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Fallen Empire #1
Star Nomad
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction (2016)They have her daughter. She will stop at nothing to get her back.
When system-wide civil war broke out, fighter pilot Captain Alisa Marchenko left her family and accepted a commission in the Alliance Army to battle the empire’s tyranny. Four years later, the empire has been toppled, but chaos and anarchy now rule the system. Alisa, after being injured in the final battle, is stranded on a dustball of a planet billions of miles from home. She learns that her husband died during the bombings, leaving their daughter on Perun, a planet that has become the last imperial stronghold.
Alisa must find a way to Perun, even if she has to steal a dilapidated ship from a junkyard overrun by murdering savages to do it. She’s ready for the challenge. She did not, however, count on finding an elite imperial cyborg soldier squatting in the ship and planning to use it for a mysterious mission of his own. Alisa can’t let him or anyone else stop her, or she'll never see her daughter again.
When system-wide civil war broke out, fighter pilot Captain Alisa Marchenko left her family and accepted a commission in the Alliance Army to battle the empire’s tyranny. Four years later, the empire has been toppled, but chaos and anarchy now rule the system. Alisa, after being injured in the final battle, is stranded on a dustball of a planet billions of miles from home. She learns that her husband died during the bombings, leaving their daughter on Perun, a planet that has become the last imperial stronghold.
Alisa must find a way to Perun, even if she has to steal a dilapidated ship from a junkyard overrun by murdering savages to do it. She’s ready for the challenge. She did not, however, count on finding an elite imperial cyborg soldier squatting in the ship and planning to use it for a mysterious mission of his own. Alisa can’t let him or anyone else stop her, or she'll never see her daughter again.
10 pages, Audible Audio
First published May 26, 2016
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About the author
Lindsay Buroker
199 books6,262 followersI'm a full-time indie fantasy and science fiction author. When I'm not writing, I'm ferrying my dogs to hiking trails for adventures.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 792 reviews
July 19, 2021
*** 4.25 ***
A buddy read with the MacHalo Freaks, because we are on a Sci-Fi kick:):):)
I think I am the one of this buddy read who enjoyed this book the most. It is a Sci-Fi light with enough of everything to make it enjoyable and interesting. I am not sure why it was not very liked by my friends, because I thought it was perfect for a first book in a series. I can see it being a pilot episode for a show on SciFi channel and having all the components for a successful run for at least couple of seasons. It is a space opera with an early middle aged female ship captain and a young female ship mechanic trying to get an old space ship back in flying shape and get to the captains home planet to get her daughter. On their quest to get out of the chaotic physical and social climate of this sandy planet, they meet a cyborg, a cook masquerading as a security officer, a doctor who is more than meets the eye, and a science teacher who likes to get high and raises chickens:):):) She was my favorite character, of course!
"...“Mica, are you trying to squash my optimism with your pessimism again?” “Just stating the facts.” “That was a yes, right?” ..."
The gang sets on space travel and encounter every possible trouble they possibly could, always barely surviving. It looks like all of them have deep personal secrets and that would be fine, if all of those secrets did not show up to haunt them. The plot is not that original, the characters are not either, but there is something that works for me and I think it has to do with the relationships developing between them. There is plenty of action and the fight scenes are very cool, but the book raised a ton of questions and very few got answered in it. I am guessing that we are going to be discovering them as we go, and as always, I give a first book in a series a chance to set up the scene and will be more objective with the follow-ups.
"...“Pessimism is an admirable quality in an engineer. Pessimistic people check their work three times, because they’re sure something won’t be right. Optimistic people check once, trust in Solis-de to keep the ship safe, then blow everyone up.” ..."
I will call this genre a "pop-corn sci-fi" - even when it isn't that good, it is addictive and you can not stop at just a handful, you have to finish the whole bag!!! The captain and the cyborg seem to be setting up for an "at first I hate you but I will love you later" formula, which I am cool with, depending on how the author deals with it in the future. I hope that all the characters we were introduced to return for the future installments, since I believe that the only way for this story to work is with an ensemble cast. At the end, the final product was very pleasant, easy to read first book with a strong female lead and I would definitely recommend it to the fans of Science Fiction and adventure. Don't expect something dark or brooding, this is not it. But if you want to spend a fun afternoon with a book, this could fit the bill.
Now I wish you all Happy Reading and may you always find what you need in the pages of a good book!!!!
A buddy read with the MacHalo Freaks, because we are on a Sci-Fi kick:):):)
I think I am the one of this buddy read who enjoyed this book the most. It is a Sci-Fi light with enough of everything to make it enjoyable and interesting. I am not sure why it was not very liked by my friends, because I thought it was perfect for a first book in a series. I can see it being a pilot episode for a show on SciFi channel and having all the components for a successful run for at least couple of seasons. It is a space opera with an early middle aged female ship captain and a young female ship mechanic trying to get an old space ship back in flying shape and get to the captains home planet to get her daughter. On their quest to get out of the chaotic physical and social climate of this sandy planet, they meet a cyborg, a cook masquerading as a security officer, a doctor who is more than meets the eye, and a science teacher who likes to get high and raises chickens:):):) She was my favorite character, of course!
"...“Mica, are you trying to squash my optimism with your pessimism again?” “Just stating the facts.” “That was a yes, right?” ..."
The gang sets on space travel and encounter every possible trouble they possibly could, always barely surviving. It looks like all of them have deep personal secrets and that would be fine, if all of those secrets did not show up to haunt them. The plot is not that original, the characters are not either, but there is something that works for me and I think it has to do with the relationships developing between them. There is plenty of action and the fight scenes are very cool, but the book raised a ton of questions and very few got answered in it. I am guessing that we are going to be discovering them as we go, and as always, I give a first book in a series a chance to set up the scene and will be more objective with the follow-ups.
"...“Pessimism is an admirable quality in an engineer. Pessimistic people check their work three times, because they’re sure something won’t be right. Optimistic people check once, trust in Solis-de to keep the ship safe, then blow everyone up.” ..."
I will call this genre a "pop-corn sci-fi" - even when it isn't that good, it is addictive and you can not stop at just a handful, you have to finish the whole bag!!! The captain and the cyborg seem to be setting up for an "at first I hate you but I will love you later" formula, which I am cool with, depending on how the author deals with it in the future. I hope that all the characters we were introduced to return for the future installments, since I believe that the only way for this story to work is with an ensemble cast. At the end, the final product was very pleasant, easy to read first book with a strong female lead and I would definitely recommend it to the fans of Science Fiction and adventure. Don't expect something dark or brooding, this is not it. But if you want to spend a fun afternoon with a book, this could fit the bill.
Now I wish you all Happy Reading and may you always find what you need in the pages of a good book!!!!
February 5, 2019
☠ Decaf Space Opera is Us Buddy Read (DSOiUBR™) with the MacHalos of Despicable Book Taste (MHoDBT™) ☠
Actual rating: 2.5 stars.
Presenting…The Emperor's Edge Diet Edition! In a Sci Fi setting! With lackluster everything!
That blinking gif is pretty annoying, huh? Good. Mission accomplished.
Okay, so most of you have probably never heard of The Emperor's Edge (aka "The EE" to the people of impeccable book taste who have read and somewhat enjoyed this most awesome series), so please allow me to very kindly enlighten you on the subject: The EE is Lindsay Buroker's earliest work. It is set in a slightly scrumptious world. And features a slightly scrumptious heroine. And and a slightly scrumptious ruthless assassin of a male lead. And and and a slightly scrumptious cast of secondary characters. Ergo, it is a slightly scrumptious series. QED and stuff. You are most welcome for this complimentary piece of Complimentary Enlightening Enlightenment (CEE™).
So. Star Nomad here is naught but a pale, watered down copy of The EE. Complete with space opera wannabe setting, poor characterization, weak writing, pathetically lame dialogues and failed attempts at banter. What a delightful little book. I really wonder what I'm doing rereading White Hot, when I could be immersing myself in this most wondrous story once again. I must be some special kind of clueless branchiopoda. But I digress. Where was I? Oh yes, I was telling you how delightful this book was. I mean, being an EE fan, I could not NOT luuuuurve this. Or fail to appreciate the very negligible similarities between the books/series/whatever. Because let me tell you, my Little Barnacles, the Copy/Paste isa little strong in this one.
① Alisa, aka the Pitiful Amaranthe Wannabe (PAW™):
Amaranthe Lockdown is one of my favorite female leads of all crustacean times. Alisa wants to be her so badly it hurts. Especially since she does such a miserable job of it. She is not likeable. She is not funny (her supposedly witty comebacks are some of the most pathetic I've ever read). What is she, you ask? Selfish. And prejudiced. And arrogant. But hey, it's not ALL bad. Nope nope nope. She's self-righteous, too. And an exasperating know-it-all. Sigh. Such an enchanting girl she is. It's beautiful.
See? Alisa here is so yummy even Jabba theHottie Hutt wants a piece of her.
