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Flight of the Javelin #1
Black Sheep
An alien ship. Stolen colonists. All Throttle wanted was a vacation... Fifteen years into a twenty-year voyage, war veteran Captain Throttle Reyne is looking forward to taking a break from dealing with malfunctions, glitches, and the hassles of monitoring a thousand colonists in cryo-sleep. But when her colony ship breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Throttle and her crew must leave the colonists behind to search for help. They find a ship that's not only missing a crew… it's clearly not from their star system. It's the discovery of a lifetime. All they need to do is tow the mysterious vessel back to their colony ship for further study and Throttle won't ever have to work again. One problem. While they're away, the colony ship is stolen—with the colonists still on board. Throttle gives chase to a lawless star system on the outer rim. To get their colonists back, they must take on the pirates and ganglords who will do anything—and sell anyone—to make a buck. They play dirty. But Throttle and her crew play dirtier. Strap on your restraints and experience the start of this new space opera thrill ride. It's perfect for fans of Jay Allan, Jennifer Foehner Wells, and Star Wars.
262 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 16, 2020
612 people are currently reading
241 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Aukes
66 books410 followersRachel Aukes is the bestselling author of over forty books, including 100 Days in Deadland, which made Suspense Magazine’s Best of the Year list. She writes in a number of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller, and more. Her series includes Waymaker Wars, Space Troopers, Flight of the Javelin, Fringe, Deadland Saga, Colliding Worlds, and Guardians of the Seven Seals. Her novels have repeatedly been Amazon Top 100 bestsellers and #1 bestsellers in Horror, Post-Apocalyptic, Space Fleet, Space Marine, Galactic Empire, Colonization, Alien Invasion, and Cyberpunk. When not writing, Rachel can be found flying old airplanes with an incredibly spoiled dog over the Iowa countryside.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
June 24, 2020
This is a really cool read!
Throttle and her crew are totally awesome, and I was hooked from the start. The action is almost non-stop, and there are some really tense and dangerous situations Throttle need to deal with. I was cheering her on to save her colonists and to save the day.
This story is gritty, intense, dirty, and oh so good!
The worldbuilding is terrific, and I could easily picture all the cool places that appear in this book. I also think this setting and this story would lend themselves really well for a rpg computer game, the likes of the Mass Effect trilogy. I'd play the shit out of it, I can tell you!
And the ending! OMG! I'm still reeling and I need the next book. You bet I'll be getting my greedy trotters on it once it releases.
Throttle and her crew are totally awesome, and I was hooked from the start. The action is almost non-stop, and there are some really tense and dangerous situations Throttle need to deal with. I was cheering her on to save her colonists and to save the day.
This story is gritty, intense, dirty, and oh so good!
The worldbuilding is terrific, and I could easily picture all the cool places that appear in this book. I also think this setting and this story would lend themselves really well for a rpg computer game, the likes of the Mass Effect trilogy. I'd play the shit out of it, I can tell you!
And the ending! OMG! I'm still reeling and I need the next book. You bet I'll be getting my greedy trotters on it once it releases.
June 15, 2020
I had finally caught up on my NetGalley reading, so I went on the hunt for more books to request, and Aethon Books was kind enough to grant my request for Black Sheep: A Space Opera Adventure. The description sounded very promising, and for the most part I would say that Rachel Aukes delivers on that promise. The protagonist is also disabled! Content note: the book contains ableist language, which I will discuss shortly in this review.
“Throttle” Reyne is the captain of a colony ship out of the violent Trappist system. When the ship suffers a catastrophic failure, she and her small but plucky crew must abandon it to search for help. They find a derelict vessel that might be their answer—except, when they return to their original ship, they find that pirates have stolen it! Eventually, Throttle and her crew end up in the Ross system, which has previously been colonized by other Earth expeditions. They are at odds with the pirates who stole the colony ship, and they need to find a way to get the ship and the cryogenically-preserved colonists back before it's too late.
I was pleased to encounter a disabled person as a protagonist! Specifically, Throttle has a childhood spinal injury resulting in paraplegia. To be clear: I am not disabled, so I’m not going to comment overly much on Aukes’ portrayal of Throttle’s disability. That being said, I have to question whether Aukes had any sensitivity readers for this book, because some of language used to refer to Throttle and her disability made me cringe. Almost at the very beginning of the book, Aukes refers to Throttle as “after spending much of her life confined to a wheelchair” (emphasis mine). I’m given to understand, in my learning about how to be less ableist, that many wheelchair users feel this language is harmful because their wheelchairs actually provide them with freedom and mobility they wouldn’t otherwise have. They are therefore confined/restricted without their wheelchairs.
A bit later in the book, Aukes mentions:
I’m sure there are more examples throughout the book, or even subtler things I’m not picking up on because I’m abled. Look, I get that you want to explain how your protagonist’s disability makes her more comfortable in zero g, because it obviously alleviates some of her mobility concerns. There are ways to do that, however, that don’t compound ableist portrayals of disabled people. And this is an excellent example of why we need (paid) sensitivity readers in publishing: this is careless use of language and therefore easily fixed. Aside from the word choice, I didn’t pick up on any hugely problematic aspects of Throttle’s portrayal (but, again, I’m not qualified to do a sensitivity read here).
Ok, let’s move on from that and look at the rest of Black Sheep. Let me confess this book grabbed me more than I expected. I didn’t want to stop reading after I began it later one night, and I finished it the next day. I was into it! I like the snappy characterization, the way Aukes differentiates between their various personalities, and the way that each character gets a little more depth throughout the book. Certainly some of the tropes felt a little too worn—the computer with a heart of gold that just wants a friend, for example—but Aukes is skilled enough at making you not care about those clichés because you’re just having a good time.
The plot is fairly sensible and keeps to a good clip. Aukes sets up realistic problems and her characters come up with realistic solutions, with a good amount of wrenches thrown into the works for dramatic effect. My only real quibble here is with the ending itself. Without going into spoilers, let’s just say that Aukes pulls one of those fake-outs where you think everyone is safe and then BAM, disaster strikes. I understand the desire to leave on a cliffhanger to get people reading the next book. Nevertheless, on a purely subjective level, I would have preferred a happy ending and for this … explosive event … to occur at the beginning of Book 2, to jolt me out of my seat.
I also like the world into which Aukes throws us: for the first part of the book, Throttle and her crew from the Trappist-1 system believe theirs is the only one successfully colonized by Earth. So there’s a good element of mystery throughout, such as Rusty’s origins, and this doesn’t disappear once they reach the also-inhabited Ross system. Indeed, I love how Aukes answers a few of our questions but leaves more of them open for future books—or perhaps never to be answered at all (life isn’t fair)!
