Galaxy Run

Last Stand #1

by Joshua James

TWO (MOSTLY) HONEST BOUNTY HUNTERS. ONE UNIMAGINABLE ALIEN SECRET.

When deep space bounty hunters Gunn and Salvo chase down a teenager linked to the catastrophic loss of a space station, everything about the job feels off.

For starters, the stolen ship is full of priceless treasures from humanity's lost past.

And then there's the target itself. It ain't quite human, at least not like anybody has seen before.

But the biggest red flag of them all? Honest people are lying.

So Gunn and Salvo do the one thing they swore they would never do on a job: Get curious.

Before they know it, they're the ones on the run with a bounty on their heads ... and the fate of humanity in their hands.

Galaxy Run is a sci-fi thriller featuring a pair of unforgettable bounty hunters, a not-so-innocent teenager, and a sadistic enemy hellbent on destruction.

If you like your sci-fi packed with pulse-pounding action, JUMP IN.

Genres: Science Fiction

318 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 31, 2021

Reviews

[Herschel Blackburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am fairly new to Joshua James (and Daniel Young) stories but have become a huge fan. This story, while well told is not one of my favorites. I don't like horror stories and there is more than a hint of horror here. Most of all in my 60 years of reading SF I have never liked mind control stories and that is a central part of the story line. The main characters leave me a little cool as well. Gunnison is the kind of arrogant thoughtless person I have always tried to avoid. Salvo is kind of bland but also a bit of a mystery and I have high hopes for her further development. Mr Grey is a sterotype evil villain. The saving grace of characters in this story is Regency Walker. She is unique and intriguing mixture of teenage girl, machine and more. I am eager to see what Joshua makes of her. I had a hard time deciding on a star rating. I first gave it 3 stars but ultimately decided not to penalize the author that heavily for my personal dislikes.

[Michael Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read and reviewed about forty books so far by Mr. James, and can honestly say he is one of my very favorite authors. He has graciously provided an advanced copy of this book – this review is my honest opinion – I had pre-ordered a copy to support his efforts. This new series follows the exploits of Creek (Gunn) Gunnison and Uma Salvo, partners in deep space bounty hunting. Their relationship was a testy dog- and cat-like alliance that somehow met their needs. Gunn, a big, brawny guy, was always ready to jump into an iffy situation with little or no forethought, often coming out on the short end of a fight; Salvo would hold back to think things through before acting, warning Gunn to stop, and was good at letting Gunn know she ‘told him so’, when he didn’t.

In responding to a vague warrant to apprehend a space ship thief, they capture a teenaged girl, Regency (Ren) Walker, who is part human, part electronically modified, running away from the space settlement on Kri, because of a strange man named Grey. She pleaded that she would rather be shot dead than to have to again face Grey, whose ship she had stolen. Salvo had an eye implant that allowed her to detect more than just visible characteristics; she wanted to question Ren to learn more about her situation. Gunn, on the other hand, insisted they turn her over to the federal police at the Ilium space station. Grey, who arrived to claim his ship, called himself an Ambassador, without going into details, and was described as beautiful, with an otherworldly appearance. Salvo was unable to identify what he was, certainly not human. They were tipped off that Grey could completely take control of anyone he touched, and make them do anything, including kill themselves, at his whim. He took control of some of the police hierarchy so he could do as he pleased. Ren was the only being he had not been able to control, so he set her as a target for elimination, before he could move on to his real purpose: to find a map which would lead a powerful race only identified as the Dolus, back to Earth, for unspecified reasons. Can our friends release Ren from prison and escape Grey’s sinister plan?

This is a well-written story with strong characters who depend on one another for help. There is lots of action and even some humorous scenes that kept me interested, turning pages to find out what happened next. This is part of a series, so the scene is set very well for the next part of the adventures. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I’ve already pre-ordered the next book. If you like deep space adventures, try this one – you’ll likely become a fan!

[Philip Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odd couple survives by recovering goods and people until one deal feels off - 4.5 stars

Captain Creek Gunnison is the captain of a two-person space enterprise. Gunn is quick to take action even when he knows that he has a stupid idea. Gunn's partner, Uma Salvo, provides the brains for the business and has an ocular implant that gets timely data directly from the net. In spite of their differences, this couple has worked together for several years. They bicker like an old married couple even though they are, well, not connected.

When the simple job of capturing a hijacked spaceship finds only a young woman at the helm, Gunn and Salvo both have second thoughts about turning the girl over to the authorities.

There is at least one person whose mere touch turns humans into mind slaves. The arch-villian, Ambassador Daedalus Grey, has the ability to make the military command structure do his bidding and then some.

Mr. Grey offers to pay a large reward to a credit card and then manages to clean out the payee's account and invalidate that person's id. Gunn and Salvo convince a few people to help them but there are still acquaintances who will gladly accept great wealth in exchange for their friends.

Innovating by necessity and surviving by any means possible are the basic skills that keep Gunn and Salvo alive. Reports of their deaths are premature. Galaxy Run allows glimpses of a future when synthetic people and synthetic food are common for people living on the frontier of space.

[Douglas Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our hero and heroine a just looking to make a buck, but get mixed up in something much larger, and far more serious, then they ever imaged. Running away seems like a good plan, but it just is not going to work this time...

This is book one of the series, so a fine place to start.

This is a science fiction story set is space with an almost horror edge to it. The story is well written and easy to read with a well developed cast of characters. I like our hero and heroine (well, both heroines I should say). Clearly the brains is on the female side in this story. In any case, the story is full of action and moves at a good pace leaving you very little time to rest. And I have to say the bad guy in this one is downright creepy, not someone you would want to meet on a well lite street, let alone a dark alley. Overall, the story was very enjoyable and quite engaging. I am definitely looking forward to the next book.

Highly recommended.

I received an ARC from the author for review pursposes.

[M.H. Thaung]

This fast-paced space adventure is the first in a series featuring a pair of bounty hunters with interesting pasts. It seems that in taking on a new mission, they bite off more than they can chew.

The prose was clear and easy to read. There were only a couple of typos that I noticed. We see the story through the viewpoints of the two main characters as well as a selection of others. This includes the villain, who seems to be evil and sadistic through and through.

I liked that both Gunn and Salvo obviously have pasts that made them who they are today, but we didn't get bogged down in their backstory. And much of the time their driving motivations are personal—it just so happens they're trying to save the world (or equivalent) at the same time.

There was a bit of a reliance on lucky coincidences or people having a change of heart when help was needed. In a few spots, I wasn't massively convinced by people's reasoning. Still, it was an engaging romp and I was happy to go along for the ride.

[Elaine Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars
Joshua James has always been a favorite author of mine, needless to say this book is another wild one. I have read literally dozens of his works alone and with his partner in space crime, Daniel Young. This book proves to be a very well written, with tight characters development, and some from other books you will know if you are a follower like I am.
Here we start off with a teenage girl doing what many teenage girls do to get away from something awful, running away. But instead of stealing the car , she steals the ship. Yep, she stole the space ship. Things do not go her way and she is captured and put in prison. With out giving away I will leave you with this, LOTS of Action, LOTS of twists, and a great adventure weekend read!

Elaine Bishop
cre8tivehands@yahoo.com

[Lori Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received as an ARC copy, this is an honest review. Right from the haunting beginning of this journey, Joshua James once again demonstrates his ability to craft an absolutely addictive first book of this spectacular new series. The mysterious character of Daedalus Grey is an enemy you don't want on your trail, determined and merciless dispatching those he deems as a threat in a disturbing fashion. This is the man hunting Uma Salvo and Creek Gunnison face off against after they fulfill a posted warrant for wayward ship, Regency Walker... a very unique individual at the center of this epic thriller ride. Wild secrets and a layered plot that delivers many unbelievable twists. Highly recommended.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book and this is my voluntary review. To be honest this is not one of my favorite stories by this talented duo.... Horror is my least favorite genre of fiction... and the "bad guy" in this definitely would not be out of place there... he gives me the creeps! That said I did finish the book and will read subsequent books in the series for the reasons I have enjoyed other books by this prolific pair... lots and lots of action, diverse characters and a fast moving plot... in particular I really look forward to seeing where they take Regency's character. I also felt there might be some echoes of Kill Joys :) It does end with a bit of a cliff hanger but there isn't usually long to wait between releases from James/Young.

[Matthew W Seniff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book one of the Gunn & Salvo series. To begin with the characters are well developed and finely tuned becoming more so with every scene. World building is very good and continues to be well done as the plot progresses and the main characters travel their galaxy. Action sequences are particularly well written, obviously a strength of this author’s craft. This is not your average space opera but it’s a well written book regardless of genre. I recommend this book to all readers who are looking for action and adventure fused with a powerful imagination.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in a new series by Joshua James. The author does a good job in developing the main characters. The protagonists are interesting and a little annoying at times (in a good way). The main antagonist has aspects of mild ‘horror’ or possibly ‘mysticism’ (hopefully that will become clearer in book two), which I intend to buy in August when it comes out. I found the world building to be a little uneven and it could use some work in book two. I’ve read quite a few of the authors books and this one is a promising start to the new series. I gave it 4 stars for the storyline and the main character development.

[Luc · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read a lot of Joshua's work and throughout this one, I kept wondering if this entire book could not have been condensed into a short story. The situations are repetitive, the plot is sometimes confusing and the characters are so far-fetched that it falls out of science fiction. A human/AI/teen, a 3 armed and 3 legged partner, an attacking apple and mirror, a chime mob, etc... 3 Stars is the maximum I can give. However, imagination and creativity such as this could appeal to another crop of readers, but not this reader.

[Christinaraven · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. In it we meet Gunn and Salvo, 2 normal bounty hunters who end up caught up in a crazy adventure mystery that sends them running for their lives and trying to figure out what is going on. I was hooked from the beginning and entertained the whole story. Had to see how it all figured together and how it would play out. And how Gunn and Salvo would figure it all out. Just a good story that drew me in.

[Mick Bird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting start

The first book of this series started with a few twist and turns. Gunn and Salvo thought that the quick capture of a young woman would be just what they needed to restock their ship. But it's not going to be that simple, it never is for them. The young woman is hunted by a man who has unbelievable powers, and it ends with them on the run from one station to another.

[Mark Ingamells · Rating 3 out of 5]

Few of these characters are nice

I must be getting old, but I hardly warmed to anyone in this book. I did, however, definitely not like the first bad guy. His boss? I'm not so sure about either. The heroes are less than wholesome and at times unpleasant, but then, most humans come in that category. A lot of action, suspense and a number of twists that are not the most convincing. It's Sci Fi after all.

[thomas roberson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review of:: Galaxy Run (Gun and a salvo Book 1)

Well for one thing, it was easy reading. I thought the concept of the story was great. The characters were a bit weak and the fact that we're through book one and have any idea what or who are the adversaries! A little work on the characters and the enemies are .

[Mark J. McArthur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great space opera, first installment of new adventure.

Gunnison and Salvo had an uncomplicated existence as space bounty hunters, until the fateful day they took the warrant that lead to their netting with Regency Walker. Afterwards, things got more interesting and a lot more complicated.

[Robert Rozell II · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book, it was a fun old school sci-fi style that I grew up reading.

The plot is good and it leaves you guessing, which makes for an interesting read, I like how the character's flaws are out front and how they deal with them.

The writing is way above average. This promises to be a fun series.

[David Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sci-fi horror story?

This novel has everything you could want. A sci-fi action story to keep you anxiously turning the pages; A goofy underdog main character, and an unstoppable foe. All with just a hint of a classic horror story. I don't think I've read anything like it. But I enjoyed every page.

[Londyn Tran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went in with high hopes but came out feeling a bit underwhelmed. The premise was strong, but it felt like it ran out of steam midway through. The pacing was slow, and I struggled to stay engaged. The ending was somewhat predictable, though still enjoyable. It’s okay, but not as exciting as I anticipated.

[Joseph K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book and characters

These were interesting characters that were working through a challenging universe. The bad folks were interesting, and so were the main characters. I liked the action, adventure, and the locations in the story. I enjoyed this book and recommend it.

[Asiaman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any book by Joshua and\or Daniel Young will be a winner. Their writing is super and the stories are good. 2 main characters in this book (Gunnison and his female partner Salvo) both are fleshed out very well and you get to know them. Good plot and good reading.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!

I knew I found a great book when the main character used the phrase grok! A bit horrifying but mostly fantastic non-stop action and a delicious amount of sarcasm. Have just preordered the sequal.

[Michelle L. Reeve · Rating 5 out of 5]

An odd team of bounty hunters with a conscience that trouble seems to fun. This entire series is great and has a little bit of everything…action, adventure, mystery, romance (or lack of), humor. A fun read!

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Different Take

It’s interesting and characters are sufficiently defined. The story is paced well and not boring. I’m not sure how I will end up liking the series, but I like the first book enough to read the second.

[Stuart Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good read

Once you get into it, the story just flies.
I'm now off to get book two.
To my immediate knowledge, this is the first time I've read something from this author. I was not disappointed.

[Gail Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the author.

This is the first book in what promises to be a good series.

I sat down to read it and before I knew it I was halfway through.

Now on to book 2.

[Phil Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good quick read

Pretty good character development with a few exceptions. The relationship between Gunny and Salvo is strange, but it works. The mind-controller, Grey, is mysterious but his goal is to get to Earth. This seems to be simple but eludes him.

[Ruth Hubbard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked parts of this, but overall it didn’t live up to the hype. There were some beautiful moments and clever twists, but I found the ending predictable and a bit rushed. A decent read, but not one I’d rush to recommend.

[A.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like classic science fiction "space opera" thrillers, READ THIS!

Excellent world-building; great characters; chilling tale that “grabs” the reader as the pages fly. Can’t wait to read more!

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing first book in another great series A perfect scifi that will absolutely grab your attention , leaving you wanting more of the same.