What do you think?
Rate this book
The Maxwell Saga #1
Take the Star Road
Nineteen-year-old Steve Maxwell just wants to get his feet on the star road to find a better homeworld. By facing down Lotus Tong thugs, he earns an opportunity to become a spacer apprentice on a merchant spaceship, leaving the corruption and crime of Earth behind. Sure, he needs to prove himself to an older, tight-knit crew, but how bad can it be if he keeps his head down and the decks clean?
He never counted on the interstellar trade routes having their own problems, from local wars to plagues of pirates - and the jade in his luggage is hotter than a neutron star. Steve's left a word of troubles behind, only to find a galaxy of them ahead...
He never counted on the interstellar trade routes having their own problems, from local wars to plagues of pirates - and the jade in his luggage is hotter than a neutron star. Steve's left a word of troubles behind, only to find a galaxy of them ahead...
293 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 13, 2013
79 people are currently reading
300 people want to read
About the author
Peter Grant
17 books60 followersPeter Grant was born in South Africa in 1958. The state censor board did not allow television until 1973, and his parents didn't get one until 1974. So he grew up with books. Lots of books. He started out after school as a military man, moved into commercial information technology, and assisted with humanitarian work during South Africa's prolonged civil unrest that led to the end of apartheid in 1994.
After having been all over Africa, he emigrated to the USA in 1997, where there were far more English-language books, and more access to the internet. He married a pilot from Alaska and settled in Tennessee.
After having been all over Africa, he emigrated to the USA in 1997, where there were far more English-language books, and more access to the internet. He married a pilot from Alaska and settled in Tennessee.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
July 9, 2013
An excellent read, and one I can whole-heartedly recommend to anyone who enjoys classic Science Fiction. A strong, straighfoward plot, well-developed, likeable characters, and fun action all blend with plenty of detailed descriptions of star ships, interstellar trade, and space piracy to create a book I didn't want to put down. Reminiscent to me of the best of David Weber, before the bloat got his books, the young protagonist will be back in other books and I am going to enjoy watching his adventures for some time to come.
January 6, 2018
(did not finish)
Peter Grant's Take the Star Road (which isn't strictly mil/sci/fi but close enough).
Chapter 1: an okay fight scene dominates. not great and a little Mary Sue--but don't worry our scrappy new protagonist who has never done anything is only the 2nd highest Karate master level/sword and blade expert. So totally not Mary Sue.
Chapter 2: weak exposition getting some chess pieces in place to move the plot to the part where we want it. mostly could be skipped.
Chapter 3: this gem : "I can't blame him for that, of course. Earth's become a stinking, socialist, statist hell-hole! If I wasn't making so much money here, I'd ship out tomorrow and make a fresh start somewhere else myself."
Followed shortly by this gem, ""Sir, I want to live in a place where I can decide for myself what I want to do, and where I want to go, and how I want to live, without having to get some bureaucrat's permission first - not to mention pay him a bribe before he'll give it!"
Followed shortly by this gem, "I'd like to get to the Lancastrian Commonwealth... I like its emphasis on individual rights and responsibilities, and limited government. It sounds a lot like what the former United States was said to have been before the statists ruined it."
I stopped reading there.
Let's say I was going to give your childish libertarian fantasy a chance, Mr. Grant, and maybe I've got some libertarian leanings on some issues. And even if I credited the word statist as having meaning. You've lost me.
If this system is actually better, then find a way to make the plot/story/character live it not shove it down our throats like a Cato Institute podcast. Or at least have the courage to use Social Justice Warrior as a pejorative early on so that I can have wasted less time with your book.
Peter Grant's Take the Star Road (which isn't strictly mil/sci/fi but close enough).
Chapter 1: an okay fight scene dominates. not great and a little Mary Sue--but don't worry our scrappy new protagonist who has never done anything is only the 2nd highest Karate master level/sword and blade expert. So totally not Mary Sue.
Chapter 2: weak exposition getting some chess pieces in place to move the plot to the part where we want it. mostly could be skipped.
Chapter 3: this gem : "I can't blame him for that, of course. Earth's become a stinking, socialist, statist hell-hole! If I wasn't making so much money here, I'd ship out tomorrow and make a fresh start somewhere else myself."
