Friendly Fire: AFV Defender, Book 1

by Michelle Levigne

Captain Genys Arroyan has a problem with her shiny new command -- the dregs of the universe are laughing. While the Defender is in spacedock, getting upgrades, Genys has to deal with mind-hunters and farting fur balls, merchants-of-insanity and diplomatic intrigue. Her Chief of Talents is hiding from forced matrimony and her new crew members aren't too happy to be transferred to the Nanny Ship. Then she finds out that the insectoid Hivers have a taste for the brains of the children of her crew. Falling through a Chute to another galaxy might turn out to be a good thing, even if dangerous. A rescue mission turns into a battle to save a race of miniature dragons from genocide. They might just be sentient -- but more important, dracs could turn out to be the defensive weapon the Alliance needs against the Hiver threat. Genys and her crew could end up breaking dozens of regulations in the quest to save dracs and maybe the Human race. Just how much trouble could teleporting, fire-breathing creatures with the personalities of four-year-olds cause on board a military vessel? The misfit luck of the AFV Defender might finally be running out.

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction

227 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2020

About the author

A story addict since an early exposure to Dr. Seuss, award-winning author of over 30 novels and novellas, Michelle Levigne has been creating her own stories, heroes and adventures since junior high. She ventures into many sub-genres of science fiction, paranormal, romance and fantasy, including Greek mythology, Narnia spin-offs and her futuristic universe, the Commonwealth.

Michelle writes something for everyone! After all, since she likes to read all over the board, why not WRITE all over the board?

Reviews

[Read Ng · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a GoodReads giveaway of a Kindle ebook.

I won this a while ago, but my Kindle died and I did not rush out to replace it.

An interesting mash up from various sources.

The first half is fully immersed in a rich universe. The author has been living in this universe for some time as my first impression comes across as all hiding an inside joke that only her true followers will understand. I likely missed a lot of the references, but I still enjoyed myself.

The last half portion reads like a prequel to the Dragon Riders of Pern. I like the series of events that could be the start of that series. It was a fun read, which I guess I am associating with "I would not take it as serious science fiction." That is keeping with my distinction between Science Fiction and Fantasy. I do tend to prefer of late more Hard Science than Fantasy.

This book does make me want to re-read the Dragon Riders.

This was a GoodReads.

[C.S. Wachter · Rating 5 out of 5]

What??? Dragons in space? An eclectic crew on a rescue mission? Creatures that fart a mind-alternating “adoration” drug? Enemy insectoids who cocoon people? Leave it to the creative mind of Ms. Levigne to combine all into an enjoyable, fun read. The book is a wonderful blend of action, great character development, and good pacing.

If you like fun and quirky characters, strong women, and a well-written combination of imposing danger, inane intervals, and heart, this is the Space Opera book for you.