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The Salvage Title Trilogy #1
Salvage Title
The Salvage Title journey begins! They couldn’t afford a ship, much less the cost of registering one. But there is always a loophole… Harmon Tomeral wanted nothing more than to go to space. Sent to an orphanage when his parents were killed in a sandstorm, the odds were stacked against him. Despite that, he made it to the academy and graduated in the top ten percent of his class…only to find out the fleet did what it wanted, regardless of regulations, and he came from the wrong planet. He didn’t give up his dream, though, because where there’s a will, there’s a loophole, and Harmon and his friends found their loophole in the Top Fleet Marine competition—the winner would get 100,000 credits, which would just be enough to start their own salvage company. If they could build a mech and win the competition, they would be set. But the fleet had already shown they didn’t want him in space, so it would be an uphill fight. Good thing his friends and crew were very much against fleet regulations.
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 10, 2018
821 people are currently reading
285 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Steverson
64 books71 followersAuthor Kevin Steverson is a retired veteran of the U.S. Army. A science fiction and fantasy writer, he is also a published lyricist/songwriter. His science fiction trilogy, Salvage Title, has been picked up for development into feature film. He can be found in the foothills of the NE Georgia mountains writing.
Sign up for the newsletter at www.kevinsteverson.com and get a free short story
His debut series, The Salvage Title Trilogy- Salvage Title, Salvage Fleet, and Salvage System, continues with Hide The Lightning and Salvage Mother is available.
There are now a total of Thirty books in the Salvage Title Universe.
Invited to write in the Four Horseman Universe, Along with several short stories in various anthologies, his novels in it, co-authored with Kevin Ikenberry, Redacted Affairs, Redacted Vice and Redacted Weapon are available.
Burnt, and Accepted the first two in a fantasy trilogy is out.
Sign up for the newsletter at www.kevinsteverson.com and get a free short story
His debut series, The Salvage Title Trilogy- Salvage Title, Salvage Fleet, and Salvage System, continues with Hide The Lightning and Salvage Mother is available.
There are now a total of Thirty books in the Salvage Title Universe.
Invited to write in the Four Horseman Universe, Along with several short stories in various anthologies, his novels in it, co-authored with Kevin Ikenberry, Redacted Affairs, Redacted Vice and Redacted Weapon are available.
Burnt, and Accepted the first two in a fantasy trilogy is out.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
November 2, 2018
Disappointing and Predictable
I made it through 86% of this book before I couldn’t take it anymore. The writing is lazy and totally unrealistic. You do not develop an attachment to the characters. The background and world building is subpar. Thank god I didn’t pay to read this.
I made it through 86% of this book before I couldn’t take it anymore. The writing is lazy and totally unrealistic. You do not develop an attachment to the characters. The background and world building is subpar. Thank god I didn’t pay to read this.
September 8, 2024
This is a very fun, light read. If you want to read Science Fiction that doesn't feel bogged down by anything, then this is the book for you!
What I liked about the book was its really fast pace. You are just flying through with the sequences and events and it is a wild ride. I guessed what the book's story would be early on, but it surprised me in a lot of pleasant ways.
This book is also a very appropriate book, which is really refreshing in today's reading environment. Even though it follows a lot of military guys it doesn't have the undesirable elements that typical military science fiction has.
The book is a really short read, and I think it would serve well as a way to break someone of a reading slump. A quick book that can be read in 1-2 days can easily cure such a slump.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and hope to get to more in the future. 7.5 out of 10!
What I liked about the book was its really fast pace. You are just flying through with the sequences and events and it is a wild ride. I guessed what the book's story would be early on, but it surprised me in a lot of pleasant ways.
This book is also a very appropriate book, which is really refreshing in today's reading environment. Even though it follows a lot of military guys it doesn't have the undesirable elements that typical military science fiction has.
The book is a really short read, and I think it would serve well as a way to break someone of a reading slump. A quick book that can be read in 1-2 days can easily cure such a slump.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and hope to get to more in the future. 7.5 out of 10!
October 7, 2018
Started rough, got worse
Desperately needs editing.
Sentences were short. They had one piece of information. They tended to be a bit pedantic. It was bad writing.
The plot was intriguing, but it soon fell into MartySue land. Some of the plot devices were so ham-handed it hurt to read them.
1,000 years in the future two orphans on a desert planet in a far off solar system shared with multiple other races would not know what an iPod is. Even if one of them really liked old Earth music. Trying to add in your favorite band to this is just stupid.
Halfway through the book and they had just gotten their ship!! The first half had nothing to do with a ship.
There are far better things to read.
Desperately needs editing.
Sentences were short. They had one piece of information. They tended to be a bit pedantic. It was bad writing.
The plot was intriguing, but it soon fell into MartySue land. Some of the plot devices were so ham-handed it hurt to read them.
1,000 years in the future two orphans on a desert planet in a far off solar system shared with multiple other races would not know what an iPod is. Even if one of them really liked old Earth music. Trying to add in your favorite band to this is just stupid.
Halfway through the book and they had just gotten their ship!! The first half had nothing to do with a ship.
There are far better things to read.
December 31, 2018
Seldom do I pan an author or quit reading a book intentionally. I love space opera , usually. Where's the challenge in this story? The odds are stacked against our hero except for his closest friends and he's the best thing since sliced bread in his field. And his friends are better, nobler and more capable than anyone in the star system. Only the mean old government just won't give him a break.
March 31, 2020
Generic been-there-done-that plot with fairly typical characters. The plot was solid, it should be, we have seen it a million times. Underdog takes on the universe and saves everyone, end the ungrateful.
This was the type of book that screams beginning writer. It wasn't horrible but it was a bit simplistic.
It was an honest attempt to write a book but a weak one...
There are worse books out there.
This was the type of book that screams beginning writer. It wasn't horrible but it was a bit simplistic.
It was an honest attempt to write a book but a weak one...
There are worse books out there.
May 12, 2021
The premise is very interesting, a very nice sci-fi setting. The story is very uplifting, for a military sci-fi story it is very PG, sometimes even G rated.
The characters are typical, leader, computer genius, engineering genius, all 20-something, on the secondary world of a system with two habitable worlds. The primary world is earth like with a controlling and human-centric planetary government. the secondary world is a hard-bitten world made up of all different races.
The space battles are plentiful, worthy of a good TV show.
if you need a break from hard sci-fi and want to read a good, fun space adventure this is it. Don't expect much and just enjoy the ride.
The characters are typical, leader, computer genius, engineering genius, all 20-something, on the secondary world of a system with two habitable worlds. The primary world is earth like with a controlling and human-centric planetary government. the secondary world is a hard-bitten world made up of all different races.
The space battles are plentiful, worthy of a good TV show.
if you need a break from hard sci-fi and want to read a good, fun space adventure this is it. Don't expect much and just enjoy the ride.
June 4, 2019
A fresh and reasonably quick read. While it's not as good as the greats of Weber, Drake and Ringo, it's not a bad story, even if could do with some polishing.
The story itself is ok.. In a two planetary system, one planet owns the Military, and looks down on anyone from the other planet daring to be as good or better than it's Army/Marines/Navy, even if they are. The hero is an ex-Marine, from the wrong planet. He's found a loophole to allow him to enter the Army's Mecha games, with a Mech he's build himself with a couple of friends. They want to win the $100,000 credit prize to finance getting into space as Salvagers.
Naturally, he wins, and gets stiffed in the prize, which is fortunate, because he ends up being gifted a ship instead. The friends go into space, find some overlooked valuable space junk, make some money, find a derelict battlecruiser that an AI they salvaged before guides them to, and then crew the battlecruiser and lead it into battle for the planet that hates them for being who they are.
I found the fight sequences a little clunky, because you read the fight from the Hero's POV, and then again from the enemy's POV. It might have been better to have intermingled them for better integration of the story.
As someone else pointed out as well, they never have anything go seriously wrong.. Every thing that gets thrown at them, they come up with an easy solution, without having to work at it. Got a battlecruiser that no-one knows anything about fighting?.. no problem, just grab a crew and they all amazingly have experience in crewing a battlecruiser. Don't know how to tactically fight a space naval battle?.. No problem, just fly right at them, and use your superior weapons and shields to destroy the enemy, without even knowing manoeuvering skills or battle tactics. It's a small complaint, but not enough to ruin my read.
I look forward to reading the next 2 books in the series.
The story itself is ok.. In a two planetary system, one planet owns the Military, and looks down on anyone from the other planet daring to be as good or better than it's Army/Marines/Navy, even if they are. The hero is an ex-Marine, from the wrong planet. He's found a loophole to allow him to enter the Army's Mecha games, with a Mech he's build himself with a couple of friends. They want to win the $100,000 credit prize to finance getting into space as Salvagers.
Naturally, he wins, and gets stiffed in the prize, which is fortunate, because he ends up being gifted a ship instead. The friends go into space, find some overlooked valuable space junk, make some money, find a derelict battlecruiser that an AI they salvaged before guides them to, and then crew the battlecruiser and lead it into battle for the planet that hates them for being who they are.
I found the fight sequences a little clunky, because you read the fight from the Hero's POV, and then again from the enemy's POV. It might have been better to have intermingled them for better integration of the story.
As someone else pointed out as well, they never have anything go seriously wrong.. Every thing that gets thrown at them, they come up with an easy solution, without having to work at it. Got a battlecruiser that no-one knows anything about fighting?.. no problem, just grab a crew and they all amazingly have experience in crewing a battlecruiser. Don't know how to tactically fight a space naval battle?.. No problem, just fly right at them, and use your superior weapons and shields to destroy the enemy, without even knowing manoeuvering skills or battle tactics. It's a small complaint, but not enough to ruin my read.
I look forward to reading the next 2 books in the series.
January 23, 2020
A fun quick science fiction read.
I'm a sucker for books like this. Where the main character starts with nothing and works his way up to a place of prominence. There's just something about the straight forward upward progression that draws me in. We always cheer for an underdog, this is a trope that I'll never get tired of. This book doesn't go into the progression in great detail, but that is the way its written. We get to see the main character go from working in a scrap yard, to being a leader, and it is really satisfying
I wouldn't classify this as military science fiction, but a lot of it is based around military actions both in space and on a planet. It isn't heavy on the military aspect, and more on basic military and character conflict.
There isn't much to say, this is an enjoyable quick read. In audio form it is only around 6 hours long which is an easy day's read. The narrator is pretty good, but not the best I've ran across. Some of the dialog seems stilted, but that may just be the reading not the writing. It is always difficult to tell when you aren't familiar with the reader.
Though I really enjoyed the trimmed down way the book was written, there were points where I would have liked more detail. If it was heavier on the upward progression I probably would have been happier, but that is a small thing. It is just how the book is written, and it is enjoyable. We are being told a story, one that has no extra filler. About 90% of longer books could be edited down to be more like this one was, even if this seemed a bit too thin in places. I'd rather have less than too much any day.
One small nit pick was when the hand to hand part of the competition was happening. A rear naked choke was referred to as a sleeper hold, that annoyed me, but I watch too much MMA.
This is a good solid book, nothing spectacular but really enjoyable.
I'm a sucker for books like this. Where the main character starts with nothing and works his way up to a place of prominence. There's just something about the straight forward upward progression that draws me in. We always cheer for an underdog, this is a trope that I'll never get tired of. This book doesn't go into the progression in great detail, but that is the way its written. We get to see the main character go from working in a scrap yard, to being a leader, and it is really satisfying
I wouldn't classify this as military science fiction, but a lot of it is based around military actions both in space and on a planet. It isn't heavy on the military aspect, and more on basic military and character conflict.
There isn't much to say, this is an enjoyable quick read. In audio form it is only around 6 hours long which is an easy day's read. The narrator is pretty good, but not the best I've ran across. Some of the dialog seems stilted, but that may just be the reading not the writing. It is always difficult to tell when you aren't familiar with the reader.
Though I really enjoyed the trimmed down way the book was written, there were points where I would have liked more detail. If it was heavier on the upward progression I probably would have been happier, but that is a small thing. It is just how the book is written, and it is enjoyable. We are being told a story, one that has no extra filler. About 90% of longer books could be edited down to be more like this one was, even if this seemed a bit too thin in places. I'd rather have less than too much any day.
One small nit pick was when the hand to hand part of the competition was happening. A rear naked choke was referred to as a sleeper hold, that annoyed me, but I watch too much MMA.
This is a good solid book, nothing spectacular but really enjoyable.
October 31, 2020
*Naively Immature Story- and Plot Lines Of A Savant Hero, Barely Redeemed By Amusing Alien Species*
“Salvage Title” is a naively immature endeavor that tells the tale of a young man a couple of millennia in the future, who is a savant, great at e v e r y t h I n g he touches. The savant is strong within Harmon (MC), an orphan who overcomes his orphaning at a young age, to become a brilliant miracle: hand-to-hand combat pugilist, military strategist, tactical genius, mech pilot, fighter pilot, entrepreneur, spaceship pilot/captain, diplomat, and on and on.
Coupled with the author’s ham fisted advocacy of diversity that permeates nearly every page, a mediocre at best concept teeters on the brink of being a full on disaster. One might think the author’s advocacy is geared for young adults, but it is not. The immature and simplistic narrative derives from the author’s mindset & ideology.
If not for the secondary roster of amusing aliens that carry the book, “Salvage Title” would have been a ‘DNF’ for this reader.
Will read the follow on books in the trilogy for the aliens who made this reader chuckle.
“Savage Title” fully read via Kindle Unlimited.
“Salvage Title” is a naively immature endeavor that tells the tale of a young man a couple of millennia in the future, who is a savant, great at e v e r y t h I n g he touches. The savant is strong within Harmon (MC), an orphan who overcomes his orphaning at a young age, to become a brilliant miracle: hand-to-hand combat pugilist, military strategist, tactical genius, mech pilot, fighter pilot, entrepreneur, spaceship pilot/captain, diplomat, and on and on.
Coupled with the author’s ham fisted advocacy of diversity that permeates nearly every page, a mediocre at best concept teeters on the brink of being a full on disaster. One might think the author’s advocacy is geared for young adults, but it is not. The immature and simplistic narrative derives from the author’s mindset & ideology.
If not for the secondary roster of amusing aliens that carry the book, “Salvage Title” would have been a ‘DNF’ for this reader.
Will read the follow on books in the trilogy for the aliens who made this reader chuckle.
“Savage Title” fully read via Kindle Unlimited.
January 28, 2019
If you're a graduate of the military academy who was placed in the inactive reserve despite awesome grades what would you do? If you were Harmon Tomeral you would get a job scrapping derelicts from old battles and build yourself a mech to enter into the tournament that the Marine Corps held every year because winning could give you enough money to buy ship. Would it work? If you buy a copy of Kevin Steverson's Salvage Title you can find out.
I like Tomeral. If you haven't figured it out just from the paragraph above, his defining characteristic is that he doesn't give up. I can almost hear Tomeral saying, "Never tell me the odds" in Han Solo's voice. This guy just does not know when to leave well enough alone and, in a lot of ways, Salvage Title is based on his total defiance of the odds and willingness to bend the rules to suit his situation. Everyone should have a friend like Harmon because sometimes it's necessary to view things from a slightly different angle in order to figure them out. I once again find myself frustrated by the fact that fictional characters are, well, fictional because I want to have a drink with this guy.
That's not to say that Tomeral is all being and all knowing. In many ways, he's a brand new second lieutenant. He has a lot of knowledge of things military but not necessarily the experience needed to make full use of them. Steverson is, himself a veteran, although I have been unable to find anything stating what rank he attained while in. One suspects that if he wasn't a 2LT at some point in his life, he may have run into one at some point. It's interesting though, because while 2LTs can be the butt of jokes, Tomeral isn't that guy. He just hasn't done it for long enough to have grasped all the nuances that weren't covered in training. I short, he's a believable character that makes sense and that goes a long way toward making Salvage Title such an enjoyable read.
Salvage Title does start a bit slower than I would usually prefer but it picks up nicely. It is also the first in a series (the sequel is entitled Salvage Fleet and is already live on Amazon) and sometimes it takes a minute to set up a series. The book does pick up nicely and by the time I hit the midpoint I couldn't stop reading. This is an action packed book full of fight scenes and awesomeness and, if some dark corner of my mind couldn't help but wonder if he was doing all of this fighting just to have stuff to scrap later, at least it doesn't appear that way in the work itself. I seriously doubt that he's NOT going to salvage some of the mess though. I said he was inexperienced. I never said he was dumb.
Of course, to a guy who grew up on Star Trek, Star Wars and Green Lantern there is very little more entertaining than an environment filled with all kinds of aliens and Steverson definitely delivers there. He's got tinkerer aliens and capitalist aliens and extinct aliens and all kinds of stuff. Tomeral's home planet of Joth is packed with all kinds of alien species in addition to humanity. I just eat this stuff up. What SF fan doesn't like weird looking, gift having aliens? I know the existence of aliens is a trope but became a trope because it's cool. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book. I hope we'll see more varieties in the sequel.
We don't necessarily get to see a lot of Tomeral's home planet Joth, but what I see I do like. It's an egalitarian society with easy access to weapons. This is not a planet where weaponry is reserved for only the elites and those who serve them and it shows in all aspects (that we can see, anyway) of their society. An armed society is not just a polite society. It is a society which is forced to accept the input of all because the consequences of ignoring those out of power has the potential to be truly horrifying.
It's not just that though. Joth is totally the "wrong side of the tracks." As a guy from greater Detroit, it's good to see a guy from the hated area succeed. Seriously. Tomeral gets denied a spot that he has earned because he's from Joth. He is denied a vehicle registration because he's from Joth. Everything bad that happens to him happens because he's from Joth. And he manages to shrug it all off and get 'er done anyway. I like this guy. I like the fact that he grew up somewhere hated. I really like the fact that he doesn't give up when it would be easy to do so. After all, who ever expected a kid from Joth to do anything good?
There are a lot of things left unanswered at the end of Salvage Title and, given the fact that it's a series starter, I really like that aspect of it. Steverson was clearly smart enough to know that you can't continue a series if you tie up all of the loose ends. There are the obvious ones that you'll come across simply by reading the book and at least one mass version of never found the body that leaves me unconvinced that one problem is as solved as we're led to believe it is. Time (and probably the sequel) will tell whether I'm right or not, but I'm a suspicious bastard on my best day, so I could be wrong here. Of course, the sun COULD rise in the west tomorrow, but that doesn't mean that it's likely.
Ignorance of any earlier work and a lack of desire to search Amazon to find out if I'm wrong lead me to believe that this is Steverson's freshman effort. While it kinda bums me out that I don't have a catalogue of Steverson works to catch up on, I'll get over it since I can claim to have been on board since almost the beginning after he publishes a bunch more books. I mean, let's face it. Being able to talk about how you've "been a fan since day one" is only half a step away from Nerdvana. In case you missed it, this means that I'll be picking up a copy of Salvage Fleet. This is also a note to Kevin Steverson (who may never read this) that you need to WRITE MOAR BOOKS!!!!! I can't brag about being down since the beginning if you only have two.
I like Tomeral. If you haven't figured it out just from the paragraph above, his defining characteristic is that he doesn't give up. I can almost hear Tomeral saying, "Never tell me the odds" in Han Solo's voice. This guy just does not know when to leave well enough alone and, in a lot of ways, Salvage Title is based on his total defiance of the odds and willingness to bend the rules to suit his situation. Everyone should have a friend like Harmon because sometimes it's necessary to view things from a slightly different angle in order to figure them out. I once again find myself frustrated by the fact that fictional characters are, well, fictional because I want to have a drink with this guy.
That's not to say that Tomeral is all being and all knowing. In many ways, he's a brand new second lieutenant. He has a lot of knowledge of things military but not necessarily the experience needed to make full use of them. Steverson is, himself a veteran, although I have been unable to find anything stating what rank he attained while in. One suspects that if he wasn't a 2LT at some point in his life, he may have run into one at some point. It's interesting though, because while 2LTs can be the butt of jokes, Tomeral isn't that guy. He just hasn't done it for long enough to have grasped all the nuances that weren't covered in training. I short, he's a believable character that makes sense and that goes a long way toward making Salvage Title such an enjoyable read.
Salvage Title does start a bit slower than I would usually prefer but it picks up nicely. It is also the first in a series (the sequel is entitled Salvage Fleet and is already live on Amazon) and sometimes it takes a minute to set up a series. The book does pick up nicely and by the time I hit the midpoint I couldn't stop reading. This is an action packed book full of fight scenes and awesomeness and, if some dark corner of my mind couldn't help but wonder if he was doing all of this fighting just to have stuff to scrap later, at least it doesn't appear that way in the work itself. I seriously doubt that he's NOT going to salvage some of the mess though. I said he was inexperienced. I never said he was dumb.
Of course, to a guy who grew up on Star Trek, Star Wars and Green Lantern there is very little more entertaining than an environment filled with all kinds of aliens and Steverson definitely delivers there. He's got tinkerer aliens and capitalist aliens and extinct aliens and all kinds of stuff. Tomeral's home planet of Joth is packed with all kinds of alien species in addition to humanity. I just eat this stuff up. What SF fan doesn't like weird looking, gift having aliens? I know the existence of aliens is a trope but became a trope because it's cool. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book. I hope we'll see more varieties in the sequel.
We don't necessarily get to see a lot of Tomeral's home planet Joth, but what I see I do like. It's an egalitarian society with easy access to weapons. This is not a planet where weaponry is reserved for only the elites and those who serve them and it shows in all aspects (that we can see, anyway) of their society. An armed society is not just a polite society. It is a society which is forced to accept the input of all because the consequences of ignoring those out of power has the potential to be truly horrifying.
It's not just that though. Joth is totally the "wrong side of the tracks." As a guy from greater Detroit, it's good to see a guy from the hated area succeed. Seriously. Tomeral gets denied a spot that he has earned because he's from Joth. He is denied a vehicle registration because he's from Joth. Everything bad that happens to him happens because he's from Joth. And he manages to shrug it all off and get 'er done anyway. I like this guy. I like the fact that he grew up somewhere hated. I really like the fact that he doesn't give up when it would be easy to do so. After all, who ever expected a kid from Joth to do anything good?
There are a lot of things left unanswered at the end of Salvage Title and, given the fact that it's a series starter, I really like that aspect of it. Steverson was clearly smart enough to know that you can't continue a series if you tie up all of the loose ends. There are the obvious ones that you'll come across simply by reading the book and at least one mass version of never found the body that leaves me unconvinced that one problem is as solved as we're led to believe it is. Time (and probably the sequel) will tell whether I'm right or not, but I'm a suspicious bastard on my best day, so I could be wrong here. Of course, the sun COULD rise in the west tomorrow, but that doesn't mean that it's likely.
Ignorance of any earlier work and a lack of desire to search Amazon to find out if I'm wrong lead me to believe that this is Steverson's freshman effort. While it kinda bums me out that I don't have a catalogue of Steverson works to catch up on, I'll get over it since I can claim to have been on board since almost the beginning after he publishes a bunch more books. I mean, let's face it. Being able to talk about how you've "been a fan since day one" is only half a step away from Nerdvana. In case you missed it, this means that I'll be picking up a copy of Salvage Fleet. This is also a note to Kevin Steverson (who may never read this) that you need to WRITE MOAR BOOKS!!!!! I can't brag about being down since the beginning if you only have two.
April 11, 2023
This is the first book I've read by this author.
Let me start by saying I really enjoyed this and had a great time with it. Yes, there are a few problems, but they didn't lessen my enjoyment at all.
There are two planets surround the sun. One is Joth, which sounds like Hoth and is equally inhospitable. Joth is very hot and only at the poles do things cool down enough for people to live and work there. Harmon is working his friends Clip and their alien reptile friend who is always eating fruit while all three work at a salvage yard.
The other planet is Tretra, which is a human only world and where the local military academy resides. Harmon attended the academy and did well enough to become an officer but because he was from Joth, they made him a private. He left instead.
Using spare parts they find from Ninto's salvage yard, the three friends build a mech. And then proceed to enter it into the annual mech challenge. Harmon relies on rules that allow members of the inactive reserve to provide their own mech and weapons and shows up in an ungainly looking and far too big mech.
I won't spoil what happens next, but it's a lot of fun.
Now that they have a mech, what the guys wanted to do all along was go into space. With Ninto's help, they buy a salvage ship and go in search of salvage that other salvagers have overlooked. They try a couple different things and do okay, then well, then amazingly well.
I didn't have any problems with the writing as other reviewers have mentioned. My only gripe is that that during the war the author skips over some key events, summarizing them instead of showing us what happened. And I'm not sure it was necessary to show us the aliens' perspective when we already know the outcome.
Either way, I really liked this. It was refreshing and a ton of fun. The editing is okay but not great, and character development is pushed to the side in favor of finding more awesome things for the guys to do. 5/5* and I've already started on book two.
Let me start by saying I really enjoyed this and had a great time with it. Yes, there are a few problems, but they didn't lessen my enjoyment at all.
There are two planets surround the sun. One is Joth, which sounds like Hoth and is equally inhospitable. Joth is very hot and only at the poles do things cool down enough for people to live and work there. Harmon is working his friends Clip and their alien reptile friend who is always eating fruit while all three work at a salvage yard.
The other planet is Tretra, which is a human only world and where the local military academy resides. Harmon attended the academy and did well enough to become an officer but because he was from Joth, they made him a private. He left instead.
Using spare parts they find from Ninto's salvage yard, the three friends build a mech. And then proceed to enter it into the annual mech challenge. Harmon relies on rules that allow members of the inactive reserve to provide their own mech and weapons and shows up in an ungainly looking and far too big mech.
I won't spoil what happens next, but it's a lot of fun.
Now that they have a mech, what the guys wanted to do all along was go into space. With Ninto's help, they buy a salvage ship and go in search of salvage that other salvagers have overlooked. They try a couple different things and do okay, then well, then amazingly well.
I didn't have any problems with the writing as other reviewers have mentioned. My only gripe is that that during the war the author skips over some key events, summarizing them instead of showing us what happened. And I'm not sure it was necessary to show us the aliens' perspective when we already know the outcome.
Either way, I really liked this. It was refreshing and a ton of fun. The editing is okay but not great, and character development is pushed to the side in favor of finding more awesome things for the guys to do. 5/5* and I've already started on book two.
December 30, 2018
Good start to a new series- lots of potential…Salvage Title (The Salvage Title Trilogy Book 1) by Kevin Steverson, narrated by KC Johnston, was a fun, light listen. 5 stars for narration (I would give it more if it was allowed- for reals) and 4 stars for the story.
First I’d like to say how fantastic the narrator, KC Johnston, is! He truly has a gift. He is in my top three narrators (Bahni Tuprin and Adam Verner are the other two, in no particular order).
What’s the book about? The description sums it up fairly well. A group of people are on their ship Salvage Title, from there, the adventures begin. There is a good amount of strategy talk. AI (would love to see this expanded in the next book) and some humor. Planets and different life forms. If you like space operas, give this one a listen.
What I didn’t care for: some parts were a little too slow for me (took a long time to get the ship, but then the action picked up). There is lack of character development, which I hope is remedied in the next book. I will definitely be checking out the second book to see how it progresses (once on audible).
Overall I would recommend- it’s a light, fun listen. There is certainly potential for this series to flourish.
Parental warnings/trigger advisory: I do not recall any swearing. A kiss between a man and woman. There is death and fighting, but not in graphic detail. Weapons, such as missiles or like items. It would be a good read/listen for young adults. *Note I may have missed some items due to being sick with a nasty head cold, so I do apologize if I did.
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you for allowing me to listen and review the book!
First I’d like to say how fantastic the narrator, KC Johnston, is! He truly has a gift. He is in my top three narrators (Bahni Tuprin and Adam Verner are the other two, in no particular order).
What’s the book about? The description sums it up fairly well. A group of people are on their ship Salvage Title, from there, the adventures begin. There is a good amount of strategy talk. AI (would love to see this expanded in the next book) and some humor. Planets and different life forms. If you like space operas, give this one a listen.
What I didn’t care for: some parts were a little too slow for me (took a long time to get the ship, but then the action picked up). There is lack of character development, which I hope is remedied in the next book. I will definitely be checking out the second book to see how it progresses (once on audible).
Overall I would recommend- it’s a light, fun listen. There is certainly potential for this series to flourish.
Parental warnings/trigger advisory: I do not recall any swearing. A kiss between a man and woman. There is death and fighting, but not in graphic detail. Weapons, such as missiles or like items. It would be a good read/listen for young adults. *Note I may have missed some items due to being sick with a nasty head cold, so I do apologize if I did.
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. Thank you for allowing me to listen and review the book!
February 1, 2023
Harmon Tomeral has been working in a salvage yard, trying to figure out how to get into space. Tomeral and his two friends/roommates build a mech to enter a Marine competition, hoping to win the 100,000 credit prize so they can buy a spaceship and start their own space salvage company. Tomeral is tough, having come out of an orphanage and learned lots of life’s hard lessons. He wins the competition, embarrassing the marines and military leadership. The military pays Tomeral the prize credits, but in an account that he can’t access as a reservist. The junkyard boss has a soft spot for the boys and hates to see them get abused by the military so he buys them a spaceship from a retiring salvager, and they go to work fixing it up, adding an AI they found in some scrap, and hiring a crew to help run the ship. After a few missions and some luck, the crew finds an ancient midsized warship from the AI’s forgotten star system. Using the AI’s knowledge, they restore the warship and try to sell it in their home system, but the military is still sore about the Marine competition, so they try to freeze the ship and crew in red tape. Tomeral finds a loophole, registering the old ship with a salvage title, and the name Salvage Title. The crew jumps out of the system, hoping to sell the Salvage Title for millions of credits, but they end up in a trap. The buyer is a greedy bully, which sets Tomeral and his crew off. They figure out how to use the ancient warship’s defenses and fighters and destroy the bully. With a better understanding of the Salvage Title’s power, they decide they might want to keep it so they go find a full crew. The book ends with Tomeral and crew saving his home system from an alien invasion seeking to exterminate the humans. What I loved most about this book was Tomeral’s attitude and the fact that the good guys win despite the challenges.
This is for underdogs, hard workers, and treasure seekers.
(Rated PG-13, Score 8/10, audiobook read by KC Johnston, 6:42)
This is for underdogs, hard workers, and treasure seekers.
(Rated PG-13, Score 8/10, audiobook read by KC Johnston, 6:42)
September 13, 2019
When I first started reading sci-fi, it was with the old-time space adventure books. Books by Andre Norton, Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke, and Isaac Asimov just to name a few. They told the stories of adventures in space, of the explorers and settlers of our extraterrestrial frontier. Those books were fun to read and exciting. This book, "Salvage Title", by Kevin Steverson, is just such a book. It's a good time; an adventure in space. Pick up the book, and dare to go exploring.
Harmon, Clip and Zerith are friends. They have a dream…a dream of going into space, of making their living out in the vast blackness between the stars. So, Harmon, a graduate of the Tretrayon System Academy, takes advantage of the loophole of his Inactive Reserve status and enters the Top Fleet Marine competition, put on every year by the Tretrayon Defense Fleet, in an attempt to win the 100,000 credit prize. But, when the military political machinery takes umbrage at Harmon showing up the Tretra Defense Fleet's finest young warriors by out fighting and outshooting them in the contest (after all, Harmon is from the wrong side of the tracks, since he was born and raised on Tretra's sister planet of Jotha), the officers responsible for overseeing the contest find their own loophole in order to prevent Harmon from collecting his winnings. How Harmon, Clip and Zerith get around this problem and fulfill their dream is a reading adventure that all sci-fi aficionados will thoroughly enjoy, from start to finish. Truly, a literary E-ticket ride.
Harmon, Clip and Zerith are friends. They have a dream…a dream of going into space, of making their living out in the vast blackness between the stars. So, Harmon, a graduate of the Tretrayon System Academy, takes advantage of the loophole of his Inactive Reserve status and enters the Top Fleet Marine competition, put on every year by the Tretrayon Defense Fleet, in an attempt to win the 100,000 credit prize. But, when the military political machinery takes umbrage at Harmon showing up the Tretra Defense Fleet's finest young warriors by out fighting and outshooting them in the contest (after all, Harmon is from the wrong side of the tracks, since he was born and raised on Tretra's sister planet of Jotha), the officers responsible for overseeing the contest find their own loophole in order to prevent Harmon from collecting his winnings. How Harmon, Clip and Zerith get around this problem and fulfill their dream is a reading adventure that all sci-fi aficionados will thoroughly enjoy, from start to finish. Truly, a literary E-ticket ride.
April 21, 2024
The book series is ok. It was not so bad that I wanted to stop listening to the audiobook, but it was hard to feel captured by the story. One guy not fitting in at the military due to racism, working his ass off to make a change, finds a ship, defend this, defend that, badabim badabom.
It is hard for me to find something really good about the three books other than, it is not that bad, it is ok.
The biggest minus about the series is the timing of things. One thing can happen, then jump forward to the next thing to happen, there could be so much more filling in info between events. One does not have to read event, event, event, event. With the lack of fillers and character development the story ends up feeling a bit shallow. “We have to go to that star to do xxxx, ok now we are at the star xxxx and it is 1 week later”. Things needs to happen in between. All the skipping and jumping made it hard to keep interested.
Another thing that kinda pulls my leg is how the author builds up and manages threats against the main characters. To enhance and increase the threats against the protagonist the author writes him making weird choices that a person with his kind of background, skills, knowledge and personality normally would not do, just to make the threat look more dangerous. And every negative step the main character do, makes it obvious what will happen. There are never anything surprising happening.
The way solutions to danger comes around way too easy and way too good. The protagonist is never in a real danger in the books, the solution often presents itself already when the threat is not finished building up.
But in the end, good enough books to finish them all.
June 12, 2020
A tall ship and a star to steer her by ...
Salvage Title , Book One of the Salvage Title Trilogy is the story of Harmon Tomeral, Clip Kolget and Zerith Farnog. These three beings are from the planet Joth. Harmon is a graduate from the space academy on the neighboring planet, Clip is a computer genius and Zerith has the knack for acquiring anything needed.
They have built a mech from the scrap in Rinto's Salvage Yard. Harmon is entering it into the Top Fleet Marine Competition in order to win the 100,000 credits. They plan to purchase a ship, form a salvage company and go to the stars. Read how they battle prejudice and unethical behavior. Along the way they acquire four Leethog associates who fix and improve anything they touch as well as a nonorganic partner called Jayneen. ( Don't call her artificial!) Together they explore a new system, battle pirates, save another system from bully-boys and attempt to save their own system from invasion.
As usual, Kevin Steverson has written another action novel that will keep you up well past your bedtime.
Salvage Title , Book One of the Salvage Title Trilogy is the story of Harmon Tomeral, Clip Kolget and Zerith Farnog. These three beings are from the planet Joth. Harmon is a graduate from the space academy on the neighboring planet, Clip is a computer genius and Zerith has the knack for acquiring anything needed.
They have built a mech from the scrap in Rinto's Salvage Yard. Harmon is entering it into the Top Fleet Marine Competition in order to win the 100,000 credits. They plan to purchase a ship, form a salvage company and go to the stars. Read how they battle prejudice and unethical behavior. Along the way they acquire four Leethog associates who fix and improve anything they touch as well as a nonorganic partner called Jayneen. ( Don't call her artificial!) Together they explore a new system, battle pirates, save another system from bully-boys and attempt to save their own system from invasion.
As usual, Kevin Steverson has written another action novel that will keep you up well past your bedtime.
April 9, 2021
Steverson, Kevin. Salvage Title. Salvage Title No. 1. Theogony Books, 2018.
I am always attracted to books that feature people in the future making a living in space. Harmon, a space academy graduate but without the social pedigree to make for a successful career in the fleet, runs a small space salvage company with a few of his human and alien buddies. Their luck seems to change when they find an ancient alien warship and a strong ship AI that is insulted when you say its intelligence is artificial. The galaxy is populated by several sentient species, most of which seem to be closely based on terrestrial analogs—opossums, badgers, reptiles and insects. The less cuddly ones are the baddies. No points for originality there. After the first few chapters, the book ceases to be a space-industry story and become rather straightforward military science fiction. You find a warship, what else are you going to do with it? Dialogue is better than average. Action is engaging. 3 solid stars.
I am always attracted to books that feature people in the future making a living in space. Harmon, a space academy graduate but without the social pedigree to make for a successful career in the fleet, runs a small space salvage company with a few of his human and alien buddies. Their luck seems to change when they find an ancient alien warship and a strong ship AI that is insulted when you say its intelligence is artificial. The galaxy is populated by several sentient species, most of which seem to be closely based on terrestrial analogs—opossums, badgers, reptiles and insects. The less cuddly ones are the baddies. No points for originality there. After the first few chapters, the book ceases to be a space-industry story and become rather straightforward military science fiction. You find a warship, what else are you going to do with it? Dialogue is better than average. Action is engaging. 3 solid stars.
May 26, 2019
I had to look up "Mary Sue" after reading other reviews of this series. It seems a fitting description for the primary characters. Stevenson has done a good job of universe building and has a terrific sense of pacing in his storytelling. The main characters were also likeable in a saccharin sweet sort of way. I wanted to see them succeed even though I new it was impossible for them not too.
It was fun seeing the clash of cultures between the frontier attitude of the protagonists home planet with the near totalitarianism of the seat of government. It also seemed a little too easy seeing all the foes on a similar level of technology yet all being slightly disadvantaged to the heros.
By no means great, but a fun quick read.
It was fun seeing the clash of cultures between the frontier attitude of the protagonists home planet with the near totalitarianism of the seat of government. It also seemed a little too easy seeing all the foes on a similar level of technology yet all being slightly disadvantaged to the heros.
By no means great, but a fun quick read.
June 3, 2020
This was a really interesting SciFi book. It kinda grabbed me from the start and the pacing really worked out for me.
So in a different system dominated by the more favorable of the two planets lives Harmon Tomeral a no nonsense ex Cadete. He was denied placement because the System Fleet only favored their home world's cadets instead of based on merit. But Hamon and his best friend and almost brother Clip have a plan. They are going to win Top Marine. A system-wide contest that gives 100,000 credits to the winner and that money will see them and their friend Zerith to the stars. What happens even surprised them and by really good luck and perseverance they find a way to get a large Salvage Hauler. What happens next is too good to be true but its what makes reading fun...
So in a different system dominated by the more favorable of the two planets lives Harmon Tomeral a no nonsense ex Cadete. He was denied placement because the System Fleet only favored their home world's cadets instead of based on merit. But Hamon and his best friend and almost brother Clip have a plan. They are going to win Top Marine. A system-wide contest that gives 100,000 credits to the winner and that money will see them and their friend Zerith to the stars. What happens even surprised them and by really good luck and perseverance they find a way to get a large Salvage Hauler. What happens next is too good to be true but its what makes reading fun...
May 9, 2021
Enjoyable read but probably more of a 3.5 rounded up than a 4. The story lines are pretty predictable but by design. My example of this [which some may consider a SPOILER so read on at your own risk] is when the MC goes to make a sale to an unknown and possibly sinister alien. The MC considers the possibilty of the meeting being a set up and the reader is shown the precautions being taken. Next we skip to the (now openly) sinister alien for the prep it is making to rob the MC.
There is also a lot of convient happenings in this book, like whenever the MC needs crew members he is handed them on a silver platter. Still I enjoyed the action/adventure aspect of the book and the book as a whole which is why I rounded up to 4 stars.
There is also a lot of convient happenings in this book, like whenever the MC needs crew members he is handed them on a silver platter. Still I enjoyed the action/adventure aspect of the book and the book as a whole which is why I rounded up to 4 stars.
June 11, 2021
The reviews on this book had me expecting a poorly written slog of a book. It was not that but I understand the issues others reviews had with it. It felt like a children's sci-fi story. The hero was the best at everything and got the homecoming queen and saved the day. Nothing bad really happened and the good guys won. It was a very lightly written story that reads very quickly and the science of space and future technology is totally glossed over and ignored. (it just works ok, don't ask how)
I'd classify it as YA but that makes me think of The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner but they were far more brutal than this. If I was 12 I would have loved it and given it a 5 star but since I'm not then the best I can do is a 3.. liked it not loved it.
I'd classify it as YA but that makes me think of The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner but they were far more brutal than this. If I was 12 I would have loved it and given it a 5 star but since I'm not then the best I can do is a 3.. liked it not loved it.
November 1, 2018
Great military sci fi
Salvage geeks use spare parts to build a 'battle mech' for a competition, hoping to win a prize. They win, but they are screwed from collecting. Their boss at the salvage yard agrees to finance a converted ore carrier to go into space to recover battle debris for salvage value. After guessing right about where debris landed, the geeks now have operating capital. Part of the battle debris is a cube, which challenges the computer to to figure out what it is. Each 'savage' mission gets more complex and the geeks into more trouble. Can you say 'planetary invasion' size trouble? It is a fun story well told!
Salvage geeks use spare parts to build a 'battle mech' for a competition, hoping to win a prize. They win, but they are screwed from collecting. Their boss at the salvage yard agrees to finance a converted ore carrier to go into space to recover battle debris for salvage value. After guessing right about where debris landed, the geeks now have operating capital. Part of the battle debris is a cube, which challenges the computer to to figure out what it is. Each 'savage' mission gets more complex and the geeks into more trouble. Can you say 'planetary invasion' size trouble? It is a fun story well told!
July 15, 2019
K C Johnston's narration really brings this story to life. I loved all the different voices he uses for the various characters. And I love that you can not only tell the different characters from their voices but also the various species.
I loved this story. It drew me in intrigued and kept me there as it twisted and turned. I could see visuals of what was happening in my head and it was fantastic. I loved watching the characters and the relationships they had and built. The world building was great, I knew exactly where I was at all times. A thoroughly enjoyable book...I'm itching to know what happens to them now...
I loved this story. It drew me in intrigued and kept me there as it twisted and turned. I could see visuals of what was happening in my head and it was fantastic. I loved watching the characters and the relationships they had and built. The world building was great, I knew exactly where I was at all times. A thoroughly enjoyable book...I'm itching to know what happens to them now...
December 10, 2022
A fun setup with a likeable main character. I down rated it for two issues.
I was disappointed that the story stopped unresolved by the end of the book. When this is done I feel like the author is trying to manipulate me into buying another book.
The main characters started off a good "every man", but as the book progresses he sails through challenges so easily it lost the sense of tension. Without struggle or failure I feel less empathy with the character. The only time the main character fails is when the bad guy denies him what he won fair and square. There's no sense of theme or growth.
I was disappointed that the story stopped unresolved by the end of the book. When this is done I feel like the author is trying to manipulate me into buying another book.
The main characters started off a good "every man", but as the book progresses he sails through challenges so easily it lost the sense of tension. Without struggle or failure I feel less empathy with the character. The only time the main character fails is when the bad guy denies him what he won fair and square. There's no sense of theme or growth.
October 29, 2023
pushing political views
Right from the get-go there’s pushing of political views in this book. Talking about the value of arming everyone on a planet and such.
It continues through the book until I eventually just gave it up.
Author writes okay and it was a somewhat interesting story, even if there was a huge power jump and it seems like the main character is too good at everything.
But he pushes this political junk multiple times in the story and it just gets annoying. It’s like a far-right winger’s wet dream setting up a story perfectly designed to fulfill their fantasies.
Right from the get-go there’s pushing of political views in this book. Talking about the value of arming everyone on a planet and such.
It continues through the book until I eventually just gave it up.
Author writes okay and it was a somewhat interesting story, even if there was a huge power jump and it seems like the main character is too good at everything.
But he pushes this political junk multiple times in the story and it just gets annoying. It’s like a far-right winger’s wet dream setting up a story perfectly designed to fulfill their fantasies.
October 4, 2018
Cool
A fun, fast paced novel with plenty of stretch for your imagination and enjoyment.
A series of events, each depending on the mind boggling odds of the previous moves a planet bound salvage worker (albeit an inactivd reserve lieutenant of the systems space navy) to Captain of a ship more powerful than anyone has ever seen.
Along with the adventure is a not so subtle poke at the politics of gun control - or maybe a historical jab at the difference between Athens and Sparta, either would fit (wink, wink!).
A fun, fast paced novel with plenty of stretch for your imagination and enjoyment.
A series of events, each depending on the mind boggling odds of the previous moves a planet bound salvage worker (albeit an inactivd reserve lieutenant of the systems space navy) to Captain of a ship more powerful than anyone has ever seen.
Along with the adventure is a not so subtle poke at the politics of gun control - or maybe a historical jab at the difference between Athens and Sparta, either would fit (wink, wink!).
December 19, 2018
This was a fun book. If you like military Sci-Fi with a twist, you'll love this book! You'll find the main character discriminated against, where he's only allowed to be a military reserve, even when he's more talented than anyone in the military. This book has it all, a fantastic crew, mechs, and an awesome AI. And don't forget about the Space Opossums!
Lot's of great action and humor, and the narrator does a fantastic job with the narration, giving each character a distinct voice that makes you eager to listen throughout!
Lot's of great action and humor, and the narrator does a fantastic job with the narration, giving each character a distinct voice that makes you eager to listen throughout!
February 28, 2022
I've read it before - not "Salvage Thrills" but quite a few books just like it.
A young man on a second-rate planet finds a historic super-battleship and a computerised AI to run it.
Time for galactic intrigue, space battles and victory or death!
The best parts are when all hell is breaking loose, the rest of it is all too familiar - no character development and little or no plot depth.
On the plus side I've always been a sucker for space opera and this definitely fits the bill.
2.5 Stars
A young man on a second-rate planet finds a historic super-battleship and a computerised AI to run it.
Time for galactic intrigue, space battles and victory or death!
The best parts are when all hell is breaking loose, the rest of it is all too familiar - no character development and little or no plot depth.
On the plus side I've always been a sucker for space opera and this definitely fits the bill.
2.5 Stars
January 24, 2023
Maybe it's just me, but this read like a YA novel, although I don't believe it is? It reminded me a bit of high tech version of the "Biggles" books I read as a kid (ouch - dating myself A LOT).
Pretty corny story and characters; entertaining in a "switch off your brain" kind of way but rather disappointing.
Also, a weird ending that had me wondering if I missed chapter.
I hate being a negative Nellie, but it seemed very "blah" to me. It was like something I might have written, and I am just some guy....
Pretty corny story and characters; entertaining in a "switch off your brain" kind of way but rather disappointing.
Also, a weird ending that had me wondering if I missed chapter.
I hate being a negative Nellie, but it seemed very "blah" to me. It was like something I might have written, and I am just some guy....
March 26, 2019
Building a dream from a Mech up
Sometimes you have to find the loopholes and have talented friends to accomplish your desires in a society that doesn't appreciate your talent. Building a Mech from salvage to enter a competion, if won, would provide the funds to become a salvager in space. Steverson's writing style is a little simplier, but he makes up for it with well though out tactics and plot twists. Enjoyable read.
Sometimes you have to find the loopholes and have talented friends to accomplish your desires in a society that doesn't appreciate your talent. Building a Mech from salvage to enter a competion, if won, would provide the funds to become a salvager in space. Steverson's writing style is a little simplier, but he makes up for it with well though out tactics and plot twists. Enjoyable read.
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