Shockwave (Star Kingdom Book 1)

I stumbled upon Lindsay Buroker and her Star Kingdon series while searching for someone new. I've been reading Science Fiction for about 60 years so although I haven't read all of it, I've read quite a few books in the genre. I was about to give up after buying 3 or 4 other titles, some recommended by bookstore employees but as you all know we have certain things we like and don't like in our science fiction books. I love this series! It has everything, action adventure well fleshed out characters who are both smart and pretty hilarious. I normally never pay full price for a book, but this series is worth it! I will be sad when I finish book 9. Thank you, Lindsay please keep writing science fiction!

Shockwave by Lindsay BurokerRating 5 starsLindsay Buroker is an auto-buy for me. As usual, she has created a cast of characters that are interesting. The story is multi-faceted and raises several questions and opens several plot lines. Because it is part of a series, each book answers some of the questions raised until the finale. Some reviewers mention that this first book ends on a cliffhanger and give the sense that the book is incomplete. I do not agree with that. There are unanswered questions, yes, but I have not read a series of hers that leaves unanswered questions at the end. And, as I said, you do get some answers with each book.There is an unanswered question at the end of the first book that I thought Casmir could have asked Zee. You do find out the answer at the beginning of the second book.The author writes characters that are realistic. They have flaws and a good side whether they are the hero or the villain with a few exceptions.I enjoy the vocabulary used by the author. She uses interesting words in her writing. I also enjoy the richness of her stories. For example, if you look up the meaning of Tenebris Rache, it adds to the story.The pilot, Bonita, does adhere to some cultural heritages from Earth that I did not find realistic so many centuries later.I do agree with one reviewer that criticized the author for making a disparaging comment about those who do not like throuples.This book and the 7th book are the least strong in my humble opinion, but still very good.I have already purchased the second book in the series. I have read her series back to back so I usually wait until the series is complete before reading the first book.

A heroine (Captain Bonita) well past her youth, a brainy hero (Casmir Dabrowski) and a cleaning-obsessed AI ship (Viggo). What more could I ask for in a science fiction novel?Bonita is jaded, but ever hopeful, taking on the modified young woman, Qin, who becomes the brawn of the crew. Bonita, otherwise known as Laser, has left her bounty hunting days behind and become a smuggler, a much tamer occupation. Well, that’s the theory. Things are not going to go that smoothly. Don’t you love it when a plan doesn’t come together?Viggo, once human, is now a couple of centuries old and is always ready to offer advice, smart alecky comments, status checks and cleaning robots. In my book, AIs with humor always enhance a story.Casmir, genius robot builder, myopic and seizure-prone and maybe a bit naïve. He uses humor in all situations, often as a defense, stall tactic, or to lighten a tense situation. He is pretty witty. His friend Kim, also a witty genius, gets accidentally pulled into the action when assassins go after Casmir. Why the assassins? Nobody knows, not even the knight, sent by his mysterious mother, to warn him.Pirate/mercenary Captain Tenebris Rache is a main character also, along with his shanghaied doctor Yas. Rache is a mystery too.Mysterious cargo, mysterious reason for an attempted assassination, mysterious pirates, mysterious mother. Lots of fodder for a 5-books series. This is just book 1!I will mention that this book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger. For those that don’t like cliffhangers (like me) I think it is good to know that before you start a book. However, I am familiar enough with Ms. Buroker’s books to know that if the book is the first in a 5-book series, you must keep reading if you want to finish the story. Since I knew that going into this book, I am okay with the ending. And I do intend to continue with the series (refer to my first paragraph)!

rather convoluted, full of surprises and sudden developments, but jerking along a predictable plot-line...lots of unscientific things happen, but the "hero" and the side-kick girlfriend survive all the bad stuff, and lurch into volume two...there are echoes of chanur, and of korval, and of course, of andre norton, but it is a decent, if a bit too accidentally lucky, read...not deep, not thought-provoking, just lots of incidents in a space setting...

It's hard to decide who the hero of this story is. Smartass Casmir and down to earth (or some other planet) Kim are thrown into fleeing killer robots called crushers which he designed for the megalomaniac king's army and they are rescued by Captain Bonita and Qin the genetically altered cat girl plus her sentient ship with it's cleaning fetish for vacuuming droids. The crusher droids pursue Cas through space where he finds someone else, Rache (how do you pronounce that is it rash?), who is after him for some reason he can't figure but might be a twin brother or a clone of Cas. It's left in a bit of a cliffhanger as Cas may have destroyed his doppelganger. It's a good start to a series.

This is the best sci-fi book series I have read in a long time. Luckily all books were already out when I came across them and I could just binge them one after another. What a pleasure. Witty dialogues make you lol often, an unusual mix of believable characters with quirky traits, formidable adversaries/turned allies, several storylines intertwining nicely over several books but still keeping you guessing. Expect knights, snarky pirates, spies, terrorists, astro shamans, cybernetic enhanced mercenaries, a mysterious illness, a powerful relic, cat-women-warriors, an elderly bounty hunter, scientists, a suspicious king, a charming queen, a pretty princess, a spoiled prince, a sultan, androids, crushers, a sentient ship computers, an unlikely hero prone to epileptic fits... what more does one want?I can only highly recommend this series.

This has been a very enjoyable book to read, as all the books I have read so far by this author have been.All the characters, whether main or secondary, are written in such a way that they all exhibit personalities or traits that I found to be both believable and engaging. One thing I do enjoy by this author is her ability to imbue dialogue for her characters with the lighthearted banter or irreverent humour that friends or colleagues would use with each other, this I find really brings the characters to life.The story essentially revolves around two characters who find themselves being hunted by the authorities, either wrongly or for no apparent reason, and the various steps, situations and events that the characters have to take or find themselves in as they try to unravel why they are in their respective situations.The story moves along at a brisk pace and keeps you guessing what is going to happen next.

I usually LOVE books by this author, but I didn't completely love this one. The story was a little choppy and the chemistry not quite there... yet. I have complete confidence that this will turn out to be a cracking series, because that's how the author rolls, we just need to get through the long set up into the main thread. Definitely continuing with the series.