When Van gains rank as a Peacemaker, he becomes a bigger target for the criminals scattered among the stars.
And he wouldn’t have it any other way.
On a distant world under an alien sun, hunters and their companions—the Rovan—bond in a ritual as old as their civilization. But one of the hunters is missing, and Van, along with his growing crew, knows where to look. Climbing up into the rarified air of the super-rich, Van uncovers a new enemy: The Fade.
And they are as cruel as the stars are many. A gang of heartless killers, the Fade will stop at nothing in the name of profit.
Which is fine with Van, as he’ll stop at nothing in the name of justice.
Tracking his quarry across a dozen systems, Van, Torina, Perry and Icky—along with Zenophir, the new technician—will untangle a conspiracy of betrayal and death. As Van soon discovers, the Fade never lose.
Van has been busy with making friends as well as more enemies. Between the Salt Thieves, corrupt Peacemakers and a few new sources of trouble he has more close calls than ever.
The Fafnir is battered, repaired and beaten up some more several times more often than in the previous books but Netty & Perry manage to fulfill Van’s somewhat unique ideas in order to keep everything together and functional.
We meet not just new foes but also manage to root out some of the unsavory elements within the Guild that had previously been considered at least neutral & not been considered corrupt other than financially. After meeting with a chipped victim who had retained sanity, they get some useful leads towards their goal of destroying anyone involved in the evil trade.
This was a rather fun read in the Backyard Starship series. It is the fifth book in the series and although they have been a bit uneven they have always been between three and four stars. This one is one of the better ones.
It is a fun mix between detective work, snarky dialogue and ass kicking. The latter both in space and on the ground.
As the book blurb states conspiracies does indeed get untangled in this book. It is a bit of a shame that the author seems to be so happy to add conspiracies and corruption among the Peacekeepers, especially at the highest levels. I guess one thing I liked about this book is that Van gets to do a fair amount of clean up in that area. Hopefully there will be less of that in the next books. Otherwise there will soon not be any masters left.
I also like that Van continues to expand his merry band of bandits as well as continuing to upgrade his ship as well as his personal weaponry.
I’m still find the underlying story that has been running through these books a bit ridiculous though. I can buy the idea of stealing peoples minds and putting them to use in various ways but not in mundane machinery like trash managers. That’s just so much bullshit. You could buy some off the shelf hardware today to do that much cheaper and with much less risk.
Luckily the rest of the story, the quite charismatic characters, the really enjoyable dialogue and quite a lot of ass kicking makes up for that nonsensical detail.
These books are easy reading, certainly no literary masterpieces but fun reading nonetheless.
Peacemaker Van Tudor is still making his way in this strange and complicated world he now finds himself. After finding out that his Grandfather was a Peacemaker for a very long time, Van got the opportunity to take his place and do the same things. And he's doing them very well. He and his crew of the Fafnir are still on the trail of some very vile criminals who can now be tried for Crimes Against Order which is about the worst crime you can commit. He has some definite leads and there is a strong suspicion that a leading Guild Master might be involved. Then he gets a call to report back to Anvil Dark and specifically to Master Yotov.
Even though he didn't know this Master very well, he knew she was heavy into Guild politics which Van wants nothing to do with. He's stayed away from Anvil Dark and Guild HQ since there has been nothing but political shenanigans going on for the three vacant Master positions. Now it looks like Master Yotov has consolidated her power and push through her nominees for those three vacancies. She not more or less controls the entire Master Council and can sway things to her liking when she wants. Only so far she hasn't done anything that would cause anyone concern. Van has never met Master Yotov and doesn't have a clue as to why she would be calling him to her office.
But, it turns out that it wasn't as bad as he had anticipated. It seems Master Yotov has taken a liking to Van Tudor and is attempting to make his investigation much easier by promoting him not just one grade, but two! That does raise a few eyebrows among the other Peacemakers, but they all know that Van Tudor has been doing a very commendable job for the short time he's been a Peacemaker. He's still puzzled though about Master Yotov's intentions. Is she trying to make him a target of scorn among the other Peacemakers by becoming what appears to be a Yotov puppet or is she really interesting and supportive of his crime fighting abilities? He doesn't trust her and for her part, she tells him he should not since he doesn't know her that well. And she tells Van to continue on pursuing his investigation now with more authority.
So, instead of his case being taken over by some other leading Peacemaker, Tudor finds himself even more into the investigation and now he's uncovered some damaging evidence that another Peacemaker, not Master Yotov, is involved. He's also finding out that there's a substantial bounty placed upon him and his crew. That bounty is drawing a lot of unwanted attention and almost getting the Fafnir destroyed with all on-board. They do survive this attack and then find themselves once again the benefactor of Master Yotov in that she orders the Guild to cover the cost of repairing the Fafnir and upgrading it to full Dragon class!
Now with a much more capable ship, Van Tudor finds he's taking on more and more crew. Some of the people he has ran into along the way have surprisingly came and offered their services as part of his crew. He readily accepts and now realizes that he might just have the tools needed to blow his case wide-open. Then he figures out that if the bad guys can't get to him, where would they go to cause him the greatest harm? Maybe some place like Earth, Iowa and the farm? Is this going to make Earth now aware of the greater universe and that there are aliens out there among the stars? What will Miryam think if she finds aliens on the farm?
This is a very good story, but it doesn't stop here. Van Tudor has a lot more to do and it's going to be great reading in book 6, "Distant Horizon", available on Amazon now.
Promotion or is it a feint? Only time will tell......
Van goes to meet the current leader of the Masters, Yotov, and she promotes him 2 positions and pays to have his ship upgraded. Can he trust her? Only time will tell.... While performing a delivery to a New planet, the leader is assassinated by stealth-masked ship, and while transporting something to a secret research base they identify a stealth satellite which contains some organic material. This leads them to make new friends and discover that the depths of depravity of the bad guys knows no bounds as they uncover a machine that allows one to capture and relive the moment of one's death! They uncover a larger conspiracy and make inroads against the baddies, as well as get a bounty on their heads! Paranoia is again their friend.... Another adventurous story of Van Tudor and his attempts to be the best person he can be. Action, space battles (some s!ow and ponderous), some surprises and some new friends and old pepper this entertaining tale.
Bad guys get Tudored. Puns are the lowest form of humor I've been told. This one was just laying there. Mark Tudor finds that in the galaxy he recently found a huge civilization was thriving within had evil people that were worse than anyone in human history. We've had some terrible evil in our past. What could possibly be worse? J.N. Chaney and Terry Maggert show us not the time worn alien conquest SciFi often depicts but instead how mundanely corrupt elements of an advanced society can be. The bad guys go to depths that fundamentally change our hero and those around him... to be even better Peacemakers. Earth originated cultural pop references mystify aliens providing comedic relief to series scenes of well written space battles grounded in a decent understanding of physics. Of course there are cool weapons and snarky AI. Good fare for a fun read
As part of a series, an incredible series, it is difficult to write a review on a single book in the series. It's more like an update.
However, the crew continues to grow, and the character high quality of development remains superb. I sure hope we see more of Rolis, my new favorite character.
All kinds of surprises, twists and turns in this episode of Van's saga. We learn more about his enigmatic, heroic grandfather and his life in Iowa. And we learn a great deal more about the Peacekeepers themselves. As always, the more we learn the more questions remain.
A solid book, a solid series. I've read the first five in the last two weeks and look forward to reading the rest.
I've read all of the books in this series including this one (Book Five). The series was starting to drag on a bit from my perspective. I think the concept is good but I found myself skipping some of the endless dialog/banter between the key characters. I got tired of all the flippant, sarcasm and smart-ass remarks. It was fun up to a point but it gets old after five books where a third of the words are banter. I'm hoping that the next book will end the series as I do like the premise but can't see dragging the storyline out too much more. It reminds me of an hourly worker taking five hours to do a two hour job :-)
This series continues at the same high standard the prior books have shown. Its particular strengths are its characters who grow and develop with every book and the good balance of action, humour, and darker moments. It is a sign of a great set of authors who make you care about the characters they create and these do.
I was caught between giving it a 5-star rating or a 4-star and finally settled for the lower as I'd liked to have seen a little more expansion of the world and concepts, however that is me nitpicking overall it is a solid, enjoyable adventure that left me wanting more from Van and his crew.
Not sure if this is the end of the series or not, but hoping not This has been a truly entertaining series of books. Lots and of humour, action and intrigue The characters are well developed and you end up caring about them. This time round they find that the personality chips are not the worst idea the syndicates have come up with and this drives therm all to be more focused, determined and lethal. A few surprises, but no big ones and the ending leaves you wondering if there is more to come. I hope there is
As the headline suggests, book 5 was superb. Each one keeps the characters going (and growing) the constant tetchy jibes and wise cracks well placed and welcomed. If you want a dry and serious sci-fi book, then this isn't for you. Except it is, it just comes with added humour and warmth. What more could you ask for. I've read the last 3 books in two sittings such is the genuine enjoyment and escapism on offer. I'm running out of books now, so Mr Chaney and Mr Maggert had better get scribbling...
BLUE SHIFT is the fifth volume of the BACKYARD STARSHIP series by J.N. Chaney that I really have enjoyed. It is always entertaining but also something that isn't exactly "deep" fiction either. Which is not an insult to it but a statement that it's mostly episodic fun where Peacekeeper Val Tudor is always getting into more mischief. This time, he's up against a corrupt Peacekeeper official who is very good at persuading others there's nothing wrong with her leadership. I had a lot of fun with this and hope to continue the series.
Hmmm... Van Tudor gets a promotion and apparently, he also gets the backing of one of the most nicest of the Masters... except that this Master has the ability to make anyone feel good about themselves and feel good about whatever is asked of them. Van feels real good about this promotion. Luckily his crew realizes he needs a reality check.
In this story Van gains more crew and a lot of things blow up. It is quite satisfying, actually.
The ending is a little predictable... kind of cliche, but satisfying nevertheless.
The worldbuilding and non-human sapients are consistently fantastic. Really bad things happen, but I still love this book. Sussbrid is an amazing new character; she made me cry. Linulla and his kids always make me laugh out loud, and their appearance in this book is hilarious. Van's supporting characters matter just as much as Van, and that warms my little sci fi adventure heart.
I only give 5 star reviews to media that I believe is or will be considered classic. That being said, although these books are no competition for Dune or Children of Time, it is a fun jaunt thru a possible universe. The characters develop with each chapter and the story gathers a depth to it as it moves along. Maybe, someday, I'll find a spaceship in my yard.... if a book gives you a dream like that, it must be pretty good.
Just when you think they wont get any better, they do. This was the best book so far. New characters, new adventures an lots of great new stuff happening to our heros. I am totally enthralled by these books. They just have a great feel while reading them. Van finally gets what he needs on the Fade, but can he follow through? You have to read to know what happened.
So I waited until book 5 before I post another review, and I have a new hero, Icky!! I will not give anything else away but she is awesome! This series is hard to put down and as usual I burned through the last 3 in no time. The characters are great and the supporting cast is also great. Wonderful worlds with villains and hero's so don't wait, read this series, you to can lose hours at a time.
As I delve more deeply into the “Backyard Starship “ series I continually discover the twist and turns keep me involved with the characters as only a master story teller has the ability to do. In all my years of reading the science fiction genre this story ranks in the top ten. Terry Maggert and J.N.Chaney have woven a tale the will endure the test of time to become a true classic. Now on to book 6.
Van Tudor... and Terry Maggert, have grown since this series began some time back. This is his best work yet. Van is finally feeling fleshed out, and his character has suffered and grown and overcome in this particular book. I am very much hoping that the latest victim of the personality-theft ring remains as a crew member, because he is a great character!
Blue Shift is a space adventure that kicks things up a notch as Van, now a Peacemaker, goes head-to-head with The Fade, a bunch of ruthless bad guys.
Van and his trusty crew hit the galaxy's highway to find a missing hunter and uncover a twisty plot. The alien worlds are wild, and the action never stops.
With fast-paced action and Van's crew of awesome characters, this book is a must-read for sci-fi fans who love epic space battles and cool interstellar settings.
Very funny and very entertaining. I don’t think I have laughed so hard in quite a long while. When they put the human chip into Waldo 2 I figured something good might turn up, a sure enough, it did. Great story; keeps you in the story waiting to see how Van gets into some of the predicaments he gets into, then makes you wonder how he’s going to get out of them. Love the book and the series.
A very good read and finally a jump-off to the central part of the series. I look forward to some central action and i hope some light on the antagonist. It would be nice to have a "reason for being". Let's hope there is more light on Gramp's elusive background history.
Loved this book! I know it seems impossible, but the books just keep getting better! This one was awesome!! Some good old fashioned justice was handed out and the hero's prevailed. There was pain, and danger, but I can't wait to see what happenes next!
This book was about following a trail of breadcrumbs. From one to the next, the crew followed clues to bad guys. The hard part is answering the question, are they friends or foes. Some of the answers were surprising but I won't tell, it is more fun to read it yourself!
While there are a few scenes which are more gritty and intense than previously, the storyline remains as appealing and kept me involved. Good continued development for existing characters and new cast, equally. This installment ends with decent storyline resolution and provides a HFN pause for our protagonists.
Well another great storyline with plenty of blood and guts spilt by the bad guys. Looking forward to distant horizons. I don't know why but I have a feeling the his grandpa is still alive and kicking somewhere just waiting if Can is the secondary target well 3 guesses lol
To be honest I didn't expect a lot from this book it being 5th in the series but it actually became my favorite. Some of the plot may seem a bit melodramatic at times yet raps up the current story nicely.
Will read the next one if the authors are so inclined.
a five star review on any of the times i've read this previously. I'm unable to think of a better way to fill in the last few days of my easter break than to re-read this great series - and get off my lazy base and give them all the 5 star reviews they so deserve
I am simply amazed on how the author can go in so many directions telling a story, intertwining these mini stories into one. Coming up with so many scenarios and offering up such solid explanations makes this series such an excellent read. I'm envious on how he does it.