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The Revelations Cycle #5
A Fistful of Credits
Fourteen outstanding authors. Fourteen extraordinary stories. One bestselling universe.
It’s the Twenty-Second Century. The galaxy has opened up to humanity as a hyperactive beehive of stargates and new technologies, and we suddenly find ourselves in a vast playground of different races, environments, and cultures. There’s just one catch: we are pretty much at the bottom of the food chain.
Enter the Four Horsemen universe, where only a willingness to fight and die for money separates Humans from the majority of the other races. Enter a galaxy not only of mercenaries, but also of Peacemakers, bounty hunters, and even a strung out junkie in the way of a hired assassin.
Edited by bestselling authors and universe creators Mark Wandrey and Chris Kennedy, “A Fistful of Credits” includes all-new stories in the Four Horsemen universe by a variety of bestselling authors—and some you may not have heard of…yet. The fourteen authors take on various aspects of the universe, giving you additional insight into a galaxy that isn’t at war…but definitely isn’t at peace. There’s only one thing for sure—anything’s possible for a fistful of credits!
Inside you’ll find:
Foreword by Dr. Charles E. Gannon
"The Last Alpha" by Mark Wandrey
"Breach of Contract" by Terry Mixon
"Paint the Sky" by Jason Cordova
"Surf and Turf" by Jon R. Osborne
"Stand on It" by Kevin Ikenberry
"Lost and Found" by Jon Del Arroz
"Gilded Cage" by Kacey Ezell
"Legends" by Christopher Woods
"With the Eagles" by Doug Dandridge
"Dead or Alive" by Paul Corcoran
"Hide and Seek" by Christopher Nuttall
"Information Overload" by Charity Ayres
"Enough" by Chris Kennedy
"CASPer's Ghost" by Brad R. Torgersen
Listening Length: 13 hours and 2 minutes
It’s the Twenty-Second Century. The galaxy has opened up to humanity as a hyperactive beehive of stargates and new technologies, and we suddenly find ourselves in a vast playground of different races, environments, and cultures. There’s just one catch: we are pretty much at the bottom of the food chain.
Enter the Four Horsemen universe, where only a willingness to fight and die for money separates Humans from the majority of the other races. Enter a galaxy not only of mercenaries, but also of Peacemakers, bounty hunters, and even a strung out junkie in the way of a hired assassin.
Edited by bestselling authors and universe creators Mark Wandrey and Chris Kennedy, “A Fistful of Credits” includes all-new stories in the Four Horsemen universe by a variety of bestselling authors—and some you may not have heard of…yet. The fourteen authors take on various aspects of the universe, giving you additional insight into a galaxy that isn’t at war…but definitely isn’t at peace. There’s only one thing for sure—anything’s possible for a fistful of credits!
Inside you’ll find:
Foreword by Dr. Charles E. Gannon
"The Last Alpha" by Mark Wandrey
"Breach of Contract" by Terry Mixon
"Paint the Sky" by Jason Cordova
"Surf and Turf" by Jon R. Osborne
"Stand on It" by Kevin Ikenberry
"Lost and Found" by Jon Del Arroz
"Gilded Cage" by Kacey Ezell
"Legends" by Christopher Woods
"With the Eagles" by Doug Dandridge
"Dead or Alive" by Paul Corcoran
"Hide and Seek" by Christopher Nuttall
"Information Overload" by Charity Ayres
"Enough" by Chris Kennedy
"CASPer's Ghost" by Brad R. Torgersen
Listening Length: 13 hours and 2 minutes
497 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 13, 2017
423 people are currently reading
121 people want to read
About the author
Chris Kennedy
136 books160 followersA Webster Award winner and three-time Dragon Award finalist, Chris Kennedy is a Science Fiction/Fantasy author, speaker, and small-press publisher who has written over 50 books and published more than 400 others. Get his free book, “Shattered Crucible,” at his website, https://chriskennedypublishing.com.
Called “fantastic” and “a great speaker,” he has coached hundreds of beginning authors and budding novelists on how to self-publish their stories at a variety of conferences, conventions, and writing guild presentations. He is the author of the award-winning #1 bestseller, “Self-Publishing for Profit: How to Get Your Book Out of Your Head and Into the Stores.”
Chris lives in Coinjock, North Carolina, with his wife. Follow Chris on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ckpublishing/.
Called “fantastic” and “a great speaker,” he has coached hundreds of beginning authors and budding novelists on how to self-publish their stories at a variety of conferences, conventions, and writing guild presentations. He is the author of the award-winning #1 bestseller, “Self-Publishing for Profit: How to Get Your Book Out of Your Head and Into the Stores.”
Chris lives in Coinjock, North Carolina, with his wife. Follow Chris on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ckpublishing/.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
October 18, 2017
Summary:
Today my book review will be a bit different, as I’m going over an anthology that I recently bought. This is the first anthology set in the Four Horsemen Universe and doesn’t directly involve the four book series arc. Instead, it tells tales on the periphery of the world created by Mark Wandrey and Chris Kennedy. Since it’s a collection of short stories, I’ve picked a few I really liked to give you my thoughts on. If anyone has a different or better format for an anthology, please comment below! Finally, in the effort of full transparency, I have a short story included in the second anthology in this universe. That book is currently for sale here if you want to buy it and give it a listen.
“The Last Alpha” by Mark Wandry:
This short story tells the tale of one of the survivors of the first Earth mercenary contracts. We learn about what happened to him, and the consequences for his family. The story flowed smoothly and had a lot of action. There were a few unexpected twists and turns, and I enjoyed every second of it. I would definitely want to read this story if it was expanded into a novel! There was so much room for Mark to turn the story arc into something much longer, and I admire his artistic discipline to keep the work to the size that he did! This story gets 5 out of 5 grenades!