Followed shortly by this gem, ""Sir, I want to live in a place where I can decide for myself what I want to do, and where I want to go, and how I want to live, without having to get some bureaucrat's permission first - not to mention pay him a bribe before he'll give it!"
Followed shortly by this gem, "I'd like to get to the Lancastrian Commonwealth... I like its emphasis on individual rights and responsibilities, and limited government. It sounds a lot like what the former United States was said to have been before the statists ruined it."
I stopped reading there.
Let's say I was going to give your childish libertarian fantasy a chance, Mr. Grant, and maybe I've got some libertarian leanings on some issues. And even if I credited the word statist as having meaning. You've lost me.
If this system is actually better, then find a way to make the plot/story/character live it not shove it down our throats like a Cato Institute podcast. Or at least have the courage to use Social Justice Warrior as a pejorative early on so that I can have wasted less time with your book.
June 9, 2014
Writing good dialogue is difficult; telling a story through dialogue is even more difficult. I didn't really realize this until reading this story. Grant follows a common theme in space opera; orphan finds his way among the stars, learns from a father-figure mentor who dies in the fourth act, hero vows to continue the fight for justice. This version adds the hero has a black belt in karate, an honor debt from a galactic criminal organization and the luck of the damned.
The next book has higher ratings, and the story was interesting enough to try another book. If you want a better version of this theme (without the karate and Obi-Wan dying in the fourth act) look to Nathan Lowell's "Trader Tales" series.
The next book has higher ratings, and the story was interesting enough to try another book. If you want a better version of this theme (without the karate and Obi-Wan dying in the fourth act) look to Nathan Lowell's "Trader Tales" series.
May 16, 2019
Take the Star Road (The Maxwell Saga Book 1) by Peter Grant
This novel is billed as being on par with Heinlein's juvenile series of novels and I can almost reconcile how that comes about. There are a number of problems with that assessment that I feel must be addressed. In all I enjoyed the story and the writing; but felt in many ways that this falls short of what it could be by some simple style choices. These same choices seem to be what would begin to distance this reader from comparing it to the Heinlein that I remember. There is room for thought that others might find the assessment of this work to be spot on; so I think as usual that it is best for future readers to make their own judgment. Of course to that end for some it might involve having to acquaint themselves with Heinlein's work.
To begin one thing that does hold true to Heinlein is the treatment of women in the novel is indicative of the expected treatment of someone writing back in the late fifties and early sixties. I'm not sure that is much of an endorsement though.
Steve Maxwell is an orphan. He's lived a rough life-from the sound of it-and has become seriously disillusioned of Earths government and is now working as a dishwasher on a space terminal with the hopes that he can scratch together enough funds to continue his education to a point he can qualify to work aboard a space vessel to reach the Commonweath: where he might hope to work to become a citizen. Steve has a certain moral ethics that is quite outstanding; but we don't learn this so much from him or from watching him as we do from having characters tell us this. We don't get close enough to Steve to really be able to examine this and this for me caused some puzzling incongruities. Steve is loyal and trustworthy and hardworking and he also holds title to second dan in karate. We learn all of this in the first chapter-along with a few other things. Almost enough to say we know everything we need to know just in that chapter alone.
Steve is near destitute while working for Louie in a saloon that caters to spacers and is at least a close connection to Steve's pursuits. Louie is not just a successful business man; but he is someone who has ties to the shady Dragon Tong who control this sector. The Lotus Tong mean to move in-apparently oblivious to the hornet’s nest they are stepping into-and they put pressure on Louie; who blows them off, resulting in them attacking Louie while Steve is still around and has a chance to display his talent and save his employer and endear himself to the Dragon Tong who consider Louis an irreplaceable resource. This also results in a reward removing that period of destitution; and indebtedness of his employer who will help facilitate his career with the Commonwealth. This is also the first time Steve has been involved in killing someone.
This covers a majority of the plot and a reader could almost skip to the last few chapters. I wouldn't personally recommend that; because for me it's the journey ( not the start point and destination) that counts. And there are still some things the reader has to learn about Steve and there is this puzzle about his seeming moral stance mentioned earlier and his easy acceptance of the forsaking of proper authority while allowing the Dragon Tong to administer their own justice to the Lotus Tong. And this will eventually lead to a bit more trouble for Steve before he leaves the Terminal for his career in space. But that misfortune will result in the fortune of obtaining an item that will become important later.
