The Caledonian Gambit

A Novel

By: Dan Moren

Narrated by: Rob Grgach

The galaxy is mired in a cold war between two superpowers, the Illyrican Empire and the Commonwealth. Thrust between this struggle are Simon Kovalic, the Commonwealth's preeminent spy, and Kyle Rankin, a lowly soldier happily scrubbing toilets on Sabaea, a remote and isolated planet. However, nothing is as it seems.

Kyle Rankin is a lie. His real name is Eli Brody, and he fled his home world of Caledonia years ago. Simon Kovalic knows Caledonia is a lit fuse hurtling towards detonation. The past Brody so desperately tried to abandon can grant him access to people and places that are off limits even to a professional spy like Kovalic. Kovalic needs Eli Brody to come home and face his past. With Brody suddenly cast in a play he never auditioned for, he and Kovalic will quickly realize it's everything they don't know that will tip the scales of galactic peace. Sounds like a desperate plan, sure, but what gambit isn't?

The Caledonian Gambit is a throwback to the classic sci-fi adventures of spies and off-world politics, but filled to the brim with modern sensibilities.

©2017 Dan Moren (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"The action scenes, both on the ground and in space, show a focus on thoughtful planning and careful pacing. The characterization delves just enough into emotionality to give the characters realism without moving the focus away from fights, intrigue, and spycraft." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Spare me the politics"

Barely qualifies as science fiction. Basically rewriting the Northern Ireland conflict. If you enjoy family drama then go ahead. But you won't get science fiction.

Great world-building and plot!

Dan created a world (well, a universe!) and an intriguing plot that keeps _The Caledonian Gambit_ interesting from start to finish!

Great narration and pacing as well.

I would recommend this audiobook to fans of space adventures involving spy craft and intrigue. I am looking forward to more!

Loved Every Moment

Awesome book by Dan Moren and narration by Rob Grgach.

It had me sitting in my driveway trying to end a chapter, falling asleep in bed with my AirPods (and trying to find them in the morning), and taking way too many breaks at work. It had just the right mix of funny, serious, sad and exciting. I look forward to the next installment.

Hovering, exploring, and dissecting old Sci-fi tropes has never been so satisfying.

Moren's ability to take traditional Sci-fi tropes and tweak them in all the right places makes for the perfect story.

The performance by Grgach seemed to fit the story incredibly well. Heavy accents and inflections always managed to convey what Moren was trying to get across between cultures, planets, and backgrounds.

So many Sci-fi novels get too deep in the weeds with technicalities trying to prove the physics homework was done. Moren uses those precious moments to expand on characters, relationships, and nuances. This is a sci-fi novel rooted in humanity, and it couldn't be more refreshing.

The book is brisk. If you're looking for a 30 hour space opera, look elsewhere. The editing is top notch. It's clear Moren has an exceptional team helping him distill his vision into something concise and compelling from start to finish.

Well-structured story given less-than-ideal treatment with flaky accents

I enjoyed the plot and Moren's humour, but there were quite a few clichés ('dropped like a sack of potatoes', etc.) and too many novel similes that didn't really do the work of evoking the world more richly for me.

I also found the reader's unstable accents quite distracting. Given the stylistic choice of using a range of British accents, it may have been better to have someone from those Isles do the narration. (I know it's set on other planets centuries into the future and no accents will sound the same then as they do now, but I was having trouble suspending disbelief or creating suitable head canon to account for them.)