Charlie Gault had all the luck. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the good kind.It was looking like Lady Luck had quite a grudge against him. In fact, at this point merely crashing the multi-billion-dollar ship he had helped design would have felt like winning the lottery compared to his current dilemma. If only he were so lucky.Things had started off all right––that is, until a freak wormhole … freak wormhole unexpectedly swallowed his ship, leaving him stranded on an unknown planet far, far from home. With the crew’s lives at stake, Charlie had no choice but to stop his whining, put on his big boy pants, and step up to save them all, and much to his surprise, it actually looked like he might succeed. Of course, that was when things really went sideways in ways that made merely crashing on an uncharted planet seem like a walk in the park.
Suddenly faced with alien space pirates, talking dragons, and something that seemed very much like magic, Charlie found himself adrift, feeling like a space age Robinson Crusoe––only his man Friday was a blue-skinned alien, and this wasn’t just a desert island. It was a whole new galaxy.
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Author Scott Baron has done a marvelous job of writing about a mere human male’s experiences in a distant galaxy, and I can’t wait to read the next book. Charlie is an engineering tech working for an eccentric millionaire in his space program (sound familiar?). Originally he trained as a pilot, but the fascination of engineering pulled him into this new career. He is bonding as one of the flight crew and getting along with all. Everything is fine until it’s time to test all systems, and the boss decrees that they should go up in the main rocket instead of the test one. Then the orders get crazy and the results of the orders get crazy too. Somehow, the ship gets sucked into a wormhole! The ship comes out in another galaxy, they have now idea where they are, their systems have all gone haywire, and they are crashing on a distant desert planet. The pilot manages to level out, but the crash on the ship’s belly kills most of the crew. Charlie’s luck is working overtime, and is about to get worse. I really, really liked this book!
Unlike Anything I’ve Read Before
I really went into Bad Luck Charlie blind. I didn’t know much about it. It’s the first book in a series and the first book by Scott Baron I’ve ever read. The cover gives you some idea (much more once you’ve read the story and understand all of the things on it). But to describe the story – it’s about a lost man, Charlie, who isn’t really trying to find his way home as much as he’s trying to figure out how to survive. Also, he has bad luck… shocker! The beginning was basically a normal every day science fiction story. And by the end, it’s this bizarre fantasy/sci-fi mash-up with a bunch of other things thrown in for good measure.
This one was a weird but intriguing story. Every time I thought I had it figured out it would change a bit more. I’ve been trying to figure out how to describe it (without spoiling anything) and I really can’t. It’s bizarre in a good way and definitely unlike anything I’ve ever read before.
I found myself getting more and more into the story as it progressed and there was only one minor thing that slightly irked me. More than a few times at the end of a chapter Baron would say something like “Charlie got so lucky.” And then the opening of the next chapter was “Charlie wasn’t lucky at all.” It’s interesting and definitely done to try and throw the reader off – but it was done so many times that it started to bother me more than make me unsure of what was to come.
I need to point out that this was the first book I listened to that Gary Bennett narrated and I thought he did a great job. He was able to take on the roles that were given to him and the different species but did it in a way that was pleasing to the ear instead of annoying. Kudos to him for that.
So, overall, I really enjoyed this book and I definitely want to continue the series. Baron did a good job of showing a little of what’s to come from the series without giving it completely away. I hope that Baron and Bennett work together more in the future (especially on this series).
It seems all the luck he has it the bad kind. It is going to get worse when the space ship he destined crash lands on a strange planet. It is about to get worse. Just how worse can it get. See just how bad
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is an awesome Sci-fi/fantasy that is full of action, with wonderful characters and a great story that just keeps you reading on and on. The ending was thrilling but leaves you wanting to know more. So then there’s more. Awesome.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Magic abounds in this entertaining sci fi adventure
I love dragon stories, although the dragons take on a lesser role in this book, I see more dragon involvement coming. Scott Baron has become one of my favorite SF authors. The writing flows exceptionally well and the plots are creative, twisting and interesting. In this first book of the series Charlie does have quite a bit of bad luck, so much so that I almost did not want to read what was going to happen next, but then I realized he actually was the lucky one. So with that said you have to read the book to see what I mean. This is a series, so the next book will tell more of Charlies next adventure. There is a conclusion to this book, no cliffhangers. Highly recommend to read. I received this book for free and voluntarily reviewed.
I really enjoyed this book. Charlie Gault must be one of THE most unluckiest characters I have ever come across.
The story begins with a terrible crash on an unknown planet. You would think that would be the worst thing that could happen to someone, wouldn’t you? Think again, folks.
The reader really gets to grips with Charlie’s character and his personality. He’s a good-hearted soul and always thinks of others. But although he does some (what he sees as) positive things, the majority of the time the consequences don’t always work out the way he wants them to. The other characters in the story are full and realistic, absolutely realistic for this planet and galaxy. I didn’t much like Tuktuk to begin with, but he grew on me.
This is a fabulous adventure that completely sucks you in and refuses to let you go. Just when you think the story has settled down… it then doesn’t. It is well-written, well thought-out and put together, so funny, addictive, with a heady mix of all possible magical genres. You’ll want to get book two as soon as you can. I can’t wait! (Come on, Mr Baron, write quicker!)
Highly recommended for pure entertainment value, while you lose a whole day.