Mavericks

Expeditionary Force, Book 6

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Mavericks

By: Craig Alanson

Narrated by: R.C. Bray

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About this listen

The remnants of the Expeditionary Force stranded on the alien-controlled planet "Paradise" get a chance to prove themselves, in a simple off-world training mission with a ship full of teenage alien cadets. When the mission goes horribly wrong and the survival of everyone on Paradise is at risk, the Merry Band of Pirates may have to come to the rescue. Unless they get killed first....

Adventure

Fiction

Military

Science Fiction

Space Opera

Funny

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Most relevant

Six books in and still going strong but this isn't going to make everyone happy. The thing that makes theses stories really pop is of course Colonel Joe and Skippy the inter-galactic beer can. Their banter and zany problem solving are the heartbeat of these books and it starts off with a classic example of just that. However, they then take a back seat for more than half of the book as we turn back to follow the characters back on Paradise as they set up a situation requiring more of that Skippy awesomeness! So, it's not quite full strength Skippy, more of a Skippy Shandy!

I still think it's quality stuff and there's still plenty of humour, action and hi-jinx in that side adventure but if you're expecting another seventeen hours of the Joe & Skippy show then you aren't going to quite get it. They do turn up again in their usual inimitable style for a few hours at the end of the book and are as good as ever. For me personally, it works very well and the Paradise characters are strong enough to hold a story though they may lack a little in star quality in comparison.

RC Bray, I must admit I give up now finding new ways to describe his awesomeness, maybe I can just say he is the Skippy of the narration world. I can't help but imagine a broad grin crossing his face as he gets one of these to read because he really throws himself into them and gives every impression of enjoying his task in bringing them to us.

So, I'm a happy camper and enjoyed this thoroughly but it does come with the warning that Joe and Skippy don't feature quite so prominently as before. I liked the change of style, incredibly this is the sixth of these books, or seventh if you count the novella that was Trouble on Paradise, to appear in under two years and they aren't exactly short books. Perhaps a bit of variety isn't a bad thing especially as the side stories still have plenty of Alanson's trademark style about them but overall satisfaction levels with this one are going to vary.

A Skippy Shandy?