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Carbon Chronicles #1

The Flight of the Kingfisher

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Smuggling is supposed to be the kind of job where you're in, you're out, and no one ever knew you were there.

Simple. Boring, even.

But that's only when you're doing it right.

Unfortunately, Avery and the rest of the crew of the Kingfisher have hit a snag, one in the form of a strange woman living in a hallway ceiling at Installation 23, and from there on out, it seems like they're ever only one jump ahead of the next guy looking to kill them. Increasingly enmeshed in complex politics and missing their blissful ignorance, the crew of the Kingfisher are going to have to make some hard decisions about what role they really want to play in galactic events, and just how far from their mundane world of weapons smuggling they're willing to venture.

Climb aboard. The flight of the Kingfisher is about to begin.

382 pages, Paperback

First published December 11, 2020

344 people are currently reading
190 people want to read

About the author

Chloe Garner

99 books133 followers

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5 stars
383 (54%)
4 stars
227 (32%)
3 stars
76 (10%)
2 stars
10 (1%)
1 star
4 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
Profile Image for Jen King.
43 reviews5 followers
June 13, 2022
Great start but not great end

The story starts with an interesting premise: a scrappy but skilled band of smugglers who are in every sense a family operating in an ethical grey zone. There were a lot of great ways for the story to unfold from there. Unfortunately one choice by the author undermined the whole story.

You see, this is not a skilled and scrappy band outfoxing their opponents. These are super heroes in a scifi costumes. The hacker in the group can disable a whole fleet of warships as well as a ln entire military installation. The fighters in the group can mow down entire squadrons of enemy troops. This is a super hero story in disguise and to me at least that broke the illusion of the world the author set up
1,633 reviews11 followers
February 13, 2026
4 stars. Not a bad take on the familiar "small spaceship crew is joined by mysterious Mary Sue-like super-soldier/assassin and embark on astounding adventures to save the galaxy".
Profile Image for papasteve.
821 reviews15 followers
April 18, 2023
A good/fun cast of characters. Good character development. Good relationship development. Good space opera action. Sad to see (in Chloe's estimation) humanity can get a lot worse than they are now.
Profile Image for Amanda.
64 reviews
July 18, 2022
It's an Adventure from Start to Finish... I Can't Wait to Read the Next Book!

This reminded me of "Firefly" with elements of Star Trek's "Picard" in absolutely fantastic ways!

I really enjoy a twist on the approach to being the good guys in worlds where there's a lot of gray - which is common in SciFi/Futuristic Galactic novels - & this drew me in right away.

I didn't feel like this was in any way a 'carbon copy' of others, but it definitely has the same kind of elements that make those stories wonderful.

The story is engaging, extremely well crafted, & creatively developed with just enough future tech details to assist the world building, but not make it 'too technical', despite how it's plot revolves around spaceships, AI, & space travel/communications.

There's many different elements that keep your interest from start to finish.

The crew (characters) are interesting, they continue to evolve/become more real, allowing you to get to know them. I’m looking forward to reading many more Carbon Chronicles stories!
Profile Image for The Mysterious Reader.
3,589 reviews66 followers
January 29, 2021
Ok, this review is going to be a bit disjointed. I loved the Firefly series, and to me this book has the same vibe even though it’s totally original and different. Doesn’t make sense, I know, but the bottom line is a great, totally exciting plot, superbly crafted characters, fantastic univers-building and wonderful writing. That’s all that really matters if you think of it. And that’s why this book is easy to highly recommend.
1,420 reviews1 follower
Read
July 20, 2022
Rating: 0

I wanted to like this story because of the main character but I knew that while I might finish the book, I would not go on to the next. I think that I understand the reasons for the five star ratings but they disappoint as much as the book does.

For an explanation of my attitude to Goodreads, see my review of either "Dark Horse", a really good story by Diener or Powers of the Earth (a ridiculous story) and the comments by Claes Rees, Jr/cgr710 (a self-identified NeoNazi and general racist).

GLORY TO UKRAINE !!!

Volpot and Jen King mention some of the book's major problems. The characters of the hero crew are all superheroes because of Reasons. Carbon is a totally damaged person but mention the ship crew as a family and all is corrected because it is the science fiction convention.

