Allies of Convenience by Mixon & Chaney
Hey Space Cadets, here is the next installment in my series of book reviews. This is a short story in The Last Hunter Series by Terry Mixon and JN Chaney and covers an incident in the main characters early career. It was co-written by Terry Mixon and JN Chaney in one heck of a dynamic collaboration. Their unique styles blended into something awesome and I’m here for this universe.
Before we go any further, let me show my bias. I loved Terry Mixon’s Empire of Bones Series, so reading his Last Hunter Series with JN Chaney was a new brainer. I was already a fan of his work when I started this universe. I went in expecting to like this series. Since I enjoyed the main series, I had to check out this prequel short story. This story was written like many of his books, in a 3rd person POV with multiple main characters. If you don’t love that, this novel isn’t the book for you. However, this is my jam, and I wasn’t disappointed.
Okay, about this series. This completed series has 16 books written in this setting, and all but the last audiobook in the main series is published already. I’m already invested and hoping for more from this collaborative team! I’ve met Terry and Chaney in person and they’re both as nice in the flesh as they are online. They truly engage with their large audience and value them in a sincere manner. In separate chats it was clear to me that both of them are thankful that readers let them get paid to share these romps through the voids of space.
Now, more about the first author, Terry Mixon. He’s a former US Army crew chief, where he worked on keeping the whirly birds in the air. He was a non-commissioned officer in the 101st Airborne Division. I too was a sergeant in that division, so points to him! In case you didn’t know, leg lives matter. After he left the Army, he spent some time working for NASA. He played Solitaire working alongside the flight controllers in the Mission Control Center at the NASA Johnson Space Center.
The other author in this series is JN Chaney, a former US Air Force puke who kept the planes flying and the bombs dropping. His bubbas put warheads on foreheads as they let freedom ring! Or maybe that’s my tinnitus from all the noise? Whatever, he’s a veteran and a talented author whose Renegade Star books were my literary bubble gum pop this past summer. The books were fun, fast paced and high octane reads that you’ll love.
Ok, since this is a prequel story, let’s talk about the main series. The basic premise of centers around the main characters’ taking charge of a museum ship that was once used 200 years ago in the fight against alien robot swarms. Now the enemy has returned, forcing his museum ship to be pressed back into active service. I loved the series and the idea of a museum spaceship getting a new lease on life. This world is Battlestar Galactica meets Battleship with shades of Horatio Hornblower and I’m here for it!
The Story
This story shines a light onto part of the main character’s origin story, where we see the incident that changed his career trajectory. First, we see Jack struggling with the immediate repercussions of his near collision. After that, they send him on a cake run mission to protect a ship under attack by pirates. During that fight, he meets a certain pirate who becomes important later into The Last Hunter Series. It was a lot of fun to see the events that alter the trajectory of his career and set him on a path towards command of the Delta Orionis, the Confederation naval vessel.
During this story, Jack is sent to secure a freighter while his cruiser chases the main body of the pirates. Except the mission wasn’t that straight forward. He’s caught between pirate scum and their prey, and he’s forced to choose a side. Lieutenant Jack Romanoff can’t let the unexpected cargo fall into the wrong hands, so he holds his nose and picks a side. He and his marines make a plan and attempt to stop the pirates that vastly outnumber them.
Now that I’ve covered the basics of this story, let’s talk about the writing itself. This book was a low stakes adventure that almost felt like a slice of life story. We see Jack talking to his executive officer about the near collision event and discuss how he could save his career from the fallout. Then Jack makes the trip across the system to render aid to the Edgar’s Ghost, the shop that was recently under attack by pirates. During these events, the pacing felt unrushed, and the events felt low-key. The writing style was well executed, a testament to the author’s skill. This was not a high-octane adventure, instead meandering along at a sedate pace. I was okay with it, because we got to explore the universe and the Confederation. Throughout the story, the prose was evocative, and the story was compelling. What more can you want?
The Characters
The main character in this story is Lieutenant Jack Romanoff, who serves in the Confederation Navy. He is a man trying to save his career from a near collision with a civilian space liner. He’s the helmsman of the Dark Wind, a Confederation navy cruiser. When that near collision happens, his time in the navy might be at its end. That is, unless he can convince them that he is worth a second chance. What isn’t said in this story, but I know from the main series is that Jack is the son of a former Grand Admiral of the Confederation Navy. His dad burnt a lot of bridges with his abrasive style and Jack suffered because of it. But the events of this short story are also part of what kills his career, creating the second chance adventure in The Last Hunter Series. This is an origin story of sorts, and I loved seeing the events that were only hinted at in the larger series. This character was extremely believable, if a little naïve, throughout this story. He was well-rounded, so you’ll get no complaints from me. Again, I’ve read the main series so maybe that aids in my thoughts here.
The World
This is a prequel story in The Last Hunter Series, and I absolutely loved it. This story had a very fleshed out world that was consistent, made sense and sucked you in. Admittedly, I’ve read the main series, so I came into this knowing about this universe. Given my bias, everything was explained in a way that made sense. The universe was consistent, with just enough of the mundane facets of life thrown in to feel grounded in this reality. Everything made sense and sucked you into the story. Hat tip to these two skill wordsmiths, they earned it!
Politics
There is no modern Earth politics in this story. It’s set so far into the future that nothing political could carry over. Sure, it’s a naval adventure, and the military has internal politics, but that’s it. Nothing to see here boys, move along!
Content Warning
This is a fun romp through Confederation space aboard a warship fighting the scourge of piracy. There’s fighting and killing, but nothing gory happens on screen. I can’t imagine anything here that would trigger anyone or need a content warning!
Narration
I enjoyed this book exclusively in the audiobook format. It was well done; the accents were consistent, and I didn’t want to rip my ears off. There wasn’t a whole lot of range from the character accents, but the narrator did good! This isn’t a dig at Jeffrey Kafer, the narrator, as this was a story told by a singular point of view, so there just wasn’t a call for that many accents. What was there was well done. Seriously, I’ve listened to hundreds of hours of books by this narrator. Heck, I even hired him to work on one of my series. This short audiobook was of a professional quality, so I had nothing to complain about! He didn’t commit the Cardinal Sin, which is my only real requirement; he didn’t sound like a robot, he didn’t bore me, and he didn’t use accents that annoy the bajeesus out of me!
Who is it for?
This book is for anyone who loves the classic space opera genre with shades of piracy. Throw in a kick arse universe for good measure and you’ll be pickin up what I’m laying down! If you are a fan of ship-to-ship action, then this book is for you! Throw in a massive 16 book arc from the main series and you have a recipe for awesomeness!
Why buy it?
If you’re already a fan of The Last Hunter universe, then you’re the target audience for this short story. However, if you love short content and the space opera genre with space navy themes, you can still enjoy Allies of Convenience.