Space Rogues: The Adventures of Wil Calder: A Space Opera Adventure

John Wilker

Jun 2018 · Space Rogues Book 2 · Rogue Publishing, LTD.

About this ebook

★★★★

"If you're looking for a lighthearted space saga, then this is definitely a book you're going to want to pick up." - Literary Titan

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Lesson learned. Let someone else take the first trip in the experimental space pod. Wil Calder is the only human to have left our solar system. He didn’t do it on purpose, some might even call it being kidnapped. 

However you slice it, he’s alone and very far from home. Now he’s got to make the best of it.

After begrudgingly assembling a crew of misfits from across the Galactic Commonwealth, Wil takes a job. Should be easy. Break into a space station. Straightforward enough. Except it’s not. It’s the space station that the galaxy’s criminals use to store their treasures. Rumored to be impossible to break into.

They thought they were stealing money or treasure, or something else that criminals value. Turns out they were stealing more than that. A lot more. 

Galactic level conspiracy, more.

Now it’s up to a bunch of unqualified outsiders to expose the conspiracy. And if at all possible, not die while doing it. 

No pressure, right?

The Space Rogues series is a fast-paced science fiction adventure chock-full of Firefly-esque banter and characters. 

Space Opera, space opera adult, space opera series, space opera military science fiction, scifi adventure, space opera book, science fiction adventure, space western, science fiction, scifi, galactic empire, first contact, alien contact, found family

Ratings and reviews

An epic sci-fi tale that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. This story is both mesmerizing and terrifying at the same time. Wil is testing an experimental space pod that ends up on the opposite side of the solar system, NASA can’t find him, and their probably not going to be able to bring him back, anyway. Fast forward many years, and Wil is still in outer space, he has somewhat given up on the chance of being rescued, he’s basically an outer space bad guy, who smuggles and gets away with a lot of stuff he really shouldn’t, but who’s going to arrest him? The space police? He’s now looking for a crew to help him deal with the all out war that is happening right in front of his eyes. After being captured by a ship from another galaxy, Wil is ready to fight back. He really has nothing else to lose, so why not? If you’re looking for a lighthearted space saga, then this is definitely a book you’re going to want to pick up. I love that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, there are tons of pop culture references, and there are many homages to pop culture themes. It’s enjoyable, relaxing, and definitely funny. People who enjoy shows like Farscape and Guardians of the Galaxy will get a kick out of this. There were times that Wil would do or say things and I was completely flabbergasted, but also I totally believed that this is something that he would do. He is at the point in life where he really doesn’t care anymore, because he knows he’s probably not going to make it back to earth, so he just does what he wants and people have to do deal with it. The writing was great, it was easy to read, and fun to enjoy, it didn’t matter if I had 5 minutes to read or an hour, I could get sucked into the story quickly, and it was easy to pick up right where I left off. I can’t wait to read the next books in this series.

While the book is very cleanly written (no grammar or other issues) its a very simple story that's filled with characters who are not developed, they take actions that make no sense and are never explained, and it's chock full of McGuffins. I tried very hard to suspend my disbelief, but I struggled to finish this book. If the writing was less choppy (it jumps from chapter to chapter, often in the middle of a "scene") it would be all right, but as it is..... It's rough. I had high hopes and low expectations for this book, but sadly neither were achieved.

Well written and engaging. Stranded in an FTL experiment gone wrong and taken in by a ship crewed by smuggling, cargo hauler, mercenaries from different worlds only to then be bequeathed the ship when they are all killed. Our hero, with assistance from the ships computer, becomes competent at doing a bit this and that to get by until deciding to take on his own crew. The characters are all surface with no real depth yet, but it's a good read with many more to come so I hold out hope for more character development. If not, still a nice light storyline.

About the author

The first story I ever wrote and had published anywhere was a harrowing tale of beloved comic strip favorite, Ziggy, saving the Seattle Space Needle. I was about 11, copyright wasn't a thing I knew about back then.

I've always loved writing, and it has always been a part of my life even when it wasn't a focus. At one of my last full-time jobs, a colleague and I often treated the office to Donuts on Fridays and the random but frequent "Nacho Tuesday." The announcement emails that I sent out were my creative outlet. By the time I left the company the mailing list for "The Krispy Emails" (we usually got Krispy Kreme donuts) was huge and mostly made up of coworkers that had no interest in donuts or nachos, but just enjoyed reading the stories that announced yummy treats a few cubicles away.

I couldn't do this without my loving wife, Nicole.