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Waymaker Wars #1
Space Junk
Captain Jack Hale and his crew of ragtag scavengers live by a code. They do the job, get paid, and keep their heads down.
Salvaging a distant section of the asteroid belt seemed like the perfect job. But when he and his crew stumble across a mining camp filled with dead bodies, their plans for a quick payday quickly go out the airlock. Especially when they find a scared little girl who knows the truth about the massacre.
When Captain Hale refuses to turn over the survivor to those behind the slaughter, he and his crew become outlaws. Fugitives in a system controlled by an alien AI.
The odds are against him, but Captain Hale has an ace up his sleeve, or rather, in his blood. The secret might just give him an edge to beat Sol Corps at their own game, though exposing it will draw out an old and even more dangerous enemy.
The sins of his past may just be what saves the future for all mankind.
Salvaging a distant section of the asteroid belt seemed like the perfect job. But when he and his crew stumble across a mining camp filled with dead bodies, their plans for a quick payday quickly go out the airlock. Especially when they find a scared little girl who knows the truth about the massacre.
When Captain Hale refuses to turn over the survivor to those behind the slaughter, he and his crew become outlaws. Fugitives in a system controlled by an alien AI.
The odds are against him, but Captain Hale has an ace up his sleeve, or rather, in his blood. The secret might just give him an edge to beat Sol Corps at their own game, though exposing it will draw out an old and even more dangerous enemy.
The sins of his past may just be what saves the future for all mankind.
378 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 23, 2022
401 people are currently reading
332 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Aukes
66 books407 followersRachel Aukes is the bestselling author of over forty books, including 100 Days in Deadland, which made Suspense Magazine’s Best of the Year list. She writes in a number of genres, including science fiction, fantasy, horror, thriller, and more. Her series includes Waymaker Wars, Space Troopers, Flight of the Javelin, Fringe, Deadland Saga, Colliding Worlds, and Guardians of the Seven Seals. Her novels have repeatedly been Amazon Top 100 bestsellers and #1 bestsellers in Horror, Post-Apocalyptic, Space Fleet, Space Marine, Galactic Empire, Colonization, Alien Invasion, and Cyberpunk. When not writing, Rachel can be found flying old airplanes with an incredibly spoiled dog over the Iowa countryside.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
August 3, 2024
I picked this up based on the description, expecting a space salvage/heist story. But the blurb and the beginning of the book have nothing in common. It takes a while for the story to progress to that point. This book definitely needs a better blurb. Or the first part of the book should have been a lot shorter. I get why it is there, but it doesn‘t gell well with the rest of the book and considering its length it lacks in depth. I can see people abandoning this book because they didn’t get what it says on the backflap. I was close several times in the first 3 hours of the audiobook.
Anyway….
“Salvaging a distant section of the asteroid belt seemed like the perfect job. But when he and his crew stumble across a mining camp filled with dead bodies, their plans for a quick payday quickly go out the airlock. Especially when they find a scared little girl who knows the truth about the massacre.“
I had a pretty strong Expanse vibe going there, just less well written. If you haven’t read the Expanse series, go and read that instead. The audio narration didn’t excite me either. Story and narration grew on me enough to continue, but it really gave me a craving for an Expanse re-read.
“When Captain Hale refuses to turn over the survivor to those behind the slaughter, he and his crew become outlaws. Fugitives in a system controlled by an alien AI.“
The AI has so little page time, it is definitely not an important part of the book. If you want a book with a lot of AI content, it‘s not this.
Oh, and if you have to run from the law and decide to get a fake identity, how about actually changing your name. Keeping your first name and the same letter of your last name seems a bit uninspired.
This book also has some wonky physics. And if I notice, then the science is bad.
So, shallow and less inspired beach-read version of The Expanse. Wonky physics, some rather silly plot points, the bad guys are under-developed, the AI is just there at the start and the end. There is some unnecessary violence, the whole thing lacks depth and the casual morals of the main characters make it hard to tell the difference between them and the bad guys. Meh.
3/5 stars, because I made it to the end. Not continuing with the next book.
Anyway….
“Salvaging a distant section of the asteroid belt seemed like the perfect job. But when he and his crew stumble across a mining camp filled with dead bodies, their plans for a quick payday quickly go out the airlock. Especially when they find a scared little girl who knows the truth about the massacre.“
I had a pretty strong Expanse vibe going there, just less well written. If you haven’t read the Expanse series, go and read that instead. The audio narration didn’t excite me either. Story and narration grew on me enough to continue, but it really gave me a craving for an Expanse re-read.
“When Captain Hale refuses to turn over the survivor to those behind the slaughter, he and his crew become outlaws. Fugitives in a system controlled by an alien AI.“
The AI has so little page time, it is definitely not an important part of the book. If you want a book with a lot of AI content, it‘s not this.
Oh, and if you have to run from the law and decide to get a fake identity, how about actually changing your name. Keeping your first name and the same letter of your last name seems a bit uninspired.
This book also has some wonky physics. And if I notice, then the science is bad.
So, shallow and less inspired beach-read version of The Expanse. Wonky physics, some rather silly plot points, the bad guys are under-developed, the AI is just there at the start and the end. There is some unnecessary violence, the whole thing lacks depth and the casual morals of the main characters make it hard to tell the difference between them and the bad guys. Meh.
3/5 stars, because I made it to the end. Not continuing with the next book.
May 5, 2022
Meh! Mostly Trash
The description shares one character name, Jack, with the preview and nothing else. The preview is a completely different storyline from the one in the description. And it’s a violent story, with multiple instances of pointless slaughter of innocents even in the short preview. The difference was abrupt enough that I never was pulled in to the story. Minimal character development, thin plot, and unresolved mystery issues make this an easy reject.
The description shares one character name, Jack, with the preview and nothing else. The preview is a completely different storyline from the one in the description. And it’s a violent story, with multiple instances of pointless slaughter of innocents even in the short preview. The difference was abrupt enough that I never was pulled in to the story. Minimal character development, thin plot, and unresolved mystery issues make this an easy reject.
June 10, 2022
This was an author that I hadn't read before so I didn't know what kind of story I'd be getting into. Turns out it was a very well written story with lots of intrigue and well developed character set. It starts off with the Solar System at war with itself or rather the Chinese bombing a Martin colony and a UN (United Nations) warship having to retaliate. Commander Lyla Lasseter, Captain of the U.N.S. Merkel, had the duty to conduct the retaliation even though she didn't relish the idea of killing innocent civilians. So she did her duty until she received a very strange message that read, "Cease".
That message came from an artificial object, definitely not something human made, but totally in control of all systems aboard the U.N.S. Merkel. They could no longer fire on the Chinese colony if they wanted to. The question was, were they going to be allowed to do anything? At least the entity hadn't cut off life support so that was a positive sign. It was also a sign for the entire Solar System that humans were not necessarily in-charge any more.
The object turned out to be an alien artificial intelligence that needed a place to replicate. It chose the Solar System since it had an abundance of mineral resources and a human population capable of developing or extracting those resources from the various planets and asteroids in the system. The alien called itself, "Waymaker" and clearly stated that it would not allow war in the Solar System any further. It wanted to provide a peaceful environment for the humans to develop and evolve as well as provide it with the resources to replicate itself as it was the only one in existence at this time. It also freely provided the humans with an abundance amount of advance technology to include greatly superior computer coding and software.
The UN quickly becomes Sol Corps which now oversaw the supervision, colonization, and protection for all Earth and its colonies..."* Why it had to be a corporation isn't explained, but apparently, any business that wanted to get in on the mining of mining resources or protection people and assets had to contract through Sol Corps. It was backed by the Waymaker so it definitely had the power to enforce the "rules".
So, with that many humans found themselves working in underground mining colonies on Mars, various moons and even asteroids. They were not the best paying jobs and there was a growing concern that the miner's welfare wasn't a priority for Sol Corps or for the Waymaker. As the years progressed, a lot of civil unrest was coming to the surface. While out-right protest and work stoppages hadn't occurred yet, they certainly would if conditions for these miners didn't improve.
Then General Metrell has a mission that he wanted Commander Lasseter to command. It involved a new ship, the Aria. This mission was a colonization mission, but it was to go far outside the Solar System. Up to now, humans didn't have interstellar flight capabilities. But with the technology provided by the Waymakers, they could now build a ship to go very, very far away from Earth. The crew and the ship were not going to be large since this was actually a seed ship, something to see if long-term space travel was possible and to test the ship and it's crew for future flights of its kind. The crew was going to number forty-eight supposedly picked during a lottery after Commander Lasseter hand-picked her bridge crew. It turns out that General Metrell did a lot more hand-picking so he knew the crew was capable of conducting the mission. Nothing was really left to chance.
The actual mission would not start for five years after the initial confirmation of Commander Lasseter as the mission commander. The ship was built in that time as was the crew trained. Additionally, there was one other thing the crew had to agree to and that was to accept nanite injections which would ensure they could live well beyond the twenty years this mission might require. These nanites went to work repairing their current aliments. It took five years for the full nanite treatment to be completed so after that time the mission was launched.