② Leonidas, aka the Ridiculous Sicarius Wannabe of the Ridiculous Name (RSWofRN™):
Sicarius is my first everharem slave book boyfriend. I kid you not, my Comely Arthropods. This Sicarius You've Never Heard Of (SYNHO™) was indeed the very first High Security Harem (HSH™) inhabitant. What can I say, I'm a sucker for standoffish, somewhat homicidal, deliciously cold-blooded assassins . My point being, Lusciously Luscious Sicarius (LLS™) Leonidas is not. Nope nope nope. What is he, then, you ask? Flat flat flat. With the personality of a Lifeless, Blah Barnacle (LBB™). But hey, it's not ALL bad. He might be slightly lackluster, with no bloody shrimping chance of ever setting foot pinky toe in my harem, but at least he's got a "torso so chiseled with muscles that any bodybuilder would have envied him." His arm muscles are "ropy," too. And "bulging." Obviously. Plus, his "muscled torso" is, you know, "big" and stuff. Sigh. Such a marvelously beguiling, PNR-worthy character. It's beautiful.
See? Leonidas here is so yummy both this super sexy hot hunk of a guy and his doggy hair get all tingly inside at the mere mention of his name.
③ Everything Else, aka the Lamentable I Want to be The EE when I Grow Up Wannabe (LIWtbTEEwIGUW™).
Everything in this book feels like a doomed attempt to recreate The EE Awesomeness of Yore (TEEAoY™). Epic fail doesn't even begin to cover it. Alisa and her weirdly assorted crew are nothing but a pale, diluted, bland, uninteresting version of Amaranthe and her Most Glorious Ragtag Team of Delicious Misfits (MGRToM™). The setting is bleh. The story is blah. The character dynamics are meh at best. Their interactions are mostly yawn-worthy. But hey, it's not ALL bad. Nope nope nope. Because this book features some of the lamest jokes in the history of lamest jokes. And the space chickens are pretty cool, too. Damn right they are.
» And the moral of this If this is Space Opera then I am Mother Theresa Crappy Non Review (ItiSOtIaMTCNR™) is: you do not want to read this book. You want to read The Emperor's Edge. DUH.
Actual rating: 2.5 stars.
Presenting…The Emperor's Edge Diet Edition! In a Sci Fi setting! With lackluster everything!
That blinking gif is pretty annoying, huh? Good. Mission accomplished.
Okay, so most of you have probably never heard of The Emperor's Edge (aka "The EE" to the people of impeccable book taste who have read and somewhat enjoyed this most awesome series), so please allow me to very kindly enlighten you on the subject: The EE is Lindsay Buroker's earliest work. It is set in a slightly scrumptious world. And features a slightly scrumptious heroine. And and a slightly scrumptious ruthless assassin of a male lead. And and and a slightly scrumptious cast of secondary characters. Ergo, it is a slightly scrumptious series. QED and stuff. You are most welcome for this complimentary piece of Complimentary Enlightening Enlightenment (CEE™).
So. Star Nomad here is naught but a pale, watered down copy of The EE. Complete with space opera wannabe setting, poor characterization, weak writing, pathetically lame dialogues and failed attempts at banter. What a delightful little book. I really wonder what I'm doing rereading White Hot, when I could be immersing myself in this most wondrous story once again. I must be some special kind of clueless branchiopoda. But I digress. Where was I? Oh yes, I was telling you how delightful this book was. I mean, being an EE fan, I could not NOT luuuuurve this. Or fail to appreciate the very negligible similarities between the books/series/whatever. Because let me tell you, my Little Barnacles, the Copy/Paste is
① Alisa, aka the Pitiful Amaranthe Wannabe (PAW™):
Amaranthe Lockdown is one of my favorite female leads of all crustacean times. Alisa wants to be her so badly it hurts. Especially since she does such a miserable job of it. She is not likeable. She is not funny (her supposedly witty comebacks are some of the most pathetic I've ever read). What is she, you ask? Selfish. And prejudiced. And arrogant. But hey, it's not ALL bad. Nope nope nope. She's self-righteous, too. And an exasperating know-it-all. Sigh. Such an enchanting girl she is. It's beautiful.
See? Alisa here is so yummy even Jabba the
② Leonidas, aka the Ridiculous Sicarius Wannabe of the Ridiculous Name (RSWofRN™):
Sicarius is my first ever
See? Leonidas here is so yummy both this super sexy hot hunk of a guy and his doggy hair get all tingly inside at the mere mention of his name.
③ Everything Else, aka the Lamentable I Want to be The EE when I Grow Up Wannabe (LIWtbTEEwIGUW™).
Everything in this book feels like a doomed attempt to recreate The EE Awesomeness of Yore (TEEAoY™). Epic fail doesn't even begin to cover it. Alisa and her weirdly assorted crew are nothing but a pale, diluted, bland, uninteresting version of Amaranthe and her Most Glorious Ragtag Team of Delicious Misfits (MGRToM™). The setting is bleh. The story is blah. The character dynamics are meh at best. Their interactions are mostly yawn-worthy. But hey, it's not ALL bad. Nope nope nope. Because this book features some of the lamest jokes in the history of lamest jokes. And the space chickens are pretty cool, too. Damn right they are.
» And the moral of this If this is Space Opera then I am Mother Theresa Crappy Non Review (ItiSOtIaMTCNR™) is: you do not want to read this book. You want to read The Emperor's Edge. DUH.
September 12, 2016
I’m generally a strong proponent of recycling, like, annoyingly so - but there are a few exceptions. Like pee, cuz gross.
And fiction.
Lindsay Buroker is the author of another series, The Emperor's Edge, which I happen to be a huge fan of. I've re-read those books bunches of times, and I'm quite familiar with it. So it didn’t take long for me to see (it was pretty immediate actually) the similarities it had with this book.
The various personalities of the characters, their dynamics, the dialogue (and dare I say, even the jokes?) were all way, WAY too familiar. It felt like Buroker was recycling her EE characters.
Alisa is totally Amaranthe, except not quite as likable or witty. (Her "snark" was pretty lame actually, and not particularly clever.) And Leonidas was a friggin clone of Sicarius (this part actually made me laugh though - one of my friends on GR who read EE wasn't exactly thrilled with Sicarius' personality (or lack thereof) and used to call him Cyborg Sicarius. And here our hero Leonidas is an ACTUAL CYBORG! Lol, love it!)
But the sci-fi elements are fun, as well as the action and adventure laden throughout the story. And while I feel like I've totally read these characters before, and can predict their each and every interaction with each other. . . I think I’m still interested enough to continue on in this series.
And fiction.
Lindsay Buroker is the author of another series, The Emperor's Edge, which I happen to be a huge fan of. I've re-read those books bunches of times, and I'm quite familiar with it. So it didn’t take long for me to see (it was pretty immediate actually) the similarities it had with this book.
The various personalities of the characters, their dynamics, the dialogue (and dare I say, even the jokes?) were all way, WAY too familiar. It felt like Buroker was recycling her EE characters.
Alisa is totally Amaranthe, except not quite as likable or witty. (Her "snark" was pretty lame actually, and not particularly clever.) And Leonidas was a friggin clone of Sicarius (this part actually made me laugh though - one of my friends on GR who read EE wasn't exactly thrilled with Sicarius' personality (or lack thereof) and used to call him Cyborg Sicarius. And here our hero Leonidas is an ACTUAL CYBORG! Lol, love it!)
But the sci-fi elements are fun, as well as the action and adventure laden throughout the story. And while I feel like I've totally read these characters before, and can predict their each and every interaction with each other. . . I think I’m still interested enough to continue on in this series.
May 27, 2016
Another surprising novel that kept me up late turning pages till the end and hooked me on the series at least for now; fast paced space adventure in the usual mold of unstable space polities (this takes place at the end of a civil war where a despotic/law and order civilized empire, depending on whom one asks, was mostly overthrown by a 'freedom alliance' though the Empire still holds a planet and the Alliance doesn't seem capable to offer stable government outside its few core worlds, so space and outlying planets and settlements are now dangerous places full of pirates and assorted scum and where life is short and brutal), a broken down ship whose captain (Alyssa Marchenko, formerly fighter pilot in the alliance navy, though the ship belonged to her independent trader mother and she grew up on it before going to college) needs to salvage, repair and use it to trade, make a living and find her missing daughter, while employing a motley crew including a highly dangerous former imperial cyborg officer and various other misfits, going on crazy voyages and encountering an assortment of enemies, from brutes devolved into cannibalism, to mafia types with a grudge, to well armed pirates led by other cyborgs, not to speak of deadly predators loose on a station, weird psychic power humans with unclear motives hovering in the background, mysterious artifacts,a possible plot to reinstate the empire and who knows what else to come...
anyway, similar to many other novels (most recent such I really, really enjoyed were I. Whates's Pelquin's Comet and B Chambers' Long way to a Small Angry planet), but the fun is in the characters, their interaction, the dialogue, the set-up etc and the book works superbly on all levels with such narrative power than one is compelled to keep turning the pages until the end
highly recommended and book 2 is already out as is a free story in-between (with an email subscription on the author series' website), while book 3 will most likely be available this year too
anyway, similar to many other novels (most recent such I really, really enjoyed were I. Whates's Pelquin's Comet and B Chambers' Long way to a Small Angry planet), but the fun is in the characters, their interaction, the dialogue, the set-up etc and the book works superbly on all levels with such narrative power than one is compelled to keep turning the pages until the end
highly recommended and book 2 is already out as is a free story in-between (with an email subscription on the author series' website), while book 3 will most likely be available this year too
December 15, 2022
Buroker's Fallen Empire series kicks off with this one and she gives the reader quite a ride here. Let me note first off that this is lite, and I mean lite space opera, something akin to Firefly; in fact, Firefly could have served as a rough template. Our main protagonist, Alisa, is a former Alliance space pilot; former as the Alliance won the war, but the peace and freedom from the Empire is a little slow in coming. Alisa, after recovering from her war wounds on some backwater planet, finds herself stranded with little cash and fewer options. She, and a 'wiz' mechanic/engineer (Kaylee?) named Mica decide to try to fix her mom's old space freighter that is in a junkyard on the planet. When they get there, they find a former Imperial cyborg camping out on the ship, who agrees to let them fix it only if they take him to some forsaken place in deep space...
