Her Brother's Keeper

By: Mike Kupari

Narrated by: Allyson Johnson

Length: 14 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

When privateer Captain Catherine Blackwood is enlisted to rescue her brother from a treacherous warlord, she finds herself on her most dangerous mission yet.

It's been years since Catherine Blackwood left the stodgy, repressive colony world of Avalon. Now the captain of the privateer vessel Andromeda, she is the master of her own destiny.

But Catherine soon finds herself back on Avalon after receiving a plea for help from a most unlikely source: her estranged father, esteemed Avalon Council member Augustus Blackwood. It seems Catherine's brother, the heir to the Blackwood aristocracy, has gone off in search of treasure on the failed, chaotic world of Zanzibar. But Cecil Blackwood's plans have gone very, very wrong, and he has been taken hostage and held for ransom by a fearsome local warlord.

Augustus, knowing his daughter is the only one who can be trusted to return his son safely, swallows his pride and hires Catherine to bring her brother home. Catherine takes the job - but it won't be easy. Just getting to Zanzibar proves treacherous. And once she arrives, things only get worse. If she is to save her brother, Catherine Blackwood must face down danger at every turn and uncover a mystery four million years in the making.

©2015 Mike Kupari (P)2015 Audible, Inc.

The classic space opera we've been waiting for.

Would you listen to Her Brother's Keeper again? Why?

I would definately listen to this again. I read the paperback version before I listened to the Audible and i know i'll do it again.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Her Brother's Keeper?

The characters are what made the book. Each one has a distinct voice and advance the plot. Every one of them are memorable.

What about Allyson Johnson’s performance did you like?

Allyson Johnson did such a great job. She was able to handle any accent the author threw at her without pause.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reactions, just a huge smile on my face at the end.

Slow start but worth it

Starts off slow but eventually picks up. If you've ever read the Honor Harrington series by David Weber you will feel right at home with this series. The narrator is even the same. I am looking forward to listening to book 2, Sins of Her Father.

I enjoyed Kupari's collaborative work with Larry Correria on the Dead Six series and am pleased that he has started writing on his own. I look forward to his future works.

Excellent Old School Space Opera, excited for more

If you could sum up Her Brother's Keeper in three words, what would they be?

Old-School Space Opera

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hard to choose, both Marcus and Catherine were very compelling characters.

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

I've listened to 10+ of Allyson's performances, this was among her better efforts.

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

I eagerly await the next installment!

I generally can't listen to an audio-book unless I've read it previously, but I had no such issue with this book: thanks, I think, to the descriptive writing and excellent reader.

Good But Could Have Been Great

What made the experience of listening to Her Brother's Keeper the most enjoyable?

I have to say it's the well rounded characters that make this book an enjoyable listen

They are all so well rounded anyone who enjoys character driven books will be more than forgiving for the faults the overall story has.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Her Brother's Keeper?

I really don't like this question because of it's spoiler by nature but I will say that the opening scene with Catherine and her father is just the first of many moments that bring out genuine emotion and not "it's sad because the scene needs it's to be sad".

Which character – as performed by Allyson Johnson – was your favorite?

I really like each of the POV characters but I still pick Catherine. She is everything I love in a strong lead character and no I don't mean female lead, I mean a lead character period.

Any additional comments?

The Summary would make you think this book is all from Catherine's POV but this is a multiple POV style book but each character is really enjoyable so that is not a problem.

While this is a really enjoyable book there are some problems.

First and foremost Kupari does a at best sub-par job on the science explanation and the world building. Both are presented in a very dry manner that made me want a skip button, explanation can feel repetitive

Second the pacing while good is weighed down by scenes that feel like filler. Some of this might be setup for the sequel that might lend itself to the series as a whole but until then I can only judge it based on how it adds or subtracts from the book and sadly they subtracts more than add.

Lastly I found that the story had the "well that's convenient" narrative at times.

On the flip side the character interaction and the POV themselves mostly make up for these short comings.

This is also the first book I've read or listened to were the world building is lacking but the actual world design is very intriguing. Both the Andromeda and Zanzibar are really engaging places that make the book feel so much more alive.

Over all I say this is well worth a credit.

Good first effort

Would you try another book from Mike Kupari and/or Allyson Johnson?

Absolutely. Both author and Narrator are great.

What other book might you compare Her Brother's Keeper to and why?

Early David Webber? Kupari isn't as bad when it comes to dumping details on you till your eyes glaze over.

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

Honor Harrington series. Always enjoy Johnson's work.

Could you see Her Brother's Keeper being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Could I see it happening? Yes. Would I go see it? No.

Any additional comments?

It's an entertaining listen, which is really the best praise you can give an audiobook. That said, it's utterly predictable, and most of the characters are rather flat. There are a couple of really good ones that save it. In all honesty, after reading many of Mike's works dating back to his amateur stuff on gun forums, this isn't up to his usual standards. I think it has room to improve, and I look forward to his next offering in this universe.Definitely worth the listen, it's entertaining, but don't overthink it.

I don't regret the time spent listening or the money for the book/audiobook, and I hope Kupari just builds on it from here.

Slow start, but fun space opera

Took a while for the set up, but was fun once it got rolling. I don't envy the narrator giving unique voices to that large a cast.

Fantastic!

Why did I let this sit in my library for so long?! Loved dead six, but took until now to delve into Mr. Kupari’s debut solo novel. Loved it!

Good stuff

Good stuff. Little slow to start but good no frills sci-fi on a nice universe. Doesn't dump buckets or exposition on you either.

grounded space opera

gritty, and unflinching with great would building. I can not wait for the next book!

Good first solo effort.

An enjoyable book with enough twists to keep it interesting. Reader did a very good job vocally distinguishing characters. I've already purchased the second book in the series.