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Lost Planet Homicide #1
Lost Planet Homicide
A lost colony planet, a perplexing murder, and a dogged homicide cop in this Audible Original story from best-selling author Larry Correia.
When the biggest colony ship in human history was sent to settle a paradise world, an accident hurtled it deep into uncharted space. A thousand light years from Earth, with no way home and no way to call for help, the colonists’ only hope for survival was the one barely habitable planet in range, a nightmare world they named Croatoan. Landing on the only five mountain peaks tall enough to rise above the lethal acid clouds, the settlers carved a civilization from the rock.
A hundred years later, Five Points has grown into a city of corruption and violence. With powerful corporations ruling the surface domes and criminal syndicates running the caverns below, murder is just the cost of doing business.
So when a Special Magistrate is found dissolving in a protein vat, it barely registers - until DCI Lutero Cade, the last honest cop in Five Points, catches the case. What he finds could threaten the colony’s very existence.
Or, at the very least, Cade himself.
When the biggest colony ship in human history was sent to settle a paradise world, an accident hurtled it deep into uncharted space. A thousand light years from Earth, with no way home and no way to call for help, the colonists’ only hope for survival was the one barely habitable planet in range, a nightmare world they named Croatoan. Landing on the only five mountain peaks tall enough to rise above the lethal acid clouds, the settlers carved a civilization from the rock.
A hundred years later, Five Points has grown into a city of corruption and violence. With powerful corporations ruling the surface domes and criminal syndicates running the caverns below, murder is just the cost of doing business.
So when a Special Magistrate is found dissolving in a protein vat, it barely registers - until DCI Lutero Cade, the last honest cop in Five Points, catches the case. What he finds could threaten the colony’s very existence.
Or, at the very least, Cade himself.
Audiobook
First published October 21, 2021
12 people are currently reading
207 people want to read
About the author
Larry Correia
124 books4,421 followersLarry Correia (born 1977) is the New York Times bestselling author of the Monster Hunter International series, the Grimnoir Chronicles, and the thriller Dead Six.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
October 30, 2021
There's a lot to like here - the setting on a deadly, remote colony world with a government dominated by mega corporations, gangs and cabals; the seemingly incorruptible gruff veteran detective and his young street smart partner; the mystery and intrigue of digging up treasures from the buried past; a fast pace and plenty of action and violence. And, of course, the murder and ensuing investigation that drive to the heart of all this. All of these are familiar elements, but packaged together they make for a compelling sci-fi noir style mystery against an intriguing backdrop that goes beyond cliche.
February 9, 2022
3.5
A fun, light, short science fiction/criminal investigation palate cleanser. Just what I needed after slogging through a long downer of a novel.
Oliver Wyman is a very good audio reader.
This was an Audible original, so it was audio only.
A fun, light, short science fiction/criminal investigation palate cleanser. Just what I needed after slogging through a long downer of a novel.
Oliver Wyman is a very good audio reader.
This was an Audible original, so it was audio only.
October 30, 2021
Notes:
Currently on Audible +
Right mix of narration & short story. =D
You don't always get a full story with well established characters & setting in a short novella. That's why I don't seek out shorts very often. It's more of a random encounter deal or collection of well known (to me) authors. I thought this had the right balance of story elements and the audiobook was a great way to show it off.
Currently on Audible +
Right mix of narration & short story. =D
You don't always get a full story with well established characters & setting in a short novella. That's why I don't seek out shorts very often. It's more of a random encounter deal or collection of well known (to me) authors. I thought this had the right balance of story elements and the audiobook was a great way to show it off.
November 20, 2021
Narration: 4 stars 🌟
Story: 3.5 stars 🌟
*Audible audio *
Story: 3.5 stars 🌟
*Audible audio *
May 3, 2022
This book feels much more preoccupied with developing the grittiness of the world than the mystery.
November 6, 2021
DCI Lutero Cade is a homicide cop in an environment where homicide is pretty much par for the course in every day life. In the poorest sector of Five Points, a remote colony that ended up settling on a desolate, inhospitable world when its ship accidentally went off course into uncharted territory during its long journey, criminal gangs are in charge and violence is is everywhere. One more murder should be just another routine matter, but the corpse found dissolving in a protein vat leads Cade to secrets someone very much wants to stay buried.