I will not waste my time addressing the dialogue, the other plot issues, word choice or writing skill. My expectations from even an adventure novel are different to that of many readers but the weaknesses in the book are obvious and accumulate. Pacing alone may be enough to put off many readers.

These are the norm for low effort science fiction, especially in Amazon's collection. The streaming services all offer some science fiction and the worst of their TV and films is still superior to their print counterparts. YouTube hosts many channels dedicated to bookish things and I discovered other channels catering to my other interests as well. I was introduced to the educational video sites through YouTube also. My first subscription was to Curiosity Stream/Nebula for a cost of $15 USD for the year and was well pleased. Some of my favorite channels are.

Second Thought, Tara Mooknee, Eleanor Morton, Some More News, Munecat, Novara Media, Tom Nicholas, Chloe Stafler, Karolina Zebrowska, Kings and Generals, Ben and Emily, The Juice Media, Swell Entertainment, Ship Happens, Dr Becky, What Vivi did next, Real Engineering, Lady knight the Brave, Hello Future Me, Beautifully Bookish Bethany, The Armchair Historian, Luetin09, The Great War, Between the Wars, The Cold War, Tank Archives, The Mindful Narrowboat, With Olivia, Cruising Alba, Cruising Crafts, Chugging Along, Holly the Cafe Boat, Sort of Interesting, Camper Vibe, Sabine Hossenfelder, Lindsey Stirling, Jessie Gender, Book Odyssey, Lady of the Library, Well deck Diaries, Half as Interesting, Mrs Betty Bower, casual Navigation, Neringa Rekaslute, Enby Reads, Merphy Napier, Hailey in Bookland, Renegade Cut, Austin McConnell, Elena Taber, Invicta, Quinn's Ideas, A Cup of Nicole, Autumn's Boutique, Traveling K, Tulia, Spark, Veely, Timeline, Mythic Concepts, Philosophy Tube, Lilly's expat life, Military Aviation History, Dan Davis History, Adult Wednesday Addams, Petrik Leo, Books with Emily Fox, We're in Hell, 2Cellos, Savage Daughter, The Snake Charmer, Prime of Midlife, The Welsh Viking.

I wish you a fantastic morning, a glorious afternoon, a cozy evening and a wonderful night.

Hope sustains always and forever.
Lore of the Dark Sisters
1 review
January 27, 2023
So far I have read three and a third of the four Carbon Chronicles books, and have mostly enjoyed them. The characters are interesting, though you never really get inside their heads to get to know them so they seem a little thin. And Plasma comes very close to being a teenage plot moppet, I’m not really sure what the point of adding her to the stories is. Perhaps the author is going on to the Plasma Chronicles next? At this point, to be honest, I would not read them . . . But anyway, the books are interesting once they get going, the capers seem plausible, I like the way the technology is handled (not too much detail about how things work), and I *love* Harper!
There are some editing issues with the books, though. Words being either left out or extra words added when they clearly don’t belong (. . . after they left they went to dinner after they left. . . .). But the biggest issue, and it has been in all four books now so I know it’s not just a one off, is the misuse of the word “discrete.” In all instances by context it should have been “discreet.” It is an issue that I have noticed for quite some time now, by several different authors. I assume it’s a spell check thing, because “discrete,” meaning “individually separate and distinct,” is obviously a real word. But in all cases the word that should have been used in The Carbon Chronicles was “discreet,” meaning “intentionally unobtrusive, or careful and circumspect in one’s speech.” Things like that throw me right out of the story, which ruins an otherwise enjoyable read.
Profile Image for WyoGal.
491 reviews
April 11, 2023
Excellent characters; plot pacing good until last third

