Fringe Runner

Publisher's Summary

The first novel in a new space adventure series!

Aramis Reyne is an old space captain, hounded by arthritis and haunted by memories of war. He makes ends meet by running mail and supplies to the farthest, darkest reaches of the system known as the fringe. When Reyne and his ragtag crew salvage a dead ship during one of their runs, they find themselves thrown into a galactic conspiracy involving warship captains, secret organizations, fringe rebels, and pirates. With interplanetary war on the horizon, Reyne must confront wartime ghosts and dust off old skills or else he'll be forced to watch thousands of innocents be slaughtered, again.

Where the series takes place: After the colonization of Mars and Europa, it took us fewer than five generations to reach beyond our solar system and discover new planets capable of supporting human life. Too far away to be governed under Earth law, the Collective was formed. Several hundred years later, the Collective has expanded to a thriving system of six inhabited worlds. Power struggles and interplanetary rivalries are common, and tensions are growing between the elite and working classes.

©2016 Rachel Aukes (P)2016 James Foster

action-filled space opera

Fringe Runner is the first book in a series called Fringe by Rachel Aukes.  Humanity has spread beyond the solar system to inhabit six other worlds, governed by an organization called the Collective. But the struggle between the powerful Collective and the working class now threatens the peace. In this environment, Aramis Reyne is a ship captain focused on making enough money to make ends meet with his crew by running mail and supplies to the fringe, or the edges of the collective. On of one such mission, Reyne and his crew are thrust into the middle of a developing conspiracy. Now Reyne must figure out how to navigate the situation while keeping his crew safe.

Fringe Runner is a new space opera and it definitely fits the category. The background leading up to the beginning of the novel is a little complicated but is explained quickly in the beginning in a somewhat abrupt prologue. But it was definitely necessary to set up the story. Fringe Runner is ultimately a story about the oppressed working class rising up against the corrupt ruling class. The antics of the aging ship captain and his crew are really fast-paced and filled with action and snide remarks. The story is also filled with unexpected twists and turns that move the characters from one place to another.  And these shifts from planet to planet and from ship to ship, each with its own cast of characters for Reyne and his crew to interact with makes the story really dynamic.  There is a diversity of characters – aging, disabilities, addiction struggle, rebels, pirates, and secret society members. While each character seemed to have their defining trait, there was not enough time with each character to really get to understand the depth of all of the characters. However, the pace of the action was such that the deep characterization was not missed. Hopefully, as the series continues, the characters will develop further.

This novel was narrated by James Foster. Overall, the narration was really well done, the characters were distinguishable and the accents were really good and diverse. The production quality was also good. I would recommend this novel to anyone who likes action-filled space operas and stories about fighting against the ruling government.

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator

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9 of 10 people found this review helpful

Really Great Read

I loved this little space opera. The pacing was good. The characters had dimension. The storyline was fun and thrilling. The ending was a little weak, but...not so weak as if take away a star. The narration was AMAZING and I sincerely hope we get the second book narrated by the same narrator. He was phenomenal!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

A Fantastic Space Opera!

I'm still not quite sure how Rachel Aukes packed so much story into 6 1/2 hours, it went by way too fast! This novel has everything, interplanetary space colonization, space and class warfare and the perfect tarnished hero seventy-year-old Captain Aramis Reyne.

Reyne's heads up a rag-tag band of misfits as they struggle to eke out a living salvaging from abandoned ships, his crew includes Throttle a disabled, ace pilot who is like a daughter to him and Six a wise-cracking but lovable lothario. I loved the banter between these three!

When Reyne's meets up with former protégé and long-time adversary Critch, he finds himself somewhat reluctantly drawn into the brewing class warfare between the Collective which governs six inhabited planets, pretty timely subject matter if you ask me.

I can't wait for Fringe Station the next book in this series to be released because trust me this story is just getting started!

Excellent audio quality and narration by James Foster.

This audiobook was gifted to me exchange for an unbiased review!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Narrator absolutely nails the voices and tones!

1000% awesome job by the narrator! loved the book in its entirety! will keep listening!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Fantastic performance and great story

I really liked this book! No cliffhanger here, just the great start to what promises to be an excellent new series. Great group of characters. I'm not normally one for political intrigue but there wasn't so much here that it bogged down the story, rather it bolstered it. Great space story of the "little guys" rebelling against oppression. Action, excitement, wonderful character interplay and good, solid writing. The audiobook performance was top notch with the narrator doing a wonderful job at creating unique voices for each and every character. Totally worth listening to if you enjoy audiobooks. If you don't, the book is still very much worth reading. Just wish the next book was on audio.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

good read new good audiobook

I really enjoyed it I like to listen while I am working in the garage. it didn't last long enough. always an indicator of an enjoyable book. I recommend it.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Enjoyable

Fringe Runner is an enjoyable, if undemanding, read featuring likable characters and an expanding set of characters. The story starts small but by the second book will include quite a group to follow as the fate of worlds begins to hang in the balance. Author Aukes isn't afraid to kill of characters and there is plenty of action to keep readers invested.

With this first book, we're introduced to key characters of a freight hauler captain Reyne and CUF warship captain Heid. Their worlds will collide as key villain figures begin to make power grabs that will involve both. There are the rebels (Torrents) whose failed coup was led by Reyne (the man many believe betrayed them in the end). There is the military power the CUF - whose dictatorial rule has oppressed many. And then there is the secret illuminati type of 'movers and shakers', led by Mason.

The book primarily focuses on Reyne and his working class crew. But Heid (who is the daughter of the mysterious Mason) also plays quite a part as she will start to pull away from her father and his power grab. Also playing a growing importance is Critch, the formal Marshall of the rebels and now a space pirate. He also believes his former superior, Reyne, betrayed the cause and lost the rebellion. These three characters are surrounded by those loyal to them, to round out the cast.

There is plenty of cloak and dagger, betrayals, and ground combat. I would have liked for more space battles but likely that will come with an epic final clash in the last book in the series. For the most part, this first book builds the story and focuses on Reyn and his supposed betrayal of the Torrents.

In all, I enjoyed Fringe Runner. It may not have the depth of a CJ Cherry or the tension of a Jack Campbell series, but it has its own charm and keeps readers invested to the end. Note: the narrator did an ok job (though he had an odd accent for the pirates that sounded like a cross between Jamaican and Irish).

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

OK story

I love science fiction, but I was only somewhat into this book. Seemed like a mediocre effort. the reader was fine. I literally stopped three minutes from the end and forgot to finish it for two weeks. That tells you something

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Liked it

Most sci-fi fans should enjoy this whole series. I’m on the 4th in the series and still loving it.

Not what I'd hoped

It was ok. I had difficulty getting through it. The narrator did a good job. The problem was the plot. I never felt invested in it. I couldn't find myself caring which side won. I grew to like the primary crew of the ship, but ask of the various factions just seemed like other nebulous entities who's motives and goals I couldn't connect with.

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Good first book!

I am always picking up new books by narraters who I follow :) this was a pleasant listen.

From the interesting characters of Rain, Throttle (his daughter) and his crew, while picking up a package from a dead whose circumstance are beyond questionable, things start to get interesting.... the package is taken from them by a CUF Commandant..... There are some twists and turns in this story I wasn't expecting. Rain seemed to be a strong Captain, but then he almost blew that by doing some silly things to get himself injured. But his loyalty to the cause, and to his crew is commendable. And I really liked him for that.

I think my fav characters were Throttle and Demise, the pirate Tech. He had such humour even in the worst situations. It added a great dimension to the story. I do wish it were longer, and that it didn't end as it had. But with traitors around and his previous history expunged so to speak this might be a very great series to look out for. :)

This was the first one from James Foster that I've listened to, and he had a great tone for Rain... even his female characters were distinct enough for me to know who they were without the tags. haah.

Thanks for letting me listen in and I'll watch for more.