She Stole My Buddy's Starship by Myles Christensen - Excellent Sequel to My Buddy Gave Me A Starship!

She Stole My Buddy's Starship by Myles Christensen

Since I read the first book in the series, My Buddy Gave Me A Starship, just over a year ago, I have been eagerly awaiting a continuation of the adventures of Mitch aboard the starship Starfire. Well, I'm not disappointed with the second installment of this saga in any way. She Stole My Buddy's Starship continues the fun as Mitch gets way more than he bargained for in both good and bad ways.

Once again, Myles has written another book that is exciting, intense, and just plain fun to read. The characters have a wit a light year long, and the tale is full of twists and turns couched in non-stop action and hilarity. As with the first book, I loved the dialog. 

Science Fiction fans who enjoy the lighter side of the genre should appreciate this series, and once one gets to know the characters in the first book, can expect satisfaction with the reading of the second book in the series.

In the first installment of the story, Mitch, a man down on his luck, loses his job and meets his long-time friend, Gabe, in a diner as Mitch tries to drown his sorrows in a large bowl of ice cream. Gabe invites Mitch to his place for a visit where Gabe has a starship hidden in his barn. It isn't long before another starship lands on Gabe's property and uniform-clad soldiers attempt to take the ship away. They kill Gabe, and Mitch gets away thanks to the help of an artificially intelligent copy of Gabe's deceased wife, Tera.

Tera takes Gabe to a place where a beautiful alien female named Vrynn awaits a delivery. She joins Mitch, Tera, an android copy of Gabe, and a bear-sized animal that behaves like a puppy.

Later, they run into a ruthless alien named Gralik who very much wants the Starfire for himself.

In this book; as the Starfire sits in a hangar on an out of the way world, Vrynn tricks Mitch into giving her access to all ship operations. They seem to have fallen for each other, at least a little. While Mitch is sleeping, Vrynn apparently betrays Mitch's trust and takes the Starfire to continue her quest on her own. Mitch takes a clunky, old shuttle and goes seeking Vrynn.

After that, well, Mitch finds himself in a desperate battle for the freedom of an entire planet!

And at the bottom of the whole thing is Gralik, who still obsesses over the Starfire, and will stop at nothing to possess it.

In this continuation of the story, Mitch proves himself to be quite resourceful and a good commander of the Starfire. A lot of that is because of the personalities he surrounds himself with. Vrynn is thoughtful, but she is also a brave fighter for freedom. Even though Tera and Gabe are computers, they support Mitch and Vrynn well and behave more as humans. What the biologicals are trying to accomplish would not even be possible without their intelligence. As the story moves forward, we meet a number of other characters, all of them endearing in one way or another. That is, except for Gralik. The more we learn about him, the more villainous he is. All are excellently written, and Myles has written brilliant dialog for them to give them depth of character and bring them to life.

I have to be careful with my favorite plot point. Yes, Vrynn steals the Starfire, but sometimes people do the right thing for the wrong reason. My takeaway from this tale is that appearances can be deceiving. I'm being cryptic here to avoid spoilers. To discover what I'm talking about, you're just going to have to read the book.

The theme that stands out most for me is to show how perseverance and intelligence plays a large part in the success or failure of the achievement of a goal. Everyone in the book has their own agenda. Some of those are compatible with others, but teamwork will give one an edge toward success. Another theme shows how obsession can also lead one to stumble and lose what they have gained as their focus shifts.

She Stole My Buddy's Starship is an excellent sequel to My Buddy Gave Me A Starship. The tone of the story is on the lighter side, making it another fun read. The characters are excellent; the dialog is top-notch, and the story flows, making it another page-turner. Once one picks it up, one will not want to put it down. I recommend this story to space opera fans and those who might enjoy watching a budding romance continue to grow. 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Myles Christensen loves to write exciting adventures because he loves to read exciting adventures. The hopeless romantic in him will usually a teensy bit of romance into his stories. While writing, he listens to music that matches - and sometimes inspires - the story line.

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!

My Buddy Gave Me A Starship By Myles Christensen - Lots Of Laughs Excellent Entertainment

My Buddy Gave Me A Starship by Myles Christensen

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: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Myles Christensen loves to write exciting adventures because he loves to read exciting adventures. The hopeless romantic in him will usually sprinkle a teensy bit of romance into his stories. While writing, he listens to music that matches—and sometimes inspires—the storyline.

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!