The cast of characters in this story is very well developed and believable. The nuanced interactions are entertaining and would be fun to see in a movie. The small crew of the Kingfisher is memorable like that in Firefly and Guardians of the Galaxy. However, there were times when I had to reread to attribute dialog to the right character due to lack of clear speech tags. There are a few errors here and there, but they are minimally distracting. The plot develops with great tension and humor, but the pacing ratchets up toward the last third of the book so that it finishes too quickly and a bit too easily. Yes, there is a long shootout, similar to a video game, but the other characters needed some setbacks to add even more dramatic tension. There is quick, mostly non-graphic violence, brief references to human trafficking, some alcohol consumption, a bit of romance, and lots of fun techno geek speak. Overall, this is a great book for an armchair adventure with a focus on character arcs more than space or alien life.
Profile Image for Lena.
Author 6 books7 followers
January 10, 2024
I really liked this. Carbon was an interesting character with a complex background and served as basically a weapon. I love the little nugget of information about her past that were sprinkled throughout for a few nice reveals at the end that also left some questions for the future. The crew's interactions were good, and I loved Avery's way of talking/interacting. I didn't care for his attraction to Carbon because you could see it a mile away, but I'm glad it wasn't taken in a weird direction. There is a huge sense that everyone pairs off by the end of the book (or they will in the future) which annoyed me, but I liked the characters. Each one was completely different and offered different skills. The main plot was solid. I did find it interesting that Carbon is never presented as a POV character despite being the namesake of the series. I'm curious to see how she's going to develop, although I'm not looking forward to relationship stuff. I plan to check out the other books in the series.
Profile Image for Starr Perry.
475 reviews3 followers
August 8, 2025
Powerhouse

Reading has gone warp drive and beyond - love this a book! If you are a space opera reader, this could be a delight (it certainly was for me.)

Captain Monte, brother Avery and their tiny crew find a lost warrior in hiding and on the run, after she steals their disks and they track her down. When they discover Carbon, she is just trying to stay alive and slowly failing.

When they offer Carbon a short term ride on their ship to test crew for them.
She vehemently refuses, and slowly as they work together, discovering some shocking secrets based on a botched delivery job on their side, so much is slowly revealed and it’s FUN to watch the good guys win and the villains go down in flames!

A POWERHOUSE novel full of electrifying excitement, energy and and an absolutely worthwhile read
Profile Image for Eric Lard.
Author 5 books10 followers
March 24, 2022
Not sure what the title has to do with the story, but I did find that I enjoyed it thoroughly. I expected it to be more of a solo highlight on the main character, Carbon, but found that the action and intrigue really followed the whole crew of the Kingfisher and I was quite pleased by that. Fun, distinct, complex characters go on an afterburners-blazing joyride through greater and greater stakes, hopping from one system to the next and meeting interesting people, solving (and often creating) new problems along the way.
It's a good, well-crafted story and Garner's imagination pops with some of the tiny details experienced by her characters. They have flaws and it's often those flaws that direct them through the chaos. Really, a lot to like here.
Profile Image for Joseph Ezell.
19 reviews
March 4, 2023
An ex-military captain of a small crew and spaceship get tangled up in some bad predicaments. They take on a badass chick (Carbon) to help them deal with the "bad predicaments" as they jet around space.

Fun, but not the best Sci-Fi space adventure I've ever read. Definitely for fans of Young Adult (not a bad thing) science-fiction with plenty of adolescent-ish "I think she likes him" kind of dialog.

Very clean. Nothing gratuitous or dark - not even bad language.

The Flight of the Kingfisher by Chloe Garner is book one of the four-book Carbon Chronicles series. Not sure I'm sticking around to find out what kind of trouble they fall into next.
12 reviews1 follower
January 2, 2025
If you enjoyed 'Firefly', you'll like this!

This book is a well-written, fast-paced piece of har-core scifi ... and it's addictive.
If you enjoyed 'Firefly', with its quirky characters and complex milieu, you'll enjoy reading this. Not that it's a copy of those stories or universe; this book just "feels" similar and is enjoyable in the same way.
However, Carbon does seem like a less-insane River character ... but that's spoilers, so that's all I'll say ... except that I recommend this book.
287 reviews1 follower
October 1, 2022
Loved this

This.is straight up buddy crew adventure scifi. It feels really old school. I loved it! Garner is able to keep a very fast,often urgent pace up while still allowing her characters to develop. Her characters are strong and I personally like them without the romantic attachments she starts developing in this story. I'm hoping the next installment isn't ruined by a good sci-fi changing into a romance fantasy. Don't let me down, Chloe Garner.
Profile Image for Thomas.
2,739 reviews
August 5, 2023
Think Firefly meets The Transporter. A small interstellar transport crew is in the don’t-ask-don’t-tell-and-don’t-open-the-package business. Things go awry when Avery, their absent-minded engineer, loses a small package that is picked up by a no-nonsense warrior girl called Carbon. They adopt her into the crew to get the parcel back and are soon on the run from their irate client. The idea is derivative, but I have read many similar stories
23 reviews
December 29, 2023
A book for people who don’t really like military sci-fi.

