Star Liner

by Scott Branchfield

Jan Stot, has finally found a job. He will be entertaining passengers on a star liner bound for Asbos. Jan has never been off planet before, so the thought of a journey to the new colony seems exciting. But a dark mystery is awaiting on the ship, and Jan will find himself at the center of it. Jan’s singing and acting abilities won’t be the only skills he has to employ on this trip.

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 4, 2019

About the author

When Scott Branchfield was in eighth grade, his English class put on a stage production of Dracula. Scott looked at all the parts to be cast and decided the part he really wanted to play was Renfield. The crazy sidekick to the count looked like it would be enormously fun to play. Unfortunately he lost the flip of the coin and the part went to his best friend instead. Ah well, perhaps that was the impetus for writing a story about Renfield (upcoming).

Scott is generally mild mannered, but sometimes finds himself swearing at inanimate objects when they fail to behave as they are supposed to. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Idaho State University. He is an avid reader of all of the subgenres of speculative fiction, as well as mysteries, histories and other nonfiction. Over the years he has developed a love of writing for the fun of it. As an adult he rediscovered his fondness for acting. He enjoys performing in his local theatre companies and even occasionally writes plays for them. He currently works as a cartographer for the county which forces him to be a part time historian because maps tell stories and are themselves based on stories. Scott lives with his wife on the Oregon Coast.

Reviews

[E.M. Swift-Hook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jan disappointed his parents by studying in drama school, but that leads to him being offered the chance to be an entertainer on a starship taking people out to a new - and rather controversial, colony. Things don't exactly go as expected and the story opens up to full throttle with a murder - and Jan as prime suspect...

I have to say the blurb for this book doesn't do it any justice at all and I suggest you ignore it. This is a really great sci-fi adventure romp with the added spice of a murder mystery to solve and a lot to make you think as well.

I found the characters all well drawn and Jan was an easy individual to empathise with from the start. The book is well written and the pace dips up and down as the needs of the story demand. The one thing that kept rubbing me the wrong way was the name of the planet - Asbos. Here in the UK an ASBO is an Anti-Social Behaviour Order, which is slapped on rowdy neighbours and unruly teens to stop them being so anti-social. These are known as 'Asbos'.Try as I might, every time I read the name I got the wrong meaning first - but I'm probably just odd.

All in all a great read and recommended for anyone who likes sci-fi.

[Madeleine Holly-Rosing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Newly graduated theater student, Jan Stot, has finally gotten a job as an entertainer instead of waiting tables. The downside is that it's on the Starliner, Webelos, a ship heading to the controversial colony on Asbos. Things seem to be pretty good until the first murder victim is found, then another. Soon, Jan and his crew mates are recruited to investigate a serial killer on a ship where everyone is a potential suspect and victim.

I found this story to be fun and very entertaining. I especially liked that the main character was not your typical colonist or military-type which is what you usually find in books like these. It was great to get a different point of view. Jan was established reasonably well and was likeable. The story did start off a tad slow which I think could have been mitigated by breaking up the huge blocks of text into smaller paragraphs. Much of the early dialogue felt like data dumps that also could have been broken up with action or interaction with the other characters. Overall, I'd give it a 3.75.

However, I did enjoy it and would be happy to read other books by this authors.

[Leo McBride · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a classic feel to this deep space tale from Scott Branchfield. It's like one of those smashing 70s or 80s sci-fi tales I used to devour from the library such as Andre Norton or Alan Dean Foster.

The premise is fairly simple - Jan is an entertainer recruited to help guests aboard a luxury space liner pass the time as they face a journey of months between stars.

It's a fairly slow start, as Jan meets his fellow crew members, learns the layout of the ship... and then things unravel quickly, with a murder on board. Suspicion points Jan's way, but that murder is just the beginning as events spiral out of control. Jan starts out having to clear his name, but soon will be faced with a fight for his life itself.

Branchfield really ratchets up the tension as the book goes along, with the tale moving at a real pace after that initial start.

By the end, you're really rooting for the characters... well, most of them. One or two you're happy to see come to a gruesome fate!

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommend to anyone looking for a fun read within the sci-fi or mystery genre.
A light, entertaining, easy to follow, fast-paced read with a deeper, underlying theme if you choose to read the book that way. All in all, my favourite type of read.
The book is set in the future but the central story is one that is timeless. Jan disappoints his parents by wanting to be an actor rather than getting a "proper job" and ends up working tables. A small break comes with the opportunity of being a ship's entertainer on a spaceship taking people out to colonise a new planet. The sci-fi adventure turns to mystery and suspense as passengers start to be murdered in their cabin. Throw in a little romance and the moral issues surrounding removing the natives for settlement and you get Star Liner.
A great read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Copypasta Publishing]

The rocketship was formatted into a work of digital art. then found an artist living... on fixed income.

