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Renegade Star #1–16

Renegade Star: The Complete Series

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ace Hughes is a Renegade.

That means taking almost any job that comes his way, no matter the situation. So long as he can keep his ship floating, he's free to live the life he wants.

But that all changes when he meets Abigail Pryar, a nun looking for safe passage out of the system.

Too bad there's something off about the cargo she's carrying.

Jace knows he shouldn't ask too many questions, but when odd sounds start coming from inside the large, metal box, he can't help but check it out.

Big mistake.

Get the complete Renegade Star series for one low price: 10,000 pages, over one million copies sold, and more than 15,000 reviews on Amazon. This epic military sci-fi series is a fan favorite.

3278 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 24, 2022

1329 people are currently reading
228 people want to read

About the author

J.N. Chaney

470 books9,625 followers
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5 stars
955 (72%)
4 stars
282 (21%)
3 stars
54 (4%)
2 stars
12 (<1%)
1 star
9 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
98 reviews1 follower
February 12, 2023
I enjoyed the series even though it started off slow. It was not long before I found it hard to put it down. I felt that the biggest letdown was the the final battle for earth. Although intense it seemed that after sixteen books and one final battle that it ended a bit abruptly. A far superior race who had been kicking humans butts for 16 books seemed to go down a bit too easy.
41 reviews
December 17, 2023
Well, what can I say about this series of books, other than reading all 16 in a row is a bit of a monster?
Quite frankly, if I wasn’t reading the omnibus, I wouldn’t have continued with the series past book one.
Jace Hughes is completely unlikable. I think you’re meant to get the idea that he’s a lovable rough diamond. He’s really not. No real morals, thick as 2 short planks in places and so incredibly condescending to everyone else in the book. I found him less likeable and more homicidal maniac with a god complex whose answer to everything is to shoot it.
Abi is at least a slightly more developed character, but she’s about the only one, every other character is so 2-dimensional that it’s like reading a book written by a 10-year-old. There’s no real character development, although the author really did try hard with Jace, but failed.
The dialogue is juvenile, and the fast majority of plot points are completely predictable.
80% of the book is “Oh, bad guy, let’s shoot him!”. There’s an obsession with guns which fire bullets for the fast majority of action scenes. Again, the author does try to produce something a bit more futuristic, but most of the time it’s as if the modern gun is just the best weapon ever thought of.
The only reason this didn’t get a 1 star from me was the general story arch was interesting enough that I wanted to see what happened in the end, that’s about this series only redeeming point.
If you’re after something like David Weber or Robert Heinlein, then do yourself a favour, and don’t waste your time with this series. The only modern author I can compare it to would be John Ringo, and even on a bad day his books are a thousand times more interesting to read.
This won’t be a series I revisit any time soon.

Signed, a disappointed reader.
Profile Image for TangoDeltaDelta.
41 reviews4 followers
January 25, 2026
Great universe building and saga. Borrows or shares ideas from a lot of other science fiction greats. The basic plot-line is a rogue-to-leader story, with some family, core group of friends, and romance layered on top. IMHO, the later books in the box set are more engaging than the first couple. Things continue to build and you've already learned who the characters are, so you want to see where they, and the galaxy will end up.
Politically, there are some parallels, and maybe some satire, of the current world. It leans rather classical libratarian, where everyone deserves freedom and a shot at making their own decisions and benefitting from their own labors. However, there is plenty of violence and abuse in the universe, that must be dealt with.
There is a tiny bit of repetitive "this is where we came from and who these people are" near the beginning of each book, which can be a bit jarring when you read the box set of books back to back. But I forgive this because when the books were originally published, there was time between the release dates, and I am sure the author and publishers wanted to help readers remember, and also make it so the individual books could stand on their own.
All-in-all, I'd really recommend this box set for any fan of science fiction.
Profile Image for Space Cowgirl.
4,133 reviews145 followers
April 20, 2023
An Epic Epic🐺🚀💫
Sci-fi Epic of Epic Proportions!🐺🚀💫
Sixteen novels in a series are bundled into one huge, all consuming epic of a man's life and those who come into it and make it worth living. Along the way an alien species attacks and tries to destroy humanity.
Jace Hughs🐺🚀💫 rises from the poorest of both parents and circumstances, to become a space🚀💫 renegade, and then a Ship Captain🐺🚀💫, then an unlikely savior of humanity🌏.

I got this ebook series from Amazon with KU.

I read this amazing book of human tenacity with Amazon text to speech, and it took many nights to finish it, but it was well worth it.
What I took away was a feeling that humans will never give up fighting for what is right and there is good in all of us. YEA!
Unbelievable storytelling by author J. N. Chaney brings Jace's story to life.
9 reviews
November 22, 2023
What a ride. Perfectly done

I got the box set of the full 16 book series from amazon so my review is for the series as a whole not any individual book. The story starts off strong but somehow manages to get better with every book. While told through the eyes of one character, Jace Hughes, all main and supporting characters are fleshed out and have their own character arcs. The characters feel real with emotions hopes and dreams. Battle scenes are well done and in depth without being drawn out. Series of this length can sometimes drag or feel repetitive, this series does not. Infact it opens the door for the many spinoffs and side stories that take place in the same universe. If I had to give one complaint it would be the loss of sleep I expierenced from not wanting to put the book down. This series is one of my all time favorites.
3 reviews
October 19, 2022
I only bought this whilst waiting for the next Backyard Starship book to be released (by the same author) and got completely hooked. My initial impression was that if all 16 books had been bundled as one then it probably isn't a great read. How wrong I was !
The evolution of the characters (you don't often get a former nun in sci-fi books) to the building of the story was fantastic.
I would only say that the odd references to the main character's back story weren't as strong and at times felt wedged in. In my opinion these aren't needed and don't add a massive amount to the story.