“Breach of Contract” by Terry Mixon:
I had the privilege of beta reading this short story before submission, and I loved every second of it. It only got better after seeing how the narrator made it come alive. This was a story of revenge and betrayal, and the espionage and intrigue kept me guessing. The author really had me think the story was gonna go left until it went right. I couldn’t tell how it was going to end, and it made this a thrilling read. There wasn’t any battle of guns, but we were instead treated to a battle of wits. The alien race that Terry added to the Four Horsemen Universe was fun, and I wouldn’t mind seeing it show up in other stories! I give this story 5 out of 5 grenades!
“Lost and Found” by Jon Del Arroz:
This was a fun story about space exploration and told the tale of a merc company contracted by the Cartographers Guild to explore the forgotten reaches of space. Instead, they find a forgotten colony, false gods, and lost technologies. The author did an outstanding job building a sense of wonder, re-creating the awe that awaits us in the cosmos. I couldn’t recommend this story more, and wouldn’t mind if the crew of the Lilly continued their journey into the unknown regions of the universe. A solid 5 out of 5 grenades! Seriously, this short story alone made it worth the Audible credit!
“Gilded Cage” by Kacey Ezell:
I have to say, this story took me by surprise. It tells of a feline alien race, and one particular alien assassin. The author is clearly a cat person because she had the mannerisms down perfectly! And when said feline assassin, took a human pet I snorted out my coffee. Damn, but I got funny looks at my local Starbucks. Time to cross the street to the Dunkin for my coffee fix until they forget about it! And what would you call a cat assassin? Maybe a catssassin? Anyway, this was an excellent story, and I can happily report that a novel based on these characters is in the works! Well done, I enjoyed every second of it. I listened to this one twice, it was that good. Obviously, this story gets 5 out of 5 stars, and I’ll be pre-ordering that novel as soon as Kacey finishes it.
“Hide and Seek” by Christopher Nuttall:
Another espionage story, with plenty of action for the mystery lover in all of us. And the surprise at the end made it worth the time spent reading. The action was well written, and the choreography made perfect sense. I could envision the fight scenes, and I loved the minimalism of the settings. The descriptions were concisely written and allowed the short story to flow naturally. The world building was well done, and the ending was a perfect mix of a cliffhanger and resolution. I really enjoyed this one, and give this a solid 5 out of 5 grenades.
“Enough” by Chris Kennedy:
This was your standard military science fiction adventure, mixed with a story of betrayal. Can the Roughneck Mercs live long enough to get a little vengeance? Will the overwhelming numbers of the enemy grind them into the dust? Only way to tell would be to buy this anthology and give it a glance. This was a well-written story that evenly paced the action to keep the plot moving along. I liked the characters, and it fit solidly with the Four Horsemen Universe. I give this one 4 out of 5 grenades, and would definitely buy more books from this author.
“CASPer’s Ghost” by Brad R. Torgersen:
This was an AMAZING story about humanities search for the next big tech, and the quest for the ultimate payout. A new CASPer upgrade, with a cybernetic bio-organism as the pilot. It could be huge, save lives and make tons of Galactic Credits. What could possibly go wrong with a computer that thinks for itself? There were a crap-ton of twists I didn’t see coming at the end, and there was enough adventure and suspense to make this story good to the last drop. Ironically, the story was so expertly crafted that it told the tale without needing more words. While I would love revisiting the fun characters again, this short story stood solidly on its own two feet. I will definitely be reading this one a few times to learn what Brad did right. A solid 5 out of 5 grenades.
Narration:
This audiobook was excellently produced and was fun to listen to. The narrator, Craig Good, did an amazing job with this anthology. I’ve listened to other books he narrated, and they were all equally well performed. He doesn’t bore you, or make you zone out because of his monotone. His performance felt like a friend was sitting with me reading an amazing story that he couldn’t put down. And the accents he added made me smile, and laugh a few times. The fact that he was able to make so many believable characters was amazing, considering the dozen or so short stories included in this anthology. His narration kept me engaged throughout the story, which is all you can really ask for. This was another story I listened too on audiobook and didn’t read a physical copy. Even the stories I didn’t like as much or were just okay, were enjoyable because of Craig’s narration. Overall, I loved the quality of his work and would recommend this narrator to other audiobook fans. I give him a 5 out of 5 grenades for his performance.
Overall:
I really liked this anthology, it had over a dozen of well written short stories set in a universe I enjoy. The stories were a hit and miss, some I really loved, and some just weren’t for me. Let’s be real that is normal for an anthology, and part of what makes them useful. You get exposed to new takes on things and see the world from multiple perspectives. I’m confident that you’ll find you like more stories than you would normally skip. Even though there were some that just weren’t my thing, I recognized that all of them were well written. I chose to highlight the ones that stood out to me, and give you my thoughts. Like always, I went the spoiler-free approach. So what does this mean for my overall ranking? I really enjoyed this collection, and happily, recommend it. If you’ve noticed, I give a lot of higher reviews, but that’s intentional. I choose to study authors who do it better than I could, hoping to learn from the seat of the masters. Because, seriously, I want to hook you from the first page! I want to weave the action in such a compelling way that you want to jump into the armor yourself. This leads me to screen my books before buying them. Life is too short to read books that you don’t like. Luckily, my tastes are diverse, and I enjoy the classics too. I just only write reviews on the science fiction stories I’m reading. Overall, this is a book I would happily recommend, and authors I will definitely read again. I freely give this novel a 4 out of 5 grenades!
Today my book review will be a bit different, as I’m going over an anthology that I recently bought. This is the first anthology set in the Four Horsemen Universe and doesn’t directly involve the four book series arc. Instead, it tells tales on the periphery of the world created by Mark Wandrey and Chris Kennedy. Since it’s a collection of short stories, I’ve picked a few I really liked to give you my thoughts on. If anyone has a different or better format for an anthology, please comment below! Finally, in the effort of full transparency, I have a short story included in the second anthology in this universe. That book is currently for sale here if you want to buy it and give it a listen.
“The Last Alpha” by Mark Wandry:
This short story tells the tale of one of the survivors of the first Earth mercenary contracts. We learn about what happened to him, and the consequences for his family. The story flowed smoothly and had a lot of action. There were a few unexpected twists and turns, and I enjoyed every second of it. I would definitely want to read this story if it was expanded into a novel! There was so much room for Mark to turn the story arc into something much longer, and I admire his artistic discipline to keep the work to the size that he did! This story gets 5 out of 5 grenades!
