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Fallen Empire #0.5–3
A Fallen Empire Omnibus Books 1-3
A fighter pilot on a mission to reunite with her daughter.
A cyborg soldier on a quest to regain his humanity.
Mortal enemies during the war, they must now work together to salvage a seventy-year-old freighter and navigate the gauntlet of pirates, scavengers, mercenaries, and other pitfalls that stand in their way after the fall of the largest empire mankind has ever known.
This set includes:
Book 1: Star Nomad
Book 2: Honor’s Flight
Book 3: Starseers
The short story “Starfall Station"
Star Nomad was a nominee for the Goodreads Readers’ Choice Awards and also made Amazon’s Top 20 list of Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2016. Start the adventure now!
A cyborg soldier on a quest to regain his humanity.
Mortal enemies during the war, they must now work together to salvage a seventy-year-old freighter and navigate the gauntlet of pirates, scavengers, mercenaries, and other pitfalls that stand in their way after the fall of the largest empire mankind has ever known.
This set includes:
Book 1: Star Nomad
Book 2: Honor’s Flight
Book 3: Starseers
The short story “Starfall Station"
Star Nomad was a nominee for the Goodreads Readers’ Choice Awards and also made Amazon’s Top 20 list of Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of 2016. Start the adventure now!
Audible Audio
First published March 13, 2017
2150 people are currently reading
1482 people want to read
About the author
Lindsay Buroker
199 books6,258 followersI'm a full-time indie fantasy and science fiction author. When I'm not writing, I'm ferrying my dogs to hiking trails for adventures.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 240 reviews
June 17, 2018
Two things kept me from truly enjoying these books: the never-ending loop of the same plot twist and the fact the heroine's drama was purely a backdrop.
In book three when the MC kept doing the same trick I was almost ready to DNF it. It has the same plot all over, the never ending battles, betrayals and twist without any depth to both characters and plot to make anything believable.
In book one we are told that the heroine has a daughter and that she's fighting to go back to her. Not once in 3 books and a short story you did get a glimpse that's the truth. Oh once in a while she talks about her daughter, or her husband. But there's no anguish. At all. No sorrow. She never really fights to go back to her. I mean she gets derailed every time (for 7 or 8 books it seems). You know by book 3 she should be frantic. Her husband too is basically a prop. You don't feel her love, her pain. Or the shocking betrayal. She drools about an other man when she's not mourned him yet.. I am not even sure I buy into her morality or lack thereof.
Her wit is nice, but again it can't take the place of plot, characterization and world building. Even the big divide was, I don't know, fake. If you have ever read Medair, you'd really see the difference.
I spent a few hours on a summer Sunday. There's not much else I can say. Except I don't plan to read the rest of the series.
In book three when the MC kept doing the same trick I was almost ready to DNF it. It has the same plot all over, the never ending battles, betrayals and twist without any depth to both characters and plot to make anything believable.
In book one we are told that the heroine has a daughter and that she's fighting to go back to her. Not once in 3 books and a short story you did get a glimpse that's the truth. Oh once in a while she talks about her daughter, or her husband. But there's no anguish. At all. No sorrow. She never really fights to go back to her. I mean she gets derailed every time (for 7 or 8 books it seems). You know by book 3 she should be frantic. Her husband too is basically a prop. You don't feel her love, her pain. Or the shocking betrayal. She drools about an other man when she's not mourned him yet.. I am not even sure I buy into her morality or lack thereof.
Her wit is nice, but again it can't take the place of plot, characterization and world building. Even the big divide was, I don't know, fake. If you have ever read Medair, you'd really see the difference.
I spent a few hours on a summer Sunday. There's not much else I can say. Except I don't plan to read the rest of the series.
Read
July 13, 20187/12/18 FREE for Kindle right now. I really enjoyed this series.
June 14, 2018
Lindsay Buroker's "The Fallen Empire Omnibus (Books 1-3 and prequel)" is a collection of the first five stories in her "Fallen Empire" series:
0.5. Last Command (I rate it at 2 stars out of 5)
1. Star Nomad: Fallen Empire, Book 1 (I rate it at 3-1/2 stars out of 5)
2. Honor's Flight: Fallen Empire, Book 2 (I rate it at 3 stars out of 5)
2.5. Starfall Station (I rate it at 3 stars out of 5)
3. Starseers: Fallen Empire, Book 3 (I rate it at 2-1/2 stars out of 5)
The short story (supposedly a novella) prequel, "Last Command," and short interim story, "Starfall Station" are both unavailable separately. I'm not sure if they're included solely as part of this omnibus or if they come bundled with the individual full novels. Ignoring the prequel, in general, the series starts out fairly good and then tapers off to something less than OK. The prequel is not very good at all. In general, again, all the books are fast-paced and show that Buroker has good technical writing skills. But, unfortunately, they all suffer from several issues:
- Nothing ever gets resolved. Between the start of each book and its end, there's a lot of action, but there's no progress toward any of the proclaimed goals. It looks to me like Buroker is just churning out these formulaic books as a means of making money instead of any desire to tell a good story.
- Except for the prequel (where she's missing), the main protagonist, Alisa, is constantly thinking and saying sexual innuendos about another character (essentially, her co-protagonist). This gets pretty bad by the last book.
- The protagonist is constantly flapping her lips saying glib, "humorous," things even in the midst of pitched battles for their lives.
- And, even though I've listed the fast pace as a positive, it's achieved through constant ridiculous and impossible battles where they succeed via ridiculous and impossible means.
If I average out my ratings for all five stories and truncate, I get an overall rating of a Pretty Bad 2 stars out of 5 for this omnibus. If I round up, instead, that turns into an OK 3 stars out of 5. Because the negatives keep building as the stories progress, I'm going with the lower score. But, if you like "bodice ripper," Romance-type books, maybe the higher rating would be more appropriate to you. Regardless, I won't be reading any more of this series. And, since I've read a book in another series by her and didn't like it, I won't be reading any more of Lindsay Buroker's books.
0.5. Last Command (I rate it at 2 stars out of 5)
1. Star Nomad: Fallen Empire, Book 1 (I rate it at 3-1/2 stars out of 5)
2. Honor's Flight: Fallen Empire, Book 2 (I rate it at 3 stars out of 5)
2.5. Starfall Station (I rate it at 3 stars out of 5)
3. Starseers: Fallen Empire, Book 3 (I rate it at 2-1/2 stars out of 5)
The short story (supposedly a novella) prequel, "Last Command," and short interim story, "Starfall Station" are both unavailable separately. I'm not sure if they're included solely as part of this omnibus or if they come bundled with the individual full novels. Ignoring the prequel, in general, the series starts out fairly good and then tapers off to something less than OK. The prequel is not very good at all. In general, again, all the books are fast-paced and show that Buroker has good technical writing skills. But, unfortunately, they all suffer from several issues:
- Nothing ever gets resolved. Between the start of each book and its end, there's a lot of action, but there's no progress toward any of the proclaimed goals. It looks to me like Buroker is just churning out these formulaic books as a means of making money instead of any desire to tell a good story.
- Except for the prequel (where she's missing), the main protagonist, Alisa, is constantly thinking and saying sexual innuendos about another character (essentially, her co-protagonist). This gets pretty bad by the last book.
- The protagonist is constantly flapping her lips saying glib, "humorous," things even in the midst of pitched battles for their lives.
- And, even though I've listed the fast pace as a positive, it's achieved through constant ridiculous and impossible battles where they succeed via ridiculous and impossible means.
If I average out my ratings for all five stories and truncate, I get an overall rating of a Pretty Bad 2 stars out of 5 for this omnibus. If I round up, instead, that turns into an OK 3 stars out of 5. Because the negatives keep building as the stories progress, I'm going with the lower score. But, if you like "bodice ripper," Romance-type books, maybe the higher rating would be more appropriate to you. Regardless, I won't be reading any more of this series. And, since I've read a book in another series by her and didn't like it, I won't be reading any more of Lindsay Buroker's books.
January 16, 2022
Disappointing.
It was clear within about 20 pages that this was basically a romance novel set in space. Hence, it has to suffer all the clichés of romance novels. The basic requirement is the two protagonists must have the maximum number of obstacles set in their way, and the author goes out of her way to provide plenty.
He's a cyborg. She's an unmodified human.
He was on the losing side of the last war. She was on the enemy side.
The scars of the war haven't healed for either of them.
She has the kind of humour that keeps making offensive remarks about people (especially cyborgs), while not intending any real harm and trying to be funny.
(The author feels required to mention Alisa's 'inappropriate' sense of humour about every three pages, just so we know she doesn't really mean it.)
Alisa has endless internal monologues to remind the reader of all the things that he/she have done in the past that clearly provide an impossible barrier to her and Leonidas becoming an item.
(And when I say 'endless' I mean endless. The reader is clearly incapable of remembering these things on their own.)
But this being a romance novel, she can't actually come out and say that she fancies him, because that would remove all the UST. Except that it's so boring that there is no UST.
There's a plot of sorts, but it relies on the Star Nomad - an old freighter - being able to absorb a cumulative amount of damage over several books (with no repairs) that would bring down a couple of Star Destroyers.
Every time they reach point 'x' on the plot, then then pick up a new plot token that requires them to move to 'x+1'.
I only got as far as book three because I bought them as a set and they were an easy light read when the sciatica stopped me from reading anything with depth.
So, okay if you want a light romance with plenty of space battles and hand to hand combat, but if you want depth in your characters, read Becky Chambers instead.
It was clear within about 20 pages that this was basically a romance novel set in space. Hence, it has to suffer all the clichés of romance novels. The basic requirement is the two protagonists must have the maximum number of obstacles set in their way, and the author goes out of her way to provide plenty.
He's a cyborg. She's an unmodified human.
He was on the losing side of the last war. She was on the enemy side.
The scars of the war haven't healed for either of them.
She has the kind of humour that keeps making offensive remarks about people (especially cyborgs), while not intending any real harm and trying to be funny.
(The author feels required to mention Alisa's 'inappropriate' sense of humour about every three pages, just so we know she doesn't really mean it.)
Alisa has endless internal monologues to remind the reader of all the things that he/she have done in the past that clearly provide an impossible barrier to her and Leonidas becoming an item.
(And when I say 'endless' I mean endless. The reader is clearly incapable of remembering these things on their own.)
But this being a romance novel, she can't actually come out and say that she fancies him, because that would remove all the UST. Except that it's so boring that there is no UST.
There's a plot of sorts, but it relies on the Star Nomad - an old freighter - being able to absorb a cumulative amount of damage over several books (with no repairs) that would bring down a couple of Star Destroyers.
Every time they reach point 'x' on the plot, then then pick up a new plot token that requires them to move to 'x+1'.
I only got as far as book three because I bought them as a set and they were an easy light read when the sciatica stopped me from reading anything with depth.
So, okay if you want a light romance with plenty of space battles and hand to hand combat, but if you want depth in your characters, read Becky Chambers instead.
June 30, 2018
I promised myself that I would finish this entire compilation.
I couldn't.
I get that there is a larger overall story, and I want to follow that. However, each individual story has to feel complete. The first did have a full arc, and while there was a bit of convenience, it was a semi-satisfying end.
My complaints are that the captain always snorts (at least five times a story), the engineer hates her job and wants to leave the ship, but doesn't; a security guard that just wants to be a BBQ chef; a hippie druggie; an a**hole of a doctor; and a cyborg without a personality that they are trying to set up as a love interest ... I guess.
Even with all of this information, I haven't spoiled the story. I just don't like a rag-tag crew that tries so hard to not get along and yet it all works out in the end ... on accident.
I read the first 2 stories and the short before the third, and I can do no more, Captain.
I couldn't.
I get that there is a larger overall story, and I want to follow that. However, each individual story has to feel complete. The first did have a full arc, and while there was a bit of convenience, it was a semi-satisfying end.
My complaints are that the captain always snorts (at least five times a story), the engineer hates her job and wants to leave the ship, but doesn't; a security guard that just wants to be a BBQ chef; a hippie druggie; an a**hole of a doctor; and a cyborg without a personality that they are trying to set up as a love interest ... I guess.
Even with all of this information, I haven't spoiled the story. I just don't like a rag-tag crew that tries so hard to not get along and yet it all works out in the end ... on accident.
I read the first 2 stories and the short before the third, and I can do no more, Captain.
April 5, 2020
Great SciFi and solid characters
The story was engaging enough to keep things interesting throughout all volumes. Can't say I could care much about the prequel with Leonidas, but that's quite all right. The adventures of those misfits are quite unique to feel the need to read the next volume each time :-)
The story was engaging enough to keep things interesting throughout all volumes. Can't say I could care much about the prequel with Leonidas, but that's quite all right. The adventures of those misfits are quite unique to feel the need to read the next volume each time :-)
January 11, 2020
The first three books in the series plus two novellas for the low, low price of FREE.
Meet Alisa Marchenko, former Alliance pilot, badly injured in the final victorious battle against the Empire and left on a godforsaken planet to heal. She determines to steal her mother's freighter plane from where it languishes in storage but discovers the plane has already been claimed by an Imperial Cyborg. Desperate to raise enough funds to fly home and reclaim the daughter she hasn't seen for four years, Alisa takes on a rag-tag group of passengers and crew.
If you like space adventures, snarky and inappropriate humour, cyborgs, chickens, galactic wars, BBQ, lots of fighting but all the main characters remain unscathed then this is the series for you. It's funny, undemanding and fast-paced. Loved it so much I've already bought and read the next book in the series.
Meet Alisa Marchenko, former Alliance pilot, badly injured in the final victorious battle against the Empire and left on a godforsaken planet to heal. She determines to steal her mother's freighter plane from where it languishes in storage but discovers the plane has already been claimed by an Imperial Cyborg. Desperate to raise enough funds to fly home and reclaim the daughter she hasn't seen for four years, Alisa takes on a rag-tag group of passengers and crew.
If you like space adventures, snarky and inappropriate humour, cyborgs, chickens, galactic wars, BBQ, lots of fighting but all the main characters remain unscathed then this is the series for you. It's funny, undemanding and fast-paced. Loved it so much I've already bought and read the next book in the series.
June 16, 2018
The series began well for me, but it failed to hold my interest. Once the group left the planet Perun I couldn’t seem to get a handle on their physical setting, so none of the ensuing situations made much sense. Run here, blast a hole there, end up on a different ship somehow...I couldn’t follow the action at all. I doubt I’ll return to Alisa’s world.
April 6, 2019
I love Lindsay Buroker’s style. Stories never quite go where I expect, and I love it. The characters and humor are reminiscent of the show FireFly. I highly recommend these!
August 28, 2018
another terrific series by Lindsay Buroker!
this one will rank as number 2 in my love of her series and characters.
buy the books! read the books! love the books!
the main characters, Alisa and Leonidas, remind me sooooooooooooo very much of Armanthe and Sicarious from The Emperor's Edge Collection
first the women
both women's name start with an A (wish they didn't. since they are so similar, it's a lil confusing.)
both women are tall and can fight and are the leaders of their ragtag bunch
both are witty but Alisa is funnier. she has made me LOL so very many times (and i am on book 6)
both women are attracted to men who are lethal killing machines and none of the crew or eveyday folks they meet gets why that is
both wore uniforms- Alisa- military, Armanthe - local law enforcement
both come up with crazy schemes to get out of hairy situations or to fulfill their missions
both prefer not to kill on their missions or in self defense but will do so when necessary
both have staff that they are paying with hopes & dreams and sometimes money.
the men are similar as well
both are extraordinary and not like normal men
both have lethal fighting and killing skills that the average man cannot defend against
both don't express feelings very well
both are hated and feared by the majority of the population because of what they did by order of their king/emperor
both have looks that make them stand out in a crowd
both are very smart as well in other areas not just fighting, combat, killing, and war strategy.
both soften up and trade barbs with the women and come to care about them
both have this honorable streak to do whatever is necessary to help their kingdom, empire and the young boy emperor/king
both train the rest of the team
similarities in the plots
both have a government that is in turmoil and restarting
both have magicians/psychics with powers like telepathy and telekinesis, that are feared/hated by the mundane folks (she calls them mundanes in both worlds. also it a lil confusing at times)
both keep getting into trouble with all members of the various factions fighting for control of the government even though they don't mean to
both have a team of folks with various skillz that are need for their adventures
both have folks on their team wanted by gang/mafia
both have folks on their team that can cook really well
both have folks wanted by local governments
both never really get a rest from the fighting, scheming, or running away from folks trying to kill them
both make jokes even when they are in the midst of battle
both have favor with the enemy and are let go when they should be arrested or captured or killed
both are VERY lucky and escape many times by the skin of their teeth thanks to some other event that happens at the same time
both have a young heir to the throne
both remind me very much of some of my favorite tv shows which just so happen to be someof lindsay's favorite tv shows like macgyver, stargate sg-1, a-team, BSG, star trek NG, star wars, Firefly (esp firefly cuz space and old ship and rebels and war and snotty doctor and well like so much) etc.
both convinced me to buy more books.
i mean, i didn't even use my gift card to buy the anthologies (Beyond the Stars: New Worlds, New Suns: A Space Opera Anthology andYou Are Here - Tales of Cartographic Wonders) with short stories related to this series or the trilogy that continues this series with the kids as the MC's (The Rogue Prince,Angle of Truth,Stolen Legacy)!!!!
this series also reminds me of the chains of honor series in that both have some things that are in the plot that make me roll my eyes. either a character's inner monologue is way too immature and doesn't match up with how they have acted previously. or characters do something stupid when they have been brilliant in the rest of the story. or they don't fully utilize their lethal men and magician/psychic which would help them avoid major trouble. but like with chains of honor the rest of the story and characters are enjoyable enough to over look these things and continue on reading. cuz they are FUN!
buy the books! read the books! love the books!
this one will rank as number 2 in my love of her series and characters.
buy the books! read the books! love the books!
the main characters, Alisa and Leonidas, remind me sooooooooooooo very much of Armanthe and Sicarious from The Emperor's Edge Collection
first the women
both women's name start with an A (wish they didn't. since they are so similar, it's a lil confusing.)
both women are tall and can fight and are the leaders of their ragtag bunch
both are witty but Alisa is funnier. she has made me LOL so very many times (and i am on book 6)
both women are attracted to men who are lethal killing machines and none of the crew or eveyday folks they meet gets why that is
both wore uniforms- Alisa- military, Armanthe - local law enforcement
both come up with crazy schemes to get out of hairy situations or to fulfill their missions
both prefer not to kill on their missions or in self defense but will do so when necessary
both have staff that they are paying with hopes & dreams and sometimes money.
the men are similar as well
both are extraordinary and not like normal men
both have lethal fighting and killing skills that the average man cannot defend against
both don't express feelings very well
both are hated and feared by the majority of the population because of what they did by order of their king/emperor
both have looks that make them stand out in a crowd
both are very smart as well in other areas not just fighting, combat, killing, and war strategy.
both soften up and trade barbs with the women and come to care about them
both have this honorable streak to do whatever is necessary to help their kingdom, empire and the young boy emperor/king
both train the rest of the team
similarities in the plots
both have a government that is in turmoil and restarting
both have magicians/psychics with powers like telepathy and telekinesis, that are feared/hated by the mundane folks (she calls them mundanes in both worlds. also it a lil confusing at times)
both keep getting into trouble with all members of the various factions fighting for control of the government even though they don't mean to
both have a team of folks with various skillz that are need for their adventures
both have folks on their team wanted by gang/mafia
both have folks on their team that can cook really well
both have folks wanted by local governments
both never really get a rest from the fighting, scheming, or running away from folks trying to kill them
both make jokes even when they are in the midst of battle
both have favor with the enemy and are let go when they should be arrested or captured or killed
both are VERY lucky and escape many times by the skin of their teeth thanks to some other event that happens at the same time
both have a young heir to the throne
both remind me very much of some of my favorite tv shows which just so happen to be someof lindsay's favorite tv shows like macgyver, stargate sg-1, a-team, BSG, star trek NG, star wars, Firefly (esp firefly cuz space and old ship and rebels and war and snotty doctor and well like so much) etc.
both convinced me to buy more books.
i mean, i didn't even use my gift card to buy the anthologies (Beyond the Stars: New Worlds, New Suns: A Space Opera Anthology andYou Are Here - Tales of Cartographic Wonders) with short stories related to this series or the trilogy that continues this series with the kids as the MC's (The Rogue Prince,Angle of Truth,Stolen Legacy)!!!!
this series also reminds me of the chains of honor series in that both have some things that are in the plot that make me roll my eyes. either a character's inner monologue is way too immature and doesn't match up with how they have acted previously. or characters do something stupid when they have been brilliant in the rest of the story. or they don't fully utilize their lethal men and magician/psychic which would help them avoid major trouble. but like with chains of honor the rest of the story and characters are enjoyable enough to over look these things and continue on reading. cuz they are FUN!
buy the books! read the books! love the books!
April 20, 2019
A light read.
December 15, 2022
Good fun space opera type narrative...
August 17, 2020
This was a free find on Amazon and I didn't have high expectations. I was pleasantly surprised and found I really enjoyed these stories. The pace is not fast, but there is an appropriate amount of drama and suspense to keep my attention. An independent, strong female lead with frequent inappropriate humor and the tendency to get into trouble along with her team of misfits is the perfect page-turning adventure. I believe I have found my new favorite author! I'm excited to check out one of her other book series (after I read book 4-8 from this series) but I love these characters!
January 21, 2019
Nothing exceptional about this story. Again... Just because the story is set in the future and involves space travel does not necessarily mean it's science fiction. I appreciate a more hard science fiction. Something that gets into the science behind the imagination portrayed. Also, even in a trilogy the story wasn't finished. I suppose this is the new way to be an author. Don't finish a story to be able to sell more books!! This style of writing is not very impressive, I want to read a novel and have a conclusion at the end. I won't be reading any more on this story line because it may go on for a few more novels or a lot more novels. I try to stay away from on-going stories carried over to the next, to the next and so on.
August 27, 2018
Book 1 started out good and ended ok and that's where the magic stopped for me. Books 2 and 3 however, I hate to even say it but in more then a few chapters was just down right boring and felt like everthing was just being rewritten from book 1 all over again only maybe change a little something here and change a little something there and I found myself skipping through chapters just to finish each book. I loved the whole idea of the little rag tag bunch that comes together and the quirkiness of some of the conversation at times but I do believe I will not be going on the rest of their voyage.
June 23, 2022
I was shocked when I was scrolling through Audible and found this free. Can't beat that price, three books for nothing, but little did I know it would such a worth wild read. Kate Reading is a fantastic narrator and I feel like she brings the character to life in a way only an award winning narrator can. If I was going to complain about anything it would be that the series continues after book three and I felt a little cliffhanger blues from not getting a resolution to some things but that's probably just from being used to a lot of fantasy series that end after three books. Overall I had a lot of fun with this series and I would recommend for anyone that enjoys sci-fi.
March 6, 2018
A story about what happens when people have a popular uprising against everything they have that keeps them safe in exchange for extra freedoms. While I appreciate the point of view of the protagonist in her struggles, I am enough of a realist to know that any form of organization that developed after the uprising would probably resemble very closely the government they rose up against. It is nice that the author placed as her protector an old guard from the previous government. The symmetry between the people and the sides in the conflict are a pretty good mirror of each other.
October 24, 2018
Disclosure: I downloaded first three books as a free Kindle copy set.
There may be some spoilers below, but I'll keep them fairly vague - nothing plot destroying.
I'm torn on my review. First, a few negatives: So much of this seems like a direct Firefly steal/adaptation. Perhaps it can't be helped in any kind of space frontier type story (and I'm sure someone could point out to me a ton of "borrowed" ideas in Firefly as well), but: a weaponless transport ship kept together by a genius mechanic with baling wire and string; a wise-cracking captain who fought for the resistance against the empire; a paying passenger (or two) who turns out to be a wanted man; a spiritual man whose background appears to be anything but spiritual; a hippy; passengers that become crew; and so on. It just keeps pulling me out of the story at odd moments. Without going into details, some of the escapes, while harrowing, are pushing credibility a bit. The equivalent to (regularly!) escaping from Alcatraz.
On the positive side, it's nice to have a fairly strong female protagonist, although perhaps less sexual tension would be less distracting (for full disclosure, I'm also not fond of sexual tension distractions even when it's a male lead; that's a different adventure story). I do enjoy a bunch of the backstory and overarching dual-plot elements. I wish Alisa was a little less dependent on her male counterparts to survive conflict - she's a bad ass in the seat of a fighter, but not quite as self-sufficient outside of that. I found the slowly unfolding story about the monk's orb and connections to the empire interesting - and that's drawing me in more than a search for Alisa's daughter.
There's a decent chance I will purchase the rest of the series on Kindle (something I essentially never do from freebie intros), so we'll see where it goes.
There may be some spoilers below, but I'll keep them fairly vague - nothing plot destroying.
I'm torn on my review. First, a few negatives: So much of this seems like a direct Firefly steal/adaptation. Perhaps it can't be helped in any kind of space frontier type story (and I'm sure someone could point out to me a ton of "borrowed" ideas in Firefly as well), but: a weaponless transport ship kept together by a genius mechanic with baling wire and string; a wise-cracking captain who fought for the resistance against the empire; a paying passenger (or two) who turns out to be a wanted man; a spiritual man whose background appears to be anything but spiritual; a hippy; passengers that become crew; and so on. It just keeps pulling me out of the story at odd moments. Without going into details, some of the escapes, while harrowing, are pushing credibility a bit. The equivalent to (regularly!) escaping from Alcatraz.
On the positive side, it's nice to have a fairly strong female protagonist, although perhaps less sexual tension would be less distracting (for full disclosure, I'm also not fond of sexual tension distractions even when it's a male lead; that's a different adventure story). I do enjoy a bunch of the backstory and overarching dual-plot elements. I wish Alisa was a little less dependent on her male counterparts to survive conflict - she's a bad ass in the seat of a fighter, but not quite as self-sufficient outside of that. I found the slowly unfolding story about the monk's orb and connections to the empire interesting - and that's drawing me in more than a search for Alisa's daughter.
There's a decent chance I will purchase the rest of the series on Kindle (something I essentially never do from freebie intros), so we'll see where it goes.
September 30, 2018
More SOAP opera than SPACE opera
I wanted to like this book, I really dif. Sci-fi is my genre, but this was terribly slow and full of cliches. It felt like the author took what were thought to be the best parts of Star Wars and Firefly and watered them down into a romcom. The characters were annoying and rarely did anything that felt genuine. For example Alisa: if she makes as decisions (all the time) because of her worry as a mother, then why does she hesitate to kill Alliance soldiers? If she is still rationale (ha!), Then why does she allow to Empire supporters, a man wanted by the mafia, and a drug dealer to be part of her crew? You can't have it both ways, but author wants us to believe we can.
The other huge problem with this story is how each book is the same. The plot goes like this:
The Monad lands on a planet.
Elisa realizes it brings her no closer to finding Jelena.
A random crew member will reveal why he/she is a problem on that planet.
Elisa gets captured by that planet's threat.
Rather than focus on the problem, Eliza focuses on Leonidas' body. She wants him, "But alas, he is not a scrawny hardline my husband was. I could never enjoy an Olympian's body! "Evil
Blind luck gets the crew out of the jam without any lingering animosity from the antagonist's faction.
The Monad flies to a planet from the new leaf on Jelena's whereabouts that conveniently was revealed in the last act.
This story wasn't for me. If I kept reading it, my eyes would fall from my face from constantly rolling them. The CW could have a bit show (for them) if they used this series as source material.
I wanted to like this book, I really dif. Sci-fi is my genre, but this was terribly slow and full of cliches. It felt like the author took what were thought to be the best parts of Star Wars and Firefly and watered them down into a romcom. The characters were annoying and rarely did anything that felt genuine. For example Alisa: if she makes as decisions (all the time) because of her worry as a mother, then why does she hesitate to kill Alliance soldiers? If she is still rationale (ha!), Then why does she allow to Empire supporters, a man wanted by the mafia, and a drug dealer to be part of her crew? You can't have it both ways, but author wants us to believe we can.
The other huge problem with this story is how each book is the same. The plot goes like this:
The Monad lands on a planet.
Elisa realizes it brings her no closer to finding Jelena.
A random crew member will reveal why he/she is a problem on that planet.
Elisa gets captured by that planet's threat.
Rather than focus on the problem, Eliza focuses on Leonidas' body. She wants him, "But alas, he is not a scrawny hardline my husband was. I could never enjoy an Olympian's body! "Evil
Blind luck gets the crew out of the jam without any lingering animosity from the antagonist's faction.
The Monad flies to a planet from the new leaf on Jelena's whereabouts that conveniently was revealed in the last act.
This story wasn't for me. If I kept reading it, my eyes would fall from my face from constantly rolling them. The CW could have a bit show (for them) if they used this series as source material.
March 25, 2019
This story grabbed me from the very beginning!
Lots of action and battles both planet-side and in space, with good tongue-in-cheek humor. This is a well-crafted sci-fi novel with strong plot and creative concepts and still manages to be incredibly funny at times. The characters are complex and well developed.
The massive Empire has fallen to the Alliance and the resulting “free” worlds are in chaos without a strong government. Marooned on the planet, Dustor, after the war, Alliance space captain Alisa Marchenko and her engineer/mechanic, Mica, team up with an imperial Cyborg Corp soldier to escape Dustor’s planetary hell; the tentative alliance necessary to get access to Alisa’s old spaceship, the Star Nomad, where the cyborg was living. After taking on a crewman hunted by the White Dragon mafia, a doctor-turned-monk, and a space scientist/hippie with her flotilla of live chickens, Alisa pilots the ship toward Perun, where she hopes to find her daughter, with a side-trip to the Trajean Asteroid Belt. It is only the start of a peril-filled journey across the galaxy. I do not like spoilers so I won’t say any more.
I really enjoyed these books – battles, political intrigue, space travel, plots within plots! Anyone who enjoys good science fiction will enjoy this collection.
Lots of action and battles both planet-side and in space, with good tongue-in-cheek humor. This is a well-crafted sci-fi novel with strong plot and creative concepts and still manages to be incredibly funny at times. The characters are complex and well developed.
The massive Empire has fallen to the Alliance and the resulting “free” worlds are in chaos without a strong government. Marooned on the planet, Dustor, after the war, Alliance space captain Alisa Marchenko and her engineer/mechanic, Mica, team up with an imperial Cyborg Corp soldier to escape Dustor’s planetary hell; the tentative alliance necessary to get access to Alisa’s old spaceship, the Star Nomad, where the cyborg was living. After taking on a crewman hunted by the White Dragon mafia, a doctor-turned-monk, and a space scientist/hippie with her flotilla of live chickens, Alisa pilots the ship toward Perun, where she hopes to find her daughter, with a side-trip to the Trajean Asteroid Belt. It is only the start of a peril-filled journey across the galaxy. I do not like spoilers so I won’t say any more.
I really enjoyed these books – battles, political intrigue, space travel, plots within plots! Anyone who enjoys good science fiction will enjoy this collection.
April 1, 2019
Good Space Fantasy
I was very pleasantly surprised to find this an enjoyable read. I don't usually read this type of omnibus because of previous experiences. I'm very happy I took a chance on this one.
It's not great literature, but that's not what I want to read. It is a fun, enjoyable series. The characters are interesting enough to catch your attention, and they continue to grow more robust as the overall story progresses. The plots within plots within plots that tie the story together are hinted at and revealed at an enjoyable pace.
I called this a space fantasy as the story could be a straight fantasy. For those of us who enjoy both fantasy and scifi, the space and scifi aspects just enhance the experience.
There are hints of relationships and possible romance given throughout the first books without anything actually happening. It reminds me of the standard sitcom ploy to dangle possible romance between the main characters without ever allowing it to kindle because that might make the sitcom boring or irrelevant to the viewers.
If you enjoy this type of story, this is a great option. I'm actually switching to audible for the fourth book given that Kate Reading is narrating.
Enjoy
I was very pleasantly surprised to find this an enjoyable read. I don't usually read this type of omnibus because of previous experiences. I'm very happy I took a chance on this one.
It's not great literature, but that's not what I want to read. It is a fun, enjoyable series. The characters are interesting enough to catch your attention, and they continue to grow more robust as the overall story progresses. The plots within plots within plots that tie the story together are hinted at and revealed at an enjoyable pace.
I called this a space fantasy as the story could be a straight fantasy. For those of us who enjoy both fantasy and scifi, the space and scifi aspects just enhance the experience.
There are hints of relationships and possible romance given throughout the first books without anything actually happening. It reminds me of the standard sitcom ploy to dangle possible romance between the main characters without ever allowing it to kindle because that might make the sitcom boring or irrelevant to the viewers.
If you enjoy this type of story, this is a great option. I'm actually switching to audible for the fourth book given that Kate Reading is narrating.
Enjoy
June 6, 2018
I enjoyed this series immensely. It was a bit of guilty pleasure since there was a lot of sexual humor and one or two scenes with naked people in the later books. In general, it stayed a tad cleaner than your average sci fi books, but I wouldn't label these clean either. They were however, EXTREMELY funny. This is the first series that I actually wanted to know what happened so much that I ended up purchasing the rest of the series, which is saying something since I come from a long proud line of stingy people. By the end of the series, the repetitive battle scenes became a bit too frequent for me taste (it seemed like every other scene was a battle scene), but for the genre that's to be expected. This book also lacked the oft idiotic (noble or airheaded) protagonists I find so often in books these days.
So yes to sum it up, great story, reasonably smart hilarious characters, a lot of fun-- I'm very conflicted about whether to read more of Lindsay Buroker's work, because what little hope I had of doing anything productive with my life went out the window when I started reading this series
So yes to sum it up, great story, reasonably smart hilarious characters, a lot of fun-- I'm very conflicted about whether to read more of Lindsay Buroker's work, because what little hope I had of doing anything productive with my life went out the window when I started reading this series
December 21, 2019
grimmer than I like, but a good read
and the further I get into the series, the better I like it. At first I didn’t find any of the characters sympathetic. The MCs are Alisa, the ex-Alliance pilot now freighter captain down on her luck, and Leonardus, ex-Empire cyborg. Three books in, Leonardus is the person I sympathize most with, as he’s kept his honor and seems lost without the Empire’s structure. Regardless of which society, cyborgs are despised, it seems, so he may never find a place for himself.
Alisa and Mica, the engineer, started out seeming like the core people, but Mica quickly dropped back into a supporting role. Alisa is problematic for me as MC as I don’t think her sense of humor is funny and she just can’t keep her mouth shut, even when she’s endangering herself and others. Her pursuit of Leonardus seems desperate, as well as a somewhat inappropriate for such a new widow. I’ve also been wondering how she’s managing to buy fuel and supplies at all given how little money she seems to make. . .
It’s a good story though, and I’ll def. continue reading the rest of it.
and the further I get into the series, the better I like it. At first I didn’t find any of the characters sympathetic. The MCs are Alisa, the ex-Alliance pilot now freighter captain down on her luck, and Leonardus, ex-Empire cyborg. Three books in, Leonardus is the person I sympathize most with, as he’s kept his honor and seems lost without the Empire’s structure. Regardless of which society, cyborgs are despised, it seems, so he may never find a place for himself.
Alisa and Mica, the engineer, started out seeming like the core people, but Mica quickly dropped back into a supporting role. Alisa is problematic for me as MC as I don’t think her sense of humor is funny and she just can’t keep her mouth shut, even when she’s endangering herself and others. Her pursuit of Leonardus seems desperate, as well as a somewhat inappropriate for such a new widow. I’ve also been wondering how she’s managing to buy fuel and supplies at all given how little money she seems to make. . .
It’s a good story though, and I’ll def. continue reading the rest of it.
February 9, 2020
I got this book for free. I don't recommend it.
First of all, this story starts after a war is nearly over. So the author started the story in the wrong place. It would have been better to write a story about the beginning of the war instead of the aftermath of the war. Yes, I know there is a prequel included in here, but it's pretty short. You can't tell a war story in a short story, let alone one book. I even tried reading the prequel but I also had the same issue with it as I did with book one.
The characters are unlikable. I couldn't relate to them.
There wasn't an inciting incident - no plot point to drive the story forward. I just didn't care about the plot.
All the weapons and equipment sounded unique but the combat felt a little dull, filtered.
Yes, this book is edited well, but I don't see an editor listed in the beginning of the book. Sometimes the words felt a little clunky.
I don't recommend this story. I like Lindsay Buroker as a person though, and I'm still a fan of her YouTube channel "Six Figure Author Podcast," so I'm not against trying out some of her other stuff someday.
First of all, this story starts after a war is nearly over. So the author started the story in the wrong place. It would have been better to write a story about the beginning of the war instead of the aftermath of the war. Yes, I know there is a prequel included in here, but it's pretty short. You can't tell a war story in a short story, let alone one book. I even tried reading the prequel but I also had the same issue with it as I did with book one.
The characters are unlikable. I couldn't relate to them.
There wasn't an inciting incident - no plot point to drive the story forward. I just didn't care about the plot.
All the weapons and equipment sounded unique but the combat felt a little dull, filtered.
Yes, this book is edited well, but I don't see an editor listed in the beginning of the book. Sometimes the words felt a little clunky.
I don't recommend this story. I like Lindsay Buroker as a person though, and I'm still a fan of her YouTube channel "Six Figure Author Podcast," so I'm not against trying out some of her other stuff someday.
January 4, 2019
I have already reviewed part one of this set, and I intended to review each story separately, however, I think at least one of the short stories included is not available elsewhere as a standalone, so I will continue the review as the boxed set.
0.5. Last Command - prequel Short story: 4*
1. Star Nomad: 4 *
2. Honor's Flight: 3*
2.5. Starfall Station short story 3*
3. Starseers: 3*
I enjoyed book one the most, I think. Lots of action, gripping, lots of potentially great characters. A great start.
Book 2 was more of the same and seems to be no more than one fight after another and the characters in some places became more of a caricature. The moody, muscle bound cyborg became a bore. As did the ever presnt government factions being thugs and bullys, and special people/mages being arogant shits.
That said, the prequel short story, featuring the cyborg, turned out to be a grand story and I liked that a great deal.
when it comes to characters, however, Mica and Yumi are the stars.
0.5. Last Command - prequel Short story: 4*
1. Star Nomad: 4 *
2. Honor's Flight: 3*
2.5. Starfall Station short story 3*
3. Starseers: 3*
I enjoyed book one the most, I think. Lots of action, gripping, lots of potentially great characters. A great start.
Book 2 was more of the same and seems to be no more than one fight after another and the characters in some places became more of a caricature. The moody, muscle bound cyborg became a bore. As did the ever presnt government factions being thugs and bullys, and special people/mages being arogant shits.
That said, the prequel short story, featuring the cyborg, turned out to be a grand story and I liked that a great deal.
when it comes to characters, however, Mica and Yumi are the stars.
March 29, 2019
A true space opera.
The civil war is over and the rebels defeated the empire! Unfortunately, Alisa, a fighter pilot for the rebels, is shot down after the cease fire and finds herself stranded on a backwater planet with only one wish; to get home to her daughter. So she goes looking for her mother’s old freighter that is parked in a junkyard on the same backwater planet. With her she has an engineer who was also on the rebel side. Together they make it to the freighter only to find a dreaded Imperial cyborg already in place! They reach an uneasy truce and, together, they set out on their journeys in the Star Nomad.
This is a great SF space opera. I loved reading the prequel that gives us more insight into Leonidas. For SF fans of all ages. Lindsay Buroker is a talented author who writes in other genres under pen names. They are all great books but my personal favourites are her SF novels! Looking forward to more of her work.
The civil war is over and the rebels defeated the empire! Unfortunately, Alisa, a fighter pilot for the rebels, is shot down after the cease fire and finds herself stranded on a backwater planet with only one wish; to get home to her daughter. So she goes looking for her mother’s old freighter that is parked in a junkyard on the same backwater planet. With her she has an engineer who was also on the rebel side. Together they make it to the freighter only to find a dreaded Imperial cyborg already in place! They reach an uneasy truce and, together, they set out on their journeys in the Star Nomad.
This is a great SF space opera. I loved reading the prequel that gives us more insight into Leonidas. For SF fans of all ages. Lindsay Buroker is a talented author who writes in other genres under pen names. They are all great books but my personal favourites are her SF novels! Looking forward to more of her work.
August 9, 2020
Alisa recovers from a wound received in the now-ended war where she piloted a combat craft. Things throughout the old empire are fairly chaotic and she was left with no way off the planet she's on. She finds her mother's old freighter transport in a junk yard with plans to fix it up, but it's occupied by an enemy soldier -- a very dangerous cyborg. They make a deal, but don't trust each other.
What follows is a riveting trip from one problem to another. The author keeps Alisa hopping. When one danger is left behind, another pounces almost immediately.
As a reader, I was grabbed immediately and had trouble putting it down when bedtime rolled around.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because the story is incomplete. I'll have to buy the entire series (yes, there are more) to find out if everyone involved finds what they're looking for. I've never been a fan of cliff hangers.
What follows is a riveting trip from one problem to another. The author keeps Alisa hopping. When one danger is left behind, another pounces almost immediately.
As a reader, I was grabbed immediately and had trouble putting it down when bedtime rolled around.
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because the story is incomplete. I'll have to buy the entire series (yes, there are more) to find out if everyone involved finds what they're looking for. I've never been a fan of cliff hangers.
April 4, 2022
I love me some hot cyborg lust. Haha. It’s a good story line and I only got uncomfortable with the main character’s poor decisions a couple times. Some of it was like posts on the subreddit r/WhatCouldGoWrong but they always pulled out of it, mostly because there was a honorable cyborg on her side.
I listened to/read the 1st 3 books as a bundle on Audible and I loved them. Now I have to wait for my next credits to buy the 4th book. I’ve looked at several libraries but this series hasn’t been available. I’m listening to them again while I wait and still enjoying them & catching some more details and a little foreshadowing.
I’ve found that I don’t like everything the author writes so I look for ones that have a group of people doing something together rather than just the one main character and her hate/love supporting actor.
I listened to/read the 1st 3 books as a bundle on Audible and I loved them. Now I have to wait for my next credits to buy the 4th book. I’ve looked at several libraries but this series hasn’t been available. I’m listening to them again while I wait and still enjoying them & catching some more details and a little foreshadowing.
I’ve found that I don’t like everything the author writes so I look for ones that have a group of people doing something together rather than just the one main character and her hate/love supporting actor.
November 17, 2024
I concur with most of the previous reviewers, some things are a bit tediously repetitive, going from one point to another to get trapped or engaged in some ambush by one of many people out to get any one of her crew/passengers. The artifact so many people are chasing does not get anywhere near enough exposure it should warrant. If I was a captain of a ship with that on I would try my damndest to find out by any means what it is for or can do, lo and behold they meet the cult race of mind manipulators who actually made the thing and they are clueless? After all that I did enjoy the read, the snarkiness even between the main character and engineer is spot on and despite its detractors I would recommend a read, it is well written apart from the odd spelling/grammar mistake. An easy read, I will be getting the rest in the series.
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