing her, and we don’t really hear anything about this girl until romance demands it. Let’s just say this book is one giant info dump after another.
Things would have been more interesting in the first few chapters if Allan would have stopped with the constant backgrounds. Instead of getting straight to the story, it was an info dump about Blackhawk rescuing Astra. Info dump about Blackhawk’s superior genetics. Info dump on Blackhawk’s ship and crew. Info dump on a new set of characters when there wasn’t even time to get to know the crew of Wolf’s Claw. Everywhere you turn in this book, it is a constant challenge to get through the unnecessary information to find the plot or characters.
So after Blackhawk escapes the planet where he’s fighting for his life (don’t worry, he’s never in any trouble because Allan likes to remind us that Blackhawk is uber buff and skilled, and although he’s over fifty he looks like he’s thirty), the Wolf’s Claw meets resistance in orbit and makes a shaky jump through hyperspace (which is no problem because the pilot is The Best at piloting anything that was ever piloted), ultimately crash landing on a new planet and in need of a new ship part. Personally, the only interesting part in this entire book is how hyperspace affects people differently–oh wait, it’s never shown off, just info dumped onto the reader. And, of course, Blackhawk never experiences strange sensations or hallucinations because he’s The Best.
The planet Saragossa is torn apart by civil war between the poor and the noble, and Blackhawk’s crew happens to land in the middle of it. But they followed an Imperial spy ship (no one except Blackhawk knew what kind of ship it was because he’s The Best) and need the core within the ship to get off the planet. Simple, right? Except Blackhawk, because he’s The Best, gets dragged into the civil war and agrees to help the rebel cause.
Somewhere in the middle of the book more and more characters were introduced. Forces were moving. I couldn’t keep them straight, and I’ve read books with a bigger cast than this. It’s just that every character was forgettable. We were told this and that, and we got their entire backstory in five paragraphs, but every character sounded exactly the same. I wasn’t even up to page 200 and I was bored. Honestly, I stopped caring about the story so I can’t even accurately review it. I thought about ditching the book but Blackhawk was such a ridiculous character, I wanted to see how much further Allan could stretch him being The Best. Trust me, he went far into deep space with Blackhawk being the best thing since sliced bread. Every shot fired, whether from a pistol or rifle and no matter the distance, took enemies between the eyes. Did I mention the crew were also The Best? Slicing necks with knives, throwing knives perfectly, and every shot in the head.
HOW?????
The book was far longer than it had to be with the constant dumping. Most of the characters could have been cut and nothing would be lost, especially the handful of villains. The constant swooning over Blackhawk was probably the most annoying thing I’ve read this year. Oh, and the fact that Blackhawk’s friend Lucerne–the person we’re told over and over is the only person in the world that Blackhawk could ever be truthful with, who takes him at his worst–was okay with Blackhawk sleeping with Astra. Blackhawk didn’t even tell his friend, “Hey, I banged your daughter. Hope that’s cool.” The fact he slept with Astra, who he watched grow up, was just super creepy for me.
But kudos for Shira–space lesbians are an easy way to my heart. But the fact she also could shoot people between the eyes and was The Best was just as annoying in her as it was in Blackhawk.
The story opens in an arena where Blackhawk is fighting for his life. According to the blurb, Blackhawk was asked to find a missing daughter. That’s not even part of the plot. Blackhawk rescued the daughter before the story begins, and this is the first in a series–he didn’t rescue her in a previous book, we don’t join him as he’s rescuing her, and we don’t really hear anything about this girl until romance demands it. Let’s just say this book is one giant info dump after another.
Things would have been more interesting in the first few chapters if Allan would have stopped with the constant backgrounds. Instead of getting straight to the story, it was an info dump about Blackhawk rescuing Astra. Info dump about Blackhawk’s superior genetics. Info dump on Blackhawk’s ship and crew. Info dump on a new set of characters when there wasn’t even time to get to know the crew of Wolf’s Claw. Everywhere you turn in this book, it is a constant challenge to get through the unnecessary information to find the plot or characters.
