Make Bright the Arrows

Flights of the Nanshe, Book 1

By: S. A. Huchton

Narrated by: Starla Huchton

Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

"Soldiers need wars, doctors need patients, and the Nanshe needs trouble. That's just kinda how it is."

The galaxy ain't a friendly place, but it's a good sight better when you've got friends at your back. And when the crew of the Nanshe stumbles into larger-than-your-average trouble, they'll need all the help they can get.

What starts off as a simple retrieval of stolen goods turns deadly when Leena Espinoza discovers a girl stashed in a cellar, her guardian murdered. The crew has a soft spot for hard cases, and despite Delilah's odd behavior, offers help instead of turning her over to the authorities.

But what they don't know might kill them.

No good deed goes unpunished, and the crew winds up on the radar in the worst possible way. Merc squads, shadowy coalitions, plus the usual criminal element are all on their tails, so it's fight or flight.

As a plot to unbalance the entire civilized universe unfolds around them, the ladies of the SS Nanshe gear up for battle. Through blood and fire, they'll do everything they can to protect what little they have. In the vast blackness of space, taking matters into your own hands isn't an option.... It's a matter of survival.

©2018 Starla Huchton (P)2018 Starla Huchton

More Please!

Starla Huchton may possibly be the greatest narrator of all time. Every time I listen to her I find myself absolutely captivated. Top that with her incredible writing and you have an adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat begging for more!

Excellent Story

Make Bright the Arrows drew me in from the first chapter and was over too soon.

The story had an excellent pace. I really liked the depth of character development and the world building. It kind of reminded me of the parts I loved in Firefly.

I hardly ever give a Five Star review because in most stories I can always see a way it could have been better.

Not only was the story great the narration was excellent. The voice differentiation between the characters, including accents added another dimension. I am even more impressed because the narrator was also the author. Well done.

I’ll be the first in line for the next installment in the series, Flights of the Nanshe.

Excellent

S. Houghton did an excellent job on both writing and narrating this audio. It was amusing, adventurous, and we'll worth the listen. I am so looking forward to seeing more of this series. Great job.
This audio was given to me at my request and I voluntarily gave this review.

Aim'n to Misbehave

A group of female space traders and recovery specialists come across a strange girl while attempting a delivery. What happens from there is fun and explosive. Borrowing more than a cup of sugar from Firefly the story does manage to come into it's own and doesn't disappoint the reader. I am looking forward to book two in the series. Also, the narrator is INCREDIBLE at managing the many different accents and characters voices giving each character its own nuances.

Gripping Space Adventure

Picture the Serenity from Firefly with an all female crew and you have the Nanshe. And despite the obvious comparison's with Whedon's space cowboy universe, this is a wonderfully told tale that has more to do with heart than the science of space travel.

It took me a bit to get into the story, to be honest. I was worried that this was merely a vehicle for the author/narrator to show off how many different accents she had mastered, but I was soon won over by the earnestness of the characters. I tend to listen to audiobooks on my long commute each day and I have only ever listened to one book outside of that time. That is until now. I absolutely had to know how this story ended so I continued listening to the last couple of hours after I got home. And I wasn't disappointed.

Don't let the title scare you away with the whole Book 1 thing. This is a complete story with no cliffhanger, something that seems to be rare these days as authors wrangle to get to you buy the next book by leaving you hanging. Not to worry, Ms. Huchton, I'll come back for more tales of the Nanshe because the story was enjoyable and I came to know and care about the characters enough to want to know what happens to them next.

I definitely recommend this title and the narrator and I'm looking forward to hearing more about the flights of the Nanshe.

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

An entertaining story.

This is a fun Audio Book with a good plot and well developed characters.

The key to any good effort in Audio is the Narrator and that is true here.

The Narrator helps make the story come alive.




This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

DAMN good book!

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

This was a very fun listen. It has a Firefly feel to it but with an all female crew. That the author also narrated her book, and did it well, was a cool bonus. The story is interesting and engaging. The characters are highly entertaining. All in all, one of the better sci fi books I've listened to in a quite a while.

Best. Author. Narrated. Book. Ever.

I am not a fan of author-narrated books but Huchton made me a believer. (I hadn't realized this was an author narrated book when I downloaded it. When it was stated in the first chapter I almost stopped listening. I'm so glad I didn't.)

This book was great from the very beginning. In fact, right around chapter three, I stopped the listen to confirm that it was a series. I did not want it to be a one and done!

Okay, I've gushed enough. The story...

There were three things that endeared me to this story:
1) It was science fiction.
2) The heroes were all females.
3) The main hero had a Southern accent
In what universe does that spell "great book?" This one!!!

The crew of the Nanshe are a group of female protagonists with an attitude. They rescue a waif with secrets and the fun begins.

The narrator could not have been better. Her Southern accent was impeccable. Her Irish twins were distinct and mischievous. Her, um, captain, was strong and mysterious. Nothing was amiss and everything put you right in the moment. Authors are known for writing a good book. It's great to see (finally) that they can read a good one as well.

I can't wait for book two!

Gentle space opera with action & Firefly influence

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

Starla is an amazing author and awesome voice to listen to. She voices the crew of Nanshe with different accents and personalities. I was impressed with how different each character came across! In distinct tones, accents, and personality of voice. Starla brought the crew to life for us. The pacing was fitting for the story, easy to follow that moved along. If there was a moment where we felt as though things moved faster, Starla gave us the feel of the moment. Starla felt seamless in her narration and the background was clear. Wonderful job!

Starla channeled a little of Joss Whedon for this book. I immediately felt a strong Firefly influence in the story, which carried through the whole book. But the crew is all female. The ship is a crew of woman that do search and salvage jobs to get by, things they are hired to find. At times, this can be more dangerous than other times. What they find on their latest delivery is more than they could have expected. When delivering a mysterious box to a Reverend, they find a teenage girl huddled away in a hidden basement room. In trying to find a place for this innocent to go, they find that someone has paid a steep price to send dangerous people after her. And the little innocent girl is more than they ever foreseen.

I love this crew! Leena is the point of view character on the ship for us, and we learn that they won't take advantage of Lilah as many people would. The crew may be of a mercenary sort with some of the jobs they take, but they have morals they live by. They all have each other's back at all times. They even have a sense of what others need to do to become more in their own rights. There are moments Leena is worried that the boss, Edie, might turn Lilah over to someone who would take advantage of her or worse, to save them all. And Edie might still just do it with the way things go.

Each crew member has their own story for ending up here on the Nanshe and in their dangerous line of work, Cynthia, JC, Anita, Doc Jasmine Cole, and Kara, and we get to hear some of them. If I had to pick my favorite character... Ugh! I don't know if I could do that. We get to know the crew pretty well through Leena and her thoughts. I think I'd have to pick Lilah though. She's the wild card though the story. She's the reason I was so glued to the pages, just to learn if what I suspected was true then to learn why and how and what will be done about those after her. I would like to learn more about Edie though. She's the owner of the ship and doesn't like to be called captain. There is a story to her and I'm curious about it.

I found it interesting how Edie seems to be pushing Leena to learn to be more a leader than a follower. The thing is, Leena has the traits to be a leader, I don't really see her as a follower but she doesn't always think as a leader does. Leena is growing stronger in her own mind through this book as she learns little lessons along the way as she watches over Lilah. Leena sort of becomes of a motherly nature with Lilah and her eyes are opened about a few crew members too.

I love how the characters are who they are; straight, gay, fire-y red heads, owner/boss, and more but the story isn't about all that. All of it is a part of who the character is, sure their past and who they are influences their decisions, but that goes for everyone. They don't care any less for each other for any of it. They accept each other as individuals and family. It's well done as the character is who she is and the story happens.

This is a story of a crew of strong woman doing their thing in space to survive. A story full of family and action on the ground and in space. They have to think out of the box with being in space, and they do. This is not a romance story, no intimate scenes or major flirting happening. Sure there is love to be found, but it's the love of family and dear friends. The story is more a gentle space opera than scifi, in my opinion. There is not all the scifi tech we have to understand to get the story.

I would highly recommend this story to anyone (male or female) who enjoys action and camaraderie of a crew with great personalities. And looking for some fun.

Starla has outdone herself once again! On so many levels. Character wise. Plot wise. World wise. I can't wait to read/listen to more of the adventures of the Nanshe!

This is a classic story and Starla's rendition is

This is a classic story and Starla's rendition is wonderfully executed. She does an amazing job portraying her characters both literarily and audibly.