I received a copy of this book for free and am leaving this review voluntarily.
With a title like this one, there is no way I could resist reading.
My Buddy Gave Me A Starship is a space opera from the lighter side. But it isn’t all fun and games when characters play in the backdrop of deep space meeting alien species both friendly and malicious. The tale is packed full of action and adventure to keep a reader on the edge of their seat. The characters are believable, and it isn’t difficult to relate to their plight. I was pulled in right from the opening page and the pace of the story ramps up quickly. The world-building is also excellent, and the reader will see numerous vistas, both beautiful and menacing.
I found this book quite refreshing after reading a lot of serious sci-fi. It runs the full gamut of emotion, and one cannot help but love most of the characters while deploring a few others.
The story opens with a man named Mitch, who goes to work one morning and is greeted by his supervisor, who apologetically dismisses him. He seems to have made a costly mistake involving a project he worked on.
So, Mitch does what any down on his luck guy would do. He heads to his favorite diner and orders a large bowl of ice cream to drown his sorrows. Mitch’s lifelong friend, Gabe, sits down with him and says he has something he is sure will cheer him up. After a short drive, Gabe opens his barn to reveal a starship parked inside! Gabe explains how he found the ship and how he has been making repairs and upgrades.
To say it cheered Mitch up would be a gross understatement. Mitch is astounded and wants to take a flight. Gabe promises they will do a flight test the next day.
Like a kid who is headed to his first professional baseball game, Mitch arrives at Gabe’s place to find a small group of people in commando gear preparing to take the ship for themselves. Then he discovers Gabe has been severely injured in his encounter with the commandos. So, Mitch does what anyone would do in such a situation. He gets onto the ship, belts himself into the pilot’s seat, and orders the onboard AI to take the ship rapidly “anywhere but here.”
The AI complies by transporting the ship a distance of six-hundred light years in the blink of an eye. And that’s only the beginning!
The tale is heavily character driven. Too much information would spoil the story.
Mitch is a human who finds himself unemployed until he finds his best friend has been wounded by commandos who want the ship Gabe has found. His aim is to find justice for Gabe.
Tera is Mitch’s artificially intelligent companion, modeled on a fifteen-year-old snarky female. She helps Mitch learn to run the ship, but is sometimes hesitant to share important information until the last minute. Her personality often causes Mitch just a bit of frustration and drives the humor in the story.
Vrynn is an alien female who wants the ship to fight in a conflict with an oppressive organization. She becomes a valuable aid to Mitch as well as depending on him for help.
My favorite point of plot in My Buddy Gave Me A Starship is the interaction between the characters. They all have goals and help each other try to realize them. The humorous banter between them is priceless! I think this is where the author really shines in his writing. It is through the principal character’s interactions that the story unfolds as we also get to know them. It is hard not to care about them and their plight.
My takeaway from this tale is to remember no matter how bad things seem, stay optimistic. The closing of one door may lead to the opening of another, which might lead to the adventure of a lifetime.
While the trope in My Buddy Gave Me A Starship is an old, well-worn one, and Myles Christensen has given it a fresh treatment, and it is eminently entertaining, engaging, and a whole lot of fun. The characters have depth inspiring the reader to care for and root for their success. The backdrops are well fleshed out and full of interesting variety. The writing is clear, and the tech is easy to understand. This is a great opening to a series of stories, and I look forward to future installments. The story is complete in itself and I loved the great plot twist at the end!
Highest Recommendations!
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
His mild-mannered alter ego is a product development engineer, university professor, and game inventor. He lives in Utah with his wife and children.
Well, there it is...
Qapla!
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