So after Blackhawk escapes the planet where he’s fighting for his life (don’t worry, he’s never in any trouble because Allan likes to remind us that Blackhawk is uber buff and skilled, and although he’s over fifty he looks like he’s thirty), the Wolf’s Claw meets resistance in orbit and makes a shaky jump through hyperspace (which is no problem because the pilot is The Best at piloting anything that was ever piloted), ultimately crash landing on a new planet and in need of a new ship part. Personally, the only interesting part in this entire book is how hyperspace affects people differently–oh wait, it’s never shown off, just info dumped onto the reader. And, of course, Blackhawk never experiences strange sensations or hallucinations because he’s The Best.
The planet Saragossa is torn apart by civil war between the poor and the noble, and Blackhawk’s crew happens to land in the middle of it. But they followed an Imperial spy ship (no one except Blackhawk knew what kind of ship it was because he’s The Best) and need the core within the ship to get off the planet. Simple, right? Except Blackhawk, because he’s The Best, gets dragged into the civil war and agrees to help the rebel cause.
Somewhere in the middle of the book more and more characters were introduced. Forces were moving. I couldn’t keep them straight, and I’ve read books with a bigger cast than this. It’s just that every character was forgettable. We were told this and that, and we got their entire backstory in five paragraphs, but every character sounded exactly the same. I wasn’t even up to page 200 and I was bored. Honestly, I stopped caring about the story so I can’t even accurately review it. I thought about ditching the book but Blackhawk was such a ridiculous character, I wanted to see how much further Allan could stretch him being The Best. Trust me, he went far into deep space with Blackhawk being the best thing since sliced bread. Every shot fired, whether from a pistol or rifle and no matter the distance, took enemies between the eyes. Did I mention the crew were also The Best? Slicing necks with knives, throwing knives perfectly, and every shot in the head.
HOW?????
The book was far longer than it had to be with the constant dumping. Most of the characters could have been cut and nothing would be lost, especially the handful of villains. The constant swooning over Blackhawk was probably the most annoying thing I’ve read this year. Oh, and the fact that Blackhawk’s friend Lucerne–the person we’re told over and over is the only person in the world that Blackhawk could ever be truthful with, who takes him at his worst–was okay with Blackhawk sleeping with Astra. Blackhawk didn’t even tell his friend, “Hey, I banged your daughter. Hope that’s cool.” The fact he slept with Astra, who he watched grow up, was just super creepy for me.
But kudos for Shira–space lesbians are an easy way to my heart. But the fact she also could shoot people between the eyes and was The Best was just as annoying in her as it was in Blackhawk.
December 1, 2016
Not much science in this thar fiction...
Make no mistake, this is good ol fashioned pulpy space opera, like grandpa Edmund Hamilton used to write.
In all seriousness, as I read it, it reminded me of Hamilton's Captain Future stories. With hyperdrive. And profanity.
Ark Blackhawk, a free booting adventurer (with a guilt ridden past) with his loyal crew of cutthroats, vagrants, n'er do wells, itinerants, soldiers and assassin, roam the Far Stars worlds, away from Imperial influence, in search of profits and adventure.
Their current job is to free the daughter of a friend of Blackhawk from a corrupt warlord.
A chase ensues through multiple planets, Blackhawk is tortured, allies are made, Blackhawk inspirationally leads soldiers into battle, and his loyal crew repeatedly disobey his orders in order to rescue him. Blackhawk finds and tries to resist an unexpected love.
Just throw out any expectations of hard science based, epic mind blowing space opera and enjoy the ride...
Because sometimes, you just want a Big Mac...
Make no mistake, this is good ol fashioned pulpy space opera, like grandpa Edmund Hamilton used to write.
In all seriousness, as I read it, it reminded me of Hamilton's Captain Future stories. With hyperdrive. And profanity.
Ark Blackhawk, a free booting adventurer (with a guilt ridden past) with his loyal crew of cutthroats, vagrants, n'er do wells, itinerants, soldiers and assassin, roam the Far Stars worlds, away from Imperial influence, in search of profits and adventure.
Their current job is to free the daughter of a friend of Blackhawk from a corrupt warlord.
A chase ensues through multiple planets, Blackhawk is tortured, allies are made, Blackhawk inspirationally leads soldiers into battle, and his loyal crew repeatedly disobey his orders in order to rescue him. Blackhawk finds and tries to resist an unexpected love.
Just throw out any expectations of hard science based, epic mind blowing space opera and enjoy the ride...
Because sometimes, you just want a Big Mac...
November 1, 2015
This was a GoodReads giveaway win.
