Crucible: Records of the Argos

by Michael J. Farlow

The Arkon war is over and gone. Nick Hall, and his small crew of the Argos are tasked by Consortium intelligence to investigate the inner regions of the old Arkon empire and learn why ships are disappearing. They travel in a crappy looking old cargo ship called the Argos. Except the Argos is not what she appears. On the inside, she was redesigned to have an assortment of advanced capabilities to both assist and protect her on her voyage. Early in her undertaking, she and the weird AI who assists the crew both undergo a mysterious change caused by something unknown. What happens takes the ship, the crew and their AI on an adventure they were not prepared for.

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 16, 2021

About the author

Mike is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis. He served a career as a Navy combat pilot and in senior positions on staffs in Washington, D.C. Following his military service, he filled a number of positions in aerospace systems engineering in several Fortune 500 companies. In a desire to help people develop he earned a PhD in Organizational Leadership and started a leadership development company for coaching and training.

Writing was a survival process in his doctoral work and from that came the well-received non-fiction book Leaders are Made Not Born. That writing and publishing experience lead to his desire to write fiction which he now enjoys in his free time . . . when, of course, he is not also enjoying salt water fishing.


In his Blog, he is detailing the adventure of his science fiction writing plus updates on his work. Take a look.

Reviews

[Literary Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crucible: Records of the Argos by Michael Farlow is a tense, space-faring story that follows Nick Hall and his crew aboard the Argos as they investigate strange ship disappearances in a nearby system. Throughout the story, Nick finds himself in danger as he seeks to uncover who, or better yet, what kind of powerful organization, is seeking to collect these ships and wield them. When their backs are to the wall and all of the cards are on the table, will Nick and his friends choose the moral high ground, or will they follow orders? The decision is a difficult one, but the fate of many rests with Nick and the crew of the Argos.

It is easy to tell that this author has had some military experience. Dealing with espionage, hostages, tense confrontations; it is in these moments that the author excels, creating a plot that is dripping with drama and tension. Further, he also does well to develop each of the main characters into well-rounded individuals, giving the reader no choice but to care deeply for them and their situation.

While the author excelled with his physical descriptions of the characters, as well as their motivations and personalities, I would have really enjoyed if that same descriptive power was applied to the settings visited in the story because what we are given is very interesting and I wanted more of it. There is a lot of opportunity in this sci-fi thriller for exotic and varying locales, but I understand as a significant portion of the story takes place onboard the Argos and various other ships.

I’ll be looking forward to the next installment of this story, hoping that Nick is able to take on another mission, or maybe we can see another ship and their crew adventure through this galaxy that seems to be full of unique and compelling characters.

Crucible: Records of the Argos is a spellbinding space opera that takes readers on an action packed adventure through space. With intriguing characters at every turn, what I like most about this lively science fiction story is that it never forgets to entertain the reader.

[Jim Aldrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing sci-fi tale! Fast paced plot, full of adventure and with twists and intrigue. Characters are well developed, ones you can relate to. The book is full of space battle action that is well described, putting the reader smack dab in the middle of the fights! The first person narrative is novel, and pulls the reader into the story. Highly recommended for anyone who likes sci-fi! Thoroughly enjoyed the book; can't wait for a sequel!