In many ways as a reader I was seeing more similarities to Voltair's Candide than to Heinlein's works. (In fact I reread Candide because of this.)Steve is rather naive, or at least seems that way; and that condition causes some discomfort that often results in unexpected fortune. The main difference between Steve and Candide is that Steve never really suffers as much physically. Morally Steve seems to be walking the fence between the pristine Commonweath he wants to join and the seedy underworld of the Dragon Tong without much thought that those two might conflict with each other somewhere down the line. But before that we must face the incongruity between his morals and his ending up in bed with his bosses girlfriend. This is passed off as something similar to the old trope about the big sendoff of the young soldier heading to boot camp and to battle. Only in this case Steve is heading toward everything good that he's imagined for his life.
The middle part of the novel becomes an even paced story-maybe too even paced. Throughout Steve has a favorite phrase that signals a bit of something that becomes too obvious: eventually. It varies a bit from; I hear; to I see; to the most favored of-I get it. What this signals is the completion of a long dialogue that begins in the form of the old ‘as you know’ or ‘as you should know’ or ‘let me explain’. If you’re a fan of dialogue, that’s good; because with this formula you get a lot of it. The middle of this book is a lot of world building where you will get a lot of science of this universe and how things work and even the structure of the hierarchy of crew on space ships and some of the military of the Commonwealth. All accomplished through dialogue. Because of that we lack in narrative that might bring us close to Steve. Lacking some in the five senses and mostly in any expressions that might confirm what we are led to believe about his morality, which we are mostly to take for granted through what others express and some face value. That is where the problem arises because we don't know exactly how he feels having to be closely allied with the Dragon Tong and looking to join the Commonwealth while maintaining his sense of morality.
I'm hoping; perhaps some of this will show up better in the future stories of this series.
Still: This is a good story overall and a great beginning to a new series that promises to open a whole new world or universe for us as Steve matures. If I have any complaint it might be that there is a point, when you read this you will see, where Steve seems to take a sharp turn from naive to some bit of too much cunning as he begins to try to steer developments between him and the Dragon Tong. So far the Commonwealth has either been oblivious to his Dragon Tong connection or they don't perceive it as a problem and we really don't know what Steve is thinking and once again at best we can hope that the next few stories will begin sorting that all out.
I'd love to give this four or five stars; but it faltered for me and as usual it could be chalked up to not enough character development in regards to getting up close and personal with the main character, which is my personal preference.
Great SFF and good for YA though there might be some moral ripples to work through and though we get a lot of ‘science’ I’m not sure it is that important to the story.
J.L. Dobias
This novel is billed as being on par with Heinlein's juvenile series of novels and I can almost reconcile how that comes about. There are a number of problems with that assessment that I feel must be addressed. In all I enjoyed the story and the writing; but felt in many ways that this falls short of what it could be by some simple style choices. These same choices seem to be what would begin to distance this reader from comparing it to the Heinlein that I remember. There is room for thought that others might find the assessment of this work to be spot on; so I think as usual that it is best for future readers to make their own judgment. Of course to that end for some it might involve having to acquaint themselves with Heinlein's work.
To begin one thing that does hold true to Heinlein is the treatment of women in the novel is indicative of the expected treatment of someone writing back in the late fifties and early sixties. I'm not sure that is much of an endorsement though.
Steve Maxwell is an orphan. He's lived a rough life-from the sound of it-and has become seriously disillusioned of Earths government and is now working as a dishwasher on a space terminal with the hopes that he can scratch together enough funds to continue his education to a point he can qualify to work aboard a space vessel to reach the Commonweath: where he might hope to work to become a citizen. Steve has a certain moral ethics that is quite outstanding; but we don't learn this so much from him or from watching him as we do from having characters tell us this. We don't get close enough to Steve to really be able to examine this and this for me caused some puzzling incongruities. Steve is loyal and trustworthy and hardworking and he also holds title to second dan in karate. We learn all of this in the first chapter-along with a few other things. Almost enough to say we know everything we need to know just in that chapter alone.
