Blackthorn

By: Nate Johnson

Narrated by: Michael Robbins

Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's Summary

Two people, alone in the universe, must fight against all odds to do what is right.

Because Petty Officer Logan Miller saved Ambassador William's daughter, Kaylee, he was tasked with escorting her through the rough streets of Montlake. Little did he know a simple assignment would morph into a race across the galaxy.

If he wants to get her to safety, Miller must avoid pirates, the Imperial Navy, and the hazards of deep space. All while keeping a decrepit starship from blowing up along the way.

Kaylee Williams desperately needs to get to Taurus. The future of the Empire rests with the secret information she carries. But can she trust this strange man to help her?

But if she can't trust a man who repeatedly risks his life for her, then who can she trust?

©2017 Nate Johnson (P)2017 Nate Johnson

Blackthorn

I received a free review copy compliments of Audiobookboom.
Although it is not an original plot, it was well told and kept me listening even though the outcome was much a given from the beginning.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Great space adventure with a dry narrator

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Fun, action packed, and full of great space adventure! This series is far from original, but it is well executed. It's lucky the story was so well written, though, because the narrator was pretty darn dry. Even while reading lines where the main character is fighting with the ship and trying to keep from panicking, the narrator's vocal expression didn't really change. That being said, I got used to it, and really enjoyed the book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A action packed Space Opera...

I received a free copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this story. It's dedicated to a very real ship, the Blackthorn, a Coast Guard bouy tender that tragically went down in 1980... Blackthorn is an homage made into a Space Opera, and very well done. The Spaceship Blackthorn and crew accidentally gets embroiled in an empire changing game of ruthless espionage.
Despite the dark subject, this story is really fun, it even has a light hearted romance running through it...
If you're a reader who happens to enjoy Nathan Lowell's books, you should enjoy this story. There are scenes that reminded me pleasantly of Nathan's work . It's probably just coincidental, but I wonder if Nate Johnson is also a fan... 
Michael Robbins was an inspired choice for the narrator of this book. Very nicely done!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Grest read in the sci-fi genre

I loved the pace, characters, and suspension of dis-belief. I will be listening to more books by Nate Johnson. I heartily recomend this story. Now for the obligatory: "I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

Fun and Exciting

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review." This was a fun and exciting audio book for me. It kept me interested and I couldn't stop listening to it. I wanted to know what happened next and hated every time i had to turn it off.

The Redshirt Saves The Day!

My initial impressions were of space opera with a snicker, reminding me a bit of early Heinlein, a bit adolescent but a lot of fun. Good vocal characterizations by narrator Michael Robbins and a solid Star Trek plot. I relaxed and enjoyed. (Meanwhile, my English teachers are writhing at the deliberate sentence fragments above. Who knew I'd been paying that much attention in class?)

Ah, but then the action took off and we got pirates and an Empire and an Evil Plot with associated Evildoers, plus a beautiful heroine and intrepid hero, and the fun-factor multiplied itself accordingly and I listened enthralled. The AUDIO ends with the story's Afterword but the ebook contains a few chapters of the author's next book as bonus content.

Disclaimer: "I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review." Of course I already had the ebook.

I loved the action!

The story was a bit predictable, but I didn't mind that one bit. There was a lot of action that kept things moving quickly and before I knew it, the story was over. It certainly didn't feel like I was listening for over 6 hours!

I was provided a free review copy of this audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

Not bad

Well it had action. Would've been awesome if there was more diversity in the navy. Macho military man and helpless woman got really old really fast.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

Great listen!

Loved this audio! The narrator did an amazing job of bringing the characters and story to life. I really liked Logan and Kaylee and how their relationship developed. Fast paced with plenty of action made for a book I didn’t want to quit listening to. I received a free review copy of this audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

Entertaining Sci-Fi

Excellent story and a lot of action! Enjoyed the narration and story line.
Book is easy on geek detail, unlike some of recent space opera books. Story is well composed and plot is predictable. No surprising turns, but the listen was fun and engaging.
This book was provided free of charge for an unbiased review.

It's a small ship, Princess.

Space, and an old, battered ship is finishing up a two year duty of care and repair of the wormhole beacons. Then a distress call and the Blackthorn goes to assist. A small cruiser ship, the Voltaire, is silent, another craft hastily moving away. Pirates? On board the Voltaire the five crew members are dead, no sign of passengers until a lone woman falls out of the luggage storage on top of Petty Officer, Logan Miller. It is the start of an adventure for them both, and for the Empire, one which sees them chased across the galaxy as they slowly fall in love.

This is an action filled story with a feeling of authenticity, possibly because the book is itself a tribute to a real ship, the Blackthorn, which was lost with 23 hands in 1981. Although also a romance between a man and a woman, it remains always deep in the background and those other loves - of courage, family, Empire and homeland - are there also. The narration by Michael Robbins is also underplayed, his pleasant voice reading with clarity and good pacing, although a brief pause between sections of transition and scene change would have better assisted ease of understanding. He captures the different character voices well, too, especially the messages related over an intercoms or from an AI which are given a distinctive mechanical echo. Text and reading work with synchronicity.

This book by Nate Johnson is an enjoyable read and my thanks go to the rights holder who gifted me a complimentary copy at my request, via Audiobook Boom, without any expectations of return.