Argonauts of the Void

To Sail Beyond the Darkness

De: Robert W. Ross

Narrado por: Nick Podehl

Twenty-five years after our universe nearly succumbed to the very Incarnation of Destruction, and three years after Doctor Damien Howard asked Charlotte Omandi to assemble a crew for Earth’s first starship, Bladerunner, a new adventure has begun.

William Thorne, first born son to the Sentinel and Soulborn of Order, has been offered a critical mission from the unlikeliest of angelic sources. He is to join Captain Omandi as a member of Bladerunner’s crew, and open a portal to the void that separates our universe from others.

Captain Omandi is left with a nearly impossible choice. Accept someone she does not know, but who wields a power that is indistinguishable from magic, into her close knit Bladerunner family, or risk never finding the man she loves, Thomas Rogers, who was lost within the void between worlds.

With her decision made, Charlotte and her crew become argonauts of the void, able to touch countless worlds in as many different universes. However, the same source who tasked William Thorne with his mission, now guides Bladerunner to its initial destination, a planet called Londë, where magic rules, and science is but a dream.

Join Charlotte, William, and the crew of Bladerunner, as they try to unravel Londë’s age-old prophesy that promised to bring Harmony to a war ravaged world. If they are truly the ones who were promised, Bladerunner and all aboard her must first Sail beyond the darkness.

Author’s Note:
While Argonauts of the Void, contains characters and situations first introduced in the Sentinels of Creation and Paradigm 2045 series, listeners can enjoy this series without having listened to either or both the others. That said, for those of you who have previously enjoyed my Sentinels and/or Paradigm series, I hope you are especially pleased to revisit some of your favorite characters.

©2024 Robert W. Ross (P)2024 Robert W. Ross

Too much Omandi…

not enough William. I’m not a big fan of her character too much attitude for me.

The Best of Two Worlds

I am a regular visitor to Ross’ website where he provides handy progress bars for each of his books, and have been counting down the days for this release. Let me just say, it was definitely worth the wait. Argonauts is that rarest of things with respect to books these days. A surprise. It is part space opera, part contemporary fantasy, with a dash of steampunk just to spice things up even further. Imagine if writers from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Firefly, and Supernatural were all locked in a room and challenged to make some brilliant hybrid of their three famous shows. Well, that would be To Sail Beyond the Darkness.

Honestly, this book would easily be in my top seven if I had never read anything else Ross had written. However, since I’ve listened to everything the man has published (several times), the subtle nods to past work rockets this up to top three. The thing is, I can’t decide whether it’s more fun to catch those Easter eggs as a reader of Ross’ past work, or if it would be even more fun to start here and then go back into those previous works to slowly reveal what has been. Hopefully this title brings brand new readers to Mr. Ross and they can write reviews from that perspective.

Bottom line, regardless whether you are decades long Ross-fan or this is your first foray into his worlds, To Sail Beyond the Darkness has something for everyone. There’s space battles, ethical challenges, heroic sacrifice, and true love all of which combine to elicit bursts of laughter, copious tears, and more than one sigh of relief.

Quite simply, you can’t go wrong with this story, and I can’t wait to come back to see what other Robert W. Ross fans have to say.

Amazing!

I was soon exciting to get more Charlotte Omandi and the crew of runner! more please!
I have over 1500 00 completed audiobooks in my audible library and this narrator is definitely a top five as he is incredibly talented with accents and voices makes these stories come to life! I highly recommend

Absolutely Captivating, Entertaining & Delightful!

William Thorne, the first-born son to the Sentinel and the intensely protective Soulborn of Order has been recruited to serve on the Bladrunner with Captain Omandi and her crew. Their mission is to find Thomas Rogers, Captain Omandi’s lost love, taken deep in the void between worlds. Along the way, Captain Omandi and her crew aided by William, will confront prophecies, void of destruction, angels, and more!

The author, Robert W. Ross, crafts brilliant, funny action-packed adventures infused with sharp, satirical humor. Though this book features characters from two different series, they blend together seamlessly. As always, Ross masterfully weaves ethical dilemmas, heroic sacrifices, intrigue, and truth throughout the narrative. His character development is consistently rich, and his plot twists are brilliantly executed and unexpected! Ross creates authentic dialogue that further deepens the narrative.

The narrator, Nick Podehl, once again delivers a captivating and rich performance. His versatile voice effortlessly guides the listener while enhancing the action of the narrative. His delivery is flawless, seamlessly blending well-timed nuances and pauses that enhance the action while sounding completely natural.

Together, this author/narrator team is magnificent! They are captivating and truly entertaining. I have had the pleasure of experiencing both series from beginning to end and can’t wait for the next in this new series to be written and performed!

There were no issues with the quality or production of this audiobook.

Brand New Series? Yes, Please!!

Fresh off the heels 0f the conclusion of not one, but two phenomenal series, Robert W. Ross' much-loved characters are back in action in his new series, 'Argonauts of the Void.' And, just like all of Ross' novels, 'To Sail Beyond the Void' is well-paced, funny, evocative, and honestly, just a delight to read. 

What really stands out and has me most excited about where this saga will take us, is the fact that Ross has crafted a perfect premise for a sci-fi series. 'Argonauts' follows Charlotte Omandi and her crew, now joined by William Thorne (who is not only a combination of his parents, but a full-fledged original character in his own right), as they search the multiverse for the man Omandi loves, lest he be lost forever. A search that, of course, will no doubt lead to...new life and new civilizations... along the way. It's just perfect. Also, because the characters in the series are already established, we can jump right into the action with little exposition. (This said, neither of Ross' series is necessarily required reading for this book; helpful, yes, but you CAN read this if you've never read any of Ross' books.)

'To Sail Beyond the Darkness' is the first book in this new series, and boy, does it set a spectacular tone for the books to come. While the story itself is fresh, innovative, and original, it very much gives off the same excitement and thrill of the Star Trek series, 'Strange New Worlds.' The feeling of, "man, this is why I fell in love with sci-fi." Sci-fi, as a genre, is fun. It's funny. It holds up a mirror to humanity and asks uncomfortable questions. It's epic, cowboys-in-space bravery, tomfoolery, and drama. Ross captures it all perfectly. 

As for narration, what is there to say? Podehl is not only in the highest echelon, he is a tier unto himself. I swear, this man could make the mechanic's handbook to a jet airliner a riveting read. 

Overall, 'Argonauts of the Void: To Sail Beyond the Darkness' is an outstanding read and an exciting start to what promises to be an unforgettable series.