What do you think?
Rate this book
Relics of the Ancients #1
Starfighter Down
A rogue Overmind is on the loose.
A million souls hang in the balance.
The Solaran Defense Forces make the difficult decision to evacuate the colony of Robichar in order to avoid a direct confrontation. But when Captain Elya Nevers gets shot down during the evacuation, his squadron and the admiral in charge have to think fast to rescue their pilot before the Kryl overrun the system.
Fighting to survive in hostile territory, Captain Nevers discovers what the rampaging Overmind is really after—and it changes everything.
An extinct species known as the Telos fled the galaxy eons ago. What caused them to vanish in such a hurry? And more importantly, what ancient relics of alien power did they leave behind?
It’s fly or die in this space opera action adventure for fans of Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars, Honor Harrington, and Starcraft II.
A million souls hang in the balance.
The Solaran Defense Forces make the difficult decision to evacuate the colony of Robichar in order to avoid a direct confrontation. But when Captain Elya Nevers gets shot down during the evacuation, his squadron and the admiral in charge have to think fast to rescue their pilot before the Kryl overrun the system.
Fighting to survive in hostile territory, Captain Nevers discovers what the rampaging Overmind is really after—and it changes everything.
An extinct species known as the Telos fled the galaxy eons ago. What caused them to vanish in such a hurry? And more importantly, what ancient relics of alien power did they leave behind?
It’s fly or die in this space opera action adventure for fans of Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars, Honor Harrington, and Starcraft II.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 5, 2021
455 people are currently reading
302 people want to read
About the author
M.G. Herron
42 books93 followersM.G. Herron is the author of The Gunn Files, The Translocator Trilogy, and other stories of science fiction and fantasy.
His work is published both independently and through publishing houses such as Audible Studios and Aethon Books. Altogether Herron’s novels have sold tens of thousands of copies.
Based in sunny Austin, Texas, MG’s alter ego, Matt, works for a product design agency as a content strategist. He enjoys traveling with his wife and their dog, hiking, rock climbing, and making up stories.
Learn more at mgherron.com.
His work is published both independently and through publishing houses such as Audible Studios and Aethon Books. Altogether Herron’s novels have sold tens of thousands of copies.
Based in sunny Austin, Texas, MG’s alter ego, Matt, works for a product design agency as a content strategist. He enjoys traveling with his wife and their dog, hiking, rock climbing, and making up stories.
Learn more at mgherron.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
January 8, 2022
Fantastic beginnings of a promising new series! Review to come soon.
September 28, 2021
If you want a fast-paced sci-fi book, read this! The characters are great, the world building is awesome and the story itself is just COOL. This is definitely worth the read!
June 5, 2023
Fun read. Elements of READY PLAYER ONE and STAR CRAFT.
September 22, 2021
Oh my gosh! Fly by the seat of your pants all the way from start to finish! I want my own hedgbot! Wonderful story, I can't wait for book 2!
April 3, 2022
Yuck
Don`t like horror stories disguised as science fiction! Won`t be reading any more of this series and probably nothing more by this author.
Don`t like horror stories disguised as science fiction! Won`t be reading any more of this series and probably nothing more by this author.
August 1, 2022
Ok
It's a scanner.... I like books that make me read every word so I don't miss some important detail. Books like this I can scan,get the gist and move on...boring.
It's a scanner.... I like books that make me read every word so I don't miss some important detail. Books like this I can scan,get the gist and move on...boring.
October 19, 2022
Oh, how I do like a good original Sci-Fi story, and Elya Nevers is just like any other man determined to do his best, even if it means disobeying orders to prove himself. But one surprise pulled by the enemy sends his starfighter crashing to Robinchar’s surface, the planet below. This is where he crash-lands and opens a can of worms that would plague him and the Solaran empire.
I like the world-building, the character development, and the terms of the race. The arms race, that is, between the Solarans and the Kryl races for the ancient artifacts left behind by the Telos. Then there is the attitude of Admiral Kira Miyaru, who puts the political situation into focus and makes me feel like it could be present-day politics.