A good solid start of a series. Some nice action. Not a high tech, nor hard science work. This set of characters do not introduce any "red shirt" crew. It really is a "Firefly" set up. I liked the setup, but already, the entire cast of "heroes" have learned from their leader, not to follow orders, but to dedicate themselves to loyalty to their mission and comrades. If you loved the Firefly series, this will be a sure winner for you.
Have a GoodReads.
A good solid start of a series. Some nice action. Not a high tech, nor hard science work. This set of characters do not introduce any "red shirt" crew. It really is a "Firefly" set up. I liked the setup, but already, the entire cast of "heroes" have learned from their leader, not to follow orders, but to dedicate themselves to loyalty to their mission and comrades. If you loved the Firefly series, this will be a sure winner for you.
Have a GoodReads.
January 23, 2016
Another amatuer writer pays for publishing, audio book and ratings. A few idiots like me fall for the bluff. I'm not gonna critique this book as i imagine the only one who will read the reviews will be the writer himself. So...Jay, if you like writing and want to be around it, then go help someone who has real talent. If you have the ego to push a shitty book then just imagine what you can do with another person's work who has something.
June 30, 2016
This was a very enjoyable science fiction adventure. Lots of action. It doesn't do anything groundbreaking, but it's a fun book in the vein of an action movie. It would probably appeal to fans of the TV show Firefly and fans of Chris Wooding's Ketty Jay series. You get the same kind of fun group dynamic in the crew. I'm excited to read more in this series.
Rating: 9/10
Rating: 9/10
January 4, 2016
A great story from a great author.
Military Science Fiction. Ark runs a ship that looks like a pinto but is really a Ferrari in disguise.
Tasked with finding a generals daughter he soon finds himself fighting both in space and planet side as the forces of evil try to prevent peace on the far stars worlds
Lots of action
A great read
Military Science Fiction. Ark runs a ship that looks like a pinto but is really a Ferrari in disguise.
Tasked with finding a generals daughter he soon finds himself fighting both in space and planet side as the forces of evil try to prevent peace on the far stars worlds
Lots of action
A great read
February 29, 2016
I found out about this book on IO9. I checked out the other Goodreads reviews of it and the author's profile on Amazon. I also checked the price of it at B & N. $11.75 for a book with the poor qualities I've read about in other reviews is not worth it. It is available for much less used, so that is the option I'm planning on using if I do pick it up.
September 28, 2016
The book never got boring enough for me to give up, but also never became interesting enough to make me want to read the next installment in the series.
The characters are far to stereotyped to become interesting. Blackhawk is perfect in every way, his crew is absolutely loyal without any flaws at all. They blast their way through every encounter, slaying hordes of enemies (and bystanders).
The characters are far to stereotyped to become interesting. Blackhawk is perfect in every way, his crew is absolutely loyal without any flaws at all. They blast their way through every encounter, slaying hordes of enemies (and bystanders).
March 6, 2016
Space Opera
Fast paced and fun on the beach I suppose but every character a caricature. Not sure I'll be finishing the series.
Fast paced and fun on the beach I suppose but every character a caricature. Not sure I'll be finishing the series.
December 6, 2022
Fanfic.
There, I said it. When I first started reading, I was impressed at how committed a parody of the swords-and-starships genre this was building. This was followed by the creeping horrible realization- oh my God. He is actually being serious.
It got funnier and funnier, almost endearing, as you proceed; Firefly and Farscape, meet Mass Effect, meet Ocean's Eleven, meet D&D. So many characters, spilling out, overflowing their plot lines with earnest, richly detailed backstories that you have seen so often before that you just don't care anymore. Everyone's a protagonist, so the actual protagonist is, naturally, some next level ubermensch. He is pure of heart and mighty of body, a literal computer in his head, yet has a dark past and tortured soul. The crew is horribly diversified on paper, yet unilaterally slavishly devoted. Villains are every shade of villainous; the dissolute warlord, the soulless, ambitious company man, the competent spy, the femme fatale. Battles are not between a mere two factions, but SIX, all practically evenly balanced despite being millenia apart technologically. The starship is simply the best there is, faster, better armed, more maneuverable than anything around, and is even aerodynamic. There's even the young plucky heroine, wilful, beautiful, blonde and blue eyed, naive yet tough, unattainable yet available.
