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ExoRok Rebels #1

Prometheus Outbound: ExoRok Rebels Book 1

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Noemi Ochana never wanted to be a rebel leader ...
... but like any spacer, she rarely gets what she wants.

It's hard enough being the only female cargo foreman--make that forewoman--on Aikkan Station. Sure, she can pilot a mech with the best of them, and her team is made up of the finest mech pilots she could find. But when their boss runs afoul of the most ambitious Council Prince in the system, the repercussions are deadly--and they land squarely on Noemi's shoulders.

Accused of murder and in possession of an impenetrable secret, Noemi and her team are suddenly rebels on the run. Trapped on as stolen freighter and surrounded by the enemy fleet, their only hope is to plan a daring rescue right into the heart of enemy territory--the planet Aquitania.

With only their mechs as weapons, they must stage a daring rescue. If they fail, they're as good as dead. But if they succeed, they could alter the balance of power throughout the system--and maybe even the entire Empire.

A rebel leader, her unlikely team, and a handful of modified cargo mechs are all that stand between a chance at freedom... or certain death.

328 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 12, 2020

98 people are currently reading
69 people want to read

About the author

Steve Ruskin

37 books29 followers

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5 stars
63 (57%)
4 stars
30 (27%)
3 stars
11 (10%)
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3 (2%)
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3 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for saintlouis.
133 reviews
September 2, 2020
It's been a very long time since I found a story that I couldn't put down. I read this in one sitting, powerful storytelling and pacing. This is a story of family, comradery and redemption. A most enjoyable read.
Profile Image for Jonathan Gardner.
71 reviews2 followers
April 7, 2024
The plot and setting have a good framework. But ruined by insufferable characters. The protagonists are a collection of idiots with misplaced priorities, rewarded for objectively bad decisions, and benefit from absurd plot armor. The villain is cartoonishly evil and not in an interesting way. Plus, he's a moron, which raises the question of how did he get to his station in the first place.
Profile Image for Charl.
1,514 reviews7 followers
December 11, 2021
This was pretty darn good! The story grabbed me from practically the first page, and never let up. Fast-paced, exciting, and plausibly depicted. I'll have to read the second one.

And this is how to do a series; there's obviously more to the story, but the first book stands on its own, with a clear, definite ending. Not just the first part of the whole story, cut arbitrarily cut into volumes. Well done, Mr. Ruskin!
Profile Image for TaniaRina.
1,589 reviews117 followers
May 14, 2023
Had me even before the book began…
“Spacers are born free, yet everywhere they are in chains.”
—Jean-Jacques Rousseau

The balance of power gets upset when members of the working class begin earning enough to buy a politician’s seat. The “haves” then feel threatened because they are no longer elite and they perceive that the previous “have-nots” will begin making changes to the status quo.


I appreciate that the author added in a wee bit about survivor’s guilt. Even the living do not walk away from tragic events unscathed.

Look up the history of the names for our appliances and see what you can learn. The author brings up an example in here – pretty cool!


Some sage advice from the author:
Always, always be prepared to defend yourself.
Are you #TeamChuck or #TeamBruce?

Fave quotes:
‘Criminals? I prefer rebels.’
‘Gaining power is easy. You simply have to make someone else give you theirs.’


With a shout out to Maximilien Robespierre's “The secret to freedom lies in educating people, whereas the secret of tyranny lies in keeping them ignorant”, we’ll continue reading on to see ‘Asgard Reborn’.
3 reviews
June 2, 2023
HOLD ON FOR THE "REAL RIDE OF YOUR SY/FY LIFE!"

I DO NOT WANT TO GIVE AWAY TOO MUCH HERE. SUFFICE IT TO SAY NO ONE WHOM LOVES A GREAT SY/FY STORY WILL INDEED LOVE FOLLOWING THE CREW ON THEIR SPACE ADVENTURE. THE LAST OF THE STORY SETS YOU UP FOR EVEN MORE EXCITEMENT. SO HOLD ON TIGHT, GET ENOUGH SLEEP CAUSE YOU WON'T WANT TO PUT THE STORY DOWN. NOW I'M OFF FOR MORE ADVENTURE WITH MY EXO/ROCK REBELS AND THEIR 'BOSS LADY'.
FAIR WINDS MY DEEP SPACE LOVING FELLOW READER'S. 73'S TO Y'ALL.
5 reviews1 follower
September 12, 2020
This book was very easy to read, hard to put down. The characters, their team, and the storyline flowed to get the reader involved with little effort.

