Imperial Smuggler

Decline and Fall of the Galactic Empire #2

by Andrew Moriarty

The guilty flee, but everyone pursues.

Escaped Imperial officer Dirk doesn't care his crew are runaways, revolutionaries, and alleged criminals, as long as they're adequately competent and don't kill each other too often. When a smuggling job goes badly wrong and they improvise, he'll trade competency for just non-suicidal. If one crime causes problems, a second should fix it.

But after a botched heist lands them in the freezing woods of a frozen planet, they need a new plan. What's in those containers they stole? Who wants it that bad? How can they make money out of this? And what if his crew isn't as trustworthy as he thought? And why doesn't that dog like him?

If you like Galactic Empires, honorable enemies, and snappy dialog, this one’s for you.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Adventure

382 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 18, 2022

About the author

Andrew Moriarty has been reading science fiction his whole life, and he always wondered about the stories he read. How did they ever pay the mortgage for that space ship? Why doesn’t it ever need to be refueled? What would happen if it broke, but the parts were backordered for weeks? And why doesn’t anybody ever have to charge sales tax? Despairing on finding the answers to these questions, he decided to write a book about how space ships would function in the real world. Ships need fuel, fuel costs money, and the accountants run everything.
He was born in Canada, and has lived in Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Germany, and Maastricht. Previously he worked as a telephone newspaper subscriptions salesman, a pizza delivery driver, wedding disc jockey, and technology trainer. Unfortunately, he also spent a great deal of time in the IT industry, designing networks and configuring routers and switches. Along the way, he picked up an ex-spy with a predilection for French Champagne, and a whippet with a murderous possessiveness for tennis balls. They live together in Brooklyn.

Reviews

[Wallace Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read!

Light SciFi, good humor, ridiculous tale that works. Looking forward to sequel. Need more tales like this. This review needs more words.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good sequel. Fun read. I like both crews in this series.

[Nathan Trachta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catching up on a few reviews and rated Imperial Smuggler worthy of making sure I gave it a review. The second book in Mr. Moriarty’s Decline and Fall of the Galactic Empire and going to open by saying Mr. Moriarty continued a good thing! Where imperial Deserter started, Imperial Smuggler continues the goodness.
The characters continue the goodness they had before, each with their own personality and interacting with each other as real people do, what made the story for me though the the story was top shelf too. Mr. Moriarty does a great job setting up the story and letting the action roll and the characters interaction and dialog move the story forward in just the right way. A solid 5 star story!!

[John Steadman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice

Good action scenes. Very good characters. Unpredictable. Liked it a lot. Looking forward to the next book. First series by this author

[Space Cowgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smugglers R Us💫🚀
A crazy crew💪🔪🔫 of misfits finds their place🚀 in the universe💫.
I got this e-book from amazon📚 with kindle unlimited.

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story, great writing, no over complicated "space jargon", and surprisingly humorous

[Jay Ratcliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

It started slow with some of the same bickering that was in the first book.
As the story progressed, the bickering went away and it became more interesting.
I do like the idea of a bunch of strangers trying to survive (cough Farscape, cough Firefly).

[John T Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great follow-up

Good read, this was as good as the first book. Definitely enjoyed this story. Will continue reading this series. Going download the next installment now.

[Beach Bum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good honest fun

You have to read this as part of the series, as a one off it would lose a lot of the humour and crew interaction
The humour is great, for me I'm actually laughing out loud. The crew are funny, the marines are nuts, the Tribune and his crew are hysterical
And to top it all, the story is good too. This time round the crew play a part in an intelligence deception, they know nothing about, yet everyone else around them seems to
We also learn a bit more about the back stories of the crew. Not all of them, but enough to keep you.interested.
Really looking forward to the next in the series and if it remains this good, hoping there's more after that

[Scott J. Liechty · Rating 4 out of 5]

fun read

Enjoying the series, the characters are fun to read, and do unexpected things. Hope the series gets longer so I can read more exploits

[James J Connors II · Rating 5 out of 5]

great second book

The second installment kept up the pace and answered a lot of questions on the backstory, while still leaving more cards to turn going forward. I liked both book 1 and book 2, but book 2 has the series really getting into stride. On to book 3!

[David E. Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most Excellent

Throw together a disparate group, no good plans, all on the run...what could go wrong? Great characters and story. I cannot recommend this enough.

[Pete Ames · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, much better than most sci fi

Good. Managed to avoid the tropes trap that so much of sci fi falls into
Characters are well rounded, humorous and the scenario will put together. Pace is good. It's not A* top tier but it's a very enjoyable read.

[Matt Quirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this read! Fast-paced and no lack of actual story line.

The characters are witty and mostly terrible people with a bit of good sense and semi-politeness. Highly recommend to anyone who likes a space story, shit talking, and suspense.

[Emz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The collection of individuals, can we really call them a team or a crew? The dysfunctional crew, for want of a better term, is failing miserably in their new careers as smugglers. Things aren't going according to plan. Animosity is growing among the crew, and personal grudges are flaring. Can they keep it together and finish the job? More secrets are revealed, shedding light on the crew's motivations and fears.