The Story bowls along, situations develop, evolve, then are suddenly abandoned. Is this the French Revolution? The Communist Iron Curtain? Caribbean pirate paradise? Star Wars? All I can say is, Why yes, it is!
The only thing he missed was the alien / robot dog. Really dropped the ball there - that was the one thing that would've completed this masterpiece.
There, I said it. When I first started reading, I was impressed at how committed a parody of the swords-and-starships genre this was building. This was followed by the creeping horrible realization- oh my God. He is actually being serious.
It got funnier and funnier, almost endearing, as you proceed; Firefly and Farscape, meet Mass Effect, meet Ocean's Eleven, meet D&D. So many characters, spilling out, overflowing their plot lines with earnest, richly detailed backstories that you have seen so often before that you just don't care anymore. Everyone's a protagonist, so the actual protagonist is, naturally, some next level ubermensch. He is pure of heart and mighty of body, a literal computer in his head, yet has a dark past and tortured soul. The crew is horribly diversified on paper, yet unilaterally slavishly devoted. Villains are every shade of villainous; the dissolute warlord, the soulless, ambitious company man, the competent spy, the femme fatale. Battles are not between a mere two factions, but SIX, all practically evenly balanced despite being millenia apart technologically. The starship is simply the best there is, faster, better armed, more maneuverable than anything around, and is even aerodynamic. There's even the young plucky heroine, wilful, beautiful, blonde and blue eyed, naive yet tough, unattainable yet available.
The Story bowls along, situations develop, evolve, then are suddenly abandoned. Is this the French Revolution? The Communist Iron Curtain? Caribbean pirate paradise? Star Wars? All I can say is, Why yes, it is!
The only thing he missed was the alien / robot dog. Really dropped the ball there - that was the one thing that would've completed this masterpiece.
February 9, 2023
Nonstop cinematic swashbuckling rogue action, straight up Han Solo style.
Some minor critiques that may be helpful if you're deciding whether to jump in:
- Allan can't seem to write a battle without at least three sides in it. That gets awfully confusing after a while. At one point there are two different forces in orbit and three on the ground, PLUS our heroes...
- Despite WWII-scale carnage, the killing is relatively bloodless and offstage most of the time. You're not supposed to feel anything for the casualties. That's the nature of the genre, I guess. Throwing in repeated references to rape and murdering children (again, none of which happens in described events or to main characters) trivializes that in a way that is pretty uncomfortable to be reading, and is not a genre convention.
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- The Russian Revolution allegory is a little too on the nose, down to fighting it out in the city of Vostok.
Some minor critiques that may be helpful if you're deciding whether to jump in:
- Allan can't seem to write a battle without at least three sides in it. That gets awfully confusing after a while. At one point there are two different forces in orbit and three on the ground, PLUS our heroes...
- Despite WWII-scale carnage, the killing is relatively bloodless and offstage most of the time. You're not supposed to feel anything for the casualties. That's the nature of the genre, I guess. Throwing in repeated references to rape and murdering children (again, none of which happens in described events or to main characters) trivializes that in a way that is pretty uncomfortable to be reading, and is not a genre convention.
-
- The Russian Revolution allegory is a little too on the nose, down to fighting it out in the city of Vostok.
February 5, 2019
At the beginning I thought it was gonna be an entertaining, Firefly-esque story, but the longer i read it the more bored I got. There was so much going on between the main group and the political schemes on multiple planets that I got confused as to who was who frequently while reading the story. It wasn't the amount of characters either, I have no trouble remembering many characters if need be like in Game of Thrones, but there has to be something memorable about them for that to happen. Other than the main crew, people were mentioned and then not heard of again for many chapters. It was to the point during the climatic battle that I didn't know who was on the rebel side or the noble side based on their name alone. The author also goes out of his way to beat certain things about the main characters into you. Yes we get it Blackhawk is superhuman and Katerina is deadly, yet every time they are mentioned they reiterate these characteristics about them. I had to push myself to get through the first book and I very much doubt I'll read another one.
March 22, 2019
A solid read if you're looking for a stereotypical sci-fi swashbuckling adventure. Nothing particularly special to write home about. The story is interesting, if predictable, and I doubt most readers would find anything especially memorable.
I mostly enjoyed the simple storytelling and straight forward plot.
If anything could stand out as a negative, it was the constant reminders of information we already know. I don't think I've ever been reminded so much about character traits, and the author takes every opportunity to remind you how skilled the various characters are at their specialties. This got to the point where the reader is reminded that a pilot is the best pilot ever, twice on a single page. Luckily, this starts to peter put towards the end of the story.
Overall, a great setting, a stereotypical story, and constant reminders of how amazing all of protagonists are at everything.
I mostly enjoyed the simple storytelling and straight forward plot.
If anything could stand out as a negative, it was the constant reminders of information we already know. I don't think I've ever been reminded so much about character traits, and the author takes every opportunity to remind you how skilled the various characters are at their specialties. This got to the point where the reader is reminded that a pilot is the best pilot ever, twice on a single page. Luckily, this starts to peter put towards the end of the story.
Overall, a great setting, a stereotypical story, and constant reminders of how amazing all of protagonists are at everything.
August 10, 2019
Shadow of Empire by Jay Allan
Arkarin Blackhawk is a mercenary and a smuggler operating in the Far Stars. The Far Stars are just that, far from the tyrannical empire that appears to have made Blackhawk the man he is. Blackhawk has a crew of extraordinarily loyal misfits who excel at mayhem. Blackhawk has lifted each and every one of them out of an untenable situation and earned their undying loyalty. Blackhawk is tasked with finding his friend’s daughter, Astra, who has been kidnapped.
Blackhawks sordid past is referred to but never back storied so we have nothing but inferences as to how his body and character have been built. He spends a lot of time agonizing over his past sins with no reference to what they were. His crew doesn’t care who he was before only that they owe him their lives and they stand stalwartly behind him.
This is a space opera that was a delight to read and I look forward to the second volume.
Arkarin Blackhawk is a mercenary and a smuggler operating in the Far Stars. The Far Stars are just that, far from the tyrannical empire that appears to have made Blackhawk the man he is. Blackhawk has a crew of extraordinarily loyal misfits who excel at mayhem. Blackhawk has lifted each and every one of them out of an untenable situation and earned their undying loyalty. Blackhawk is tasked with finding his friend’s daughter, Astra, who has been kidnapped.
Blackhawks sordid past is referred to but never back storied so we have nothing but inferences as to how his body and character have been built. He spends a lot of time agonizing over his past sins with no reference to what they were. His crew doesn’t care who he was before only that they owe him their lives and they stand stalwartly behind him.
This is a space opera that was a delight to read and I look forward to the second volume.
April 6, 2022
2.5 Stars
I had a hard time getting through this book. I will say, that I liked certain portions of this book, but the whole is forgettable (unfortunately).
I am slated to read the sequel, too. I will...and I think I should do it soon, since at least the characters are fresh in my mind (as much as they can be).
I wanted this to be so good, but it really wasn't.
I'm reading this book for the Magical Readathon put on my G. of the Book Roast YouTube channel.
The prompt was to read a book with "Shadow" in the title. I'd had this book for a while...and was really interested in reading another Space Opera. The Calling that it is for, is the second that I'm doing for the readathon...The Alchemist.
So...with that complete...I'll move on to book two, Enemy in the Dark. I'm hoping that I enjoy this book, better.
I had a hard time getting through this book. I will say, that I liked certain portions of this book, but the whole is forgettable (unfortunately).
I am slated to read the sequel, too. I will...and I think I should do it soon, since at least the characters are fresh in my mind (as much as they can be).
I wanted this to be so good, but it really wasn't.
I'm reading this book for the Magical Readathon put on my G. of the Book Roast YouTube channel.
The prompt was to read a book with "Shadow" in the title. I'd had this book for a while...and was really interested in reading another Space Opera. The Calling that it is for, is the second that I'm doing for the readathon...The Alchemist.
So...with that complete...I'll move on to book two, Enemy in the Dark. I'm hoping that I enjoy this book, better.
June 22, 2023
I feel silly because I have been checking this book out periodically for the last 3 years, but I never read a line of it until now. I made it to the 50 page mark (page 55, actually, the end of Ch. 5) and I'm calling it quits.
This is... not the greatest book ever. All the characters are the same character except the main character who is PERFECT. Literally got the to description of Our Hero on pg. 2 and it was like "all muscle without an ounce of fat on him" and "looks 30 but because of his superior genetics he is actually 50-something" and I stopped and was like... this is a male power fantasy huh? Then popped on here, read the reviews, and planned on quitting early because the future didn't seem great. Apparently the writing picks up later in the series but I'm not going to wait for that. We're done here!
