Book Review: Alexander Ouland: Space Pirate

Alexander Outland: Space Pirate

By:  G.J. Koch

Publisher:  Nightshade Books

Publish Date:  June 5, 2012

Format:  ARC

Genre:  Science Fiction

Series:  1st in Alexander Outland series

Recommendation:  Oh Yes!  Fun outer space read!  Had me smiling the whole way through.  And I love Nap!

Synopsis:
Captain Alexander Outland of the Sixty-Nine (short for Space Vessel 3369, of course) is the best pilot in the galaxy.  He's also a pirate, a smuggler, and loved and loathed by women in umpteen solar systems.  His crew of strays and misfits includes an engineer of dubious sanity, a deposed planetary governor, an annoyingly unflappable Sexbot copilot and a slinky weapons chief who stubbornly refuses to give the captain a tumble.

Outland just wants to make a decent living skirting the law, but when an invisible space armada starts cutting into his business, he soon finds himself in hot water with the military, the mob, mad bombers, and an extended family of would-be conquerors.  And that's not counting an occasionally telepathic spy...

Like any sensible scoundrel, he hates heroics.  They're risky and they don't pay well.  But to keep his ship and crew in one piece, and make time with a certain hard-to-get weapons chief, he might just have to make an exception - and save the galaxy in spite of himself!

My Thoughts and Summary:
Alexander pulls Sixty-Nine into Thurge for a magma order, but when he hears the voice and one of the women that has been brewing to see Nap again, he high-tales it out of there to Herion.  But in his rush to avoid one trouble he comes barreling into another.  Ships have been vanishing around Herion space along with weird occurrences.  Alarms in Sixty-Nine go off, but nothing is on the screen.  Nap works his flying magic to land on Herion.  Now grounded Nap has several different groups after him; to help them, or to kill him.  Nap is the first to land in a very long time, and people are desperate to hire him, and the Pirate Armada wants to kill him since he is the only captain who could out pilot them but won't take orders either.  Alexander is not a hero, he's a pirate...with morals...okay, low, but some, but he needs to stop the Armada if he wants to keep smuggling and pirating without a huge fee.  And try to win the girl too.

Right off the bat we learn Alexander Outland, Nap as his friends and the ladies call him, is quite popular with the ladies...good and bad ways.  Alexander comes off as not always the smartest captain, but he always comes through!  By the end of the book, I started to think it's all an act.  People won't think you smarter than what you come across, so you can get away with many great things, and have fun at it.

There is a whole universe created!  Yes, this is so much bigger than a world.  Koch creates a universe!  This is wild!  The first six chapters are quick and fast moving, yet we see a large universe is here.  I got the feel we are getting just a bare glimpse of it, and I look forward to future books to see more.

We are taken on a wild and fun ride with Nap and his crew.  Just meeting them, and reading Naps responses to each is fun.  And there is one he didn't even know about, until we get going in the book.  Nap also seems to be a collector of lost souls, as he picks up a few extras along the way.  All the characters have their own strong personalities, and abilities they bring to the story.  No, they don't all get along, but they are wonderful to blend and clash together.  Loved them all!

I loved Nap, so fun.  Slinkie is who I want to be when I grow up!  Okay, so I'm already grown up, and not a Slinkie, but I loved her!  Loved Governor.  Oh, he holds a secret all his own.  And Randolph, so smart!  A genius.  And Audrey! Audrey... she is a special case. ;)  And all the people we come across, just fun!

The story!  It was fun!  Thrilling!  Adventurous!  Nap and crew get into scraps and get out, barely.  There are sexual innuendos through out the book, and comments.  Like with Slinkie, about every time.  But it's all in great fun, and I had to smile.  Actually, this book had me smiling the whole time, and even rooting for Nap with Slinkie (even though I probably shouldn't have been).  I loved the banter and the sexual tension Alexander puts into everything, a true man but fun.  Then we have a few moments in not so...sanitary, places. lol.  But it is all so funny!

I've read it, and absolutely loved it!

I loved this adventure and this crew!  I CAN NOT WAIT for the next Alexander Outland book!!


Stay tuned for meeting Nap and crew!  It will is up today, very shortly!

I received a copy of this book for an honest review.
Please remember this review is of my personal opinion.