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Lost Souls
A smuggler, a stowaway slave, and a pirate find themselves on a collision course deep in the no-man's-land of space, tracking a mystery that's centuries old.
Maurice "Moss" Foote is down to his last hundred credits, which he needs to get his old ship back and start over. Again. But then, Moss is so familiar with rock bottom he has his mail forwarded there.
Hel was born a slave, or maybe she wasn't. It's confusing, just like the compulsion that keeps her building... something. When she sees an opportunity to escape aboard a ship, she takes it, not realizing the trouble she's in for.
Roy "Hellno" Herzog is a pirate who prefers to work alone. Now he's got a lead on a prize so big it could set him up for life, if he can stomach working with other people. All he has to do is track down one runaway slave.
"An action-packed space romp with a dry sense of humor that will appeal to fans of The Orville who wish that show was more like Firefly." - Marcus Alexander Hart of the Galaxy Cruise series
Maurice "Moss" Foote is down to his last hundred credits, which he needs to get his old ship back and start over. Again. But then, Moss is so familiar with rock bottom he has his mail forwarded there.
Hel was born a slave, or maybe she wasn't. It's confusing, just like the compulsion that keeps her building... something. When she sees an opportunity to escape aboard a ship, she takes it, not realizing the trouble she's in for.
Roy "Hellno" Herzog is a pirate who prefers to work alone. Now he's got a lead on a prize so big it could set him up for life, if he can stomach working with other people. All he has to do is track down one runaway slave.
"An action-packed space romp with a dry sense of humor that will appeal to fans of The Orville who wish that show was more like Firefly." - Marcus Alexander Hart of the Galaxy Cruise series
353 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 30, 2023
164 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Noah Chinn
21 books88 followersNoah's books cover a wide variety of genres, but all of them possess a wry and quirky sense of humor to them.
Noah was born in Oshawa, Ontario, and had never really forgiven it for that. Shortly after university he moved to Japan, where he taught English for three years and barely learned a word of Japanese.
After that he moved to London, England to make it as a writer. Unfortunately the closest he came to literary success was working at several bookstores.
Upon returning to Canada he became an editor and has published a number of books in a variety of genres.
In addition to novels, Noah had a long running comic strip called Fuzzy Knights, which centered about the adventures of stuffed toy animals playing Dungeons and Dragons, and the evil hamster trying to destroy them.
Some have called this a cry for help.
He now lives with his unbelievably patient and supportive wife, Gillian, in Vancouver. He also has a ferret.
Noah was born in Oshawa, Ontario, and had never really forgiven it for that. Shortly after university he moved to Japan, where he taught English for three years and barely learned a word of Japanese.
After that he moved to London, England to make it as a writer. Unfortunately the closest he came to literary success was working at several bookstores.
Upon returning to Canada he became an editor and has published a number of books in a variety of genres.
In addition to novels, Noah had a long running comic strip called Fuzzy Knights, which centered about the adventures of stuffed toy animals playing Dungeons and Dragons, and the evil hamster trying to destroy them.
Some have called this a cry for help.
He now lives with his unbelievably patient and supportive wife, Gillian, in Vancouver. He also has a ferret.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 26, 2024
Down-on-luck Han Solo-esque character gets a talented stowaway and gets busy trying to recover something of his own while being pursued by various nasties.
The template is nothing new. Reviewers have hyped the book up by grossly inflating the humour quotient and trying to make it something like Firefly. Alas, it's not. Although the book began with an interesting and wry incident, soon it became rather too serious for me. Neither were the characters antyhing to especially remember.
Your call.
The template is nothing new. Reviewers have hyped the book up by grossly inflating the humour quotient and trying to make it something like Firefly. Alas, it's not. Although the book began with an interesting and wry incident, soon it became rather too serious for me. Neither were the characters antyhing to especially remember.
Your call.
April 6, 2023
This was a fun space adventure with lots of action, humor, and delightful characters, especially Maurice “Moss” Foote. Then there’s his friend Violet, deceased but still present in his ship’s computer, and Hel, the brainwashed and kidnapped fellow human that stowed away on his ship and was then taken on as his partner. What a great crew to follow along with on their mission to find and help a generation ship that’s been floundering in space for centuries. I really enjoyed this story and hope to see another adventure in the “Get Lost Saga” series soon.
October 29, 2023
Great sci fi adventure
There is definitely humor, but a lot of bad stuff happens. The story is well-written and interesting, the characters are fascinating with many secrets, but the worldbuilding is somewhat grim. The non-humans are imaginative, and I really like Sister Tameria. Violet is great, and Moss is cranky. Lost Souls is an enjoyable story (except for the bad stuff).
