Absolution

The Serena Darkwood Adventures, Book 1

By: Charles F. Millhouse

Narrated by: Price Waldman

Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

Smuggling. It can get you killed.

Trouble follows Serena, even from the remote mining colony of Broker Rodune. She lives by a simple code: Take the job, don’t ask questions, get paid. When she’s approached by the outpost’s local crime boss, Tobias Grey, she’s compelled to find his missing daughter.

In her search for Astra, Serena becomes entangled in local politics, and a surprising coup on the planet Rygail. With the heir to Rygail’s throne missing, now Serena has two objectives, save Astra Grey and prevent the heir’s death at the hands of the Auroran Brotherhood, thwarting their plans to plunge the galaxy into all-out war.

The life of a smuggler...is never easy.

©2019 Charles F. Millhouse (P)2019 Charles F. Millhouse

Star Wars without Star Wars

This is not a Star Wars story, but it wouldn't be out of place in that pantheon. It's a tale about someone who might be one of Han Solo's contemporaries. Serena Darkwood is a fun lead character, whose scrapes and situations are entertaining.

Narration is solid and well-crafted.

Fun and engaging

Fun space opera with gunfights, starship chases, missing persons, political intrigue, and romance. And excellent plug-ins narration.

Slow to start, but finishes Strong!

This book is my maiden voyage with Milhouse and Waldman, it did not disappoint. It took a minute to Catch its legs, but once it did, it takes you on a wild ride. I look forward to the next one in the series.

An excellent sci-fi adventure!

This is a review of the Audible edition of this novel.

If you enjoy rip-roaring space adventures along the lines of Star Wars or Firefly, then this is one you’ll definitely want to try.

The story features Serena Darkwood, a tough-as-nails space smuggler with a heart of gold that would seem right at home in any hive of scum and villainy. She’s a strong character, but not without her flaws, and with plenty of mystery in her past to make her story engaging and intriguing.

The supporting cast is well fleshed out, with each adding to the story. RIVO, Serena’s android assistant, is particularly enjoyable.

The plot and the setting are intertwined, and each revelation of the story adds a new layer to one or the other. This is a vibrant, dynamic galaxy with tons of story potential!

The Audible narration was top notch. The narrator gave every character a unique voice and kept the action moving along a a brusque pace. Again, RIVO was particularly well done here. I would definitely listen to another story by this guy.

Overall, this was an excellent story and a fun listen. I definitely look forward to more Serena Darkwood adventures! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go check out one of Millhouse’s Captain Hawkins adventures.

Wonderful adventure

I've read several books by Charles Millhouse and I have enjoyed every one. This is no exception.
Fast paced action, well developed characters and a believable story full of twists and turns.
I've really enjoyed watching Charles grow as a writer over the years and this book is one of his best.
Also, the narration was fantastic and really brought the story to life. I look forward to the next adventures in the series.

John Lambing

Serena Darkwood can take on the Universe.

Charles F Millhouse takes you on a grand adventure sprawling across the galaxy. Serena is such a great character that could contend with the likes of Han Solo and John Crichton. What starts as a simple search and rescue snowballs into so much more. Her adventure has some twists and turns that definitely keep you wanting to listen to the next chapter. If you are a fan of sci fi I highly recommend this book!

Absolutiin

great read, I recomend you add this book to your reading list. good job Charles.

Absolution delivers on action, adventure, & STORY!

Absolution, led by Serena Darkwood, lands Charles F. Millhouse in the realm of authors that I will now follow regularly in print, audio, or E-book. In Absolution, the author introduces Serena Darkwood a bad ass character who is flawed in all the right ways to make her an interesting with a myriad of layers that the reader/listener gets to dive into throughout Absolution. A well defined and interesting character is just the first ingredient in this first book. Then there's action, mystery, and intrigue. A liberal dose of sci-fi but grounded in enough reality that it all works in a logical manner that helps drive the story forward without slogging it down in unwanted excess of sci-fi nonsense.

All of the characters make sense. Their motivations line up with what they want and their actions follow that lead. They just work and as they do so the reader/listener becomes more invested in their final outcomes.

There are a lot of highpoints to touch upon in Mr. Millhouse's Aboslution, but for me the stand out piece in this work is the creation of Serena Darkwood. Serena is an interesting character that comes to life on the page or in the ear of the listener. She has enough backstory that is explained or hinted at to show that she has a range of depth that doesn't come across nearly often enough in other works. She's complicated but her goals and actions are often simple and straight forward. She's tough but knows when to back down and when to step up. She's capable of failing while the reader/listener wants her to succeed. She's not a miracle worker who has all the right answers, the perfect plan, or has dumb luck fall in her lap every page. She's better than all that. She's interesting.

I await the next Serena Darkwood adventure and hope that Charles Millhouse is able to build upon and take the series into even more exciting places.

Price Waldman does a remarkable job in his narration and helps the story unfold in the mind in a way that enhances the experience. His style and voice work is exemplary. He juggles the different accents and voices that he has crafted for each character like a master. Some narrators might have cluttered up their narration with too many voices, but Mr. Waldman is in complete control of his cast of characters and conducts his work like a seasoned conductor controlling and driving a world class orchestra.

The combination of Millhouse's words and Wadlman's voice make for a kickass sci fi, action, adventure that will leave you hounding them for the next adventure.

Kudos gents.

What an adventure! (Loved Revo as well)

I love the characters in this space adventure. They are very well rounded and have lots of life. The robot Revo stole the scene at times with his quick wit and sarcastic humor. I found myself laughing out loud.

The story seemed like one quick action scene after another and never boring. At times It put me in mind of Han Solo and Firefly but in the end Serena Darkwood is her own person. Serena Darkwood challenges you expectations in some of her decisions, which is refreshing.

If your looking for a great space adventure and great characters then this is your book. I’m already looking forward to Serena Darkwood’s next adventure.

So good!

This book was a great read. Was full of adventure and suspense. I can’t wait to read more about the main characters!!