“Breach of Contract” by Terry Mixon:
I had the privilege of beta reading this short story before submission, and I loved every second of it. It only got better after seeing how the narrator made it come alive. This was a story of revenge and betrayal, and the espionage and intrigue kept me guessing. The author really had me think the story was gonna go left until it went right. I couldn’t tell how it was going to end, and it made this a thrilling read. There wasn’t any battle of guns, but we were instead treated to a battle of wits. The alien race that Terry added to the Four Horsemen Universe was fun, and I wouldn’t mind seeing it show up in other stories! I give this story 5 out of 5 grenades!
“Lost and Found” by Jon Del Arroz:
This was a fun story about space exploration and told the tale of a merc company contracted by the Cartographers Guild to explore the forgotten reaches of space. Instead, they find a forgotten colony, false gods, and lost technologies. The author did an outstanding job building a sense of wonder, re-creating the awe that awaits us in the cosmos. I couldn’t recommend this story more, and wouldn’t mind if the crew of the Lilly continued their journey into the unknown regions of the universe. A solid 5 out of 5 grenades! Seriously, this short story alone made it worth the Audible credit!
“Gilded Cage” by Kacey Ezell:
I have to say, this story took me by surprise. It tells of a feline alien race, and one particular alien assassin. The author is clearly a cat person because she had the mannerisms down perfectly! And when said feline assassin, took a human pet I snorted out my coffee. Damn, but I got funny looks at my local Starbucks. Time to cross the street to the Dunkin for my coffee fix until they forget about it! And what would you call a cat assassin? Maybe a catssassin? Anyway, this was an excellent story, and I can happily report that a novel based on these characters is in the works! Well done, I enjoyed every second of it. I listened to this one twice, it was that good. Obviously, this story gets 5 out of 5 stars, and I’ll be pre-ordering that novel as soon as Kacey finishes it.
“Hide and Seek” by Christopher Nuttall:
Another espionage story, with plenty of action for the mystery lover in all of us. And the surprise at the end made it worth the time spent reading. The action was well written, and the choreography made perfect sense. I could envision the fight scenes, and I loved the minimalism of the settings. The descriptions were concisely written and allowed the short story to flow naturally. The world building was well done, and the ending was a perfect mix of a cliffhanger and resolution. I really enjoyed this one, and give this a solid 5 out of 5 grenades.
“Enough” by Chris Kennedy:
This was your standard military science fiction adventure, mixed with a story of betrayal. Can the Roughneck Mercs live long enough to get a little vengeance? Will the overwhelming numbers of the enemy grind them into the dust? Only way to tell would be to buy this anthology and give it a glance. This was a well-written story that evenly paced the action to keep the plot moving along. I liked the characters, and it fit solidly with the Four Horsemen Universe. I give this one 4 out of 5 grenades, and would definitely buy more books from this author.
“CASPer’s Ghost” by Brad R. Torgersen:
This was an AMAZING story about humanities search for the next big tech, and the quest for the ultimate payout. A new CASPer upgrade, with a cybernetic bio-organism as the pilot. It could be huge, save lives and make tons of Galactic Credits. What could possibly go wrong with a computer that thinks for itself? There were a crap-ton of twists I didn’t see coming at the end, and there was enough adventure and suspense to make this story good to the last drop. Ironically, the story was so expertly crafted that it told the tale without needing more words. While I would love revisiting the fun characters again, this short story stood solidly on its own two feet. I will definitely be reading this one a few times to learn what Brad did right. A solid 5 out of 5 grenades.
Narration:
This audiobook was excellently produced and was fun to listen to. The narrator, Craig Good, did an amazing job with this anthology. I’ve listened to other books he narrated, and they were all equally well performed. He doesn’t bore you, or make you zone out because of his monotone. His performance felt like a friend was sitting with me reading an amazing story that he couldn’t put down. And the accents he added made me smile, and laugh a few times. The fact that he was able to make so many believable characters was amazing, considering the dozen or so short stories included in this anthology. His narration kept me engaged throughout the story, which is all you can really ask for. This was another story I listened too on audiobook and didn’t read a physical copy. Even the stories I didn’t like as much or were just okay, were enjoyable because of Craig’s narration. Overall, I loved the quality of his work and would recommend this narrator to other audiobook fans. I give him a 5 out of 5 grenades for his performance.
Overall:
I really liked this anthology, it had over a dozen of well written short stories set in a universe I enjoy. The stories were a hit and miss, some I really loved, and some just weren’t for me. Let’s be real that is normal for an anthology, and part of what makes them useful. You get exposed to new takes on things and see the world from multiple perspectives. I’m confident that you’ll find you like more stories than you would normally skip. Even though there were some that just weren’t my thing, I recognized that all of them were well written. I chose to highlight the ones that stood out to me, and give you my thoughts. Like always, I went the spoiler-free approach. So what does this mean for my overall ranking? I really enjoyed this collection, and happily, recommend it. If you’ve noticed, I give a lot of higher reviews, but that’s intentional. I choose to study authors who do it better than I could, hoping to learn from the seat of the masters. Because, seriously, I want to hook you from the first page! I want to weave the action in such a compelling way that you want to jump into the armor yourself. This leads me to screen my books before buying them. Life is too short to read books that you don’t like. Luckily, my tastes are diverse, and I enjoy the classics too. I just only write reviews on the science fiction stories I’m reading. Overall, this is a book I would happily recommend, and authors I will definitely read again. I freely give this novel a 4 out of 5 grenades!
February 7, 2018
“The First Alpha” by Mark Wandrey was a look into life on Earth in the Four Horsemen Universe (4HU). Things on humanity's home planet are not good. People are broke to the point where most of them can't afford a simple breakfast out. Crime is rampant and infrastructure is crumbling. Our “hero” is a guy named Zeke. He's sneaky. He's resourceful. He's got a plan. This was an entertaining story with a surprise ending that I never saw coming but that made sense once I read it. Overall, I really enjoyed it once I got past the fact that it wasn't a merc story.