Five years after that launch, we're aboard the Aria and things aren't going so well. The ship is having problems and not those you would associate with a ship built to such exacting specifications. There were numerous small and just annoying problems cropping up every day. One minor engineer, Jack Halverton, complained that the hardware wasn't at fault. He complained that the software, which was predominately Waymaker operating system, had too tight of specs and they needed to be loosened up. Captain Lasseter didn't agree. Unfortuntely, she and the majority of the crew would soon experience a fatal "glitch" that purged the ship without warning. There were six crewmembers who just happened to be on a shuttle at the time of the purge. Jack Halverton was one of them. Why the ship did the purge wasn't going to be easy to figure out, but it seemes that the command came from Sol Corps HQ. Things couldn't get much worse or could they.
A pretty good story that covers quite a lot of time. Be sure your aware of the time-line because this crew isn't the normal human crew. They take their time doing things so you need to read the dates at specific chapters. I believe this crew and others will be around in the next book, "Freezer Burn", available 14 June 2022. I'm going to be looking for it in just a few days.
* Aukes, Rachel. Space Junk: A Military Sci-fi Series (Waymaker Wars Book 1) (p. 12). Aethon Books. Kindle Edition.."
That message came from an artificial object, definitely not something human made, but totally in control of all systems aboard the U.N.S. Merkel. They could no longer fire on the Chinese colony if they wanted to. The question was, were they going to be allowed to do anything? At least the entity hadn't cut off life support so that was a positive sign. It was also a sign for the entire Solar System that humans were not necessarily in-charge any more.
The object turned out to be an alien artificial intelligence that needed a place to replicate. It chose the Solar System since it had an abundance of mineral resources and a human population capable of developing or extracting those resources from the various planets and asteroids in the system. The alien called itself, "Waymaker" and clearly stated that it would not allow war in the Solar System any further. It wanted to provide a peaceful environment for the humans to develop and evolve as well as provide it with the resources to replicate itself as it was the only one in existence at this time. It also freely provided the humans with an abundance amount of advance technology to include greatly superior computer coding and software.
The UN quickly becomes Sol Corps which now oversaw the supervision, colonization, and protection for all Earth and its colonies..."* Why it had to be a corporation isn't explained, but apparently, any business that wanted to get in on the mining of mining resources or protection people and assets had to contract through Sol Corps. It was backed by the Waymaker so it definitely had the power to enforce the "rules".
So, with that many humans found themselves working in underground mining colonies on Mars, various moons and even asteroids. They were not the best paying jobs and there was a growing concern that the miner's welfare wasn't a priority for Sol Corps or for the Waymaker. As the years progressed, a lot of civil unrest was coming to the surface. While out-right protest and work stoppages hadn't occurred yet, they certainly would if conditions for these miners didn't improve.
Then General Metrell has a mission that he wanted Commander Lasseter to command. It involved a new ship, the Aria. This mission was a colonization mission, but it was to go far outside the Solar System. Up to now, humans didn't have interstellar flight capabilities. But with the technology provided by the Waymakers, they could now build a ship to go very, very far away from Earth. The crew and the ship were not going to be large since this was actually a seed ship, something to see if long-term space travel was possible and to test the ship and it's crew for future flights of its kind. The crew was going to number forty-eight supposedly picked during a lottery after Commander Lasseter hand-picked her bridge crew. It turns out that General Metrell did a lot more hand-picking so he knew the crew was capable of conducting the mission. Nothing was really left to chance.
The actual mission would not start for five years after the initial confirmation of Commander Lasseter as the mission commander. The ship was built in that time as was the crew trained. Additionally, there was one other thing the crew had to agree to and that was to accept nanite injections which would ensure they could live well beyond the twenty years this mission might require. These nanites went to work repairing their current aliments. It took five years for the full nanite treatment to be completed so after that time the mission was launched.
Five years after that launch, we're aboard the Aria and things aren't going so well. The ship is having problems and not those you would associate with a ship built to such exacting specifications. There were numerous small and just annoying problems cropping up every day. One minor engineer, Jack Halverton, complained that the hardware wasn't at fault. He complained that the software, which was predominately Waymaker operating system, had too tight of specs and they needed to be loosened up. Captain Lasseter didn't agree. Unfortuntely, she and the majority of the crew would soon experience a fatal "glitch" that purged the ship without warning. There were six crewmembers who just happened to be on a shuttle at the time of the purge. Jack Halverton was one of them. Why the ship did the purge wasn't going to be easy to figure out, but it seemes that the command came from Sol Corps HQ. Things couldn't get much worse or could they.
A pretty good story that covers quite a lot of time. Be sure your aware of the time-line because this crew isn't the normal human crew. They take their time doing things so you need to read the dates at specific chapters. I believe this crew and others will be around in the next book, "Freezer Burn", available 14 June 2022. I'm going to be looking for it in just a few days.
* Aukes, Rachel. Space Junk: A Military Sci-fi Series (Waymaker Wars Book 1) (p. 12). Aethon Books. Kindle Edition.."
May 3, 2022
Space Junk is set in a future in which humanity has reached out into the stars, but different factions have begun to war with each other, decimating those colonies in what has become a flashpoint, leading to self-annihilation of the human race. Just as ships of one faction are about to decimate a colony, an alien sphere drops in, and issues a single order, ‘CEASE’, along with removing control of all ship systems of every ship.
The story them moves forward to explain how the ‘Waymakers’ pulled humanity from the brink of destruction, and have set them on a new course, and we are introduced to a new Humanity, with a ‘Sol Corps’ instead of United Nations (This being under the purview of the Waymaker), and that is overseeing the supervision and protection of all the colonies and humanity now.
Part of this is a new project, the ‘Aria’ project, to send a colony ship out into the void to explore space, with a small crew of genetically modified crew (special medical nanites) so that they can survive for a longer period of time, without the need for some form of cryosleep, as a one way mission to go and find what they can, and send back information about what they find. Each crew member is specially chosen with multiple different skill sets, and no ties to Earth.
The first part of this story focuses on the selection of the crew, and the setup of the Aria, and its launch, and you get the impression that this story is going to be about an exploration mission, but then things go horribly wrong, and all but 6 of the crew are lost due to an incident on board the Aria.
A lot of this story initially is told from the point of view of Jack Halverton, literally the ‘Jack of all trades’ in space, a space miner, who is pretty good at all things, but also made a name for himself with combat after a particular incident. Jack was specifically chosen for the mission, and is one of the survivors of the Aria ‘accident’, and is nominated as Captain, and becoming Captain Jack Hale in the process. He and the remaining 6 crew then start off on what becomes a series of the most incredible adventures on the newly christened Cabrón (it translates to several colourful things in Spanish).
This is basically only the introduction which leaves you wondering what is to come as it is already an intriguing and fascinating story, but it shifts forward in time to the Pallus Six mining camp on an asteroid, where something terrible happens, and Jack and his crew are the first on site and find the only survivor a young girl, barely clinging to life, and now the most wanted person in the system.
Suddenly Jack and his crew go from being salvagers to being on Sol Corps most wanted list, and having trying to avoid attention for a ‘long’ period of time, they find themselves caught up in a revolution against Sol Corps and the Waymakers.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers for this book, it is just such a brilliant story, with this multi-layered, multi-dimensional story that is full of intrigue, and action. It has similarities to The Expanse, in that there are those out in the ‘belt’ that are being taken advantage of by those in the core (Sol Corps), but Sol Corps are a lot more brutal in their tactics, just shutting off all power to a mining station, (such as Pallus Six – when they were talking about a protest, they hadn’t even done it yet). But there is so much more to this story, with the Waymakers and their influence, as they have removed all ship to ship weapons, and inserted a level of control (or are trying to!) over humans. Amongst this, are the ‘Aria’ crew, and their story, which is another whole set of storylines that is just as intriguing as the main story!
Aukes continues to show that she is one of the best character driven Authors on the market today, as the character work in this book is exceptional. The crew of the Aria are captivating, each of them is this fascinating individual that (and without giving too much away), is a psychological study after what has happened to them, and Aukes has done a masterful job in creating this different personalities. Hale is brilliant as the Captain of this crew, but there are other aspects to the story of the crew that are just so in-depth, intelligent and powerful, (and for some might be a bit confronting). There are several other characters (again, I don’t want to give away spoilers), that are creative and just extraordinary, bringing this story to life in such a captivating and powerful way.
One of the great things I really loved about this story to was the Sci-Fi aspects, Aukes has done a really stunning job of creating these different places in our future on space stations and in starships that are so real that you can see them so clearly in your head. From the insides of the Aria, to Pallus Six and the various halls of Sol Corps bases, the ‘world-building’ is just beautifully done so that you can get totally absorbed into this incredible universe that Aukes has created.
Space Junk is a thrilling adventure that has such a multi-faceted story, every time you think you have something worked out, it leads to a whole new layer of storylines. This is an exceptional character driven story, that is so incredibly in-depth, exciting and action-packed, it doesn’t really matter what genre you like, Mil Sci-Fi, Space Opera, Alien, Space Exploration, Galactic Empire, First Contact – the list goes on – this story has it – and more. This is one of the best Sci-Fi books I have read all year and is an absolute MUST READ!!
The story them moves forward to explain how the ‘Waymakers’ pulled humanity from the brink of destruction, and have set them on a new course, and we are introduced to a new Humanity, with a ‘Sol Corps’ instead of United Nations (This being under the purview of the Waymaker), and that is overseeing the supervision and protection of all the colonies and humanity now.
Part of this is a new project, the ‘Aria’ project, to send a colony ship out into the void to explore space, with a small crew of genetically modified crew (special medical nanites) so that they can survive for a longer period of time, without the need for some form of cryosleep, as a one way mission to go and find what they can, and send back information about what they find. Each crew member is specially chosen with multiple different skill sets, and no ties to Earth.
The first part of this story focuses on the selection of the crew, and the setup of the Aria, and its launch, and you get the impression that this story is going to be about an exploration mission, but then things go horribly wrong, and all but 6 of the crew are lost due to an incident on board the Aria.
A lot of this story initially is told from the point of view of Jack Halverton, literally the ‘Jack of all trades’ in space, a space miner, who is pretty good at all things, but also made a name for himself with combat after a particular incident. Jack was specifically chosen for the mission, and is one of the survivors of the Aria ‘accident’, and is nominated as Captain, and becoming Captain Jack Hale in the process. He and the remaining 6 crew then start off on what becomes a series of the most incredible adventures on the newly christened Cabrón (it translates to several colourful things in Spanish).
This is basically only the introduction which leaves you wondering what is to come as it is already an intriguing and fascinating story, but it shifts forward in time to the Pallus Six mining camp on an asteroid, where something terrible happens, and Jack and his crew are the first on site and find the only survivor a young girl, barely clinging to life, and now the most wanted person in the system.
Suddenly Jack and his crew go from being salvagers to being on Sol Corps most wanted list, and having trying to avoid attention for a ‘long’ period of time, they find themselves caught up in a revolution against Sol Corps and the Waymakers.
I don’t want to give away any spoilers for this book, it is just such a brilliant story, with this multi-layered, multi-dimensional story that is full of intrigue, and action. It has similarities to The Expanse, in that there are those out in the ‘belt’ that are being taken advantage of by those in the core (Sol Corps), but Sol Corps are a lot more brutal in their tactics, just shutting off all power to a mining station, (such as Pallus Six – when they were talking about a protest, they hadn’t even done it yet). But there is so much more to this story, with the Waymakers and their influence, as they have removed all ship to ship weapons, and inserted a level of control (or are trying to!) over humans. Amongst this, are the ‘Aria’ crew, and their story, which is another whole set of storylines that is just as intriguing as the main story!
Aukes continues to show that she is one of the best character driven Authors on the market today, as the character work in this book is exceptional. The crew of the Aria are captivating, each of them is this fascinating individual that (and without giving too much away), is a psychological study after what has happened to them, and Aukes has done a masterful job in creating this different personalities. Hale is brilliant as the Captain of this crew, but there are other aspects to the story of the crew that are just so in-depth, intelligent and powerful, (and for some might be a bit confronting). There are several other characters (again, I don’t want to give away spoilers), that are creative and just extraordinary, bringing this story to life in such a captivating and powerful way.
One of the great things I really loved about this story to was the Sci-Fi aspects, Aukes has done a really stunning job of creating these different places in our future on space stations and in starships that are so real that you can see them so clearly in your head. From the insides of the Aria, to Pallus Six and the various halls of Sol Corps bases, the ‘world-building’ is just beautifully done so that you can get totally absorbed into this incredible universe that Aukes has created.
Space Junk is a thrilling adventure that has such a multi-faceted story, every time you think you have something worked out, it leads to a whole new layer of storylines. This is an exceptional character driven story, that is so incredibly in-depth, exciting and action-packed, it doesn’t really matter what genre you like, Mil Sci-Fi, Space Opera, Alien, Space Exploration, Galactic Empire, First Contact – the list goes on – this story has it – and more. This is one of the best Sci-Fi books I have read all year and is an absolute MUST READ!!
October 4, 2022
Not very heavy on the science part of science fiction. Even Newtonian physics aren't represented well, being that if something applies force to an object in a microgravity environment it will just keep floating away. Yet "debris" and "bodies" hang around "blown up" space ships like they have their own gravity well. Similarly, the concepts around fusion generally involve light weight elements, mainly hydrogen, being fused under heat and pressure. This type of reaction doesn't lend itself to "nuclear explosions" akin to fission. It just... stops, if pressure and heat aren't available. Also unclear on how said fusion drives became a thing that requires no reaction mass, let alone a means of propulsion. To .8c even. And time dilation at that speed? Not mentioned. Orbital mechanics? Not really visible, just things going at each other in straight lines full throttle. No worries about actually having to match orbit and velocity. Not as horrible as some science fiction in representing the vastness and emptiness of space. Characters are okay-ish, not paper thin but not entirely engaging.
May 10, 2022
A bit too similar to other books like this one I've read to be completely interesting, but it does hold the attention enough to get me through to the end. No idea if I'll read more in the series or not, but this should be an excellent read for someone new to the genre, as they wouldn't have run across so many similar offerings before, and therefore should find this book exciting and interesting.
June 2, 2022
Good read but I wouldn't call it military scifi
This is a great book but it's not military sci-fi or space opera. Almost the first thing that happens is the military is done away with. There is action and the author is good.
This is a great book but it's not military sci-fi or space opera. Almost the first thing that happens is the military is done away with. There is action and the author is good.
Read
September 3, 2025Rating: minus 5 on a scale of minus 5 to plus 5.
I am rewriting my reviews against a format that is clearer and cleaner despite my expectation that no one will read this.
I will need to spend time on the YouTube before continuing. This next is brought to you by - Doctor Who\They Break My Heart -RecklessGirl100, NCMI, Anark, The Military Show, Anne Applebaum, LuckyBlackCat, Red Glasgow, Silicon Curtain, AllShorts, aidan knight, Reads With Rachel, Communitea, KernowDamo, Welcome to Ukraine, Keffals, Engineering with Rosie, Fit 2B Read, The Ritual Kitchen with Laura May, Roomies Digest, Reading Medieval, Reese Waters, FAFO, I'm Rosa, Library Ladder, Ukraine Calling, Brandon Fisichella, Lily Simpson, Bookslike Whoa, Sort of Interesting, Life Worth Reading, Agro Squirrel Narrates, Abby Cox, Sailing Melody, Ro Ramdin, Laura Crone, Deerstalker Pictures, Leandra the TBR Zero, Dr Becky, Vlad Vexler, Nookrium, May, Eileen. Narrowboat Pirate, Cruising Alba, Cruising Crafts, Kris Atomic, The Mindful Narrowboat, HonestlySophie, Fundie Fridays, Books and Lala, Shitty Book Club, Mia Mulder, Female Warriors - Teresatessa, Lena Down Under, Chess Vibes, The Left Handed Reader, Joe Blogs, TVP World, Alana Estelle, British Museum, ATP Geopolitics, A Cup of Nicole, Ukraine Matters. Books with Zara, Jess Owens, Chloe Stafler, Bobbing Along, OnlyWildThoughts, Read with Sara, Belinda Strnad, Nikki Carreon, Kazachka, Sort of Interesting, Deerstalker Pictures, Verilybitchie, Fantasy and World Music by the Fletchers, JohnTheDuncan, Shelbeyandthebookclub, Times Radio, Sabine's Book Nook, Eugenia from Ukraine, Amie's Literary Empire, Lynn Saga, Monte Mader, The Shades of Orange, Yankee Farm Wife, Nikki Howard, Julie Nolke, Planet D, ?OrangeRiver, The Oaken Knight, Whitenoiz CA, Jake Broe, Democratic Penguins Republic, Forrest Valkai, Elina Charatsidou, Alana Estelle, Alice Cappelle, The Juice Media, Matriarchetype, Hoots, SK Media, History with Cy, The Histheorist, Scally Dandling About the Books, Kyiv Post, The Closet Historian, Shannon Makes, Mercado Media, Terrible Writing Advice, The Welsh Viking, The Book Leo, Ukraine Matters, Centre for Eastern Eastern Studies, Guard the Leaf, BookishDadReads, Dungeons and Discourse, Players Aid, The Grungeon Master, Gingers are Black, Rana Najjar, Isaac Arthur.
I saw an idiot who whilst insulting a favourite essayist, complain to her that I list channels hosted by trans creators. The madness of the poorly socialised, US male may be legendary. To that idiot and fellows, please be aware that channels which I list include cis, military historian, Irish, asexual, redhaired, socialist, physicist, WOC, het, chess player, model, archaeologist, intersex, ship builder, sewist, story narrator, queer, Welsh, tall, train enthusiast, lesbian, married, writer, military board gamer, Indian, marine biologist and others whom the less emotionally and intellectually challenged refer to as Women. Not as damaging perhaps but equally threatening are ginger, mathematician, other LGBTQI+, linguist, Canadian, anarchist, modeller, chemist, film critic, miniatures gamer, Danish, boater, short, neurodivergent, other BIPOC, artist, philosopher, RPG player, anthropologist, Ukrainian, collector, woodcutter, zoologist and other creators known by the sane as Human Beings. Should the voices not be stilled, become a detectorist, adopt Buddhism or seek emergency pastoral counselling. When I am reminded of the stupidly of my commenters and the contempt in which I hold them, I often think on an early days interview with a middle age teacher. She organised and led her civilian anti-tank team hunting Russian armour North of Kyiv. If she can hunt the Moscow beasts, I can not abandon my current mission. Glory to Ukraine. Glory to the Heroes. Crimea is Ukraine.
On to the book. Problems in the background universe. There are no other solar government, associated agencies, bureaus or legal infrastructure other than Solcorps. The funding of Solcorps are a mystery. Solcorps possess ground forces but no ships with offensive weapons.
Corporations control entire planetary bodies but answer to Solcorps. Solcorps will not allow them to raise wages, prevent them from diverting profits to better the living conditions of their labour force, ignore their objections to murderous suppression of worker revolts. Really??
One needn't be a socialist to find the above bizarre. Can any reader find an example of real world corporations "fighting" to raise employee wages? I do not ask the question of US readers, as the possible answers would trouble me.
The purpose of the hero crew is unknown, as is the organisation which recruited them. What selection criteria were applied is not mentioned. The characters lack personality or history. The electronic intelligence is the most interesting character, about which nothing is known and no public reaction follows publication of that discovery.
There is no plot, therefore no story. Instead there are loosely connected story ideas in need of development.
Time for a break with the YouTube. This section was brought you by - "Where i Fall" - Doctor Who, NCMI, Acollierastro, Bookslike Whoa, Zade, Secret Sauce of Storycraft, Ben and Emily, Chris and Shell, Reads with Rachel, Paperback Empire, Agro Squirrel Narrates, Mrs Pizzareader, Mrs Betty Bowers, Terrible Writing Advice, Ukraine Calling, Amie's Literary Empire, Tristan and The Classics, Dr Becky, Physics Girl, One Proud Bavarian, Celebitchy, The Book Leo, Jed Herne, Autumn's Boutique, The Oaken Knight, Crow Caller, Lily Alexandre, Camper Vibes, A Clockwork Reader, Meredith Constant, Gutsick Gibbon, Planarwalker, Ben G Thomas, Megalith Hunter, Party Elite, Dungeons and Discourse, Anna from Ukraine, Kyiv Independent, Malinda, Sci-Fi Odyssey, OliviaReadsaLatte, Gemma Dyer, Fantasy and World Music by the Fletchers, The Yarn Hub, Terrible Writing Advice, Tale Foundry, Big Train, SK Media, Cecilia Blomdahl, Suey's Book Banter, Kelly Loves Physics and History, Crecganford, Diary of a Ditch Witch, Norse Witch, Irish Myths, Religion For Breakfast, Atun Shei Films, Michelle Reads and Vlogs, A Frolic through Fiction, Cold Fusion, Hair Brained Games, Lou Reading Things, Merphy Napier, Artur Rehi, Serena Skybourne, Philosophy Tube, The New Enlightenment with Ashley, Owen Jones, Hello Future Me, Alysotherlife, Happy Pancake, Elle Literacy, Jay Jason Smart, Kozak Muzon, Meg's Tea Room.
Consider this a potentially hostile site. 🤔
Goodreads dIscourse does not exist. Goodreads serve only to create and cement consensus around books which adhere to the most inane of writing standards. As example, I wrote a short negative review of Powers of the Earth, a poorly written and juvenile salute to what would now be called the sociopathic January 6, 2021 hero. The original blurb compared it to a Heinlein classic. It was instead a bargain bin imitation of "Atlas Shrugged" more like.
The book is the saga of a heroic rich twat enlisting the military in overthrow of the US government in order that victims such as himself not pay inheritance tax. I had judged the book dangerous and unhealthy, though the theme is very common in the Amazon recommendations and Unlimited selections.
The writer, Travis Corcoran self-described as libertarian (now anarcho capitalist without portfolio?) and vocal advocate for a return of chattel slavery (popular US stance, currently being championed by the Republican Party across the country), veteran, employee of an unnamed US agency (which after the current destruction of much of the US government, he is likely no longer). He is also an admirer of a war criminal wanted by the World Court, a Vladimir Putin (also a popular US stance (especially among the MAGA and the US government).
He and six fellow patriots were incensed. They spent something like a year demanding my response to unhinged comments. I was particularly wounded by the comment accusing me of narcissism in not engaging. In now popular MAGA opinion, it does seem that independent or critical thought, would be seen in that way. I am a communist and the levels of irony were painful to behold.
The final comment was delivered by Claes Rees Jr aka cgr710 now ka Clayton R Jesse Jr, who no longer identifies as a Nazi. He grandly declared that They had "won" (?), after referencing the contents of my last Goodreads message to a friend. I discovered that They and recruits had launched a flood of vile racist, misogynistic and other anti-human comments against apparently every female creator of channels which I mentioned. While They failed to entice the physicist, midteen boater or her mother, the pensioner, the primatologist or any of the others, They did successfully increase the world's overabundance of unpleasantness. They also delivered a splendid self-portrait of the Snowflake (unhinged, self-important, poorly educated US man-child) to a broad multinational audience. This it seems was quite the Victory. Goodreads is certainly a hotbed of literary debate ??
This book is actually better than more widely read writers, such as Ringo, Chaney, Anderle and other clowns devoid of talent or imagination but armed with publisher favour. The standards for US fiction if such exist, have fallen far.
A steady diet of drivel may damage your critical thinking. Think of Americans who do not question the US position that Ukrainians can die without the equipment needed to defend themselves, as long as US oil corporations are welcomed back into Russia. The number of Patriot missile batteries sent by the US to Ukraine to protect their cities, is zero. Every such unit was donated by a NATO country other than the US. Every type of weapon which has has been chosen to help defend Ukraine, has also had delivery slowed or blocked by the Biden and Trump administrations. Europe have grown tired of covering for US policy and YouTube channels have interviewed historians, political experts and generals who point directly at the US obstruction of that aid. There is no scandal, are no demands to step up deliveries and no questions, from among US supporters of Ukraine. This is one result when a population ceases to think.
After several years of Unlimited, US print science fiction and fantasy no longer appeal. For the first time, I watch rather than read my fiction. Film and TV usually produce better stories, no matter his badly written. At worst they deliver decent visuals, which far outstrip the descriptive talents of most Unlimited writers.
I began visiting YouTube for useful science fiction and fantasy commentary. I found those, followed by hobby, history, science, others and finally the BookTube. The variety and breadth of channels stunned me. I was fortunate in discovering the incredible Lindsay Ellis, 😍 who introduced me to the language of literary criticism, its perspective and importance, something no literature module had managed at university.
BookTube discuss everything book related, including fiction and non-fiction, literary criticism, library organization, book shopping and more. The groups fostered are readers courteous, curious and enamoured of all things bookish. The environments are far different to that of Goodreads, I promise. BookTubers will also discuss reader site alternatives to Amazon.
Another break needed. This last was made possible by Doctor Who/Cruel or Cowardly - Margarita Life, NCMI, Fiona Hill, Yanis Varoufakis, Mia Mulder, Red Glasgow, Mandy, Narrowboat Adventures, Zoe Baker, Tara Mooknee, The Great War, A Day of Small Things, Violet Orlandi, Book Furnace, linguoer Mechanic, Parkrose Permaculture, Ana Boulter, Lords of War Games and Hobbies, Katie Halper, Grace McGuire, Kat Blacque, Amanda's Mild Takes, J.Draper, Wolfgang Twins, KernowDamo, JammiDodger, Amadeus Quartet, Dreamloop Cinema.
Ominous music begins. 😊 The comment gangs are very active in speculative fiction and romance, unchecked and often protected by Amazon. The criticism of racist, sexist, ableist and other descriptions, themes or elements of same have generated warnings by Amazon against "Hate Speech" against members and BookTubers. The US definition of hate speech is similar to that of the Starmer regime. The US is led by a clown who would be king, the UK by a coward who salutes one.
The comments which I have seen, directed at female readers of science fiction include "Get the stick out of your ass" and "You obviously have not recovered from your recent anal rape". Wonderful literary comment those.
I advise a scan of the female reviews of the Ringo zombie series, a favourite of US males. At start the British government was referred to as "Eurotrash" and continued through certain descriptions of Caribbean natives. To add additional spice, the series includes a running subplot involving the protagonist grooming his daughters twelve and fourteen for repeated impregnation by anonymous US marines. Ah, fatherhood in the US is beautiful.
Routine gang behaviours involve the doxxing, stalking, threats against the one star reviewer (including BookTubers) and I imagine the Swatting in the near future. US free speech is extraordinary.