Gritty, entertaining murder mystery set in a quite fascinating world - I very much hope this is the beginning of a new series.
Gritty, entertaining murder mystery set in a quite fascinating world - I very much hope this is the beginning of a new series.
February 5, 2023
I really enjoyed this short story. Audible lists it as being in the Gun Runner series, but there are zero references to that in the book. Perhaps just the same universe? I don't enjoy listening to unfinished series, so it's an oddity that I find myself hoping Correia writes more Lost Planet stories.
Perfect narration by Wyman, the greatest narrator of them all.
Update: It hasn't been that long since I listened, but it's a short story so I'll listen again before listening to the new one.
Perfect narration by Wyman, the greatest narrator of them all.
Update: It hasn't been that long since I listened, but it's a short story so I'll listen again before listening to the new one.
May 19, 2023
really great short story! I hope we see more in this new universe!
May 26, 2022
This is an author that I am always glad to listen to because I find his stuff to have interesting plots along with some interesting characters. This is a new genre that I am reading from him though I guess it still stays within the science fiction realm.
This is the tale of a lost colony, a complex murder, and a very determined homicide cop who will not give up. The biggest colony ship in human history was sent out to settle on a paradise planet but something went wrong and they ended up deep in uncharted space. Far from the earth and any help their only hope was a barely habitable planet. They landed on the tallest peaks which kept them out of the acid clouds engulfing the planet.
A hundred years later and Five Points has grown into a city of corruption and violence. Powerful corporations rule the surface domes and criminal syndicates run the caverns below, murder is just a byproduct of doing business. When a big murder happens and they want real results and not just a show they send in DCI Lutero Cade, the last honest cop in Five Points.
A good read which is done great justice by the narrator, Oliver Wyman who brings all the characters to brilliant life and makes you feel who they are.
This is the tale of a lost colony, a complex murder, and a very determined homicide cop who will not give up. The biggest colony ship in human history was sent out to settle on a paradise planet but something went wrong and they ended up deep in uncharted space. Far from the earth and any help their only hope was a barely habitable planet. They landed on the tallest peaks which kept them out of the acid clouds engulfing the planet.
A hundred years later and Five Points has grown into a city of corruption and violence. Powerful corporations rule the surface domes and criminal syndicates run the caverns below, murder is just a byproduct of doing business. When a big murder happens and they want real results and not just a show they send in DCI Lutero Cade, the last honest cop in Five Points.
A good read which is done great justice by the narrator, Oliver Wyman who brings all the characters to brilliant life and makes you feel who they are.
December 12, 2024
Fun, fast listen. Commanding main character with great potential.
unfinished
November 19, 2024All the gang members were black, cops used abuse and torture to get their suspects to talk. And that was enough.
November 4, 2021
Correia offers a new series starter in this fascinating mystery set in a star colony that got settled on an extremely hostile planet tens of thousands of lightyears from where it was supposed to be. It’s as corrupt a society as you will find in literature and our hero, a homicide detective, walks a line between trying to actually do his job while keeping his corruption to a minimum. Yet, the more he learns about his latest murder case, the more it begins to look like some of the fundamental facts about his colony and its leaders should be questioned. It’s an exciting book that ends on a note that promises an even more exciting series.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
October 31, 2021
I don’t think it was the author, but I think it was the narrator who made this book so distasteful to me. It was overly dramatic. And quite honestly, I just couldn’t follow the plot at all.
March 26, 2023
Really fun and engrossing two-and-a-half-hour audiobook! I loved it! Though I guess maybe it was short-story length, or maybe novella, it read like a novel with some really well-balanced world building, both extremely well done but not only in no way overwhelming the story but integral to the story itself. As the minutes went by on the audiobook and I saw how little I had left, I did not want it to end. I have read and listened to full length novels that did not have as good as worldbuilding as this.