“Breach of Contract” by Terry Mixon is a detective story. It gives us an insight into the workings of law and justice in the 4HU and it really rocks. Of course, I'm partial to story featuring ass-kicking attractive women, but this one has plenty of action and just enough back story to hold everything together without bogging the story down into long reminisces that would make it drag. The tech is awesome. The search for vengeance is fun and the daring of our heroes Jackie and Anton make “Breach of Contract” a winner.
The business end of the merc business meets good old fashioned ass-kickery in Jason Cordova's “Paint the Sky.” It's the story of Mulbah Luo, who buys a mercenary company and finds out that there's more to running it than just having some gear. He ends up leading his men in the field and learning a few lessons along the way. The character arc is amazing. The action is a ton of fun. And this is the type of story I was looking forward to when I cracked this book. There's a bit of a surprise at the end of this one too. I really had a good time following the mercs into the field on their first assignment under a new owner.
Dude. Dude, dude, dude, dude, dude. I loved “Surf and Turf” by Jon Osborne. The only problem I had with this story comes in the introduction. Despite the fact that there is at least one other story in AFoC that includes a tag about an upcoming novel, this one does not. Our main character is Bjorn Tovesson III and he's the reluctant commander of a mercenary unit. He's got an amazing back-story and he's a lot of fun to hang out with. He kicks ass, drinks hard and really does care about his troops and the people they're protecting. In short, he is way too cool of a character to be wasted on only having a short story. The story itself is awesome. The combat is gripping. There's a flirty attractive waitress. The villains are sentient crabs with shell mounted weaponry. “Surf and Turf” drips with awesome. NOW WHERE IS MY NOVEL?!?!?!??!?!?!?! (Please?)
“Stand on It,” by Kevin Ikenberry takes a tried and true trope and makes it amazing. This is the story of a mercenary unit who ends up with more of a challenge than they bargained for – and a missing member to boot. Don't you just hate it when the employer lies about what the mercs are going to be facing and hangs them out to dry? I don't. I mean, I would if I were one of the character in “Stand on It,” but from the point of view of the reader it rocks. I see that Kevin is already signed for a novel in the 4HU. I'm looking forward to it.
You know what's really fun? Enemies that are pretty much invincible but that need to be beaten or we're all gonna die. Seriously. I love it when the Big Bad shows up ripping shit to pieces and the heroes have to save us all, only they NEED MORE POWER. “Lost and Found” but Jon Del Arroz delivers my favorite premise and it just make my day. The solution to the problem is one that I probably would not have come up with, but it makes sense and it works – barely. The ironic part is that it's not more power that gets the job done. I'll be reading more Jon Del Arroz as soon as I can.
“Gilded Cage” by Kacey Ezell is a story of drug addiction and enslavement. It is aptly named as our heroine, Dr. Susan Aloh, trades her drug addicted lifestyle for a life as a pet to an alien. It's a fun story about a woman who learns to love.
Chris Woods gives us an epic in adventure in “Legends.” You can't beat a bunch of mercs in a bar telling war stories, especially when one of them is about to retire and his nickname is “The Legend.” This one was over way too soon. It was a great time. Sergeant Martin Quincy is really a bad ass, despite the fact that he really never wanted to be a merc. This hits a lot of the quintessential themes in merc stories. I had a lot of fun with it.
Doug Dandridge brings us “With The Eagles” a story of a merc company battling on a poisonous planet. The dual threats (the enemy and the native flora and fauna of the planet) keep this one suspenseful. We never know what's coming next and neither do the mercs. With the enemy being a fearsome Besquith and a hostage to recover things heat up quickly. This one was a lot of fun.
PP Corcoran's “Dead or Alive” brings us the story of Nikki Sinclair, a Peacekeeper and daughter the owner of Sinclair's Scorpions mercenary company in search of a criminal. Nikki is deadly and armed with a M1911 pistol. I'm a huge fan of that much firepower, especially in a world dominated by laser pistols. I just find something satisfying about a weapon that goes BLAM instead of pew. The fact that she gets a couple of friends and tears up the inside of a space station in CASPer power armor is pretty bad ass too.
Christopher Nutall's “Hide and Seek,” is a story about a conflict between Allen Jermaine, a security officer aboard a ship and the government of the planet his ship is orbiting which wants to snatch one of his passengers. It fits very well with my attitude toward government and their greedy, imperious, right violating ways. I had a bad case of the screw yous while reading about these damned government agents. I was all up in arms. Good job, Christopher Nutall. You tell it like it is and make the right guy the hero. (HINT: It's not the government.)
“Information Overload” by Charity Ayres is the story of a crew just trying to survive after their ship was sabotaged. Her captain, Janna McCloud, is resourceful and focused and works her tail off to save her crew. Seriously. She does a lot of the work herself. This isn't exactly normal for a captain (unless this is ST:TOS and there's an away mission DERP, DERP, DERP) but it makes sense in the context of the story. She manages to overcome betrayal and get on with her mission. She's a member of the Information Guild, but she gets things done as well as any merc in the book. I like this chick.
“Enough” by Chris Kennedy is probably the best story in AFoC It's the story of a betrayed group of mercs being hunted to extinction by humanity's oldest foe. It kicks large amounts of ass. Since I just mentioned ST: TOS, I should probably bring up another reference: The Kobayashi Maru, only this time there's no way to cheat the way Kirk did. No-win scenarios suck, and when you're pursued by a force that has a massive numerical superiority and has accepted a contract that can only be fulfilled by killing every member of your unit things get desperate, especially when your commander gets offed in the first paragraph. (No, I don't do spoilers. But if it happens on the FIRST PAGE it's not a spoiler.) Captain, cum Colonel Dan Walker doesn't give up on his people or their survival. He does fall for one rather obvious ploy, but maybe he was just tired. And he does what he needs to in the end, regardless of the risk to himself. I really loved this story.