None other than the real Branchfield took my design and mastered it. His last official character countdown has got a pleasant cast of characters I could each call friends - lucky for me they couldn't say the same..

I wanted to see more from the Entertainer Scott. What was his performance environment, perhaps? Why is he unlikeable?

I have a couple questions:

What does method acting do to help your speech?

Have you ever seen people finding people to recover their senses come back through method acting?

What if the ship was a simulation, and the diagram of the ship is real?

[Rob Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jan Stot, unemployed entertainer, takes a gig on a star liner out to a colony world. On the way his troubles escalate, and what starts as a murder investigation turns into the fight of his life. By turns murder mystery, space action adventure and political intrigue, Star Liner is a thoroughly engaging read that starts slowly but accelerates up to a crackling pace by the end. Jan is a likable, understandable hero, and his close allies are all well-drawn too. The book is well written, the style is easy to read; there are a few more typos than I’d like, but not enough to detract from the overall quality on show. If you’re looking for a classy sci-fi adventure romp, I’d recommend Star Liner. 4.5 stars, rounding up to five.

[Bruce Polkinghorne · Rating 5 out of 5]

In older times, this type of story would be called a "rollicking good yarn". It starts with some unsuspecting people who take off on what they expect to be a boring assignment. After a slow start, the proverbial hits the fan and they get end up being thrown into a series of wild action encounters. This is not something that will make you think too much, or challenge your beliefs, but it will keep you reading when you should be sleeping or doing other things. Even when you reach the point that you think the story is probably over, it takes off again on another series of action events. Suspend your logic and just run with the story and you will really enjoy this book.

[Bernice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished reading this while away from my computer. So I simply rated it without writing a review. I enjoyed this story. I am not normally a sci fi fan but I not only enjoyed the mystery but felt the setting and the space details were interesting and enhanced the story. I cared about the characters and I liked the social statement and the manner in which it was presented. The story took center stage with the social statement/context adding details that helped me connect with the characters. Most of all this was a page turner. When I had to put it down I thought about the story and characters and I really wanted to get back and finish. Good interesting story.

[Johanna Craven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! It's a strange mix of sci-fi meets murder mystery meets futuristic adventure, with otherworldly social commentary thrown in.
Jan was a great protagonist- totally relatable, despite being from another planet. I think that's why this book worked for me- the world was both foreign and completely recognisable. Despite their adventures, the characters often found themselves in situations we have all been in many times (ie working crappy jobs for little pay...).
The story had plenty of twists and turns and moved along at a good pace. Great fun!

[Holly Barbo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating sci-fi told from a first person perspective. I enjoyed this book (though I was confused for awhile as to the gender of the main character). I figured out “who-done-it” quickly but that didn’t take away from the pace and page-turning quality of the story. I was a little let down with the ending which concluded within two paragraphs. I think it could have been expanded. Still, the story was good and a solid 4 star. Great imagination and plot development. Well done.

[B.J. Tiernan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read! When Jan, a recruited entertainer, boards a luxury space liner for a long journey ahead, he meets up with much more than he signed up for - murder, action and some wild encounters. A Sci-Fi feel from an era gone by, this who-done-it will keep you turning the pages. The ending was a little abrupt, but overall this Sci-Fi romp, with its unexpected ups and downs, is definitely worth a read.

[F. Stephan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is old-fashioned sci-fi at his best. Well narrated, good story, it had me turning pages after pages to reach the end. It begins slow and easy but then grows and grows until it neatly closes with no loose ends. The characters are very well designed and believable.

The blurb don't make this book the justice it deserves. Ignore it and buy it straightaway !

It's really awesome ! I'm a new fan !

[Janet R Brienza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this!

The premise of this book was interesting to me. It had a believable present-day quality to it. Very relatable, and easy to read.

It took me a while to get into this, but once the author hits you with twists and turns it’s hard to put down. The only downside for me was that the ending wasn’t a surprise as I hoped, but don’t let that stop you from reading.

I highly recommend it.

[Kat Drennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cozy space opera!!!

Loved this sharp-tooth read, especially the way it started out simple and gradually became layered and scary. I loved the young adult protagonist who ended up in way over his head.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much fun!! Good work Scott!!

[Squid · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bland story

Not a whole lot of depth to the characters. For a short book it felt longer. Awkward sexual scenes that didn’t add to the story.