Red Gambit

The Harvesters #1

by Luke R. Mitchell

What do a wayward mercenary and a vexed arcanist have in common?
Neither of them signed up for this crap . . .

It's been fifteen years since the raknoth made a smoldering heap of Earth. But for some survivors, the problems are just getting started.

Jarek Slater is a sword-slinging nomad with a powerful exosuit and a mean vigilante streak—or was until his exosuit was stolen. He wants it back.

Rachel Cross is an energy-bending arcanist who wants nothing more than to find her brother and bring him home safely.

When their paths collide, Jarek and Rachel are reluctantly pulled into a race across the nuclear wasteland to reclaim his suit and save her brother. All that stands between them and their goals is a vicious alien warlord, some grating interpersonal tension, and a whole bunch of violent marauders. Oh, and a mysterious alien device that may bring on the second apocalypse.

Together, they might just be strong enough to pull it off. Assuming they don't kill each other first . . .

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Red Gambit is the first book in the Harvesters Series, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure complete with blood-sucking aliens, power armor, and energy-bending arcanists. If you like Star Wars, Halo, or the likes of Neal Asher, E.E. Knight, and Michael Anderle, you'll love this series for its "fast-paced adventure," "compelling characters," and "wonderfully wise-cracking dialogue."

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic, Aliens, Dystopia, Audiobook, Fiction

313 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 14, 2017

About the author

Luke is a storyteller whose dreams include learning the ways of the Force, becoming a sentient robot, and maybe even one day growing up. Also, lots of zombies… Don't ask.

After studying engineering science at Penn State and neuroengineering at Drexel, Luke finally decided to throw in the towel on actually building a working Iron Man suit, opting instead to simply make things up and write them down. Boy, is he having more fun now.

When he's not holed up in his cave trying to string words together, he can often be found powerlifting, video-gaming, reading, and/or drinking the darkest, most roasty beers he can get his mitts on.

You know what? Enough about Luke. He's not that interesting. But if you'd like to say hi to him for whatever reason, he'd probably be glad to hear from you. Contact him at luke@lukermitchell.com (kind of a silly email address, right?) with questions, critiques, or just a friendly hello!

Also, be sure to swing by at lukermitchell.com to sign up for his reading group and receive a free eBook!

Reviews

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was fun, action packed read!



(Sorry there are a few gunfights but not quite this chaotic- I just couldn't help but thrown in a fun gif) Anyhoo, this story was an interesting blend of dystopian/ sci-fi/ with a touch of 'magic' and romance. We also get a great mix of characters.

We start the story with out two leads-Rachel who is an Arcanist, meaning she had learned to harness a sort of energy that allows her to wield elements, invade peoples minds, and use her staff to perform some serious feats. As the book suggests she kind of has Jedi like powers.




She is also on the hunt for her missing brother Micheal, who has been working for what serves as the Resistance in this dystopian world, and who has subsequently been captured by this stories big bad (The Red King- who may or may not be an alien- but def has vampiric tendencies...)

On her way to free him we meet our other lead Jarek who is a cocky wise-ass/ not quite mercenary that had been searching for his stolen exo-suit 'Fila' for quite some time when he finds out Micheal might have a clue to her whereabouts- and has the brilliant idea to rescue the captured fighter by... making up a plan as he goes.



This abrasive meeting of individuals who all have different ideas and goals in mind- lead our three characters on an adventure with serious stakes, devastating consequences, and disastrous revelations.


This was a great KU find and hopefully I'll read on to the next one. Plus I'll have my finger crossed for a little amp in romance between the leads, and some more snarky dialogue.

[Meenaz Lodhi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series IS Great! Although I've not yet read Soldier of Charity( will do next), This Book explains How the main character got started, more or less, a wise cracker wise guy with a sarcastic and fun AI and a mind power heroine. Full of adventures, action packed, witty, humorous and with its fill of emotions. A great mix of genre!