Steve is near destitute while working for Louie in a saloon that caters to spacers and is at least a close connection to Steve's pursuits. Louie is not just a successful business man; but he is someone who has ties to the shady Dragon Tong who control this sector. The Lotus Tong mean to move in-apparently oblivious to the hornet’s nest they are stepping into-and they put pressure on Louie; who blows them off, resulting in them attacking Louie while Steve is still around and has a chance to display his talent and save his employer and endear himself to the Dragon Tong who consider Louis an irreplaceable resource. This also results in a reward removing that period of destitution; and indebtedness of his employer who will help facilitate his career with the Commonwealth. This is also the first time Steve has been involved in killing someone.
This covers a majority of the plot and a reader could almost skip to the last few chapters. I wouldn't personally recommend that; because for me it's the journey ( not the start point and destination) that counts. And there are still some things the reader has to learn about Steve and there is this puzzle about his seeming moral stance mentioned earlier and his easy acceptance of the forsaking of proper authority while allowing the Dragon Tong to administer their own justice to the Lotus Tong. And this will eventually lead to a bit more trouble for Steve before he leaves the Terminal for his career in space. But that misfortune will result in the fortune of obtaining an item that will become important later.
In many ways as a reader I was seeing more similarities to Voltair's Candide than to Heinlein's works. (In fact I reread Candide because of this.)Steve is rather naive, or at least seems that way; and that condition causes some discomfort that often results in unexpected fortune. The main difference between Steve and Candide is that Steve never really suffers as much physically. Morally Steve seems to be walking the fence between the pristine Commonweath he wants to join and the seedy underworld of the Dragon Tong without much thought that those two might conflict with each other somewhere down the line. But before that we must face the incongruity between his morals and his ending up in bed with his bosses girlfriend. This is passed off as something similar to the old trope about the big sendoff of the young soldier heading to boot camp and to battle. Only in this case Steve is heading toward everything good that he's imagined for his life.
The middle part of the novel becomes an even paced story-maybe too even paced. Throughout Steve has a favorite phrase that signals a bit of something that becomes too obvious: eventually. It varies a bit from; I hear; to I see; to the most favored of-I get it. What this signals is the completion of a long dialogue that begins in the form of the old ‘as you know’ or ‘as you should know’ or ‘let me explain’. If you’re a fan of dialogue, that’s good; because with this formula you get a lot of it. The middle of this book is a lot of world building where you will get a lot of science of this universe and how things work and even the structure of the hierarchy of crew on space ships and some of the military of the Commonwealth. All accomplished through dialogue. Because of that we lack in narrative that might bring us close to Steve. Lacking some in the five senses and mostly in any expressions that might confirm what we are led to believe about his morality, which we are mostly to take for granted through what others express and some face value. That is where the problem arises because we don't know exactly how he feels having to be closely allied with the Dragon Tong and looking to join the Commonwealth while maintaining his sense of morality.
I'm hoping; perhaps some of this will show up better in the future stories of this series.
Still: This is a good story overall and a great beginning to a new series that promises to open a whole new world or universe for us as Steve matures. If I have any complaint it might be that there is a point, when you read this you will see, where Steve seems to take a sharp turn from naive to some bit of too much cunning as he begins to try to steer developments between him and the Dragon Tong. So far the Commonwealth has either been oblivious to his Dragon Tong connection or they don't perceive it as a problem and we really don't know what Steve is thinking and once again at best we can hope that the next few stories will begin sorting that all out.
I'd love to give this four or five stars; but it faltered for me and as usual it could be chalked up to not enough character development in regards to getting up close and personal with the main character, which is my personal preference.
Great SFF and good for YA though there might be some moral ripples to work through and though we get a lot of ‘science’ I’m not sure it is that important to the story.
J.L. Dobias
February 12, 2014
This was so much fun! We follow a young character, Steve Maxwell, from his humble beginnings as a restaurant busboy and dishwasher, through a number of dire circumstances where he keeps landing on his feet and finding a new rung on the ladder toward success. There isn't a complete conclusion to his ascending path, of course, because this is a Saga, and this is merely the first installment.
The story takes the form of a number of vignettes -- action sequences that create movement in Steve's progression -- typically situations where the clever young fellow proves his worth to the people around him. I was on the fence about whether it was too much wish-fulfillment in one character, but I enjoyed the story so I decided that even if it was a little over the top, it was worth reading regardless.