The subtitle is a little on the nose, but what can I say? It’s true. Black Sheep is space opera, is adventure, is fun with pirates. Throttle is that sassy-yet-capable heroine in the style of Dutch from Killjoys, and she has a good crew around her. Will I read the next book? Definitely maybe.
“Throttle” Reyne is the captain of a colony ship out of the violent Trappist system. When the ship suffers a catastrophic failure, she and her small but plucky crew must abandon it to search for help. They find a derelict vessel that might be their answer—except, when they return to their original ship, they find that pirates have stolen it! Eventually, Throttle and her crew end up in the Ross system, which has previously been colonized by other Earth expeditions. They are at odds with the pirates who stole the colony ship, and they need to find a way to get the ship and the cryogenically-preserved colonists back before it's too late.
I was pleased to encounter a disabled person as a protagonist! Specifically, Throttle has a childhood spinal injury resulting in paraplegia. To be clear: I am not disabled, so I’m not going to comment overly much on Aukes’ portrayal of Throttle’s disability. That being said, I have to question whether Aukes had any sensitivity readers for this book, because some of language used to refer to Throttle and her disability made me cringe. Almost at the very beginning of the book, Aukes refers to Throttle as “after spending much of her life confined to a wheelchair” (emphasis mine). I’m given to understand, in my learning about how to be less ableist, that many wheelchair users feel this language is harmful because their wheelchairs actually provide them with freedom and mobility they wouldn’t otherwise have. They are therefore confined/restricted without their wheelchairs.
A bit later in the book, Aukes mentions:
Throttle found herself as comfortable, if not more so, in zero g. There, her useless legs weren’t nearly as much of a detriment as they were in gravity.
I’m sure there are more examples throughout the book, or even subtler things I’m not picking up on because I’m abled. Look, I get that you want to explain how your protagonist’s disability makes her more comfortable in zero g, because it obviously alleviates some of her mobility concerns. There are ways to do that, however, that don’t compound ableist portrayals of disabled people. And this is an excellent example of why we need (paid) sensitivity readers in publishing: this is careless use of language and therefore easily fixed. Aside from the word choice, I didn’t pick up on any hugely problematic aspects of Throttle’s portrayal (but, again, I’m not qualified to do a sensitivity read here).
Ok, let’s move on from that and look at the rest of Black Sheep. Let me confess this book grabbed me more than I expected. I didn’t want to stop reading after I began it later one night, and I finished it the next day. I was into it! I like the snappy characterization, the way Aukes differentiates between their various personalities, and the way that each character gets a little more depth throughout the book. Certainly some of the tropes felt a little too worn—the computer with a heart of gold that just wants a friend, for example—but Aukes is skilled enough at making you not care about those clichés because you’re just having a good time.
The plot is fairly sensible and keeps to a good clip. Aukes sets up realistic problems and her characters come up with realistic solutions, with a good amount of wrenches thrown into the works for dramatic effect. My only real quibble here is with the ending itself. Without going into spoilers, let’s just say that Aukes pulls one of those fake-outs where you think everyone is safe and then BAM, disaster strikes. I understand the desire to leave on a cliffhanger to get people reading the next book. Nevertheless, on a purely subjective level, I would have preferred a happy ending and for this … explosive event … to occur at the beginning of Book 2, to jolt me out of my seat.
I also like the world into which Aukes throws us: for the first part of the book, Throttle and her crew from the Trappist-1 system believe theirs is the only one successfully colonized by Earth. So there’s a good element of mystery throughout, such as Rusty’s origins, and this doesn’t disappear once they reach the also-inhabited Ross system. Indeed, I love how Aukes answers a few of our questions but leaves more of them open for future books—or perhaps never to be answered at all (life isn’t fair)!
The subtitle is a little on the nose, but what can I say? It’s true. Black Sheep is space opera, is adventure, is fun with pirates. Throttle is that sassy-yet-capable heroine in the style of Dutch from Killjoys, and she has a good crew around her. Will I read the next book? Definitely maybe.
August 5, 2022
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
Quite a few of the same plot points from Aukes' previous series, Fringe Station, have been repeated here: ship captain central character (also named Reyn - I assume a relative?), various side characters there to be killed off to create pathos for the main character, station and ship battles for justice and vengeance, heist scenarios, and an aggressive central bad guy who will develop a personal vendetta against the captain. That isn't to say the story is bad - it is straight-forward sci fi that is personality and not technology driven. But the story feels very heavy-handed and overly plotted, lacking an organic growth or trajectory that would resonate more with the reader.Story: "Throttle" Reyn is the captain of a long-hauler taking colonists from the Trappist system to a new home they will arrive at in 15 years. The colonists are in cryotanks and the ship, the Gabriela, has a minimal crew for the journey. But when the ship has a catastrophic failure, the crew have to abandon the ship in a smaller gunboat and seek out help for the sleeping colonists in the failing Gabriela. What they encounter is an abandoned AI sentient ship with no memories but a lot of personality. With it, the staff may just have a chance to save their colonists.
There is plenty of action both on-station and in space. As with the Fringe Runner series, we have a central heist plot in the middle that once again feels more like filler than a naturally developing story. As well, all heists have to have the perfect complement of skills in the heisters: superb hacker, guy with exceptional military technical savvy/fighter skills, guy with the right inside information. I admit that I do tire of the sci fi trope that no matter what the purpose is of the ship, here is always a perfect elite hacker on board who can facilitate plot pooints. At least in this story, we have a ship who is clever on its own for a legitimate reason (it evolved to survive) and therefore its hacking skill might make a bit more sense than the human hacker on board the Gabriela.
This is a straight-forward sci fi; meaning, it's about the characters and not pathos of people in space (e.g., Jack Campbell), the mental game (e.g., CJ Cherryh), or the future tech. The characters are likable enough and of course, firmly on the side of do-gooders. The ending, however, took this book from a 4 star to 3.5 star because it was clearly there to set up the plot for books and felt both disingenuous and egregious. For me, it showed the heavy handedness of the author and why e.g., the Peacekeeper series by Tanya Hahn does that scenario much better. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
July 11, 2020
Mmmeh. It sounded like a great story, but the characters are barely more than predictable sketches and their problems get solved way too easily to sustain interest.
Ship's AI: "You can't command me, you're not my crew."
Throttle: "Your old crew is long dead, we're your crew now."
Ship's AI: "Oh, okay then."
Distrustful Outcast: "We don't trust anyone here."
