ALEXANDER OUTLAND: SPACE PIRATE - G.J. Koch


 Alexander Napoleon ("Nap") Outland is the captain of the Space Vessel 3369 - or, the "69" for short.  He's the best pilot in the galaxy, according to the book blurb.  So is he captain, or pilot?  Both?  He's also a pirate and smuggler and he's left a string of women throughout the galaxy both loving and hating him while his co-pilot is a smartass Sexbot and his weapons chief ("Slinkie") is just about the sexiest woman around, but she won't even consider sleeping with Outland.

Alexander Outland makes his living skirting the law but a new fleet of pirates are cutting into his business and soon he has folks on both sides of the law after him.  It's going to take all his piloting skills and moxie to get him, and his crew, out of proverbial hot water.

I was hoping for a fast-paced, exciting space opera here, and I believe that was the intention, but the book and the primary character are a little too full of themselves to be enjoyable.

Clearly, Outland is supposed to be a bit of Han Solo, Buck Rogers, Malcolm Reynolds, James Kirk, and every other space cowboy bad boy reluctant hero.  We get this from the title of the book and his 'banter' throughout the book - that "I'm too cool to say anything that isn't witty or charming" attitude.  But really, we can see why his weapons officer won't sleep with him ... there is nothing appealing about him.

The book is over-written.  The dialog isn't quick and witty the way this sort of banter should be, and every scene takes much too long to develop. The characters are two-dimensional.  Understanding Outland relies on our already knowing the type (see the aforementioned scifi characters) and everyone else in the book is there simply to serve Outland. Even Slinkie serves him by showing us that his 'charms' don't work on everyone.

And the charm of this book definitely doesn't work on me.

Looking for a good book? Alexander Outland: Space Pirate, by G.J. Koch, is a space opera that is a poor pastiche of the genre.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars

* * * * * *

Alexander Outland: Space Pirate

author: G.J. Koch

publisher: Night Shade Books

ISBN: 9781620906613

hardcover, 363 pages

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