What do you think?
Rate this book
Star Kingdom #1
Shockwave
What if being a hero was encoded in your genes?
And nobody told you?
Casmir Dabrowski would laugh if someone asked him that. After all, he had to build a robot to protect himself from bullies when he was in school.
Fortunately, life is a little better these days. He's an accomplished robotics engineer, a respected professor, and he almost never gets picked on in the lunchroom. But he's positive heroics are for other people.
Until robot assassins stride onto campus and try to kill him.
Forced to flee the work he loves and the only home he's ever known, Casmir catches the first ship into space, where he hopes to buy time to figure out who wants him dead and why. If he can't, he'll never be able to return home.
But he soon finds himself entangled with bounty hunters, mercenaries, and pirates, including the most feared criminal in the Star Kingdom: Captain Tenebris Rache.
Rache could snap his spine with one cybernetically enhanced finger, but he may be the only person with the answer Casmir desperately needs:
What in his genes is worth killing for?
And nobody told you?
Casmir Dabrowski would laugh if someone asked him that. After all, he had to build a robot to protect himself from bullies when he was in school.
Fortunately, life is a little better these days. He's an accomplished robotics engineer, a respected professor, and he almost never gets picked on in the lunchroom. But he's positive heroics are for other people.
Until robot assassins stride onto campus and try to kill him.
Forced to flee the work he loves and the only home he's ever known, Casmir catches the first ship into space, where he hopes to buy time to figure out who wants him dead and why. If he can't, he'll never be able to return home.
But he soon finds himself entangled with bounty hunters, mercenaries, and pirates, including the most feared criminal in the Star Kingdom: Captain Tenebris Rache.
Rache could snap his spine with one cybernetically enhanced finger, but he may be the only person with the answer Casmir desperately needs:
What in his genes is worth killing for?
290 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 8, 2019
2578 people are currently reading
3397 people want to read
About the author
Lindsay Buroker
197 books6,236 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 322 reviews
December 21, 2022
Actual rating: 3.125364 stars.
Amaranthe and Sicarius, where art thou?! No matter how many Lindsay Buroker books I read, they never live up to the scrumptiousness that is The Emperor's Edge. The characters aren't as engaging. Nor as complex. Or well-developed. The story isn't as captivating and the pace is slower than an anemic barnacle's. It took me days and days and days (and days) to finish this one and I don't think I'll even bother continuing with the series (there are nine—NINE—books in it so I'm pretty sure I won't live long enough to read them all). Sigh and stuff.
P.S. The Star Wards vibes are strong in this one. FYI and stuff.
Amaranthe and Sicarius, where art thou?! No matter how many Lindsay Buroker books I read, they never live up to the scrumptiousness that is The Emperor's Edge. The characters aren't as engaging. Nor as complex. Or well-developed. The story isn't as captivating and the pace is slower than an anemic barnacle's. It took me days and days and days (and days) to finish this one and I don't think I'll even bother continuing with the series (there are nine—NINE—books in it so I'm pretty sure I won't live long enough to read them all). Sigh and stuff.
P.S. The Star Wards vibes are strong in this one. FYI and stuff.
December 2, 2022
Oh yeah, Space Operas FTW!
This really is an excellent Space Opera series. It is everything you wanna find in such a genre and more.
Lots of action, great world builder, amazing characters, well-built plot, lots of chemistry and depth. Everything you're looking for.
If you've never read Space Opera, well, it's like an Urban Fantasy but in space. It's a good series to give this genre a try.
Anyway, back to the book. I'm writing this review after I finished the series, so I'll give no real details about the plot.
The series will slowly make you fall in love with the characters. You'll live with them through every good and bad thing, you'll laugh and cry with them, and you'll be a little sad when the series ends because you know you'll never read this series for the first time again.
Sounds sappy?
Yes. Yes, it does. But hey, I'm really trying to make you give this series a try. And if I can't do it with nice words, well, read this first book and then come and tell me why it's bad.
This really is an excellent Space Opera series. It is everything you wanna find in such a genre and more.
Lots of action, great world builder, amazing characters, well-built plot, lots of chemistry and depth. Everything you're looking for.
If you've never read Space Opera, well, it's like an Urban Fantasy but in space. It's a good series to give this genre a try.
Anyway, back to the book. I'm writing this review after I finished the series, so I'll give no real details about the plot.
The series will slowly make you fall in love with the characters. You'll live with them through every good and bad thing, you'll laugh and cry with them, and you'll be a little sad when the series ends because you know you'll never read this series for the first time again.
Sounds sappy?
Yes. Yes, it does. But hey, I'm really trying to make you give this series a try. And if I can't do it with nice words, well, read this first book and then come and tell me why it's bad.
May 30, 2019
I enjoyed the book and will definitely be reading the next one in the series.
However, I don't think I would recommend as your first Lindsay Buroker book. She's one of my top 3 favorite authors so personally, I feel like I hold her to a higher level of standard. If I was recommending a book it would be her Emperor's Edge and/or her Fallen Empire series.
Don't get me wrong the book was still great and I loved the adventure it took me on I just liked some of her other book series better. And if you liked this one you are going to enjoy the other ones, seriously you need to check them out. :)
However, I don't think I would recommend as your first Lindsay Buroker book. She's one of my top 3 favorite authors so personally, I feel like I hold her to a higher level of standard. If I was recommending a book it would be her Emperor's Edge and/or her Fallen Empire series.
Don't get me wrong the book was still great and I loved the adventure it took me on I just liked some of her other book series better. And if you liked this one you are going to enjoy the other ones, seriously you need to check them out. :)
May 15, 2020
It was okay. Not bad. Cute. But for me, just too much non-stop jabbering and/or thinking. Not enough storytelling, backstory, and narrative without the jabberworks. In fact, hardly any. Story ends on a cliff. I expected a trilogy and found out there are expected to be 8 books in this series.
January 27, 2020
Aren’t you a little short for a Stormtrooper?