There is definitely humor, but a lot of bad stuff happens. The story is well-written and interesting, the characters are fascinating with many secrets, but the worldbuilding is somewhat grim. The non-humans are imaginative, and I really like Sister Tameria. Violet is great, and Moss is cranky. Lost Souls is an enjoyable story (except for the bad stuff).
March 7, 2023
Excellent space adventure
I delightful romp around the galaxy with an unlikely but loveable crew. Get a fresh, sarcastic take on space adventure with a guy that has a run of bad luck.
I delightful romp around the galaxy with an unlikely but loveable crew. Get a fresh, sarcastic take on space adventure with a guy that has a run of bad luck.
December 19, 2023
https://beforewegoblog.com/review-los...
I'm familiar with Noah Chinn primarily from his column in KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE MAGAZINE, which is the successor to DRAGON magazine except for the fact it is much-much funnier. There he reviews indie books and science fiction/fantasy that has served as one of my guides to purchases for the past few years. He was also the author of Fuzzy Knights, which was a cartoon about plushies playing Dungeons and Dragons. So, like Ben "Yahtzee" Croshow, when I heard he had written a book, I decided to check it out with all haste. I'm glad I did.
The premise for LOST SOULS is that Maurice "Moss" Foote is a star pilot turned smuggler that has recently lost his ship to a crime lord. He used to be a big famous intergalactic hero supported by a megacorporation but lost his mojo when he went on a drunken binge that cost him all his endorsements. Accompanying him is the AI of his ship, Violet, and a runaway kleptomaniac slave named Hel.
Lost Souls is definitely of the Firefly, Traveller, Privatee, Outer Worlds, and Han Solo Adventures sort of storytelling. It's not about big galactic adventures and overthrowing evil empires but dealing with the day-to-day problem of keeping the lights on in your ship as well as your hyperdrive fueled. When I played Star Wars D6 back in high school, this was actually the game style preferred by the tabletop RPG as the rules meant that if you tried to do too much pulpy heroic science fiction heroism then you got shot in the face.
The universe that Noah Chinn has created is definitely on the funnier and enjoyable side of things, though. Moss has strong Malcolm Reynolds energy and yet he's a lot less cynical and grumpty despite his losses. Perhaps because he has the self-awareness that the majority of his problems are his own making. He is very much against casual killing and is happy to give an escaped slave a lift or a job but he's also someone that isn't seeking out adventure. Whatever he used to do in order to be a big hero is something he can't afford anymore and he'd prefer to try to just rebuild his life quietly if he can.
Too bad there are SPACE PIRATES out there. Yes, I put the words all in caps because SPACE PIRATES deserve to be capitalized. A hero is only as good as his villain and the SPACE PIRATES are pretty well-realized in this world. They've taken over a border world with their syndicate but are a feuding bunch of questionably professional scumbags that prefer to go after the lowest hanging fruit they can. They're dangerous, don't get me wrong, but not so terrifying as our hero can't believably oppose them.
The world building for this space opera setting is also pretty well done. Like in many settings, humanity made a bunch of genetically engineered slaves and they rebelled. However, this is centuries later and said genetically engineered slaves are now the ones in charge. It’s left natural born types like Moss in a second class citizenship state but not so much that it dominates the storyline. Also, there’s a very humorous bit where an out of universe document talks about how the idiot science fiction writers of the 20th century envisioned aliens all looking like humans. Then we went out into space and it turned out all aliens looked like humans anyway (despite it being acknowledged as making no scientific sense).
Lost Souls, despite its title, is a light read even if it’s not a short one. It’s about 350 pages or as many as your typical paperback science fiction or fantasy book from the Nineties. The story is neither especially humorous or overly serious but keeps a brisk entertaining pace throughout.A little more serious than your typical MCU movie I’d say and far less on the quippage. There’s some ridiculous stuff in the book but I was reasonably able to buy it as a “serious” setting. What’s my recommendation? Well, I’m going to go buy and read the sequel now so you tell me.
I'm familiar with Noah Chinn primarily from his column in KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE MAGAZINE, which is the successor to DRAGON magazine except for the fact it is much-much funnier. There he reviews indie books and science fiction/fantasy that has served as one of my guides to purchases for the past few years. He was also the author of Fuzzy Knights, which was a cartoon about plushies playing Dungeons and Dragons. So, like Ben "Yahtzee" Croshow, when I heard he had written a book, I decided to check it out with all haste. I'm glad I did.