His entanglement with the Dragon Tong and the mysterious jade knife is an interesting hint of where things may go in future installments of the story (which I immediately sought out). Definitely a fun-filled hero story in a plausible spacegoing future!
The story takes the form of a number of vignettes -- action sequences that create movement in Steve's progression -- typically situations where the clever young fellow proves his worth to the people around him. I was on the fence about whether it was too much wish-fulfillment in one character, but I enjoyed the story so I decided that even if it was a little over the top, it was worth reading regardless.
His entanglement with the Dragon Tong and the mysterious jade knife is an interesting hint of where things may go in future installments of the story (which I immediately sought out). Definitely a fun-filled hero story in a plausible spacegoing future!
July 20, 2025
I have this book and the series marked at 5 stars.. And i would stand by that.
But i have to also not recommend this book series to anyone. For one simple reason. The author does not seem to have any intention on finishing the series. None.. Zero... Nada
Its a real shame
(update.. 2023)
Its now been 7 years since the last book.......... And i am really sad to see that the story seems dead.
....
Update jul 2025 still nothing....sigh
But i have to also not recommend this book series to anyone. For one simple reason. The author does not seem to have any intention on finishing the series. None.. Zero... Nada
Its a real shame
(update.. 2023)
Its now been 7 years since the last book.......... And i am really sad to see that the story seems dead.
....
Update jul 2025 still nothing....sigh
August 18, 2014
I would say this is YA except for the sex and drinking. Extremely juvenile plot. The main character is beyond lucky and all of his exploits working out just right with accolades and people fawning over him - yuck. Trite in the extreme. I cannot believe all of the 5 stars. Firefly meets Star Wars - are you kidding me? I accidentally bought another Peter Grant - yikes. Skip It!
June 7, 2020
space opera. not great but interesting enough that I will buy the sequel.
Read
November 18, 2020Peter Granthas written his first science fiction novel, and I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by it. Sarah Hoyt's blurb says, "evocative of Heinlein" and I have to agree that it reminds me a bit of some of his earlier young adult novels, both in theme and execution, such as Between Planets, The Star Beast, or Starman Jones, perhaps, but also is full of technical details in a manner reminiscent of Allen Steele's Clarke County, Space or Orbital Decay.
Steve Maxwell, the young protagonist, seems to be one of those folks who can fall in a pile of crap and come out smelling like a rose. The story begins when he and his employer are attacked by several members of a criminal tong, and Steve disables several of them quickly with his martial arts skills, which he acquired while defending himself from bullies in the orphanage where he was left after the death of his parents. Though he has only been doing temp work, his employer is grateful enough for Steve's help that he gives him a full time job as a server in his tavern, and sets him up with a meeting with the bosun's mate of a space ship when the opportunity arises, so that Steve can fulfill his dream of being a spacer, himself.
From that point, things proceed somewhat inexorably, given Steve's good character and strong work ethic, as he learns new skills and is rapidly promoted. Grant uses Steve's innocent eager questions as springboards for a metric ton of exposition about everything from the way space ships make their way through hyperspace to the traditions of the space navy and the history of Earth and its colonies. It works, but occasionally I was left wishing for a little less explanation and a touch more action.
It wasn't a page-turner, which kept me up past my bedtime, but it was a good solid read for a couple evenings' entertainment, and I'd certainly pick up the sequel, when Grant gets around to publishing it. Any and all sex and violence were strictly PG rated, and the lessons that Steve and readers of the book will learn are those of the traditional American mom and apple pie variety.
Steve Maxwell, the young protagonist, seems to be one of those folks who can fall in a pile of crap and come out smelling like a rose. The story begins when he and his employer are attacked by several members of a criminal tong, and Steve disables several of them quickly with his martial arts skills, which he acquired while defending himself from bullies in the orphanage where he was left after the death of his parents. Though he has only been doing temp work, his employer is grateful enough for Steve's help that he gives him a full time job as a server in his tavern, and sets him up with a meeting with the bosun's mate of a space ship when the opportunity arises, so that Steve can fulfill his dream of being a spacer, himself.
From that point, things proceed somewhat inexorably, given Steve's good character and strong work ethic, as he learns new skills and is rapidly promoted. Grant uses Steve's innocent eager questions as springboards for a metric ton of exposition about everything from the way space ships make their way through hyperspace to the traditions of the space navy and the history of Earth and its colonies. It works, but occasionally I was left wishing for a little less explanation and a touch more action.