Brad Torgersen was the victim of one of the earliest reviews on this blog. I love Brad's work and his entry (also the final entry of the A Fistful of Credits), “CASPers Ghost,” did not disappoint. When Blue Platoon hits the surface of Echo Tango 11, the fecal matter hits the rotary air impeller. They're seeking a deposit of F11 (the compound that powers spaceflight) and everything goes haywire. Torgersen makes a habit out of dropping surprises in this one and I don't want to spoil it. I'll just say that this “CASPer's Ghost” cooks with grease and it freaking rocked.
“Breach of Contract” by Terry Mixon is a detective story. It gives us an insight into the workings of law and justice in the 4HU and it really rocks. Of course, I'm partial to story featuring ass-kicking attractive women, but this one has plenty of action and just enough back story to hold everything together without bogging the story down into long reminisces that would make it drag. The tech is awesome. The search for vengeance is fun and the daring of our heroes Jackie and Anton make “Breach of Contract” a winner.
The business end of the merc business meets good old fashioned ass-kickery in Jason Cordova's “Paint the Sky.” It's the story of Mulbah Luo, who buys a mercenary company and finds out that there's more to running it than just having some gear. He ends up leading his men in the field and learning a few lessons along the way. The character arc is amazing. The action is a ton of fun. And this is the type of story I was looking forward to when I cracked this book. There's a bit of a surprise at the end of this one too. I really had a good time following the mercs into the field on their first assignment under a new owner.
Dude. Dude, dude, dude, dude, dude. I loved “Surf and Turf” by Jon Osborne. The only problem I had with this story comes in the introduction. Despite the fact that there is at least one other story in AFoC that includes a tag about an upcoming novel, this one does not. Our main character is Bjorn Tovesson III and he's the reluctant commander of a mercenary unit. He's got an amazing back-story and he's a lot of fun to hang out with. He kicks ass, drinks hard and really does care about his troops and the people they're protecting. In short, he is way too cool of a character to be wasted on only having a short story. The story itself is awesome. The combat is gripping. There's a flirty attractive waitress. The villains are sentient crabs with shell mounted weaponry. “Surf and Turf” drips with awesome. NOW WHERE IS MY NOVEL?!?!?!??!?!?!?! (Please?)
“Stand on It,” by Kevin Ikenberry takes a tried and true trope and makes it amazing. This is the story of a mercenary unit who ends up with more of a challenge than they bargained for – and a missing member to boot. Don't you just hate it when the employer lies about what the mercs are going to be facing and hangs them out to dry? I don't. I mean, I would if I were one of the character in “Stand on It,” but from the point of view of the reader it rocks. I see that Kevin is already signed for a novel in the 4HU. I'm looking forward to it.
You know what's really fun? Enemies that are pretty much invincible but that need to be beaten or we're all gonna die. Seriously. I love it when the Big Bad shows up ripping shit to pieces and the heroes have to save us all, only they NEED MORE POWER. “Lost and Found” but Jon Del Arroz delivers my favorite premise and it just make my day. The solution to the problem is one that I probably would not have come up with, but it makes sense and it works – barely. The ironic part is that it's not more power that gets the job done. I'll be reading more Jon Del Arroz as soon as I can.
“Gilded Cage” by Kacey Ezell is a story of drug addiction and enslavement. It is aptly named as our heroine, Dr. Susan Aloh, trades her drug addicted lifestyle for a life as a pet to an alien. It's a fun story about a woman who learns to love.
Chris Woods gives us an epic in adventure in “Legends.” You can't beat a bunch of mercs in a bar telling war stories, especially when one of them is about to retire and his nickname is “The Legend.” This one was over way too soon. It was a great time. Sergeant Martin Quincy is really a bad ass, despite the fact that he really never wanted to be a merc. This hits a lot of the quintessential themes in merc stories. I had a lot of fun with it.
Doug Dandridge brings us “With The Eagles” a story of a merc company battling on a poisonous planet. The dual threats (the enemy and the native flora and fauna of the planet) keep this one suspenseful. We never know what's coming next and neither do the mercs. With the enemy being a fearsome Besquith and a hostage to recover things heat up quickly. This one was a lot of fun.
PP Corcoran's “Dead or Alive” brings us the story of Nikki Sinclair, a Peacekeeper and daughter the owner of Sinclair's Scorpions mercenary company in search of a criminal. Nikki is deadly and armed with a M1911 pistol. I'm a huge fan of that much firepower, especially in a world dominated by laser pistols. I just find something satisfying about a weapon that goes BLAM instead of pew. The fact that she gets a couple of friends and tears up the inside of a space station in CASPer power armor is pretty bad ass too.
Christopher Nutall's “Hide and Seek,” is a story about a conflict between Allen Jermaine, a security officer aboard a ship and the government of the planet his ship is orbiting which wants to snatch one of his passengers. It fits very well with my attitude toward government and their greedy, imperious, right violating ways. I had a bad case of the screw yous while reading about these damned government agents. I was all up in arms. Good job, Christopher Nutall. You tell it like it is and make the right guy the hero. (HINT: It's not the government.)
“Information Overload” by Charity Ayres is the story of a crew just trying to survive after their ship was sabotaged. Her captain, Janna McCloud, is resourceful and focused and works her tail off to save her crew. Seriously. She does a lot of the work herself. This isn't exactly normal for a captain (unless this is ST:TOS and there's an away mission DERP, DERP, DERP) but it makes sense in the context of the story. She manages to overcome betrayal and get on with her mission. She's a member of the Information Guild, but she gets things done as well as any merc in the book. I like this chick.
“Enough” by Chris Kennedy is probably the best story in AFoC It's the story of a betrayed group of mercs being hunted to extinction by humanity's oldest foe. It kicks large amounts of ass. Since I just mentioned ST: TOS, I should probably bring up another reference: The Kobayashi Maru, only this time there's no way to cheat the way Kirk did. No-win scenarios suck, and when you're pursued by a force that has a massive numerical superiority and has accepted a contract that can only be fulfilled by killing every member of your unit things get desperate, especially when your commander gets offed in the first paragraph. (No, I don't do spoilers. But if it happens on the FIRST PAGE it's not a spoiler.) Captain, cum Colonel Dan Walker doesn't give up on his people or their survival. He does fall for one rather obvious ploy, but maybe he was just tired. And he does what he needs to in the end, regardless of the risk to himself. I really loved this story.
Brad Torgersen was the victim of one of the earliest reviews on this blog. I love Brad's work and his entry (also the final entry of the A Fistful of Credits), “CASPers Ghost,” did not disappoint. When Blue Platoon hits the surface of Echo Tango 11, the fecal matter hits the rotary air impeller. They're seeking a deposit of F11 (the compound that powers spaceflight) and everything goes haywire. Torgersen makes a habit out of dropping surprises in this one and I don't want to spoil it. I'll just say that this “CASPer's Ghost” cooks with grease and it freaking rocked.
July 31, 2017
Papa Pat Rambles has more information on this book: http://habakkuk21.blogspot.com/2017/0...
If memory serves, when I was looking for material, I heard that 'Fistful of Credits' was introduced at LibertyCon, so I grabbed it up. The stories are perfect, the intro material needs some work, because the links to the two prelude stories don't work, and editor Chris Kennedy's publishing website is still printed in Latin with pictures of generic people smiling.
Nice work on the cover! An appropriately mecha-looking suit with a pistol, and the titles are legible and don't obscure the background. The cover is attributed to Brenda Mihalko and Ricky Ryan; I'm not familiar with either of them, but they did good work here.
Fourteen stories. some of them by writers I've been following for a while, some new to me. All deal with human mercenaries in a universe dominated by other races. Some of them presuppose knowledge of the Four Horsemen universe, which I did not have; others could be stand-alone stories without reference to an outside context. NONE of them REQUIRE the reader to have experience with the earlier works, although they will certainly generate interest in most novices (like myself) to go back and read the foundation stories.
THE LAST ALPHA by Mark Wandrey. Zeke has a history in the earlier stories, and it's to provide some closure to that history that he appears on Earth in his old stomping grounds. This provides the best window on what has happened on Earth following First Contact.
BREACH OF CONTRACT by Terry Mixon. This story introduces us to the Peacemaker Guild, and the role they play in the complicated relationships between merchants and fighters. The contract MUST be treated with respect by all parties in order for the society to work; therefore, much effort is expended in disrespecting it. You can't always get justice. Sometime, you can get revenge.
PAINT THE SKY by Jason Cordova. Ideally, in a military organization, cooks and clerks are free to cook and clerk; artillery troopers fire from long distances, and medics load up with nothing but plasma, splints, and bandages. It rarely works that way in practice, and all too often, the guys who were only supposed to be operating a motor pool are memorialized by points of light in the night.
SURF AND TURF by Jon R. Osborne. Mercenaries make their home wherever they are, particularly when they have a history they want to forget. If they stay in one place long enough, the fights become personal, because they are now fighting for their homes. Everybody needs a home. Everybody needs family.
STAND ON IT by Kevin Ikenberry. An excellent story of layered betrayal by a relative newcomer. It's easy to forget just how worthless the rest of the universe thinks you are when you are fighting for your life, in all directions.
LOST AND FOUND by John Del Arroz. The most basic rule among mercenaries is : you must be loyal to your comrades. After that, loyalties to the paymaster and to citizens are negotiable.
GILDED CAGE by Kacey Ezell. This is, in my opinion, the CREEPIEST story in the book. The protagonist does all the wrong things for all the right reasons, and there is never any point at which a reasonable observer would shout "LOOK OUT! DON'T DO THAT!" It brings a different point of view to the understanding that humans have in the scheme of things in the new universe.
LEGENDS by Christopher Woods. A classic tale of the reluctant warrior, put into impossible situations by a fate that is at best indifferent, but usually hostile.
WITH THE EAGLES by Doug Dandridge. Okay, you want to talk about a hostile environment? THIS environment is worse than Australia. No kidding, WORSE than Australia! You only take a job like this because you have to. Try not to think of why no one else will do it.
DEAD OR ALIVE by PP Corcoran. The Peacemakers appear again, in an operation launched against those who would defy the mores of the collective, and those who support them. Hint: bad idea.
HIDE AND SEEK by Christopher Nuttall. SUCH a great dance between a spook, and administrator, and a government thug. Shows why the timid don't belong in a universe with sharp elbows.
INFORMATION OVERLOAD by Charity Ayres. Sigh. Sorry, I just didn't like this story. I thought too much of it took place in the undisclosed mental processes of the actors.
ENOUGH by Chris Kennedy. The unit is about to be eradicated. But WHY? There is NO hope without getting an answer to that question, and the new commander has to solve the problem as his men fight and die to give him time.
CASPER’S GHOST by Brad R. Torgersen. This story has some of the most vivid images in the book: armored humans, fighting a corrosive, super-hot environment, who are then attacked by what looks alarmingly like an allergic reaction by the planet.
If memory serves, when I was looking for material, I heard that 'Fistful of Credits' was introduced at LibertyCon, so I grabbed it up. The stories are perfect, the intro material needs some work, because the links to the two prelude stories don't work, and editor Chris Kennedy's publishing website is still printed in Latin with pictures of generic people smiling.
Nice work on the cover! An appropriately mecha-looking suit with a pistol, and the titles are legible and don't obscure the background. The cover is attributed to Brenda Mihalko and Ricky Ryan; I'm not familiar with either of them, but they did good work here.
Fourteen stories. some of them by writers I've been following for a while, some new to me. All deal with human mercenaries in a universe dominated by other races. Some of them presuppose knowledge of the Four Horsemen universe, which I did not have; others could be stand-alone stories without reference to an outside context. NONE of them REQUIRE the reader to have experience with the earlier works, although they will certainly generate interest in most novices (like myself) to go back and read the foundation stories.
THE LAST ALPHA by Mark Wandrey. Zeke has a history in the earlier stories, and it's to provide some closure to that history that he appears on Earth in his old stomping grounds. This provides the best window on what has happened on Earth following First Contact.
