Outlaw

Rebel Stars, Book 1

By: Edward W. Robertson

Narrated by: Ray Chase

Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

In the year 2010, an alien virus nearly wiped out the human race. A thousand years later, mankind has recovered and ventured into space. There has been no sign of the aliens since. Humanity remains confined to the Solar System.

All that is about to change.

Mazzy Webber is a lowly janitor on a third-rate cargo ship. Deeply in debt, when his captain decides to turn pirate, he leaps at the chance.

A modern Robin Hood - minus the part where he gives back to the poor - Webber lays down a few ground rules. No attacking manned ships, and no stealing from anyone who can't afford it. Within months, he and the crew are out of debt. Their next target will make them rich.

But the attack goes all wrong. The target's cargo could be the death of them - or it could be the key to reaching the stars.

©2014 Edward W. Robertson (P)2014 Edward W. Robertson

The plot was very loose.

The reader made me think of Vincent Price doing an Edgar Allen movie. This is not a complement. At times zi just wanted to throw the book out, just from listening to him!
If you are as fan of Edgar Allen Poe's material, you just might enjoy this novel.

uneven audio.

The story was quite good, I like lots of good science in my SciFi.
The audio was often so quiet I missed half of conversations, increasing the volume just resulted in the next speaker being too loud.

a brave new battle

Would you consider the audio edition of Outlaw (Rebel Stars) to be better than the print version?

The author takes on the age old battle of crew vrs self and space to make a new life. This time many of the battles are fresh and new, which gives us a new set of feelings for the crew.. The reader, Ray Chase does not narrate teh book, but makes it a living, breathing adventure. He gives depth to the characters and yet an "EXTRA" voice to the story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Outlaw (Rebel Stars)?

Trying to survive, fighting off an attacking ship with two broke legs (Which I have experienced two broken legs) made me feel like part of the crew adn the adventure. It became a personal battle I was living.

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

I believe this is the third Ray Chase recording I have and without a doubt the best. He is a classic "friend" to invite over for an evening of story telling. I will from now on seek out new authors based on Ray's aaddition to the role as narrator.

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

"If you are going to cry, do it now and be over it in five minutes." Is a funny line at a moment in time that made it so fitting and poignant..

Any additional comments?

The adventure is here is far better than I can relate, READ IT and then you can experience the many deep feelings, both laughing and in near tears.

A fantastic start on a new swimmers saga

While there is no need to experience the first swimmers series, Breakers, it will explain some of the references in this follow-on series, which occurs a millennia in the future. Edward W. Robertson continues to create a wonderful cast of characters along with creative and exciting plot arcs to keep one glued to the story. While there are several lead characters, Webber is the primary one, at least in book 1 and I swear, his mocking and sarcastic attitude along with his luck reminds me so much of Walt in Breakers, I wouldn't at all be surprised to eventually find out that he is decedent of his.

The thing is, that while the story plays out in dramatic and often satirical ways, there are moments where Robertson suddenly surprises us with some very poignant and sad occurrences.

Ray Chase is a very good narrator and is especially suited for this type of novel but he has a tendency to voice female roles with a gruffer voice than some of the male roles. Even so, he's still a joy to listen to him narrate the story.

Outstanding

I am a huge Edward W Robertson/Ray Chase fan and this series is one of their finest. If you love "Breakers," this one is for you!

An Author I love a narrator I don't.

I don't write a ton of reviews but I felt the need for this one. I discovered Edward Robertson from his other series The Cycle of Awran. I love his prose and world building. sadly this series falters not through his fault but the choice of narrator. the reading relies heavily on what I call " the angry whisper" for nearly every character regardless of person or apropriateness.

I'll be finishing this one as an ebook.

interesting story

I enjoyed this story. it was different. I didn't like the narration. the narrator voice would go up and down making me have to constantly adjust the volume while listening to it in my car.

Riveting read!

This is a swashbuckling, can't put it down audiobook. Robertson's prose combined with Ray Chase's interpretation, especially of the aliens, made this hard to stop listening. The characters, especially Rada and Weber, are well developed, thoughtful and complex people.

It's always great to encounter a book with a strong female protagonist.

Don't waste your time

The narration is awful, making the book very hard to understand. There is mostly action in this book, so no real story ever develops. A lot of the main characters die, which I found unusual, and depressing.

Another example of very poor sci-fi and narration

What would have made Outlaw better?

A writer with talent

Would you ever listen to anything by Edward W. Robertson again?

NO NO NO

How could the performance have been better?

A different narrator

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Outlaw?

Obviously there was no one editing this work

Any additional comments?

I don't understand why or how there there is so much really poor sci-fi out there. Is it a genre that just isn't edited or is it just expected to be on a third grade level? I just don't know but SO MUCH of it is really horrible! Once again I feel cheated and am angry with audible reviews for leading me badly astray!!!