It wasn't a page-turner, which kept me up past my bedtime, but it was a good solid read for a couple evenings' entertainment, and I'd certainly pick up the sequel, when Grant gets around to publishing it. Any and all sex and violence were strictly PG rated, and the lessons that Steve and readers of the book will learn are those of the traditional American mom and apple pie variety.
November 14, 2017
A 19 year old orphan gets his dream of going into space so he can immigrate to a new political polity. He's a Mary Sue who managed without parental or financial support to get a black belt in karate and enough post-secondary education to be able to get a coveted post as apprentice on a spaceship. He gets the post after helping his boss survive an attack and his boss recommends him to a spacefaring business acquaintance. Steve pays back his boss by having sex with his boss's girlfriend. Before leaving, Steve is ambushed and in the course of defending himself, kills a man. Instead of reporting it to the authorities he's fine with covering it up. Thus, Steve goes into space.
This is the first book in a saga with Steve on a hero's journey. Steve is suppose to have high principles but his behaviour before even leaving on a ship contradicts that portrayal.
I found the plot formulaic. Nothing wrong with that but for me the execution was insipid. Trying to tell the story through dialogue was tedious in the extreme. The sci-fi in this sci-fi book was bland. So for me there was nothing that stood out in the plot, the writing was poor and the characters trite and I could not get invested their fate. I'll try the next one to see if things improve because I like this kind story. I just didn't find this one well done.
This is the first book in a saga with Steve on a hero's journey. Steve is suppose to have high principles but his behaviour before even leaving on a ship contradicts that portrayal.
I found the plot formulaic. Nothing wrong with that but for me the execution was insipid. Trying to tell the story through dialogue was tedious in the extreme. The sci-fi in this sci-fi book was bland. So for me there was nothing that stood out in the plot, the writing was poor and the characters trite and I could not get invested their fate. I'll try the next one to see if things improve because I like this kind story. I just didn't find this one well done.
September 20, 2017
This isn't your typical space science fiction novel filled with interstellar shoot ups and conflicts against other races or civilizations, although there is one skirmish with space pirates, but it focuses in on the life of a few lower-level characters as they travel through space. It has charm and appeal, with good interplay between the characters, and is more of a coming of age novel I enjoyed reading.
If you're looking for the space battles and conflicts that are typically in the best-selling ranks of the science fiction category, you will be disappointed. However, if you are looking for a good tale to read, this one should be on your reading list. I'm off to buy the second one in the series.
If you're looking for the space battles and conflicts that are typically in the best-selling ranks of the science fiction category, you will be disappointed. However, if you are looking for a good tale to read, this one should be on your reading list. I'm off to buy the second one in the series.
August 19, 2019
Reminiscent of early scifi young adult books
Main character has the wisdom of an old man, the foresight of a crone, and is so effin lucky that you almost die from the saccharine overdose. I read the whole dang thing, foreshadowing and over explaining seems to be about half of every chapter. Yeah... got it... character is total MarySue and saves the day every time. So many tropes in one book... orphan ninja genius fights for good against criminal elements and joins the (space) Navy to fight pirates. And is instantly accepted and lauded everywhere.
Got up to 3 stars because he only got the 1 gal instead of sleeping his way across the universe.
Main character has the wisdom of an old man, the foresight of a crone, and is so effin lucky that you almost die from the saccharine overdose. I read the whole dang thing, foreshadowing and over explaining seems to be about half of every chapter. Yeah... got it... character is total MarySue and saves the day every time. So many tropes in one book... orphan ninja genius fights for good against criminal elements and joins the (space) Navy to fight pirates. And is instantly accepted and lauded everywhere.
Got up to 3 stars because he only got the 1 gal instead of sleeping his way across the universe.
December 13, 2016
Well Done
I am a sucker for the hero's journey. This book was well written and kept the sex and politics to a low level. I read these books to escape the ugliness of the world and do not want pages of exposition detailing all the ills of the world , nor do I want paragraphs of descriptive sex. I know and accept love, lust, and pain and death are a part of life and this writer focus on the journey and I appreciate this. I look forward to the further adventures of Steve as he makes his way in the universe.