This is... not the greatest book ever. All the characters are the same character except the main character who is PERFECT. Literally got the to description of Our Hero on pg. 2 and it was like "all muscle without an ounce of fat on him" and "looks 30 but because of his superior genetics he is actually 50-something" and I stopped and was like... this is a male power fantasy huh? Then popped on here, read the reviews, and planned on quitting early because the future didn't seem great. Apparently the writing picks up later in the series but I'm not going to wait for that. We're done here!
May 14, 2020
Go into this book looking for a pulpy homage to science fiction adventure stories of the past, and you'll have a good read. Galactic Empires, space pirates, warlords, hyper-competent heroes (the good space pirates), super-hyper-competent hero, a beautiful princess, swords and laser guns... all the old tropes rolled together.
Go into this book looking for a deep plot with fleshed-out characters and lots of intrigue and surprises, and you will be disappointed.
It's a fun read if you let it be, but you need to set the right expectations going in. If pulp adventure is your thing, or at least something you can let yourself enjoy, this will work.
Go into this book looking for a deep plot with fleshed-out characters and lots of intrigue and surprises, and you will be disappointed.
It's a fun read if you let it be, but you need to set the right expectations going in. If pulp adventure is your thing, or at least something you can let yourself enjoy, this will work.
June 14, 2017
Follows the space opera formula perfectly
If you're looking for something new, this isn't it. It's a well crafted story but it's nothing new. Genetically enhanced leader Ark Blackhawk and his crew on the ship Wolf's Claw are on a rescue mission and just happen to get involved in a planetary revolution of nobles vs. peasants with an evil Empire funding the peasants... The crew of the Wolf's Claw is super loyal to their leader who loathes himself because of mysterious horrible past deeds that are alluded to but not actually described. I could go on.... But I won't.
If you're looking for something new, this isn't it. It's a well crafted story but it's nothing new. Genetically enhanced leader Ark Blackhawk and his crew on the ship Wolf's Claw are on a rescue mission and just happen to get involved in a planetary revolution of nobles vs. peasants with an evil Empire funding the peasants... The crew of the Wolf's Claw is super loyal to their leader who loathes himself because of mysterious horrible past deeds that are alluded to but not actually described. I could go on.... But I won't.
October 19, 2022
An exciting Sci-Fi read, greatly enjoyed the world that was created and was intrigued from the beginning. Things seemed to slow down towards the end, and a lot of characters seemed to be lacking or really similar to one another but the overall premise was excellent. Loved all the different names and weapons that the author chose for this novel and would definitely check out a sequel to see how things may develop.
December 31, 2025
2.75 stars: the action and writing were decent, but there was no real plot just run and fight, because of reasons! Also the romance was very forced and with no actual chemistry or even necessity. I like the idea but the execution was not there. Oh also the main character is like infallible, invincible, and totally a good guy with no faults but a dark mysterious history. He’s sad and mysterious and pensive and self sacrificing. It’s boring.
October 9, 2017
This book had a lot of promise. There are at least two more books in the series. I haven’t decided yet if I plan on reading the next two installments. I’m not sure that I’m invested enough in the characters to continue reading. With that said, the world that the author has created is believable and intriguing, so that may be enough for me to continue.
November 27, 2018
No science in this fiction
This silly named blackhawk was too perfect in everything he did, way too lucky, and of course had a perfect crew and ship. The solitary, honorable, troubled, perfect hero got a bit old for me after a while. I finished the book but I am not going to read the 2 following books in the series.
This silly named blackhawk was too perfect in everything he did, way too lucky, and of course had a perfect crew and ship. The solitary, honorable, troubled, perfect hero got a bit old for me after a while. I finished the book but I am not going to read the 2 following books in the series.
August 31, 2020
Stopped at the start of Ch. 5, which is 14% of the way through. I used to absolutely adore books like this. I don't know what happened. Maybe it was the faux dirty beginning look of each chapter and how he described putrefaction so vividly. Yuck. Maybe I can find something else in the stacks.
I am unfolding the corners. At least it looks like this book has been well-loved before me.
I am unfolding the corners. At least it looks like this book has been well-loved before me.
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