Geez, this book took me a long time to get through. I'm not sure why, but it was probably lack of enthusiasm on my part. Or maybe the author's part.
This is the first of seven, or so, books in this series from this prolific author. Nothing wrong with being prolific mind you. There's no shortage of imagination either. Casmir's best friend Kim, has a mother who's a genius, but had her brain uploaded into a robot monkey! How do you come up with that stuff? Casmir is a robotics expert who invents virtually indestructible robots for the military. Trouble is, these robots turn up at his doorstep, wanting to turn him into a breakfast of Smashed Avocado on Toast With Poached Eggs and a Side of Bacon - where he is the smashed avocado! Err...I need a better analogy. Lucky for Cas a (Jedi) knight (yes a KNIGHT) turns up to despatch these villain robots. Knights? WTF?
I detected strong influences from Star Wars. There was the evil Tenebris Rache, a pirate (yes a PIRATE) who wears a mask like Darth Vader. Kim, who's pretty handy with the swords, is Princess Leia. And Cas is Luke of course. In fact, at one point there, I was VERY expecting the line, "(Luke/Casmir,) I am your father," to pop out. I guess Qin, a fur covered cat-like human is Chewbacca and Captain Lopez is Hans Solo. The Stellar Dragon is, you guessed it, the Millennium Falcon. Don't believe me? Read it and see for yourselves.
Knights, smugglers, pirates, kings, swords all seem a bit out of place in this story. The action is good, and like I said, plenty of imagination is evident. I didn't like being left hanging at the end, and hanging badly with way too many loose ends. I won't fall into the trap of buying 6 more of these books to find out what happens. I like a complete story in each book I read.
Maybe I'm just not a fan of Space Opera (if that's what this is), or maybe I'm like Roger Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon, and I'm getting to old for this stuff. I KNOW that's not exactly what he said. Sheesh, don't be so picky.
Geez, this book took me a long time to get through. I'm not sure why, but it was probably lack of enthusiasm on my part. Or maybe the author's part.
This is the first of seven, or so, books in this series from this prolific author. Nothing wrong with being prolific mind you. There's no shortage of imagination either. Casmir's best friend Kim, has a mother who's a genius, but had her brain uploaded into a robot monkey! How do you come up with that stuff? Casmir is a robotics expert who invents virtually indestructible robots for the military. Trouble is, these robots turn up at his doorstep, wanting to turn him into a breakfast of Smashed Avocado on Toast With Poached Eggs and a Side of Bacon - where he is the smashed avocado! Err...I need a better analogy. Lucky for Cas a (Jedi) knight (yes a KNIGHT) turns up to despatch these villain robots. Knights? WTF?
I detected strong influences from Star Wars. There was the evil Tenebris Rache, a pirate (yes a PIRATE) who wears a mask like Darth Vader. Kim, who's pretty handy with the swords, is Princess Leia. And Cas is Luke of course. In fact, at one point there, I was VERY expecting the line, "(Luke/Casmir,) I am your father," to pop out. I guess Qin, a fur covered cat-like human is Chewbacca and Captain Lopez is Hans Solo. The Stellar Dragon is, you guessed it, the Millennium Falcon. Don't believe me? Read it and see for yourselves.
Knights, smugglers, pirates, kings, swords all seem a bit out of place in this story. The action is good, and like I said, plenty of imagination is evident. I didn't like being left hanging at the end, and hanging badly with way too many loose ends. I won't fall into the trap of buying 6 more of these books to find out what happens. I like a complete story in each book I read.
Maybe I'm just not a fan of Space Opera (if that's what this is), or maybe I'm like Roger Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon, and I'm getting to old for this stuff. I KNOW that's not exactly what he said. Sheesh, don't be so picky.
May 13, 2019
3.5. I love Lindsay Buroker’s books, but lately it feels like every thing is over explained and too cheesy? I’m not really sure what’s different. Overall, Shockwave was pretty decent. It just doesn’t compare with her earlier works. This one in particular felt like it took forever for the story to get anywhere.
Another thing. I love character quirks, I do not love when every single character gets 2-3 super unique quirks that completely define the character. Quirks shouldn’t define people, they should add depth and flavor.
Another thing. I love character quirks, I do not love when every single character gets 2-3 super unique quirks that completely define the character. Quirks shouldn’t define people, they should add depth and flavor.
May 29, 2019
An intriguing start to the series.
Casmir is a mostly normal, nerdy guy next door except for the fact that he is incredibly smart and gifted with robots. His life is pretty normal until one day when killer robots give chase. His roommate and friend Kim gets wrapped up in his escape. He ends up in outer space trying to figure out why the killer robots are after him and also trying to stay alive. There are some mysteries that are hinted at, action and adventure galore.
Casmir is a mostly normal, nerdy guy next door except for the fact that he is incredibly smart and gifted with robots. His life is pretty normal until one day when killer robots give chase. His roommate and friend Kim gets wrapped up in his escape. He ends up in outer space trying to figure out why the killer robots are after him and also trying to stay alive. There are some mysteries that are hinted at, action and adventure galore.
December 29, 2022
For once I actually have good and bad things to say.
Let's start with the bad.
In a lot of other science fiction, the science/science-fiction part is vague and full of impossible made-up technology so it's really more fantasy in space but pretending to be futuristic science.
Not so in this one. Instead, this one confidently and boldly just gets actual science horribly wrong all over the place. Strangely it gets a lot of the most clichéed bad sci-fi science right and it seems like the author knows what she is talking about. But then she makes a large number of less common mistakes. Like space suits needing heating against the frigid temperatures of space. It's actually exactly the other way around. Space suits struggle to get rid of the natural body heat of the wearer because a vacuum is a horrible medium for heat transfer. Another much more embarrassing mistake is the notion of radiation-eating bacteria which one of the protagonists supposedly invented. While it is in itself not an entirely absurd idea and I think there actually are bacteria that can gain energy from ionizing radiation, these sci-fi bacteria can supposedly protect a person against all ionizing radiation including cosmic rays. This reveals an utter lack of understanding of how radiation works.