What will make or break this book is the dialogue among the crew, who all have some snark, but especially the captain Alisa. The rag-tag crew consists of Alisa, Mica, a strange doctor, a stoner 'science advisor' and as guard who really wants to be a chef. And the cyborg, of course. So the ship sets off and they have one adventure after another. This was fun to read, but make no mistake-- this puts the lite in space opera for sure. 2.5 stars, rounding up as it made me laugh at times.
What will make or break this book is the dialogue among the crew, who all have some snark, but especially the captain Alisa. The rag-tag crew consists of Alisa, Mica, a strange doctor, a stoner 'science advisor' and as guard who really wants to be a chef. And the cyborg, of course. So the ship sets off and they have one adventure after another. This was fun to read, but make no mistake-- this puts the lite in space opera for sure. 2.5 stars, rounding up as it made me laugh at times.
November 12, 2020
4.5/5-stars for me.
This book has managed to rekindle my interest in reading sci-fi. I liked the way the author constructed this and the way it ended was good. It isn't a stand-alone but it does get wrapped up quite neatly ready for the next book.
This has a female main character, actually it has a number of female characters that are all quite entertaining in their way. There's plenty going on here, and unlike a number of the sci-fi books that I've tried and failed this one doesn't go OTT with tech-speak. That just sends me to sleep when I try to read endless descriptions of schematics etc...
Anyway, I enjoyed this book and will continue the series when I can get hold of the other books.
As a personal note to the author; I'd prefer it if you didn't put a load of romance in the books that follow! This one was just right for me. I hope I'm not too late with that statement, lol.
I have watched and enjoyed a lot of sci-fi shows throughout my life and this book gave me the same feeling of enjoyment as I experienced with some of those shows. What's also interesting is that Lindsay Buroker started out as a fantasy author; she's made a damn good transition here to sci-fi, in my opinion.
Thanks for reading.
This book has managed to rekindle my interest in reading sci-fi. I liked the way the author constructed this and the way it ended was good. It isn't a stand-alone but it does get wrapped up quite neatly ready for the next book.
This has a female main character, actually it has a number of female characters that are all quite entertaining in their way. There's plenty going on here, and unlike a number of the sci-fi books that I've tried and failed this one doesn't go OTT with tech-speak. That just sends me to sleep when I try to read endless descriptions of schematics etc...
Anyway, I enjoyed this book and will continue the series when I can get hold of the other books.
As a personal note to the author; I'd prefer it if you didn't put a load of romance in the books that follow! This one was just right for me. I hope I'm not too late with that statement, lol.
I have watched and enjoyed a lot of sci-fi shows throughout my life and this book gave me the same feeling of enjoyment as I experienced with some of those shows. What's also interesting is that Lindsay Buroker started out as a fantasy author; she's made a damn good transition here to sci-fi, in my opinion.
Thanks for reading.
October 9, 2016
Science Fiction is one of my favorite genres to read. However, I am rather picky when it comes to finding books in it. I favor strong character development over technical babble and dislike when it turns into a dissertation on the politics of the world.
I'm happy to say Star Nomad has none of these flaws. It is a fast paced adventure featuring Alisa, a former Alliance pilot turned freighter captain. The world the author has created is an interesting one, where the Alliance has brought down the Empire and now the galaxy is a much rougher place than before. To make things even more interesting, a former Imperial cyborg has hitched himself a ride on Alisa's ship and is demanding she take a detour from her mission to ferry him to a remote asteroid field.
The relationships between the main character and all of the secondary characters are what make this such a great book in my opinion. The exchanges between Alisa and her engineer, Mica, often had me struggling to contain my laughter.
This is a strong first book to what promises to be an exciting series. I can't wait to read the next book featuring these characters.
I'm happy to say Star Nomad has none of these flaws. It is a fast paced adventure featuring Alisa, a former Alliance pilot turned freighter captain. The world the author has created is an interesting one, where the Alliance has brought down the Empire and now the galaxy is a much rougher place than before. To make things even more interesting, a former Imperial cyborg has hitched himself a ride on Alisa's ship and is demanding she take a detour from her mission to ferry him to a remote asteroid field.
The relationships between the main character and all of the secondary characters are what make this such a great book in my opinion. The exchanges between Alisa and her engineer, Mica, often had me struggling to contain my laughter.
This is a strong first book to what promises to be an exciting series. I can't wait to read the next book featuring these characters.
April 9, 2017
Meh - This is exactly what I expected from a random super cheap Amazon book. A lot of reviewers are calling this a female version of "Firefly" - if anything this is the "Sharknado" version of Firefly. It's cheesy, lame, unbelievable, terrible dialogue, and unbelievable situations. The jokes aren't funny, the dialog is stilted, everything goes wrong, but no one gets hurt. There's references to shag carpeting and stuff animals (which really annoys me - seriously - thousands of years in the future and they're joking about shag carpeting and stuff animal spider). This could have been something better, but it just ended up absolutely predictable and lame.
December 7, 2016
This was a fun, fast read with lovely characters and an interesting post-war universe. Or galaxy. Empire? The main character, Alisa, was a captain in what seems to have been an insurgency to overthrow an abusive empire. A successful one, so there's that. Only now that the dominant source of order (however corrupt) has been blown to bits, there's a lot of anarchy and bad things are happening. Which sucks for Alisa as she emerges from medical discharge with no way off the planet she's stranded on.
Alisa's goals are simple: get off planet, get to the former capital planet, reunite with the daughter she hasn't seen in years (who is living with an aunt since Alisa's husband died in the war). That doesn't mean the goals easy. Along the way, she finds herself leading a group of people desperate for direction and/or leadership and embroiled in pirates and mafias and a string of frying pan/fire situations.
I really liked her and the crew she pulls together—including some who fought on the other side of the recent conflict. Learning to overcome prejudices and recover from war-time hatreds is a emotional dimension of a story that is an otherwise straight-forward sci-fi romp. It helps that Buroker excels at giving even her side-characters full dimensions and personalities (along with the frictions that can crop up to complicate matters as a result). I loved the banter and the characters and the pacing is top-notch.
The story has two weaknesses that put this at four stars rather than five. The first is that this isn't a complete story so much as it's an episode along the way; which means it stops kind of abruptly after what seemed like a minor victory (however hard-won). The problem second is spoilery so I'll tag it.
So yeah, it's a dark universe, but I enjoyed Alisa and her crew being light spots within it and I look forward to further stories there. I do hope the central goal of finding her daughter isn't dragged out too much longer. I can see that getting old fast.
Alisa's goals are simple: get off planet, get to the former capital planet, reunite with the daughter she hasn't seen in years (who is living with an aunt since Alisa's husband died in the war). That doesn't mean the goals easy. Along the way, she finds herself leading a group of people desperate for direction and/or leadership and embroiled in pirates and mafias and a string of frying pan/fire situations.
I really liked her and the crew she pulls together—including some who fought on the other side of the recent conflict. Learning to overcome prejudices and recover from war-time hatreds is a emotional dimension of a story that is an otherwise straight-forward sci-fi romp. It helps that Buroker excels at giving even her side-characters full dimensions and personalities (along with the frictions that can crop up to complicate matters as a result). I loved the banter and the characters and the pacing is top-notch.
The story has two weaknesses that put this at four stars rather than five. The first is that this isn't a complete story so much as it's an episode along the way; which means it stops kind of abruptly after what seemed like a minor victory (however hard-won). The problem second is spoilery so I'll tag it.
So yeah, it's a dark universe, but I enjoyed Alisa and her crew being light spots within it and I look forward to further stories there. I do hope the central goal of finding her daughter isn't dragged out too much longer. I can see that getting old fast.
Read
June 3, 2016Alisa Marchenko has finally recovered from injuries sustained in the final battle between the Empire and the Alliance who worked for fifty years to bring the empire down. She's a long way from the place her daughter is being kept--without her husband, who died in the war.
Alisa is stuck on a horrible planet with no money, and no way to get home. Having been a hotshot pilot, she goes to a junkyard where she remembers her mother's old freighter having been dumped, along with Mica, an engineer with whom Alisa had served. The two women have to fight their way past scavengers to get to the freighter--just to discover that one of the empire's elite cyborg fighters has been squatting there. They can't turf him out, so they take off, to discover that the chaos on the dirtball planet extends a lot farther than they expected.
Alisa's idea is to take passengers to the word her daughter is staying at, in order to scrape together enough funds for fuel, water, and supplies, and repair as they go, but they keep falling into adventures, the least of which is a chase through an asteroid belt.
Ever since I first read Buroker's Emperor's Edge books, with their delightful mix of fantasy and SFnal tropes, I've wondered why she wasn't writing space opera. Well, now she is, and this has everything I love about space opera: great characters, action, some intriguing mysteries, and that sense that things are not always what they seem. All stitched together with the gold of humor.
I have high hopes for this series.
Alisa is stuck on a horrible planet with no money, and no way to get home. Having been a hotshot pilot, she goes to a junkyard where she remembers her mother's old freighter having been dumped, along with Mica, an engineer with whom Alisa had served. The two women have to fight their way past scavengers to get to the freighter--just to discover that one of the empire's elite cyborg fighters has been squatting there. They can't turf him out, so they take off, to discover that the chaos on the dirtball planet extends a lot farther than they expected.
Alisa's idea is to take passengers to the word her daughter is staying at, in order to scrape together enough funds for fuel, water, and supplies, and repair as they go, but they keep falling into adventures, the least of which is a chase through an asteroid belt.
Ever since I first read Buroker's Emperor's Edge books, with their delightful mix of fantasy and SFnal tropes, I've wondered why she wasn't writing space opera. Well, now she is, and this has everything I love about space opera: great characters, action, some intriguing mysteries, and that sense that things are not always what they seem. All stitched together with the gold of humor.
I have high hopes for this series.
November 28, 2016
"Pessimism is an admirable quality in an Engineer. Pessimistic people check their work 3 times because they are sure something won't be right. Optimistic people check once, trust in Solus Dei to keep the ship safe - and blow everyone up".
"I think you're mistaking the word "optimistic" for "inept".
(Audiobook) Generic cover art that practically screams "self published", run of the mill "heroine will stop at nothing to get her daughter back" blurb, the dreaded "Firefly" comparison. I was planning on giving this book a very quick hook if it did not grab me straight away. I guess I only picked it up to see how a book I had never heard of had beat out so many deserving books for a "Goodreads choice" nomination.
Surprisingly, it won me over straight away with it's sharp, intelligent dialogue and I instantly fell in love with narrator Kate Reading (Jennifer Mendenhall). Reading (nice stage name!) got the most out of every line with her natural delivery and sense of comedic timing. While there were a few laugh out loud moments, "Star Nomad" kept up a a "consistently amusing" tone throughout and Kate Reading immediately goes on my "outstanding narrators" list.
While I enjoy watching action oriented SF shows I am not a fan of reading "Space Westerns" at all.
I do enjoy good characters and dialogue and "getting the band together" stories. The characters are the strength here. While the book is so short we don't get to spend a ton of time developing them, I am convinced that there is a winning formula here. All of the characters have something going for them that makes the reader interested in their individual stories. There was a good balance of characters, my favourite being Yumi the psychedelic Science Officer. While I have not yet read "The long way to a small angry planet" it seems to me that fans of that sort of character driven space adventure will have plenty to like here.
A lot of books put the characters into sticky situations and then have to Deus Ex Machina their way out of them. I appreciated that there were intelligent, well thought out solutions to the problems for the most part.
My reservations about the book are that this is really just the "pilot episode" of the series. It is a great start to a story but it is just a start. It never has to deal with the hardest thing to do in genre fiction which is to stick the landing. The fact that the author has published 4 or 5 sequels all in the same year has me a little concerned the writing might follow the "set goal Z, insert obstacles W, X and Y" formula. Is the high standard started here going to be able to be maintained across multiple books or will it feel like the premise is too stretched out? "Star Nomad" is basically a 9 hour audio novella with a 45 minute teaser of book 2 tacked on the end. At this time the sequels are only available as ebooks so I will have to wait to continue, hopefully with Kate reading again.
Recommended for fans of the "Space adventure" genre and fans of good characters, male and female.
"I think you're mistaking the word "optimistic" for "inept".
(Audiobook) Generic cover art that practically screams "self published", run of the mill "heroine will stop at nothing to get her daughter back" blurb, the dreaded "Firefly" comparison. I was planning on giving this book a very quick hook if it did not grab me straight away. I guess I only picked it up to see how a book I had never heard of had beat out so many deserving books for a "Goodreads choice" nomination.
Surprisingly, it won me over straight away with it's sharp, intelligent dialogue and I instantly fell in love with narrator Kate Reading (Jennifer Mendenhall). Reading (nice stage name!) got the most out of every line with her natural delivery and sense of comedic timing. While there were a few laugh out loud moments, "Star Nomad" kept up a a "consistently amusing" tone throughout and Kate Reading immediately goes on my "outstanding narrators" list.
While I enjoy watching action oriented SF shows I am not a fan of reading "Space Westerns" at all.
I do enjoy good characters and dialogue and "getting the band together" stories. The characters are the strength here. While the book is so short we don't get to spend a ton of time developing them, I am convinced that there is a winning formula here. All of the characters have something going for them that makes the reader interested in their individual stories. There was a good balance of characters, my favourite being Yumi the psychedelic Science Officer. While I have not yet read "The long way to a small angry planet" it seems to me that fans of that sort of character driven space adventure will have plenty to like here.
A lot of books put the characters into sticky situations and then have to Deus Ex Machina their way out of them. I appreciated that there were intelligent, well thought out solutions to the problems for the most part.
My reservations about the book are that this is really just the "pilot episode" of the series. It is a great start to a story but it is just a start. It never has to deal with the hardest thing to do in genre fiction which is to stick the landing. The fact that the author has published 4 or 5 sequels all in the same year has me a little concerned the writing might follow the "set goal Z, insert obstacles W, X and Y" formula. Is the high standard started here going to be able to be maintained across multiple books or will it feel like the premise is too stretched out? "Star Nomad" is basically a 9 hour audio novella with a 45 minute teaser of book 2 tacked on the end. At this time the sequels are only available as ebooks so I will have to wait to continue, hopefully with Kate reading again.
Recommended for fans of the "Space adventure" genre and fans of good characters, male and female.
January 2, 2020
1/2/20 Currently 1st 3 in a set FREE for Kindle. If you like Space Opera SNAG IT!
https://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Empire-...
Really had a blast with this one.
Oh, and no romance (although a bit of a hint one might develop over the series).
https://www.amazon.com/Fallen-Empire-...
Really had a blast with this one.
Oh, and no romance (although a bit of a hint one might develop over the series).
May 25, 2020
Audio Book Review:
Throw in a little Firefly and a snippet of Star Wars and you’ll get Star Nomad – a space opera adventure series. Star Nomad helped me remember all the reasons why so many loved the TV series Firefly and helped bring some of that fun and ‘misadventure’ back to life for me. One supposedly easy trip to Perun turns into an unexpected adventure when they have to make a detour stop.
The Star Nomad was an incredibly entertaining and relaxing read as I listened to the fabulous Kate Reading narrate the audio book. All the characters in the story have unique characteristics to them – Captain Alisa Marchenko’s humor that often comes at the wrong time. Beck’s “Awe, shucks. I only want to help” attitude. The Cyborg’s doleful and serious demeanor. Kate is an expert at narrating and brings each of the characters to life by how she alters their dialects and timing of their speech patterns.
The setting for the story is approximately six months after a war between the Alliance and Empire. The rebels/Alliance have unexpectedly defeated the Empire, but apparently never gave any thought to how to govern afterwards. Now there is chaos out in the galaxy as organized crime is starting to take control little by little. Individuals from both sides are cautiously having to learn how to not hate each other enough to coexist peacefully, which is difficult when resentment is still more than plentiful. On the Star Nomad, it turns out that three of the crew/passengers are Alliance and two are from the Empire. While there is a lot of fun or lighthearted moments, there is still plenty of tension and conversations onboard the ship about what each side did right and what they did wrong. This continues throughout the series, but time helps heal in this case.
I am very thankful for whoever recommended this to me. I’ve already started diving into the next in the series and am loving it too. It is a short-read at 229 pages and like others have stated in different reviews it can feel like the first episode of a series. Nonetheless it was still an enjoyable way to pass the time.
Throw in a little Firefly and a snippet of Star Wars and you’ll get Star Nomad – a space opera adventure series. Star Nomad helped me remember all the reasons why so many loved the TV series Firefly and helped bring some of that fun and ‘misadventure’ back to life for me. One supposedly easy trip to Perun turns into an unexpected adventure when they have to make a detour stop.
