"IT STARTED OUT WITH A BANG AND JUST GOT BETTER." -Goodreads reviewer Over 1,000 pages of nonstop action! If there's one thing Adam Eckhart knows, it's that humans are trouble. After all, he is one. As captain of the Marathon , a cobbled-together ship crewed by aliens and androids scraping by on odd jobs at the outskirts of settled space, Adam has plenty to worry about without adding his own species to the mix. But when a pair of mortally wounded humans cross his path during a heist gone wrong, he finds himself compelled to save them. Big mistake. Because if there's one more thing Adam knows, it's that the universe never leaves a good deed unpunished. He and his crew are about to find out just how right he is. Includes all 9 books in the Marathon Five star reviews for Bad Cargo, book 1 in the
I Have always enjoyed science fiction of all types since way back as a teenager, I'm 78 now. I found this to be very good. It held my attention through 9 books.
Adam Ekkart is a human that was born in the fringe, a part inhabited by what the Earthlings call Aliens, even if the superior race as they like to think of themselves , are considered murdering aliens by the rest of the thousand of species inhabiting the vast Universe. The fringe is governed by different clans or races of beings that are mostly at war with each other. The author, once again, succeeds in creating a new series that is captivating.
6 Beings consisting of 2 Earthlings, 1 super strength alien female, 1 half machine, half Earthling, 1 Octopus type alien and 1 Fuzzy type alien female make up the crew of a very special spacecraft named: "Marathon". Unaffected by the bias that Earthlings carry against all that is alien to their supposedly superior race, these 6 form a family where everyone would give his or her life for the other. In addition, each one of them carries a secret ability that benefits the others. From start to finish, the author uses his gift to virtually transport the reader to where the action takes place and, experience the basic raw emotions that pour out of each individual being as they face new challenges and circumstances each and every day.
The plot is very well written and the characters are funny in a family kind of way. Amidst betrayal, loyalty, mystery, The unknown, an array of twists and turns and action galore, this page-turner proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that United we stand while Divided we most certainly fall therefore deserving more than the 5 Stars allowed. I recommend this series
This series is so awful it might be considered interesting. I actually read it -- mostly, I skimmed much of the repetitive battles.
There is almost literally nothing in here that makes sense. Space is tiny, there's no sense of travel, one phrase had lasers travelling parsecs instantly. It reminds me at times of the old A-team, where machine guns are firing continually but no one dies.
It is basically one long fight scene where the protagonists keep winning interspersed by very, very brief periods of dialog. It dwells on the lead protagonist's motivations yet gives no real complexity to it. The actions of good and bad guys (if you can even tell them apart) seem to be more random than reasoned, designed more for the thrill of last minute "here comes the cavalry" than to build a story.
I can say I have never read something that made so little sense.
But I kept reading. And honestly I have no idea why. I don't recommend you start.
A review I read before deciding to try this series said it started at a gallop and didn't slow down - boy was that accurate. The author himself commented this was a full-on space opera without all the checked scientific facts that are so much a part of today's space stories and boy was he right. That is what made the story so absorbing and refreshing as the author built a world, in fact millions of worlds with a myriad of incredibly likeable aliens and an interlinking storyline that allows the lead character to flourish and develop into a strong, intelligent, capable alien.
By the by, given the length of this series, the editing was superb. I'm heading off now to find other books by this author even though it is midnight!!
This series was really fun to read. Great story very well written. Interesting and fun characters. The characters were very well written and developed. The story was fresh and exciting. The action was non stop. This series does not contain any hard science. Ships jump from place to place instantly, with no lag time, unless Daniel wants to have a scene on the ship. If you're into hard science then you might not enjoy this series. There are many made up names for weapons systems and ship drives and types of shielding. I really enjoyed reading this series. There were a few sad moments, but so many laugh out loud moments and moments where you just smile. I highly recommend this series as well as all of Daniel Young's other series.
This series starts out strong and just gets better after each book. It was a wild ride that made me laugh and groan and just get sucked into the story. Its is just all fun and pure enjoyment the whole series. All the characters are a riot and just make me shake my head at times at the trouble the crew of the Marathon are so good at finding. Crazy stories and crazy enemies are found all throughout the series. Odd jobs never seems to be so much trouble until I met this crazy crew. Lots of surprises along the way. A great series if you enjoy the fun of a story and not look too closely at the hard science and insanity.
Really enjoyed Young's development of characters. His battle scenes were well thought out and coherent. When reading SciFy it is important that the plot(s) are easy to understand because you are already dealing with unfamiliar name pronunciations and usually difficult character names. All 9 books in this series kept you focused on the main character (Eckert). I was disappointed when what looked like a romantic episode would be created only to have it die on the vine. I won't go any deeper than that so there are no spoilers. Good read, good work. I'll be watching for more from Daniel Young.
This was a good series. I liked the characters a lot The story did ebb a bit a few timed but fir t h e mist part was fantastic. I liked the camaraderie developed between the main characters and was only sad that one group never got unity with the rest. That felt sad But good adventure and character arcs. It's always sad when you lose main characters too. But good read overall.
Really an great and incredible old fashion Science Fiction!
This wonderful box set was written to enjoy just that you look in science fiction, imagination. Good old imagination at its best. The story is well weaved, with incredible twist and turns. The characters blow your imagination. Sometimes too much, hehehe . You want to read Syfy...enjoy.
I entered a new universe. It was full of action and real people with their own personality s. I was sad when it ended, much like the hero. Said goodbye, it would be good to return to this universe to see how all the different aliens built worlds without war?...
Great story of many worlds and peoples yet woven in a way where reality and common sense are thwarted regularly for the greater story. LOL. It was enjoyable and interesting to say the least. Characters were exactly that and each had an individuality that left you feeling the loss whether they lived and moved on or those that died. All in all a recommended book.
Beginning with incomprehensible and seemingly interminable battles you can just turn the pages, read a few words and if the battle is still ongoing just turn to the next page. There were some interesting plot twists. I did read it to the end although I’m not sure why
The characters were well developed and often quite surprising. The story has plenty of twists and turns to maintain interest. The battle scenes are reasonable and not overdone. I was pleased to find that books appeared not to have a lot of unreasonable filler. Well done..
When I first started reading this series it seemed to be a little slow but then it started to pickup steam and through the rest if the series I had a really good time reading enjoyed the long read immensely keep up the good work.
Enjoyed the story. Sorry it is over. Loved the characters and the bonds they forged overcoming challenges. Wish there were another 9 books. This series is going on my re-read list.
Eckert had never been to earth although he was an earthling. He got his own ship and ran it with aliens. He had to fight earth regiment to save the aliens planets.
I found it very difficult to put this series down. It has been a roller coaster ride from start to finish. Some if battle scenes are so intense. An excellent story from start to finish. I am sad it is finished.
I really enjoyed this series and it was pretty much just the right length. I imagine you could write a follow on series where some mysterious race from another galaxy attacked but this was just right.
If you like space opera, then you will enjoy this set . The horrible things the humans do, is pretty close to how humans are at this stage of our evolution. I'm pro alien
A fun romp with enough twist and turns to keep you coming back for more. With aliens more familiar than many of the human characters, who would we be should we reach the star. Best of us or worst of us.
Additive and exciting space opera full of fascinating aliens and an unstopable hero who epitomizes the absurdity of bigotry based on appearances instead of character.