So if you are looking for accurate and well-researched science, either current or futuristic, you will not have a good time here.
Furthermore, the book uses futuristic technologies not as part of the world-building but almost exclusively as one-time plot devices without considering the implications such technologies should have had on society.
All the different societies we encounter in this book are basically just current modern humans but with more extensive body modifications tacked on as well as gene enhancements etc. But this aspect is also very surface level and doesn't actually penetrate into society. It's mostly just a visual you would expect from futuristic humans and a reason for super-human abilities.
So if you are out for consistent and intricate world-building or any kind of discussion of how human society might deal with all the implications of futuristic technologies you will be mostly disappointed here too. There are a few aspects that seem like the author actually put a lot of thought into them and on their own, they are pretty good but these individual well-thought-out aspects, again, don't properly mesh with the rest.
Now to the good. The characters are interesting and have depth. They have different voices and complex emotions. The book seems better at properly portraying moral shades of grey than 99% of what I have read. People are primarily not good or bad but just people that act in a way they think is right. I felt like, even if I don't agree with the action of a character, I can still empathize with his motivations and reasons for doing things. This is very rare. Sadly the book just kind of ends without completing any kind of story arch. It's not a cliffhanger but it's still a very unsatisfying end. This is to say that I am not sure if I am prematurely praising this story but so far I had a very good feeling about the character work and it appears as if the author took a lot of care in crafting an interesting and unique cast of characters to tell an intriguing story.
I personally get a bit frustrated at sci-fi getting science so utterly and embarrassingly wrong. But I can usually look past that. What annoyed me a lot more was the lack of consistent world-building and how the book completely fails to account for the impact all these different technologies would have on humanity. It does a decent job around genetics in this regard but it forgets about most of the rest.
If you want fantastic stuff. Then just write science-fantasy. Yes, this is a genre. It's magic in space. Then, if you need a McGuffin for some reason or another you can just hand-wave it as magic. It's not the most elegant writing of course but it's miles better than just flat-out making up wrong science.
I will still try out the second book but I am a bit skeptical.
Edit:
The first story arch is completed after the first two books but it's very open-ended still.
Sadly the number of inconsistencies and outright plotholes skyrockets throughout the second book. Even the protagonists become very inconsistent in their thoughts and behavior and their personalities and motivations get bent into origami sometimes to enable the plot to follow its pre-planned route. This pretty much killed the one enjoyable aspect I found in the first book. The main plot really doesn't have enough going for it to keep me interested on its own but the author gave up on everything else for the sake of the plot.
Let's start with the bad.
In a lot of other science fiction, the science/science-fiction part is vague and full of impossible made-up technology so it's really more fantasy in space but pretending to be futuristic science.
Not so in this one. Instead, this one confidently and boldly just gets actual science horribly wrong all over the place. Strangely it gets a lot of the most clichéed bad sci-fi science right and it seems like the author knows what she is talking about. But then she makes a large number of less common mistakes. Like space suits needing heating against the frigid temperatures of space. It's actually exactly the other way around. Space suits struggle to get rid of the natural body heat of the wearer because a vacuum is a horrible medium for heat transfer. Another much more embarrassing mistake is the notion of radiation-eating bacteria which one of the protagonists supposedly invented. While it is in itself not an entirely absurd idea and I think there actually are bacteria that can gain energy from ionizing radiation, these sci-fi bacteria can supposedly protect a person against all ionizing radiation including cosmic rays. This reveals an utter lack of understanding of how radiation works.
So if you are looking for accurate and well-researched science, either current or futuristic, you will not have a good time here.
Furthermore, the book uses futuristic technologies not as part of the world-building but almost exclusively as one-time plot devices without considering the implications such technologies should have had on society.
All the different societies we encounter in this book are basically just current modern humans but with more extensive body modifications tacked on as well as gene enhancements etc. But this aspect is also very surface level and doesn't actually penetrate into society. It's mostly just a visual you would expect from futuristic humans and a reason for super-human abilities.
So if you are out for consistent and intricate world-building or any kind of discussion of how human society might deal with all the implications of futuristic technologies you will be mostly disappointed here too. There are a few aspects that seem like the author actually put a lot of thought into them and on their own, they are pretty good but these individual well-thought-out aspects, again, don't properly mesh with the rest.
Now to the good. The characters are interesting and have depth. They have different voices and complex emotions. The book seems better at properly portraying moral shades of grey than 99% of what I have read. People are primarily not good or bad but just people that act in a way they think is right. I felt like, even if I don't agree with the action of a character, I can still empathize with his motivations and reasons for doing things. This is very rare. Sadly the book just kind of ends without completing any kind of story arch. It's not a cliffhanger but it's still a very unsatisfying end. This is to say that I am not sure if I am prematurely praising this story but so far I had a very good feeling about the character work and it appears as if the author took a lot of care in crafting an interesting and unique cast of characters to tell an intriguing story.
I personally get a bit frustrated at sci-fi getting science so utterly and embarrassingly wrong. But I can usually look past that. What annoyed me a lot more was the lack of consistent world-building and how the book completely fails to account for the impact all these different technologies would have on humanity. It does a decent job around genetics in this regard but it forgets about most of the rest.
If you want fantastic stuff. Then just write science-fantasy. Yes, this is a genre. It's magic in space. Then, if you need a McGuffin for some reason or another you can just hand-wave it as magic. It's not the most elegant writing of course but it's miles better than just flat-out making up wrong science.
I will still try out the second book but I am a bit skeptical.
Edit:
The first story arch is completed after the first two books but it's very open-ended still.
Sadly the number of inconsistencies and outright plotholes skyrockets throughout the second book. Even the protagonists become very inconsistent in their thoughts and behavior and their personalities and motivations get bent into origami sometimes to enable the plot to follow its pre-planned route. This pretty much killed the one enjoyable aspect I found in the first book. The main plot really doesn't have enough going for it to keep me interested on its own but the author gave up on everything else for the sake of the plot.
May 15, 2019
*rubs hands together* Okay. A new adventure with bounty hunters, mercenaries (who could possibly be considered pirates), sweetly awkward professors who happen to be wicked smart, and genetically engineered bio-weapons that aren't going to be doing anyone any favors in the long run.
And the mystery of why Casmir Dabrowski (our aforementioned sweetly awkward professor) is suddenly the man everybody wants to get their hands on is...well, we get a few answers, but certainly not all of them. Yep, the mystery of Casmir is still live and kicking and a few extra layers of intrigue were added to him when he came face to face with Tenebris Rache.
I like the crew (Captain Laser...or should we call her Bonita? and Qin, her genetically constructed muscle. Oh, and Viggo, the ship who was once human and who REALLY likes to clean) and the hints that were dropped as to who and what they might be inadvertently tangled up in have me itching to read the next book. ITCHING.
Another solid start to what looks like it's going to be a fun, complex series full of intrigue and danger. *thumbs up*
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
And the mystery of why Casmir Dabrowski (our aforementioned sweetly awkward professor) is suddenly the man everybody wants to get their hands on is...well, we get a few answers, but certainly not all of them. Yep, the mystery of Casmir is still live and kicking and a few extra layers of intrigue were added to him when he came face to face with Tenebris Rache.
I like the crew (Captain Laser...or should we call her Bonita? and Qin, her genetically constructed muscle. Oh, and Viggo, the ship who was once human and who REALLY likes to clean) and the hints that were dropped as to who and what they might be inadvertently tangled up in have me itching to read the next book. ITCHING.
Another solid start to what looks like it's going to be a fun, complex series full of intrigue and danger. *thumbs up*
-Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal
May 18, 2019
The rise of an anti hero.
Casmir is a nerd. He lives on a planet where no gene therapy or manipulation is allowed. Because of this he has had to live with genetic problems, including seizures, that could have been rectified. He is not tall and has never taken up sports or exercise. He has, however, developed a quick wit to deal with all the bullies he has met in his life. His love of robots has led to him gaining the position of head of robotics in his university. He has also worked for the government designing and building killer robots. Imagine his surprise when two of those same killer robots come after him! He and his roommate, Kim, find themselves on the run.
Captain Bonita (Laser to other bounty hunters) and her crewmate, Qin, find themselves caught up in the drama when Casmir and Kim come looking for a ride off the planet.
This is a good, well written SF story that displays Lindsay Buroker’s wonderful imagination! If you like good space opera you’ll love this. Definitely looking forward to book 2.
Casmir is a nerd. He lives on a planet where no gene therapy or manipulation is allowed. Because of this he has had to live with genetic problems, including seizures, that could have been rectified. He is not tall and has never taken up sports or exercise. He has, however, developed a quick wit to deal with all the bullies he has met in his life. His love of robots has led to him gaining the position of head of robotics in his university. He has also worked for the government designing and building killer robots. Imagine his surprise when two of those same killer robots come after him! He and his roommate, Kim, find themselves on the run.
Captain Bonita (Laser to other bounty hunters) and her crewmate, Qin, find themselves caught up in the drama when Casmir and Kim come looking for a ride off the planet.
This is a good, well written SF story that displays Lindsay Buroker’s wonderful imagination! If you like good space opera you’ll love this. Definitely looking forward to book 2.
April 21, 2021
I usually don't like the humor in Sci Fi or movies but the banter and musings in this series is just right. I'm on book 3 of the series and plan to read them all.
November 4, 2021
I enjoyed this tale, but I am disappointed that it ended with a cliffhanger. I HATE cliffhangers. While they came together at the end, the two different story lines seemed a bit choppy and difficult to keep straight for the first two-thirds of the book. The plot is (plots are) interesting and the characters are well fleshed out and realistic. I like the science fiction and am buying the next book in series because this IS Lindsay Buroker; it’s bound to get better!
Edit: It did get better!! Lots better!
Edit: It did get better!! Lots better!
March 9, 2020
It took a while to get going, but once the characters settled into their personalities the plot flew along (so to speak). As with prior series, a cliff hanger ending - but I am happy to find out what happens next.
April 18, 2021
7/10: Good solid read, something to get your teeth into.
“A spaceship? Why would you go into space to hide? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s nothing to hide behind out there.”
OK, so I'm going to do a review for the entire series here as I read them all back-to-back, so it seems fitting.
First off, it took a bit of effort for me to get into this series. I am a huge fan of Buroker and Sci-Fi, so it should have been a no-brainer. But the humour and the not-so-heroic heroes threw me, and I just couldn't see anything happening between Casmir and Kim.
Secondly, I was so wrong on so many fronts and thank the book gods for their intervention and making me read this series.
“Easy, stomach,” Casmir murmured, patting it. “Enjoy your drugs and ignore the craziness of our new reality.”
Casmir grew on me, of course. And so did Kim, who is definitely a harder character to get to know. But what really worked, in the end, was the story. The world-building helped, the villains and support crew added an extra layer. But the story held my attention and then drew me in, more and more, as the series went on.
In the end, I was devouring this series.
“To see what is right, and not to do it, is want of courage or of principle.”
Kim and Rache really did it for me. Unexpected and very much welcomed in the story. Casmir and the crushers were another fantastic draw. Then the injustices...
Let's just say, Buroker knows how to make her characters work for their happily-ever-after.
Books one and two were on the upper end of OK/good, but from book three onward, they were utterly fantastic, 5-stars and more, couldn't get enough.
By the time I reached the end of the series, I was totally lost to this world and its characters.
“Alone at last, eh?” Casmir managed to crack. “Will there be wine? A nice dinner? I’m not an easy man to woo, I should warn you.”
I loved them all, I even got used to the humour. And now I find myself in that unenviable reader position of not being able to read another book because none of them stand up to Star Kingdom.
This series as a whole gets a 5-star rating from me, despite the rocky beginning. I only wish there were more books to come ... lots, lots more.
I will miss Casmir and the team. Deeply.
“A spaceship? Why would you go into space to hide? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s nothing to hide behind out there.”
OK, so I'm going to do a review for the entire series here as I read them all back-to-back, so it seems fitting.
First off, it took a bit of effort for me to get into this series. I am a huge fan of Buroker and Sci-Fi, so it should have been a no-brainer. But the humour and the not-so-heroic heroes threw me, and I just couldn't see anything happening between Casmir and Kim.
Secondly, I was so wrong on so many fronts and thank the book gods for their intervention and making me read this series.
“Easy, stomach,” Casmir murmured, patting it. “Enjoy your drugs and ignore the craziness of our new reality.”
Casmir grew on me, of course. And so did Kim, who is definitely a harder character to get to know. But what really worked, in the end, was the story. The world-building helped, the villains and support crew added an extra layer. But the story held my attention and then drew me in, more and more, as the series went on.
In the end, I was devouring this series.
“To see what is right, and not to do it, is want of courage or of principle.”
Kim and Rache really did it for me. Unexpected and very much welcomed in the story. Casmir and the crushers were another fantastic draw. Then the injustices...
Let's just say, Buroker knows how to make her characters work for their happily-ever-after.
Books one and two were on the upper end of OK/good, but from book three onward, they were utterly fantastic, 5-stars and more, couldn't get enough.
By the time I reached the end of the series, I was totally lost to this world and its characters.
“Alone at last, eh?” Casmir managed to crack. “Will there be wine? A nice dinner? I’m not an easy man to woo, I should warn you.”
I loved them all, I even got used to the humour. And now I find myself in that unenviable reader position of not being able to read another book because none of them stand up to Star Kingdom.
This series as a whole gets a 5-star rating from me, despite the rocky beginning. I only wish there were more books to come ... lots, lots more.
I will miss Casmir and the team. Deeply.
May 18, 2019
Fun Read
Well written, with interesting characters! Qin is essential to this story...a genetic mutation well suited to space and the conscience of Capt "Laser" Lopez. Without revealing anything, the twists are there, along with a great plot! Cassie is just geeky enough to keep you wondering, and his room-mate/alter ego Kim are perfect! Loved it, and cannot wait for the next episode. All in all a perfect Space Adventure for a rainy day.
Well written, with interesting characters! Qin is essential to this story...a genetic mutation well suited to space and the conscience of Capt "Laser" Lopez. Without revealing anything, the twists are there, along with a great plot! Cassie is just geeky enough to keep you wondering, and his room-mate/alter ego Kim are perfect! Loved it, and cannot wait for the next episode. All in all a perfect Space Adventure for a rainy day.
May 27, 2019
Star Trek meets guardians of the Galaxy and the Rebel alliance.
Nice characterization of all players. Casmir has great humor ala Han Solo and Kim is quite the Spock. Laser is a female version of Quill and Qin similar to a Wookiee. I do not perceive Rache as a typical villain in the order of a Darth Vadar. however, his mystery will serve as a wonderful sub plot. I must keep reading.
Nice characterization of all players. Casmir has great humor ala Han Solo and Kim is quite the Spock. Laser is a female version of Quill and Qin similar to a Wookiee. I do not perceive Rache as a typical villain in the order of a Darth Vadar. however, his mystery will serve as a wonderful sub plot. I must keep reading.
May 16, 2019
Silly
The book just didn't grab me. It seemed silly. Maybe YA, don't know as I didn't get far. Sorry to author but it not for me.
The book just didn't grab me. It seemed silly. Maybe YA, don't know as I didn't get far. Sorry to author but it not for me.
May 26, 2019
The start was pulling and interesting. Story plot was fun to read until Casmir Dabrowski met his clone brother or his twin. From that on I did not like the character Casmir Dabrowski presented.
December 12, 2021
6.5/10*
Fun, easy sci-fi
Fun, easy sci-fi
October 13, 2022
Messy and confusing to start but settled pretty quickly and then I couldn't put it down. Really loved Casmir and Kim's friendship, really enjoying all the characters and the story unfolding.
Read
June 22, 2023Fun, light
Rating: ------ minus 1
I am doing an expansion of the original. The minus rating is good for any science fiction in my scale of -5 to +5. Before continuing I must steel myself for the chore by a visit to YouTube. This bit was brought to you by Owen Jones, The Chloe Connection, Clockwork Reader, Books with Chloe, Eileen, Eleanor Morton, Told in Stone, Lily Simpson, Bobbing Along, Engineering with Rosie, No Justice MTG, Kings and Generals, Brandon F.
This is a straight fun Space Opera. The universe is built with a lot of possibilities and only the parts needed for the story have much detail. That works out well for building it out as the story goes along. The cast of characters are amusing but not as silly as it might seem at first. Within the rules of the world built, their choices, challenges and emotions are as realistic as could be expected.
The characters are Opera flat but it is written to pour as much depth as possible into the major characters. The balance makes it easy to care about the outcomes for some of these goofy or demented souls. The two major characters are clueless and you just know that reality is going to hit them like a wall of falling bricks. I felt for rather than mentally mock them.
The dialogue is Opera and works much as the characters do, serviceable and engaging. The action is definitely a team effort as it bounces across a set of characters, that shifts in makeup, size and locations. Their clueless natures feel very genuine. The "nickname" doesn't serve much purpose (I have never seen it used where it does work) and is definitely cheesy but it still fits acceptable Opera tolerances.
This is a fun read. It features a lot of cool technology and is science light. It is perfect for an adventure story that is heavy on the Opera with decent writing to keep you reading.
I am visiting YouTube again before the next. My thanks to Alizee, Biz Barclay, Mandy, Cruising Alba, The Narrowboat That James Built, Hailey in Bookland, Book Furnace, Operator Starsky, Don't F@ck with Ukraine, Oliviareadsalatte, Of Elves and Dreads, Perun, Meidas Touch, Crow Caller, Annie's Literary Empire.
I admit that I watch rather than read most of my fiction at the moment. Amazon's catalogue has for the first time in my life put me off all print fiction. The streaming services and YouTube Shorts channels DUST and Omeleto are bringing back my taste for fiction and even science fiction print. My opinion of current Low end US science fiction is that it is godawful. It comes in only three flavours, it seems - The Minimal Effort, The No Effort and The Insulting.
I only began looking through YouTube a little more than two years ago, searching for science fiction recommendations and video. It took a little time for me to realize that there were educational, essayist and lifestyle videos. My first essayist was the Lindsay Ellis - literary criticism. 😍😍 Eventually I stumbled across the book channels, which are wonderful. 😍 They are communities of thoughtful readers in love with all things bookish. I recommend a visit to several for any reader and have listed some below. From the educational channels I was introduced to dedicated educational sites through sponsor spots. There are quite a few, all modestly priced and I think worth a look.
I wrote a short negative review of Powers of the Earth, a sorry salute to the January 6, 2021 hero by a Travis Corcoran, who is a U.S. veteran, self-described libertarian 🙂, employee of an unnamed US agency, advocate for the reintroduction of chattel slavery to industrialised countries -no surprise 😁 and a supporter of Russia's Putin. The original review caused a stir led by Claes Rees Jr/cgr710 and Travis himself which lasted for pages of needy comment over months. Claes wrote a comment to the current review that They had "won" (?). 😐
I discovered what "won" meant. I assume that he and his needy cohort now accept they needn't any longer flood channels which I suggest with truly foul sexual and/or racist comments. Using my name in some cases was very American and delivered a much more accurate portrait of the aggrieved man-child and his culture to a broad audience. The thirteen year old and her mother, the Oxford Astrophysicist, the solo canal boater and other female creators were not impressed. The commenters did increase the world's store of unpleasantness and upset, which was their second goal, I imagine. USA! USA! Yay?? 🤔
My YouTube picks of the moment.
Verilybitchie, Alt Shift X, Narrowboat Pirate, Doki Doki Discourse, Harbo Wholmes, May, iiLuminaughtii, Rachel McDonald, AsteronX, Anton Petrov, Chris Animations, Nerine Skinner, Useful Charts, Munecat, Sarah Z.
About Amazon, please consider treating this As a potentially hostile site. 😐
Ominous music begins. 🙂 You have seen an extreme example of the American male science fiction members above. Except for its duration, it was similar to my many comment clouds. With assistance from Amazon/Goodreads they attempted to cause me serious harm. See my review of "Dark Horse" , a good space romance by Diener or Powers of the Earth for bizarre details. Apparently the site employees fear little by way of consequences, including the breaking of certain laws.
Assuming that you have read either of those reviews, you may wonder how you might protect yourself. Removing lurkers from your friend list (they who never post anything), minimizing profile information and making the screenshot of the odd and/or ugly are good first steps. Scan negative reviews of low end science fiction titles when perusing and respond to the content of nasty reviews, if feeling your innate bravery. Trust me in that those always aggrieved snowflakes, much like any other vermin hide from the light. Never allow a nasty comment to your review to go unanswered, lest they feel emboldened and note the member names writing the comments. Ominous music ends. 🙂
May we all enjoy Good Reading! 🤗
Whilst not overly familiar with YouTube or many of the terms which were encountered, I did enjoy the following channels. Some of my favourites.
Ben and Emily, Cruising Crafts, Peter Stefanovic, Weir on the Move, Tara Mooknee, Meidas Touch, Tom Nicholas, Owen Jones, A Day of Small Things, Luciana Zogbi, Kings and Generals, Lilly's Expat Life, With Olivia, A Cup of Nicole, Bookslike Whoa, Austin McConnell, Munecat, No Justice MTG, Hailey in Bookland, Karolina Zebrowska, Lady of the Library, Bernadette Banner, Prime of Midlife, Jill Bearup, Snappy Dragon, Knowing Better, 2Cellos, Viva La Dirt League, Roomies Digest, The Book Leo, Sabine Hossenfelder, Kathy's Flog in France, Alayna Joy, Merphy Napier, Elina Charatsidou, Jay Exci, Adult Wednesday Addams -2 seasons, Up and Atom, Practical Engineering, Real Time History, The Cold War, Cold Fusion, The Digital Mermaid, Paddy Hats, The Leftist Cooks, Steve Shives, Kelly Loves Physics and History, Olly Richards, Epimetheus, Jessie Gender, Spacedock, The Who Addicts, Brittany the Bibliophile, What Vivi did next, Art by Annamarie, May Moon Narrowboat, Cruising Crafts, Ship Happens, World War Two, Military History Visualized, A Life of Lit, Military Aviation History, The Shades of Orange, The People Profile, Overly Sarcastic Productions, KernowDamo, Lily Simpson, Nomadic Crobot, Nomadic Introvert, Dan Davis History, Vlad Vexler, Operator Starsky, NFKRZ, DUST, WION, DW News, Mrs Betty Bowers, Alice Cappelle, Zoe Bee, Zoe Baker, Mia Mulder, Dominic Noble, Noah Samsen, Lily Alexandre, Philosophy Tube, MWG Studios, Lady Knight the Brave, Renegade Cut, The Little Platoon, Red Plateaus, Library Ladder, Physics Girl, Then & Now, Chris and Shell, No Justice MTG, Beau of the Fifth Column.
I wish you a wonderful morning, a splendid afternoon, an exciting evening, a pleasant night and may we all continue learning. 🙂
The Brave are guided by Fear but are not led by it.
The Human, Thirteenth Route Trade Fleet
Rating: ------ minus 1
I am doing an expansion of the original. The minus rating is good for any science fiction in my scale of -5 to +5. Before continuing I must steel myself for the chore by a visit to YouTube. This bit was brought to you by Owen Jones, The Chloe Connection, Clockwork Reader, Books with Chloe, Eileen, Eleanor Morton, Told in Stone, Lily Simpson, Bobbing Along, Engineering with Rosie, No Justice MTG, Kings and Generals, Brandon F.
This is a straight fun Space Opera. The universe is built with a lot of possibilities and only the parts needed for the story have much detail. That works out well for building it out as the story goes along. The cast of characters are amusing but not as silly as it might seem at first. Within the rules of the world built, their choices, challenges and emotions are as realistic as could be expected.
The characters are Opera flat but it is written to pour as much depth as possible into the major characters. The balance makes it easy to care about the outcomes for some of these goofy or demented souls. The two major characters are clueless and you just know that reality is going to hit them like a wall of falling bricks. I felt for rather than mentally mock them.
The dialogue is Opera and works much as the characters do, serviceable and engaging. The action is definitely a team effort as it bounces across a set of characters, that shifts in makeup, size and locations. Their clueless natures feel very genuine. The "nickname" doesn't serve much purpose (I have never seen it used where it does work) and is definitely cheesy but it still fits acceptable Opera tolerances.
This is a fun read. It features a lot of cool technology and is science light. It is perfect for an adventure story that is heavy on the Opera with decent writing to keep you reading.
I am visiting YouTube again before the next. My thanks to Alizee, Biz Barclay, Mandy, Cruising Alba, The Narrowboat That James Built, Hailey in Bookland, Book Furnace, Operator Starsky, Don't F@ck with Ukraine, Oliviareadsalatte, Of Elves and Dreads, Perun, Meidas Touch, Crow Caller, Annie's Literary Empire.
I admit that I watch rather than read most of my fiction at the moment. Amazon's catalogue has for the first time in my life put me off all print fiction. The streaming services and YouTube Shorts channels DUST and Omeleto are bringing back my taste for fiction and even science fiction print. My opinion of current Low end US science fiction is that it is godawful. It comes in only three flavours, it seems - The Minimal Effort, The No Effort and The Insulting.
I only began looking through YouTube a little more than two years ago, searching for science fiction recommendations and video. It took a little time for me to realize that there were educational, essayist and lifestyle videos. My first essayist was the Lindsay Ellis - literary criticism. 😍😍 Eventually I stumbled across the book channels, which are wonderful. 😍 They are communities of thoughtful readers in love with all things bookish. I recommend a visit to several for any reader and have listed some below. From the educational channels I was introduced to dedicated educational sites through sponsor spots. There are quite a few, all modestly priced and I think worth a look.
I wrote a short negative review of Powers of the Earth, a sorry salute to the January 6, 2021 hero by a Travis Corcoran, who is a U.S. veteran, self-described libertarian 🙂, employee of an unnamed US agency, advocate for the reintroduction of chattel slavery to industrialised countries -no surprise 😁 and a supporter of Russia's Putin. The original review caused a stir led by Claes Rees Jr/cgr710 and Travis himself which lasted for pages of needy comment over months. Claes wrote a comment to the current review that They had "won" (?). 😐
I discovered what "won" meant. I assume that he and his needy cohort now accept they needn't any longer flood channels which I suggest with truly foul sexual and/or racist comments. Using my name in some cases was very American and delivered a much more accurate portrait of the aggrieved man-child and his culture to a broad audience. The thirteen year old and her mother, the Oxford Astrophysicist, the solo canal boater and other female creators were not impressed. The commenters did increase the world's store of unpleasantness and upset, which was their second goal, I imagine. USA! USA! Yay?? 🤔
My YouTube picks of the moment.
Verilybitchie, Alt Shift X, Narrowboat Pirate, Doki Doki Discourse, Harbo Wholmes, May, iiLuminaughtii, Rachel McDonald, AsteronX, Anton Petrov, Chris Animations, Nerine Skinner, Useful Charts, Munecat, Sarah Z.
About Amazon, please consider treating this As a potentially hostile site. 😐
Ominous music begins. 🙂 You have seen an extreme example of the American male science fiction members above. Except for its duration, it was similar to my many comment clouds. With assistance from Amazon/Goodreads they attempted to cause me serious harm. See my review of "Dark Horse" , a good space romance by Diener or Powers of the Earth for bizarre details. Apparently the site employees fear little by way of consequences, including the breaking of certain laws.
Assuming that you have read either of those reviews, you may wonder how you might protect yourself. Removing lurkers from your friend list (they who never post anything), minimizing profile information and making the screenshot of the odd and/or ugly are good first steps. Scan negative reviews of low end science fiction titles when perusing and respond to the content of nasty reviews, if feeling your innate bravery. Trust me in that those always aggrieved snowflakes, much like any other vermin hide from the light. Never allow a nasty comment to your review to go unanswered, lest they feel emboldened and note the member names writing the comments. Ominous music ends. 🙂
May we all enjoy Good Reading! 🤗
Whilst not overly familiar with YouTube or many of the terms which were encountered, I did enjoy the following channels. Some of my favourites.
Ben and Emily, Cruising Crafts, Peter Stefanovic, Weir on the Move, Tara Mooknee, Meidas Touch, Tom Nicholas, Owen Jones, A Day of Small Things, Luciana Zogbi, Kings and Generals, Lilly's Expat Life, With Olivia, A Cup of Nicole, Bookslike Whoa, Austin McConnell, Munecat, No Justice MTG, Hailey in Bookland, Karolina Zebrowska, Lady of the Library, Bernadette Banner, Prime of Midlife, Jill Bearup, Snappy Dragon, Knowing Better, 2Cellos, Viva La Dirt League, Roomies Digest, The Book Leo, Sabine Hossenfelder, Kathy's Flog in France, Alayna Joy, Merphy Napier, Elina Charatsidou, Jay Exci, Adult Wednesday Addams -2 seasons, Up and Atom, Practical Engineering, Real Time History, The Cold War, Cold Fusion, The Digital Mermaid, Paddy Hats, The Leftist Cooks, Steve Shives, Kelly Loves Physics and History, Olly Richards, Epimetheus, Jessie Gender, Spacedock, The Who Addicts, Brittany the Bibliophile, What Vivi did next, Art by Annamarie, May Moon Narrowboat, Cruising Crafts, Ship Happens, World War Two, Military History Visualized, A Life of Lit, Military Aviation History, The Shades of Orange, The People Profile, Overly Sarcastic Productions, KernowDamo, Lily Simpson, Nomadic Crobot, Nomadic Introvert, Dan Davis History, Vlad Vexler, Operator Starsky, NFKRZ, DUST, WION, DW News, Mrs Betty Bowers, Alice Cappelle, Zoe Bee, Zoe Baker, Mia Mulder, Dominic Noble, Noah Samsen, Lily Alexandre, Philosophy Tube, MWG Studios, Lady Knight the Brave, Renegade Cut, The Little Platoon, Red Plateaus, Library Ladder, Physics Girl, Then & Now, Chris and Shell, No Justice MTG, Beau of the Fifth Column.
I wish you a wonderful morning, a splendid afternoon, an exciting evening, a pleasant night and may we all continue learning. 🙂
The Brave are guided by Fear but are not led by it.
The Human, Thirteenth Route Trade Fleet
August 21, 2021
I wasn't bored while reading it, but I put it down and completely forgot about it. The characters were intriguing, as well as some of the worldbuilding, but it kind of felt all over the place. I didn't feel grounded. It jumped from several different povs without a clear reason. I think it might be because I'm not a huge fan of serialized things? I like my books to be their own thing, not just the start of something bigger. And this definitely felt like it was just the start of something bigger rather than a thing all on its own. Some people might really love that, but it just really annoys me. There is a part of me that is curious about some of the questions raised here, but not enough to get the next one.
January 21, 2025
{2.5 rounded down} I think this is the first sci-fi book by the author {previously read some of her fantasy series} to have been read read by me. It takes a while to reorient myself in this new surroundings and get a feel for the technology and political dynamic. Though it has potential with plenty of hints and looming conflicts on the event horizons, I can't say that I was fully mesmerized and involved with the various characters as a stand-alone. Supposedly later books of the series will bind everything into a more coherent and captivating read.
September 29, 2019
A new author to me and a very good one. We start off being mis-directed by reading about Dr. Yas Peshlakai who is treating President Sophia Bakas. He seems to have done a good job and she appears to be well on her way to recover. The Doctor leaves to go home when he’s accosted by some various serious security forces who now claim he killed that same President. Fortunately or maybe not, he’s saved from an immediate execution by none other than Captain Tenebris Rache. Captain Rache is know throughout the Star Kingdom as a pirate and a very violent one at that. Still, he promises to not harm the doctor if he will join his crew for the next five years.
Next we find ourselves in the lab of Professor Casmir Dabrowski. He’s doing nothing of particular note, when he’s visited by a Kinght of the Star Kingdom. The Knight tells him in no unclear terms that he must flee the planet and quickly. No soon has Professor Casmir started to leave the campus, he finds out he’s being pursued by two combat robots called Crushers. They are almost none stoppable and indestructible. They are tearing through everything trying to get to him. The Professor manages to get in contact with his roommate, Kim Sato, and she beings assisting him in finding some way off the planet.
They finally find a ship, the Stellar Dragon, with Captain Bonita “Laser” Lopez willing to take them on even for the small amount of gold that Casmir has on him. Just as they get ready to leave, Kim and the Professor are saying good bye when the Crushers attack. Everyone flees into the ship and it takes off.
From here on, it’s all aboard the Stellar Dragon and what the Captain is going to do with her reluctant passengers. She has to get them somewhere and she has to get a paying courier job or she will soon run out of fuel. Little does Captain Lopez realize that her troubles have just started.
A very good book to star a series. I didn’t know or wasn’t able to anticipate what was going to happen next any where in the book and that’s unusual for me. I’ve already got the next book and look forward to reading it soon.
Next we find ourselves in the lab of Professor Casmir Dabrowski. He’s doing nothing of particular note, when he’s visited by a Kinght of the Star Kingdom. The Knight tells him in no unclear terms that he must flee the planet and quickly. No soon has Professor Casmir started to leave the campus, he finds out he’s being pursued by two combat robots called Crushers. They are almost none stoppable and indestructible. They are tearing through everything trying to get to him. The Professor manages to get in contact with his roommate, Kim Sato, and she beings assisting him in finding some way off the planet.
They finally find a ship, the Stellar Dragon, with Captain Bonita “Laser” Lopez willing to take them on even for the small amount of gold that Casmir has on him. Just as they get ready to leave, Kim and the Professor are saying good bye when the Crushers attack. Everyone flees into the ship and it takes off.
From here on, it’s all aboard the Stellar Dragon and what the Captain is going to do with her reluctant passengers. She has to get them somewhere and she has to get a paying courier job or she will soon run out of fuel. Little does Captain Lopez realize that her troubles have just started.
A very good book to star a series. I didn’t know or wasn’t able to anticipate what was going to happen next any where in the book and that’s unusual for me. I’ve already got the next book and look forward to reading it soon.
December 2, 2019
This book is really awesome.
December 23, 2019
Surprising good for an author I’d never heard of before. Definitely going to try out the rest of the series.
September 24, 2020
Not too bad for a first in a series, but I expected more. Maybe I’m not too invested in the characters yet, but I will definitely read the net one to see, if I like the series.
November 13, 2024
I enjoyed this more than the other books by the same author I tried to read but this doesn't really engage me enough. It's an okay read.
Want to read
May 6, 20206 May 2020: $0.00 FREE on Kindle
26 April 2020: $0.99 on Kindle
26 April 2020: $0.99 on Kindle
May 28, 2019
Thoroughly enjoyable tiny-novel. As always the characters are cute, interesting and slightly weird.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 322 reviews