The Star Nomad was an incredibly entertaining and relaxing read as I listened to the fabulous Kate Reading narrate the audio book. All the characters in the story have unique characteristics to them – Captain Alisa Marchenko’s humor that often comes at the wrong time. Beck’s “Awe, shucks. I only want to help” attitude. The Cyborg’s doleful and serious demeanor. Kate is an expert at narrating and brings each of the characters to life by how she alters their dialects and timing of their speech patterns.
The setting for the story is approximately six months after a war between the Alliance and Empire. The rebels/Alliance have unexpectedly defeated the Empire, but apparently never gave any thought to how to govern afterwards. Now there is chaos out in the galaxy as organized crime is starting to take control little by little. Individuals from both sides are cautiously having to learn how to not hate each other enough to coexist peacefully, which is difficult when resentment is still more than plentiful. On the Star Nomad, it turns out that three of the crew/passengers are Alliance and two are from the Empire. While there is a lot of fun or lighthearted moments, there is still plenty of tension and conversations onboard the ship about what each side did right and what they did wrong. This continues throughout the series, but time helps heal in this case.
I am very thankful for whoever recommended this to me. I’ve already started diving into the next in the series and am loving it too. It is a short-read at 229 pages and like others have stated in different reviews it can feel like the first episode of a series. Nonetheless it was still an enjoyable way to pass the time.
March 24, 2019
When system-wide civil war broke out, fighter pilot Captain Alisa Marchenko left her family and accepted a commission in the Alliance Army to battle the empire’s tyranny. Four years later, the empire has been toppled, but chaos and anarchy now rule the system. Alisa, after being injured in the final battle, is stranded on a dustball of a planet billions of miles from home. She learns that her husband died during the bombings, leaving their daughter on Perun, a planet that has become the last imperial stronghold.
Alisa must find a way to Perun, even if she has to steal a dilapidated ship from a junkyard overrun by murdering savages to do it.
This was great fun! It reminded me a lot of Firefly, and there was definitely a nod to it which made me smile. What I liked most about this book were the characters. I really liked all of them, but especially Leonidas, Alisa, and Mica. The rapport between Alisa and Mica was great right from the beginning. Mica and her pessimism was amusing.
Beck with his portable grill and BBQ was also amusing, as well as Yumi and her chickens. I came to care about every one of the characters, except for maybe Alejandro. I'm not sure about him or his motives yet. And there is a certain item that he has in his possession that had me thinking of Gollum in Lord of the Rings. I could see him petting it and saying "My precious!"
This book wasn't all humor. It had its tense moments. The beginning especially had me on the edge of my seat. There was also another part with space pirates that had me really worried about a couple of the characters. I thought it was the perfect balance of tense storytelling and humor.
This was a light, super fun read and I'm looking forward to reading more!
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
Alisa must find a way to Perun, even if she has to steal a dilapidated ship from a junkyard overrun by murdering savages to do it.
This was great fun! It reminded me a lot of Firefly, and there was definitely a nod to it which made me smile. What I liked most about this book were the characters. I really liked all of them, but especially Leonidas, Alisa, and Mica. The rapport between Alisa and Mica was great right from the beginning. Mica and her pessimism was amusing.
“Pessimism is an admirable quality in an engineer. Pessimistic people check their work three times, because they’re sure something won’t be right. Optimistic people check once, trust in Solis-de to keep the ship safe, then blow everyone up.” “I think you’re mistaking the word optimistic for inept.”
Beck with his portable grill and BBQ was also amusing, as well as Yumi and her chickens. I came to care about every one of the characters, except for maybe Alejandro. I'm not sure about him or his motives yet. And there is a certain item that he has in his possession that had me thinking of Gollum in Lord of the Rings. I could see him petting it and saying "My precious!"
This book wasn't all humor. It had its tense moments. The beginning especially had me on the edge of my seat. There was also another part with space pirates that had me really worried about a couple of the characters. I thought it was the perfect balance of tense storytelling and humor.
This was a light, super fun read and I'm looking forward to reading more!
Review also posted at Writings of a Reader
July 15, 2017
Do you ever get that genre itch? The one that starts when you partake of a genre in one type of media, and then find yourself inexplicably seeking out that same genre in other forms of media? I mean we probably all get that way as kids, but I have apparently yet to grow out of it. Case in point, I don't know that I would have read Star Nomad if I wasn't current playing Elite:Dangerous on the PS4. But all that space station landing, goods trading, pirate killing, and ship upgrading had me hankering for a simple space yarn featuring a cargo ship and a ragtag group of plucky heroes. So props must be given to Elite for setting me up on this book date.
Not that I never would have picked up Star Nomad on its own, as Science Fiction is certainly one of my "go to" genres. But Sci-Fi is certainly not lacking for selection or variety, so it's entirely likely that I wouldn't have gotten to it for some time. Which would have been a shame, as it was an enjoyable, easy read, which was perfect for my little mini-vacay I'm on.
First off...the positives. As a fan of Firefly and Serenity, this book was right up my alley. It had a very "lived in" feel for the universe, and the science was definitely "low tech" for much of it. I honestly couldn't think of the ship the Nomad without thinking of the Serenity from Firefly. We have a colorful and ragtag crew, all on board for their various reasons, each with their own way of contributing. Much witty banter is also had, along with humor of various effectiveness.
Alisa Marchenko is our POV character for this book, and is generally a worthy protagonist to follow. As the captain and pilot of the Nomad, she has a necessary mix of humanity and practicality, liberally sprinkled with an almost endless supply of sarcasm. And as a sarcastic person, I can thoroughly enjoy that personality trait. There WERE times it was a little much, a fact which is also commented on by various members of the crew, but for the most part it hit the mark. She's the right mix of tough and vulnerable, willing to get her hands dirty, but preferring to not if it can be avoided. I felt that she carried the tale effectively enough, even though I generally prefer stories to have multiple viewpoints.
As for the rest of the crew, we get introduced to them in brief encounters, just enough to establish what role they'll fill (muscle, mechanic, doctor, etc.), and each are given a few personality quirks of their own to help round them out. We have Mica, who essentially plays the Zoey to Alisa's Mal Reynolds, as well as Beck, who was hired on as security for the ship. We also have passengers Alejandro and Yumi, who get much more than they bargained for when they seek transport onboard Alisa's rickety freighter. And finally we have Leonidas, a mysterious cyborg who may still be an enemy to the Alliance that Alisha and Mica fought for. He's very much a frenemy in this tale, so I don't quite know what to make of him yet.
Like I said, this was an easy read. And I don't mean that in a derogatory way. It's a fast paced ride that's meant to entertain, and it does just that. Lindsay Buroker may have gotten her start as a Fantasy author, but she has a knack for Sci-Fi, and she knows how to set a pace. The book rarely lets up. It's not quite a breakneck pace, but it moves with a purpose. For the actual "science" of the science fiction, it's kept to a minimum. Like in Firefly, it's just a setting, not so much a major force in the narrative. And that's ok. Hard Sci-Fi this is not, but it's also not trying to be. It's very much a blockbuster movie type experience.
All in all, the writing is pretty solid. Conversations seemed to flow mostly naturally, and while nobody really gets a large character arc, everyone has their moment to shine. The plotting is solid, the danger is palpable, and solutions aren't always easy. Also, the action is handled well, and there's plenty of it, which is great for a space tale of this nature.
But what about the bad, or the not-so-good? Well, there's certainly some of that here. One of the biggest things, right up front, is how derivative this tale is. Most of what is on display here has been seen before. Especially in Firefly. Ex-soldier who is now out of work, and is tooling around in a rustbucket freigher that is always one step away from breaking down? Check. Ultra controlling galactic government trying to stamp out the individuality of the little guy and the backwater worlds? Former man of God who knows more about events than he's letting on? Cute and sassy engineer with a nice butt? Check. Hell, the "taking on passengers" bit hits some of the EXACT same beats. I'm not saying it doesn't work, because it does. But man, it's just so close to what we've already seen.
Another big issue I had with the novel is how certain events are just kinda...glossed over. Or maybe a more accurate description is that certain events just don't carry the weight that they should. There's some loss of family that doesn't have quite the emotional impact that would generally come with such a hardship. There's also the very real possibility of rape that crops up a few times, but it's handled very distantly, without the real dread and helplessness that should accompany it. Even for an easy read, I still wanted a bit more depth, and it simply wasn't to be found here.
I also wanted a bit more "day in the life" moments, but like I said, this is a fast paced tale, and development outside of the immediate plot was definitely not a priority for the storytelling. In fact, there's a lot of questions that get posed during the course of the novel, very few of which are actually answered. I get that there should be carry-over to the next book, but I really got frustrated that more answers weren't forthcoming.
Will I read the next one in the series? Yes, I think I will. It's not as expansive as, say, The Expanse (ZING!) series, but it's fun, fast paced, and easy to read. I don't know that I'll get into it right away, but I'll certainly pick the rest of the series up at some point. Sci-Fi fans looking to get a quick fix of space-based derring-do should certainly give this a shot.
Not that I never would have picked up Star Nomad on its own, as Science Fiction is certainly one of my "go to" genres. But Sci-Fi is certainly not lacking for selection or variety, so it's entirely likely that I wouldn't have gotten to it for some time. Which would have been a shame, as it was an enjoyable, easy read, which was perfect for my little mini-vacay I'm on.
First off...the positives. As a fan of Firefly and Serenity, this book was right up my alley. It had a very "lived in" feel for the universe, and the science was definitely "low tech" for much of it. I honestly couldn't think of the ship the Nomad without thinking of the Serenity from Firefly. We have a colorful and ragtag crew, all on board for their various reasons, each with their own way of contributing. Much witty banter is also had, along with humor of various effectiveness.
Alisa Marchenko is our POV character for this book, and is generally a worthy protagonist to follow. As the captain and pilot of the Nomad, she has a necessary mix of humanity and practicality, liberally sprinkled with an almost endless supply of sarcasm. And as a sarcastic person, I can thoroughly enjoy that personality trait. There WERE times it was a little much, a fact which is also commented on by various members of the crew, but for the most part it hit the mark. She's the right mix of tough and vulnerable, willing to get her hands dirty, but preferring to not if it can be avoided. I felt that she carried the tale effectively enough, even though I generally prefer stories to have multiple viewpoints.
As for the rest of the crew, we get introduced to them in brief encounters, just enough to establish what role they'll fill (muscle, mechanic, doctor, etc.), and each are given a few personality quirks of their own to help round them out. We have Mica, who essentially plays the Zoey to Alisa's Mal Reynolds, as well as Beck, who was hired on as security for the ship. We also have passengers Alejandro and Yumi, who get much more than they bargained for when they seek transport onboard Alisa's rickety freighter. And finally we have Leonidas, a mysterious cyborg who may still be an enemy to the Alliance that Alisha and Mica fought for. He's very much a frenemy in this tale, so I don't quite know what to make of him yet.
Like I said, this was an easy read. And I don't mean that in a derogatory way. It's a fast paced ride that's meant to entertain, and it does just that. Lindsay Buroker may have gotten her start as a Fantasy author, but she has a knack for Sci-Fi, and she knows how to set a pace. The book rarely lets up. It's not quite a breakneck pace, but it moves with a purpose. For the actual "science" of the science fiction, it's kept to a minimum. Like in Firefly, it's just a setting, not so much a major force in the narrative. And that's ok. Hard Sci-Fi this is not, but it's also not trying to be. It's very much a blockbuster movie type experience.
All in all, the writing is pretty solid. Conversations seemed to flow mostly naturally, and while nobody really gets a large character arc, everyone has their moment to shine. The plotting is solid, the danger is palpable, and solutions aren't always easy. Also, the action is handled well, and there's plenty of it, which is great for a space tale of this nature.
But what about the bad, or the not-so-good? Well, there's certainly some of that here. One of the biggest things, right up front, is how derivative this tale is. Most of what is on display here has been seen before. Especially in Firefly. Ex-soldier who is now out of work, and is tooling around in a rustbucket freigher that is always one step away from breaking down? Check. Ultra controlling galactic government trying to stamp out the individuality of the little guy and the backwater worlds? Former man of God who knows more about events than he's letting on? Cute and sassy engineer with a nice butt? Check. Hell, the "taking on passengers" bit hits some of the EXACT same beats. I'm not saying it doesn't work, because it does. But man, it's just so close to what we've already seen.
Another big issue I had with the novel is how certain events are just kinda...glossed over. Or maybe a more accurate description is that certain events just don't carry the weight that they should. There's some loss of family that doesn't have quite the emotional impact that would generally come with such a hardship. There's also the very real possibility of rape that crops up a few times, but it's handled very distantly, without the real dread and helplessness that should accompany it. Even for an easy read, I still wanted a bit more depth, and it simply wasn't to be found here.
I also wanted a bit more "day in the life" moments, but like I said, this is a fast paced tale, and development outside of the immediate plot was definitely not a priority for the storytelling. In fact, there's a lot of questions that get posed during the course of the novel, very few of which are actually answered. I get that there should be carry-over to the next book, but I really got frustrated that more answers weren't forthcoming.
Will I read the next one in the series? Yes, I think I will. It's not as expansive as, say, The Expanse (ZING!) series, but it's fun, fast paced, and easy to read. I don't know that I'll get into it right away, but I'll certainly pick the rest of the series up at some point. Sci-Fi fans looking to get a quick fix of space-based derring-do should certainly give this a shot.
April 22, 2017
This was very much a first book, and I don't mean that in a bad way. It reads very much like a prequel to a series. It sets up an interesting cast (and I'm super happy to see that in this case there are multiple females! Yes!), gives hints of their backstories, has them go through a few tough situations to help solidify their bond, and at the end of the book these people who were once strangers are now, more or less, a crew. Space pirates, illicit missions, cyborgs, political upheaval, killer Mr Handys, it was just fast and fun and really easy to read. Of course, most of Ms. Buroker's work is like that. If you've enjoyed her other series I have no doubt you'd enjoy this one too.
December 29, 2022
I think this is the first series from Lindsay Buroker that I don't immediately fall in love with and that just doesn't hit in the right spot.
Most reviews here talk about how amazing this book was, but for me, it just kind of fell flat. Well, I guess I know why: I've been reading way too many books from this author lately, and maybe I start seeing the resemblance between characters and plots.
I adore Lindsay Buroker's writing style, so I'll take a break from her for a while, just to make sure that I can love her series again.
Everyone else though, go on and read this. It'll be worth it!
Most reviews here talk about how amazing this book was, but for me, it just kind of fell flat. Well, I guess I know why: I've been reading way too many books from this author lately, and maybe I start seeing the resemblance between characters and plots.
I adore Lindsay Buroker's writing style, so I'll take a break from her for a while, just to make sure that I can love her series again.
Everyone else though, go on and read this. It'll be worth it!
June 2, 2016
Lindsay Buroker's Emperor's Edge books is one of my top fave fiction series. I also love her Dragon's Blood series. So I always grab a new book of hers when they come out.
Star Nomad is a sci-fi action tale that contains all the ingredients of Lindsay Buroker's writing formula; feisty, independent female protagonist, smart-alecky, comic relief sidekicks, and a stoic, strong masculine type anti-hero. In short, nothing original or surprising. Too bad.
Star Nomad is a sci-fi action tale that contains all the ingredients of Lindsay Buroker's writing formula; feisty, independent female protagonist, smart-alecky, comic relief sidekicks, and a stoic, strong masculine type anti-hero. In short, nothing original or surprising. Too bad.
January 30, 2024
Fast, with compelling fights between characters over ideologies. Great tension
June 7, 2016
Lindsay Buroker goes space opera? Hell yeah, sign me up! By now, it's an established fact in my mind that whatever this woman writes is pure entertainment gold, making her one of my go-to writers whenever I'm in need of a book I know I'll love. It's gotten to the point where I automatically click "want to read" and buy the first book of any new series before I've even read the blurb.
As expected, Star Nomad was a joy to read from start to finish, following a new great ensemble of characters on a fast-paced adventure ride through space. Fighter pilot Captain Alisa Marchenko, left behind hospitalised on a dusty little planet far from home at the end of a bloody civil war, has one goal: to get home to her daughter. To get there, she steals back the broken down freighter she sold to a junkyard after her mother died on it, acquires a ragtag bunch of crew and passengers (some more, some less voluntarily), and sets out on a journey that quickly ends up containing a whole lot more near death experiences, space pirates and other unpleasant obstacles than expected...
Turns out Lindsay Buroker is just as skilled at science fiction as she is at fantasy, not that that's any surprise. Her usual mixture of action, humour, and above all well-rounded, fun characters that are easy to like despite or perhaps because of all their quirks works just as well in this exciting new sci-fi world she's built as it did in the fantasy and steampunk universes she's dreamed up before. Excited to see where the series goes!
As expected, Star Nomad was a joy to read from start to finish, following a new great ensemble of characters on a fast-paced adventure ride through space. Fighter pilot Captain Alisa Marchenko, left behind hospitalised on a dusty little planet far from home at the end of a bloody civil war, has one goal: to get home to her daughter. To get there, she steals back the broken down freighter she sold to a junkyard after her mother died on it, acquires a ragtag bunch of crew and passengers (some more, some less voluntarily), and sets out on a journey that quickly ends up containing a whole lot more near death experiences, space pirates and other unpleasant obstacles than expected...
Turns out Lindsay Buroker is just as skilled at science fiction as she is at fantasy, not that that's any surprise. Her usual mixture of action, humour, and above all well-rounded, fun characters that are easy to like despite or perhaps because of all their quirks works just as well in this exciting new sci-fi world she's built as it did in the fantasy and steampunk universes she's dreamed up before. Excited to see where the series goes!
June 20, 2016
Hoo-boy. This book hit the spot in a BIG way. A snarky, driven heroine. A cyborg with an honorable core. A pessimistic engineer. A ship full of memories that's old enough to have been retired ages ago. Yes. I AM BLISSING OUT HERE, THANKYOUVERYMUCH.
Alisa's desire to get back to her daughter on a planet she won't be welcome drives her to take some interesting chances. She partners up with a former enemy, for one thing. She also tests her flying chops in an asteroid belt. Which I'm sure was hair raising for those aboard her ship.
As much fun as Alisa is, her passengers are right up there with her. From the former doctor who is hiding a secret to the science teacher who likes to dip into recreational, mind-expanding herbs. Alisa also picks up a security chief with a passion for grilling. Plus, she has her cyborg. Who's not hers, but they kinda end up taking responsibility for one another in a roundabout way. I bet Leonidas's story is going to be interesting when he finally loosens up enough to tell it.
A system in chaos, a determined pilot, and a cyborg with secrets. I'm seriously loving this world and these characters.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
Alisa's desire to get back to her daughter on a planet she won't be welcome drives her to take some interesting chances. She partners up with a former enemy, for one thing. She also tests her flying chops in an asteroid belt. Which I'm sure was hair raising for those aboard her ship.
As much fun as Alisa is, her passengers are right up there with her. From the former doctor who is hiding a secret to the science teacher who likes to dip into recreational, mind-expanding herbs. Alisa also picks up a security chief with a passion for grilling. Plus, she has her cyborg. Who's not hers, but they kinda end up taking responsibility for one another in a roundabout way. I bet Leonidas's story is going to be interesting when he finally loosens up enough to tell it.
A system in chaos, a determined pilot, and a cyborg with secrets. I'm seriously loving this world and these characters.
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
January 2, 2023
I really wanted to like this series, I have tried several of this author’s books and in every case have enjoyed the start but they haven’t been able to sustain my interest. As Science Fiction has always been my first love I hoped this would be the series that finally gets me ‘into’ Lindsay Buroker’s Books.
The story starts well and shows real promise when in the first chapter Alisa is confronted by a thug threatening her friend, instead of capitulating to his demands she just shoots him. Unfortunately this was probably the highlight for the rest of the book.
My problem with this book and in fact many of the author's books, is that the story is just a series of misfortunes that the heroine has to negotiate. I like my heroines to be in charge at least once during the book. Yes Alisa does overcome problems, but not because she is totally ‘bossing’ the situation, she’s always reacting to others doing things to her. Reading a Lindsay Buroker book always seems to be the same, pages and pages of things going wrong. It’s just so predictable and depressing, I find myself thinking ‘Oh no not again, as she meets another disaster. Just once I’d like her to write a passage were her heroine makes her plans, executes them brilliantly and beats the ‘cr..’ out of the bad guys.
The story starts well and shows real promise when in the first chapter Alisa is confronted by a thug threatening her friend, instead of capitulating to his demands she just shoots him. Unfortunately this was probably the highlight for the rest of the book.
My problem with this book and in fact many of the author's books, is that the story is just a series of misfortunes that the heroine has to negotiate. I like my heroines to be in charge at least once during the book. Yes Alisa does overcome problems, but not because she is totally ‘bossing’ the situation, she’s always reacting to others doing things to her. Reading a Lindsay Buroker book always seems to be the same, pages and pages of things going wrong. It’s just so predictable and depressing, I find myself thinking ‘Oh no not again, as she meets another disaster. Just once I’d like her to write a passage were her heroine makes her plans, executes them brilliantly and beats the ‘cr..’ out of the bad guys.
June 27, 2016
Be warned that the rave reviews are all from the fans of this author--from the rating and book summary I thought this was a regular sci-fi, but it seems it's in the "chick-lit" genre.
Thoughts on this book from a scifi regular:
- extremely vapid and juvenile dialogue
- in contrast to other reviews, this does not read like a space opera at all
- laughable character motives and actions
- much more enjoyable once I decided to skip over all inconsequential dialogue
To sum up:
- may be good series if looking for a very light, not serious read, and none of the science
- probably the worst dialogue in any book I've read, but that's probably because this style is not my cup of tea.
If you are looking for a well written and fun scifi series, The Expanse series is objectively better than this in all respects, just read that.
Thoughts on this book from a scifi regular:
- extremely vapid and juvenile dialogue
- in contrast to other reviews, this does not read like a space opera at all
- laughable character motives and actions
- much more enjoyable once I decided to skip over all inconsequential dialogue
To sum up:
- may be good series if looking for a very light, not serious read, and none of the science
- probably the worst dialogue in any book I've read, but that's probably because this style is not my cup of tea.
If you are looking for a well written and fun scifi series, The Expanse series is objectively better than this in all respects, just read that.
March 31, 2019
So at first I was not the biggest fan of this. But around the half way point, the characters really grew up on me. The story was good, a fun adventure blowing a lot of things (if not my mind).
Also, I really need to watch those sci-fi shows (Firefly, Battlestar Galactica and Babylon 5). I've been wanting to for so long but I only have season 1 of BG.
Also, I really need to watch those sci-fi shows (Firefly, Battlestar Galactica and Babylon 5). I've been wanting to for so long but I only have season 1 of BG.
January 4, 2024
Sherwood Smith's review led me to read the book, so that's the one to read first: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
"Ever since I first read Buroker's Emperor's Edge books, with their delightful mix of fantasy and SFnal tropes, I've wondered why she wasn't writing space opera. Well, now she is, and this has everything I love about space opera: great characters, action, some intriguing mysteries, and that sense that things are not always what they seem. All stitched together with the gold of humor."
It's a darker book than I was expecting, getting well into grimdark with sadistic pirates, slave-taking, and sexual abuse of women prisoners. It's well-written and indeed there is humor. I was hoping for a found-family light adventure, and there is some of that. But probably not enough for me to go on in the series.
First book is currently (1/1/24) a Kindle freebie. Since many readers liked it, and the price is right, you might want to give it a try. Inspired by the old Star Trek and Star Wars shows, but much darker than those.
"Ever since I first read Buroker's Emperor's Edge books, with their delightful mix of fantasy and SFnal tropes, I've wondered why she wasn't writing space opera. Well, now she is, and this has everything I love about space opera: great characters, action, some intriguing mysteries, and that sense that things are not always what they seem. All stitched together with the gold of humor."
It's a darker book than I was expecting, getting well into grimdark with sadistic pirates, slave-taking, and sexual abuse of women prisoners. It's well-written and indeed there is humor. I was hoping for a found-family light adventure, and there is some of that. But probably not enough for me to go on in the series.
First book is currently (1/1/24) a Kindle freebie. Since many readers liked it, and the price is right, you might want to give it a try. Inspired by the old Star Trek and Star Wars shows, but much darker than those.
February 6, 2017
Fluffy sci-fi brain candy.
I didn't buy the main character's motivation and would have preferred that the specter of a distant child had been cut altogether. Alisa never thinks of her daughter at all except in a sort of logistical way (how am I going to get to her? what will I do then? will I have enough money to support a child? can I raise her on the ship while I run cargo?), and even those are fleeting moments. She has exactly one fond memory that's shared in flashback at the beginning of the book to establish the daughter's existence, then nada.
This book is all action and very little introspection, but I don't mind that every now and then. It was a fun enough ride while it lasted. Recommended for Firefly fans interested in the idea of an AU fanfic featuring a female version of Mal in the aftermath of a Browncoat victory (and with an alternate crew ensemble).
I didn't buy the main character's motivation and would have preferred that the specter of a distant child had been cut altogether. Alisa never thinks of her daughter at all except in a sort of logistical way (how am I going to get to her? what will I do then? will I have enough money to support a child? can I raise her on the ship while I run cargo?), and even those are fleeting moments. She has exactly one fond memory that's shared in flashback at the beginning of the book to establish the daughter's existence, then nada.
This book is all action and very little introspection, but I don't mind that every now and then. It was a fun enough ride while it lasted. Recommended for Firefly fans interested in the idea of an AU fanfic featuring a female version of Mal in the aftermath of a Browncoat victory (and with an alternate crew ensemble).
May 26, 2016
Disclosure: I received a free review copy from the author.
I've been a fan of Lindsay Buroker's fantasy novels for some time now, and happily followed her into this new space opera series, because I've found her work consistently entertaining. Also, though I haven't read as much of it lately, I'm a space opera fan from of old, having grown up on Andre Norton and loved Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan books.
Norton, Bujold, and C.L. Moore's Northwest Smith are in the lineage of this series, not to mention a little bit of Star Wars, though without the hokey ancient religion or laser swords. We have asteroid miners, the aftermath of a civil war (Alliance versus Empire), artificial gravity, various kinds of weapons including energy weapons, enhanced cyborg soldiers, power armour... it's all good stuff. We also have an ex-military officer with an old spaceship and a ragtag crew, just trying to make it back to where her young daughter is so they can be together (her husband was a civilian casualty of the war), and encountering - and overcoming - obstacles at every turn.
The characters are quirky, smart, brave, principled and constantly bickering, which is what I've come to happily expect from a Buroker book. The cyborg soldier distinctly reminds me of the assassin Sicarius from the Emperor's Edge series: emotionally closed off, laconic to the point of curt, unstoppably deadly, but with his own powerful set of principles. The space captain is, however, more assured and capable than Amaranthe early in the same series, and none the worse for it. She makes a great scrappy underdog, badly outgunned but forced by circumstances to forge difficult alliances and triumph through courage and intelligence, and that's how I like my heroes.
The political background is well, if briefly, handled. The Empire was totalitarian and repressive, and the Alliance fought long and hard to break it; since the viewpoint character was an Alliance officer, we mostly get that perspective, but the cyborg, who was an Imperial officer, gets to say his piece about how the Empire maintained order, and now everything is falling apart and pirates and warlords are causing chaos and suffering. Though it isn't dwelled on, it's a more sophisticated political background than a lot of light SFF has - and gives us a chance to encounter plenty of pirates and warlords.
I understand that this is the first of a series, and that the other books will be launching very soon after this one. I will definitely be picking them up.
I've been a fan of Lindsay Buroker's fantasy novels for some time now, and happily followed her into this new space opera series, because I've found her work consistently entertaining. Also, though I haven't read as much of it lately, I'm a space opera fan from of old, having grown up on Andre Norton and loved Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan books.
Norton, Bujold, and C.L. Moore's Northwest Smith are in the lineage of this series, not to mention a little bit of Star Wars, though without the hokey ancient religion or laser swords. We have asteroid miners, the aftermath of a civil war (Alliance versus Empire), artificial gravity, various kinds of weapons including energy weapons, enhanced cyborg soldiers, power armour... it's all good stuff. We also have an ex-military officer with an old spaceship and a ragtag crew, just trying to make it back to where her young daughter is so they can be together (her husband was a civilian casualty of the war), and encountering - and overcoming - obstacles at every turn.
The characters are quirky, smart, brave, principled and constantly bickering, which is what I've come to happily expect from a Buroker book. The cyborg soldier distinctly reminds me of the assassin Sicarius from the Emperor's Edge series: emotionally closed off, laconic to the point of curt, unstoppably deadly, but with his own powerful set of principles. The space captain is, however, more assured and capable than Amaranthe early in the same series, and none the worse for it. She makes a great scrappy underdog, badly outgunned but forced by circumstances to forge difficult alliances and triumph through courage and intelligence, and that's how I like my heroes.
The political background is well, if briefly, handled. The Empire was totalitarian and repressive, and the Alliance fought long and hard to break it; since the viewpoint character was an Alliance officer, we mostly get that perspective, but the cyborg, who was an Imperial officer, gets to say his piece about how the Empire maintained order, and now everything is falling apart and pirates and warlords are causing chaos and suffering. Though it isn't dwelled on, it's a more sophisticated political background than a lot of light SFF has - and gives us a chance to encounter plenty of pirates and warlords.
I understand that this is the first of a series, and that the other books will be launching very soon after this one. I will definitely be picking them up.
April 19, 2017
Okay, here goes. I've been in a book slump for too long. I've started and stopped maybe ten books, and I just wanted something to care about! And I have found it. This book ticks all the boxes for me. A strong, adult, MATURE, funny, snarky, centered, focused, but-not-unwilling-to-learn heroine who just feels like a normal person. Really, that's it. Alisa's just a normal woman going about her business. Sure, her business is ex-fighter pilot , but just like the rest of us, she's just doing her job. She's confident (it's her job!), sarcastic (seriously though, I love her), and focused. But she's flawed and beautiful and I need her to exist in real life so I can be best friends with her. Plus she's , but she still helps people, but isn't completely sacrificial in an unbelievable way. Again, normal.
Then there's the "crew" and "passengers". Everyone has their own individual character, voice, and needs. And they're fun -- fun to listen to, hang out with, and just follow around.
And maybe even better than all that is the world. As someone who's part of a part of the world that's always going through revolutions, I always find it difficult first reading books where things are so black and white, or at least so simply "gray" that the good person also is evil, oh no! And I also find it difficult talking about how complex post-war and post-revolution contexts can be. This book does if MAGNIFICENTLY. Even Leonidas, the imperial officer who is the ultimate of her enemies, has his own points of view validated. And, seriously, their banter is maybe 50% of the reason I couldn't put the book down. Or, actually, any interaction Alisa had with any human whatsoever. Even the chickens. And the ship's steering mechanism thing.
Just an example (not sure how funny it'll be out of context, but remember :
"I've had it [bear meat] before," Leonidas said. "[...] I remember eating the liver raw and not finding it particularly delicious."
Alisa couldn't keep from wrinkling her nose in disgust. "You shouldn't say such things around women, Leonidas," she said, waving at Yumi, Mica, and a couple of female miners who had found seats at the table.
"Why?"
"You'll never get one of them to kiss you if they're imagining your mouth chomping into raw organs."
"Ah." He did not appear overly concerned.
A lot of the reviews I read were disappointed that but I was okay with that. Maybe because I'd read that in some of the reviews before I was done (yes, yes, but I was excited!), or maybe because, as other reviewers pointed out, it felt like a TV show, but the thing is I LOVE TV shows, and this did feel like Firefly in the best way possible.
So to summarize: I think I've found one of my favorite heroines EVER.
Then there's the "crew" and "passengers". Everyone has their own individual character, voice, and needs. And they're fun -- fun to listen to, hang out with, and just follow around.
And maybe even better than all that is the world. As someone who's part of a part of the world that's always going through revolutions, I always find it difficult first reading books where things are so black and white, or at least so simply "gray" that the good person also is evil, oh no! And I also find it difficult talking about how complex post-war and post-revolution contexts can be. This book does if MAGNIFICENTLY. Even Leonidas, the imperial officer who is the ultimate of her enemies, has his own points of view validated. And, seriously, their banter is maybe 50% of the reason I couldn't put the book down. Or, actually, any interaction Alisa had with any human whatsoever. Even the chickens. And the ship's steering mechanism thing.
Just an example (not sure how funny it'll be out of context, but remember :
"I've had it [bear meat] before," Leonidas said. "[...] I remember eating the liver raw and not finding it particularly delicious."
Alisa couldn't keep from wrinkling her nose in disgust. "You shouldn't say such things around women, Leonidas," she said, waving at Yumi, Mica, and a couple of female miners who had found seats at the table.
"Why?"
"You'll never get one of them to kiss you if they're imagining your mouth chomping into raw organs."
"Ah." He did not appear overly concerned.
A lot of the reviews I read were disappointed that but I was okay with that. Maybe because I'd read that in some of the reviews before I was done (yes, yes, but I was excited!), or maybe because, as other reviewers pointed out, it felt like a TV show, but the thing is I LOVE TV shows, and this did feel like Firefly in the best way possible.
So to summarize: I think I've found one of my favorite heroines EVER.
April 6, 2020
As I've started this book, I had been pretty sure that it will be just this one book and that would be it and I will not read further books of "The fallen Empire" series. Now, the second one is already in my device. Though I'm not sure and don't really think that I'll manage whole eight books, but... Who knows, I've already proved myself wrong here.
It is a bit difficult to classify this book as of one particular genre. Theoretically, it is a sci-fi, but there's so little of the sci part, that I'm not really sure if it can be called a sci-fi book. Also, it is similar to military sci-fi, but there's not enough military. So I guess I'll go with a space western instead. It probablybis the closest definition I can manage.
It is a very light book, very much a plot driven one. The characters are quite cardboardish and really stereotypical. The setting is by no means original. And yet it was quite a fun story. At some point I began wondering "what's next", "why are they doing that", etc.
So, I guess I did like this book all things considered. 3*.
It is a bit difficult to classify this book as of one particular genre. Theoretically, it is a sci-fi, but there's so little of the sci part, that I'm not really sure if it can be called a sci-fi book. Also, it is similar to military sci-fi, but there's not enough military. So I guess I'll go with a space western instead. It probablybis the closest definition I can manage.
It is a very light book, very much a plot driven one. The characters are quite cardboardish and really stereotypical. The setting is by no means original. And yet it was quite a fun story. At some point I began wondering "what's next", "why are they doing that", etc.
So, I guess I did like this book all things considered. 3*.
June 23, 2019
Hah, this was great space opera fun. Focuses heavily on the characters, not so much on the science, just the way I like it. It's short, only 9.5 hours on audio, so very much a popable candy of a book. It’s relatively shallow, so I don’t give it five stars, just a straightforward spaceship adventure. What it does do, though, is set the stage with several wonderful characters whose stories still have much unfolding to do. Oh, this book wrapped up the first adventure nicely. I didn’t feel like any of the events were unresolved. But each of the characters were still very much at the beginning of each of their journeys, and I can’t wait to see where they go.
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