Basically, it is a neo-noir set on nightmarish colony world known as Croatoan and located over a thousand light years from Earth. Settled by accident when the biggest deep space colony ship in human history went off course and in desperation decided to settle this world, it is only barely habitable. All of humanity on this world is crowded on and inside five mountain peaks, the only ones that rise high enough into the atmosphere to be above the caustic, instantly lethal to man and machine acid clouds that blanket the planet. People are crowded into essentially five city-states, with the highest peak the nicest one with the richest people, nicest facilities, museums, houses with actual yards and real trees, a zoo (thanks to embryos and DNA brought from Earth), and the lowest peak one of gang violence, slums, decaying infrastructure, and hand-me-downs for equipment. Earth is becoming a subject of myth and legend, and the vast majority of the colonists have given up the idea of ever reconnecting with the mother planet.
The main character is DCI Lutero Cade, from the worst of the five peaks, Zenith, pretty much a hard-boiled, seen-all-kinds-of-things, embittered police detective who though he knows the futility and is far from being squeaky clean, still pretty much honestly tries to do his job. Often hemmed in by the gang rules of his peak and the elite rules from Olympus, the highest peak, he lands on a case that apparently everyone wants solved, someone from Olympus dying in his home turf, a case that involves the survival of the entire colony and indeed may tie into the very reason Croatoan was settled to begin with, something that ties into Cade’s own family history as well.
Perfectly narrated by Oliver Wyman with a great, weary, gritty, hardboiled voice perfect for neonoir and who did a great job with the voices of other characters.
I have already started a follow up, _Ghosts of Zenith_.
Basically, it is a neo-noir set on nightmarish colony world known as Croatoan and located over a thousand light years from Earth. Settled by accident when the biggest deep space colony ship in human history went off course and in desperation decided to settle this world, it is only barely habitable. All of humanity on this world is crowded on and inside five mountain peaks, the only ones that rise high enough into the atmosphere to be above the caustic, instantly lethal to man and machine acid clouds that blanket the planet. People are crowded into essentially five city-states, with the highest peak the nicest one with the richest people, nicest facilities, museums, houses with actual yards and real trees, a zoo (thanks to embryos and DNA brought from Earth), and the lowest peak one of gang violence, slums, decaying infrastructure, and hand-me-downs for equipment. Earth is becoming a subject of myth and legend, and the vast majority of the colonists have given up the idea of ever reconnecting with the mother planet.
The main character is DCI Lutero Cade, from the worst of the five peaks, Zenith, pretty much a hard-boiled, seen-all-kinds-of-things, embittered police detective who though he knows the futility and is far from being squeaky clean, still pretty much honestly tries to do his job. Often hemmed in by the gang rules of his peak and the elite rules from Olympus, the highest peak, he lands on a case that apparently everyone wants solved, someone from Olympus dying in his home turf, a case that involves the survival of the entire colony and indeed may tie into the very reason Croatoan was settled to begin with, something that ties into Cade’s own family history as well.
Perfectly narrated by Oliver Wyman with a great, weary, gritty, hardboiled voice perfect for neonoir and who did a great job with the voices of other characters.
I have already started a follow up, _Ghosts of Zenith_.
February 24, 2022
There's nothing super original here, but it was a perfectly fine SF novella. Set on a "lost colony" (the ship got knocked off course going through a jump gate centuries ago, everyone wound up on a barely habitable hellplanet and had to make do), the main character is an archetype: an honest cop in a dirty business, a dark history, wants to make the world a better place but acknowledges the realities of the world, which is ruled by oppressive corporations and organized crime. Gets a bright-eyed enthusiastic sidekick, and they're off on a murder investigation who turns out to be highly connected to muckety-mucks in the upper echelons. Cop gets mixed messages about pursuing the case and backing off. Has a sit-down with mob bosses, violence and hijinks ensue. Finally, clues to a mystery regarding the colony's true origins, and a bit of a hook for the next book, so Correia is obviously planning more stories on the Lost Planet.
Not brilliant or mindblowing, but decent light SF drama. I'd listen to the next one in the series.
Not brilliant or mindblowing, but decent light SF drama. I'd listen to the next one in the series.