Kindle shared my limited message history with those mental patriots.That allowed Australian Intelligence to fulfil a request through Pine Gap Centre to interrogate the one friend whom I occasionally messaged. The attempt on my personal history failed, though it did create two outraged customers.
Amazon did not respond until we shared our experience with many others. While there were explanations, faux upset at horrific customer treatment or the like, They did disappear all lurkers whom I had previously not been Permitted to remove, masked all comments to my reviews (good riddance), even returned my pages to normal format including permissions and the rest. I wonder whether customer service protocols need revising.
A seventh ex-employee of EBay was sentenced for harassment of a couple whose small ecommerce channel was deemed unkind to EBay. The couple were awarded millions of pounds and that ex-employee had been Chief of Global Security or some such. US data
Breed interesting cultures.
I suggest some more precautions to improve your safety on this site. Remove all personal information from profile and avoid messaging. Remove the lurker, those who never post. They are monitors, either employee generated or gang leaders, not admirers. With the interesting Goodreads alterations to customer pages, the screenshot of the odd, ugly or threatening are a wonderful tool. These should suffice and again BookTubers will direct you to alternative reader sites.
Kindle are a more dangerous exposure. Do Not use Files, Calendar, Contacts or Email. Amazon read your emails with neither notice nor permission. Given the experiences of myself and others, draw your own conclusions. Do Not "purchase" Amazon e-books, as you own only the device, not downloads. These may be altered or deleted at Amazon's whim. BookTubers are able to direct a reader to other ebook providers, devices and alternative print sources. All Silk searches should of course be innocuous and non-critical. I have unsubscribed the BookTubers who do not mention the Goodreads merely as part of their work but who gush over the latest Amazon device or Goodreads picks, as being at best, unserious persons.
These will reduce vulnerability and cost nothing. To not implement these might well do. It might be prudent to remember that any temporary immunity is subject to the whims of the madlads of Kindle/Goodreads. They are demonstrably devoid of morality and restrained only by fear of retaliation. These members and employees alike are sick US man-children but are also US patriots. Ominous music ends. 😊
Be safe. May we all find Good Reading. 🤗
Some of my favourite YouTube channels are.
UATV, Mia Mulder, Tom Nicholas, Ana Boulter, Winging it on a Budget, Supertanskiii, Kris Atomic, Munecat, 2 Cellos, Ben and Emily, The Juice Media, Mandy, Philosophy Tube, ATP Geopolitics, Depressed Russian, Puddles Pity Party, Bookborn, NFKRZ, Hailey in Bookland, Abby Cox, Rebecca Watson, History with Kayleigh, Kings and Generals, Beautifully Bookish Bethany, Queen Penguin, Shades of Orange, Hetty and the Jazzalato Band, OrangeRiver, Boat Time, Jake Broe, Hardy's Books, Fit 2B Read, Dark Brandon, Jessie Gender, Cambrian Chronicles, Lore Reloaded, Drama Kween, Kiko1006 - Secret Melody, Abbie Emmons, Savy Writes Books, Karolina Zebrowska, Shoeonhead, Zoe Baker, Kings and Generals, Travelling K, Tulia, Postmodern Jukebox, Northern Narrowboaters, Linguoer Mechanic, Prime of Midlife, Cruising Alba, Cruising Crafts, Dr Becky, Medusa Cascade, Neil Oliver, DUST, GhostTime History, Brandon Fisichella, Tara Mooknee, Philosophy Tube, Owen Jones, Lilly's life, A Life of Lit, BookslikeWhoa, Kathy's Flog in France, Ship Happens, Lady of the Library, Renegade Cut, Alt Shift X, Bernadette Banner, Snappy Dragon, DW News, Chloe Stafler, Adult Wednesday Addams - 2 seasons, Sabine Hossenfelder, Horses, Think Ukraine, Engineering with Rosie, I'm Rosa, Jay Reed, With Olivia, Jake Broe, Joe Blogs, Perun, Hoots, TheClosetHistorian, A Clockwork Reader, Maggie Mae Fish, Enby Reads, Queer Kiwi, Realtime History, Historia Civilis, Engineering Knits, Sarah Z, The Book Leo, Cruising the Cut, Narrowboat Pirate, Jean's Thoughts, Roomies Digest, Gingers are Black, AlysOtherLife, Book Furnace, Andrewism, Twinshangout, The Leftist Cooks, What Vivi did next, Book Leo, AllShorts, Vlad Vexler, Natasha's Adventures, Zoe Bee, Readwithcindy, Artur Rehi, SciFi Odyssey.
I wish you a lazy morning, a pleasant afternoon, a contemplative evening, a wonderful night and may we all continue to learn.
If Empathy departs, so does Humanity. 🙂
George Washington at a conference of Virginia slave owners
I am rewriting my reviews against a format that is clearer and cleaner despite my expectation that no one will read this.
I will need to spend time on the YouTube before continuing. This next is brought to you by - Doctor Who\They Break My Heart -RecklessGirl100, NCMI, Anark, The Military Show, Anne Applebaum, LuckyBlackCat, Red Glasgow, Silicon Curtain, AllShorts, aidan knight, Reads With Rachel, Communitea, KernowDamo, Welcome to Ukraine, Keffals, Engineering with Rosie, Fit 2B Read, The Ritual Kitchen with Laura May, Roomies Digest, Reading Medieval, Reese Waters, FAFO, I'm Rosa, Library Ladder, Ukraine Calling, Brandon Fisichella, Lily Simpson, Bookslike Whoa, Sort of Interesting, Life Worth Reading, Agro Squirrel Narrates, Abby Cox, Sailing Melody, Ro Ramdin, Laura Crone, Deerstalker Pictures, Leandra the TBR Zero, Dr Becky, Vlad Vexler, Nookrium, May, Eileen. Narrowboat Pirate, Cruising Alba, Cruising Crafts, Kris Atomic, The Mindful Narrowboat, HonestlySophie, Fundie Fridays, Books and Lala, Shitty Book Club, Mia Mulder, Female Warriors - Teresatessa, Lena Down Under, Chess Vibes, The Left Handed Reader, Joe Blogs, TVP World, Alana Estelle, British Museum, ATP Geopolitics, A Cup of Nicole, Ukraine Matters. Books with Zara, Jess Owens, Chloe Stafler, Bobbing Along, OnlyWildThoughts, Read with Sara, Belinda Strnad, Nikki Carreon, Kazachka, Sort of Interesting, Deerstalker Pictures, Verilybitchie, Fantasy and World Music by the Fletchers, JohnTheDuncan, Shelbeyandthebookclub, Times Radio, Sabine's Book Nook, Eugenia from Ukraine, Amie's Literary Empire, Lynn Saga, Monte Mader, The Shades of Orange, Yankee Farm Wife, Nikki Howard, Julie Nolke, Planet D, ?OrangeRiver, The Oaken Knight, Whitenoiz CA, Jake Broe, Democratic Penguins Republic, Forrest Valkai, Elina Charatsidou, Alana Estelle, Alice Cappelle, The Juice Media, Matriarchetype, Hoots, SK Media, History with Cy, The Histheorist, Scally Dandling About the Books, Kyiv Post, The Closet Historian, Shannon Makes, Mercado Media, Terrible Writing Advice, The Welsh Viking, The Book Leo, Ukraine Matters, Centre for Eastern Eastern Studies, Guard the Leaf, BookishDadReads, Dungeons and Discourse, Players Aid, The Grungeon Master, Gingers are Black, Rana Najjar, Isaac Arthur.
I saw an idiot who whilst insulting a favourite essayist, complain to her that I list channels hosted by trans creators. The madness of the poorly socialised, US male may be legendary. To that idiot and fellows, please be aware that channels which I list include cis, military historian, Irish, asexual, redhaired, socialist, physicist, WOC, het, chess player, model, archaeologist, intersex, ship builder, sewist, story narrator, queer, Welsh, tall, train enthusiast, lesbian, married, writer, military board gamer, Indian, marine biologist and others whom the less emotionally and intellectually challenged refer to as Women. Not as damaging perhaps but equally threatening are ginger, mathematician, other LGBTQI+, linguist, Canadian, anarchist, modeller, chemist, film critic, miniatures gamer, Danish, boater, short, neurodivergent, other BIPOC, artist, philosopher, RPG player, anthropologist, Ukrainian, collector, woodcutter, zoologist and other creators known by the sane as Human Beings. Should the voices not be stilled, become a detectorist, adopt Buddhism or seek emergency pastoral counselling. When I am reminded of the stupidly of my commenters and the contempt in which I hold them, I often think on an early days interview with a middle age teacher. She organised and led her civilian anti-tank team hunting Russian armour North of Kyiv. If she can hunt the Moscow beasts, I can not abandon my current mission. Glory to Ukraine. Glory to the Heroes. Crimea is Ukraine.
On to the book. Problems in the background universe. There are no other solar government, associated agencies, bureaus or legal infrastructure other than Solcorps. The funding of Solcorps are a mystery. Solcorps possess ground forces but no ships with offensive weapons.
Corporations control entire planetary bodies but answer to Solcorps. Solcorps will not allow them to raise wages, prevent them from diverting profits to better the living conditions of their labour force, ignore their objections to murderous suppression of worker revolts. Really??
One needn't be a socialist to find the above bizarre. Can any reader find an example of real world corporations "fighting" to raise employee wages? I do not ask the question of US readers, as the possible answers would trouble me.
The purpose of the hero crew is unknown, as is the organisation which recruited them. What selection criteria were applied is not mentioned. The characters lack personality or history. The electronic intelligence is the most interesting character, about which nothing is known and no public reaction follows publication of that discovery.
There is no plot, therefore no story. Instead there are loosely connected story ideas in need of development.
Time for a break with the YouTube. This section was brought you by - "Where i Fall" - Doctor Who, NCMI, Acollierastro, Bookslike Whoa, Zade, Secret Sauce of Storycraft, Ben and Emily, Chris and Shell, Reads with Rachel, Paperback Empire, Agro Squirrel Narrates, Mrs Pizzareader, Mrs Betty Bowers, Terrible Writing Advice, Ukraine Calling, Amie's Literary Empire, Tristan and The Classics, Dr Becky, Physics Girl, One Proud Bavarian, Celebitchy, The Book Leo, Jed Herne, Autumn's Boutique, The Oaken Knight, Crow Caller, Lily Alexandre, Camper Vibes, A Clockwork Reader, Meredith Constant, Gutsick Gibbon, Planarwalker, Ben G Thomas, Megalith Hunter, Party Elite, Dungeons and Discourse, Anna from Ukraine, Kyiv Independent, Malinda, Sci-Fi Odyssey, OliviaReadsaLatte, Gemma Dyer, Fantasy and World Music by the Fletchers, The Yarn Hub, Terrible Writing Advice, Tale Foundry, Big Train, SK Media, Cecilia Blomdahl, Suey's Book Banter, Kelly Loves Physics and History, Crecganford, Diary of a Ditch Witch, Norse Witch, Irish Myths, Religion For Breakfast, Atun Shei Films, Michelle Reads and Vlogs, A Frolic through Fiction, Cold Fusion, Hair Brained Games, Lou Reading Things, Merphy Napier, Artur Rehi, Serena Skybourne, Philosophy Tube, The New Enlightenment with Ashley, Owen Jones, Hello Future Me, Alysotherlife, Happy Pancake, Elle Literacy, Jay Jason Smart, Kozak Muzon, Meg's Tea Room.
Consider this a potentially hostile site. 🤔
Goodreads dIscourse does not exist. Goodreads serve only to create and cement consensus around books which adhere to the most inane of writing standards. As example, I wrote a short negative review of Powers of the Earth, a poorly written and juvenile salute to what would now be called the sociopathic January 6, 2021 hero. The original blurb compared it to a Heinlein classic. It was instead a bargain bin imitation of "Atlas Shrugged" more like.
The book is the saga of a heroic rich twat enlisting the military in overthrow of the US government in order that victims such as himself not pay inheritance tax. I had judged the book dangerous and unhealthy, though the theme is very common in the Amazon recommendations and Unlimited selections.
The writer, Travis Corcoran self-described as libertarian (now anarcho capitalist without portfolio?) and vocal advocate for a return of chattel slavery (popular US stance, currently being championed by the Republican Party across the country), veteran, employee of an unnamed US agency (which after the current destruction of much of the US government, he is likely no longer). He is also an admirer of a war criminal wanted by the World Court, a Vladimir Putin (also a popular US stance (especially among the MAGA and the US government).
He and six fellow patriots were incensed. They spent something like a year demanding my response to unhinged comments. I was particularly wounded by the comment accusing me of narcissism in not engaging. In now popular MAGA opinion, it does seem that independent or critical thought, would be seen in that way. I am a communist and the levels of irony were painful to behold.
The final comment was delivered by Claes Rees Jr aka cgr710 now ka Clayton R Jesse Jr, who no longer identifies as a Nazi. He grandly declared that They had "won" (?), after referencing the contents of my last Goodreads message to a friend. I discovered that They and recruits had launched a flood of vile racist, misogynistic and other anti-human comments against apparently every female creator of channels which I mentioned. While They failed to entice the physicist, midteen boater or her mother, the pensioner, the primatologist or any of the others, They did successfully increase the world's overabundance of unpleasantness. They also delivered a splendid self-portrait of the Snowflake (unhinged, self-important, poorly educated US man-child) to a broad multinational audience. This it seems was quite the Victory. Goodreads is certainly a hotbed of literary debate ??
This book is actually better than more widely read writers, such as Ringo, Chaney, Anderle and other clowns devoid of talent or imagination but armed with publisher favour. The standards for US fiction if such exist, have fallen far.
A steady diet of drivel may damage your critical thinking. Think of Americans who do not question the US position that Ukrainians can die without the equipment needed to defend themselves, as long as US oil corporations are welcomed back into Russia. The number of Patriot missile batteries sent by the US to Ukraine to protect their cities, is zero. Every such unit was donated by a NATO country other than the US. Every type of weapon which has has been chosen to help defend Ukraine, has also had delivery slowed or blocked by the Biden and Trump administrations. Europe have grown tired of covering for US policy and YouTube channels have interviewed historians, political experts and generals who point directly at the US obstruction of that aid. There is no scandal, are no demands to step up deliveries and no questions, from among US supporters of Ukraine. This is one result when a population ceases to think.
After several years of Unlimited, US print science fiction and fantasy no longer appeal. For the first time, I watch rather than read my fiction. Film and TV usually produce better stories, no matter his badly written. At worst they deliver decent visuals, which far outstrip the descriptive talents of most Unlimited writers.
I began visiting YouTube for useful science fiction and fantasy commentary. I found those, followed by hobby, history, science, others and finally the BookTube. The variety and breadth of channels stunned me. I was fortunate in discovering the incredible Lindsay Ellis, 😍 who introduced me to the language of literary criticism, its perspective and importance, something no literature module had managed at university.
BookTube discuss everything book related, including fiction and non-fiction, literary criticism, library organization, book shopping and more. The groups fostered are readers courteous, curious and enamoured of all things bookish. The environments are far different to that of Goodreads, I promise. BookTubers will also discuss reader site alternatives to Amazon.
Another break needed. This last was made possible by Doctor Who/Cruel or Cowardly - Margarita Life, NCMI, Fiona Hill, Yanis Varoufakis, Mia Mulder, Red Glasgow, Mandy, Narrowboat Adventures, Zoe Baker, Tara Mooknee, The Great War, A Day of Small Things, Violet Orlandi, Book Furnace, linguoer Mechanic, Parkrose Permaculture, Ana Boulter, Lords of War Games and Hobbies, Katie Halper, Grace McGuire, Kat Blacque, Amanda's Mild Takes, J.Draper, Wolfgang Twins, KernowDamo, JammiDodger, Amadeus Quartet, Dreamloop Cinema.
Ominous music begins. 😊 The comment gangs are very active in speculative fiction and romance, unchecked and often protected by Amazon. The criticism of racist, sexist, ableist and other descriptions, themes or elements of same have generated warnings by Amazon against "Hate Speech" against members and BookTubers. The US definition of hate speech is similar to that of the Starmer regime. The US is led by a clown who would be king, the UK by a coward who salutes one.
The comments which I have seen, directed at female readers of science fiction include "Get the stick out of your ass" and "You obviously have not recovered from your recent anal rape". Wonderful literary comment those.
I advise a scan of the female reviews of the Ringo zombie series, a favourite of US males. At start the British government was referred to as "Eurotrash" and continued through certain descriptions of Caribbean natives. To add additional spice, the series includes a running subplot involving the protagonist grooming his daughters twelve and fourteen for repeated impregnation by anonymous US marines. Ah, fatherhood in the US is beautiful.
Routine gang behaviours involve the doxxing, stalking, threats against the one star reviewer (including BookTubers) and I imagine the Swatting in the near future. US free speech is extraordinary.
Kindle shared my limited message history with those mental patriots.That allowed Australian Intelligence to fulfil a request through Pine Gap Centre to interrogate the one friend whom I occasionally messaged. The attempt on my personal history failed, though it did create two outraged customers.
Amazon did not respond until we shared our experience with many others. While there were explanations, faux upset at horrific customer treatment or the like, They did disappear all lurkers whom I had previously not been Permitted to remove, masked all comments to my reviews (good riddance), even returned my pages to normal format including permissions and the rest. I wonder whether customer service protocols need revising.
A seventh ex-employee of EBay was sentenced for harassment of a couple whose small ecommerce channel was deemed unkind to EBay. The couple were awarded millions of pounds and that ex-employee had been Chief of Global Security or some such. US data
Breed interesting cultures.
I suggest some more precautions to improve your safety on this site. Remove all personal information from profile and avoid messaging. Remove the lurker, those who never post. They are monitors, either employee generated or gang leaders, not admirers. With the interesting Goodreads alterations to customer pages, the screenshot of the odd, ugly or threatening are a wonderful tool. These should suffice and again BookTubers will direct you to alternative reader sites.
Kindle are a more dangerous exposure. Do Not use Files, Calendar, Contacts or Email. Amazon read your emails with neither notice nor permission. Given the experiences of myself and others, draw your own conclusions. Do Not "purchase" Amazon e-books, as you own only the device, not downloads. These may be altered or deleted at Amazon's whim. BookTubers are able to direct a reader to other ebook providers, devices and alternative print sources. All Silk searches should of course be innocuous and non-critical. I have unsubscribed the BookTubers who do not mention the Goodreads merely as part of their work but who gush over the latest Amazon device or Goodreads picks, as being at best, unserious persons.
These will reduce vulnerability and cost nothing. To not implement these might well do. It might be prudent to remember that any temporary immunity is subject to the whims of the madlads of Kindle/Goodreads. They are demonstrably devoid of morality and restrained only by fear of retaliation. These members and employees alike are sick US man-children but are also US patriots. Ominous music ends. 😊
Be safe. May we all find Good Reading. 🤗
Some of my favourite YouTube channels are.
UATV, Mia Mulder, Tom Nicholas, Ana Boulter, Winging it on a Budget, Supertanskiii, Kris Atomic, Munecat, 2 Cellos, Ben and Emily, The Juice Media, Mandy, Philosophy Tube, ATP Geopolitics, Depressed Russian, Puddles Pity Party, Bookborn, NFKRZ, Hailey in Bookland, Abby Cox, Rebecca Watson, History with Kayleigh, Kings and Generals, Beautifully Bookish Bethany, Queen Penguin, Shades of Orange, Hetty and the Jazzalato Band, OrangeRiver, Boat Time, Jake Broe, Hardy's Books, Fit 2B Read, Dark Brandon, Jessie Gender, Cambrian Chronicles, Lore Reloaded, Drama Kween, Kiko1006 - Secret Melody, Abbie Emmons, Savy Writes Books, Karolina Zebrowska, Shoeonhead, Zoe Baker, Kings and Generals, Travelling K, Tulia, Postmodern Jukebox, Northern Narrowboaters, Linguoer Mechanic, Prime of Midlife, Cruising Alba, Cruising Crafts, Dr Becky, Medusa Cascade, Neil Oliver, DUST, GhostTime History, Brandon Fisichella, Tara Mooknee, Philosophy Tube, Owen Jones, Lilly's life, A Life of Lit, BookslikeWhoa, Kathy's Flog in France, Ship Happens, Lady of the Library, Renegade Cut, Alt Shift X, Bernadette Banner, Snappy Dragon, DW News, Chloe Stafler, Adult Wednesday Addams - 2 seasons, Sabine Hossenfelder, Horses, Think Ukraine, Engineering with Rosie, I'm Rosa, Jay Reed, With Olivia, Jake Broe, Joe Blogs, Perun, Hoots, TheClosetHistorian, A Clockwork Reader, Maggie Mae Fish, Enby Reads, Queer Kiwi, Realtime History, Historia Civilis, Engineering Knits, Sarah Z, The Book Leo, Cruising the Cut, Narrowboat Pirate, Jean's Thoughts, Roomies Digest, Gingers are Black, AlysOtherLife, Book Furnace, Andrewism, Twinshangout, The Leftist Cooks, What Vivi did next, Book Leo, AllShorts, Vlad Vexler, Natasha's Adventures, Zoe Bee, Readwithcindy, Artur Rehi, SciFi Odyssey.
I wish you a lazy morning, a pleasant afternoon, a contemplative evening, a wonderful night and may we all continue to learn.
If Empathy departs, so does Humanity. 🙂
George Washington at a conference of Virginia slave owners
February 13, 2025
The /r Fantasy Book Bingo really encourages to read outside your comfort zone: the square 'Space Opera' is outside mine. And I admit that I would not have picked this book up otherwise, but it was one of the recommendations for this square and fits Hard Mode, so I took the plunge. And I'm glad I did, because I actually quite liked it. I do feel the story description doesn't do it justice. There is so much more going on than I got from the blurb, and it is the characters and the backstory that made the book so interesting.
Humanity has extended out into near space but that has a destabilising effect on civilisation. Just as conflicts seem to erupt, the Waymaker appears and it forces humans to cease their quarrelling through simply shutting down all systems. The alien AI decides to help humanity thrive as long as they remain peaceful and Sol Corps is established to ensure this. But as time passes, SolCorps turns from an unifier into an oppressor and people start protesting. The crew of airship Cabrón underwent experimental enhancing treatment so they could be part of a special mission, but end up being the only survivors of a mysterious ship purge. They try to stay far away from Sol Corps, getting by as space junkers and avoiding all conflict. But when they save a survivor from a massacre they get involved in the rebellion and they can no longer avoid facing their past.
Space Junk has a very interesting plot, great characters and character development and a good mix of mystery and action scenes. The book spans several decades, but dividing the story in parts, the short chapters and the fast pacing made it an easy read. The next time I am encouraged to read sci-fi, I would certainly consider reading other books in the series or by Rachel Aukes.
Humanity has extended out into near space but that has a destabilising effect on civilisation. Just as conflicts seem to erupt, the Waymaker appears and it forces humans to cease their quarrelling through simply shutting down all systems. The alien AI decides to help humanity thrive as long as they remain peaceful and Sol Corps is established to ensure this. But as time passes, SolCorps turns from an unifier into an oppressor and people start protesting. The crew of airship Cabrón underwent experimental enhancing treatment so they could be part of a special mission, but end up being the only survivors of a mysterious ship purge. They try to stay far away from Sol Corps, getting by as space junkers and avoiding all conflict. But when they save a survivor from a massacre they get involved in the rebellion and they can no longer avoid facing their past.
Space Junk has a very interesting plot, great characters and character development and a good mix of mystery and action scenes. The book spans several decades, but dividing the story in parts, the short chapters and the fast pacing made it an easy read. The next time I am encouraged to read sci-fi, I would certainly consider reading other books in the series or by Rachel Aukes.
June 10, 2022
What a surprise, I a great way
I'm not often surprised when I pick up a book to read. This was nothing like I expected to be. Not only extremely well written, but the author puts you right into the story. I liked where she divided the book into parts to show the different parts of their lives. It has action, intrigue, tenderness and it is almost impossible to put down until the next day. This is positivity a don't miss book.
I'm not often surprised when I pick up a book to read. This was nothing like I expected to be. Not only extremely well written, but the author puts you right into the story. I liked where she divided the book into parts to show the different parts of their lives. It has action, intrigue, tenderness and it is almost impossible to put down until the next day. This is positivity a don't miss book.
June 5, 2024
Space Junk by Rachel Aukes started off really promising, but somehow lost a bit of my engagement along the way. It was good enough to keep me reading to the end, but I did have some niggles along the way. The science was not very scientific, which I didn't mind overly much, as it's now character driven. However, it must be quite obvious for me to even notice such discrepancies.
The plot had a few holes as well, not major enough to really bother me too much, but again, enough to just take away some of my attention.
I did mostly enjoy the tone and voice, so that definitely was the main hook for me, and I was happy enough to spend time with this crew.
All in all not a book I'd miss if I read something else instead, but also not one I regret having spent time on.
The plot had a few holes as well, not major enough to really bother me too much, but again, enough to just take away some of my attention.
I did mostly enjoy the tone and voice, so that definitely was the main hook for me, and I was happy enough to spend time with this crew.
All in all not a book I'd miss if I read something else instead, but also not one I regret having spent time on.
June 5, 2022
9/10: Fantastic, left me wanting more.
“A guy almost falls into one mineshaft, and he gets heckled for it.”
Very enjoyable story. I'll be reading on when the next gets released.
“A guy almost falls into one mineshaft, and he gets heckled for it.”
Very enjoyable story. I'll be reading on when the next gets released.
May 29, 2022
Lost sleep / binge read
An imaginative and compelling plot line. I was completely immersed, flipping pages as fast as I could to the end to see who did and did not survive. Rachel is a must add to your library.
An imaginative and compelling plot line. I was completely immersed, flipping pages as fast as I could to the end to see who did and did not survive. Rachel is a must add to your library.
May 14, 2022
don’t usually give five stars but this book deserves them.
In my opinion, this book is excellent. It has great character development, a good storyline, some great action scenes and very likable characters. This book is definitely a page turner, finished it in one sitting because you want to find out what happens to the characters and if any of them perish. These characters are to the point, no moralizing, they just go and get the job done. I am eagerly awaiting and going to read the next book. This book was fun and fast paced you will enjoy it. I usually don’t give five stars, but this book deserves it.
In my opinion, this book is excellent. It has great character development, a good storyline, some great action scenes and very likable characters. This book is definitely a page turner, finished it in one sitting because you want to find out what happens to the characters and if any of them perish. These characters are to the point, no moralizing, they just go and get the job done. I am eagerly awaiting and going to read the next book. This book was fun and fast paced you will enjoy it. I usually don’t give five stars, but this book deserves it.
May 20, 2022
Interesting entertainment
Interesting and entertaining story. It was actually enjoyable read. I like the depth of character and the story is well written.
Interesting and entertaining story. It was actually enjoyable read. I like the depth of character and the story is well written.
May 18, 2022
Great Opening Book
This book is well written with interesting characters, lots of action, and some nice mystery thrown in. I look forward to reading each book in this series.
This book is well written with interesting characters, lots of action, and some nice mystery thrown in. I look forward to reading each book in this series.
May 19, 2022
Excellent
Kept me gripped from the beginning. Not tempted to skip pages as I usually am. Looking forward to the next one.
Kept me gripped from the beginning. Not tempted to skip pages as I usually am. Looking forward to the next one.
May 14, 2022
A space opera in the tradition of the genre that keeps you reading and turning pages. Others have described the plot sufficiently for me to just add: the characters are likeable, well flushed out and easy to identify with. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and look forward to additional books in the series.
May 16, 2022
Nice read
First time reading this author. The personalities and interactions are great. Definitely worth your time. I will be looking for more of her books.
First time reading this author. The personalities and interactions are great. Definitely worth your time. I will be looking for more of her books.
May 17, 2022
Good read
A good small unit operation book. Shows how a small unit can often achieve great objectives easier than a large organization
A good small unit operation book. Shows how a small unit can often achieve great objectives easier than a large organization
May 14, 2022
I got up early to finish this one
A highly entertaining read. RA is not as prolific as some but what she does release is very well worth reading. I’ve enjoyed a couple of her series but this stands alone.
A highly entertaining read. RA is not as prolific as some but what she does release is very well worth reading. I’ve enjoyed a couple of her series but this stands alone.
May 14, 2022
hooked already
This series has started really well. Not only entertaining in itself it leads me to eagerly awake the next story in the saga.
This series has started really well. Not only entertaining in itself it leads me to eagerly awake the next story in the saga.
May 11, 2022
Warning Wankers ahead :-)
Ok maybe I misspelled their name but you get the picture.
The crew of the Aria has been targeted and for the time being has defied the odds to stay alive. Can't wait to see where we go from here. Great book .
Ok maybe I misspelled their name but you get the picture.
The crew of the Aria has been targeted and for the time being has defied the odds to stay alive. Can't wait to see where we go from here. Great book .
June 18, 2022
I picked this book up on a lark. I was familiar with Rachel Aukes as I have read and liked Black Sheep a trilogy, a damn fine yarn. So I knew she was up to the challenge of writing another Space Opera, and well Scott Aiello sounded good in the snippet. And boyo, I did good, this book paid off with dividends! Where I find just saying "I loved it" seems like an understatement... 😆
The book really gets going as it follows Jack Halverton when he joins the crew of the Aria project and ship, to explore beyond our solar system... but instead of leaving our solar system things go drastically wrong! Leaving only Jack and six other crew members alive... where upon they decide that it would be in their best interest to scrap the project, and lay low. When they surfaced again, the ship has a new name and it's unrecognizable. The survivor's also have new id's! I won't say that they never looked back because that would be an outright lie. But, I will say that they continued to lay low... well that is until they couldn't...
This action-packed space adventure has everything I love, believable characters (none of 'em cardboard) an AI, Vonn Neumann prob, pirates all wrapped up in a tightly written completely satisfying story.
And well, Scott Aiello narration was perfectly nuanced!
The book really gets going as it follows Jack Halverton when he joins the crew of the Aria project and ship, to explore beyond our solar system... but instead of leaving our solar system things go drastically wrong! Leaving only Jack and six other crew members alive... where upon they decide that it would be in their best interest to scrap the project, and lay low. When they surfaced again, the ship has a new name and it's unrecognizable. The survivor's also have new id's! I won't say that they never looked back because that would be an outright lie. But, I will say that they continued to lay low... well that is until they couldn't...
This action-packed space adventure has everything I love, believable characters (none of 'em cardboard) an AI, Vonn Neumann prob, pirates all wrapped up in a tightly written completely satisfying story.
And well, Scott Aiello narration was perfectly nuanced!
May 9, 2022
Book 1 in the series
Six of the 48 members of the crew of a new interstellar ship survive a catastrophe. Unknown to the mission sponsor they reclaim the ship and create new lives for themselves until they are discovered and have to defeat the bad guys. A great story.
Six of the 48 members of the crew of a new interstellar ship survive a catastrophe. Unknown to the mission sponsor they reclaim the ship and create new lives for themselves until they are discovered and have to defeat the bad guys. A great story.
May 6, 2022
space Junk
This is one of the few books I’ve read (I’ve read over 2000 books) that I stayed up until I finished it. I normally go to bed at 10:30. Ut last night I couldn’t do that til 2:30 AM. Well worth losing sleep over. Rachel keep up the the good work, I eagerly await the next book you write.
This is one of the few books I’ve read (I’ve read over 2000 books) that I stayed up until I finished it. I normally go to bed at 10:30. Ut last night I couldn’t do that til 2:30 AM. Well worth losing sleep over. Rachel keep up the the good work, I eagerly await the next book you write.
September 24, 2023
Didn't find the characters very memorable or likeable enough to want to continue.
Other issue is characters making silly decisions for no discernible reason.
Need a crew for the most ambitious project ever, where the people will be stuck in close quarters for years? Obviously, the crew should be hand-picked... but lets tell everyone it was a radom lottery.. why? Then the winners of the lottery who have got to be famous for winning the chance to go on this amazing voyage need to hide from all of humanity and super advanced alien A.I. so they decide to basically stay on this one of a kind spaceship, and just modify it so it looks a bit different, and change their names, but not their whole names, no, thats to much, they just change their last names, but no too much: I was john smith but now I'm john smythe, no one will ever find me now! Bad guy doesn't even do that, he just changes his employee number?
This kinda thing just seemed silly and for no purpose.
Otherwise, it was a pretty well written, if standard: captain with a rough exterior but a heart of gold and his outlaw crew with unique abilities/specialized skills, who are really the goodguys, rescue, and then reluctantly adopt an orphan.
Other issue is characters making silly decisions for no discernible reason.
Need a crew for the most ambitious project ever, where the people will be stuck in close quarters for years? Obviously, the crew should be hand-picked... but lets tell everyone it was a radom lottery.. why? Then the winners of the lottery who have got to be famous for winning the chance to go on this amazing voyage need to hide from all of humanity and super advanced alien A.I. so they decide to basically stay on this one of a kind spaceship, and just modify it so it looks a bit different, and change their names, but not their whole names, no, thats to much, they just change their last names, but no too much: I was john smith but now I'm john smythe, no one will ever find me now! Bad guy doesn't even do that, he just changes his employee number?
This kinda thing just seemed silly and for no purpose.
Otherwise, it was a pretty well written, if standard: captain with a rough exterior but a heart of gold and his outlaw crew with unique abilities/specialized skills, who are really the goodguys, rescue, and then reluctantly adopt an orphan.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2022
Super fresh take on what an artificial intelligence might due when dealing with humanity. Fast-paced, space opera with a few surprising twists. Not everything is as it seems when reading this one.
May 4, 2022
Space Opera at Its Best
I totally fell into this book with glee. I love stories about people in space and their struggles, troubles, and trumphs. This book had them all. I look forward to more Captain Jack and his crew.
I totally fell into this book with glee. I love stories about people in space and their struggles, troubles, and trumphs. This book had them all. I look forward to more Captain Jack and his crew.
April 15, 2022
This is an interesting "space" book.
48 people take part in an experiment to enhance them so they can live longer and travel to places that no spaceship has ever gone before. Unfortunately, something happens that jeopardises the mission.
Captain Jack Hale and his crew then become space Junkers. These are scavengers of junk left in space. They need to fly under the radar to stay alive.
I was a bit confused at first as to what had happened to Nala and Caber. They disappeared from the story without any mention of them departing. Maybe I missed something when I was reading the book. I did go back several times to check but couldn't find anything about them leaving. However, what happened to them was explained later in the book.
Whilst on a mission to one planet, they find everyone dead except a young girl. Someone wants her badly and kidnaps her. Captain Jack and his team rescue her but then are in terrible danger. Someone wants them dead.
I received this book as an ARC and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
48 people take part in an experiment to enhance them so they can live longer and travel to places that no spaceship has ever gone before. Unfortunately, something happens that jeopardises the mission.
Captain Jack Hale and his crew then become space Junkers. These are scavengers of junk left in space. They need to fly under the radar to stay alive.
I was a bit confused at first as to what had happened to Nala and Caber. They disappeared from the story without any mention of them departing. Maybe I missed something when I was reading the book. I did go back several times to check but couldn't find anything about them leaving. However, what happened to them was explained later in the book.
Whilst on a mission to one planet, they find everyone dead except a young girl. Someone wants her badly and kidnaps her. Captain Jack and his team rescue her but then are in terrible danger. Someone wants them dead.
I received this book as an ARC and thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
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