Starship Pandora: A Star Force Drama

Star Force

by B.V. Larson, Scott Aiello (Narrator), Jamie Jackson (Narrator)

B. V. Larson returns to the world of his Audible best-selling Star Force series for the first time in three years with this original, full-cast audio drama.   The mysterious alien race known as the Ancients vanished before Earth's last ice age - but not before building interconnected rings that form a highway system across the galaxy. Humanity has used these rings for years but has never figured out how to build its own, or even how to alter the connection pattern.   Now, the Imperial starship Pandora is on a mission to discover and explore new interstellar connection points. While on Venus, an unexpected guest arrives - Marvin, a rogue robot who puts his strange mind to work on reconnecting the rings into a new pattern. And everything goes haywire. Grotesque aliens come through the ring and overrun Pandora's base camp. The good news is the aliens can be killed. The bad news is the aliens keep coming, and no one knows how to turn off the ring that leads directly to their home world.   And even if the aliens are defeated - there's still Marvin to contend with.   Starship Pandora is performed  

Genres: Science Fiction, Audiobook

Audible Audio

Published December 18, 2018

About the author

Brian Larson is an American science fiction and fantasy author

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read some of the early Starforce series books. I think this one can standalone without any difficulty. I was looking for a short book that required no thinking; this one fit the bill perfectly.

The book is well written and is fast paced and very easy to listen to. On the Ship Pandora, I particularly enjoyed the AI and the AI Marvin’s interactions with humans. This was done in the radio drama format with many actors playing parts. It took me a bit to adjust from the usual narrator format. Sort of reminded me of listing to the radio when I was a kid. The book makes a good get-away-from-it all read.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is four hours and thirty-three minutes. Scott Aielo and a group of actors do the drama format.

[Norma · Rating 3 out of 5]

( Format : Audiobook )
"You serve to live."
This Audible Original complimentary download is a fun listen requiring little effort and no reader participation. Just switch on and enjoy. Marvin, a self taught AI, is engaged by tyrant Emperor Crew to reprogram the Ring built by ancient aliens many thousand years before. But who is Marvin really serving? Lots of action, mostly at a distance and furious twists.
The characters are all two dimensional constructs but that doesn't matter: the full cast combined with quiet background soundtrack gives the story an old radio play feel, superficial fun to enjoy then forget.
Thank you Audible: it made me smile as I made jam. Rather appropriate as it turned out.

[Amy Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this side-story takes place between books 7 and 8, although it would spoil some of the surprises in book 8. It also changes the perspective on some of the events that occur in books 10-12.

Overall a good entry, and I’m glad I started it after all of the other books.

[Julian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good fun short story from one of my favourite authors. Shame the new format spoilt it so much. Yes the voice actors and audio were both great technically, it just didn’t work for me at all. However I am sure the younger listeners will love it. Those who like the Graphic Audio branded stories will find this familiar, I just find that filling an audio book with effects and music detracts from a story, especially when the usual narrator (who plays certain roles in this audio) is so skilled, that it really needs nothing more.

Please go back to the usual format!

[Craig Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Star Force series has always fumbled along the line between solid and adolescent. With this radio play, however, B V Larson’s one dimensional characterisations, and stereotypically objectified female, push the outing firmly into the juvenile.

It’s a fun, bombastic, romp but insubstantial.

[Ryan Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content Warnings: Violence, sexual references

Starship Pandora was a fun, radio drama style introduction to B.V. Larson's sci fi world. While it lacks some of the realistic performances of competing audio dramatization, the scenario and concepts carry the story.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this!! It was like listening to theater. I was so sad when it ended. I want more!!

[frank wills · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun action good acting.

[Grep · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anything with Marvin in it I can't resist.

I normally don't like a full cast drama with sound effects, but this was OK

[Jay Phipps · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a fan of the full cast performance of this book. The book was fine, audible version not so much.

[Randy Hildebrand]

I truly enjoyed the sound effects and different narrators. Reminded me of old radio dramas