Echo: A Space Opera Duology (Book 1) By Michael Listen - This Story Has It All - Great Space Opera

Echo: A Space Opera Duology (Book 1) By Michael Listen

Every now and then, I discover a story that is so compelling, I cannot stop reading for hours at a time. Such a story unfolds in my mind like a movie and is filled with characters who jump off the page and become like real people I care about and invest in. I've been told there should be a surprise in every chapter, on every page, in every paragraph, and in every sentence. This work by Michael Listen is just such a novel.

This story is supercharged with a full range of emotion, from gut-busting laughter at the humor to an evil character so appalling. I cannot wait to see him getting his due.

In this time when anyone can publish their work in the blink of an eye, this is an example of a story that will rise to the top and scream, "Read Me Now!" I cannot imagine any fan of sci-fi space opera that wouldn’t enjoy this story.

It finally happened. All the fossil fuels on Earth were all used up, and humanity had to move away and live among the stars. In the galaxy's vastness, factions arose, and wars broke out and there were those who did their best to make a living. Such was the lot of Kai Randal, the master of a small shuttle. He, along with his apprentice, Parri Hasana, travel around moving small cargos from one place to another, and they also seek opportunities to earn a living and keep their small ship running.

Shreya Nova is a scientist and soldier in the Ursae Dynasty who, along with her husband, are working under a deadline to develop a propulsion system that will allow ships to travel vast distances quickly. She is used to living very well, but when a test fails to provide the desired results, Shreya's husband is lost when the test vehicle is destroyed on the return trip. The failure results in Shreya being ruined and doomed to indentured servitude to a despotic commander who bankrolled the project.

Kai and Parri are on hand for the events as they try to steal the files from the tests. Kai becomes the unlikely hero, saving Shreya from death in the vacuum in space and so begins a precarious relationship where survival is uncertain.

The characters in Echo are amazingly well developed, interesting, and are what drives this story. They all have personalities and flaws as one would expect in reality.

Kai is a forty-something veteran of the Unified Corporate Colonies (UCC) Navy. Retired from the military, he makes a marginal living providing services as he moves between systems. He has a sense of justice and is strongly opposed to slavery, his big motive for working so hard to keep Shreya safe. It also has a moral center that seems quite sound. As he travels with Parri, a young woman who is half his age, he knows his boundaries and sticks to them even though Parri often makes it difficult.

Parri wants to be a pilot. She is in her early to mid-twenties and can be brattish and one gets the impression she is used to getting her way most of the time. But she is also smart and tough. Parri is a very dynamic character, and one cannot help but like this kid. She has a quick wit and is constantly on Kai's case about one thing or another.

These two characters are a source of humor in the story and are brilliantly written. Their relationship is full of tension, but through it all, Kai loves her as a mentor, but Parri wants more from their relationship, maybe more than Kai is willing to give. Parri seems to be in too much of a hurry to grow up.

Shreya Aurelia is on a quest to learn the fate of her lost husband. She refuses to believe he is dead and will not give up until she knows his fate for certain. Shreya has a strong personality and bounces back even in the worse of situations. She has an aristocratic tendency to take charge of things because that is the way of her culture, which often clashes with Kai's culture.

The evil antagonist in the novel is Prefect Marcus Ovius of the Ursaen Legion. He is a despotic commander in charge of getting a new faster-than-light drive built and running, and he has used his own funds to complete the project. This character has no redeeming qualities, and it isn't long before the reader will find him downright despicable.

At one point in the story, Kai, Parri, and Shreya pay a visit to Parri's home planet. Without going into too much detail, Parri displays a desire to take her and Kai's relationship to a new level. This point of the plot allows for a major relief in the tension the author has built in the story and is a source for numerous surprises and a lot of hilarity. While it is a break in the action, it also serves to build tension between our heroes. It gives the reader a chance to catch their breath before the tension builds to the end of the book, which ends in a cliffhanger.

Another plot point I enjoyed is the extensive world building. Listen does an amazing job of setting the scene all the way through this tale and the reader can easily visualize the backdrops behind the story. The details are astounding but not overstated. It is obvious the author has put in a lot of thought to build a universe in which the action can unfold naturally.

My takeaway from Echo is how it demonstrates that all glory is fleeting. No matter how powerful or wealthy one becomes, it can all be lost in the blink of an eye. There is a very thin line between wealth and poverty, freedom and slavery, and benevolence and despotism. While Shreya learns this as a member of a system that allows for it, Kai and Parri see it from the outside. Kai is appalled by what he deems unjust and is willing to fight it, even though it may cost him his life. 

Echo Book 1 is an excellent first novel from author Michael Listen. I hope for more in the future. He has a real handle on writing sci-fi including great world building and characters one can enjoy reading about. 

I loved this first book and will be reporting back with a review of the second book soon.

This is one that space opera fans should not pass by. It is fun, entertaining, hilarious, and appalling (in the right ways). There are characters to love and some to hate. The science isn't too farfetched for those who can take a little time and suspend their disbelief. I give Echo #1 my highest recommendations for some great Sci-Fi!

If you are interested in further information on this book, go to https://authormichaelliste.wixsite.com/authormlisten for more material, histories, maps, and behind the scenes information related directly to this book.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Michael Listen lives in Oklahoma with his wife and two children. After his time in the Navy, he moved into the Information Technology profession. However, Michael has always had a passion for art and creativity. He enjoys crafting stories for role-playing sessions with friends or writing short stories for his wife. His first full-length published book was a two-part science fiction space opera titled Echo.

Well, there it is...

Qapla!

The Defector (The Apollo Murders Series Book 2) By Chris Hadfield - A Russian Pilot Delivers A Gift Too Good To Be True

The Defector (Book 2 of the Apollo Murders Series) by Chris Hadfield

It has been nearly two years since I read Hadfield's first novel, The Apollo Murders, a book I thoroughly enjoyed. While scrolling through the Kindle store, The Defector showed up on the list of books I might also like. Outside of the book being written by Hadfield, I was attracted by the cover art.

I got into this story and found it to be a lightening paced tale of intrigue in a fascinating setting. It grabbed me from the opening and didn't let me down at all. Hadfield's writing style is like authors I enjoyed who wrote books during the 1970s and 1980s when I was deep into reading military Science Fiction. Set during the Cold War, a time when tensions were high between the world's superpowers, it feels plausible. It is written to be a believable idea with solid characters who the reader can care about. The backdrops used to paint pictures in the mind's eye provide completeness to the story, and I think this is a must read for those who enjoy stories of espionage and intrigue.

As Israel prepares for the Yom Kippur war of October 1973, a Russian pilot stationed in Syria climbs aboard his MiG 25 Foxbat on an apparent routine flight. Celebrated Soviet pilot, Alexander Vasilyevich Abramovich, known as Grief, flies his MiG to the Lod Airport (now known as the Ben Gurion International Airport) and lands creating quite a stir. To top that off, he pops the canopy and announces his desire to defect to the United States.

Former fighter pilot and astronaut candidate, Kazimieras (Kaz) Zimeckis of the US Navy is brought in to aid in discovering if Grief's claim to defect is legitimate When it is determined Grief is telling the truth, he and his aircraft are taken to Groom Lake, Nevada, which is also known as Area 51, as well as many other names.

There the plane is deconstructed and Grief shares secrets about his craft with the scientists and engineers. Grief also learns about other aircraft and happenings at the top-secret airbase and becomes friends with several personnel there.

It isn't long before things start to go a little sideways and problems arise. Discoveries are made, and not all of them are good.

There are two principal characters in this story.

First there is Kazimieras Zemeckis commonly known as Kaz. In Hadfield's first novel, The Apollo Murders, we met Kaz, a test pilot and astronaut candidate. In that story, Kaz lost sight in one eye when he struck a bird that came through his canopy. He continues working as a commander in the US Navy without flight status. He is a levelheaded man who likes to get to the bottom of problems. When he is assigned to keep an eye on the Soviet defector, he takes on the job with vigor. After all, there are numerous secrets to be learned from both the defector and his aircraft. One of Kaz's best qualities is to stay cool under fire and work problems until he finds solutions. This character reminds me a lot of Dirk Pitt, one of Clive Cussler's favorite characters, but Kaz is far more believable as a real human being.

The defector, Alexander Vasilyevich Abramovich is identified in the book going by his call sign, Grief. He is a Soviet top pilot, well respected by his peers in the service. It would seem unlikely he would be one to defect, but according to his story, he just wants to go to the United States and fly the best planes in the world. That's his story, but he has a much deeper story he isn't telling. 

The funny thing about Grief is, he is a likable guy, and he gets along well with the engineers at Groom Lake. But we also learn he has a stone-cold, ruthless side to him, and when that is revealed in the book, it's weird, but one might almost find themselves rooting for his success, but only to a point.

My favorite point of plot in this story is how the author uses the Yom Kippur War of 1973. It was a conflict in which a coalition of Arab states led by Syria and Egypt made it their goal to take back Israeli held lands on the border between Egypt and Israel on the Sinai Pennsula and the Golan Heights. In this story, the Israelis are monitoring troop buildups along their held territories and are planning their response. Things are thrown into chaos when Grief lands his MiG in a major airport on Israeli soil. I this story, we get a close look at the Prime Minister Golda Meir and her Minister of Defense, Moshe Dayan. I remember hearing those names in 1973 when I was much younger, still in my teens. There isn't a great deal about the war in the rest of the story, but for those who remember those days and the tensions in the world, it did well in setting the attitudes of the characters in the book.

My takeaway from The Defector is to remember that a gift can sometimes be a Trojan Horse. A Soviet pilot gives his advanced fighter to the enemy and wants nothing more than to fly the US's most advanced aircraft in return. Well, as the story unfolds, Grief wants much more than the freedom to fly, he has been sent on a mission of espionage, and he has some support, but mostly has to rely on his own wits, which he seems to have in ample supply.

This was a great spy story written much like those I read in the 1970s by Cussler and others in the genre. The characters are realistic and there are relevant historical references to help shape them and their attitudes. The action in this book starts with the first page and continues through the entire book to the end. I read this in just a few days because I couldn't put it down. This story is intense on various levels, with many humorous moments, and there is also plenty of violent action. While I wouldn't call this a purely Science Fiction novel, there are numerous elements of science and advanced engineering. From the author, as a former astronaut, test pilot, and fighter pilot, we get a lot of factual perspective, but it is presented in a way that the technical aspects don't get in the way of the story.

This is the second book of The Apollo Murders Series, but it reads very well as a stand alone novel.

All in all, this story was a satisfying and fun read. I recommend The Defector to those who enjoy Military Sci-Fi as well as stories of espionage.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Chris Hadfield is one of the most seasoned and accomplished astronauts in the world. He was the top test pilot in both the US Air Force and the US Navy, and a Cold War fighter pilot intercepting armed Soviet bombers in Canadian air space. A veteran of three space flights, he served as capsule communicator - CAPCOM - for 25 shuttle missions, as NASA's director of operations in Russia, and as commander of the International Space Station. Hadfield's books, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, You Are Here, and The Darkest Dark have all been international bestsellers, and topped the charts for months in Canada. His debut novel, The Apollo Murders, became an instant #1 bestseller in his homeland.