A stolen ship, a mission on the line, enemies at every turn...
After four months in hiding, Brendle Quin can't delay his mission any longer. His ship, the Replicade, is held together with failing patches, and he needs to make repairs in a port. Unfortunately, the nearest world with proper facilities is situated deep in Greshian-owned enemy territory.
The Greshian colony of Farax is a safe hold for piracy in the region, and none is more vile than Crase Tuin, a man known for trafficking people and weapons across the Alorian Galaxy. He has a reputation as the only pirate never to lose a ship—with the exception of the Replicade.
When Crase finds the Replicade, he vows to claim the lives of those who stole her. But Brendle won't go down without a fight.
Deadly Refuge is the second book in The Alorian Wars military space opera series for fans of "The Expanse", "Star Trek", and "Old Man’s War".
Drew Avera is a Navy veteran, musician, and the bestselling author of the Dead Planet series and the Alorian Wars.
He was born and raised in rural Mississippi and grew up with a deep affection for comic books and science fiction movies and television shows. At one point he boasted a comic book collection with more than 1,000 issues. His love for comics inspired him to pursue a career as a comic book artist, but an injury to his hand ended that dream permanently.
Still, he was inspired to create in one medium or the other. He picked up a guitar at fifteen years old and began writing songs almost immediately. That “obsession” as his parents called it put him on the path to rock stardom…in his bedroom.
It was when he turned sixteen and bought the novel “What Savage Beast” by Peter David (The Incredible Hulk) that he caught the bug to be a writer. Unfortunately, it would not come to fruition until fourteen years later.
Drew enlisted in the US Navy as an Aviation Electricians Mate at seventeen years old. He served twenty years and deployed on four combat deployments to the Persian Gulf. During those deployments he would spend his free time reading books. He loved reading books in a series and that inspired his journey to becoming a fiction author.
In November 2012, at the age of thirty, Drew began his journey as an author by participating in national Novel Writing Month (NANoWriMo). He published his first book in March of 2013 and the rest, as they say, is history. With more than twenty books published in the space opera, military science fiction, cyberpunk, and dystopian genres, he has built a backlog with something for everyone who enjoys science fiction adventures.
After retiring from the Navy, he began an exciting new career in the simulation field. Drew is now focusing his efforts on building upon what he learned in his first eight years of publishing. He has plans for an all-new space opera and military science fiction series as well as new collaborations with other writers.
In Deadly Refuge – book two of the Aloran Wars – we follow what became of our hapless band of survivors after they escaped the deadly clutches of the Greshian world destroyer, the GSS Teleran. Four months have passed, and Brendle Quin, Anki Paro, Deis and Malikea have settled in to their routine aboard the Replicade, a battered old warship that’s seen better days. And that’s the problem. The ship took a beating and is in sore need of repairs. Unfortunately for them, the nearest ‘suitable’ world with the parts and facilities they need is Farax – a gun-toting, stab-you-in-the-back colony, that the Greshian Empire would prefer never existed. And with good reason. The residents there are pond-life who would sell their own mothers and children if they thought it would profit them. It’s into this cutthroat world of black marketeering and piracy that the crew of the Replicade must descend, only to find it’s the very place where ghosts from the past can come come back to haunt you. What do I mean? Ah, you’ll have to follow the story to find out... But you’ll be glad you did, for Deadly Refuge is a fast-paced, enjoyable little romp that engages the reader and gets you rooting for the good guys. I particularly enjoyed the evolution of the established plot, as it added substance to the continuing story and creates just the right level of anticipation for what comes next. I guess I’ll be reading more! Those darn ghosts won’t stay buried.
Part two (2) of the story that began with Broken Worlds where our heroes make their way to a Pirate world for badly needed repairs to their bucket of bolts, known as the Replicade. Of course there is more than meets the eye with this former military scout, and the Pirate King of Ferax (aka Crase). If you have not done book one, I highly recommend you do that first (I started this book and got lost before going back and getting the first book). I still haven’t yet figured out why Deis and Malikea basically let Brendle and Anki take over the ship … but apparently they are all still friends as they hatch a plot to survive the port call that routinely makes Greshians disappear. Once again, the pacing at the start is almost painfully slow; although it does move, accelerating nicely for the last half of the book until it comes to an eventual, and inevitable, conclusion. With that in mind, I am interesting to see if that carries forward into the next book of the series.
The narration doesn’t really improve much from the first book; however, by now I am mostly use to it so it was not too difficult to enjoy.
I was given this free advance review/listener copy (ARC) audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
The continuation of Broken Worlds is just as good: great character development, great storytelling and an overall great space adventure with a human focus. I really got to appreciate the writing style of Drew Avera in the series so far and I think his ability to create genuine tension from the seemingly normal situation (no all out action fest here) is really what make his series stand out. The journey of the hodgepodge of a crew to simply have their ship repair and restock is totally engrossing and exciting without being over-the-top. I can't wait to read the next book and see what the author has in stock for them.
Audiobook: I enjoyed the 2nd book of "The Alorian Wars" series. The story was fast paced. The characters were varied and complicated. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. The only issue I had with this audiobook was that I didn't think that the narrator's oration reflected the seriousness of the story. Rebecca Sternberg's narration was distracting. Her voice was breathless. She paused too long at the end of the sentences. Her cadence was off and at times her voice would get high and excited, but the text was uneventful at the time. Her pronunciation was fine. I was given a free copy of the audiobook, and I have voluntarily posted this review.
Deadly Refuge: The Alorian Wars, Book 2 my sixth read/listen from author Drew Avera. Enjoyable space opera science fiction. I was given an Audible copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. The book was well-written & flowed smoothly & quickly. Throughout the book, I was constantly reminded of the darkest parts of Han Solo by Crase Tuin. I look forward to reading more from this author and in this series, in fact, Mutiny Rising: The Alorian Wars, Book 3 is next on my TBR list The book was well-narrated by Rebecca Sternberg. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).
Another great story! But with Avera you are not surprised, you grow to expect it. I love the fact that he never disappoints. As long as he keeps up the great work, I will be settled in a big lounge chair, enjoying his work. Avera has done it again! Another great ride, as long as Avera keeps writing, I will keep reading. If you love action and characters you can relate to, no matter what world they come from. Give this series a shot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was the second book telling of the travels of 4 friends and all the trials they went through. I thoroughly enjoyed this 2nd installment and I am very excited to read the next. I can't imagine how hard it must be to write a long, multi-room story and be able to come up with exciting escapades. I think anyone that likes space operas and series books about space will enjoy these as much as I have!
I really enjoy reading about Brendle and Anki. This time with their ship needing repairs they had for a planet. Unfortunately this one also has dangers what follows is a rollercoaster of an adventure. Definitely recommend
This writer made me feel part of the crew with anki quinn and the lechuns I really like this story line and will be going on to mutiny to see where the story goes I recommend this book its very good
More twist and turns in book two, the author keeps us on our toes. The Replicate needs supplies and repairs, but things never go as planned. Replicate crew have to fight once again for their lives, but help comes from a unexpected place.
I am so glad that I downloaded all three books. I love this action packed series. The characters are wonderful and anyone who likes sci-fi mystery will enjoy these books.