November 22, 2021
Tight story and world-building
I haven't read a lot of short stories and just picked this one up on a whim, I was pleasantly suprised. Never really considered how tight you need to make your storytelling when you have 10-20% or so of a full novel to get a beginning, middle, and end. It sounded a bit cliche at first but I really liked it, giving me vibes to go play cyberpunk or watch blade runner. The narrator did a really good job with this one leaning into the sci-fi neo-noir elements of the story. It defiently hooked me into this world, which I'll have to pick up the main series, especially after that reveal at the end... In short, a fun afternoon.
9/10
I haven't read a lot of short stories and just picked this one up on a whim, I was pleasantly suprised. Never really considered how tight you need to make your storytelling when you have 10-20% or so of a full novel to get a beginning, middle, and end. It sounded a bit cliche at first but I really liked it, giving me vibes to go play cyberpunk or watch blade runner. The narrator did a really good job with this one leaning into the sci-fi neo-noir elements of the story. It defiently hooked me into this world, which I'll have to pick up the main series, especially after that reveal at the end... In short, a fun afternoon.
9/10
January 28, 2022
This one is pretty much what it says on the label: a noir-flavored, off-world police procedural mystery. It's novella-length (about 2.5 hours?), which felt right until the last 30 minutes or so of what was a fairly intriguing & well-crafted story. Then, unfortunately, it started to feel rushed. All the loose ends were neatly tucked in, but the pacing was (to me) off.
Given the amount of world-building here, I suspect this may be the start of a series, or perhaps a trial piece for a novel. The general flavor will appeal to fans of movies like Outland, or much of the Aliens saga. Since it's offered as part of Audible Plus, it might still be a good choice if SF mystery is what you're in the mood for. Just be aware that there's a lot of plot at the end, & a whiff of sequel in the wings.
Given the amount of world-building here, I suspect this may be the start of a series, or perhaps a trial piece for a novel. The general flavor will appeal to fans of movies like Outland, or much of the Aliens saga. Since it's offered as part of Audible Plus, it might still be a good choice if SF mystery is what you're in the mood for. Just be aware that there's a lot of plot at the end, & a whiff of sequel in the wings.
March 27, 2025
In a dangerous and gritty world another murder happens and you explore the danger, oh and the grittiness... Except over here it is AWEmazing but the rest is dangerous and gritty and I think we have a mystery to solve but it will be dangerous. Okay that was painful.
April 22, 2023
Fun short story. Sci Noir, maybe?
January 17, 2025
I signed up yet again for too many StoryGraph challenges (mostly mystery and history books) and this short Audible freebie fit perfectly into “mystery in space” category. So, I’ll give it credit for that, but not much else.
This is one of those stories written for manly man, or at least it’s giving this vibe - the killing is kind of gruesome, our cop is plagued by a past, the sidekick counts for representation, and the only female character is some sort of femme fatale slash shapeshifter slash keeper of secrets? Yeah, you have a noir up in the clouds of a corrosive planet. Lots of vibes, but not much substance, even for such a short book.
2.5*
This is one of those stories written for manly man, or at least it’s giving this vibe - the killing is kind of gruesome, our cop is plagued by a past, the sidekick counts for representation, and the only female character is some sort of femme fatale slash shapeshifter slash keeper of secrets? Yeah, you have a noir up in the clouds of a corrosive planet. Lots of vibes, but not much substance, even for such a short book.
2.5*
December 4, 2025
Fun little romp.
November 1, 2021
Decent story.
I feel it could have been longer and that the ending was a little rushed.
I feel it could have been longer and that the ending was a little rushed.
October 29, 2021
Just as it was getting interesting, it ended. Feels like an unfinished short novel.
December 6, 2021
Always leave them wanting more.
Pulp detective murder mystery set on a world where descendants of a lost colony ship are confined to five peaks that sit above the toxic atmosphere.
--more
They named the planet Croatoan, which seems fitting given the colonists renamed their ship "Roanoke' once they realized how far off course it was. All this of course is ancient history...
-- more
A stratified society where those on Mt Olympus literally look down on those below them, e.g they get real foliage, a sky, water, and air doesn't have a hint of rubber with it and the further down the range you go, well, what rolls downhill?