The premise for LOST SOULS is that Maurice "Moss" Foote is a star pilot turned smuggler that has recently lost his ship to a crime lord. He used to be a big famous intergalactic hero supported by a megacorporation but lost his mojo when he went on a drunken binge that cost him all his endorsements. Accompanying him is the AI of his ship, Violet, and a runaway kleptomaniac slave named Hel.
Lost Souls is definitely of the Firefly, Traveller, Privatee, Outer Worlds, and Han Solo Adventures sort of storytelling. It's not about big galactic adventures and overthrowing evil empires but dealing with the day-to-day problem of keeping the lights on in your ship as well as your hyperdrive fueled. When I played Star Wars D6 back in high school, this was actually the game style preferred by the tabletop RPG as the rules meant that if you tried to do too much pulpy heroic science fiction heroism then you got shot in the face.
The universe that Noah Chinn has created is definitely on the funnier and enjoyable side of things, though. Moss has strong Malcolm Reynolds energy and yet he's a lot less cynical and grumpty despite his losses. Perhaps because he has the self-awareness that the majority of his problems are his own making. He is very much against casual killing and is happy to give an escaped slave a lift or a job but he's also someone that isn't seeking out adventure. Whatever he used to do in order to be a big hero is something he can't afford anymore and he'd prefer to try to just rebuild his life quietly if he can.
Too bad there are SPACE PIRATES out there. Yes, I put the words all in caps because SPACE PIRATES deserve to be capitalized. A hero is only as good as his villain and the SPACE PIRATES are pretty well-realized in this world. They've taken over a border world with their syndicate but are a feuding bunch of questionably professional scumbags that prefer to go after the lowest hanging fruit they can. They're dangerous, don't get me wrong, but not so terrifying as our hero can't believably oppose them.
The world building for this space opera setting is also pretty well done. Like in many settings, humanity made a bunch of genetically engineered slaves and they rebelled. However, this is centuries later and said genetically engineered slaves are now the ones in charge. It’s left natural born types like Moss in a second class citizenship state but not so much that it dominates the storyline. Also, there’s a very humorous bit where an out of universe document talks about how the idiot science fiction writers of the 20th century envisioned aliens all looking like humans. Then we went out into space and it turned out all aliens looked like humans anyway (despite it being acknowledged as making no scientific sense).
Lost Souls, despite its title, is a light read even if it’s not a short one. It’s about 350 pages or as many as your typical paperback science fiction or fantasy book from the Nineties. The story is neither especially humorous or overly serious but keeps a brisk entertaining pace throughout.A little more serious than your typical MCU movie I’d say and far less on the quippage. There’s some ridiculous stuff in the book but I was reasonably able to buy it as a “serious” setting. What’s my recommendation? Well, I’m going to go buy and read the sequel now so you tell me.
December 11, 2023
Reprinted from the Ottawa Review of Books, Feb 2023
Lost Souls is good old fashion space opera, complete with space ships, space rangers, and pirates. The setting is the familiar universe of interstellar federations and humanoid aliens. Star Trek, but the comedic episodes. Think "A Piece of the Action" or "I, Mudd"; science fiction in the tradition of Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat or Lois Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan.
The three main point-of-view characters are Moss, a down-on-his-luck adventurer; Hel, who accidentally becomes a stowaway on his ship, and; Roy the pirate pursuing them; but we also hear briefly from Steva, another pirate; Violet the ship (it's complicated); Tameria, the alien; and very briefly, the Governor of a gangster colony. It is a comedy adventure, but to be clear, sufficiently on the adventure end of the spectrum that not all of these characters make it out alive.
The story starts in the middle of things and then backtracks for deep dives into the lead characters' backstories. At one point, Moss pauses to watch a documentary on his own life--which struck me as a bit cheesy (like when an author has their character look in a mirror so they can describe what the character looks like)--but turns out, the documentary is an important and necessary bit of foreshadowing. Far from being irrelevant backstory, their pasts are all crucial to the book's central mystery and the characters' motivations.
The mystery unfolds in layers, with each solution leading to yet a bigger mystery. By the end, the stakes are high, the heroics truly exciting, and all the little pieces Chinn has set in motion come together. I cannot say anything more specific without violating my "no spoilers" policy, but suffice to say the mystery holds up well and the resulting action drives significant character development. I particularly liked the pirate's character arc, showing his reluctant personal growth in the first half—which makes him a far more dangerous pirate—and then reverting to type when those changes do not entirely work out for him.
Each cleverly titled chapter begins with imaginary excerpts from Moss's (presumably future) writing. I normally detest when writers try to sneak in irrelevant background by quoting imaginary encyclopedias, future histories, or diary entries, etc, but I actually enjoyed these pointed epigraphs. There are some actual insights buried in these snarky commentaries, and Moss's sardonic voice works well to provide a continuity of tone across chapters that vary between the comedic and actioner.
I loved every minute of Lost Souls. It is a cozy mystery wrapped in an even cozier space opera, and it all works. Yes, it's all safely familiar and there is no pretense here to great literature, but I'm always up for a new episode of Trouble with Tribbles or a new take on Galaxy Quest. This is good stuff, a quick fun read for when one needs to get away from the fact that our own reality is on fire and people kind of suck. Moss gets it and models how we all need to cope, get on with life, and do the right thing.
Lost Souls is the first of there novels in the Get Lost series--next up is Lost Cargo, which builds successfully on Lost Souls. Chinn is quickly becoming my favorite comedy SF writer.
Lost Souls is good old fashion space opera, complete with space ships, space rangers, and pirates. The setting is the familiar universe of interstellar federations and humanoid aliens. Star Trek, but the comedic episodes. Think "A Piece of the Action" or "I, Mudd"; science fiction in the tradition of Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat or Lois Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan.
The three main point-of-view characters are Moss, a down-on-his-luck adventurer; Hel, who accidentally becomes a stowaway on his ship, and; Roy the pirate pursuing them; but we also hear briefly from Steva, another pirate; Violet the ship (it's complicated); Tameria, the alien; and very briefly, the Governor of a gangster colony. It is a comedy adventure, but to be clear, sufficiently on the adventure end of the spectrum that not all of these characters make it out alive.
The story starts in the middle of things and then backtracks for deep dives into the lead characters' backstories. At one point, Moss pauses to watch a documentary on his own life--which struck me as a bit cheesy (like when an author has their character look in a mirror so they can describe what the character looks like)--but turns out, the documentary is an important and necessary bit of foreshadowing. Far from being irrelevant backstory, their pasts are all crucial to the book's central mystery and the characters' motivations.
The mystery unfolds in layers, with each solution leading to yet a bigger mystery. By the end, the stakes are high, the heroics truly exciting, and all the little pieces Chinn has set in motion come together. I cannot say anything more specific without violating my "no spoilers" policy, but suffice to say the mystery holds up well and the resulting action drives significant character development. I particularly liked the pirate's character arc, showing his reluctant personal growth in the first half—which makes him a far more dangerous pirate—and then reverting to type when those changes do not entirely work out for him.
Each cleverly titled chapter begins with imaginary excerpts from Moss's (presumably future) writing. I normally detest when writers try to sneak in irrelevant background by quoting imaginary encyclopedias, future histories, or diary entries, etc, but I actually enjoyed these pointed epigraphs. There are some actual insights buried in these snarky commentaries, and Moss's sardonic voice works well to provide a continuity of tone across chapters that vary between the comedic and actioner.
I loved every minute of Lost Souls. It is a cozy mystery wrapped in an even cozier space opera, and it all works. Yes, it's all safely familiar and there is no pretense here to great literature, but I'm always up for a new episode of Trouble with Tribbles or a new take on Galaxy Quest. This is good stuff, a quick fun read for when one needs to get away from the fact that our own reality is on fire and people kind of suck. Moss gets it and models how we all need to cope, get on with life, and do the right thing.
Lost Souls is the first of there novels in the Get Lost series--next up is Lost Cargo, which builds successfully on Lost Souls. Chinn is quickly becoming my favorite comedy SF writer.
November 6, 2023
A light read and a fun space adventure.
I fancied a sci-fi story that was not too cerebral, so as much as I love Alastair Reynolds I wanted something lighter and more, dare I say it, yes I dare, something more Disney-like by which I mean soft on the science and full-on the adventure, even if it made no sense at times. I picked this up because the premise of it had a hint of Elizabeth Moon’s Serrano Legacy. Big billing and as it turns out nothing like those books. Ah well, as Meat Loaf would say, two out of three ain’t bad.
Lost Souls as it turns out was a pretty good read. The story was fast-paced and flowed quite naturally between the perspectives of Maurice ‘Moss’ Foot, our space captain and Hel, our stowaway. Both characters were likeable and fun. The meat and bones of it are that Moss has hit rock bottom, he has scraped back together his old ship before it got turned into junk and sets out to rebuild his name and fortune. Hel, well she is not sure what she is. She thinks she is an escaped slave but her head isn’t wired right and things don’t add up. A junk-yard rat, she escapes on Moss’ beat-up old freighter and so starts our adventure.
One of the book's selling points was that it is Sci-Fi with a sense of humour and it is true that it is light-hearted with witty banter thrown in, but there were no laugh-out-loud moments for me, the odd wry grin at best, which is no bad thing. I mean it is not trying to be an episode of ‘Red Dwarf’ nor pay homage to ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’. In fact, Moss comes across as a Han Solo’esc grumbler, with a dry wit and a pessimistic slant to life in general but who always manages to pull something out of the bag when the going gets tough.
The bad guys unfortunately did not hold my interest. I never felt any real threat from them until the closing finale when things did lift and get pretty hairy. But Roy ‘Hellno’ Herzog our evil villain was fairly beige on the scale of villainy.
So yes, I enjoyed the book. The adventure was linear and simple to follow, easy to put down and quick to pick up without getting mired into remembering what it was all about. It held my interest and I read through it in only a few sittings which speaks for itself. So, if this sounds like the type of book you are looking for, read the sample and give it a try.
I fancied a sci-fi story that was not too cerebral, so as much as I love Alastair Reynolds I wanted something lighter and more, dare I say it, yes I dare, something more Disney-like by which I mean soft on the science and full-on the adventure, even if it made no sense at times. I picked this up because the premise of it had a hint of Elizabeth Moon’s Serrano Legacy. Big billing and as it turns out nothing like those books. Ah well, as Meat Loaf would say, two out of three ain’t bad.
Lost Souls as it turns out was a pretty good read. The story was fast-paced and flowed quite naturally between the perspectives of Maurice ‘Moss’ Foot, our space captain and Hel, our stowaway. Both characters were likeable and fun. The meat and bones of it are that Moss has hit rock bottom, he has scraped back together his old ship before it got turned into junk and sets out to rebuild his name and fortune. Hel, well she is not sure what she is. She thinks she is an escaped slave but her head isn’t wired right and things don’t add up. A junk-yard rat, she escapes on Moss’ beat-up old freighter and so starts our adventure.
One of the book's selling points was that it is Sci-Fi with a sense of humour and it is true that it is light-hearted with witty banter thrown in, but there were no laugh-out-loud moments for me, the odd wry grin at best, which is no bad thing. I mean it is not trying to be an episode of ‘Red Dwarf’ nor pay homage to ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’. In fact, Moss comes across as a Han Solo’esc grumbler, with a dry wit and a pessimistic slant to life in general but who always manages to pull something out of the bag when the going gets tough.
The bad guys unfortunately did not hold my interest. I never felt any real threat from them until the closing finale when things did lift and get pretty hairy. But Roy ‘Hellno’ Herzog our evil villain was fairly beige on the scale of villainy.
So yes, I enjoyed the book. The adventure was linear and simple to follow, easy to put down and quick to pick up without getting mired into remembering what it was all about. It held my interest and I read through it in only a few sittings which speaks for itself. So, if this sounds like the type of book you are looking for, read the sample and give it a try.
February 2, 2023
Heads up out there, fans of Firefly, The Expanse, Crudrat, The Ship Who Sang, and other adventures in the REAL stars! You need to read Lost Souls and sign up to join the Get Lost series!
I hate to admit my age, but I grew up during the Golden Age of Science Fiction – Heinlein, Bradbury, Clarke, etc. Then graduated to McCaffrey, Norton, Schmitz, and SO many others. My “keeper” shelf is full of these, and Bujold, of course! This book reminded me of the best of those. Exciting and suspenseful adventure in space!
Noah has created a thoroughly fleshed-out and detailed, and realistic universe peopled with fully developed characters. But like ALL good storytellers, all of that is a dense background to the tale and the people in it.
I require a sense of humor. If ANYONE thinks humanity would make it into space without a sense of humor and fun, well, seriously, who wants to spend time in a floating in a metal hunk with a bunch of stiff-necked military types? And I have to admit, I love a book with witty and sarcastic and funny and revealing quotes at the beginning of each chapter. Don’t ask me why. But Noah offers those up on a silver platter, or rather on a piece of dented hull plating from a Dragonfly.
I won’t give away the plot (I really don’t understand why some reviewers do that), but Noah does a great job of conveying Hel’s sense of loss and confusion and answers-just-out-of-reach to the reader. He also made me fall in love with Moss (much in the same way that I fell in love with Malcolm Reynolds). Moss’s sardonic sense of humor and pick-yourself-up-and-brush-yourself-off attitude give the reader hope that things will work out. Hel’s plucky determination in the face of the void that is her past and her sheer gutsiness has the reader rooting for her from the beginning.