A hedgebot! A boy and his dog, a boy and his droid. Reminds me of another story and puts the extra icing on this for me to give it five out of five stars. Other Sci-Fi readers might want to peruse this author’s words and see for themselves.
I like the world-building, the character development, and the terms of the race. The arms race, that is, between the Solarans and the Kryl races for the ancient artifacts left behind by the Telos. Then there is the attitude of Admiral Kira Miyaru, who puts the political situation into focus and makes me feel like it could be present-day politics.
A hedgebot! A boy and his dog, a boy and his droid. Reminds me of another story and puts the extra icing on this for me to give it five out of five stars. Other Sci-Fi readers might want to peruse this author’s words and see for themselves.
November 8, 2022
I wasn't overly impressed. This doesn't mean it's a bad book, it just wasn't for me. It had an interesting premise but there were too many flashbacks to his past for continuity of the storyline. I'd read about 44% of the book when I finally gave up. In addition, the previous war kept slipping back into the story until it convoluted the story and made it hard to follow. It had an interesting premise but there were too many glitch like problems.
On the plus side, it had a good premise, if you can ignore the problems, you'll probably enjoy the book. It just wasn't interesting enough for me to stick with.
On the plus side, it had a good premise, if you can ignore the problems, you'll probably enjoy the book. It just wasn't interesting enough for me to stick with.
December 6, 2021
Not Quite What I Expected
The storyline was more gruesome than anticipated from reading the preview. As is typical with most stories which include insectoid beings, these were portrayed as vicious cruel beings. If you’re not ready for that level of animosity then you might prefer a different book. The storyline does not end with this book, merely pauses providing the reader with the option to continue or not.
The storyline was more gruesome than anticipated from reading the preview. As is typical with most stories which include insectoid beings, these were portrayed as vicious cruel beings. If you’re not ready for that level of animosity then you might prefer a different book. The storyline does not end with this book, merely pauses providing the reader with the option to continue or not.
May 10, 2022
Starfighter down is one of those books that not only reminds you of classic series like Battlestar Galactica as well as movies like Star Wars, but Herron has really drawn on the essence of those old school games like Star Lancer and Wing Commander, in which you have a group of gritty pilots, all of them with their own little nuances and those few pilots who stand out as being superior, the ones you had to beat to win the game. Leading them is the venerable Commander of a higher rank (in this case an Admiral), who was a former fighter ace themselves, a veteran of a former campaign against the enemy they still face.
Herron has taken these storylines we all know and love, and made them his own, as we follow young fighter ace Elya Nevers (callsign Fancypants (and you can read why he has that and get the laugh yourself), as he and the members of his squad, Captain Casey Osprey, Nevers longtime friend and in a lot of ways, competitor, as they are both as good as each other, and drive each other to be the best. Here there is a lot of comparisons to things like Battlestar and Apollo and Starbuck, or even Luke and Biggs, that friendly rivalry that helps to push the pilots to be their best in the face of insurmountable odds. In the old games, there was always 1 or 2 game driven pilots that you had to fight to be better than for the position of ‘Wing Commander’ or ‘Star Lancer’ and Herron has really captured the spirit of this in his story.
As the story unfolds, the pilots are aboard the starship Paladin, under the command of Admiral Miyaru, at the planet Robichar, to evacuate a colony there, before the dreaded Kryl, a horrid alien race, can infest the planet and kill everyone on it.
The Kryl are a powerful insectoid type alien race, with a hive mentality, and multiple different creatures that perform different roles. However, they are not just mindless insects, controlled by a hive mind, they are highly intelligent creatures, and although linked to the hive, they are more than capable of acting independently, and passing learned knowledge back through the link, and thus in a way, educating the Hive. It makes for a powerful construct.
The Kryl do not use tech as such, growing all of their weapons, using biological weapons, and are able to grow ‘drones’ that can survive in vacuum, capable of space flight. For those that remember the expanded universe of Star Wars, there is a symbiosis here between the Kryl and the Yuuzhan Vong of the New Jedi Order Series that was so brilliant.
It is fighting one of these drones, one that is quite different to the others, that Nevers is shot down over the planet, and crashes.
And this breaks the story into a multi-faceted story from here, as we follow the different aspects of the Admiral trying to coordinate the evacuation, as well as deal with the Kryl threat, Osprey trying to deal with finding her friend, as well as some other issues, the search for Nevers, and of course, Nevers on the ground, trying to survive. Whilst on the ground, Nevers comes across a group of people that have not been evacuated, planning to stay, and this opens up a further storyline.
This is a fascinating story, one with an in-depth and well thought out storyline, Herron has already mapped out first 3 books in this series, and this shows in his story that is so well executed. His world building is exceptional, from the beautiful planet of Robichar, that he describes with such detail that you feel like you are standing on its surface at times, to the various decks of the Paladin gazing through the Admiral’s eyes through the viewscreen at either the planet, the fleet or the Kryl. Herron has done a stunning job of creating and describing the Kryl, they are creatures of such brutal ferocity, alien with their viscous jaws, and chitinous armour, but at the same time, Herron has rendered them with such impressive majesty at times, you can’t help but be in awe of them (right before you shoot them with a very big gun of course). Herron’s work is utterly captivating with regards to his world building and his alien constructs.
Just as impressive is the Character work, Elya is brilliant as the young pilot, a former refugee himself, trying desperately to accepted, to be the best, and at the end of the day, not realising, the only thing he is really fighting is himself. His character is both funny (the internal commentary, and his dialogue with his little robot ‘Hedgebot’ – which is another callout to epic partnerships like Luke/Anakin and R2D2 – are just hilarious), but there are other aspects of his character that are incredibly powerful (no spoilers), and have been done really well.
Just as much fun is Captain Casey Osprey, who is the embodiment of all of those fighter aces who are extraordinary, but have no impulse control, the Starbucks of the Sci-Fi world. Osprey is one of the best, with her Father having been an Inquisitor, kind of a Investigator and Judge for serious crimes, she does have a keen mind as well. Her character is clever, not the standard fighter ace, but again, I don’t want to give too much away.
There are so many other great characters in this story that I can’t mention without spoilers (The Admiral is just brilliant!), but this is one of those books, that once you start reading it, you can’t stop, as you get so wrapped in the story, and engaged with the characters. It would make for a stunning story as part of one of those old school games, but with modern day graphics. As it is, this is one series that is gritty, and compelling, with a fun story that is not only entertaining, but intelligent and engaging as well. One of the must reads of 2021!!
Herron has taken these storylines we all know and love, and made them his own, as we follow young fighter ace Elya Nevers (callsign Fancypants (and you can read why he has that and get the laugh yourself), as he and the members of his squad, Captain Casey Osprey, Nevers longtime friend and in a lot of ways, competitor, as they are both as good as each other, and drive each other to be the best. Here there is a lot of comparisons to things like Battlestar and Apollo and Starbuck, or even Luke and Biggs, that friendly rivalry that helps to push the pilots to be their best in the face of insurmountable odds. In the old games, there was always 1 or 2 game driven pilots that you had to fight to be better than for the position of ‘Wing Commander’ or ‘Star Lancer’ and Herron has really captured the spirit of this in his story.
As the story unfolds, the pilots are aboard the starship Paladin, under the command of Admiral Miyaru, at the planet Robichar, to evacuate a colony there, before the dreaded Kryl, a horrid alien race, can infest the planet and kill everyone on it.
The Kryl are a powerful insectoid type alien race, with a hive mentality, and multiple different creatures that perform different roles. However, they are not just mindless insects, controlled by a hive mind, they are highly intelligent creatures, and although linked to the hive, they are more than capable of acting independently, and passing learned knowledge back through the link, and thus in a way, educating the Hive. It makes for a powerful construct.
