Soldier of Fortune

The Fortune Chronicles #1

by Kathleen McClure

An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.


In the distant future, on the planet Fortune, tech is low, treason high, and heroes unlikely.

Wrongly convicted of treason, Infantry Colonel Gideon Quinn has spent six years under the killing suns of the Morton Barrens, harvesting crystal and dreaming of vengeance.

But when a general of the Colonial Corps arrives with an offer of freedom, and a chance to clear his name, Gideon doesn’t have to think twice. He takes her offer and with Elvis, his pet draco, on his shoulder, boards an airship bound for the city of Nike in search of revenge.

And justice.

But mostly revenge.

What he finds is plucky street-thief, a city steeped in corruption, and a calculating enemy determined to stop Gideon from discovering their deadly purpose—by any means necessary.

Now Gideon finds himself involved in an entirely different kind of battle—a shadow war that, if he loses, could bring Fortune’s new and fragile peace to an explosive end.

And that’s just his first night in town.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Ebooks, Steampunk, Amazon, Adventure, Mystery

318 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 23, 2015

Reviews

[Stjepan Cobets · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating 4.3

The book "The Soldier of Fortune: A Gideon Quinn Adventure (The Fortune Chronicles # 1)" by Kathleen McClure is a very good novel, for which I honestly don't know what genre I would put it in. We can say that this is a western, science fiction, dystopia, fantasy, action, thriller and military genre in one, but everything works great. The world in which the story takes place is the planet Fortune. The settlers from the destroyed Earth have found their new birthplace there and the Earth is long past. Gideon Quinn is a soldier who ends up in prison for alleged treason, but to his surprise, he is released for six years. The reason he ended up in jail is because of the obvious set up during the war. But he is determined to take revenge on the one who destroyed his life and put him innocent in prison. With his five Draco Elvis, he found in the crystal mines, Gideon takes a ship to Nike City on a quest for justice. But it is obvious that they expect him and that this will not be an easy task. If you are a fan of good action and fun science fiction, with a really good story then this is the book for you.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soldier of Fortune: A Gideon Quinn Adventure provides an exciting and highly entertaining, futuristic, scifi read.
Gideon Quinn was wrongly accused of treason and sentence to a lifetime in the crystal mines when a sudden and unexpected reprieve, poral, sends him hot on the trail of those who framed. Along his journey, Gideon picks up a rag tag team of strays including a pick pocketing young girl and a draco, mini dragon, called Elvis. This team creates an amazing dynamic that pulls the readers into the tale.

I call this a light scifi read, it does not over think or bog the reader down with scientific terms or explanations but is straight up storytelling. I really enjoyed the first in the Fortune Chronicles and will definitely want to read on about Gideon and his collect crew.

I received this ARC copy of Soldiers of Fortune from BooksGoSocial. This is my honest and voluntary review. This is my honest and voluntary review. Soldiers of Fortune is set for publication December 23, 2019.

My Rating: 4 stars
Written by: Kathleen McClure
Series: The Fortune Chronicles (Book 1)
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Fadge Press (July 24, 2018)
ISBN-10: 0996910239
ISBN-13: 978-0996910231
Genre: Scifi | Humor

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Soldier-Fortun...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sold...
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook...

[Nooilforpacifists · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is this book? SF? Fantasy? Mystery? War fiction? Thriller? Honesty forces me to say “all of the above,” but I don’t (typically) like fantasy, and I can’t exclude that element. What kept it going was snappy dialogue, an amazing selection of place/thing names that were almost, but not quite, familiar, and good characters. Best comparison would be the “Thief That Couldn’t Sleep” character, though those books were written purely for laffs and this was serious.

I absolutely will read on in this series. Even if I can’t quite classify it.

[Arnaud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun story

And very likeable characters. The plot was well developed, with enough twist to it to keep interesting. I will definitely read the next volumes in the series. This first volume got me hooked to Quinn :D

[Lori S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a future where Earth is rapidly becoming more myth or legend than memory, humans survive on bioengineered worlds, still fighting each other, as they've ever done. This is a pleasant SF, nothing too hard or earth shattering, but I liked the universe, Gideon Quinn and his pet draco, Elvis, Mia, a youngster who saves his life on his first night of freedom after six years of imprisonment, and pretty much everyone they interact with.