I was pretty sure I’d hate this book…that I’d end up just deleting it from my library after 20 pages. BUT…it caught me! And wouldn’t let go! It’s got humor in with the fighting and very interesting characters…characters I’ve never experienced, and I’ve been reading in this genre for a VERY long time! Check it out and see for yourself. As for me? I’m jumping into the next book in the series!
Profile Image for Kiri Salazar.
72 reviews8 followers
October 24, 2025
Murderbot's Little Sister

I loved the book. It has great pacing and strong characters. It is an action-oriented space thriller with quirky, somewhat morally ambiguous delivery crew who stumble onto a space-opera sized secret. Finding out who the bad guys are isn't easy. Taking the down is nearly impossible. Read the book and have a front row seat to adventure and themayhem a crew of misfits can only dream of.
Profile Image for Daniel Cox.
124 reviews1 follower
December 18, 2020
Excellent Opening Bok in a New Series

This is just a placeholder until I can write the review of Chloe Father's "The Flight of the Kingfisher (Carbon Chronicles Book 1). It is a good read, with strong characters, realistic dialog, and a story that does not require much for the reader to suspend disbelief.
1,330 reviews2 followers
April 10, 2023
Overall premise was ok if not done fairly often. Just enough of a twist with Carbon's previous life to learn about. It seems all of the characters have previous lives and secrets. I hope there is more information provided in future books instead of just hints and a lack of answers to questions posed.
Profile Image for Tony Hisgett.
3,039 reviews37 followers
May 20, 2023
I found it a bit of a struggle to get into this book, I like to get a feel for the Universe and the main characters early in the story. It seemed the author was so intent on being mysteriously enigmatic she actually forgot to tell a coherent story.
This improves as the story progresses and in the end I really enjoyed the book.
590 reviews2 followers
June 9, 2023
Great book now on to the next min this series

I'm amazed that this author can write so many fantastic novels, I hope that She never stops writing. Her books are some of the best Entertainment I have read and worth the time to read them. Thank you for a very fun entertaining read.
Profile Image for Graham Bayfield.
27 reviews1 follower
January 17, 2026
You’ll be glad you read this

I’m not going to give away any plot lines. But the four main characters - no, five if we include the AI that inhabits the ship, are very well written. I really, REALLY hope that book 2 is already available. It’s not often an Unlimited book is so engrossing.
Profile Image for Sarah.
45 reviews6 followers
May 23, 2022
Yes.

I loved this story so much, it is genuinely the best book I’ve read in at least 2 years, and I read *hundreds* of books per year. Every character is so real, so interesting, and amazingly likable. I am looking forward to devouring the rest of the series.
21 reviews
January 1, 2023
Riveting story

The characters were all very interesting as individuals. The captain's backstory was fleshed out a little. The crew dynamics when Carbon joins become very interesting. I read until I fell asleep three nights running and read on the fourth until I finished it.
104 reviews
January 8, 2023
rather good

Another new scenario or it is from what I have read. But overall very good, new worlds, new threats, new hierarchies bit overall, looking good for the future. Well worth starting to read this series, hope you all like it as much as me.
3,323 reviews30 followers
March 23, 2023
The Flight of the Kingfisher

I admit much of the technical jargon was out of my league but the incredible characters are so excellent. The crew/family are so tight and yet they let an almost robotic woman into their lives.
217 reviews1 follower
October 24, 2023
Excellent military SF

Excellent world building. Excellent Craftsman.
If you like reading milsf you are likely to enjoy this.
Characters with complicated motives.

I don't give 5 stars to any writing except Nebula/Hugo winners.
Enjoy.
31 reviews
November 18, 2023
Make some time to read this book!

A great read I couldn't out down! It doesn't make your eyes glaze over with esterotic details of science, just enough to make it interesting. Action keeps you on the edge of your seat. Definitely going to get the next book!
2 reviews
December 28, 2024
I really like this author

This is my 5th Chloe Garner book. I really like her characters and her ability to keep things interesting. I loved Sarah Todd, but I might like Analise better by the end. Thanks for your hard work!
Profile Image for James Zimmerman.
165 reviews1 follower
January 3, 2021
What a concept

Fast paced and a real page turner. I enjoyed reading and watching the characters develop. Can't wait to read the next book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews

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