Talon made me think of one those horror movies that jumped the shark and had a in space episode. This absolutely felt like Conan the Barbarian in space. His crew didn’t really remind me of Guardians of the Galaxy outside of them being a ragtag crew of mismatched aliens who happen to be trying to save the universe. I think it is easy to try to make that association when really they are as unique in this story as the Guardians are in theirs. What started out as a swords and sandals type story quickly evolved to a space style fantasy. The marrying of the two made for a fun and unique experience.
The overall plot felt fairly typical of a save the world type science fiction story. This one had a few twists that helped to make it stand out from the others, but I would say it didn’t stray too far from the middle of the road as far as plot. You definitely get the B movie feel which appeals to someone like me who used to stay up late as a kid watching sci fi movies on TV. The dialogue and interactions between the various characters solidifies that and you can’t help but be brought back to that time.
What really stood out in the story were the characters. Talon, dressed like He-man, complete with baldric and axe, was a great focal point of the story. Like the modern day one last job type stories, Talon, has one last battle to gain his freedom and it is an epic battle. I liked the supporting characters although by far my favorite was Zobel, a wolf-like alien who is snarky, arrogant, and a total badass. I also really enjoyed Selena’s story and really hope to hear more.
Travis Baldree is a master at character voices and he could make a medical text book full of life and fun to listen to. Baldree adds that layer to this story that makes it go from a decent sci fi story to an exceptionally fun one. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to Baldree, you owe it to yourself to check out his narration. As always, he nailed this story and I look forward to hearing him narrate the next book in the series.
I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.