Devon's Blade: A Star Saga Story

by Ken McConnell

A gripping story of fighter pilots at war, told in the spirit of classic air combat yarns. Commander Devon Ardel is sent to a remote base on a backwater world to take over a struggling starfighter squadron. She soon realizes that her pilot’s simply lack the will to fight an enemy that has dominated them for months. Inspiring her people to fight proves easy enough until the enemy retaliates with a new and deadly fighter. Now she must figure out new tactics and overcome an enemy ace who threatens to kill them all in single combat aerial duels.

171 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 31, 2015

About the author

Retired tech worker, now writing full time.

Star Saga:
Starship Series
Starforgers Series
Starstrikers Series
Starveyors Series

Stand-alone novel: Betweos

Joshua Jones Mysteries: Writing as Johnny Batch
Null Pointer
Kill Dash Nine

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. I'm not sure where this book fits in in this series but presumably somewhere between the first and second book. I really like the characters and the world building in the series. For me, this book was just a little too heavy on the dog fighting and a little light on the overall story. The author seems to really know his stuff with regard to the aerial combat however. If you enjoy that type of thing, this story has a lot of it and near as I can tell, it seems to be well written (I can't speak to accuracy but it sure seems like he knows a lot on this subject). On the whole, I particularly enjoy the author's character writing and interaction. I think if he could mix together some the main subject areas of the first three books in this series it would make one really great novel. The series so far has had a fair amount of politics, space and aerial battles, android development, and alien invasions. Lots of good stuff but each book seems to have centered completely around one topic. It just feels a little less cohesive than it could be but altogether the series is enjoyable and a good read.

[Scottie Baugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for a good air combat novel; this one fit the bill. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I enjoyed the fast-paced story, the vivid imagery and the satisfying conclusion. Kudos to the author and Kindle Unlimited. Thanks

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Welcome to the armpit of the war, Commander."
Assignment to the primarily water planet Kew was, for most, a punishment. The planet was stunning, hot sun and tropical beaches but also a front line posting where the air supremacy was being held by the enemy alien Votainions. Morale was low and the pilot kill list high.Then a new flight commander arrives to turn things around, Devon Ardel. This is the account of how she does it.

A hard fighting novella with some great characterisations and observation of people's reactions, this story is well written and holds the attention by feeling like a factual report of what happens. Much of the book details air fights and strategies to overcome the better equipped enemy: fascinating for anyone actually acquainted iwith aerial dog fights but also surprisingly interesting even for someone, like myself, who knows absolutely nothing about them. It felt frighteningly real.

A quick and easy to read story. Although located in the Star Saga universe, this book can be read as a stand alone without any loss of understanding. However, it has intrigued me into purchasing book one of the saga, Starforgers, which features Devon's earlier exploits. My thanks to Book Review 22 for gifting me a copy of Devon's Blade and so introducing me to what promises to be an exciting series