I could get behind centering a belief system around honey bees and their hives. (Bee?)Keepers, not quite priests in this universe, offer counseling and sanctuary as well as grow the food and recycle everything it's possible to recycle.

By the comb, I think I will read the next book in the series Outrageous Fortune: An Errant Enterprise

Generally, I don't recommend books based on how they resemble other books or TV shows, but you might like this book if you enjoyed Firefly. Enjoyable and fun.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gideon Quinn was sent to the crystal planets for a crime he didn't commit ...

Imagine a universe in which Earth is dying and sent out ships into the universe to find new planets, one such planet has been settled and the areas are named after Earth companies such as Fuji and Nike. Gideon Quinn was tried and convicted of treason and attempted murder. After spending six years on a prison planet he is released under mysterious circumstances and sent to Nike.

This reminds me very much of Lindsay Buroker, the good guy is charming and self-deprecating and anti-establishment and clever.

I chose this book based on the blurb and I loved it, Gideon is kind and honourable and funny. he wants to hunt down the man who framed him for murder but gets embroiled in all sorts of sub-plots. It's sweet and funny and I can't wait to read the next one.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soldier of Fortune is well a good read and it is hard not to admire and enjoy Quinn and his crew. This book is the first in a series and so worth the read!!!

Tons of action, humor, funny lines, great characters and a mini little dragon named Elvis!!! The opening scene of Gideon and Doc gambling where Elvis is introduced caught my attention and trust me, it gets even better throughout the book!

I received an ARC from NetGalley to read and enjoy. Thank you to author Kathleen McClure, NetGalley and Books Go Social for the chance to read and review this new world that McClure has created. As always, my opinions are my own.

[Luke Cushanick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tore through this book in under a week and got more into it as a I went along! I appreciated the universe it was set in and puzzling out the circumstances of the society and planet alongside the action of the story. Touches like the consistent slang of the dialogue add to the immersion in the world that Ms. McClure creates. Looking forward to the next book and learning more about the characters and their world!

[Craig Pearson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. DNF Very difficult for me to stay focused on this story. The author used current corporate names for many future place names that seemed to out of place. Every time a name came up like that I just cringed and tried to soldier on. I became too annoying and I put the book down. Others may apprerciate this humor better than me.

[Joe Setness · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fine, but there was really nothing about it that grabbed me. The characters were OK but kind of flat and samey, the setting was not described all that well, and the plot seemed a little like an RPG game. Also, I have pretty much no tolerance for typos and other editing mistakes in a book. Read 1/3 and then quit.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Soldier of Fortune is the 1st book in the Fortune Chronicles by Kathleen McClure. Originally released in 2015, this reformat and re-release in 2018 is 318 pages and available in ebook, audio, and paperback formats.

I was captivated by this book. This is runaway fun on a -huge- space western scale. Gideon Quinn is a paladin... a soldier with a conscience who was unfairly imprisoned for crimes he didn't commit. When he gets the chance to investigate what -really- happened, he manages to get involved in saving street urchins and damsels in distress along with routing the rotten and corrupt government officials who allowed him to be railroaded. He also has a travel-sized dragon. A -dragon- named Elvis . Honestly, the author had me at mini-dragon. This is also, however, a really well written book. The characterizations are solid. The worldbuilding is impressive, including a self contained, contextually accessible slang and dialogue. It's nonstop action, of course, with lots of explosions, and bar fights, and plasma guns, and shoot outs, and evil powerful antagonists whom I was really really looking forward to watching get smacked down spectacularly.

For Kindle Unlimited subscribers; this title, as well as the much of the author's oeuvre is available in the KU subscription to borrow and download.I binge read the series during a long weekend.

These characters would be wonderfully appropriate for film media as well. It's been a while since I've been totally captivated by an SF/fantasy series. The author writes so visually, it's easy to see the action whilst reading. Please cast this series soon, Netflix or Amazon!