Throttle: "But our intentions are good."
Distrustful Outcast: "Oh, okay then."
I don't think I will be back for the next book.
Ship's AI: "You can't command me, you're not my crew."
Throttle: "Your old crew is long dead, we're your crew now."
Ship's AI: "Oh, okay then."
Distrustful Outcast: "We don't trust anyone here."
Throttle: "But our intentions are good."
Distrustful Outcast: "Oh, okay then."
I don't think I will be back for the next book.
June 12, 2020
A nice little space opera with lots of action. The characters are a little two-dimensional, but they perform their roles with humor. The ending is somewhat heavy-handed, but sets up the series nicely while still providing a complete story for this book.
My favorite thing about this book is the dashing, unbeatable space captain is a paraplegic. Her situation affects her life and choices without disabling them. Nice twist.
I received an eARC through NetGalley.
My favorite thing about this book is the dashing, unbeatable space captain is a paraplegic. Her situation affects her life and choices without disabling them. Nice twist.
I received an eARC through NetGalley.
May 10, 2021
This was a really fun Space Opera, and a perfect, adrenaline-charged romp! It's got fast pacing, and a ship captained by a kickass protagonist (Throttle). Throttle's ship breaks down in the middle of the "Dark". Nowhere really... and no hope of rescue. Right away we realize how special Throttle is when she's doing laps around the deck. She falls and tweaks one of her leg braces, only noticing that she's cut her leg when she sees the blood... yeah, an old spinal injury...
And then there's the Pirates, a ghost ship with an AI, and a Space Station where lots of shady deals go down! If that's not enough to titillate you, I really don't know what will! The book reminds me a little of the works of Nathan Lowell, Jennifer Foehner Wells or Rebecca Chambers 1st book... the way they write about the crew, and the camaraderie. But there's also a space battle too!
To top it off you have Emily Woo Zeller doing a Bang-up job of narration!
And then there's the Pirates, a ghost ship with an AI, and a Space Station where lots of shady deals go down! If that's not enough to titillate you, I really don't know what will! The book reminds me a little of the works of Nathan Lowell, Jennifer Foehner Wells or Rebecca Chambers 1st book... the way they write about the crew, and the camaraderie. But there's also a space battle too!
To top it off you have Emily Woo Zeller doing a Bang-up job of narration!
June 20, 2020
Black Sheep follows the crew of the Gabriela, a Colony ship that has set forth from ‘The Trappist’ System. Originally, Earth sent colonists to The Trappist system, and they weathered the initial conditions, expecting more equipment and colonists, but this was not the case. Since then they have established their own, rather robust, and distrustful Colony, and now, they are sending out their own Colonists, aboard the Gabriela, to go and find a new place to colonise.
On board the Gabriela are the 6 crew, they don’t stay in stasis like the colonists, they are awake, checking on the running of the ship, and making sure that everything runs all right.
Captain Halit “Throttle” Reyne, is the leader of the Gabriela’s crew, she is disabled, having no feeling in her legs, due to an accident when she was a child. She has a special pair of leg bracers though that allow her to simulate movement in her legs, so she can walk, and run. Throttle is a no-nonsense type of woman, she gives it to you straight, generally straight between the eyes if you have really annoyed her. But she is also a very dedicated Captain, very loyal, she will do anything to look after her crew, including those under her protection, going to the ends of the galaxy and even giving her own life to save them.
With her are Brik, her long-time partner, as well as her offsider in all her adventures. Sylvian is the pilot of the ship, then there is Eddy, who although seems a bit on the eccentric side, is a brilliant mechanic. Aubree is the Doctor, and is very caring as well as someone who doesn’t believe in violence. Rounding out the crew is Nolin, who is a bit of jack-of-all-trades, able to help with the mechanics, with the operations with Birk, or help the Captain with anything else she needs.
It is a very eclectic crew, but one that comes together nicely for working together in the confines of space, over long periods of time. Aukes has done a masterful job of creating these outstanding characters that are totally believable and realistic, and yet fit so well together in this scenario, making for a brilliant story. You are immediately drawn to these characters, wanting to learn more about them, and compelled to read on in the story as you become totally engaged in their lives.
The story starts with a bit of an intro to life aboard the Gabriela, before the ship is struck with a catastrophic failure, leaving the stuck in space. The Captain makes the only decision possible (there is a real ‘Firefly’ moment here when the crew abandon the ship and take the shuttle to look for help, knowing that it is their only chance), leaving the ship and the colonists, and taking their small shuttle to search for help.
It is whilst looking for help, two things happen that both impact the crew and change their lives forever.
The first is that they discover a mysterious vessel, unlike anything that they have ever seen before, different design, hull material and most interesting of all, no crew.
The second, and most devastating, is that whilst trying to find help, Pirates come and steal the Gabriela, along with all her sleeping Colonists.
Stuck in space, her ship and the colonists stolen, Throttle boards the other ship, and with Eddy’s help, they follow the Gabriela, and it is here that the real story starts, as Throttle and her crew find that they are in a lawless part of the galaxy, full of Ganglords and those that live by a very different code. Throttle has to decide between her crew, the colonists, and what is wrong and right, otherwise no one is coming out of this alive.
This is just a full on action/adventure, but it also has a lot of mystery, political intrigue, as well as just being a remarkable Sci-fi story, with some exceptional character work (The crew are brilliant, but so are the criminal element they meet), and the story is just brilliant. The world (or Galaxy in this case) building is just outstanding, with so much depth and detail, spanning not just planets, and systems, but timelines as well. Aukes has put an immense amount of thought into this series, and it makes it an amazing read that once you start, you will have a really hard time stopping.
This is the first in what is going to be an extraordinary series, and it is well-worth hoping on-board now so you don’t miss out on what is going to be one of the best Sci-Fi series of the year. This is a must read, with elements to engage those of basically all genres.
On board the Gabriela are the 6 crew, they don’t stay in stasis like the colonists, they are awake, checking on the running of the ship, and making sure that everything runs all right.
Captain Halit “Throttle” Reyne, is the leader of the Gabriela’s crew, she is disabled, having no feeling in her legs, due to an accident when she was a child. She has a special pair of leg bracers though that allow her to simulate movement in her legs, so she can walk, and run. Throttle is a no-nonsense type of woman, she gives it to you straight, generally straight between the eyes if you have really annoyed her. But she is also a very dedicated Captain, very loyal, she will do anything to look after her crew, including those under her protection, going to the ends of the galaxy and even giving her own life to save them.