I’ll be waiting for the next story when they reach the Outer Zone, in exile but feisty, pressing their efforts to beat their oppressors to a valuable commodity to tip the balance of power in an empire.
537 reviews2 followers
March 19, 2025
what a great story I will read next book in this series

I'm amazed that this author can write so many fantastic novels, I hope that he never stops writing. His books are some of the best Entertainment  I have read and worth the time to read them. Thank you for a very fun entertaining read.
Profile Image for Sean Golden.
Author 5 books19 followers
August 22, 2020
Noemi Ochana is moving up in the galaxy since we saw her last. She's got her own crew and a reputation as a top mech team lead. But she's also got a knack for finding trouble. And this time her whole crew is part of it. Prometheus Outbound raises the stakes to interstellar levels, as Noemi ends up involved in a royal plot to change the balance of power in the galaxy. Will she succeed? Will she survive? Will her team? This story will keep you guessing to the end.
44 reviews
April 5, 2024
This was a fun read. The plot was fun to follow, not knowing what exactly was going to happen next. Characters weren't entirely predictable, with odd characteristics and flaws or interests popping up here and there.
The story is an outsider taken on as part of a crew on the space ship, not realizing what she is getting into, and her slow realization about what is really happening with the ship and its travels.
Definitely a good book to read.
1 review
August 22, 2020
A no spoilers review. Want to know what it’s like to be a blue-collar worker in space? Boom! You’ve got it! This story makes you feel like this is how Ripley from Aliens got her start! Fun and exciting, and very hard to put down. Coffee break is over! Now go put on your mech suit, and go read this book. I hope you enjoy it like I did.
181 reviews1 follower
May 28, 2022
This is quite an adventure! It has great characters. The main character Noemi Ochana carries the day with her great crew. They work well together and are hilarious at times. It has a feel good, swashbuckling ending.
Profile Image for Terry M.
560 reviews10 followers
May 11, 2023
A great follow on from the Devil's Broker prequel. Good, likeable characters with a well thought out storyline. I found it very entertaining, easy to read and plenty of action throughout. Looking forward to reading Asgard Reborn.
Profile Image for Scott Shjefte.
2,251 reviews75 followers
June 9, 2023
Mech driver forewoman becomes a leader in a rebellion. The oversized monster was an unbelievable inclusion in the story and the story would have been better without it. Purchased this item on May 25, 2023, from Amazon for free.
Profile Image for Doris Stillings.
264 reviews1 follower
September 8, 2023
Space adventure

This was a good book about a rescue mission of a prince. Another prince trying to gain total control over the planetary system they are in. Very exciting. Loved the book. Hu
Profile Image for Nate.
305 reviews
June 18, 2024
Antagonists are over the top, scenes are inconsistent (scary drones just disappear), mechs seem more handicap than help, arbitrary events... I found myself no longer rooting for the heroes and just rolling my eyes to get through another chapter.
15 reviews1 follower
September 27, 2024
Great sci-fi adventure. Get this one now!

This was a fun read. It started a little slow, but once it got going, it took off like a rocket. Great story, good character development, and lots of twists and turns. Can't wait to read the next one.
Profile Image for Bill.
2,454 reviews18 followers
December 5, 2020
A good space opera with some characters to pull for and a couple we'll love to hate. Plenty of action keeps things moving along. Next book please.
417 reviews2 followers
May 29, 2023
Well done

In the future things are the same as now. Greed and power rule everything. And people will do anything to get both. I enjoyed this book greatly. Keep up the good work.
41 reviews1 follower
January 5, 2025
excellent space opera

A quite good little space opera. I really enjoyed the way the characters acted. There will be more to this story and I will read it!
Profile Image for Ziggy Nixon.
1,167 reviews36 followers
July 29, 2020
3.5+ stars that certainly earned the round up (I usually start most series with a round DOWN until I get into the next chapters, but this was good stuff)! A good start to what I hope will be a fun - and quickly released - series!

Despite the somewhat false advertising - the book isn't nearly as 'mech-centric' as you'd think either from the promo or the cover - this was just the kind of scifi tale I was looking for! Ruskin manages to both quickly establish his Universe and main players without 'pausing' more than for a few moments at the beginning before things really take off! I don't want to give the false impression by saying its a one-sitting read but it managed that simply by being that good and really full of top-notch action! There's some really fun fighting that goes on, from the SPOILER prison break to even the ego face-off and prisoner hand-over right before the last scenes!

I think the biggest compliment I could give in this case - again without knowing anything about where this series is heading - is that the book itself doesn't try to do too much with what's available for us - the viewers - to absorb. The reality we see here is believable and it is, for lack of a better word, digestible in the amount of pages we have before us. Too many times than I can count, particularly in the scifi genre, too many authors are anxious to create a 'hard' technical tale without having the structure there to support that. And frankly, I don't care if a story is a little 'soft' as long as it entertains me and makes me look forward for more!

In addition, the ending is handled very well, with enough hints provided for what could prove to be some really killer scenes in coming chapters along with enough closure this time around to not make me feel... well, cheated is a good word... with what we got this time! So for me: highly recommended, especially for fans of Jake Bible (the man does mechs well!!!) and even Jim C. Hines scifi tales (eg Terminal Uprising). Enjoy!
Profile Image for AR bee.
242 reviews5 followers
November 19, 2020
Ahhhhh, Space Opera. It’s a traditional SciFi format, but well handled by Steve Rankin.

Expanding on the prequel Short Story, Devil’s Broker, Prometheus Outbound and the coming series books will follow the Crew to new adventures and struggles against the empire. Buckle up, set the Cloaking, and enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews

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