I heartily recommend this book to lovers of space westerns, good-guy action series, and such. It's very fun escapist reading. There's a fair bit of light banter (even the bad guys - maybe especially the bad guys). There were only a few places in the story which felt to me to be a little over the top (almost always scenes with the Ohmdahl triplets...their dialogue made me wince), but they were fleeting.

Well written, humorous, action packed, rollicking, lots of explosions, Elvis (!) the draco. Bliss.

Five stars. I enjoyed this one immensely.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Severina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wrongly-convicted former soldier is released from prison – along with his pet draco, Elvis – and gets involved in the life of a young street thief and the members of her loose community of misfits.

I'm going to go on the record as saying that I didn't expect to love this as much as I did! This is a super-fun, non-stop ride. Set on a planet that was founded when environmental factors forced the people of Earth to flee to the stars, McClure does a fantastic job of whimsical world-building here. The cities are named after large corporations (Nike, Tesla, Nasa) which makes sense because it was those organizations that paid for the flights. There are so many playful and imaginative quirks to the world-building, like old cans of Dr. Pepper and Budweiser being displayed as rare antiquities. Love it!

The story focuses on the soldier, Gideon, who returns home to Nike only to end up on the bad guy's radar. It's a rollicking fun read filled with witty banter and an assortment of amusing characters, and the clever writing manages to connect even the littlest events with each other by the end of the book. The action keeps flowing until the final pages. So well done!

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read that kept me engaged. I really enjoyed the characters, good and dodgy ones. The story was fresh and I cared what happened to them. The little twist at the end was predictable, I easily knew who was in the car, but it didn't take away from the story.

[Bonnye Reed]

recommended by Stjepan

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (12/21/2019)! 🎁

[Marcus Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful. Great mix of steampunk, film noir, and action flik all into one!

[Cass · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5/5

[Micha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

I bought this book for free through Bookbub. I was sucked in by the story immediately and enjoyed the hints throughout at good background stories. Especially loved the casual hints at a world where LGBTQ relationships are just another part of life and treated exactly the same as any other.
Definitely buying the sequel!

[William Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really solid

A bit like a futuristic Sherlock Holmes crossed with some Oliver Twist and a bit of A-Team. Quick paced in the finale with plenty of action and very limited tech. Very fun.

Needs a little more visual description to really make it sing.

I am going to buy the next novel now. Definitely worth the price.

[Lira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, fast read

I found this little gem on one of those email lists for .99 and took a chance. Glad I did.

McClure does a great job of creating a character to love, as well as move the story along in a rip roaring fashion. The book doesn't follow the cookie cutter format authors are starting to churn out with back story and flashbacks all neatly interspersed.

Gideon Quinn went to prison willingly and then surprised his enemies by surviving. He is released by a mysterious set of circumstances and turned loose in the city to track down a spy. What happens next is general mayhem with an interesting and interconnected cast of Characters that kept me turning pages until the end.

It is not a book that will change the world, there's been those like it before, but I will definitely be reading the next in the series.

[Midge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy and volunteered to read and review it. That said, I am not lying when I say I loved this book! Wow, it is action packed, has twists and turns, great characters and I love Gideon's pet Draco Elvis! There is so much going on here. It stars with Gideon on a prison planet because he was falsely accused of treason. Getting a chance to leave and clear his name, he and Elvis are off to Nike where they meet the artful dodger Mia who becomes his companion and guide through the underbelly of the city. There is a lot of action, interesting characters, plot twists and turns - really amazing. I could not put it down! If you like books by Simon R. Green and Jim Butcher, you will be enthralled by this book!

[Angala Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the author and voluntarily chose to review. I loved this book. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I couldn't put it down until I knew what happened next. The book has action, awesome characters, and lots of mystery. Definitely pick up a copy for yourself!

[Elaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up as a freebie, and I’m so glad I did! This is gloriously entertaining, filled with tense situation, awesome fights, and has a clever plot with loads of twists and turns. I pretty much fell for Gideon Quinn and you will too. Definitely recommend this. If you like sci-fi with awesome characters, then you will love it!