BREACH OF CONTRACT by Terry Mixon. This story introduces us to the Peacemaker Guild, and the role they play in the complicated relationships between merchants and fighters. The contract MUST be treated with respect by all parties in order for the society to work; therefore, much effort is expended in disrespecting it. You can't always get justice. Sometime, you can get revenge.
PAINT THE SKY by Jason Cordova. Ideally, in a military organization, cooks and clerks are free to cook and clerk; artillery troopers fire from long distances, and medics load up with nothing but plasma, splints, and bandages. It rarely works that way in practice, and all too often, the guys who were only supposed to be operating a motor pool are memorialized by points of light in the night.
SURF AND TURF by Jon R. Osborne. Mercenaries make their home wherever they are, particularly when they have a history they want to forget. If they stay in one place long enough, the fights become personal, because they are now fighting for their homes. Everybody needs a home. Everybody needs family.
STAND ON IT by Kevin Ikenberry. An excellent story of layered betrayal by a relative newcomer. It's easy to forget just how worthless the rest of the universe thinks you are when you are fighting for your life, in all directions.
LOST AND FOUND by John Del Arroz. The most basic rule among mercenaries is : you must be loyal to your comrades. After that, loyalties to the paymaster and to citizens are negotiable.
GILDED CAGE by Kacey Ezell. This is, in my opinion, the CREEPIEST story in the book. The protagonist does all the wrong things for all the right reasons, and there is never any point at which a reasonable observer would shout "LOOK OUT! DON'T DO THAT!" It brings a different point of view to the understanding that humans have in the scheme of things in the new universe.
LEGENDS by Christopher Woods. A classic tale of the reluctant warrior, put into impossible situations by a fate that is at best indifferent, but usually hostile.
WITH THE EAGLES by Doug Dandridge. Okay, you want to talk about a hostile environment? THIS environment is worse than Australia. No kidding, WORSE than Australia! You only take a job like this because you have to. Try not to think of why no one else will do it.
DEAD OR ALIVE by PP Corcoran. The Peacemakers appear again, in an operation launched against those who would defy the mores of the collective, and those who support them. Hint: bad idea.
HIDE AND SEEK by Christopher Nuttall. SUCH a great dance between a spook, and administrator, and a government thug. Shows why the timid don't belong in a universe with sharp elbows.
INFORMATION OVERLOAD by Charity Ayres. Sigh. Sorry, I just didn't like this story. I thought too much of it took place in the undisclosed mental processes of the actors.
ENOUGH by Chris Kennedy. The unit is about to be eradicated. But WHY? There is NO hope without getting an answer to that question, and the new commander has to solve the problem as his men fight and die to give him time.
CASPER’S GHOST by Brad R. Torgersen. This story has some of the most vivid images in the book: armored humans, fighting a corrosive, super-hot environment, who are then attacked by what looks alarmingly like an allergic reaction by the planet.
May 24, 2018
Like all anthologies I've read, some stories work better than others. That being said, overall the quality was quite high. I'd feared when I first picked up the book that it would be full of infallible tough guys who waded through the enemy while gaining scars only suitable for showing off to fellow mercs at the local drinking hole. This turned out to be completely wrong. The variety of story told was actually quite varied. One even centered around a junkie given a second chance via the oddest sort of "savior". Several of the stories also involved individuals known as "Peacemakers". This organization is quite intriguing. I definitely plan on picking up additional books in the 4HU revolving around members of this organization which, for lack of a better definition, is a combination of a police force, investigative unit, and the Texas Rangers.
August 26, 2017
Another great addition to the Four Horsemen Universe (the 4HU). This is a series of short stories from 14 of todays best Sci Fi writers, all set in the 4HU. Most are about the work done by mercenary companies from Earth, but several are about Peacemakers, which will be further explored in Peacemaker by Kevin Ikenberry (out now).
I liked all the stories, even though several of them were simply too short, so I hope to read more of them in the sequels coming later this year. (Or possibly in separate novels)
mark and Chris have truely created a fantastic new universe filled with diverse aliens, authentic military mercenaries, and robot mecha. I really am excited to see where the future books are going to take us.
I liked all the stories, even though several of them were simply too short, so I hope to read more of them in the sequels coming later this year. (Or possibly in separate novels)
mark and Chris have truely created a fantastic new universe filled with diverse aliens, authentic military mercenaries, and robot mecha. I really am excited to see where the future books are going to take us.
October 8, 2018
A series of short stories covering the human mercs that roam the galaxy in this universe. Several of the stories are pretty good, although a couple really push the envelope on the whole 'blessed hero' trope. On a side note they really need to explain why CASPER battle armor is better than everyone elses. It's clearly superior in both durability and firepower, but it's not clear how the youngest merc race has achieved this.
April 18, 2019
Good anthology in a rapidly expanding shared universe
If you like military science fiction, it's hard to go wrong with the Four Horsemen books. The nature of the shared universe means that it is expanding and gaining depth with every release. The authors are GOOD, and an anthology like this means that you get a bunch of them in one place and an explosion of setting growth that is hard to achieve with a longer format story without sacrificing that story's focus.
If you like military science fiction, it's hard to go wrong with the Four Horsemen books. The nature of the shared universe means that it is expanding and gaining depth with every release. The authors are GOOD, and an anthology like this means that you get a bunch of them in one place and an explosion of setting growth that is hard to achieve with a longer format story without sacrificing that story's focus.
October 9, 2019
Usually, when I read an anthology, I expect to dislike some stories.
Here not so, they are all good, some are just better and a couple outstanding.
Really had a blast learning more about the 4 Horsemen Universe!
Last Story by Brad Torgersen was awesome, I also really enjoyed Kacey Ezell's story about the Depik assassin...And the story about the Peacemaker and ...
See what I am hinting at!!!
Don't begin reading in this universe, the books are very hard to put down!
Here not so, they are all good, some are just better and a couple outstanding.
Really had a blast learning more about the 4 Horsemen Universe!
Last Story by Brad Torgersen was awesome, I also really enjoyed Kacey Ezell's story about the Depik assassin...And the story about the Peacemaker and ...
See what I am hinting at!!!
Don't begin reading in this universe, the books are very hard to put down!
September 10, 2017
Great authors
Love the collection of authors used for this book. I really wish more serries would use the format of short stories and lots of authors. So much diversity of writing in a such a little package. This book is a great addition to the 4 horsemen universe and I'm happy i got to be introduced to new authors. Which I'm now reading there books
Love the collection of authors used for this book. I really wish more serries would use the format of short stories and lots of authors. So much diversity of writing in a such a little package. This book is a great addition to the 4 horsemen universe and I'm happy i got to be introduced to new authors. Which I'm now reading there books
October 18, 2017
Sorry for the lateness of this review, sometimes I have to take a break and read some classic westerns and preferably some well written nonfiction westerns. But I HAD to get back to my 4hu stories and this one is right up at the top. I highly recommend it. Thanks Chris and the numerous writers that made this an excellent book.
January 4, 2018
Pint size escapades!
The big thing about short stories is that they are only shorts! A good intro the the four horsemen universe but I prefer the full books, this collection intros you to characters but leaves you wanting more,it's like having a starter but not the main course!
However these are stories are worth reading! Next!!
The big thing about short stories is that they are only shorts! A good intro the the four horsemen universe but I prefer the full books, this collection intros you to characters but leaves you wanting more,it's like having a starter but not the main course!
However these are stories are worth reading! Next!!
April 19, 2018
A nice bundle of stories from the Kennedy/Wandrey Four Horsemen Universe. My favorites were The Last Alpha (Wandrey), Breach of Contract (Mixon), Stand on It (Ikenberry), Gilded Cage (Ezell), Hide and Seek (Nuttall), Information Overload (Ayres), Enough (Kennedy), and CASPer’s Ghost (Torgersen).
August 4, 2018
Good Stories fit right in!
There is a lot of great stories in here! I did get a little bored in the middle but I think because it’s like tv episodes where each story is a new battle scene kinda. I liked the last story, very unique and also add characters and background. You totally get to meet a peacemaker!
There is a lot of great stories in here! I did get a little bored in the middle but I think because it’s like tv episodes where each story is a new battle scene kinda. I liked the last story, very unique and also add characters and background. You totally get to meet a peacemaker!
November 16, 2020
Great action Sci-fi stories! They are more centered around mercenary type groups, and therefore the stories are a bit on the "pulp" action type more than deeply themed character-driven ones as you would find in Asimov's magazine. If you are looking for some cheap sci-fi thrills, this book is for you.
August 26, 2017
If you love the four horseman series you will enjoy this
I enjoyed the majority of the short stories in this book some took me a bit to get through as didn't enjoy as much but overall enjoyed the book
I enjoyed the majority of the short stories in this book some took me a bit to get through as didn't enjoy as much but overall enjoyed the book
September 25, 2017
I like the entire series but not really into short stories. Thoroughly enjoyed this book, have nothing bad to say about any of the stories and quite a few I would like to see more of the characters and their stories.
December 23, 2017
I really enjoy some of these short Sci-Fi stories done by different authors. Several of the authors in this collection I am familiar with, while several were new whom I will be looking for more of their work.
October 30, 2018
Great group of short stories built within this universe. I really appreciated the way the authors explored new dynamics within the universe, yet stayed true to the mindset and story within the Universe.
December 12, 2019
A bunch of fantastic short stories in the Four Horsemen universe, usually in this kind of book there will be a few of the short stories that aren't the best. All of these stories are well written and interesting and fill in the back story and provenance of the FH universe.
April 30, 2020
An awesome series of stories
Where to begin!! Each author does an excellent job with their story and making it mesh with the Four Horseman universe. On top of that their stories added to and expanded the universe! You need to read this book and the whole series!!!
Where to begin!! Each author does an excellent job with their story and making it mesh with the Four Horseman universe. On top of that their stories added to and expanded the universe! You need to read this book and the whole series!!!
December 26, 2020
This compilation was my introduction to the world of the "Four Horseman." I enjoyed all but 1 story because it did not grab my attention. The rest pulled me through and left me wanting more from each author.
So I guess it is back to the beginning to see what I have missed
So I guess it is back to the beginning to see what I have missed
Read
September 24, 2021Boys with guns
I couldn't finish this book, it seemed like every story was written by a sad little boy in his bedroom who had fantasies of being a space warrior. It's not for me, I guess that guns just don't arouse me enough to get off on these sad stories.
I couldn't finish this book, it seemed like every story was written by a sad little boy in his bedroom who had fantasies of being a space warrior. It's not for me, I guess that guns just don't arouse me enough to get off on these sad stories.
August 8, 2017
Wow
Any or all of these could spark new stories. Hell I want them to continue since you have just wet my appetite!!
Any or all of these could spark new stories. Hell I want them to continue since you have just wet my appetite!!
August 18, 2018
The first book was by far the best. Some of the stories had great potential.
May 12, 2019
All the stories are very good. Several are backstory -- memorably for Reow and for Dan Walker.
September 11, 2019
A very good collection of stories set in the Four Horsemen universe.
March 30, 2020
Hummmm!
Not a bad assortment of short stories. Nicely split,...Some really good, some really bad, the rest sort of just in the middle.
Not a bad assortment of short stories. Nicely split,...Some really good, some really bad, the rest sort of just in the middle.
July 22, 2020
Havuing read several novels in the 4 Horsemen storyline, seeing some of the power characters in their earlier adventures is kind of fun.
November 10, 2020
A pleasing set of stories by a variety of authors all based in the same fictional universe. If you like robots, fighting and exotic planets, there is plenty to love here.
December 3, 2020
POv writing
This is a really good anthology that can be a good I troduction to the Four Horsemen universe. The writing is of high quality and represents various points of veiw.
This is a really good anthology that can be a good I troduction to the Four Horsemen universe. The writing is of high quality and represents various points of veiw.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews