Hiro and crew head to a planet of dwarves on the hunt for a new carrier ship and a chance to stuff themselves with okonomiyaki and takoyaki, only to find a pair of bombshell twin mechanics! They may look alike, but these girls' personalities are like fire and ice. If the twins join the crew, will Hiro's ship ever know peace again?
Ship maintenance is expensive. And a pain in the buns.
Captain Hiro docks at a star system renowned for its manufacturing, fabrication, and ship-building intelligence. The crew is eager for a break from the predilections of nobles, and it certainly wouldn't hurt to restock the weapons hold before heading to the frontlines on a small, military-courier job.
REBORN AS A SPACE MERC v5 is all about downtime, but also upgrades the tools the crew of the Krishna requires as a new battlefield awaits. After all, who wouldn't want a new laser cannon to go with their exoskeleton suit? And since Hiro has been mentioning his interest in purchasing a carrier ship ("mothership") for some time now, why not also splurge on a "chunky" ship that greatly expands the crew's ability to haul various goods and loot?
The Vlad system is primarily occupied by dwarven-folk. Their knack for manufacturing and engineering is second to none. As such, dropping by, taking a break, and shopping for a carrier ship sounds like a good plan. The problem? Dwarves are great builders, but their customer service is abysmal.
Readers won't get much out of REBORN AS A SPACE MERC v5. This volume contains a very casual jaunt through a newly purchased mothership, some troubleshooting with local dwarves who regularly misbehave, and the usual innuendo that comes from Hiro engaging with new races of ladies. The dogfighting is minimal and the character arcs are relatively stagnant. The author risks further overplaying the harem trope, as dealt to the protagonist, and it's only a mild relief these awkward characters aren't constantly in each other's bed. The duo of dwarf mechanics who assist the crew throughout the novel straddle the line between being pleasantly annoying and brutally obnoxious.
The process of purchasing and fine-tuning a carrier ship is clever and intriguing, but grows old fast. Relative to a brand-new universe of unique creatures, governments, and weaponry, stamping through a whole novel dedicated to buying and testing a mothership is excessive. The narrator's descriptions of the different types or classes of weapons is cool, and the narrator's exploration of ships' various inertia systems and how he manipulates their use during navigation are insightful, but none of this information actually propels the narrative forward. One or two weeks pass, in real time, but the story itself doesn't actually budge.
Aside from Hiro hilariously quoting Char Aznable in a moment of self-indulgent humility, the only meaningful bit of story that emerges from this volume is a sidenote indicating Mimi has a surviving grandmother whose profession might permit them to cross paths in the near future. REBORN AS A SPACE MERC v5 is a regrettably minor entry into the novel series.
Hiro finally is buying a Mothership and the mess that occurs in the Dwarves system. The fun starts when Hiro and the gang choose the Corporation that will build it. As with everything Hiro does he overbuilds the Mothership. When he arrives every Dwarve in the system that has a spaceship decides they must scan his ship. Which triggers a bunch of issues. Two more characters join the gang here. Tina and Wiska are dwarves and they join up after a ton of hijinx. The series just keeps getting stronger and now they have a Mothership and they are going to be making even more money.
Loved the balance of action and drama that went on in this volume and like how the story so far unfold with Tina and Wiska. I surprisingly liked intro shadow machine intelligence theory presented last volume and how they handled little theory snippets here and there in this volume I can’t wait to see if you explore this lane of plot.
I'm loving this series.... But I'm knocking it down to 3 stars because they seriously need to fire the proof reader. So many errors. It's really a damper on the enjoyment.
Book five, I am fully settled into what this series is all about. This volume introduces new space dwarf crewmembers, and they add a lot of personality to the crew dynamics. The addition of the new frigate, the Black Lotus, also brings fresh excitement to the space battles and missions. The main character remains straightforward, but his interactions with the new crew and ship keep the story lively and fun. The pacing stays quick, and it is easy to get caught up in the over-the-top action. With the Black Lotus now in play, I am hoping the series will feature even larger and more epic space battles in the next volumes.
Hiro and companions go and buy a mothership in a system controlled by dwarves. Things take a bit of an odd turn when dwarves are tossed at Hiro. Volume 5 is a typical addition to the series, entertaining, likeable characters, simple world building and straight forward story. If you liked the previous parts, you are bound to enjoy this one. I am not sure there was need for more girls in his harem, and the whole concept of a woman on the crew is a lover of the captain remains really odd, but it is not new to this part. All in all, an entertaining read of Spece Merc being Space Merc.