The Shadow Order: A Space Opera

By: Michael Robertson

Narrated by: Brian Dullaghan

Length: 5 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Seb Zodo lives on the dusty planet of Danu. He's an unemployed dropout who makes his money fighting in bars and taking a cut of the winnings from the touts.

Having never lost a fight, Seb is addicted to the adrenaline of the duel. So when he makes a promise to leave brawling behind, his world's turned on its head. Especially when he finds himself with no money on a hostile planet where the fighting pits offer more than Seb has ever won before. With no way out, Seb must decide whether to fight or not. Every decision he makes with his fists seems to throw his life into deeper chaos, but he's already hit rock bottom.

With the smell of blood and sweat from the fighting pits in his nostrils, Seb watches the current champion. The hairs on the back of his neck raise. He can win. He can claim the purse.

But, if he steps into the ring, it won't end with the last punch. If Seb fights again, he knows his life will spiral out of control.

The Black Hole is a fast-paced, planet-hopping, space opera adventure.

©2016 Michael Robertson (P)2016 Michael Robertson

Fantastic Narration, Great Intro to Series

Would you consider the audio edition of The Shadow Order: A Space Opera to be better than the print version?

The narration was fantastic in the Shadow Order, providing fantastic depth to the characters through the voices he created and the expression he gives to each of his characters, from Sparks through to some of the more interesting creatures like the Mandulu.
However, this does not take anything away from the print version which is an exceptional story. Both versions tell the story of Seb Zodo, a young man with a gift to see the weak spot in any enemy, so he knows how to strike them and take them out with a single blow.
At the start of the book, he is abusing his gift for monetary gains, but later, due to events in his life, he finds that this changes and so does his life dramatically.
This introduces some other interesting characters as he moves through this story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

There are a couple of interesting characters introduced in this first book apart from Seb, but I think that Seb is probably the most interesting in this opening book. His troubled start in life, his gift, the lovable rogue that makes some really dumb decisions really endears you to him. You have to wonder at times how he made it to the age he is without either dying or being permanently locked up. But he is a great character.

Have you listened to any of Brian Dullaghan’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Brian Dullaghan has only recorded 4 other titles (at time of writing this), including this title, and as such, I haven't listened to any of his other titles.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This is easily a book that you could sit and listen to in a single setting, it has action humour, cool aliens, some awesome tech and a story that will leave you wanting more.

Any additional comments?

Shadow Order is a fantastic book that is well worth the listen of Seb, who has a gift, and although he makes some dumb decisions (these make for some hilarious bits), he is a really likeable rogue that runs on luck half the time. The other half he relies on his gift, or the charity of others. This is a great story that introduces the series and characters, setting up the story, not for just this book, but the remainder of the series.
This was so good I have already got into the sequel 'First Mission'

A Sci-Fi Mystery Thriller, if that's a thing

I can tell you this honestly, I didn't expect the ending that this book had. It's not that I didn't see it coming, I should have the entire time -- but I really didn't. I didn't read much of the synopsis before buying this. I knew of Michael Robertson from other series and other books in my TBR pile. I saw the price (free for kindle) and the price for the audiobook (I believe it was $1.99) can't be beat. I picked it up quickly and dove into it just as fast.

The Shadow Order is about second chances. Sometimes we don't get the ones we think we deserve and other times we feel like we're given a second chance with almost no reason. Seb is a very likable character in a very unlikeable way. He's hated by almost everyone he comes across, even his own father is starting to dislike him a little bit, or at least disliking who he's becoming.

The story itself was short and concise. Really to the point (and the point was to get to the next story I believe). A lot of times when an author does that -- it makes the "prequel" or the intro book boring and unreadable. Robertson definitely writes an interesting and fun tale.

If you're a science fiction fan, there are tons of races, back story, and overall planet jumping here for you. If you like old school mysteries, Seb tries to solve a mystery himself. And if you're a thriller fan -- this book has a lot of elements reminiscent of a lot of the good thrillers I've read. So, there's something for a lot of readers here. There are even a few heartwarming moments that will lift your heart if you're feeling down.

Overall, The Shadow Order was an unexpectedly good book. I say that with the most honest intentions. I really didn't know what to expect, and I ended up enjoying it. I will definitely be checking out the next book in this series.

Absolutely worthless, unbelievable character!!!

Dumb character, is a combo of Flash and Rocky able to knockout any creature with one punch weather human size or 6x size... do not buy.