[Eliza Book · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️ 2.75 stars

**CAWPILE Rating System:**

**Characters** = 6/10

**Atmosphere** = 4/10

**Writing Style** = 5/10

**Plot** = 5/10

**Intrigue (drive to keep reading)** = 2/10

**Logic** = 6.5/10

**Enjoyment** = 3/10

**Trigger Warnings:**

- Moderate - kidnapping
- Moderate - violence
- Moderate - mature language

# ⛰ What It's About

- Set after the majority of the earth is destroyed and a race of aliens, the Raknoth, is taking over. Jarek is a mercenary whose high-tech body suit (similar to the one Iron Man has - the fact that Luke Mitchell made a real-life Iron man suit says a lot) has been stolen. He embarks on a mission to retrieve it, becoming entangled with a badass arcanist, Rachel & her brother in the rebel organisation which is trying to overthrow the Raknoth.

# 🔍 How I Discovered It

- I won this from a giveaway on Storygraph as an audiobook.

# 🧠 Thoughts

- This book feels like an early version of Guardians of the Galaxy. The humour & the main male protagonist acting exactly like Peter Quill - I couldn’t stop thinking this was GOTG fan-fiction set on earth instead of in space. Action books are just not my genre & overall I just felt like this book was a little flat for me. I think it could make an interesting movie though. Unfortunately, I will not be continuing the series.

## What I Liked About It

- The quippy humour was funny at times - it felt kind of high-school boy humour in parts.
- I listened to this on audiobook and it was very well done. The narrator had different voices and voice effects overlayed for AI and anything being muffled over transmissions. Very impressed with the audiobook quality.

## What I Didn't Like About It

- I feel like women in this book are portrayed a little simply. I believe it would have benefitted the story more if the women were more complex in their personalities.
- The detail and complexity of this book felt a little like middle-grade, but this was a bit inconsistent.
- Even though there was a lot of action in this book, it felt kind of boring. I believe this is because there was a lack of character development to make me care about the characters’ well-being during combat - so there was very little tension.
- This first book felt like a full book was cut in half and this was the first half. The whole premise of the book of identifying and understanding the function of the egg everyone is fighting over, was unfinished. I believe this was done to leave the book on a cliff-hanger but in all honesty, it felt like all this leading up to a big conclusion & then the book ends. I feel like there isn’t enough plot left to write an entire second book.

# 🥰 Who Would Like It?

- Anyone who likes a fast-paced action adventure book with iron suits, a sprinkle of magic and Guardians of the Galaxy vibes.
- This book also felt very video-game & Dungeons & Dragons esc. - so if you like that type of storytelling is something you love, then you might enjoy this book.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and fresh story, and very entertaining. The author definitely has a way with words, so good.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mitchell's writing is fast, snappy, suck-you-in writing. Very much a book where you just keep reading because the pages are easy to turn and you need to know what happens next.
Would have liked this a little more meaty, in terms of character development and relationships, because we get teased with hints of it - is Mitchell too afraid to spoil the lighthearted snark? Well, he shouldn't be because it would have balanced out nicely. That said, I did enjoy the banter, the conversations felt like exactly the kind you would be having in this particular flavour of post-apocalypse.
The ending was...interesting, not exactly a cliffhanger, but yet another example of this seeming trend for books to JUST STOP HALFWAY THROUGH. Authors really need to learn that when characters solve one problem, it doesn't necessarily mean that this is a good place for the book to stop.

To sum up my feelings - this was like one of those super-fancy meals that's gone in two bites. Delicious, tantalising.....but not the filling, nutritious meal it could have been, if only there was a little bit MORE.

[Book_joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rattling good story. Post-apocalyptic world with swords, magic and some surviving tech. And the Earth is lumbered with almost-undefeatable aliens who still hang around after wiping out chunks of the population. Best of all, the hero has morals and does his best to fight on the side of the right. There's humour and, even better, hope in this book. The preceding 'Soldier of Charity' (prequel) hooked me on this series and elevated Luke R Mitchell to join my list of my favourite authors. Red Gambit ensures the book and author continue to be among my favourites.

[Gennyfer Hanvey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Giving this book 2 stars instead of one since I DNF. While there’s a lot of potential here the thing that made it a DNF for me, though I rarely don’t finish is the casual racism. I’m hoping the author is just unaware and so are his editors/beta readers.

A white girl adopted by a black man should not be calling her brother a racial slur as an affectionate nickname.

[Alyssia Cooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining quick read with lots of action and excitement. Quite engaging characters and a fast moving narrative. If you like your fantasy with a bit sword slashing and gun fire this may well be right up your alley.

[Heather Hayden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, seat-of-the-pants dash through a well-built post-apocalyptic world. Rachel might be small, but she's got a lot of grit. Jarek might be a jerk, but he's really a big softie. (Really! I'm not joking!)

I enjoyed this story a lot, and will definitely check out the prequel and sequel(s).

My only caution for readers is that there IS a lot of swearing. It didn't bother me too much, given the setting and the target audience, but I know some people prefer their sci-fi a little cleaner.

[PunkHazard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super fun fast paced action thriller ride. I love the world and set pieces. The characters were charming. I’m a sucker for snarky MC’s with a romance based on sexual tension. Very well written with a plot that makes you need to read the next book. Super happy I read it

[Michelle W · Rating 3 out of 5]

Torn on this one. This reminded me of a fun action movie from the '90s in many spots. The plot follows familiar beats and includes a decent small cast. I appreciate a fast pace.

Let's talk about the main character, Jarek, for a second. This guy wants to be Han Solo so bad it is practically seeping from his pores. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but there comes a point when snarky is overdone. He's the classic burned from war asshole with a heart of gold that has to act like a jerk until the main female character cracks his shell. Sure, that's fine, but the book spends a lot of time us the reader this through many exposition dumps instead of through plot.

Rachel basically has magic powers, and I practically slapped my forehead when she is specifically compared to a Jedi with discussion about the movie Star Wars. That was a bit too on the nose.

I may give the second book a try - maybe the next one is less of an info dump with too many snarky comebacks and more developed in its storytelling.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Red Gambit

I was able to read the prequel, "Soldier of Charity", first so it gave me some insight on Jarek and his motives and attitude. This book picked up right after that, so I'm not sure how anyone reading this book without having read the prequel first would be able to understand his trust issues and his attachment to his exo-suit. As he tries to find out who stole his suit he has to make some hard decisions on who to trust. Without the back history I might have been a little lost on his reluctance to only rely on himself and one trusted old man and an AI. But,there is plenty of humor some of it dark, and lots of action. I'm going to read the second book now. I'm hooked.

[Shawn Bain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Red Gambit is a fantastic book that i never wanted to put down.

The action is vivid and plentiful without getting graphic with gory details. Every character is unique and interesting, and I loved Jarek more than I care to admit.

Jarek Slater is a loveable jerk that doesn’t want anyone to know he’s fighting for the good guys altruistically. Rachel is a strong female character that is more than a love interest without being one of those abhorrent feminist types. The way she uses magic is really interesting as well.

I struggled to give this one a five-star review due to the excessive language, but it more than earned the score with the storytelling, three-dimensional characters, and enticing world. I plan to pick up the sequel and start it soon.

[Matus Grinvalsky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I stopped after 25% of the book. The book is action packed, and although it is not my favourite genre, I was eager for some light reading.

Unfortunatelly, I could not enjoy the book as much as expected. I am fine with heroes being (really) lucky, smart and strong, but it got completely out of scale here. I would probably ignore it, if the action (and there is barely anything but action here) was writen in sentences that are easy to follow, which is not the case. It feels almost like readng a first draft of the book with no editorial work done :-(.

It could be fun, but it was not.

[A Shrimp · Rating 4 out of 5]

~3.8 stars

It wasn't for me really, and I won't be continuing the series. I'm pretty sure, however, that the reasons I didn't like Red Gambit might be the exact reasons others will enjoy it.

There is only one thing that I would say is very much objectively bad here: the antagonists.

I think we've grown beyond only writing psychopathic, sadistic, omniscient indestructible antagonists with no motivation apart from gaining power/wealth or causing pain. The antagonists in Red Gambit are the epitome those traits unfortunately. This goes both for the main antagonist, his sidekick and the temporary marauder bad guy - also pretty much for every other character who isn't explicitly one of the "good guys". Being evil for the sake of it doesn't make a good antagonist. It's also just not very fun when an antagonist magically survives his death and suddenly reappears. I had to roll my eyes when that "reveal" came up. How none of the characters were supposed to have made the connection, with all the "subtle" hints toward "red eyes", I have no idea

It's also never explained how the antagonist keeps suddenly finding the heroes wherever they go. That thing felt a bit too omniscient and convenient to me. It might be explained further down the line, but that would be too late for me.

Most everything else is a series of action scenes, ever increasing in their ridiculousness. The heroes cleave (quite literally at various points) through hordes of enemies, run through bullet hail, engage in hand to hand combat with gigantic indestructible lizard vampires and constantly produce the most cheesy one liners you could imagine. It would be genuinely interesting to see somebody come up with a kill count for the various characters. The numbers would have to be ridiculous.

Ultimately, it was just a bit too much for me, especially toward the end when things are taken about 5 more notches up. I'm also not all that much into the setting in the first place, and this was always more of an experiment for me.

The writing is well done (if you can deal with the cheesy main character) and I think for people who are really into uber ridiculous sci-fi, this might just be their jam

The main cast of characters didn't really work for me. They are supposed to have their funny banter and slowly develop a friendship/romantic relationship in the process. There was very little opportunity for the characters to really get to know each other, and I felt like every time they had a conversation they were fighting over something and just showed wildly differing worldviews. At the end of book one, they still feel like complete strangers to each other. In general, I think they weren't all that compatible, and with the obligatory "moral dilemma" (if you want to call it that) toward the end, I was genuinely hoping the characters would split up and make way for a more interesting constellation.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm conflicted. On the one hand, it's not a bad book. On the other hand, I'm not sure I'm the intended audience for this.

I've seen some comparisons to Guardians of the Galaxy/Starlord and that definitely tracks. I'd also compare it to shounen anime, especially with Jarek being the smart-mouthed, super powerful protagonist with a mysterious past. Rachel, on the other hand, is a typical sassy, girl boss companion whose job is to look pretty (which the reader knows she's pretty because nearly everyone harasses her because of it) and nag/mother Jarek while also being drawn to his irresistible charms. Doesn't matter how condescending or rude or inappropriate he is, Rachel just has this feeling about him. Not that she'll admit it because she's a tough girl boss who thinks he's an asshole despite him having a great ass (which we are reminded of way too many times). She can't be too much of a girl boss, though, because Jarek needs to be able to swoop in and save the day.

There were moments between them where I could maybe see the beginning of some chemistry but not enough to justify the level of attraction meant to be there. They've known each other two days! Like if this was a romance novel where the couple was the main focus then maaaaybe I could cut it some slack. But the romance is, at best, a sub plot. Since this is a series, I feel like it could have stretched out the growing relationship rather than having so much tension right off the bat. And maybe could have cut down on the Jarek makes inappropriate comment about Rachel and she suppresses a grin because yeah, it's harassment but he's hot so it's "okay."

I liked the world-building and I think the arcanist thing is really cool but it's not super fleshed out. Which is fine for what the book is trying to accomplish. It's meant to be a fun, fast-paced sci-fi adventure and so cool, flashy, surface level concepts is all it really needs! And, again, this is the first book in a series so later in the series certain things may be more fleshed out. I'm not sure how I feel about the aliens basically being the reptilian conspiracy theory, though. It could be perfectly innocent and I'm overthinking but I don't know. ALSO the nickname Rachel has for Michael was... not good. At first I thought it was maybe just me but looking through other reviews I'm glad to know I'm not the only one that was uncomfortable.

Listened to this as an audiobook and I will say that's probably one the big reasons I was able to finish it. The narrator did a FANTASTIC job, even if some of the early British accents were a little iffy. If you are planning on reading the book I'd highly recommend going the audiobook route.

I got all the books as part of a bundle so I may continue the series at some point but I just don't think this is the series for me. Overall I'd give this 2.5 stars but for Goodreads I'll round it up.

[Charity Bradford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrator was great. He really got into the characters, making it easy to feel their personalities and keep them separated.