The Kryl do not use tech as such, growing all of their weapons, using biological weapons, and are able to grow ‘drones’ that can survive in vacuum, capable of space flight. For those that remember the expanded universe of Star Wars, there is a symbiosis here between the Kryl and the Yuuzhan Vong of the New Jedi Order Series that was so brilliant.
It is fighting one of these drones, one that is quite different to the others, that Nevers is shot down over the planet, and crashes.
And this breaks the story into a multi-faceted story from here, as we follow the different aspects of the Admiral trying to coordinate the evacuation, as well as deal with the Kryl threat, Osprey trying to deal with finding her friend, as well as some other issues, the search for Nevers, and of course, Nevers on the ground, trying to survive. Whilst on the ground, Nevers comes across a group of people that have not been evacuated, planning to stay, and this opens up a further storyline.
This is a fascinating story, one with an in-depth and well thought out storyline, Herron has already mapped out first 3 books in this series, and this shows in his story that is so well executed. His world building is exceptional, from the beautiful planet of Robichar, that he describes with such detail that you feel like you are standing on its surface at times, to the various decks of the Paladin gazing through the Admiral’s eyes through the viewscreen at either the planet, the fleet or the Kryl. Herron has done a stunning job of creating and describing the Kryl, they are creatures of such brutal ferocity, alien with their viscous jaws, and chitinous armour, but at the same time, Herron has rendered them with such impressive majesty at times, you can’t help but be in awe of them (right before you shoot them with a very big gun of course). Herron’s work is utterly captivating with regards to his world building and his alien constructs.
Just as impressive is the Character work, Elya is brilliant as the young pilot, a former refugee himself, trying desperately to accepted, to be the best, and at the end of the day, not realising, the only thing he is really fighting is himself. His character is both funny (the internal commentary, and his dialogue with his little robot ‘Hedgebot’ – which is another callout to epic partnerships like Luke/Anakin and R2D2 – are just hilarious), but there are other aspects of his character that are incredibly powerful (no spoilers), and have been done really well.
Just as much fun is Captain Casey Osprey, who is the embodiment of all of those fighter aces who are extraordinary, but have no impulse control, the Starbucks of the Sci-Fi world. Osprey is one of the best, with her Father having been an Inquisitor, kind of a Investigator and Judge for serious crimes, she does have a keen mind as well. Her character is clever, not the standard fighter ace, but again, I don’t want to give too much away.
There are so many other great characters in this story that I can’t mention without spoilers (The Admiral is just brilliant!), but this is one of those books, that once you start reading it, you can’t stop, as you get so wrapped in the story, and engaged with the characters. It would make for a stunning story as part of one of those old school games, but with modern day graphics. As it is, this is one series that is gritty, and compelling, with a fun story that is not only entertaining, but intelligent and engaging as well. One of the must reads of 2021!!
November 8, 2022
A character driven science fiction story
It took me a long time to finish this. It’s pretty clear that this whole book is the set up for a long and complicated story. Without the rest of the volumes to hand, it reads like an introduction to the personalities and back stories of important characters. The war of invasion seems almost incidental. The mention of an elder race of beings and their technology is slipped in within human drama. Only at the very end do we see that as the root cause of the conflict. Clearly exciting times are about to come…if the author can continue to keep this web of personalities and objectives in the air and moving.
It took me a long time to finish this. It’s pretty clear that this whole book is the set up for a long and complicated story. Without the rest of the volumes to hand, it reads like an introduction to the personalities and back stories of important characters. The war of invasion seems almost incidental. The mention of an elder race of beings and their technology is slipped in within human drama. Only at the very end do we see that as the root cause of the conflict. Clearly exciting times are about to come…if the author can continue to keep this web of personalities and objectives in the air and moving.
October 20, 2023
This was a fun book told from two perspectives. From when Elya Nevers and his Droid named Hedgebot is shot down in a battle over Robichar. The mission was to enable the rescue of as many civilian as possible while the Kryl are trying to take over and occupy Robichar. His priorities now changed and he needed to scuddle the ship and get rescued. And secondly the story's told from the Starship Paladin point of view specifically through Admiral Miyaru and Captain Casey Osprey as they search for Nevers.
Which to me makes the book that much better, giving us such a broad lush view of the story.
The audiobook is told by Keith McCarthy and believe you me he's great.
Which to me makes the book that much better, giving us such a broad lush view of the story.
The audiobook is told by Keith McCarthy and believe you me he's great.
October 5, 2021
This is a fantastic book! Proper sci-fi, great action sequences, and believable characters.
I found this to be an easy story to get into, as the world building was cleverly done and did not detract from the story. Once into the book, it was totally captivating, and very hard to put down!
There were great twists, hair-raising flying performances, and characters that I, as a reader, really cared about.
Best of all, the return of Hedgebot, previously seen in ‘Spare Parts’ by this author, and my hero.
I cannot wait for the next book in this series!
I found this to be an easy story to get into, as the world building was cleverly done and did not detract from the story. Once into the book, it was totally captivating, and very hard to put down!
There were great twists, hair-raising flying performances, and characters that I, as a reader, really cared about.
Best of all, the return of Hedgebot, previously seen in ‘Spare Parts’ by this author, and my hero.
I cannot wait for the next book in this series!
November 21, 2022
Elya Nevers is a pilot shot down during and evacuation of a far-flung colony during an invasion of the Kryl, ruthless xenos.
The story follows Nevers as he befriends some locals who missed their shuttle off planet and what happens when a local religious/militia group take them in.
Cassie, Nevers flight lead, leads the rescue mission to find him, but first she has to deal with an invasive worm on the carrier and an AI with a strange sense of humour.
A fast-paced story with some insightful looks into the details of life on a carrier as a pilot.
Loved it - 4 stars
The story follows Nevers as he befriends some locals who missed their shuttle off planet and what happens when a local religious/militia group take them in.
Cassie, Nevers flight lead, leads the rescue mission to find him, but first she has to deal with an invasive worm on the carrier and an AI with a strange sense of humour.
A fast-paced story with some insightful looks into the details of life on a carrier as a pilot.
Loved it - 4 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 22, 2022
Kobo (epub 3 DRM Free) 9781956029048
A definite page-turner! Solaran Defence Force is evacuating a colony planet in the way of a Kryl fleet. One of the star pilots crashes onto the planet (moon?) and has to deal with invading 'groundlings' dropped in advance of the main Hive, faulty distress location beacons - and recalcitrant colonists who do not wish to leave. The climax includes a major reveal (not exactly unexpected, frankly) that rather twists the reputation of a hero from the past...
More to come!
A definite page-turner! Solaran Defence Force is evacuating a colony planet in the way of a Kryl fleet. One of the star pilots crashes onto the planet (moon?) and has to deal with invading 'groundlings' dropped in advance of the main Hive, faulty distress location beacons - and recalcitrant colonists who do not wish to leave. The climax includes a major reveal (not exactly unexpected, frankly) that rather twists the reputation of a hero from the past...
More to come!
November 8, 2022
A decent sci-fi action adventure that has shades of Battlestar Galactica and Starship Troopers. At the onset of a war with an alien bug species, a lone human strarfighter is shot down on a remote planet and must struggle to survive. He comes across fellow survivors from the bug invasion who are hiding a secret that may turn the tide of war. Lots of action, interesting characters, and a promising start to a series.
February 22, 2024
I absolutely loved this book. A fast moving story with a great cast of characters and a solid action packed storyline.
This is book1 of 3 and I can't wait for the next installment and when you have read it you hopefully will see why I draw this conclusion.
I can't say much more without giving spoilers , so I will end here by saying I totally recommend this book
This is book1 of 3 and I can't wait for the next installment and when you have read it you hopefully will see why I draw this conclusion.
I can't say much more without giving spoilers , so I will end here by saying I totally recommend this book
December 24, 2024
STARFIGHTER DOWN is an exciting read. The characters are fully fleshed out, the plot interesting and well laid out, and the action is almost non-stop. The aliens are ghastly and a bit too horrific for me. I like my excitement with a little more humor, but overall this is definitely a good book that’s hard to put down!
May 6, 2025
Good YA Space Opera
I enjoyed the mix of battles and the work that Elya Nevers had to perform when his ship crashed. The foreshadowing of his star fighter pilot hero and his early life as a refugee were well done and added to his character development. I liked his robot pet. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.
I enjoyed the mix of battles and the work that Elya Nevers had to perform when his ship crashed. The foreshadowing of his star fighter pilot hero and his early life as a refugee were well done and added to his character development. I liked his robot pet. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.
May 17, 2025
Every once in a while, a friend will ask me to read his or her novel. When I do, I often encounter passages that remind me I'm reading an "aspiring author." Not this book. If someone told me that a seasoned sci-fi writer like Timothy Zahn wrote Starfighter Down, I would find it believable. Herron blends old sci-fi themes familiar to fans of Battlestar Galactica, Deep Space Nine, and Starship Troopers, with his own innovative original content. As an Air Force veteran, I also appreciate the attention to detail Herron spent on fighter tactics and flight physiology.
July 4, 2025
Good story and characters.
Well organized story and believable characters although it seems that most of the authority was held by female characters. The author suggests that there is no actual difference between genders other than their reproductive abilities. There are no shrinking violets among women in this world vision. It seems quite reasonabl.
Well organized story and believable characters although it seems that most of the authority was held by female characters. The author suggests that there is no actual difference between genders other than their reproductive abilities. There are no shrinking violets among women in this world vision. It seems quite reasonabl.
October 5, 2021
New series, new characters, new worlds; amazing novel. Just when you think there is nothing new in science fiction, along comes M. G. Herron with a completely new idea! A wonderful way to celebrate sci-fi. A definite must read.
October 26, 2021
A most excellent beginning and i can't hardly wait for the next. But i have to, until next year.
M.G. did it again. A brilliant writer, Great characters with the little bot, Hedgebot. Great. Won't say more, you have to get the book to find out.
M.G. did it again. A brilliant writer, Great characters with the little bot, Hedgebot. Great. Won't say more, you have to get the book to find out.
August 29, 2022
.
.
Book goes on forever. Needs to be 100 pages shorter.
A silly book and a silly over done, trite, story.
Oh…and the absolute totally best thing to be — it seems — is a “tall, muscular” woman, the very BEST thing Humanity has to offer.
.
.
.
Book goes on forever. Needs to be 100 pages shorter.
A silly book and a silly over done, trite, story.
Oh…and the absolute totally best thing to be — it seems — is a “tall, muscular” woman, the very BEST thing Humanity has to offer.
.
.
September 21, 2022
Relics
This relates to other aliens searching for relics to control others. Just like the "D's" want to do everywhere. But there are others that fight to stop them. Hahaha, I think that is the planed outcome to always happen.
This relates to other aliens searching for relics to control others. Just like the "D's" want to do everywhere. But there are others that fight to stop them. Hahaha, I think that is the planed outcome to always happen.
January 31, 2024
review of starship down
Clear sharp character development and storyline. Interesting concepts of protagonists and their interests. Book 1 is well written and leads into the greater story.
Clear sharp character development and storyline. Interesting concepts of protagonists and their interests. Book 1 is well written and leads into the greater story.
September 24, 2024
I don’t think of myself as a sci-fi fan, but I had trouble putting this book down. Herron keeps the action coming, moving from scene to scene, building the story and developing characters the whole time. Well done!
October 11, 2021
Evacuation, a stranded pilot, what more could happen. Intrigue all the way to the end . An absolutely outstanding beginning to a new series.
October 22, 2021
( Format : Audiobook and ebook)
"Space madness did not hang around."follows
Review follows
"Space madness did not hang around."follows
Review follows
September 8, 2022
Star fighter Down: (Book # 1)
I enjoyed reading this novel very much. The story line is good and the characters interesting. Hope you enjoy as much as I did.
I enjoyed reading this novel very much. The story line is good and the characters interesting. Hope you enjoy as much as I did.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews