Roak

Roak: Galactic Bounty Hunter #1

by Jake Bible

There are thousands of bounty hunters across the galaxy. Solid professionals that take jobs based on the credits the bounties afford. They follow the letter of the law so they can maximize those credits.
Licensed, bonded, legal.
Then there's Roak.
Deadly, unstoppable, invisible.
No criminal or military records. No files or folders with his name on them. No cybernetic implants to track. No proof he even exists except for a reputation for getting the job done. Roak is the bounty hunter called when someone is looking for the opposite of licensed, bonded, legal.
Now someone has ignored his reputation and made a very big mistake.
Double-crossed and left to die, Roak survives and sets out to exact vengeance and get paid what he is owed.
But he's not unreasonable.
While his fee may have just gone up, the bloody, brutal revenge is on the house.

Genres: Science Fiction, Audiobook, Space Opera, Fiction, Action, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fantasy

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 3, 2016

About the author

Jake Bible, Bram Stoker Award nominated-novelist, short story writer, independent screenwriter, podcaster, and inventor of the Drabble Novel, has entertained thousands with his horror, sci/fi, thriller, and adventure tales. He reaches audiences of all ages with his uncanny ability to write a wide range of characters and genres.

Jake is the author of the bestselling Z-Burbia series set in Asheville, NC, the bestselling Salvage Merc One, the Apex Trilogy (DEAD MECH, The Americans, Metal and Ash) and the Mega series for Severed Press, as well as the YA zombie novel, Little Dead Man, the Bram Stoker Award nominated Teen horror novel, Intentional Haunting, the ScareScapes series, and the Reign of Four series for Permuted Press.

Find Jake at jakebible.com. Join him on Twitter @jakebible and find him on Facebook.

Reviews

[Kathleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t finish. Very gross. Unpleasant grisly bloody scenes. Entrails trailing..... Attacking someone with the jagged bones of a broken arm. Attacking someone with another’s fanged teeth. A kind woman murdered heinously while supposed hero could give a flying fuck....
What’s to like?

[Jennifer Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

A promising start to the series! Full of great action sequences, graphic violence, and interesting characters (of different alien species). The storyline has zero dull points, and keeps you turning the pages long after you’ve told yourself it’s time to stop reading and accomplish real-life responsibilities. Roak is the perfect anti-hero. Basically a good guy, that does bad things to people that deserve it. Sure, there are some undeserved casualties left in his wake, but anyone that really knows Roak, should know he comes with a with an implied hazard label, due to his profession.

[PJ Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pay up and walk away.

Pay the money owed and walk away, don't pay and Roak becomes a very unhappy man.
Roak isn't exactly a good guy but he isn't a bad guy either. He is a man with a code though and he cleaves his way across the galaxy in pursuit of justice, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake.
Bloody, gory, sometimes quite emotional, I loved this story from the gruesome beginning.
Another fantastic book from Mr Bible, Roak is my new hero.

[Trish R. · Rating 1 out of 5]

At chapter 11 I'm done. The bad guys cut a little boy's ear off, then cut off his thumb, then stabbed him in the chest and killed him. I can't enjoy that kind of shit.

According to my iPad there was a little sex and the F-bomb was used 1 time.

As for the narration: He SUCKED.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roak is an interstellar bounty hunter. He has returned from a job with the verified remains of his latest charge. He intends to receive his pay from Boss Teeg, a syndicate stooge with other plans. Boos Teeg decides he isn't going to pay and problems begin. He has his men try to kill Roak, who proves very hard to dispose of. He is wounded and needs to heal up a bit and then he goes full force after Teeg. He kills most of Teeg's men and doesn't find Teeg. He flees off world. Roak then is pulled into a bad place with a lawman who is part of the syndicate and who kills Roak's best friend and love interest, in bad ways. He ends up going through hell and back to find and dispose of Teeg.
There is way more meat to the meal of this book, though I won't spoil all the great stuff. The one liners and interesting characters, the backstabbing and violence are all part of this excellent novel.
I think my favorite part is just who Roak is and what you learn about him as the book unfolds. He has a personal code. All he wishes is for his pay to be given by Boss Teeg. No more or no less, just what was owed. He isn't greedy nor particularly wants to kill people, but they end up dying so Roak can live. In the later part of the book as the fruition of the plot has taken several turns, Roak ends up with high end fighter ship that has an AI called Hessa. She is very special and defies all the laws of how an AI is supposed to be subservient to Pilot and such. She is for sure her own intelligence and saves Roak at least twice, and also knits him back together when he almost is dead, again.
Overall this is a great book and I cannot wait to read mor of Mr. Bible's works. The fact he is from the town I live near I found to be kinda cool also!
This is a gritty science fiction tale that will make you turn the pages and devour the written words here. You cannot go wrong reading this one. It is a ride!

Danny

[Erin Penn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reaction after reading the Amazon Sampler at 10:00 pm
Roak begins with a bang. I am not sure I like the main character, but between the opening scene, his assurance (and knowledge of his limitations), his perseverance, and his honesty in the first four chapters, I want to get to know the character and so purchased the book after reading the Amazon sample. Mr. Bible has nailed how to get interested in a story and character.

When I first read the teaser about how the character is beat to a pulp and survives, I was like - sure, well, usually an extreme description - so I went looking. It's all there in the first four chapters. The book delivers on the book blurb. Now to see how the rest of it unfolds.

Reaction the next morning with the book done after reading until 3:00 am
So sleeping is optional when reading is involved. Have you ever noticed that? Especially for a rip-roaring action adventure. I think the book ended with more questions than answers. You understand Roak as a person with values by the end of the book, but have no clue about his history. And you sooooo want to know more, so it is fortunate it looks like the story may be a new series for Mr. Bible. Roak is a character to know ... through reading. Having him as a friend would be a bit, how to put it, explosive?

[Kay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gave up at 26%. Despite being a major Jake Bible fan since day one, from the start this book just rubbed me the wrong way, I just couldn't read any more of it, feel it smacks of star wars, even from the first pages, I tried to persevere but it didn't seem to get any better.

With that said maybe it's just me because I can stand star wars, and this is the first Jake Bible book that I haven't liked, so there is that I suppose!

[Wyatt Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review refers to the audiobook version. The narrator did a good job and was easy to follow.

Roak is an intergalactic bounty hunter and if people just paid him what they agreed to then there wouldn't be any problems. (It would also have been a very short book). The book starts with a crime boss not wanting to pay Roak for killing the person specified by the crime boss. Actually, Roak didn't kill him, he just found the guy dead and brought him back to the crime boss, but the crime boss had specified that he wanted Roak to bring the guy's dead body back to him. Roak had lived up to his end of the contract. The crime boss didn't want to pay because somebody else had impersonated the dead guy (although nobody knew that at the time they had agreed to the contract) and now the crime boss wanted this other person (whomever he might be) dead.
Roak thought this should be another contract. The crime boss disagreed. The rest of the story, with much mayhem and killing leads directly from this.

The story was very enjoyable, the characters were somewhat caricatures but also likeable (or detestable, as needed). There were some good sub-plots. The torture scene was a bit rough for sensitive folks but it fit in with the whole narrative.

I really enjoyed this book and will definitely follow this series.

I received a free copy of the audiobook (via freeaudiobookcodes.com) and chose to write a review

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

All around fun, very entertaining and enjoyable listen. The story pulls you from the start and keeps you listening until the end. The story is fast paced and constantly moving forward.

Full of action, suspense, violence, betrayal, humor, revenge and more. Great cast of character's.

Roak is the best at what he does. An intergalactic Bounty hunter. One with a well deserved reputation and a personal code of honor. Being a Bounty hunter is never an easy job. It's even worse when you've completed a job, want to be paid, and be on your way. Instead you are double crossed and left for dead. What's a guy to do? What any reasonable Bounty Hunter would do. Serve up some well deserved revenge while collecting his overdue pay.

Looking forward to more of Roak's bounty hunter adventure's.

Andrew B. Wehrlen did a fantastic job with the narration. Nice voice. Clearly spoken with a smooth even pace. Great character voices. Great tone and delivery. He was able to bring the characters and story to life. Very enjoyable.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher.

[Books With Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ‘meh, okay-ish’. I liked the concept, it had a lot of potential and I don’t mind graphic violence as long as it’s consistent with plot, character and story universe.

However I found this novel disappointing: a lot of he said, she said, he asked, she answered; not only that, but often also redundant with several completely unnecessary sentences in a conversation. A very tiresome style of writing.

Also, for a bounty hunter with a big reputation that keeps everyone on their toes and a bit scared, he gets beat up a lot, makes a lot of stupid decisions, and is all in all not very impressive at all. Moreover he was not very likable, and there was no comic relief either.

Often the writing style reminded me of a teenage boy or young man: lots of big ‘threatening’ talk by the protagonist, but not the actions to back it up.

The hook-up at the end of the novel came out of nowhere, felt very rushed and was also written like a teenager, off-putting and not believable at all; especially since there hadn’t been any romantic or sexual tension between him and the other person in an earlier scene.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roak

Roak was an interesting character. Not out for blood, just what he's owed. However it doesn't always work that way. He either gets his ass handed to him or he is the bone breaker. Either way he is a pretty badass character. I also loved all the different aliens in the book. Would love to know more about them. Would also appreciate some background information on how all these alien species came together in the first place. How far in the future is this set? How do all these species communicate? Is there a universal language? What about Roak's background? So many unanswered questions. I realise that answering them all would result in a super long book, that why i would like this to become a series and dig into the background, not just tell tales of Roak's adventures. All in all, this was a great story. Full of action, aliens, alien worlds, and even some humor. I would recommend this book to thrill seekers and sci-fi fans.

[Tony Hinde · Rating 3 out of 5]

If space adventure tropes annoy you then please avoid this novel. It ticks almost every box. Bad guys that never just kill the hero. A special A.I. that partners our man to crack security and provide any critical information needed. A hero that never misses and doesn't know the meaning of fear. Every government official is corrupt. There's also a heavy dose of the Bruce Willis effect... despite major injuries he just keeps charging the enemy.

It also occationally breaks the mold. Innocents actually die despite the hero's best efforts. Not every female character is a fem-fatale. Um... that's all really.

So, if you don't mind a pop-corn level action romp with zero cerebral strain... this may be the book for you.

[Dennis Crotts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started listening this auibal this morning and could not stop till it ended and I do recommend this audible. The reason I said meets the 1920's is because have hit men and women, mafia bosses, bounty hunters with many types of aliens and AI's. The simple basic ideal boy meets girl, boy does a bounty job and does not get paid and bounty hunter get mad and starts a hunt killing anyone who tries to stop him except the girl. It is a fun filled ride with gun battles, rockets ships and like I said varies alien lifeforms.
So for a good time check this

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a fan of the series and so picked this one up to help finish my collection , coming at it from the reverse order of listening i figured would be a bit boring but I actually liked how Roak started out and his usual attitude of i want my chits was still very enjoyable.
For those starting then this is a great series to listen to as Wehrlen does very well and their is quite a lot of books now made into audios to enjoy.

[RJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roak is double crossed by a client who refuses to pay for services rendered. The rest of the book is Roak tracking down the client that stiffed him and all the various situations he gets into on the journey. Not a bad book; witty writing with action here and there. I find it hard to credit this tale with four stars; three.point.five for the effort.

[Scooby Doo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light comic-book level reading but humorous enough to be entertaining. The hero goes from one jam to another escaping with cleverness or killing, and after a while it becomes repetitive. Saved by the varied cast of aliens from becoming boring the heroes strange version of a moral code is the backbone of the story.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roak is a bounty hunter who does the job, then expects to be paid. After not being paid for his latest job and being left for dead, Roak sets out to right this wrong. This is a good book, that does not take its self too seriously, Roak is an interesting character and will hopefully develop, with more back story in future books.

[Shawn Dvorak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roak is the bounty hunter's bounty hunter. He takes the hardest jobs, and lives by one simple rule: always get what's due to you. A fairly straightforward snuff job for a mob leader spirals into ever bigger challenges after his employer, Boss Teegg, stiffs Roak. It takes Roak a while (and a lot of violence) but eventually he squares his account with everyone.

[MICHAEL Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spaghetti Western in Space

ROAK: Galactic Bounty Hunter feels like the spaghetti western of old. I mean this in the best way possible. Risk is good with knives, guns and women. My favorite chapter involves beaver teeth as a weapon. Your gonna have to read the book to see what I mean.

[Alon Lankri · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5
Dnf 22%

The prose in this book is solid and the action is fun. But I just didn't get any real character motivation and slowly lost interest. It feels like a child imagining a cool world and hiring an author to show it off without thinking about the characters beyond basic tropes abd stereotypes. May check out further projects by this author in the future.

[Cheryl Medley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Roak

I got totally hooked by Roak and Hessa. This appears to be a stand-alone, but I have to admit that I would like more adventures with Roak and Hessa. There's a lot of appeal in a badass bounty hunter and a smart-ass ship. Could not put it down.

[David G Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this character. I'm hoping that the author will be writing more stories about Roark. His past is pretty much a mystery and I see the possibilities for future adventures. Warning to those who don't like violence, Roark and the creatures he meets tend to make life a little messy.

[Jonathan Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant diversion

It's got aliens,criminal syndicates,rogue AIs and a bounty hunter with more will than sense.
That said, I wouldn't mind visiting this particular retrieval specialist and his gallery of rogues .

[Marcus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book to read. It started out in an interesting way and only got better. The action was intense and sometimes graphic. There was constant in your face conflict and action,humor, deception, subterfuge, and gratuitous sex.

[kenneth L. Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a rush!

This one sneaks up on you. It’s a novel approach and you don’t see it coming. As a result, you don’t want the ride to end. Before you know it, you are hooked and need the next book in the series to fix your addiction!

[Dejan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character is kinda stupid. I could not read more than half of the book, and I have to stop.
Other characters are painted shallow and writer did not put a lot of effort to explain their motives and characteristics.

[Yemic · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, all I have to say is just pay Roak what you owe him. Jake Bible is brilliant in developing characters he knows how to make you either feel for them or hate the villains so much. He is also good at integrating AIs to any part of the story, however describing Alein races not so much.

[Keri Salyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't often read sci-fi but this had been on my tbr for a while. Glad to have finally read it. Good mix of action and adventure. Good ending.

If you like bounty hunters in space, you'll like this one.

[Loren Albin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roak

Great read full of action with a little sex, can't wait to read the next book. I recommend this book to all

[Diana Tolliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good adventure story

Good adventure story set in space I can't wait to read the next book. The characters are interesting and well planned