An exciting new adventure unfolds for the crew of the Heart's Desire/Heavyweight Items. Running away and smuggling isn't easy when you're being relentlessly pursued by your peers.

This is a very entertaining and enjoyable read with well-rounded characters. The refreshingly crisp and amusing sarcastic dialogue adds to the appeal, along with a great plotline. All of these elements combine to create an engrossing and engaging story.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The misfit crew are struggling and in need of money to stay flying. When they come into possession of stolen ship plans, they arrange to sell them to make a quick profit. Fun romp through space, as the crew stumble from one mess to another.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

This second installment of a misfit crew filled with all kinds of folks down on their luck that can't hardly win for losing!

People keep showing up and somehow become part of the crew. Especially people who, at first, appear entirely useless. In this series, even unlikely new crew members learn how to pull their weight, even if in unexpected ways.

And, of course, Murphy's Law still applies. If something can go wrong, it will and spectacularly!

I'm a firm believer that there is a market for books which are just plain fun to read!

[Henry Tupis · Rating 5 out of 5]

fine sci fi

It is so nice to read a competent sci fi writer. Very fun to read. Will be reading AM’s other books.

[Joe Postingg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like these books even though they aren't very good

[Skip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imperial Smuggler is a wildly entertaining book about the crew of the loosely held together spaceship “Heart’s Desire” and the misadventures they encounter in trying to keep the old ship flying while also trying to make their financial ends meet. As the title implies they are not always on the right side of the law.
On more occasions than I can count I laughed out loud at the dialog while at other times I chewed my nails with nervous anticipation about their fate. I thoroughly enjoyed all of it and wholeheartedly recommend it.
This novel is the second book in Andrew Moriarity’s new series and since I have not yet read the first book in the series I still found it to be an excellent read as a stand alone novel. I look forward to correcting that mistake very soon.
I did receive an advance copy from the author for an honest review and I can honestly say “I really liked it”.

[Ronald Spitzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a milestone. It is the second book, so far, of a series where the second is as good as the first. This science fiction space opera is funny and full of adventure. Best of all the book has interesting characters who have interesting, partly revealed backgrounds. The characters are real people who have real life troubles like money problems, ship fuel problems, mechanical problems, people problems, etc. The backdrop is science fiction but the economics and human interactions are like real life. Read the first volume Imperial Deserter first then enjoy this one. When does the next come out?

This one also is a good hospital book and it works for convalescing at home too. Upbeat, funny, good characterization, action and adventure awaits when you read these books. Caution: if you have stiches like mind, don't laugh to hard-it hurts.

[Boho Beannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun sci-fi, great characters

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Imperial Smuggler, Dirk and his merry band of desperate but well-meaning space pirates take on a simple job of smuggling. Of course, it turns out to be no such thing. Moriarty does a good job of developing his characters and their relationships. His work reminds me of the science fiction novels of Nathan Lowell. Lowell focuses on working stiffs in space. Moriarty wants to make sure they fill out the paperwork and keep the ship fueled. Imperial Smuggler may not deserve 4 stars, but it is getting them from me.

[Richard Wilk · Rating 5 out of 5]

even better than the first

This is an ensemble space-sit-com kind of like Friends in a hijacked spaceship. The unlikely crew are a varied group, each with a hidden past and a quick wit. It would be corny if it was not so much fun. In this second episode some suspicions from the first are confirmed, the plot literally thickens as more moving parts are added. The full reveal will hopefully be in the third installment, but i hope the author finds a way to keep the group together for more fun.

[Thorsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the setting and banter, but I do wish the crew had a little more agency. They bungle their way from one bad situation to another, incompetence and misfortune conspiring to exacerbate every situation. It can start to feel a little too much like Mr. Bean for me after a while. Part of the charm of this formula is that the misfits overcome their differences and lean on each other's strengths; it's not as much fun when everyone is just kind of bad at what they are doing, and only serendipity saves the day.

[Dr susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sci fi adventure and a fantastic sequel

The worldbuilding is grim (the Empire is in trouble), there are some heartbreaking moments, and a lot of parts that had me laughing out loud (the librarians are hilarious). Some burning questions are finally answered (why did Scruggs run away?), and some new puzzles are introduced. The Heart's Desire may be a failure as a smuggler, but it is definitely a great story.

[Chuck Woodbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

entertaining and fun.

Love the dialog and the story, it’s off beat, and a little odd, but a hell of a lot of fun! As Scruggs would say ‘Adventure Awaits’. No one is who they appear to be but eventually it all starts to make sense. Sure hope more books are coming.

[Gail Langseth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read!

This series is particularly entertaining with its adventures and clever dialogue. Very amusing! I can hardly wait to read their continuing escapades.

[Frederick Fenters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Privateer, Anyone?

A disgraced duke, an ancient marine, A former elite soldier, and others are trying to avoid the authorities. But what will happen if they are successful?

[Alejandro De Jongh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd give it a 4.5, but that's not possible. Quite fun, witty, and fast-paced.
A must read!