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mellhay's review
4.0
Oh, I think I love Outland! :D
****Full Review*****
Alexander pulls Sixty-Nine into Thurge for a magma order, but when he hears the voice and one of the women that has been brewing to see Nap again, he high-tales it out of there to Herion. But in his rush to avoid one trouble he comes barreling into another. Ships have been vanishing around Herion space along with weird occurrences. Alarms in Sixty-Nine go off, but nothing is on the screen. Nap works his flying magic to land on Herion. Now grounded Nap has several different groups after him; to help them, or to kill him. Nap is the first to land in a very long time, and people are desperate to hire him, and the Pirate Armada wants to kill him since he is the only captain who could out pilot them but won't take orders either. Alexander is not a hero, he's a pirate...with morals...okay, low, but some, but he needs to stop the Armada if he wants to keep smuggling and pirating without a huge fee. And try to win the girl too.
Right off the bat we learn Alexander Outland, Nap as his friends and the ladies call him, is quite popular with the ladies...good and bad ways. Alexander comes off as not always the smartest captain, but he always comes through! By the end of the book, I started to think it's all an act. People won't think you smarter than what you come across, so you can get away with many great things, and have fun at it.
There is a whole universe created! Yes, this is so much bigger than a world. Koch creates a universe! This is wild! The first six chapters are quick and fast moving, yet we see a large universe is here. I got the feel we are getting just a bare glimpse of it, and I look forward to future books to see more.
We are taken on a wild and fun ride with Nap and his crew. Just meeting them, and reading Naps responses to each is fun. And there is one he didn't even know about, until we get going in the book. Nap also seems to be a collector of lost souls, as he picks up a few extras along the way. All the characters have their own strong personalities, and abilities they bring to the story. No, they don't all get along, but they are wonderful to blend and clash together. Loved them all!
I loved Nap, so fun. Slinkie is who I want to be when I grow up! Okay, so I'm already grown up, and not a Slinkie, but I loved her! Loved Governor. Oh, he holds a secret all his own. And Randolph, so smart! A genius. And Audrey! Audrey... she is a special case. ;) And all the people we come across, just fun!
The story! It was fun! Thrilling! Adventurous! Nap and crew get into scraps and get out, barely. There are sexual innuendos through out the book, and comments. Like with Slinkie, about every time. But it's all in great fun, and I had to smile. Actually, this book had me smiling the whole time, and even rooting for Nap with Slinkie (even though I probably shouldn't have been). I loved the banter and the sexual tension Alexander puts into everything, a true man but fun. Then we have a few moments in not so...sanitary, places. lol. But it is all so funny!
I've read it, and absolutely loved it!
I loved this adventure and this crew! I CAN NOT WAIT for the next Alexander Outland book!!
****Full Review*****
Alexander pulls Sixty-Nine into Thurge for a magma order, but when he hears the voice and one of the women that has been brewing to see Nap again, he high-tales it out of there to Herion. But in his rush to avoid one trouble he comes barreling into another. Ships have been vanishing around Herion space along with weird occurrences. Alarms in Sixty-Nine go off, but nothing is on the screen. Nap works his flying magic to land on Herion. Now grounded Nap has several different groups after him; to help them, or to kill him. Nap is the first to land in a very long time, and people are desperate to hire him, and the Pirate Armada wants to kill him since he is the only captain who could out pilot them but won't take orders either. Alexander is not a hero, he's a pirate...with morals...okay, low, but some, but he needs to stop the Armada if he wants to keep smuggling and pirating without a huge fee. And try to win the girl too.
Right off the bat we learn Alexander Outland, Nap as his friends and the ladies call him, is quite popular with the ladies...good and bad ways. Alexander comes off as not always the smartest captain, but he always comes through! By the end of the book, I started to think it's all an act. People won't think you smarter than what you come across, so you can get away with many great things, and have fun at it.
There is a whole universe created! Yes, this is so much bigger than a world. Koch creates a universe! This is wild! The first six chapters are quick and fast moving, yet we see a large universe is here. I got the feel we are getting just a bare glimpse of it, and I look forward to future books to see more.
We are taken on a wild and fun ride with Nap and his crew. Just meeting them, and reading Naps responses to each is fun. And there is one he didn't even know about, until we get going in the book. Nap also seems to be a collector of lost souls, as he picks up a few extras along the way. All the characters have their own strong personalities, and abilities they bring to the story. No, they don't all get along, but they are wonderful to blend and clash together. Loved them all!
I loved Nap, so fun. Slinkie is who I want to be when I grow up! Okay, so I'm already grown up, and not a Slinkie, but I loved her! Loved Governor. Oh, he holds a secret all his own. And Randolph, so smart! A genius. And Audrey! Audrey... she is a special case. ;) And all the people we come across, just fun!
The story! It was fun! Thrilling! Adventurous! Nap and crew get into scraps and get out, barely. There are sexual innuendos through out the book, and comments. Like with Slinkie, about every time. But it's all in great fun, and I had to smile. Actually, this book had me smiling the whole time, and even rooting for Nap with Slinkie (even though I probably shouldn't have been). I loved the banter and the sexual tension Alexander puts into everything, a true man but fun. Then we have a few moments in not so...sanitary, places. lol. But it is all so funny!
I've read it, and absolutely loved it!
I loved this adventure and this crew! I CAN NOT WAIT for the next Alexander Outland book!!
blodeuedd's review
2.0
Something just did not work for me as it should have with this book. I really tried to like it, I mean I love her other books, but here, no, I just couldn't fall helplessly in love with it.
Captain Alexander Outland..a pig really. Sure I like a good rake, but this guy, well it just felt like he would have picked up a few things on the way. Can’t say I loved Slinkie either, the woman he is lusting after. Though I really liked how she did not fall for his crap. And I did like that Alexander did do the right thing when it comes to everything else. He says he does not want to be a hero but he was a hero. A reluctant awesome hero. So as long as he keeps his hands to himself then he is ok in my book.
I did like the Governor though..yes, I can’t say more. And a certain crewman who made a sexbot, well good for him.
The story (even if sadly not for me), was very cool in theory. A wicked plan is set in motion in the galaxy, pirates who want everything. And the crew ending up on a military planet, one have to love a place that keeps order *laugh ironically*. It sure made it interesting and the action was sure to be had after that.
In the end I still do not know why I did not love this book. Going with my old record I should have liked Alexander, cos he really wanted Slinkie. In a good way. And the plot was amazing and kicked ass. But this time it just was not the book for me.
Captain Alexander Outland..a pig really. Sure I like a good rake, but this guy, well it just felt like he would have picked up a few things on the way. Can’t say I loved Slinkie either, the woman he is lusting after. Though I really liked how she did not fall for his crap. And I did like that Alexander did do the right thing when it comes to everything else. He says he does not want to be a hero but he was a hero. A reluctant awesome hero. So as long as he keeps his hands to himself then he is ok in my book.
I did like the Governor though..yes, I can’t say more. And a certain crewman who made a sexbot, well good for him.
The story (even if sadly not for me), was very cool in theory. A wicked plan is set in motion in the galaxy, pirates who want everything. And the crew ending up on a military planet, one have to love a place that keeps order *laugh ironically*. It sure made it interesting and the action was sure to be had after that.
In the end I still do not know why I did not love this book. Going with my old record I should have liked Alexander, cos he really wanted Slinkie. In a good way. And the plot was amazing and kicked ass. But this time it just was not the book for me.
pjonsson's review
3.0
This is not really a bad book…but it is not a very good one either. I learned later that the author, G. J. Koch, apparently also write under the name Gini Koch which means that it is the same author that have written the Katherine “Kitty” Katt series. If I had known that it was the same author I might actually not had bought the book in the first place. Touched by an Alien, the first one in that series, was definitely not to my liking. Actually that is one of the few books that I have read that got a single star rating and went onto my rubbish shelf.
This book is, thankfully, not as bad as that. However, it does suffer from some of the same issues though. Primarily an unintelligent story and main characters that do not seem to be able to think about anything else than sex.
The story is pretty much unbelievable. It contains words like “threat to the galaxy” and “saving the galaxy” but it really is a story about thwarting a band of human pirates. Much of it is spent literally being “in the shit” down on a planet. That part is just silly. What idiots would store biological waste, or crap in other words, in such a manner that a minor accident with a flying car would more or less flood the city? Science if of course non-existent.
The main character appears to not be able to think about anything else than boobs and other things related to sex as soon as a woman enters the room. His focus is constantly split 50/50, at beast, on “saving the galaxy” and getting his favourite girl in bed. The “sex scene” at the end is just ridiculous.
Having said that the book has a certain entertainment factor. The captain is indeed a bit of a rascal and the dialogue and interaction between him and the other members of his fairly bizarre crew can be somewhat enjoyable to read. The story, as silly as it is, does move forward at a reasonable pace. Although the bulk of the story is pretty much concluded the book does leave a cliff hanger at the end which indicates that there might come more books about Alexander Outland. The jury is still out on whether I would pick any of those up though.
I’m sure there are a lot of people that could like this kind of book with its “light” (I would say silly myself) story, particular dialogue and constant references to boobs and such but I am not too thrilled about them. If you are, you probably will find this an excellent book though since, as such a book, it is certainly “mission accomplished”.
This book is, thankfully, not as bad as that. However, it does suffer from some of the same issues though. Primarily an unintelligent story and main characters that do not seem to be able to think about anything else than sex.
The story is pretty much unbelievable. It contains words like “threat to the galaxy” and “saving the galaxy” but it really is a story about thwarting a band of human pirates. Much of it is spent literally being “in the shit” down on a planet. That part is just silly. What idiots would store biological waste, or crap in other words, in such a manner that a minor accident with a flying car would more or less flood the city? Science if of course non-existent.
The main character appears to not be able to think about anything else than boobs and other things related to sex as soon as a woman enters the room. His focus is constantly split 50/50, at beast, on “saving the galaxy” and getting his favourite girl in bed. The “sex scene” at the end is just ridiculous.
Having said that the book has a certain entertainment factor. The captain is indeed a bit of a rascal and the dialogue and interaction between him and the other members of his fairly bizarre crew can be somewhat enjoyable to read. The story, as silly as it is, does move forward at a reasonable pace. Although the bulk of the story is pretty much concluded the book does leave a cliff hanger at the end which indicates that there might come more books about Alexander Outland. The jury is still out on whether I would pick any of those up though.
I’m sure there are a lot of people that could like this kind of book with its “light” (I would say silly myself) story, particular dialogue and constant references to boobs and such but I am not too thrilled about them. If you are, you probably will find this an excellent book though since, as such a book, it is certainly “mission accomplished”.
hrtlss_grl's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
95% of this book is dialogue, and while Gini Koch is great at writing dialogue, there is nothing else there. I could not tell you a single detail of their ship barring its name. Character descriptions are extremely brief if female, and non-existent if they are male. The plot is barely there and pretty standard. The big "twist" was pretty self explanatory and obvious from the beginning. Clearly wanting to be Firefly, this book feels lile it was written as a script that never panned out and was 'transformed' albeit barely, into a book. If you want something with snappy dialogue try her Alien series. It's still about 65-70% dialogue but at least I could tell you what the characters looked like, how they acted and what they did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Sexual harassment
jessie_h's review
3.0
This book was a quick, fun read. It seemed to be a spin off of the classic Firefly TV series but with Koch's unique sense of humor added. While I can see a few similarities to the tv show especially when it comes to some of the characters, the book has its own unique plot. It was delightful although a bit crude if that is something that bothers you. I can't wait to see what happens next! Please say there will be another book!
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