Audible Book Review: Junkyard Pirate by Jamie McFarlene

This was fun even if you have to stretch belief.

Junkyard Pirate
By: Jamie McFarlane
Narrated by: Mikael Naramore

Series: Junkyard Pirate, Book 1 (4 books)
Length: 10 hrs
Release date: 12-31-19
Publisher: Fickle Dragon Publishing
Genre: Adventure, Alien, First Contact, Military, Pirate, Space
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.25; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's Summary
Knocking at death’s door. Bargaining for a second chance. Seems like a heck of a way to find out about an alien invasion....
Vietnam vet Albert Jenkins is battling a bulging waistline and a passion for drink. So when a towering pile of scrap rocket parts falls and crushes the stubborn curmudgeon, he thinks it’s finally the end. But just as he’s about to take one final breath, a snarky alien parasite offers him a deal: His life in return for sharing his body.
With a little coaxing from his new pop-culture-loving inner resident, AJ’s broken carcass improves so much that even an old flame is impressed. But his bright outlook fizzles when he discovers he's at ground zero of a galactic conspiracy to strip Earth of precious resources humans don't even know exist.
Can the unlikely partners join forces and use AJ's rusty military skills to raise the alarm? Or, will the alien invaders put him down once and for all?
Junkyard Pirate is the first book in an imaginative space opera series. If you like grizzled soldiers, clever twists and turns, and intergalactic tactical pairings, then you’ll love Jamie McFarlane’s fast-paced alien adventure.
Buy Junkyard Pirate to boot the invaders back to where they came from today!
©2019 Fickle Dragon Publishing LLC (P)2019 Fickle Dragon Publishing LLC

Review:
Vietnam veteran, Albert, better known as AJ, is a stubborn curmudgeon in his 70s who is winding down his life with food and alcohol. He runs a junkyard and occasionally gets loads from NASA that includes some good parts. His latest purchase is a huge pile of scrap rocket parts. When his dog, Maxie, continually barks at the tower, Albert steps out and gets caught under a slide of the rocket parts. He expects that he will die under the crush and thinks he is hallucinating a tiny alien who offers to save his life if he will share his body. What does he have to lose? He gives permission before he passes out.

When he wakes up, he learns his best friend, Darnell, got him to the hospital. The doctor recognized her surgery work from the Vietnam days and is surprised that AJ isn’t paralyzed. Meanwhile he sees an 8” woman on the doctor’s shoulder and realizes he has to get out of the hospital before the doctor discovers the alien that is restoring his body. Doctor Amanda Jayne is reluctant to let AJ go and soon starts visiting him at home to follow-up trying to figure out what is going on with his body.

Beverly, the alien, explains to AJ that she and her crew were on a reconnaissance mission to gather information about an enemy alien people on Earth. The Korgul are parasitic aliens controlling millions of humans while they mine special materials unknown to the humans. Beverly and her friends need permission to take over a body but the Korgul don’t ask permission. Beverly needs AJ’s help to get to a spaceship they can use but it will make him a target for the enemy.

Sure enough, strangers soon arrive at AJ's home and he is scrambling to escape flying bullets. AJ gets the help of a few friends including a new pet, who share their bodies with Beverly’s friends. Now the handful of old military companions set off to steal the spaceship and maybe save the planet.

This is a fun story. AJ is not a classy character but very much a suggestive old man who is surprised and pleased to have his body returning to youthful vigor. I enjoyed Beverly’s character and the other friends add to the mix too. There were close calls and escapes in preposterous situations, but these allow the story to move forward. The story concludes this episode but leaves the heroes/heroines waiting for the next step in saving Earth. I recommend this to readers who would enjoy fun, sort of warped humor, and military to space adventure.

Audio Notes: Mikael Naramore does a good job of narrating the story. The voices are distinct, and the snark appropriately conveyed. The narration added to my enjoyment of the story.

Source: July 2021 Audible $5.00 Sale. This qualifies for 2023TBR, 2023Audiobook, 2023Alphabet, and 2023Occupation goals.

Audible Book Review: Mission Pack 1: Black Ocean Mission Pack, Missions 1-4 by J.S. Morin

This is entertaining but not gripping.

Mission Pack 1: Black Ocean Mission Pack, Missions 1-4
By: J.S. Morin
Narrated by: Mikael Naramore

Series: Black Ocean, Book 1-4
Length: 20 hrs and 50 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release date: 05-23-16
Language: English
Publisher: Magical Scrivener Press
Genre: Action & Adventure, Sci Fi, Space Fleet
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.5; Narration 4.25.

Publisher's Summary
Science to build a starship. Wizardry to take it past light speed. A crew to give it a soul.
The Mobius is a cobbled-together ship with a matching crew. Captain Carl Ramsey is an ex-Earth Navy pilot whose crew won't let him fly his own ship. The pilot is his ex-wife, the mechanic is a drunk, and the chief of security is from a predatory species. Instead of a star-drive to travel through the astral space between worlds, the ship's wizard does it by hand.
Mission 1: Salvage Trouble
A salvage mission turns into a rescue, and no good deed goes unpunished. With two refugees onboard, the Mobius crew is hounded by bounty hunters, border patrols, and corporate enforcers.
Mission 2: A Smuggler's Conscience
"Don't open the package." It's the smuggler's credo for good reason. When the Mobius crew takes a peek at their illicit cargo, the entire job takes an about-face.
Mission 3: Poets and Piracy
The Mobius crew gets caught in a turf war between a pirate fleet and a galactic criminal syndicate. The trick is getting everyone out alive (and maybe getting paid in the process).
Mission 4: To Err is Azrin
Sometimes, you can't go home again. When a job takes the crew to their security chief's homeworld, she gets dragged into a familial power struggle. Can the rest of the crew bail her out of an old feud gone horribly wrong?
©2015 J.S. Morin (P)2016 J.S. Morin

Review:
The Mission Pack follows the not totally scrupulous adventures of the crew of the Mobius starship, whose members all have history and secrets. Captain Carl is the charismatic spokesman – and close to a con artist. Tanny, the pilot, is Carl’s ex-wife…several times. They apparently can’t live together but still have a strong connection. Mort is the ship’s wizard who runs the stardrive like no one else and comes to the rescue when circumstances become drastic. Roddy is a Laaku, close to humans but closer to “chimp-like primates”, and a wiz mechanic. And finally, there is security chief Mriy, an Azrin, “a humanoid house cat” – furry, large, clawed, fanged and always hungry.

The focus of each of the four stories is shared in the blurb. As the story proceeds an additional crew member is added giving another quirky person to add to the crew dilemmas. I was pulled in by the Firefly tease as I like varied alien characters and crafty space adventure. I was also pulled in by the picture of a dinosaur which plays a part in Mission 2. Although I enjoyed the crew members, I wasn’t gripped by them nor by the plots. The writing was fine, there is some humor and the magic is fun, it is just not overly exciting. For me it was an entertaining, light listen, but nothing compelling. Readers who like lighter space escapades might give this a try.

Audio Notes: Mikael Naramore does a good job with the narration. I felt he fittingly presented each character with appropriate voices and personalities. I’m glad that I listened to the audio.

Source: April 2017 $1.99 Audible Purchase. This qualifies for 2020 TBR, 2020Audiobook and 2020Alphabet goals.

Audio Book Review: Desolation by M.L. Banner

This is an engaging character driven, post-apocalyptic scenario, pitting good and evil.

Desolation
Written by: M.L. Banner
Narrated by: Mikael Naramore

Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:12-08-15
Publisher: Toes in the Water Publishing, LLC
Genre: Post Apocalyptic, Sci Fi
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Publisher's Summary
A world devastated: a sky filled with magical auroras at night and deadly radiation during the day; technology all but gone; hundreds of millions dead by fire, starvation, disease, and violence. The survivors will have to face their own desolation.
Three groups struggle to endure and hold onto what little they have, while others will do anything to take it all. On a beach in Mexico, a small town in Wyoming, and a rural ranch in Illinois, epic battles between good and evil will be fought. Winners will have to face forces of nature never seen before.
But, there is a dim light on the horizon. A 150-year-old secret may lead the lucky few to a place that holds the promise of a new future, unless the sun doesn't set on humanity first.
This is the stunning follow-up to the #1 Amazon best seller Stone Age.
©2014 Toes in the Water Publishing, LLC (P)2015 Toes in the Water Publishing, LLC

Review:
A solar flare has devastated the world as we know it. Electronic technology is gone, the cities are in flames and conductive surfaces, such as water, continue to give off electrocuting charges. Many are dying from starvation and disease, not to mention violence as people sink to thievery and worse trying to protect themselves and obtain food for their families.

Maxwell Thomas is a wealthy man who was prepared for the disaster. He had several homes and escape plans. He even knows of a secret community, Cicada, where the scientists were to gather for survival. Unfortunately Max has been ‘commandeered’ by a drug cartel with some vicious members. He must escape and get back to Bill and Lisa King in a resort community in Mexico.

Bill and Lisa have supplies thanks to their good friend, Max. They are willing to help others in their community until neighbors try to take the supplies by force.

Far away, in Illinois, “the Teacher” leads a religious group of followers. He has gathered an army of men to protect him and provide the basic needs of shelter, food and water for the crowd that follows. Since their supply is limited they conscript the followers to work, including attacking communities along their path to fill the needs of the cult.

College student, Darla King and her younger brother, Danny are walking away from the fires of Chicago, trying to get to their grandparents’ home in Michigan. It is a dangerous world to be traveling as wicked men are willing to rape and murder and steal the resources that are found along the way. After several attacks and difficult escapes, Darla and Danny stumble into the cult crowd. Darla quickly learns that crowds are not always safe.

Steve Parkington, Darla’s boy interest, and his father have crashed in their small plane. They find themselves with a small group of survivors on a well-stocked and protected ranch, known as Wright ranch.

In Nebraska, Maggie, an astronaut and scientist, becomes the sole survivor of a space capsule crash. Now she must fend for herself in a hot and hostile world. Along the way she will rescue and be aided by another scientist who is traveling by bicycle to get to Cicada.

I was quickly engaged by the good characters and their battle against the evil forces. I liked the excellent story telling writing style which pulled me in and made me care about the characters. The author shifts among the scenes until the people and groups converge.There seemed to be a few loose ends but I still was engaged and enjoyed the tale.

I did not realize this was a second book in a series until I started it. I wish I had read/listened to them in order but still this was good but I could tell that I missed some character build up as well as the initial disaster. I will want to pick up the first book and I am also interested in the Cicada series that follows these events even if it is set years later.

Audio Notes: Mikael Naramore does a good job with the various voices and the emotional energy of the story.  He also delivers the narrative with strong, appropriate pacing. The narration made this an easy and engaging listen, enhancing the story.

I received this audio from the publisher through Audiobook Jukebox.