Great story, full steam ahead action with good story elements woven through the fighting. I really enjoyed the post-apocalyptic feel with the “Tony Stark-like” Jarek’s quest to get his super suit back, the arcanist Rachel’s goal to just protect the last of her family, and the intrigue of the power struggle. And in the midst of it all, there is some love/hate flirting that makes things really fun. Jarek’s willful snarkiness keeps the desolation of it all at arms-length.

The author did note there would be language, and there is a lot of it. It is fitting for the type of story and situation, but if you don’t like reading or hearing a steady stream of heavy swearing, think twice about this one.

I give the story a solid 4, the narrator a 5, and it gets an R rating simply because of the f-bombs. There is no sex or even a kiss. Which, I think Rachel and Jarek could have snuck at least one in. Well, maybe not. It was one thing after another with the surviving bit.

1-5 scale and what it means:
1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad
2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing
3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive
3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love
4: Solid mind candy / worth reading
4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read
5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:
Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"
PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door
PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.
PG-14—somewhere between PG-13 and R. Not erotica, but at least a paragraph of on-screen sex
R--swearing (F-bomb, on “screen” sex, sometimes feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot, but not always

[Anne - Books of My Heart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
 



Kindle freebie on November 1, 2020  (currently free as of writing this post)
I received the audio from the author March 22, 2021


I shouldn't be surprised to have enjoyed the first full book in the series, more than the prequels. That is not say I didn't enjoy the prequels, because I certainly did, but a longer book gives more time for world and character development. I am very glad to have read the prequels first.  I loved having that background and development of our main characters before Red Gambit.

Jarek and Rachel have talents and certainly have terrible times in their histories.  Rachel seems a bit out of touch having lived in Unity and away from the fighting.  I can't decide if Jarek is that immature or just so cynical with some of his flip comments.  They seem just a bit luckier than their skills should make them.  I can live with it since they are the "good" guys.  Overall the tone is more comic book or superheroes than some of the dark, gritty fantasy I read.

I'll be interested to see how things turn out in the future.  Are there many of the aliens left or are they just minds invaded by aliens doing their wishes?  But then how did Seth stay alive?   How well did Lilly's blood work and do they drink human blood to counteract it?  Can the humans use her method again or improve on it?

So definitely I hope to understand more by reading further in the Harvesters series.

 
Narration:
I have not listened to Steven Barnett previously.  I do have one audio I own where he is the narrator, and it looks like he has narrated quite often in the scifi genre.   The performance was impressive.  The voices sounded appropriate for males, females and ages.  He handled Jarek's sarcasm and Rachel's exhaustion well in tone.   I listened at my usual 1.5x speed.

Listen to a clip:https://soundcloud.com/luke-mitchell-...

[A.D. Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is set in an apocalyptic world, where the Raknoth have reined destruction down wiping out much of humanity and leaving the rest limping along trying to survive. Refreshingly there were no zombies.

The Story is about Rachel an arcanist that manipulates energy hunting for her missing brother and Jarek, a not so heartless mercenary looking for his iron man suit and willing to do just about anything to get it back again.

Off the bat – This was such a great read and a real page turner. It is full of action, fun and has everything from shotguns to high tech weapons and a wizard’s staff which adds a touch of fantasy but kind of fits. I mean the bad guys are alien lizard vampires that can morph into human form so why not a touch of magic.

Jaric is a wise-cracking, kickass mercenary that cares about people more than he wants to admit (all though he does kill a lot of them) and Rachel is a gifted arcanist that is more than a match for Jaric and indeed pretty much everyone. The dialogue flows whip quick and smart and had me grinning like an idiot half the time.

I’ve read many books with these types of protagonists in. Confident, clever, cocky and with an answer for every occasion. Sometimes it can get tiresome. Not here…not for me. The story was well woven, the scenes choreographed with characters that fit so neatly together it was a pleasure to read. The fight scenes were really well executed. The world building was simple but well-crafted. The bad guys were…well bad but also dangerous, cunning and ruthless. Everything you want to see in a villain(s).

This was an easy read. It was no brain teaser to be sure but that’s not to say it wasn’t clever and it was certainly Fun with a capital F. Sometimes the best thing you can say about a book is that the end came too soon. It did.

If you like Apocalyptic action books I highly recommend this one.

[Nicholas Gibas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Red Gambit is a fun sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, sort of cyberpunkish book about alien vampires, robot suits and magic sigils. The result of all this gave off a 90’s Image Comics feel to the entire story. I could see Rob Liefeld drawing Jarek Slater battling the Red King so vividly in my mind. I’m not sure if the nostalgia was intentional, but I found it mostly effective. My biggest gripe though is that the main character (Jarek Slater) is so stereotypical that it borders on frustrating. Of course he is the dude to have cheesy pick up lines, tough and goofy yet really inside...he’s a sweetheart. I’m willing to look past some of this stuff but his character could be moulded in a way that isn’t so archetypical (although some people love that kind of thing so my opinion isn’t that important). Another small irk was a line regarding Rachel’s character that was along the lines of “...she liked normal, but today came up and shot normal in the head.”. I can get past it but that was a little too awkward to read. Overall I enjoyed Red Gambit though, don’t get me wrong. It’s an action packed read that you can jump right into if you like modern, mainstream science fiction. I’ll look forward to reading the next volume, Hell To Pay at a later date.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts following an apocalyptic destruction on earth by alien invaders.

Han Tony Solo Stark, I mean Jarek, is trying to get back his iron man suit, and needs to break rebel alliance character Michael out of prison so Michael can take him to the suit, which the rebel alliance had stolen.

Michael's adoptive sister, Rachel -- last name Skywalker I think -- is also plotting to break Michael out of prison. She is able to use The Force. I mean, able to create energy exchanges to do things like telekinesis. The book is in on the joke, as the characters discuss whether Rachel is doing a Force-like equivalent from Star Wars. Rachel says it's totally different but doesn't make a convincing argument.

Han-Tony and Leia -- I mean Jarek and Rachel -- trade barbs but there is an undeniable chemistry between them.

Han-Tony, I mean Jarek, is a mercenary with a ship and an iron man suit. Will he decide to continue being a mercenary or will he assist the alluring Rachel and the rebel alliance against the Emperor -- I mean Overlords? You know what Han-Tony will do.

I enjoyed the book. Yes, it was inspired by Star Wars, which was inspired by Dune. A good story is a good story. It was an enjoyable read and I have ordered the next book in the series.

[Dennis Crotts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome but it was very confusing to me to wrap my head around

First say the book started with a lots of lost time the book Solder of Charity and this book did match up on the storyline and I actually found myself very confused and trying to get a handle on what was happening. And it felt like I was thrown into a book were you had missed the beginning of the story and you was on the tail end trying to figure out were you was.
Not saying this book was not good but I feel the beginning of the book could have been better written tie in with book Solder of Charity a bit more.
From what I can tell this is this story is 15 years after Solder of Charity and there is new characters who I not sure were they came from the only one I recognized was Pryce but there is no mention of the girl he fell for in the previous book it would have been nice to know what happen to her. From Solder of Charity to this one there was so much happen and those facts would been good to know and as a reader it would have been helpful.

[Camilo Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading these four books, plus the Soldier of Charity: The complete Harvesters Series, by Luke Mitchell. It is science fiction developed with characters faithful to their thoughts, works and attitudes. It takes place on our planet, in the midst of an invasion of aliens. Sadness, pain, anguish, love, friendship, and touches of humor are combined in a well-told story. The first time I read something long on Kindle, but it was a good experience, I found that I read 90 percent on the Kindle Android App that I downloaded on Galaxy 6 Lite Tablet and Samsung Galaxy A30s cell phone. The remaining 10% on the Kindle Paperwhite I bought. Very good, but perhaps I quite liked the customization that can be done in the Android App, and especially the speed of response of these two devices, what has to do with the online dictionary and translation is immediate. Good experience with Kindle and with the author. Recommendable

[Sathya Narayani · Rating 4 out of 5]

A unique book that made for an interesting reading session. Luke is a talented writer who needs more people to recognize and appreciate his work. Red Gambit really stands out among the read-and-forget crop of SF/F books on the market right now. The story feature a main character whose sense of humor does not seem to ever fade no matter how dire the situation is. This is one of the few books whose author choose to stick with the main story line and tries to deliver it to the reader as fast as possible. Others normally choose to drag out for at least a chapter trying to explain how a character got a scar. In Red Gambit, if you blink, good luck, see ya, we have already move on to a different part of the story. The result? A medium density book that is packed with actions, humor, stand out characters as well as a captivating story. Can't wait to get my hands on the second books of the series.

[Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got 10 chapters in (of 28) and couldn't be assed to pick it up again. Does the author know that women are, like, people and now just a "feminist" archetype? Does he know that women react poorly to misogyny not because it's "cool" or "edgy" or "powerful" but because it's shitty? I get that maybe it's just the main character that's misogynistic and not necessarily a reflection of the author's personal beliefs (although it's very clearly a self-insert), but, like every male character practically up until the last decade has been a misogynist. Make your main male character have one other trait, I'm begging you. Please be original. Finally, the "I'm so self aware of the story tropes it's ironic and funny" bit has been done to death and is, again, unoriginal. Try and come up with something earnest, that doesn't fall into the trope of making fun of tropes.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book for this along with my brother and husband. We all enjoyed the story.

Jarek is definitely channeling his inner Deadpool and was a fun character we could easily identify with.

Rachel, on the other hand is both damaged by a horrific past and incredibly naive. At some moments she seemed a little girl, or teen. At other times she seemed to be an adult, but just sheltered and foolish.

Mikie. Well, he's also naive, but more than that, he's an idealist who believes that the end justifies the means. He is perhaps the most dangerous character because it's so easy to trust him... but he lies.

We all found the Red King to be both the perfect bad guy and an intriguing character. Perhaps he is not as evil as he seems?

[Sklyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not finish book. Stopped at 54%.
Note: I received a copy of this book through a giveaway on Storygraph.
Could not get invested in the story. I tried really hard, but the characters do not portray any real depth, the “romance” was arbitrarily started off on the wrong foot (reminiscent of toxic 80’s yelling and arguing means love when it doesn’t even make sense with the plot), the lack of tension in the plot due to continual success, and I just don’t care. The world-building didn’t seem intriguing when it feels like it should, the FMC seemed like she was going to be sympathetic (when the MMC was not at all) but then ended up just as shallow as the MMC. I was hoping the plot would carry it at least, but found I couldn’t care once the action scene was over.

[William Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, but

This is a fun read. Kinda 80s-action-hero-ish with the male MC quipping as he gets beat down and somehow comes up with a win, while the female MC is exasperated in a more modern mode. The action was solid and the plot moved well.

But.
There is a whole lot of world building missing. Fragments are dropped here and there, revealing minor details. But critical info is absent. Fela? Ships? Overlord? None of these things are explained in any serious depth. And at least one of them should have been.

I *do* recommend this, as it is a fun read. But I caution you that you will leave with unanswered questions.

[Sandy Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tiny blonde arcanist, Rachel, looking for her missing brother, goes into a bar - and telekinetically decimates a roomful of brawny men before being threatened that the King will get you. Jarek, after talking with his mad scientist friend J. Price, turns up at the same bar shortly after also looking for Michael - and his exosuit. The Red King has different plans for both of them and there's a lot of action and humor as the two join forces to find Michael and maintain possession of "the nest" that the Red King will do anything to get. The first in a series of four, we'll find out what happened after the nest exploded in the next chapter.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m always a little hesitant about diving into sci-fi by a male author I don’t know. Will it be fun and adventurous, or just a nonstop “blow everything to hell” kind of read? Luckily, I took the chance—and I’m so glad I did. It’s a quick read (knocked it out in a day), but it really delivers. Great pace, sharp writing, solid plot, and actual character development. It’s got a Star Wars vibe (which I loved), set on a dystopian Earth (can’t go wrong with that), with two slow-burn characters tossed together against some really bad guys (cha-ching!). Two thumbs up!
I’m on to the next book in the series & (fingers crossed) it’s just as good as the first book.