I am a sucker for the hero's journey. This book was well written and kept the sex and politics to a low level. I read these books to escape the ugliness of the world and do not want pages of exposition detailing all the ills of the world , nor do I want paragraphs of descriptive sex. I know and accept love, lust, and pain and death are a part of life and this writer focus on the journey and I appreciate this. I look forward to the further adventures of Steve as he makes his way in the universe.
December 4, 2021
Read the Ames series, must admit that I've loved westerns since childhood, and that led me to the Maxwell book. Big trepidation because it's supposedly a YA which is not at all what I read. But willing to take a chance as back when Asimov, Heinlein and the other represented SciFi it was my favorite genre. I really liked it and yes I think most of us know of an individual who seems to always be in the right place at the right time. But I enjoyed it enough that I immediately bought the next. SciFi has been dead for so many years it was nice to see something that wasn't fantasy.
December 5, 2019
Steve Maxwell is 18 an orphan and working part-time in an orbital bar when he saves the boss' life. In gratitude, the boss helps him get his heart's desire - a birth on a starship as an apprentice. If he does well - and we know he will - he can get into the United Planets' fleet.
Steve is honest, hardworking, bound for good things with adventures along the way. An enjoyable first of a series - full of explanation as book ones tend to be - and I am reading book 2.
Steve is honest, hardworking, bound for good things with adventures along the way. An enjoyable first of a series - full of explanation as book ones tend to be - and I am reading book 2.
August 20, 2021
I think it's a fairly decent first effort by a new author. It has a lot of the hallmarks of a first book, but was still an interesting read. It is fairly accurate to say that it resembles a Heinlein juvenile book, down to the hyper-competent mary-sue style protagonist, but that really doesn't detract from the story much, and a lot of my favorite books have followed that pattern.
November 14, 2021
More Than Expected
Beginning as a simple seaman's (spaceman's) saga, The Star Road quickly moves from mere details to relationships, emotions, honor, and love. There are even snippets of wisdom interwoven. It is not what I expected but I am thrilled with what I got. I hope you enjoy it as much.
Beginning as a simple seaman's (spaceman's) saga, The Star Road quickly moves from mere details to relationships, emotions, honor, and love. There are even snippets of wisdom interwoven. It is not what I expected but I am thrilled with what I got. I hope you enjoy it as much.
August 26, 2020
A very good start
I picked up this book from the recommendations Amazon is always sending me. After so many months in quarantine I was running out of books to read. I enjoyed this book a lot, so I am going to buy the next one. I recommend it.
I picked up this book from the recommendations Amazon is always sending me. After so many months in quarantine I was running out of books to read. I enjoyed this book a lot, so I am going to buy the next one. I recommend it.
February 11, 2024
good kid until
I just want to read a book where we can have decent people. Spoiler…
He saves his boss, super great kid. Boss gives him money finds him job and kid sleeps with boss’s girlfriend right before he leave to go to new job. Sigh… oh well
I just want to read a book where we can have decent people. Spoiler…
He saves his boss, super great kid. Boss gives him money finds him job and kid sleeps with boss’s girlfriend right before he leave to go to new job. Sigh… oh well
November 6, 2025
Delightful!
It's delightful to discover another new "favorite author" in Peter Grant. His characters are made acquainted with thorough finesse so that I feel like I've made a new good friend in the character Steve Maxwell.
It's delightful to discover another new "favorite author" in Peter Grant. His characters are made acquainted with thorough finesse so that I feel like I've made a new good friend in the character Steve Maxwell.
December 16, 2016
Good book
Second time around in reading this book, I enjoyed it yet again. Now into book 2 I go to continue the journey
Second time around in reading this book, I enjoyed it yet again. Now into book 2 I go to continue the journey
September 21, 2017
Boring...
January 8, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. Stayed up all night reading it. Will I recommend it? Yes.
October 16, 2020
Excellent!
Mr. Grant, I've enjoyed your Western stories enough to re-read them. This series seems to be much the same. A good read, with lots of action.
Mr. Grant, I've enjoyed your Western stories enough to re-read them. This series seems to be much the same. A good read, with lots of action.
September 11, 2021
Great book.
Worth reading twice.
Since it is I will. A highly recommended book now I'm off to read book number 2.
Worth reading twice.
Since it is I will. A highly recommended book now I'm off to read book number 2.
May 21, 2017
This book introduced me to something new. That's the fact that it can be both good and bad for the same reason. It's the sugar case in the world of books. Sweets are bad for you, right? Yes, but they taste good. The sugar in this book is its writing style. Everything about it is wrong, yet everything is right. It's mostly delivered through dialogue. And nothing is shown but told, which I understand is sacrilege among writers and readers. And it's fantasy style of delivery with good dose of naivete. And yet... I found all this bag of something a complete pleasure. It's easy to get into, to follow, to stay focus even with outside distractions and it made me feel warm and cosy, which is good accomplishment for any book. I know it must be pushing some of my archetypal buttons for me to feel this way, like boyhood expectancy of what it will be like to grow up, but I don't care. I'm totally sold for the sequels, and I want them in audiobook format like this one is. Anybody knows if this is going to happen?
April 7, 2020
Good book so far up to chapter six. Your know, it reminds me a lot of the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper series in that the plot and characters so far, parallel those in the other. It is a good series having read all five now, yes there are five.🙂
March 1, 2017
Listened to this on audio and finished it real quick because I was stuck in traffic for 3 hours today! But that said, I didn't want to proverbially put this audiobook down. I started this book because I really enjoyed Grant's Brings The Lightning western novel last year, and saw that this had the same narrator.
In a lot of ways, the stories are similar. The main character takes off for a frontier to find his own path in life and freedom, becomes indispensable to his traveling companions and finds a bit of trouble along the way. Though the base plots are the same, the characters are differentiated enough and their situations are certainly different.
I enjoyed the whole set up for the future military service, the learning the procedures of being a space trader. In that way, it felt like Nathan Lowell's Quarter Share, another audio presentation I've enjoyed, but with a bit more action. Thoroughly enjoyable all the way around and would recommend to anyone who likes light space drama.
In a lot of ways, the stories are similar. The main character takes off for a frontier to find his own path in life and freedom, becomes indispensable to his traveling companions and finds a bit of trouble along the way. Though the base plots are the same, the characters are differentiated enough and their situations are certainly different.
I enjoyed the whole set up for the future military service, the learning the procedures of being a space trader. In that way, it felt like Nathan Lowell's Quarter Share, another audio presentation I've enjoyed, but with a bit more action. Thoroughly enjoyable all the way around and would recommend to anyone who likes light space drama.
November 4, 2017
I can't believe people read this trash and gave 2 or more stars. The high ratings made me lose faith in the system. I couldn't finish it. What an utter waste of time and paper. I want my money back.
February 12, 2017
I'm not sure what to write about this one. I liked it, I really did, but there are plenty of problems with the book.
First things first, there's a bit of a Heinlein-lite libertarian political tinge to the book, but it comes in discrete chunks so tap your Kindle a couple of times and you'll skip right past them. And you might be forgiven for wondering about the author's opinions on race. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.
The hero of proceedings is orphan made good Steve Maxwell, who leaves Earth behind to travel to the stars on a Merchant freighter. He spends a lot of his time asking questions, getting lectures from older wiser crewmates, and saying "I get it" a lot. The rest of the time he spends being vaguely heroic and then handed piles of money, medals or lumps of jade from grateful authority figures.
The occasional bouts of action are usually ended quite quickly. And then the talky bits resume.
The story is entertaining enough. It's clear Grant has read a lot of Heinlein, or at least Heinlein knock-offs, in his time.
I'll probably give book two a shot.
First things first, there's a bit of a Heinlein-lite libertarian political tinge to the book, but it comes in discrete chunks so tap your Kindle a couple of times and you'll skip right past them. And you might be forgiven for wondering about the author's opinions on race. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.
The hero of proceedings is orphan made good Steve Maxwell, who leaves Earth behind to travel to the stars on a Merchant freighter. He spends a lot of his time asking questions, getting lectures from older wiser crewmates, and saying "I get it" a lot. The rest of the time he spends being vaguely heroic and then handed piles of money, medals or lumps of jade from grateful authority figures.
The occasional bouts of action are usually ended quite quickly. And then the talky bits resume.
The story is entertaining enough. It's clear Grant has read a lot of Heinlein, or at least Heinlein knock-offs, in his time.
I'll probably give book two a shot.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews