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Space Hunter War #3
Cultist Bounty
Personal vendetta. Raging conspiracy. Doomsday scenario. A bounty hunter’s worst nightmare has come true.
As Jack’s reputation increases, so does the size of the bounty on his own head, but that’s not the worst of it:
The conspiracy he’s uncovered points to a doomsday scenario, an impending act of depraved violence with steep collateral damage—and it’s set to happen right on his home planet. As his list of enemies grows longer, bolder, and more desperate, the escalation of violence threatens to drag a secret war into the public limelight. Jack begrudgingly works with Fleet Intelligence to run his discovery to ground and strike before it’s too late—or his home planet will fall, and if it does…
It may not end there.
As Jack’s reputation increases, so does the size of the bounty on his own head, but that’s not the worst of it:
The conspiracy he’s uncovered points to a doomsday scenario, an impending act of depraved violence with steep collateral damage—and it’s set to happen right on his home planet. As his list of enemies grows longer, bolder, and more desperate, the escalation of violence threatens to drag a secret war into the public limelight. Jack begrudgingly works with Fleet Intelligence to run his discovery to ground and strike before it’s too late—or his home planet will fall, and if it does…
It may not end there.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
342 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 31, 2023
About the author
Rick Partlow
290 books386 followersRick Partlow is that rarest of species, a native Floridian. Born in Tampa, he attended Florida Southern College and graduated with a degree in History and a commission in the US Army as an Infantry officer.
His lifelong love of science fiction began with Have Space Suit---Will Travel and the other Heinlein juveniles and traveled through Clifford Simak, Asimov, Clarke and on to William Gibson, Walter Jon Williams and Peter F Hamilton. And somewhere, submerged in the worlds of others, Rick began to create his own worlds.
He has written over 70 books in over a dozen different series, and his short stories have been included in many different anthologies.
He currently lives in norther Wyoming with his wife and their dog. Besides writing and reading science fiction and fantasy, he enjoys outdoor photography, hiking and camping.
His lifelong love of science fiction began with Have Space Suit---Will Travel and the other Heinlein juveniles and traveled through Clifford Simak, Asimov, Clarke and on to William Gibson, Walter Jon Williams and Peter F Hamilton. And somewhere, submerged in the worlds of others, Rick began to create his own worlds.
He has written over 70 books in over a dozen different series, and his short stories have been included in many different anthologies.
He currently lives in norther Wyoming with his wife and their dog. Besides writing and reading science fiction and fantasy, he enjoys outdoor photography, hiking and camping.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 23, 2024
Surprisingly, Jack is now working with Ken-Zin-Tel, the Tahni, as part of his crew. That happened because Rhonda Lebeck, the Fleet Intel Agent decided to stay in Wellspring to gather more intel on the cartel and the Predecessor Cult located there. Jack didn’t necessary like the idea of working with a Tahni, but he was getting used to it.
He’s got another bounty, Antonie Telle located in Belial, an orbital city of Alpha Centuri. They find Teller relatively easily. He’s supposed to arrange for a weapons shippment with some representatives of the Predecessor Cult on Belial. Since the Cult doesn’t know what Teller looks like, Birdy will play-act as Teller and try to make the deal or at least find out who’s involved.
Of course things don’t go so well and a huge fight breaks out. There are Acolytes all over the place and they are well armed. To make matters worse, there’s also another Bounty Hunter hunting for Jack. Jack gets stabbed in the back by this Bounty Hunter, but he and Birdy manage to escape via escape pods for the orbital city.
Jack and company go back to Wellspring to find a contact named Carmelita. She tells Jack she knows of a warehouse where it appears the Corporate Council is stockpiling weapons for the Cult. Jack goes to investigate only to be double-crossed by Carmelita. Of course another big fight breaks out with Jack barely getting out alive.
Jack did manage to capture a guy named Chistophe, who under interrogation, admits the Corporate Council is supplying weapons to the Cult. Jack wants to know who at the Corporate Council is running this operation, but Christophe doesn’t know. All he knows is that it’s someone from Corporate Council HQ on Eden.
Jack makes Birdy take him to Eden although Birdy and Ken-Zin-Tel both want to report back to Val on Hausos. Jack gets dropped off on Eden. He finds the Cult is operating on Eden to his regret and has a compound just outside of town. He goes to investigate. Of course, he’s going to start another war with the Cult and get a lot of people killed. He does witness Bannock killing a Corporate Council Executive name Roland Xi. Jack eventually gets arrested again and is again bailed out by Larienne Bonheur, another Corporate Council Executive.
She wants something simple from Jack. If he does this tasking, she’ll lift any corprate bounties and get the Cult to lift there bounties so he can walkabout as a free man again. All she wants is for Jack to kill Xander Bannock!
What happens next will not be good. One of the crew gets killed and a ship destroyed. It’s probably Jack’s fault, but what isn’t?
The next book, “Smuggler’s Bounty”, is available on Amazon as part of t
He’s got another bounty, Antonie Telle located in Belial, an orbital city of Alpha Centuri. They find Teller relatively easily. He’s supposed to arrange for a weapons shippment with some representatives of the Predecessor Cult on Belial. Since the Cult doesn’t know what Teller looks like, Birdy will play-act as Teller and try to make the deal or at least find out who’s involved.
Of course things don’t go so well and a huge fight breaks out. There are Acolytes all over the place and they are well armed. To make matters worse, there’s also another Bounty Hunter hunting for Jack. Jack gets stabbed in the back by this Bounty Hunter, but he and Birdy manage to escape via escape pods for the orbital city.
Jack and company go back to Wellspring to find a contact named Carmelita. She tells Jack she knows of a warehouse where it appears the Corporate Council is stockpiling weapons for the Cult. Jack goes to investigate only to be double-crossed by Carmelita. Of course another big fight breaks out with Jack barely getting out alive.
Jack did manage to capture a guy named Chistophe, who under interrogation, admits the Corporate Council is supplying weapons to the Cult. Jack wants to know who at the Corporate Council is running this operation, but Christophe doesn’t know. All he knows is that it’s someone from Corporate Council HQ on Eden.
Jack makes Birdy take him to Eden although Birdy and Ken-Zin-Tel both want to report back to Val on Hausos. Jack gets dropped off on Eden. He finds the Cult is operating on Eden to his regret and has a compound just outside of town. He goes to investigate. Of course, he’s going to start another war with the Cult and get a lot of people killed. He does witness Bannock killing a Corporate Council Executive name Roland Xi. Jack eventually gets arrested again and is again bailed out by Larienne Bonheur, another Corporate Council Executive.
She wants something simple from Jack. If he does this tasking, she’ll lift any corprate bounties and get the Cult to lift there bounties so he can walkabout as a free man again. All she wants is for Jack to kill Xander Bannock!
What happens next will not be good. One of the crew gets killed and a ship destroyed. It’s probably Jack’s fault, but what isn’t?
The next book, “Smuggler’s Bounty”, is available on Amazon as part of t
September 27, 2026
This book starts with what feel like a couple of short bounty hunter stories, and then continues with Jack returning home for the first time in several years.
The bounty hunter stories are fine, acting more as atmosphere than as plot-forwarding writing. They make sense and they do show the life of a bounty hunter in a way we haven't seen much previously in the series. When Jack arrives at his home planet, he finds out that there is a connection between some of the people he has been hunting, the people who have been hunting him, and the people who have been taking over the economy of his home planet.
This book does forward the main plot of the series well.
Overall, this is fine, but not especially memorable.
The bounty hunter stories are fine, acting more as atmosphere than as plot-forwarding writing. They make sense and they do show the life of a bounty hunter in a way we haven't seen much previously in the series. When Jack arrives at his home planet, he finds out that there is a connection between some of the people he has been hunting, the people who have been hunting him, and the people who have been taking over the economy of his home planet.
This book does forward the main plot of the series well.
Overall, this is fine, but not especially memorable.
August 8, 2024
My first impression of the series and the first book, Pirate Bounty is still holding true. The series is full of nonstop action. I love the comradery between and the few friends that Jack holds dear to him, and of course the realationship to the Anna his Spaceship named after his ex-fiancée. So named not because he still loves her but because she was a stepping stone in his path.
So if you like nonstop action grab the book better yet get the audio boxed set to save on credits and just know Ryan Kennard Burke is a narrator.
So if you like nonstop action grab the book better yet get the audio boxed set to save on credits and just know Ryan Kennard Burke is a narrator.
March 11, 2023
Just, wow…
I’m not sure what to say, other than Jack has been having his usual issues from Murphy. He’s even locked up in jail more than once! He and Birdy have multiple scrapes with the cultists who are trying insanely hard to kill Jack. The book leaves the reader wondering what more can Jack possibly withstand by the end, with something of a cliffhanger finale.
I’m not sure what to say, other than Jack has been having his usual issues from Murphy. He’s even locked up in jail more than once! He and Birdy have multiple scrapes with the cultists who are trying insanely hard to kill Jack. The book leaves the reader wondering what more can Jack possibly withstand by the end, with something of a cliffhanger finale.
April 30, 2026
Somebody did it.
Well, I did not see who, without giving away the story (No Spoiler Alert here). The action was fantastic! I was right there in the thick of it and fast and furious covers a lot. The plot does not fade into the background, nor is lost within the action sequences. I can't wait for the next book in the series!
Well, I did not see who, without giving away the story (No Spoiler Alert here). The action was fantastic! I was right there in the thick of it and fast and furious covers a lot. The plot does not fade into the background, nor is lost within the action sequences. I can't wait for the next book in the series!
March 5, 2023
This was a good 3 book series. It seems the ending leaves it open for more books to come with the main players. Too bad almost all of the main guys friends got killed off. A little too much repeating past history in thoughts while in action made some sceens to long.
February 15, 2023
Emotional but gripping
Have really enjoyed this series and must say this book completely caught me off gaurd at one point...can't wait to see where it goes next
Have really enjoyed this series and must say this book completely caught me off gaurd at one point...can't wait to see where it goes next
July 6, 2025
Another solid story about Jack and his crew. The luckiest bounty hunter in the galaxy, I suspect. Lots of action and interesting enough to keep going with the series.
August 28, 2025
Great book loved the story and the book narration can’t wait for the next one it’s a great book series I highly recommend it 👍⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👍
October 31, 2024
Jack is the protagonist, not the good guy. He doesn't think before his actions and puts good people in bad situations. I doubt he would, but it would be more interesting if he became a criminal leader.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews