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Starship for Sale #1
Starship For Sale
When Ben Murdock receives a text message offering a fully operational starship for sale, he’s certain it has to be a joke.
Already trapped in the worst day of his life and desperate for a way out, he decides to play along. Except there is no joke. The starship is real. And Ben’s life is going to change in ways he never dreamed possible.
All he has to do is sign the contract.
Joined by his streetwise best friend and a bizarre tenant with an unseverable lease, he’ll soon discover that the universe is more volatile, treacherous, and awesome than he ever imagined.
And the only thing harder than owning a starship is staying alive.
Already trapped in the worst day of his life and desperate for a way out, he decides to play along. Except there is no joke. The starship is real. And Ben’s life is going to change in ways he never dreamed possible.
All he has to do is sign the contract.
Joined by his streetwise best friend and a bizarre tenant with an unseverable lease, he’ll soon discover that the universe is more volatile, treacherous, and awesome than he ever imagined.
And the only thing harder than owning a starship is staying alive.
332 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 22, 2022
2598 people are currently reading
1180 people want to read
About the author
M.R. Forbes
165 books1,007 followersM.R. Forbes is the author of a growing number of science-fiction series including Rebellion, War Eternal, Chaos of the Covenant, Stars End, and the Forgotten novels. Having spent his childhood trying to read every sci-fi novel he could find (and write his own too), play every sci-fi video game he could get his hands on, and see every sci-fi movie that made it into the theater, he has a true love of the genre across every medium. He works hard to bring that same energy to his own stories, with a continuing goal to entertain, delight, fascinate, and surprise.
He maintains a true appreciation for his readers and is always happy to hear from them.
To learn more about M.R. Forbes or just say hello:
Visit his website:
mrforbes.com
Send him an e-mail:
michael@mrforbes.com
Check out his Facebook page:
facebook.com/mrforbes.author
Join his Facebook fan group:
facebook.com/groups/mrforbes
Follow him on Instagram:
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Find him on Goodreads:
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Follow him on Bookbub:
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He maintains a true appreciation for his readers and is always happy to hear from them.
To learn more about M.R. Forbes or just say hello:
Visit his website:
mrforbes.com
Send him an e-mail:
michael@mrforbes.com
Check out his Facebook page:
facebook.com/mrforbes.author
Join his Facebook fan group:
facebook.com/groups/mrforbes
Follow him on Instagram:
instagram.com/mrforbes_author
Find him on Goodreads:
goodreads.com/mrforbes
Follow him on Bookbub:
bookbub.com/authors/m-r-forbes
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 222 reviews
July 3, 2022
Maybe I just went into this with the wrong expectations, but this book sounded like it was going to be a great adventure with misfit characters on their jalopy of a starship and I am so into that. What I got instead was just an endless series of problems and disasters to put them in perpetual crisis mode and that’s not even really a plot, much less an adventure. I wouldn’t say it was grim but it was just kind of…exhausting and uninteresting.
We were literally 40% of the way into the book before they even actually bought the starship and for no real reason - little of value happened and what little character development there was could have taken place in half the space or less. When I reached the cliffhanger ending, none of what had been set up over the course of the novel had been resolved and nothing that happened earlier on mattered at all.
And as intriguing as I found Alter (or rather, the potential of Alter), she basically existed in the story to be literally whatever the boys needed her to be at any given time - from mechanic to mother - and that is not a good look. The whole thing had a very juvenile feel - and by that I don’t mean YA - without being appropriate for juveniles to read.
I really need to start DNFing books because I had to force myself to the end of this before I let myself start something new, reasoning that I’d already put a lot of time in, and I resented it all the more when everything that happened came to nothing at all.
We were literally 40% of the way into the book before they even actually bought the starship and for no real reason - little of value happened and what little character development there was could have taken place in half the space or less. When I reached the cliffhanger ending, none of what had been set up over the course of the novel had been resolved and nothing that happened earlier on mattered at all.
And as intriguing as I found Alter (or rather, the potential of Alter), she basically existed in the story to be literally whatever the boys needed her to be at any given time - from mechanic to mother - and that is not a good look. The whole thing had a very juvenile feel - and by that I don’t mean YA - without being appropriate for juveniles to read.
I really need to start DNFing books because I had to force myself to the end of this before I let myself start something new, reasoning that I’d already put a lot of time in, and I resented it all the more when everything that happened came to nothing at all.
April 19, 2022
Disjointed and disappointing
I really, really wanted to like this book. It had a lot of elements that brought entertainment, excitement, and intrigue. However, I mostly ended up disliking the main characters and baffled by the ridiculous "every scene of interest is a life and death chase scene". There were way too many of them not to have my suspension of disbelief shattered. Don't think I'll be continuing with the series.
I really, really wanted to like this book. It had a lot of elements that brought entertainment, excitement, and intrigue. However, I mostly ended up disliking the main characters and baffled by the ridiculous "every scene of interest is a life and death chase scene". There were way too many of them not to have my suspension of disbelief shattered. Don't think I'll be continuing with the series.
May 22, 2022
The basic idea for this book isn’t particularly novel, which might be why the author tried so hard to ‘jazz’ it up. However for me he was trying too hard and I must admit it might have been my own impatience, but I became quite frustrated as the author just crammed in more and more without really getting anywhere.
Eventually the spaceship is acquired, but the author still can’t resist piling in more issues.
In the end I decided I couldn’t cope with the author’s frantic ‘life and death’ style where it appears ‘more is always better’, so I won’t be continuing with this series.
Eventually the spaceship is acquired, but the author still can’t resist piling in more issues.
In the end I decided I couldn’t cope with the author’s frantic ‘life and death’ style where it appears ‘more is always better’, so I won’t be continuing with this series.
May 6, 2022
It's serviceable sci-fi.
Generally I enjoyed this book, but it has major flaws. The first of which is that it takes WAY too long to get to the starship. The reason is to build up character development, but honestly, two of our main characters are really not that interesting. Once the story gets going, though, it's a nice story. I like the universe and the aliens. But those problems make it difficult to keep reading.
Generally I enjoyed this book, but it has major flaws. The first of which is that it takes WAY too long to get to the starship. The reason is to build up character development, but honestly, two of our main characters are really not that interesting. Once the story gets going, though, it's a nice story. I like the universe and the aliens. But those problems make it difficult to keep reading.
April 6, 2022
Usually I try to avoid books with not a lot of reviews, but I had a gut feeling about this one. And boy was I right.
I really enjoyed this book. I honestly don't have anything bad to say about it. Great story, great characters, great everything. Had me sucked in throughout.
The other reviews had me scared, but at the end of the day, I was so sucked in and LIVING the book I didn't notice any of it. One of the best books I've read in a while (although that isn't saying too much).
Unique characters and story. Thats been hard to come by for me in this "I have suddenly aquired a spaceship" genre.
Badabing Badaboom I rate this 5 stars for me loving it.
I'm very much looking forward to book 2.
Safe travels CMDR o7
I really enjoyed this book. I honestly don't have anything bad to say about it. Great story, great characters, great everything. Had me sucked in throughout.
The other reviews had me scared, but at the end of the day, I was so sucked in and LIVING the book I didn't notice any of it. One of the best books I've read in a while (although that isn't saying too much).
Unique characters and story. Thats been hard to come by for me in this "I have suddenly aquired a spaceship" genre.
Badabing Badaboom I rate this 5 stars for me loving it.
I'm very much looking forward to book 2.
Safe travels CMDR o7
May 12, 2022
The unlikely beginning caught my attention! Ok read with a cliffhanger ending!
May 17, 2022
Forbes, M. R. Starship for Sale. Starship for Sale No. 1. Kindle, 2022.
M. R. Forbes is a prolific independent SFF author. Starship for Sale, my first foray into his work, is a moderately entertaining, self-consciously derivative space opera. If you read it without having a clear memory of 1984’s The Last Starfighter, you will miss many of the jokes. Ben and his friend Matt are a couple of contemporary twenty-somethings trying to get a rock band going, but plans are derailed when Ben is diagnosed with a brain cancer that reminded me of the brain cloud from Joe and the Volcano. They answer an ad claiming to have a functional starship for sale to the right customer at a negotiable price. They meet a fast-talking guy named Keep, who reminds everyone, including himself, of Centauri (Preston Foster) from The Last Starfighter. And the space opera begins. The ship has an AI and a shape-shifting crewmember. They name the ship Head Case and set out to find a planet with a cure for Ben’s brain cancer. But first, there is an evil duke and a lot of bad debt to take care of. Unpretentious fun. 3.5 stars.
M. R. Forbes is a prolific independent SFF author. Starship for Sale, my first foray into his work, is a moderately entertaining, self-consciously derivative space opera. If you read it without having a clear memory of 1984’s The Last Starfighter, you will miss many of the jokes. Ben and his friend Matt are a couple of contemporary twenty-somethings trying to get a rock band going, but plans are derailed when Ben is diagnosed with a brain cancer that reminded me of the brain cloud from Joe and the Volcano. They answer an ad claiming to have a functional starship for sale to the right customer at a negotiable price. They meet a fast-talking guy named Keep, who reminds everyone, including himself, of Centauri (Preston Foster) from The Last Starfighter. And the space opera begins. The ship has an AI and a shape-shifting crewmember. They name the ship Head Case and set out to find a planet with a cure for Ben’s brain cancer. But first, there is an evil duke and a lot of bad debt to take care of. Unpretentious fun. 3.5 stars.
February 21, 2023
Ben has been diagnosed with cancer and his best friend, Matt, takes him to the local arcade to play games and take his mind off things. Whilst there Ben gets a girl's phone number (but we never really see her again). Ben gets into a fight over a game and Matt defends him (for which there are no consequences for anyone involved).
A text message appears on Ben's phone that appears to be spam/malware. He replies to it figuring he's dying so what the hell. A shady salesman, Keep, whisks Ben and Matt off to a dockside where a giant robot head, that has been retrofitted as a Starship, is stored. There's some drama but Alter, an assassin/ships mechanic/pilot saves the day.
Matt has inherited $4 million and Ben is a great pilot (demonstrated by the arcade game) so Keep sells the Starship to the pair (Matt is guilt-tripped into it by Ben) before disappearing with all the money from the sale and the docking fees.
Adventures ensue as the 'crew' evade one life-threatening situation after another but very little seems to get done.
Whilst there were some minor errors with grammar etc.; the major problem with this story was the main characters. I just didn't like them. The way they interacted just didn't sit well with me, though I did start warming up to them at the end.
The story had a lot of plot threads that went no where and even the final adventure didn't conclude before the end of the book (forcing readers to buy the next book I guess). Things that were hinted at throughout the story had no bearing towards the end.
The Universe where this adventure is set is interesting and so is the xeno life therein but the first quarter of the book was so drab and dreary and annoying.
Even the times when the starship is in hyperspace and the boys and Alter are training, learning about the ship, and each other, are glossed over. Those parts of the story would've been the most interesting to me. I'd like to see their martial training. I'd like to see their knowledge of the ship grow. I'd like to see the bonds among the crew (Ben, Matt, Alter, and Shaq) develop.
Instead we glossed over all of the slice-of-life stuff and just went from one planet to another being chased. Was exciting but I didn't really care about the outcome.
Alter was an interesting character that we don't really learn much about until the last chapter or two and is wasted here. Shaq feels like a cute creature insert for toy sales or 'just because'.
I didn't enjoy my time with the main characters, Ben and Matt, so that put a dampener on my enjoyment of the book as a whole. I won't be purchasing the next in the series.
Found it lacking - 2 stars
A text message appears on Ben's phone that appears to be spam/malware. He replies to it figuring he's dying so what the hell. A shady salesman, Keep, whisks Ben and Matt off to a dockside where a giant robot head, that has been retrofitted as a Starship, is stored. There's some drama but Alter, an assassin/ships mechanic/pilot saves the day.
Matt has inherited $4 million and Ben is a great pilot (demonstrated by the arcade game) so Keep sells the Starship to the pair (Matt is guilt-tripped into it by Ben) before disappearing with all the money from the sale and the docking fees.
Adventures ensue as the 'crew' evade one life-threatening situation after another but very little seems to get done.
Whilst there were some minor errors with grammar etc.; the major problem with this story was the main characters. I just didn't like them. The way they interacted just didn't sit well with me, though I did start warming up to them at the end.
The story had a lot of plot threads that went no where and even the final adventure didn't conclude before the end of the book (forcing readers to buy the next book I guess). Things that were hinted at throughout the story had no bearing towards the end.
The Universe where this adventure is set is interesting and so is the xeno life therein but the first quarter of the book was so drab and dreary and annoying.
Even the times when the starship is in hyperspace and the boys and Alter are training, learning about the ship, and each other, are glossed over. Those parts of the story would've been the most interesting to me. I'd like to see their martial training. I'd like to see their knowledge of the ship grow. I'd like to see the bonds among the crew (Ben, Matt, Alter, and Shaq) develop.
Instead we glossed over all of the slice-of-life stuff and just went from one planet to another being chased. Was exciting but I didn't really care about the outcome.
Alter was an interesting character that we don't really learn much about until the last chapter or two and is wasted here. Shaq feels like a cute creature insert for toy sales or 'just because'.
I didn't enjoy my time with the main characters, Ben and Matt, so that put a dampener on my enjoyment of the book as a whole. I won't be purchasing the next in the series.
Found it lacking - 2 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2022
That's a solid 3.7 stars. It has all the failings other reviewers have noted: long build-up to the inciting incident, cliff-hanger every three pages, unresolved plot threads, abrupt ending, etc., BUT it did something few books in this age have done. It's a buddy book featuring two young males dealing with circumstances without woke stereotypes. What a marvel.
May 24, 2022
Half a book
I enjoyed the characters and the overall setting. However, I was very disappointed at the cliffhanger ending. It feels like a cheat.
I enjoyed the characters and the overall setting. However, I was very disappointed at the cliffhanger ending. It feels like a cheat.
May 13, 2022
This is one of those books where an everyday normal guy gets into something totally cool. I mean the story is something I would absolutely love to be involved in although I wouldn't personally want to be the main character in this book. The reason for that is that Benjamin Murdock is dying! Yes, he's just 21 and the story begins in his doctors office with him getting the news about his cancer! That's very tough way to start a book! (What an understatement!)
So, where do you go with a story that starts with the main character being clearly told he has only a few months to maybe a year to live? Well, you team him up with his best friend and I mean a really, really best friend, like someone that would do anything an everything for you if they could. Don't think I ever had a friend like that, but Ben does and his name is Matt (no last name). And Matt is the first person Ben tells about his short future. Of course Matt knew that Ben was going to the doctors so he kind of figured the news would be bad from their previous discussions. Matt offered to come pick Ben up after his doctor's visit so they could go do something to get Ben's mind off his news, if that was possible.
Ben and Matt are recent college graduates with Ben getting a BS in Computer Science and a minor in music. He could play a guitar once in a while if his cancer wasn't getting in the way and Matt had set them up in his band that did bring in a few dollars every so often. So they were typical college types trying to work their way through school and trying to keep their student loans down as low as possible.
But, right now Matt figured Ben needed something to take his mind off his bad news so he told him about this new VR arcade call VR Awesome! Ben wasn't sure about this but Matt said this place was brand new, just opened and was probably going to be a lot of fun. So, Ben said he'd go and that's where he found himself just a little while later.
Here they get involved in a simulation game called "Star Squadron" which involved the players flying simulated starships in space shooting at other players in their simulated starships. This was the kind of geeky game that Ben just loved so Matt thought it would be great for him. And it was. Ben was pretty good at this kind of game although he didn't know why. His team comprised of four other players among whom were a young kid, and what appeared to be his Mom and Dad and another total stranger about Ben's age. Matt played for the other team because he didn't know much about the game and didn't want Ben's team to suffer from his total lack of gaming abilities! The game went as expected with Ben kind of taking charge the squadron directing team members where to go, well, except for the strange guy who turns out to be a total jerk.
Ben had his squadron working pretty well by teaming them up to take on the other side who would fight as single individuals. Then the jerk guy saw Matt's star-fighter all alone and having difficulty since Matt couldn't figure out how the thing worked. So this jerk said he was going after Matt which Ben didn't see as necessary. Anyway, it turns out that Ben caused the jerk to lose his star-fighter in the battle and before Ben knew what was happening he was being physically pulled from his simulator! The jerk kid was livid and was going to take out his rage on Ben. Matt saw what was about to happen so he stepped in and that resulted in the other guy winding up flat on his back. Ben wasn't necessarily not good in a fight, but Matt had some martial arts training and they came in very handy with this jerk.
So, the fight got them throw out of the arcade even though everyone knew that it wasn't their fault. Ben said he was hungry so he and Matt then headed to the local college hamburger joint. Ben and Matt talked about everything and this was one of those times when at least Ben needed someone to talk to. On the way Ben got a text out of no where from some guy wanting to sell of all things a starship. He said it was a movie prop and in story but the story fees were getting too much so the guy needed to sell it to someone. Of course Ben knew this was some kind of scam, but he mentioned it to Matt who agreed with him and recommended he delete the text immediately.
Ben intended to do just that, but just before they went into the hamburger joint, he decided, what the heck, and sent a reply to the text saying he was interested. Now he didn't know why he did that and he certainly didn't have the kind of money this guy was probably asking, but the idea of owning a starship did interest him. But, he soon forgot all about it when their delicious hamburgers were set in front of them. Then a guy name Mr. Keep shows up and things start going very strange. This is where the story takes off and you'll enjoy every bit of it even if it is a pretty far stretch of the imagination. No it's not another "The Last Starfighter" story but it's just something that I would love to have happened to me back in the day.
I'm thoroughly hooked on this new series so I've already added book 2, "Head Case" to my reading list. I also see that book 3, "Keep Away" is expected out around 26 May 2022. That one will go on my reading list also. Great story.
So, where do you go with a story that starts with the main character being clearly told he has only a few months to maybe a year to live? Well, you team him up with his best friend and I mean a really, really best friend, like someone that would do anything an everything for you if they could. Don't think I ever had a friend like that, but Ben does and his name is Matt (no last name). And Matt is the first person Ben tells about his short future. Of course Matt knew that Ben was going to the doctors so he kind of figured the news would be bad from their previous discussions. Matt offered to come pick Ben up after his doctor's visit so they could go do something to get Ben's mind off his news, if that was possible.
Ben and Matt are recent college graduates with Ben getting a BS in Computer Science and a minor in music. He could play a guitar once in a while if his cancer wasn't getting in the way and Matt had set them up in his band that did bring in a few dollars every so often. So they were typical college types trying to work their way through school and trying to keep their student loans down as low as possible.
But, right now Matt figured Ben needed something to take his mind off his bad news so he told him about this new VR arcade call VR Awesome! Ben wasn't sure about this but Matt said this place was brand new, just opened and was probably going to be a lot of fun. So, Ben said he'd go and that's where he found himself just a little while later.
Here they get involved in a simulation game called "Star Squadron" which involved the players flying simulated starships in space shooting at other players in their simulated starships. This was the kind of geeky game that Ben just loved so Matt thought it would be great for him. And it was. Ben was pretty good at this kind of game although he didn't know why. His team comprised of four other players among whom were a young kid, and what appeared to be his Mom and Dad and another total stranger about Ben's age. Matt played for the other team because he didn't know much about the game and didn't want Ben's team to suffer from his total lack of gaming abilities! The game went as expected with Ben kind of taking charge the squadron directing team members where to go, well, except for the strange guy who turns out to be a total jerk.
Ben had his squadron working pretty well by teaming them up to take on the other side who would fight as single individuals. Then the jerk guy saw Matt's star-fighter all alone and having difficulty since Matt couldn't figure out how the thing worked. So this jerk said he was going after Matt which Ben didn't see as necessary. Anyway, it turns out that Ben caused the jerk to lose his star-fighter in the battle and before Ben knew what was happening he was being physically pulled from his simulator! The jerk kid was livid and was going to take out his rage on Ben. Matt saw what was about to happen so he stepped in and that resulted in the other guy winding up flat on his back. Ben wasn't necessarily not good in a fight, but Matt had some martial arts training and they came in very handy with this jerk.
So, the fight got them throw out of the arcade even though everyone knew that it wasn't their fault. Ben said he was hungry so he and Matt then headed to the local college hamburger joint. Ben and Matt talked about everything and this was one of those times when at least Ben needed someone to talk to. On the way Ben got a text out of no where from some guy wanting to sell of all things a starship. He said it was a movie prop and in story but the story fees were getting too much so the guy needed to sell it to someone. Of course Ben knew this was some kind of scam, but he mentioned it to Matt who agreed with him and recommended he delete the text immediately.
Ben intended to do just that, but just before they went into the hamburger joint, he decided, what the heck, and sent a reply to the text saying he was interested. Now he didn't know why he did that and he certainly didn't have the kind of money this guy was probably asking, but the idea of owning a starship did interest him. But, he soon forgot all about it when their delicious hamburgers were set in front of them. Then a guy name Mr. Keep shows up and things start going very strange. This is where the story takes off and you'll enjoy every bit of it even if it is a pretty far stretch of the imagination. No it's not another "The Last Starfighter" story but it's just something that I would love to have happened to me back in the day.
I'm thoroughly hooked on this new series so I've already added book 2, "Head Case" to my reading list. I also see that book 3, "Keep Away" is expected out around 26 May 2022. That one will go on my reading list also. Great story.
April 26, 2023
I thought this would be whimsical and I wasn't surprised at that aspect. Quick and pleasant read with an unusual story line. Aliens, but the fantasy was a minor plot point. The tech fantasy was left unexplained. So the fantasy did not distract from the story line. More such adventures might be worthwhile.
March 26, 2022
This Surprised Me
The storyline starts a bit rough, tugging hard at the emotions and seeking empathy for our protagonist. It moves on, sometimes awkwardly, and the plot begins to develop. It’s OK, some acceptable character development and a fairly easy to follow plot, with some rather unusual cast. This book ends with a question and not a storyline resolution. Which means another installment will be needed to move the story forward.
The storyline starts a bit rough, tugging hard at the emotions and seeking empathy for our protagonist. It moves on, sometimes awkwardly, and the plot begins to develop. It’s OK, some acceptable character development and a fairly easy to follow plot, with some rather unusual cast. This book ends with a question and not a storyline resolution. Which means another installment will be needed to move the story forward.
August 27, 2022
Badabing
Okay quirky but fun, the third take in recent offerings in the sci-fi realm involving aliens coming to earth to recruit pilots and such. This one felt a little too Last Starfighter for me but the shape-shifting alien was Deep Space 9 also. Nothing new under the sun eh?
Okay quirky but fun, the third take in recent offerings in the sci-fi realm involving aliens coming to earth to recruit pilots and such. This one felt a little too Last Starfighter for me but the shape-shifting alien was Deep Space 9 also. Nothing new under the sun eh?
July 11, 2022
Solid meh
For starters, we spent the first 20% of the book " world building " which means being beaten over the head with the MC's health issues. Nothing even slightly entertaining happened until about 25%, and it was nearly 50% before the titular spaceship for sale actually came into play.
I also found it interesting that while we spent so long going over the MC's health issues they played very little role in the actual story aside from a driving force.
While there were a few interesting highlights, such as Alter, all in all I was not overly impressed. It seemed very middle school to me.
For starters, we spent the first 20% of the book " world building " which means being beaten over the head with the MC's health issues. Nothing even slightly entertaining happened until about 25%, and it was nearly 50% before the titular spaceship for sale actually came into play.
I also found it interesting that while we spent so long going over the MC's health issues they played very little role in the actual story aside from a driving force.
While there were a few interesting highlights, such as Alter, all in all I was not overly impressed. It seemed very middle school to me.
May 31, 2023
The beginning was interesting in that the idea of purchasing a Starship to find a cure for a friend was interesting and the woman that "was Included" in the purchase of the ship.. interesting. But it turned into horrible mishaps and insurmountable challenges.. the woman became a solution to alot of things - as we didn't have any back story for her so she was the answer or had the answer to alot of stuff.. Unfortunately it felt like young adults making spur of the moment decision's that didn't always make sense- starting with the guys that beat up the main character, while the 2ndary main character has the funds to buy the starship felt to perfect. It took the book almost 40 % before they actually bought the ship and that was the beginning of the troubles. - - Now I'm rambling.. sorry I had to put it back on the shelf.
March 5, 2024
I lost IQ points, read this and the whole series (challenge from a friend - i won the battle but lost the war. read them but wasted sooo much time on repetitive storyline and plots). The series at best is one book maybe two to allow for character development. in 10 books nothing is clear and Matt that hardly appeared in later books is much more developed than main characters. Author thinks they are being clever with cliffhangers but it's annoying. Personally I think this is written by an AI glued together by someone who is tech savvy. Read the dictionary would be time better spent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2022
Bad book
Wow the writer really should have gotten someone to read this book before sending to Kindle ,at 29% could be keep going the MC was some one that was passive to getting beat up but aggressive when offered a chance for a cure, what a idiot!!
Wow the writer really should have gotten someone to read this book before sending to Kindle ,at 29% could be keep going the MC was some one that was passive to getting beat up but aggressive when offered a chance for a cure, what a idiot!!
August 29, 2022
25% of the way through before the said starship shows up, god awful dialogue, main charcter does vr video game tactics and gets suspcious message. Come on, this was hacky 20 years ago. 25% is insulting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2022
lame
Two main characters are pathetic and the story was an abysmal attempt at writing sci-fi. Really disliked this book. Done with this author.
Two main characters are pathetic and the story was an abysmal attempt at writing sci-fi. Really disliked this book. Done with this author.
November 14, 2022
This is the first volume in an SF series and it’s much better than I expected, considering that it’s basically self-published. It opens with Ben Murdock, a thorough nerd in his early twenties, listening to the doctor confirm that he’s dying from brain cancer and the knowledge that his widowed mother will never be able to pay for any treatment -- even if it would do any good. His lifelong friend, Matt, always supportive and in agony that there’s nothing he can do to help, takes Ben to a new virtual reality arcade so he can at least escape the cold reality for an evening. Ben is very, very good at RPGs and he has a knack for doing piloting math in his head (a talent Matt definitely doesn’t share), and shortly after they leave the place, an email appears on his phone inviting him to purchase a genuine working starship. The guys assume it’s some kind of scam, but Ben (with his very limited future) decides to check it out anyway. And so they meet Mr. Keep, the present owner of a space ship shaped like a giant robot’s head (think Optimus Prime). It’s both an amazing artifact, heavily armed and with extra-powerful engines, but it’s also a patchwork job, put together by the aliens of a far distant world who are geniuses at reclamation. (The ship’s origins also explain the ’80s decor, the fluorescent light bulbs, and other non-futuristic things about the ship.)
Long story short, the guys talk themselves into buying the ship (no, I won’t divulge how they manage that), and discover that it comes with a female soldier-engineer-nurse-ninja-whatever who may be a shapeshifter (some more surprises there) and who considers the ship her home, regardless of who owns it. Ben may not have long to live, but first he and Matt are going to have an ADVENTURE. And, boy, do they ever -- but not really of they sort they were envisioning. Space is a heavily populated by humans (interesting back-story there, too) as well as aliens, and they have a a semi-modernized feudal society with s a queen over everything. And it can be a very dangerous place. It’s a well thought out story -- the details make everything work, given the basic premise -- with a lot of humor and numerous background mysteries suitable for future volumes in the series. But make sure you have the next volume queued up because this one ends with a helluva cliffhanger.
Long story short, the guys talk themselves into buying the ship (no, I won’t divulge how they manage that), and discover that it comes with a female soldier-engineer-nurse-ninja-whatever who may be a shapeshifter (some more surprises there) and who considers the ship her home, regardless of who owns it. Ben may not have long to live, but first he and Matt are going to have an ADVENTURE. And, boy, do they ever -- but not really of they sort they were envisioning. Space is a heavily populated by humans (interesting back-story there, too) as well as aliens, and they have a a semi-modernized feudal society with s a queen over everything. And it can be a very dangerous place. It’s a well thought out story -- the details make everything work, given the basic premise -- with a lot of humor and numerous background mysteries suitable for future volumes in the series. But make sure you have the next volume queued up because this one ends with a helluva cliffhanger.
March 29, 2023
"Starship for Sale" is pulp sci-fi and, for those, like me, who grew up reading about epic space battles and impossible odds, its nice to come across an example many decades later.
It's also not particularly concerned with the science which works for me as I usually end up baffled when quantum mechanics or the like is introduced.
The beginning is better than your average pulp - Benjamin 'Ben' Murdock has just been told that he's terminally ill. And then, within a couple of chapters, he and his best friend Matt are the new owners of a starship.
And not just any starship, it's got a unique propulsion system that others would kill for - and probably will.
It's also got the enigmatic Alter, a young woman with multiple skills, personalities and appearances - and, of course, a galaxy to explore.
It could do with a tighter edit ("my moross state"?) and, above all, dropping the annoying "Badabing badaboom".
If you like YA adventures and sci-fi you'll be happy. If you don't I would suggest you find something else to read.
It appeals to my inner teenager and I make no apologies for liking it.
I only vaguely recall the film "The Last Starfighter" (1984) but it has a constant presence in the book.
It ends on a cliffhanger, but it works if you consider "Starship for Sale" as, essentially, the opening episode to c continuing space opera.
3.5 Stars, reduced to 3 Stars.
It's also not particularly concerned with the science which works for me as I usually end up baffled when quantum mechanics or the like is introduced.
The beginning is better than your average pulp - Benjamin 'Ben' Murdock has just been told that he's terminally ill. And then, within a couple of chapters, he and his best friend Matt are the new owners of a starship.
And not just any starship, it's got a unique propulsion system that others would kill for - and probably will.
It's also got the enigmatic Alter, a young woman with multiple skills, personalities and appearances - and, of course, a galaxy to explore.
It could do with a tighter edit ("my moross state"?) and, above all, dropping the annoying "Badabing badaboom".
If you like YA adventures and sci-fi you'll be happy. If you don't I would suggest you find something else to read.
It appeals to my inner teenager and I make no apologies for liking it.
I only vaguely recall the film "The Last Starfighter" (1984) but it has a constant presence in the book.
It ends on a cliffhanger, but it works if you consider "Starship for Sale" as, essentially, the opening episode to c continuing space opera.
3.5 Stars, reduced to 3 Stars.
December 18, 2022
2022 Grade C
The book is a cliff hanger in every sense of the word which was rather disappointing. Nothing was accomplished despite the high quality writing and overall fun. I rarely slipped into speed reading and liked the characters, their development, and the world building. The book would be grade B if it had an end. But cliff hangers are deal breakers.
Many story lines were left unfinished. The cancer was not cured, no money was earned, no debts were paid off, the debt collectors were still after them, and no villains were vanquished. Thus the book is just character development, world building, and fights all the way through. All of that is enjoyable although the two 20-something guys seemed a bit dumb in places even for inexperienced males. Fortunately the Kindle version was not expensive. Never the less, I will Not be buying more from the author. Who knows if it will ever end. It might just go from cliff hanger to cliff hanger.
The details in the story are totally original but the McGuffin is very common. The premise is a highly skilled video gamer is given the opportunity to go into a SciFi or fantasy setting for real. I think half of the Manga I watch uses this theme. Certainly the 1984 movie "The Last Starfighter" used it.
The book is a cliff hanger in every sense of the word which was rather disappointing. Nothing was accomplished despite the high quality writing and overall fun. I rarely slipped into speed reading and liked the characters, their development, and the world building. The book would be grade B if it had an end. But cliff hangers are deal breakers.
Many story lines were left unfinished. The cancer was not cured, no money was earned, no debts were paid off, the debt collectors were still after them, and no villains were vanquished. Thus the book is just character development, world building, and fights all the way through. All of that is enjoyable although the two 20-something guys seemed a bit dumb in places even for inexperienced males. Fortunately the Kindle version was not expensive. Never the less, I will Not be buying more from the author. Who knows if it will ever end. It might just go from cliff hanger to cliff hanger.
The details in the story are totally original but the McGuffin is very common. The premise is a highly skilled video gamer is given the opportunity to go into a SciFi or fantasy setting for real. I think half of the Manga I watch uses this theme. Certainly the 1984 movie "The Last Starfighter" used it.
August 15, 2022
The blurb on the back of the book reads:
"When Ben Murdock receives a text message offering a fully operational starship for sale, he's certain it has to be a joke.
Already trapped in the worst day of his life and desperate for a way out, he decides to play along. Except there is no joke. The starship is real. And Ben's life is going to change in ways he never dreamed possible."
Yes, it's going to change, but do we really care? Ben is one of the most aggravating, egotistical, egoist, manipulators I have seen in a long time. He is constantly thinking of himself, often forcing others to go along with his decisions, and not really caring about the consequences his decisions have until it is convenient for him to do so.
Frankly, I think his buddy Matt would have been a much better protagonist. I am hoping that this is all a precursor to true character growth in the next book, or books. I don't know what Ben will have to lose to make him become a better person and at this point - I don't know that I want to find out. I'll have to watch and see what others think of the next book before I decide to make the commitment to read it.
"When Ben Murdock receives a text message offering a fully operational starship for sale, he's certain it has to be a joke.
Already trapped in the worst day of his life and desperate for a way out, he decides to play along. Except there is no joke. The starship is real. And Ben's life is going to change in ways he never dreamed possible."
Yes, it's going to change, but do we really care? Ben is one of the most aggravating, egotistical, egoist, manipulators I have seen in a long time. He is constantly thinking of himself, often forcing others to go along with his decisions, and not really caring about the consequences his decisions have until it is convenient for him to do so.
Frankly, I think his buddy Matt would have been a much better protagonist. I am hoping that this is all a precursor to true character growth in the next book, or books. I don't know what Ben will have to lose to make him become a better person and at this point - I don't know that I want to find out. I'll have to watch and see what others think of the next book before I decide to make the commitment to read it.
October 12, 2022
A decently fun romp with some pretty major flaws. Lots of exposition dumps. Forbes likes the characters to be constantly on their toes as things go wrong. This kind of writing annoys me. I want to be able to take a breath and explore the world around me in between battles/emergencies. There was not a lot of that. In fact, there are a lot of hints that the universe Forbes is trying to bring into existence is pretty interesting. But the execution is clumsy.
Ultimately though, I won't be reading the next one because I don't care about the characters. Alter is cool. Her particular gimmick and mystery behind it are intriguing. But she isn't the focus of the story. And while she plays a large part in it... it's mostly telling Ben and Matt what's going on. Which is another problem with the book really. Ben is the stand-in for the reader. He never really seems to know what's going on. 300 pages is a long time to only have hints of the universe you're in, no real sense of direction or where the story is going. Not a bad book but I will not be continuing the series.
Ultimately though, I won't be reading the next one because I don't care about the characters. Alter is cool. Her particular gimmick and mystery behind it are intriguing. But she isn't the focus of the story. And while she plays a large part in it... it's mostly telling Ben and Matt what's going on. Which is another problem with the book really. Ben is the stand-in for the reader. He never really seems to know what's going on. 300 pages is a long time to only have hints of the universe you're in, no real sense of direction or where the story is going. Not a bad book but I will not be continuing the series.
January 18, 2023
I've read a few of MR Forbes books but it's been a while so thought I'd give this a shot. I have it on kindle with percentage/page showing and was very surprised when I noted it was at 85% and very little had happened. The premise of the story was very good and the characters excellent but it was less than half the length than it should have been, after finishing the book the usual adverts for the series came up and it was a series of 8!!! At 5 times the price of the first. I won't be continuing the series as much as I'd like to. I was on the verge of recommending to a friend....that's not going to happen either. Good story but all round seems a bit of a con, too short in the length of the book and too much monetary wise on the sequels.
May 25, 2023
I am not sure what attracted me to the book but I was and here we are.
Overall I enjoyed the book.
Yes it’s a little slow in getting going but that was to be expected.
I know others complain about the lack of character development or dislike the characters. Personally I like the way the character progression has been written and overall the story has a good vibe to it with a few unexpected twists and turns.
There is a lot of characters getting into and out of scrapes which is to be expected.
I expected the clif hanger at the end so it wasn’t a surprise at all.
Overall not a bad book and a quite enjoyable read.
I already have purchased the next book in the series so am looking forward to their continuing adventures.
Overall I enjoyed the book.
Yes it’s a little slow in getting going but that was to be expected.
I know others complain about the lack of character development or dislike the characters. Personally I like the way the character progression has been written and overall the story has a good vibe to it with a few unexpected twists and turns.
There is a lot of characters getting into and out of scrapes which is to be expected.
I expected the clif hanger at the end so it wasn’t a surprise at all.
Overall not a bad book and a quite enjoyable read.
I already have purchased the next book in the series so am looking forward to their continuing adventures.
January 17, 2025
I've read several of this genre of books over the years, i.e. "generic joe schmo gets a spaceship". The premise on how he got it was a bit maddening and drawn out, but once things get going the story seems to advance well enough. The cast of characters is fairly interesting, with some having rather innovative backgrounds, but the ending of the book is a bit of a let down. Granted, this is a series and the author wants you to buy the next book. Still, the ending is rather abrupt as if a desired page count had been reached, so the book is summarily ended with significant threads left hanging. I'm not disappointed that I read this book, but I doubt that I'll be back for the next one any time soon.
May 13, 2022
Interesting fast paced
Starship for sale is an interesting fast paced book where th author is no afraid to use any of not every cliche used in sci to books and shows. The first half of th book seems to be insured in not actually taken from a early 80's movie named The Last Starfighter an alien so uses an arcade game to identify potential talented pilots and a man acting very much like the con man from the 50's movie Music man to close the deal ! I don't know maybe it's just a coincidence but it does make an interesting if not totally original read U actually do recommend this book because like th aforementioned sci fi movie the book is highly entertaining
Starship for sale is an interesting fast paced book where th author is no afraid to use any of not every cliche used in sci to books and shows. The first half of th book seems to be insured in not actually taken from a early 80's movie named The Last Starfighter an alien so uses an arcade game to identify potential talented pilots and a man acting very much like the con man from the 50's movie Music man to close the deal ! I don't know maybe it's just a coincidence but it does make an interesting if not totally original read U actually do recommend this book because like th aforementioned sci fi movie the book is highly entertaining
March 1, 2023
Decent sci-fi. Loaded with explicitly current culture references (cell 'phones, texting, social media companies by name, etc.), which is normally something you see a lot of in fanfic. I was surprised to see a published author neglect to future-proof their story, declining to be vague about such recognizable references which won't age well.
The elevator pitch for this story would go something like this: Equal parts Heinlein's "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel", 1984's "The Last Starfighter", and 2014's "The Fault In Our Stars" with plenty of angst and jumping from crisis to crisis without ever really settling back and enjoying the ride.
The elevator pitch for this story would go something like this: Equal parts Heinlein's "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel", 1984's "The Last Starfighter", and 2014's "The Fault In Our Stars" with plenty of angst and jumping from crisis to crisis without ever really settling back and enjoying the ride.
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