This book, this series I am SURE, will make a wonderful movie or streaming series. (And, although it leaves you with hope for another in the series, it doesn’t leave you “hanging” on a cliff!) It’s a story of hope, comradeship, and new beginnings.
Creative and complex and fast-paced and exciting. Fantastic story telling and terrific characterization. I want MORE adventures in this universe.
JUST PLAIN FUN!
I hate to admit my age, but I grew up during the Golden Age of Science Fiction – Heinlein, Bradbury, Clarke, etc. Then graduated to McCaffrey, Norton, Schmitz, and SO many others. My “keeper” shelf is full of these, and Bujold, of course! This book reminded me of the best of those. Exciting and suspenseful adventure in space!
Noah has created a thoroughly fleshed-out and detailed, and realistic universe peopled with fully developed characters. But like ALL good storytellers, all of that is a dense background to the tale and the people in it.
I require a sense of humor. If ANYONE thinks humanity would make it into space without a sense of humor and fun, well, seriously, who wants to spend time in a floating in a metal hunk with a bunch of stiff-necked military types? And I have to admit, I love a book with witty and sarcastic and funny and revealing quotes at the beginning of each chapter. Don’t ask me why. But Noah offers those up on a silver platter, or rather on a piece of dented hull plating from a Dragonfly.
I won’t give away the plot (I really don’t understand why some reviewers do that), but Noah does a great job of conveying Hel’s sense of loss and confusion and answers-just-out-of-reach to the reader. He also made me fall in love with Moss (much in the same way that I fell in love with Malcolm Reynolds). Moss’s sardonic sense of humor and pick-yourself-up-and-brush-yourself-off attitude give the reader hope that things will work out. Hel’s plucky determination in the face of the void that is her past and her sheer gutsiness has the reader rooting for her from the beginning.
This book, this series I am SURE, will make a wonderful movie or streaming series. (And, although it leaves you with hope for another in the series, it doesn’t leave you “hanging” on a cliff!) It’s a story of hope, comradeship, and new beginnings.
Creative and complex and fast-paced and exciting. Fantastic story telling and terrific characterization. I want MORE adventures in this universe.
JUST PLAIN FUN!
February 7, 2023
“Lost Souls” is an action-packed space romp with a dry sense of humor that will appeal to fans of “The Orville” who wish that show was more like “Firefly.” And that’s a pretty sweet niche to fill.
Our hero Maurice “Moss” Foote has had more than his fair share of ups and downs (including having a name that sounds like it needs a healthy dose of Tinactin). After having reinvented himself a few times, he’s on the verge of starting from zero yet again when a stowaway named Hel throws a wrench in his plans. Hel is an ex-slave with a confusing past and a driving desire to build a… thing. She doesn’t know what it is, and neither does anyone else. And that’s just one of the varied and layered mysteries that Chinn weaves together in a story that always keeps you guessing and often has you chuckling.
With his “grouchy space adventurer with a heart of gold” persona, Moss feels like the best of Han Solo and Malcolm Reynolds with a touch of Carl Fredricksen from “Up.” Though he’s a little bit hard-boiled and a big bit whiny, he’s always in control, cooking up a plan, and kicking ass when the chips are down. He’s the kind of guy you like to root for, and to see him warm up to his new crew and allies is the kind of feel-good story the world needs right now.
This is a fun story with charming, likable characters and a deeply fleshed-out universe. Judging by the designation of “book one,” it looks like Moss and the gang will be getting into a lot more trouble, and I’m on board for it.
Our hero Maurice “Moss” Foote has had more than his fair share of ups and downs (including having a name that sounds like it needs a healthy dose of Tinactin). After having reinvented himself a few times, he’s on the verge of starting from zero yet again when a stowaway named Hel throws a wrench in his plans. Hel is an ex-slave with a confusing past and a driving desire to build a… thing. She doesn’t know what it is, and neither does anyone else. And that’s just one of the varied and layered mysteries that Chinn weaves together in a story that always keeps you guessing and often has you chuckling.
With his “grouchy space adventurer with a heart of gold” persona, Moss feels like the best of Han Solo and Malcolm Reynolds with a touch of Carl Fredricksen from “Up.” Though he’s a little bit hard-boiled and a big bit whiny, he’s always in control, cooking up a plan, and kicking ass when the chips are down. He’s the kind of guy you like to root for, and to see him warm up to his new crew and allies is the kind of feel-good story the world needs right now.
This is a fun story with charming, likable characters and a deeply fleshed-out universe. Judging by the designation of “book one,” it looks like Moss and the gang will be getting into a lot more trouble, and I’m on board for it.
April 19, 2025
This is a really fun space opera. It's not an epic good-vs-evil tale spanning thousands of years, but rather a snapshot of a confluence of characters who eventually meet up in a conflict of goals, rather than grand clashes of armies. I like seeing the minutiae of day to day life aboard a ship with a small crew, and learning about how things work on their craft.
The title, I believe, refers to this disparate group of souls unconsciously seeking a family and belonging, of sorts.
The main character is Moss, who is a disgraced pilot who used to be a famous, almost mythicqal superhero, but now does small jobs such as removal of space trash to make ends meet. His character is along the lines of Han Solo or Indiana Jones; an irascible and cranky old guy with a heart of gold. He meets escaped slave, Hal, who has a secret past she doesn't even know about.
I found it a little odd how once Hal learns about her past, there doesn't seem to be a big transition between what she knew then and what she knows now. As a naive character, I felt that there should have been a lot of soul searching and feeling conflicted once she learns her back story.
The characters were likeable; I especially liked Violet, the ship's sentient qand illegal computer.
This was a fun read and I look forward to the sequel.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The title, I believe, refers to this disparate group of souls unconsciously seeking a family and belonging, of sorts.
The main character is Moss, who is a disgraced pilot who used to be a famous, almost mythicqal superhero, but now does small jobs such as removal of space trash to make ends meet. His character is along the lines of Han Solo or Indiana Jones; an irascible and cranky old guy with a heart of gold. He meets escaped slave, Hal, who has a secret past she doesn't even know about.
I found it a little odd how once Hal learns about her past, there doesn't seem to be a big transition between what she knew then and what she knows now. As a naive character, I felt that there should have been a lot of soul searching and feeling conflicted once she learns her back story.
The characters were likeable; I especially liked Violet, the ship's sentient qand illegal computer.
This was a fun read and I look forward to the sequel.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
July 23, 2024
This is an unusual book for me in that it is a self published book and, whilst I appreciate this doesn't endear me to some on these pages, I do have something of a bee in my bonnet over the publishing quality of most self published work. Sadly, this has done little to dispel my attitude. More time was needed on the editing. Lots of cases of 'correct' spelling of incorrect words or just plain bad grammar. I'm sure most of these would be picked up by something like Grammarly but...there you go. Anyway this is Space Opera in the vein of TV shows like Battlestar Galactica (the original cheap one) and Buck Rogers, all very fun but just don't look too closely. All sorts of inconsistencies, plot holes etc. but it felt like the author just shrugs; "why let reality get in the way of an exciting Space Opera?" And let's be honest he's nowhere near the first author (or film director) to make that decision. But I'm afraid it didn't work for me. The actual plot was not too bad and did manage to keep me reading to the end; it just needed some first aid applied to the prose, characters and motivations.
August 25, 2025
I think this book is a good fit for those who love space pirates or Firefly. It has a lovely mixture of 'old west' style lawlessness combined with spaceships. Its beautifully done, great imagery and characters you get attached to and want to read more about.
I wish this book had pictures!! There's a scene where the author is desperately trying to describe an object that is clearly a symbol of something but my brain just couldn't make anything of it. I would have loved some kind of graphic, schematic, or something to let me participate in the puzzle more instead of waiting for the characters to figure it out.
I enjoyed how this story loops back on itself while not getting stuck, many books faulter when they have to connect a detail from early on with the resolution later, but this one connects the dot and moves smoothly forward. I felt like we were getting answers, and wasn't mad that these answers just opened more questions.
An engaging read and I look forward to the next installment!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I wish this book had pictures!! There's a scene where the author is desperately trying to describe an object that is clearly a symbol of something but my brain just couldn't make anything of it. I would have loved some kind of graphic, schematic, or something to let me participate in the puzzle more instead of waiting for the characters to figure it out.
I enjoyed how this story loops back on itself while not getting stuck, many books faulter when they have to connect a detail from early on with the resolution later, but this one connects the dot and moves smoothly forward. I felt like we were getting answers, and wasn't mad that these answers just opened more questions.
An engaging read and I look forward to the next installment!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 30, 2023
But hey, I'm biased, right? Being the author and all. Wait, am I ALLOWED to do this? Okay, look, let me tell you why I wrote this, and why I love it.
When I was 11 years old, I got a video game called Elite, which allowed you to fly a spaceship and make a living however you wanted. Trade, pirate, bounty hunt, mine, explore... it was basically the Han Solo simulator, and I loved Star Wars.
That's feeling I had back then is what got me writing this book. I didn't just play the game. I made a cockpit. I had a co-pilot. I created a narrative for a game that did not have one built in. In my head, I lived stories.
And they weren't "big hero saves the day" type stuff, either. More like "struggling to get by and finding trouble in the process." Which tends to be far more interesting, don't you think?
So, that's it in a nutshell. I wanted to write a book that captured that feeling. What else can I say? I hope you enjoy it.
When I was 11 years old, I got a video game called Elite, which allowed you to fly a spaceship and make a living however you wanted. Trade, pirate, bounty hunt, mine, explore... it was basically the Han Solo simulator, and I loved Star Wars.
That's feeling I had back then is what got me writing this book. I didn't just play the game. I made a cockpit. I had a co-pilot. I created a narrative for a game that did not have one built in. In my head, I lived stories.
And they weren't "big hero saves the day" type stuff, either. More like "struggling to get by and finding trouble in the process." Which tends to be far more interesting, don't you think?
So, that's it in a nutshell. I wanted to write a book that captured that feeling. What else can I say? I hope you enjoy it.
November 19, 2025
DNF at 51%.
Turns out to be YA book, 45% in. The happy-go-lucky kind, not too much on patronizing.. Somewhere in the middle there is a flashback chapter. It's long, and that it has been telegraphed doesn't help. It's about the female MC. About her getting her memory back, and I'm totally not interested reading about it.
The book had some good humor parts in the beginning, but it hasn't persisted. Too bad, because writing style was good enough. Bad guys' POV is included, it's as its own chapters, and it's wholly not interesting. Writing quality in these chapters is worse than the rest of the book. 2.5 Stars maybe.
Turns out to be YA book, 45% in. The happy-go-lucky kind, not too much on patronizing.. Somewhere in the middle there is a flashback chapter. It's long, and that it has been telegraphed doesn't help. It's about the female MC. About her getting her memory back, and I'm totally not interested reading about it.
The book had some good humor parts in the beginning, but it hasn't persisted. Too bad, because writing style was good enough. Bad guys' POV is included, it's as its own chapters, and it's wholly not interesting. Writing quality in these chapters is worse than the rest of the book. 2.5 Stars maybe.
April 20, 2025
Captivating read
I loved this series, the first book is always one to lay the foundation as the characters get into the plot of series. I found that all of the characters were well done with great wit and personality. The main character finds himself on a mission that is well paced and kept me engaged throughout the whole book. A wide variety of planets, space-stations and space territories, aliens, humans and AI. I am looking forward to the next adventure the crew finds themselves in. I received this book for free and voluntarily reviewed.
I loved this series, the first book is always one to lay the foundation as the characters get into the plot of series. I found that all of the characters were well done with great wit and personality. The main character finds himself on a mission that is well paced and kept me engaged throughout the whole book. A wide variety of planets, space-stations and space territories, aliens, humans and AI. I am looking forward to the next adventure the crew finds themselves in. I received this book for free and voluntarily reviewed.
February 23, 2024
I was first introduced to Noah's works years ago and was initially skeptical. I took the leap and found I really enjoy his work. This book is no exception. I found the story well written and that the protagonists were more than just 2 dimensional. Noah strategic use of humor helps bolster the story, but he is also quite adept at portraying a SciFi adventure with enough details to let your imagination fill in the blanks. I am looking forward to reading the next book.
January 25, 2026
Space Cowboy
Fairly typical space western with pirates, space battles damsels (and others) in distress, human-like villains of many types, including synthetic humans and cyborgs as well as a cynical flawed hero and brain ship. It’s the story that really matters and it’s a pretty good one.
Fairly typical space western with pirates, space battles damsels (and others) in distress, human-like villains of many types, including synthetic humans and cyborgs as well as a cynical flawed hero and brain ship. It’s the story that really matters and it’s a pretty good one.
February 2, 2023
Fans of J.S. Morin's Black Ocean universe will enjoy the adventure and wit of Chinn's characters. An entertaining and enjoyable read.
February 26, 2025
Noah Chinn's plots are wonderfull, with vibrant characters full of life, and the occasional comic scene. Looking foward to more of his books.
September 15, 2025
Interesting ride
Liked the premise
Liked the premise
November 8, 2025
a fun romp; with a coherent plot
October 19, 2023
Moss is a down-on-his-luck pilot who used to be the famous explorer Ranger M. Hel stows away on his spaceship. She is an Earthling from a generation ship who was abducted and sold into slavery. FTL-based, multi-species civilizations spread across much of the galaxy. Fast paced with an exciting ending. Frequent dry humor with a few laugh-out-loud sillier moments. Fairly quick read.
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