With her are Brik, her long-time partner, as well as her offsider in all her adventures. Sylvian is the pilot of the ship, then there is Eddy, who although seems a bit on the eccentric side, is a brilliant mechanic. Aubree is the Doctor, and is very caring as well as someone who doesn’t believe in violence. Rounding out the crew is Nolin, who is a bit of jack-of-all-trades, able to help with the mechanics, with the operations with Birk, or help the Captain with anything else she needs.
It is a very eclectic crew, but one that comes together nicely for working together in the confines of space, over long periods of time. Aukes has done a masterful job of creating these outstanding characters that are totally believable and realistic, and yet fit so well together in this scenario, making for a brilliant story. You are immediately drawn to these characters, wanting to learn more about them, and compelled to read on in the story as you become totally engaged in their lives.
The story starts with a bit of an intro to life aboard the Gabriela, before the ship is struck with a catastrophic failure, leaving the stuck in space. The Captain makes the only decision possible (there is a real ‘Firefly’ moment here when the crew abandon the ship and take the shuttle to look for help, knowing that it is their only chance), leaving the ship and the colonists, and taking their small shuttle to search for help.
It is whilst looking for help, two things happen that both impact the crew and change their lives forever.
The first is that they discover a mysterious vessel, unlike anything that they have ever seen before, different design, hull material and most interesting of all, no crew.
The second, and most devastating, is that whilst trying to find help, Pirates come and steal the Gabriela, along with all her sleeping Colonists.
Stuck in space, her ship and the colonists stolen, Throttle boards the other ship, and with Eddy’s help, they follow the Gabriela, and it is here that the real story starts, as Throttle and her crew find that they are in a lawless part of the galaxy, full of Ganglords and those that live by a very different code. Throttle has to decide between her crew, the colonists, and what is wrong and right, otherwise no one is coming out of this alive.
This is just a full on action/adventure, but it also has a lot of mystery, political intrigue, as well as just being a remarkable Sci-fi story, with some exceptional character work (The crew are brilliant, but so are the criminal element they meet), and the story is just brilliant. The world (or Galaxy in this case) building is just outstanding, with so much depth and detail, spanning not just planets, and systems, but timelines as well. Aukes has put an immense amount of thought into this series, and it makes it an amazing read that once you start, you will have a really hard time stopping.
This is the first in what is going to be an extraordinary series, and it is well-worth hoping on-board now so you don’t miss out on what is going to be one of the best Sci-Fi series of the year. This is a must read, with elements to engage those of basically all genres.
June 25, 2021
This story reminds me intensely of playing certain space-themed, story-driven RPGs like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic or Mass Effect. Especially when our band of protagonists find themselves on a space station, their ship having been stolen by the local crime lord, and they have to find a way to get it back. It reminded me so much of the early missions of Knights of the Old Republic. Visualizing it like a narrated walkthough of a game, with a series of problem-solving and battle missions, was what helped me enjoy what otherwise was a fairly weak story. The characters have roughly the depth of your average NPC (and considerably less than the NPCs in Mass Effect), and they make up the typical well-rounded set of skills that you'd find in a sci-fi-themed RPG party. The PC is the leader and pilot, then you have a rogue, a hacker, a mechanic, a fighter, a reconnaissance specialist, etc.
It's also fairly clear that Book 1 is essentially an origin story that sets up what is probably intended to be an open-ended series of ongoing adventures of our heroine and her crew in Books 2-?? as a band of badge-carrying space sheriffs. With my trick of thinking of it as a game, I was able to find it moderately enjoyable, but I don't know that I'd rush to vread more.
And also: Agree with others who said YAY to the disabled main character, and NAY to the ableist language used to describe her. Although I do wonder if a paraplegic, who formerly thought of her wheelchair as the freeing mobility device that it is, might really begin to think of it as "confinement" after years of having access to the miraculous kinetic braces that let her walk, run, and climb. And the story provides an interesting insight into what a disabled person's view on a zero-G space environment might be like. That's the thing that might keep me reading. It's clear that Throttle, a lifelong paraplegic with the upper body strength built by a wheeled childhood, has advantages in null-G over people who are used to being able to walk and run, and she is very aware of those advantages and is more than willing to use them. Much of this story took place on a space station with a constant artificial gravity, and I might enjoy seeing more of what she's like in space maneuvers.
It's also fairly clear that Book 1 is essentially an origin story that sets up what is probably intended to be an open-ended series of ongoing adventures of our heroine and her crew in Books 2-?? as a band of badge-carrying space sheriffs. With my trick of thinking of it as a game, I was able to find it moderately enjoyable, but I don't know that I'd rush to vread more.
And also: Agree with others who said YAY to the disabled main character, and NAY to the ableist language used to describe her. Although I do wonder if a paraplegic, who formerly thought of her wheelchair as the freeing mobility device that it is, might really begin to think of it as "confinement" after years of having access to the miraculous kinetic braces that let her walk, run, and climb. And the story provides an interesting insight into what a disabled person's view on a zero-G space environment might be like. That's the thing that might keep me reading. It's clear that Throttle, a lifelong paraplegic with the upper body strength built by a wheeled childhood, has advantages in null-G over people who are used to being able to walk and run, and she is very aware of those advantages and is more than willing to use them. Much of this story took place on a space station with a constant artificial gravity, and I might enjoy seeing more of what she's like in space maneuvers.
February 16, 2021
Fast Paced Space Opera
I do love a good space opera, and this is a great example of a good space opera. I listened to the audio version, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller, and enjoyed her storytelling skills as much with this book as I have with others.
Throttle is a captain of a cargo ship that has been converted into a colony vessel. She and a handful of crew, including the man she loves, an ex-pirate, take it in turns to sleep on the 15 years of the journey so far. The colonists are all in cryogenic sleep and they are all looking for a fresh start away from their star system that has been riddled with wars.
The ship is starting to fall apart as it was not designed for deep space long term journeys and eventually there is a system-wide failure. The crew decide to take the ex-pirate ship they have in the hold to try and find help, not really expecting to find any, except they find a ship, lying dead in space with no one aboard.
When they take the ship back to the colony ship to rescue all the colonists they find a hole in space and evidence of pirates having stolen the vessel. Throttle has made a promise to get those colonists to a safe new home and she is determined to keep that promise.
I loved Throttle so much. She is a paraplegic who wears leg braces to ambulate most of the time, but a wheelchair when the braces are not possible. It’s not often you have disabled characters in Sci-fi because usually, they have miraculous cures or cybernetic limbs that are better than the originals. To have a disabled main character, who also has a successful and loving relationship is fantastic for someone who is also disabled. I particularly loved how much she enjoyed floating in zero gravity because I can imagine how freeing it would be.
Apart from being disabled, Throttle is a gifted leader. She is strong, fearless and will do anything to get the job done. She’s called Throttle because of her incredible skills as a pilot. She’s also a crack shot and great at hand to hand combat, even in leg braces. The other characters were as well rounded as Throttle, but she is the main focus of the story, though there are other points of view.
The story rockets along at a cracking pace and I really enjoyed the notion of two different branches of humanity’s colonisation efforts meeting centuries after the fact and finding a divergence in law, technology and social structure, but who still have a common language.
There were a few plot twists along the way, especially toward the end, that knocked me askew. They made me very likely to read the next book in the series but didn’t leave me gnawing my nails to the quick in frustration about the way it ended.
I really enjoyed this book, especially the audio version, I will definitely be reading/listening to the next in the series.
I do love a good space opera, and this is a great example of a good space opera. I listened to the audio version, narrated by Emily Woo Zeller, and enjoyed her storytelling skills as much with this book as I have with others.
Throttle is a captain of a cargo ship that has been converted into a colony vessel. She and a handful of crew, including the man she loves, an ex-pirate, take it in turns to sleep on the 15 years of the journey so far. The colonists are all in cryogenic sleep and they are all looking for a fresh start away from their star system that has been riddled with wars.
The ship is starting to fall apart as it was not designed for deep space long term journeys and eventually there is a system-wide failure. The crew decide to take the ex-pirate ship they have in the hold to try and find help, not really expecting to find any, except they find a ship, lying dead in space with no one aboard.
When they take the ship back to the colony ship to rescue all the colonists they find a hole in space and evidence of pirates having stolen the vessel. Throttle has made a promise to get those colonists to a safe new home and she is determined to keep that promise.
I loved Throttle so much. She is a paraplegic who wears leg braces to ambulate most of the time, but a wheelchair when the braces are not possible. It’s not often you have disabled characters in Sci-fi because usually, they have miraculous cures or cybernetic limbs that are better than the originals. To have a disabled main character, who also has a successful and loving relationship is fantastic for someone who is also disabled. I particularly loved how much she enjoyed floating in zero gravity because I can imagine how freeing it would be.
Apart from being disabled, Throttle is a gifted leader. She is strong, fearless and will do anything to get the job done. She’s called Throttle because of her incredible skills as a pilot. She’s also a crack shot and great at hand to hand combat, even in leg braces. The other characters were as well rounded as Throttle, but she is the main focus of the story, though there are other points of view.
The story rockets along at a cracking pace and I really enjoyed the notion of two different branches of humanity’s colonisation efforts meeting centuries after the fact and finding a divergence in law, technology and social structure, but who still have a common language.
There were a few plot twists along the way, especially toward the end, that knocked me askew. They made me very likely to read the next book in the series but didn’t leave me gnawing my nails to the quick in frustration about the way it ended.
I really enjoyed this book, especially the audio version, I will definitely be reading/listening to the next in the series.
June 20, 2020
( Format : Audiobook and ebook )
"Fortes Fortuna adiuvat"
When system failure of the colony ship, Gabriella, 15 years into her 20 year voyage forces Captain 'Throttle' Reynes and her crew to abandon the 862 colonist cryopods on board to search for help, she discovers the unexpected: a huge, new looking ship floating where no ship should ever have gone. And it was empty. And functional. And at least 200 years old. They named her, Javelin, after making friends with the lonely A.I.
Action packed science fiction of the almost goodies versus the evil ones, this was an interesting start to a new series by Rachel Aukes, which delivers on personalities as well as good world building. A bit too heavy on the close proximity action for this reader: the mysteries earlier in the book were, however, fascinating, and overall, the series holds promise. Emily Woo Zeller was the excellent narrator.
A good read for space pirate saga fans, especially those who enjoy feisty woman leading the action. I will definitely be looking out for book two.
"Fortes Fortuna adiuvat"
When system failure of the colony ship, Gabriella, 15 years into her 20 year voyage forces Captain 'Throttle' Reynes and her crew to abandon the 862 colonist cryopods on board to search for help, she discovers the unexpected: a huge, new looking ship floating where no ship should ever have gone. And it was empty. And functional. And at least 200 years old. They named her, Javelin, after making friends with the lonely A.I.
Action packed science fiction of the almost goodies versus the evil ones, this was an interesting start to a new series by Rachel Aukes, which delivers on personalities as well as good world building. A bit too heavy on the close proximity action for this reader: the mysteries earlier in the book were, however, fascinating, and overall, the series holds promise. Emily Woo Zeller was the excellent narrator.
A good read for space pirate saga fans, especially those who enjoy feisty woman leading the action. I will definitely be looking out for book two.
June 14, 2020
Throttle and Birk off on their own to colonize somewhere else. What could possibly go wrong? Throttle continues to be the pilot we met in the Fringe series, only now she's in charge of an entire colony ship, including keeping everyone safe, instead of just being a pilot. Birk is still the same guy with hidden issues which may or may not be resolved... who knows with him? Big twist (to me, at least) happens when the mysterious enemy is encountered. An enjoyable space opera read. Looking forward to the rest of the series!
I was provided with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
I was provided with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
June 13, 2020
Rachel Aukes has written a very fine space adventure book called Black Sheep. There is romance (a little), some space battles, and a lot of suspense and thrills. You will thoroughly enjoy this book but it is not a shoot em up normal sci fi. This is a very nice read that you can put down and pick right back up without losing what is going on. The ending as always is up to the reader to decide if it is happy or tragic. Personally I enjoyed this book a lot.
June 16, 2020
My litmus test of a well-written story is how deeply the author can impact me on an emotional level. That said, when I was about a quarter of the way into this book, I got so upset by the circumstances that Throttle and her crew found themselves in that I slammed my Kindle shut and had lunch until I could calm down a bit. LOL! Should have known that Throttle was always a few steps ahead of the bad guys! This space action/adventure series offers something for everyone to enjoy. Looking forward to mid-July and the release of the next story in the series.
September 27, 2020
First in a new series. Great cover. We know that this is space opera because the title tells us. I love that the book has a strong female main character. The plot is exciting and it made sense. It was a fast paced rollicking read. Good writing and flowed well. Full of good guys and bad guys.
All in all it was a pretty good read and well worth reading, Gave it 4 stars.
Looking forward to Book 2 of the series.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for sending me this ARC.
All in all it was a pretty good read and well worth reading, Gave it 4 stars.
Looking forward to Book 2 of the series.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for sending me this ARC.
December 14, 2020
A great story about pirates in space and a generation ship that is stolen after an onboard pirate fakes a catastrophic failure.
Soon it's onto a space colony run by two narsisitic siblings.
Great read and part of a trilogy
Soon it's onto a space colony run by two narsisitic siblings.
Great read and part of a trilogy
November 1, 2020
Entertaining space opera
Well-imagined scenario, characters that survive to the end are still a bit one dimensional, but suppose there is scope for development in follow on books. A promising entry to the series. I’ll go away and consider whether I need to read the next one.
Well-imagined scenario, characters that survive to the end are still a bit one dimensional, but suppose there is scope for development in follow on books. A promising entry to the series. I’ll go away and consider whether I need to read the next one.
June 9, 2020
This is an entertaining read. Throttle is an amazing pilot but may just have Trouble as a middle name. She sure finds enough of it. I did not expect her to ram another space ship so unpredictable suits as well. The action is non-stop and the world building is very good. I received an advanced copy of this book and NetGalley and freely leave this honest review.
January 22, 2021
Quite promising. The main character has a disability and space travel between stars being taken seriously are a bonus. Although still very soft science fiction it makes sense.
June 8, 2020
Took me a little bit to get into it, but then was unable to put it down! I love Throttle and the relationship she has with her crew. Her and Birk were my favorite, and I was HEARTBROKEN we he died. I plan on reading the rest of the series, especially after THAT ENDING!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2021
The story was exciting enough to make up for the less than three dimensional characters. Hopefully everyone gets more character development in the next book. Lots of potential here. Narration by Emily Woo Zeller was good but not great. I find her male voices a bit strange. I have had a hit and miss experience with her narrations. It was good enough but I may try the kindle version for the next in the series.
July 12, 2020
No More
This starts out as one of those “unlikely-group-of-heroes-win-against-impossible-odds” stories, with some loosely constructed situations and highly improbable solutions. That much was acceptable - it was a fun read. Until the end of the next to last chapter when 3 of those intrepid heroes are murdered just to move the story into the next book. That plot element removed all my support for the story, and ended the series for me. After everything these characters have survived it was painful to have them removed in such a cold-hearted manner.
This starts out as one of those “unlikely-group-of-heroes-win-against-impossible-odds” stories, with some loosely constructed situations and highly improbable solutions. That much was acceptable - it was a fun read. Until the end of the next to last chapter when 3 of those intrepid heroes are murdered just to move the story into the next book. That plot element removed all my support for the story, and ended the series for me. After everything these characters have survived it was painful to have them removed in such a cold-hearted manner.
July 1, 2020
Review originally published at: https://lomeraniel.com/book-review-bl...
Throttle Reyne is the captain of the Gabriela, a large and old vessel transporting about a thousand colonists in cryosleep in search for a new world. One day the Gabriela breaks down in deep space, and the only chance the crew has is leaving the Gabriela and the colonists temporarily behind and try to seek for help. What they did not expect was to find an abandoned ship in perfect working condition. They also did not expect the Gabriela to be stolen and the colonists kidnapped while they were away.
Throttle and some of the main characters in this book were already presented in the Fringe series. I quite enjoyed Fringe, but Black Sheep was superior in my opinion. Reading Fringe beforehand gives the reader a deeper knowledge about the world and the characters’ background but it is not a requisite. This story happens at least fifteen years later, and the characters have evolved since then.
This is an action-packed story, with likable characters, adventure, and great world-building; it has all the necessary ingredients to make an enjoyable space opera. The characters are distinctive, although not very developed. We know who is who and why they are important, but this is not a character-driven story. There are twists, mystery, and the pace is steady, making for a very entertaining story. I liked how they found the Javeline, and I am genuinely intrigued by the secrets it hides. It does make me look forward to the next books in the series!
Emily Woo Zeller’s narration was exquisite. She does not only have a very pleasant voice but her characters’ interpretations were spot-on, and the subtle variations in tone and style made dialogs easy to follow. One small remark I have is that on a couple of occasions, there was a mishap with character’s voices, having Throttle sounding like Birk. The audio production was top-notch, and I would definitely listen to more audiobooks narrated by Emily.
I think this was an awesome listen, and I am impatient for the next book in the series to be released!
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Throttle Reyne is the captain of the Gabriela, a large and old vessel transporting about a thousand colonists in cryosleep in search for a new world. One day the Gabriela breaks down in deep space, and the only chance the crew has is leaving the Gabriela and the colonists temporarily behind and try to seek for help. What they did not expect was to find an abandoned ship in perfect working condition. They also did not expect the Gabriela to be stolen and the colonists kidnapped while they were away.
Throttle and some of the main characters in this book were already presented in the Fringe series. I quite enjoyed Fringe, but Black Sheep was superior in my opinion. Reading Fringe beforehand gives the reader a deeper knowledge about the world and the characters’ background but it is not a requisite. This story happens at least fifteen years later, and the characters have evolved since then.
This is an action-packed story, with likable characters, adventure, and great world-building; it has all the necessary ingredients to make an enjoyable space opera. The characters are distinctive, although not very developed. We know who is who and why they are important, but this is not a character-driven story. There are twists, mystery, and the pace is steady, making for a very entertaining story. I liked how they found the Javeline, and I am genuinely intrigued by the secrets it hides. It does make me look forward to the next books in the series!
Emily Woo Zeller’s narration was exquisite. She does not only have a very pleasant voice but her characters’ interpretations were spot-on, and the subtle variations in tone and style made dialogs easy to follow. One small remark I have is that on a couple of occasions, there was a mishap with character’s voices, having Throttle sounding like Birk. The audio production was top-notch, and I would definitely listen to more audiobooks narrated by Emily.
I think this was an awesome listen, and I am impatient for the next book in the series to be released!
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
September 5, 2024
Real Rating: 3.25* of five
The Publisher Says: Fifteen years into a twenty-year voyage, war veteran Captain Throttle Reyne is looking forward to taking a break from dealing with malfunctions, glitches, and the hassles of monitoring a thousand colonists in cryo-sleep.
But when her colony ship breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Throttle and her crew must leave the colonists behind to search for help. They find a ship that's not only missing a crew… it's clearly not from their star system.
It's the discovery of a lifetime. All they need to do is tow the mysterious vessel back to their colony ship for further study and Throttle won't ever have to work again. One problem. While they're away, the colony ship is stolen—with the colonists still on board.
Throttle gives chase to a lawless star system on the outer rim. To get their colonists back, they must take on the pirates and ganglords who will do anything—and sell anyone—to make a buck.
They play dirty. But Throttle and her crew play dirtier.
Strap on your restraints and experience the start of this new space opera thrill ride. It's perfect for fans of Jay Allan, Jennifer Foehner Wells, and Star Wars.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Disabled woman very much in charge of a colony ship. A lot is made of her disability not holding her back...she's a gifted pilot, a stellar markswoman, a natural leader who inspires her crew to tremendous efforts and loyalty...but also shows her relishing zero-gee time as it lets her be free from her mobility devices. That's lovely, small piece of character development and world-building...we went to space, but can't fix everything...that I really liked.
The pace is good, the story is solid (though her error that costs the crew their passengers/cargo is a bit out of character), the prose is serviceable-plus but not dazzling or superior. I couldn't get the final mile to loving it. I do like it...I think Tales of the Ketty Jay or Firefly is a better comp than Star Wars...but I'll read the next one.
She wants $4.99 for a Kindle, or it's free to read on Kindle Unlimited.
The Publisher Says: Fifteen years into a twenty-year voyage, war veteran Captain Throttle Reyne is looking forward to taking a break from dealing with malfunctions, glitches, and the hassles of monitoring a thousand colonists in cryo-sleep.
But when her colony ship breaks down in the middle of nowhere, Throttle and her crew must leave the colonists behind to search for help. They find a ship that's not only missing a crew… it's clearly not from their star system.
It's the discovery of a lifetime. All they need to do is tow the mysterious vessel back to their colony ship for further study and Throttle won't ever have to work again. One problem. While they're away, the colony ship is stolen—with the colonists still on board.
Throttle gives chase to a lawless star system on the outer rim. To get their colonists back, they must take on the pirates and ganglords who will do anything—and sell anyone—to make a buck.
They play dirty. But Throttle and her crew play dirtier.
Strap on your restraints and experience the start of this new space opera thrill ride. It's perfect for fans of Jay Allan, Jennifer Foehner Wells, and Star Wars.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Disabled woman very much in charge of a colony ship. A lot is made of her disability not holding her back...she's a gifted pilot, a stellar markswoman, a natural leader who inspires her crew to tremendous efforts and loyalty...but also shows her relishing zero-gee time as it lets her be free from her mobility devices. That's lovely, small piece of character development and world-building...we went to space, but can't fix everything...that I really liked.
The pace is good, the story is solid (though her error that costs the crew their passengers/cargo is a bit out of character), the prose is serviceable-plus but not dazzling or superior. I couldn't get the final mile to loving it. I do like it...I think Tales of the Ketty Jay or Firefly is a better comp than Star Wars...but I'll read the next one.
She wants $4.99 for a Kindle, or it's free to read on Kindle Unlimited.
May 8, 2022
2.5 stars.
This is a very shallowly written book. It gripped me at the beginning with the disability representation, but as the chapters progressed, I felt more and more like I was missing information the author assumed I would have. And woe and behold, as I looked up Aukes's bibliography, Black Sheep is the first in a series, but the series is not the first in this universe. That would have been nice to know, but it was not indicated anywhere in the description.
Maybe most of the world building is done in the previous series, maybe it's not. I neither know nor intend to find out. What we do get in Black Sheep feels insufficient. Even after having finished the book, I have little understanding as to how this world is structured, how its technology operates, and what the hell is this war that all our characters supposedly fought for before boarding the Gabriela.
The characters, too, felt like they were probably developed in the previous series. Certainly they come in with pre-established relationships, especially between Throttle and Birk, but there is no depth of feeling and no sense of connection between any of them. Because of this, when what happens at the end happens, I was left with no particular feeling toward it one way or the other. Meh summarizes it pretty well, actually.
Rusty could be fun, but we leave him behind for half the book. His is the story that has the most mystery, and, therefore, the most potential. Also, I'm always down for some quirky sentient AI moments.
Throttle is the character we spend the most amount of time with, and she is... fine. Nothing special, inoffensive, and has some potential that is hopefully explored in later books.
The story is pretty bog standard. The villains are not particularly engaging.
Overall, I don't know if I will be continuing with the series.
This is a very shallowly written book. It gripped me at the beginning with the disability representation, but as the chapters progressed, I felt more and more like I was missing information the author assumed I would have. And woe and behold, as I looked up Aukes's bibliography, Black Sheep is the first in a series, but the series is not the first in this universe. That would have been nice to know, but it was not indicated anywhere in the description.
Maybe most of the world building is done in the previous series, maybe it's not. I neither know nor intend to find out. What we do get in Black Sheep feels insufficient. Even after having finished the book, I have little understanding as to how this world is structured, how its technology operates, and what the hell is this war that all our characters supposedly fought for before boarding the Gabriela.
The characters, too, felt like they were probably developed in the previous series. Certainly they come in with pre-established relationships, especially between Throttle and Birk, but there is no depth of feeling and no sense of connection between any of them. Because of this, when what happens at the end happens, I was left with no particular feeling toward it one way or the other. Meh summarizes it pretty well, actually.
Rusty could be fun, but we leave him behind for half the book. His is the story that has the most mystery, and, therefore, the most potential. Also, I'm always down for some quirky sentient AI moments.
Throttle is the character we spend the most amount of time with, and she is... fine. Nothing special, inoffensive, and has some potential that is hopefully explored in later books.
The story is pretty bog standard. The villains are not particularly engaging.
Overall, I don't know if I will be continuing with the series.
September 3, 2021
As hard as I tried I just couldn’t finish it. I really didn’t want to leave it as a DNF as I felt the book had potential but I just couldn’t force myself to finish the novel.
The beginning of the novel was amazing, I loved the decrepit ship that’s slowly breaking apart as the crew tries to both protect the cryogenic settlers and fix the ship. I could really relate to the crew and their quest.
However, once the book switched to the crew’s fight against a warlord I really lost interest. The characters became bland and one-dimensional as most of the novel focused on action rather than character development. There was also an improbable amount of action as what was initially described as an impossible situation was solved without bloodshed or effort. I also hated the universe and various human factions present as I found this didn’t mesh well with the beginning of the novel. It felt like two separate novels sloppily thrown together.
I put down the book 2/3rds of the way through so I cannot commend on the ending.
I don’t plan to continue the series but I will try Rebel's Call: A Military Sci-Fi Series co-written by Rachel Aukes and Jamie McFarlane.
The beginning of the novel was amazing, I loved the decrepit ship that’s slowly breaking apart as the crew tries to both protect the cryogenic settlers and fix the ship. I could really relate to the crew and their quest.