[Ladonna Self · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soldier of Fortune

What a "run"! -- From beginning to end it just didn't slow down. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time just waiting for everything to fall apart. And it never quite did. Fans of the sinned against seeking justice (revenge?) will appreciate this story.

[Marjana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must say that the whole story surprised me in a good way. I love good twists and mistery unraveled. It's like complicated puzzle when finished. It very satisfing. I enjoy this book very much. Gideon is very alfa male and Mia very good side kick.

[Bob Steele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable read. Finished it in two days. This is an excellent first book and bodes well for her future endeavors. I will definitely read book two of the Gideon Quinn Adventure.

[5t4n5 Dot Com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been a long time fan of Kathleen's books, i recently had the pleasure to read and review the first two books of Kathleen's new sci-fi series that she co-wrote with L. Gene Brown, The Gemini Hustle and The Libra Gambit .   Well worth reading if you like really good action packed sci-fi.

While reading those i found out that Kathleen and Kelley McKinnon are busy putting the finishing touches on the latest Fortune novel, The Crew Who Came in From the Cold . And it had me wondering how long it had been since i'd read the earlier Fortune books, and yeah, it had been quite a while.   So long, in fact, that i could only remember totally enjoying them but not much else -- there's been a huge amount of books read in those in-between years that just dulls one's memory.

So once i'd finished The Libra Gambit i quickly finished off another book i'd been itching to read, then i loaded up my newest Kindle with all the Fortune books i have and set out to re-read them all again, ready for The Crew Who Came in From the Cold .

Which leads me to this review.   One thing i can say for sure is that my memory didn't fail me in remembering that i had totally enjoyed this book, and once again, i totally enjoyed it.   It was so good that my memory of the story had faded because i started reading people and places and dracos all came flooding back and it was like bumping into an old friend after years apart.

Gideon Quinn is our main protagonists, and he is so well written and such a great character, as are all the others.   One of my biggest draws to Kathleen's books, whether written on her own or those she writes with Kelley McKinnon or L.Gene Brown are the characters: they're just brilliant.

As i've said in other reviews, Kathleen and Co make the goodies that perfect level of good and the baddies that perfect level of bad and the interactions between all the characters just roll along perfectly because of this.

And as usual with Kathleen and Co, the action is just non-stop.   It's like a super good action film in a book form.

And did i mention that this first book in the series is free to download?   So why not give it a try, i can't imagine you'll be disappointed and will soon be reading the whole series.

So having finished this first book i've dived straight into Outrageous Fortune and i'm having a whole new blast re-meeting the crew of the Errant once again after all these years since i last read this.

Bye for now.

[Matthew Coiner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read that I picked up for free on Nook after seeing it on Bookbub. It was a fast paced and lighthearted sci-fi/steampunk/private eye-ish novel. I definitely saw influence by authors like Terry Pratchett in McClure's writing.

The book is about Gideon Quinn, an ex-military Colonel who has been imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit (cue A-Team theme song). He's a good commander, quick thinking, snarky, and has low self-esteem when it comes to women. When he's released from prison, he's set on the vague trail of the person who is responsible for his being in prison in the first place. In his adventure, he meets a young pick-pocket named Mia. She's a streetwise book loving adolescent who matches Gideon snark for snark and develops a quick attachment to his pet dragon. The supporting characters include a decent cop, several street toughs, and the introduction to a couple of characters that I assume will be shown more in future novels.

The story managed to maintain a good pace with action spaced out with fun dialogue. There could have been a good bit more development of the world itself or explanation of some of the types of characters in the books. For example, there are keepers. We know they're keepers because, well, they're called keepers. They can give people sanctuary because...um...they're keepers? Why? Who knows. And the governmental system isn't really developed or explained well beyond the level of the police. The intended major twist in the story is telegraphed from very early in the story and was easy to guess, but the author managed to keep the book entertaining despite tipping her hand. For me, it was like watching an episode of Columbo. You know who did it from within the first few pages, but it's fun watching the character try to figure it out.

My major critiques are that I wanted more development of the world in the novel for the sake of immersion and that the main character seems to be able to take beatings that would stop anyone else and keep functioning at peak efficiency without seeming any worse for the wear. Take Harry Dresden for example. Harry takes a beating in a book. In fact, he usually takes several. They take a toll on him. By the end of the book, he's having trouble holding it together. He's often tired, hurting, hungry, and lacking in funds. All of that makes an impact on his ability to function. Quinn, however, gets at least one severe beating and several lesser beatings, gets shot, gets drugged multiple times, and is on the run throughout the book...and shrugs it off like nothing happened.

Those critiques aside, it was a quick and fun read. Don't approach this book expecting a masterpiece. Approach it for fun. Read it, enjoy it, and let someone else know about it.

[A.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A standard redemption arc story with a sassy MC. Gideon is in prison for a crime he did not commit and he wants revenge for the deaths of his soldiers. He was outed as the spy, codenamed Odile, but a senior military leader has noticed that the enemy are still getting info and if he was the spy, it should have stopped. So, they release him on parole, knowing full well he will track that person down for them. Within hours of stepping off the transport, he has acquired a shadow; a young girl thief Mia who has been ordered to steal his draco.
It is set in a terraformed future world – earth is a distant memory. This world has three suns and 28 hour days and the energy for this world comes from crystals mined by prisoners.
There are hints of extra abilities, routinely feared, and some ‘creatures’ like the tiny dragon he rescued and named Elvis. He proves super useful.
A lot of the story just happens to Gideon but it was a pretty easy read. He has a core of beliefs and lives his life by them; don’t hurt kids, help people if you can, be loyal to your friends.
I read a later edition and the author admits she cleaned up the editing and some of the story issues others have noted. If the story loses me, I notice editing and I didn’t so that’s an up vote from me.
The twist was not that unexpected. If you hide the sex of a character, the reader assumes that they are not the sex you think they ought to be, if that makes sense. So finding out the traitor’s name was not a surprise.
On the good side, there are a lot of POC and sexuality; as there should be – it’s the FUTURE!
I did blink at some of the place names; corporate names from now, like Adidas, Nike, Avon etc. Guess they paid for the terraforming and exploration ships?

“Problem, darling?” his wife asked from where she lounged on the mammoth-hide sofa, reading one of her favorite Old Earth classics.
“No,” he lied, smoothly, “not a problem. I’ve just received word of an old friend coming to town, on very short notice.”
…
“Of course,” she said, her nose already buried deep in the book, where Jacob and Edward were once again at odds. (pp. 23-24).

“
*eyes narrow* is that a Twilight reference?
3 stars

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a free copy and voluntarily wrote a review.

Kathleen McClure has created an intriguing world complete with spies, artful dodgers, military forces, smugglers, and smuggler catchers.

Gideon Quinn is a former army colonel who was framed for treason. After serving six years in prison, someone in need of Gideon’s services springs him and his pet draco (mini-dragon), Elvis, from jail.

Soon after he lands on the planet, Fortune, he’s spotted by a dodger boss who instructs one of his child thieves, Mia, to steal the draco. Mia follows Gideon, but runs across another tail, who is also following Gideon. The tail warns Mia off, but she refuses to leave for fear of her boss. When spying on Gideon in wait for an opportunity to steal the animal, Mia sees him sinking down into his bathwater. She breaks into Gideon’s hotel room and she and Elvis save him from a watery death. Gideon and Mia work out that the other tail poisoned his dinner, and the trio set off to find the suspected killer.

McClure writes a multilayered story with, perhaps, a few too many characters. But the result is a detailed, action-packed tale that takes the reader on a journey from one end of the socioeconomic spectrum to the other, from Nob Hill to the dodge hive. Along the way, Quinn meets up with the man who framed him and killed his soldiers, a deep-cover spy, a murderous valet, and a trio of colorful Russian mobsters.

If you’re looking for a book with characters, plot, and hijinks that make you want to revisit it again and again, look no further than A Soldier of Fortune!