Part of me wants to know what happens after the end of the books, but at the same time I think the author made the right choice in ending it there.
424 reviews
March 29, 2023
I couldn’t put it down

I really enjoyed this book. The story is well thought out, the characters are believable and very human and there is a very clear message to the reader. On the other hand as a series I’m not so sure that it works. I read the whole series as a single work basically ignoring the breaks between books after completing the whole thing and enjoying it immensely I went back and looked at the divisions between books and found that,if I had read each episode separately I would have been severely disappointed as none of the books were really complete without the preceding or following episodes. The complete series read as one book is absolutely worth the read but as separate adventures I’m not sure I would have bothered.
223 reviews3 followers
October 14, 2023
I'm both speechless & aching for more!

Tho' I loved Captain Hughes as a character, my favorites were Abigail, Lex, Octavia, Petra, & especially Lucia. I appreciate strong women in a story,

Yet this story required strong folks just to survive; which is why they all meshed: similar lives or experiences. And now, they are rebuilding a "Mythical" planet, Earth & trying to live there .
Challenge enters as a Galaxy-wide war for survival...from annihilation! They fight hard, and.... read the book! (I'm not filing a book report lol)

A big Thank You to JN Chaney for writing this work of art. I'm moving on to one of your other series soon.
Profile Image for Steve.
222 reviews
November 2, 2022
If you like Backyard Starship, you have got to read this series!

The characters are believable and it's easy to picture the situation if you've read any books beyond our little corner of this galaxy. I sent J. N. Chaney a message saying
, "I love Van's adventures but tried reading "Sentenced to War". While the story was extremely believable, it was a bit too intense for me. His reply was to check out this series. The hardest part was putting this aside while I read the latest Backyard Starship. Now, it's time to read something else. Thanks for the recommendation.
85 reviews2 followers
May 3, 2023
Fantastic Series

I never thought I could stick with a 16-book series, but I couldn't put it down. I felt as if I was immersed in the story. I was part of Jace and Abigail's family. I could literally visualize everything I read. The characters were more than believable, they were real. The plot kept me fully engaged and there was plenty of action, twists and turns to keep me turning the pages. This was the first series I've read by Chaney and I'm a big fan. I'd like to read all of Chaney's works.
30 reviews
May 28, 2023
A tremendous Space Opera

I would recommend this series to anyone that enjoys the space opera versions of science fiction.
I completely enjoyed the series from beginning to end. Especially those chapters that explained the formative years of Captain Hughes's formative years.
I hope that perhaps in the future there might be further adventures involving Jace Hughes, and his extended family
Thank you so much, J. N. Chaney, for writing what in my opinion is a classic and for sharing it with the world.
43 reviews
August 7, 2023
Wow

Chaney took Firefly, Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and maybe a few others, threw them all into the blender and came up with 3200 pages of brilliance. This is a space opera all scifi fans should read. My one and only criticism is that, though there were a few key characters that were lost, the story could have used a few more melancholy moments. BUT it is action packed from start to epilogue, and I can't recommend it enough. The writing style is easy to follow, and you won't get lost in a bunch of technobabble.
3 reviews2 followers
October 17, 2023
Better than Pearl S. Buck and C. J. Cherry combined,
The Renegade series is the best story I have ever read.
Chaney creates a whole world with artistry and depth like no other. While the finale was genius, I was saddened to have finished reading Renegade and look forward to reading other works by Chaney. On the cute side, if I could ask him, what ever happened to my namesake character Michaelson. I’m
just a little curious. But getting back to my review, everyone should read Renegade at least once in their life!
Profile Image for John Garrett.
58 reviews1 follower
October 28, 2023
Good space opera.

J.N. Chaney has a special knack for making his heroes likable, and Jace Hughes is no different. I really enjoyed watching him mature into a true leader because of his convictions, while still maintaining his independence.

The supporting characters (well, Abby is not QUITE a supporting character, even though she starts out as one) are also quite wonderful, and it's very compelling that Jace has a knack for having people willing to follow him into the gates of Hell...or Eternity.

5 reviews
Read
July 4, 2022
Great story in a great universe

This series follows a man in his journey through a constantly changing life, constantly changing him in meaningful and believable ways.

While the universe and the cast of significant characters increases, the story stays with Jace rather than moving to different characters and losing cohesion. Many other characters are well developed but they remain important yet secondary characters. I definitely recommend this entire series.
Profile Image for Marlene.
138 reviews
June 12, 2023
Loved this Series

This is good old-fashioned space opera at its best! Sixteen books in the series, with the first couple not as engrossing as the last ten. It starts with a lone renegade who is tough and unattached who eventually becomes more mature and more engaging as he shows his true heart and honorable standards of what is right and wrong as he rescues more and more characters from destruction. A few “Godsdams” but no vulgar language or sex scenes.
179 reviews1 follower
July 17, 2023
Totally in awe of J.N. Chaney's skill in telling stories that thrill readers!

This series has more twists and turns than mountain trial in the Rocky Mountains. A tale of a young boy that wishes to become a Renegade in his on skip living life on his terms, free! Full of action, excitement, humanity, and humor! Never tedious, always entertaining. Though quit a long series but definitely hard to put down!
Will read more from this author.
162 reviews1 follower
April 19, 2024
R-rated but great action

Lots of sex and swearing, but non-stop action and fast-paced storyline. Another good-for-nothing thug kid who grows into a leader and saves humanity. I liked that, mostly, the characters survived through the end of the book, grew into a supportive team and a wise, experienced battle unit. I also liked the length of the set, because it was like a month of daily reading!
71 reviews
July 2, 2022
BRILLIANT!

I FELL IN LOVE WITH THESE CHARACTERS. A REFLECTION ON THE STRENGTH OF INDIVIDUALS FIGHTING FOR PEACE, A PLACE TO CALL HOME, FAMILY, FRIENDS, A GREATER PURPOSE OF COMMITMENT TO MAKE THE GALAXY BETTER, FOR ALL.

I ENJOYED EVERY MOMENT SOENT READING THIS SERIES.
THIS IS A MIST READ!
Profile Image for David Laughlin.
279 reviews1 follower
July 15, 2022
Excellent set of books loved them all

16 books in total might seem daunting but they were so good. So engrossing so easy to get immersed in and fall in love with the characters and watch the development and the storyline play out.... plenty of drama. A little bit of comedy. A lot of action. Just a really good bit of writing this author has done..
406 reviews1 follower
August 8, 2022
Fifteen Whole Books!

Words cannot really describe how long this read has been. Reading is my hobby and my pastime! Roughly eight, maybe ten days have flown by. Normally, in a story this long, one tends to find where the author is using ten words instead of one. There is very little of that in this series. Mr. Chaney has done a great job!
148 reviews1 follower
October 4, 2022
As usual exceptional reading

There was/is no dislike to these 16 books of this series one of the top 10 in all of the reading SF that I have ever done, started reading in 1956 might have been 1954 hard to remember so long ago. This series is so good in so many ways! Just buy and read it you will not regret the time spent.
116 reviews1 follower
February 9, 2023
What an incredible introduction

I have not read much by Cheney in the past ..... I jumped in and read all 16 books over about 10days. ( I had to leave the kindle at home so I didn't blow off work) what a great ride. I even woke up in the middle of the night putting my words in the author s mouth.
31 reviews1 follower
February 15, 2023
read all 16 books, from start to finish

A tremendous story about an amazing group of people, I am in awe of anyone who can pull from their imagination, a world as gripping as this, each book pulled me to the next. The story followed the success and nearly failure, I can’t recommend it enough. Thank you J.N.Chaney.
44 reviews1 follower
March 20, 2023
Epic space opera in the purest sense. Great characters fully developed and a plot with some great early twists to set the hook soundly, then hang on for a great ride from a master storyteller. This baby is LONG. Not exactly binge reading material, only because humans just can't stay awake that long no matter how good it is (but I tried a couple of times).
21 reviews
April 13, 2023
I can believe I read 16 books!!

This was a terrific series. The characters were awesome and I could picture myself fighting their battles with them. I guess I would have liked a bit more detail at the end (regarding the main characters) and why they ended up doing what they did.
353 reviews
April 13, 2023
Warm and fuzzy

That's how I felt after reading the last few pages of the series; warm and fuzzy. Thank you, J.N., for taking me on such a satisfying journey. I look forwatd to reading more of your stories. I would like to see this series made into a TV show or a movie. I enjoyed how the characters teased each other and cracked jokes. What a pleasure to read.
Profile Image for Kenn Stacy.
41 reviews
April 28, 2023
16 books I could not stop reading!

J.N. Chaney has written a wonderful story. This tale takes more than three thousand pages but never drags. I read this straight through and was always surprised by the next episodic development. If you are a science fiction reader, this series is well worth the time.
Profile Image for Eric.
1 review
July 10, 2023
Loved this series

I am so disappointed that I'm done with this series. From the time I started the first book, I couldn't stop until the end. I loved the story and the characters. They came alive in the books and, by the end, felt like old friends. I'm not a huge space adventure reader, but I would highly recommend this series to anyone.
Profile Image for Monty Bates.
213 reviews18 followers
July 16, 2023
It took a while to complete this series. It is 16 books and so I would start and stop and start again. I read 4 or 5 other books in between.
If you are a sci-fi nut, then this is the one you've been waiting on. It's thought out really well and the author had some great ideas.
Yes, I'd recommend this one in a heartbeat.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews

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