However, once the book switched to the crew’s fight against a warlord I really lost interest. The characters became bland and one-dimensional as most of the novel focused on action rather than character development. There was also an improbable amount of action as what was initially described as an impossible situation was solved without bloodshed or effort. I also hated the universe and various human factions present as I found this didn’t mesh well with the beginning of the novel. It felt like two separate novels sloppily thrown together.
I put down the book 2/3rds of the way through so I cannot commend on the ending.
I don’t plan to continue the series but I will try Rebel's Call: A Military Sci-Fi Series co-written by Rachel Aukes and Jamie McFarlane.
March 26, 2022
Meet Throttle Reyne. Be prepared to be impressed.
It has been a few years since I read (and thoroughly enjoyed) the Fringe series. But along the way, I purchased the Flight of the Javelin series and the Bounty Hunter series, which resided unread on my Kindle until yesterday. Having just finished Black Sheep, it has been great to get reacquainted with Throttle Reyne, one of the best developed female characters and main protagonist of this series.
With Black Sheep, the reader is invited into a fully realized world unlike any other in the universe of action-packed space thrillers. From the start, Throttle is confronted with an increasingly hostile progression of events, each of which has to be handled with skill and courage. And Rachel Aukes, as usual, draws the reader into the center of the storm of events that will make it hard to find time to sleep or eat proper meals.
While the first book in a trilogy, this is a stand-alone. But purchasing the other two so as to be able to pick up the story arc that was (almost) concluded by the end of this one means the reader can smoothly transition into the next story.
It has been a few years since I read (and thoroughly enjoyed) the Fringe series. But along the way, I purchased the Flight of the Javelin series and the Bounty Hunter series, which resided unread on my Kindle until yesterday. Having just finished Black Sheep, it has been great to get reacquainted with Throttle Reyne, one of the best developed female characters and main protagonist of this series.
With Black Sheep, the reader is invited into a fully realized world unlike any other in the universe of action-packed space thrillers. From the start, Throttle is confronted with an increasingly hostile progression of events, each of which has to be handled with skill and courage. And Rachel Aukes, as usual, draws the reader into the center of the storm of events that will make it hard to find time to sleep or eat proper meals.
While the first book in a trilogy, this is a stand-alone. But purchasing the other two so as to be able to pick up the story arc that was (almost) concluded by the end of this one means the reader can smoothly transition into the next story.
June 27, 2020
This was a solid space opera that I really enjoyed reading. The world building was fantastic and appropriately revealed through character interactions as needed for understand the context of the story, leaving enough mystery to pull you deeper into the world and keep you engaged. Although not eactly a character driven story, the development of the protagonists was enough to drive the action (no hero's arc here) ... which is really what the bulk of the story consists of ... action ... which was generally well executed all the way up to the end; the final scene should have either been in a epilogue or at the beginning of the next book; so I docked it a star just because you pissed me off. So if you are looking for a good story where the heros win and ride happily off into the sunset, skip this one. If you don't mind killing off major characters with events that do nothing to advance the current plot ... this one might be for you.
I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
December 14, 2020
Fun action!
I get several books at a time, based on their description and then I pick the one book that seems more promising, the one with the most potential for being good, I read it and I'm either satisfied I chose a good one or disappointed it was a bad one, by then I forgot about the details about the other books I got and why I got 'em, so in this case I just thought of starting Black Sheep, not having any expectations about it. Black Sheep turned out to be a nice surprise, non-stop action right from the start, I enjoyed the fast pace and I read it faster than I thought I would, I was pleasantly surprised with how the story fell into place as it moved along the adventure, it almost felt like watching a Star Trek episode, the places and the science worked out perfectly, the use of Trappist 1 and Ross 128 planetary systems in the world building as events unfolded was a nice touch in the writing style, I really found Black Sheep worth the five stars I bestowed upon it, hands down.
I get several books at a time, based on their description and then I pick the one book that seems more promising, the one with the most potential for being good, I read it and I'm either satisfied I chose a good one or disappointed it was a bad one, by then I forgot about the details about the other books I got and why I got 'em, so in this case I just thought of starting Black Sheep, not having any expectations about it. Black Sheep turned out to be a nice surprise, non-stop action right from the start, I enjoyed the fast pace and I read it faster than I thought I would, I was pleasantly surprised with how the story fell into place as it moved along the adventure, it almost felt like watching a Star Trek episode, the places and the science worked out perfectly, the use of Trappist 1 and Ross 128 planetary systems in the world building as events unfolded was a nice touch in the writing style, I really found Black Sheep worth the five stars I bestowed upon it, hands down.
July 21, 2020
Black Sheep is the story of a colony ship trying to get away from a war zone called the Trappist System. 15 years into the 20 year voyage the ship has a critical failure. The crew has dealt with multiple failures along the way but this one will kill all the colonists in hibernation as well as the crew. The crew tries to find help, along the way they find an abandoned ship with a lonely AI who is happy to have some crew again. Meanwhile, pirates have taken their ship and the colonists to a space station run by a brother and sister.
The two sides of the space station do not agree on everything, but anything found goes to the finder. The colonists in hibernation become property of the pirates. They are going to have to fight the government, the guard and many others to get the colonists back.
The two sides of the space station do not agree on everything, but anything found goes to the finder. The colonists in hibernation become property of the pirates. They are going to have to fight the government, the guard and many others to get the colonists back.
January 5, 2021
A solid start to this series
An always interesting adventure. 3.5 methinks by virtue of an exciting last third of the story. I am hooked enough to want to read the next in the series. Some pretty horrible bad guys/girls and imperfect but sympathetic main characters. Not everyone is destined to embark on the next instalment of the saga, which means that this does not descend into fairy tale ending territory. The ship's "computer" may be tending towards sentience? Which adds an extra element In the whole plenty to look forward to....
I feel that there are many other examples of space opera out there at least as good as this - in the past I would probably have said this was 4 stars but I am now trying to reserve 5 stars for absolutely memorable and 4 stars for significantly better than the norm. 3 stars is well worth a read.
An always interesting adventure. 3.5 methinks by virtue of an exciting last third of the story. I am hooked enough to want to read the next in the series. Some pretty horrible bad guys/girls and imperfect but sympathetic main characters. Not everyone is destined to embark on the next instalment of the saga, which means that this does not descend into fairy tale ending territory. The ship's "computer" may be tending towards sentience? Which adds an extra element In the whole plenty to look forward to....
I feel that there are many other examples of space opera out there at least as good as this - in the past I would probably have said this was 4 stars but I am now trying to reserve 5 stars for absolutely memorable and 4 stars for significantly better than the norm. 3 stars is well worth a read.
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