--more
That's where we find our protagonist, in what would make a reasonable good episode of "Dirty Jobs" Great world-building, well paces story, and for a society that lives on the edge of a mountain a hell of a cliffhanger.
Well dammit, I would like more.
Pulp detective murder mystery set on a world where descendants of a lost colony ship are confined to five peaks that sit above the toxic atmosphere.
--more
They named the planet Croatoan, which seems fitting given the colonists renamed their ship "Roanoke' once they realized how far off course it was. All this of course is ancient history...
-- more
A stratified society where those on Mt Olympus literally look down on those below them, e.g they get real foliage, a sky, water, and air doesn't have a hint of rubber with it and the further down the range you go, well, what rolls downhill?
--more
That's where we find our protagonist, in what would make a reasonable good episode of "Dirty Jobs" Great world-building, well paces story, and for a society that lives on the edge of a mountain a hell of a cliffhanger.
Well dammit, I would like more.
November 22, 2021
Fun book. Plot is, essentially, a murder detective running down a very strange murder case. I'm always down for a "space murder mystery" book. Every single time. Also generally down for anything Correia writes, since he does good characters, worldbuilding, and action.
The world Correia's built up is very cool. I hope he writes more in it. Humanity has been spreading itself across the stars using "gates" that jump ships between star systems. Only one colony ship generations back made a bad jump and is stranded from the rest of humanity, which presumably believes it to be dead. The world on which they are stranded is not a friendly world; only a few mountain peaks rise above an acidic atmosphere that covers the rest of the world.
The world Correia's built up is very cool. I hope he writes more in it. Humanity has been spreading itself across the stars using "gates" that jump ships between star systems. Only one colony ship generations back made a bad jump and is stranded from the rest of humanity, which presumably believes it to be dead. The world on which they are stranded is not a friendly world; only a few mountain peaks rise above an acidic atmosphere that covers the rest of the world.
December 13, 2024
A far distant planet noir detective book. Really well done. Great gritty voiced narrator, though at some point I noticed how he breathed out of his nose at the end of nearly every sentence, and then I couldn't NOT hear that. But otherwise he did really well. I hope there is more to this series, because I think it was a good character, with good side characters in an interesting world.
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Second read
The nose exhalation is still annoying. Still good story. Now there are a couple sequels I can check out (why I listened to this one again).
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Second read
The nose exhalation is still annoying. Still good story. Now there are a couple sequels I can check out (why I listened to this one again).
December 1, 2021
I'm a big fan of Larry Correia's Monster Hunter series and this quick hardboiled sci-fi detective novella was right up my alley. The narrator is superb and the story is hugely entertaining, moving along at a fast clip. It ends on a somewhat open ended note and I'd love to see Correia return to this world at some point in the future.
December 2, 2021
I really enjoy the audio books of the Serge Storms series and Oliver Wyman the narrator of this is the same one who does those.
He chews up every scene with this thick noir style that its just a masterpiece. You have to at least go listen to the sample to see what I mean. Its well worth the listen. Bravo Oliver and Larry Correia for teaming up to bring this fun listen to audible!
He chews up every scene with this thick noir style that its just a masterpiece. You have to at least go listen to the sample to see what I mean. Its well worth the listen. Bravo Oliver and Larry Correia for teaming up to bring this fun listen to audible!
January 2, 2023
Short story about a honest homicide cop living in a deadly and remote colony somewhere out in the nastiness of space. There is corruption on all levels. Lutero Cade stumbles on a murder case that could put everything he’s known in jeopardy.
Wasn’t too interested in this storyline. It was ok for what it was but it didn’t pull me in.
Wasn’t too interested in this storyline. It was ok for what it was but it didn’t pull me in.
November 11, 2024
A fun murder mystery set on a lost space colony. Take one gritty, hardened cop + corrupt justice system + gangs & corporate overloads and then set it in space a lost colony on a super deadly planet where not everything is what it seems.
Oliver Wyman had a great voice for a cynical, hardened detective. 3.5 stars.
Oliver Wyman had a great voice for a cynical, hardened detective. 3.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews