Great book, Sci-fi with a fantasy twist.

Definitely a Sci-fi with fantasy bits, not the other way around.
MC is one of the most elite people of his group (the five) so there isn't as much character development, but the plot was good and has a mystery through line that is engaging enough to keep the story moving.

The character relationships are not explored as much as I would have hoped in a 2 book set, but it feels like there is plenty of room for some twists and growth in the coming books.

All in all, the quality of the books are very solid.

If you like the premise of a typical Sci-fi elite MC and his unit, but twisted into Sci-fi assassin and his pirate buddy & junior assassin. Then this book won't let you down.

2 people found this helpful

Exceptional Series!!

Interstellar Assassin:
In most cases, when you read a book, you are going for the good guy, we all love a story of the Hero (gender neutral term) saving the day. But what happens when it isn’t about the Hero saving the day? What about when it is about an Assassin sneaking in to take out someone (Well, multiple someone’s, since generally there are multiple guards at the location who all have to die first for the Assassin to reach their Target, or on the way back out!)
This is the story of one such Assassin, and the Race/Order that he belongs to. This Race is known as Wampeh, and as a general rule, their race is fairly common, a pale race with dark hair. But our main character is a Wampeh Ghalian, which are only ‘a fraction of a fraction’ of the Wampeh, and have unique gifts. They have a rare anomaly of magical potential that allows them to steal another’s magic, but only by drinking their blood – in a sense, the Wampeh Ghalian are Vampire Assassins, with the ability to use magic. Over thousands of years, they have refined their skills, abilities, and craft, to become the most feared Assassins in all the known Galaxy. If you find out that you have a Ghalian after you, you might as well just give up, it will just be easier on you.
This is an epic story, and the world building is truly masterful. There is just so much detail that has gone into the background of the Ghalian’s, their Guild, how everything comes together, their magical abilities, weapons, magic items, and then there is the magical abilities of others.
In this first book, we are introduced to Hozark, a Master in the Ghalian Order, who has been set a task. He has to assassinate a Political figure known as an Emmik (they hold this title as this is a rank that has been earned and means the holder has significant power and magical ability. They work for an organisation called ‘The Council of Twenty’, which is the ruling body for the Galaxy, but is also very corrupt.
The Wampeh Ghalian do not take sides in confrontation or war, although several times it is referenced that due to the Councils overwhelming corruption, the Ghalian’s have been known to act against the Council, work for less etc, to disrupt Council plans, as they see the Council as a corrupt entity that should not exist.
The main focus of this story is that Hozark is to assassinate this Emmik, but to do so, he is going to have to get past the guards of the Emmik, and if intel is correct, one of those protecting the Emmik is a former Wampeh Ghalian, who carries a formidable weapon, one that can only be used properly by a Wampeh Ghalian – A Vespus Blade.
When a Wampeh Ghalian uses their special ability, and feeds upon someone with Magic, drinking their blood, they take this magic, and they can pass it to the sword, imbuing the sword with power.
I don’t want to go into huge detail and give away too many spoilers, but let’s just say it makes them even more lethal.
As such, part of this story becomes about Hozark finding his own Vespus Blade, and this is no easy feat, as there are very few left who can create such amazing weapons.
As I said previously, the world building is just incredibly in-depth, but rather than being overwhelming, or losing you (as it can do in some books where there is just too much information), in this case, you find you get totally absorbed in it, and just want more. It is utterly fascinating, this world of assassins, and with each new revelation, several more doors open into this wonderous world.
The Character work is just outstanding. Hozark, as the Wampeh Ghalian – the master Assassin, is brilliant. The captivating way in which he engages with his world is totally enthralling, and you find yourself glued to the book, unable to pull away. Hozark travels with a small crew, a pilot ‘Bud’, who helps him on missions, he is just hilarious. He is not a Ghalian, but having worked with Hozark, knows all about them. He has a co-pilot Laskar, who is a gifted pilot (the only reason they keep him around), but he has the common sense of a dead rat. The dialogue between Bud and Laskar is like a comedy routine at times, and keeps you laughing. There are some other characters, but I won’t discuss them so as to not give away spoilers.
As a Space Opera/Mil Sci-Fi, this is just an exceptional story, with fast paced action, intense combat scenes that are masterfully described (the sword-fighting scenes are just beautifully choreographed, and read so well). There is clever dialogue that compliments a creative, well thought out storyline, that keeps you both enthralled and guessing.
If you love a good story, doesn’t matter the genre, you will like this – and seriously – ‘MAGICAL VAMPIRE ASSASSINS!!!’, do I have to say anything else??
The Vespus Blade:
In Book 1, we were introduced to Master Hozark and the Wampeh Ghalian, the Guild of Assassins that are somewhat unique, clever and creative creature for use as an Assassin in a Space Opera setting.
We get introduced to this concept of the Wampeh Ghalian, their unique ability to drain magical ability, the Guild of Assassins, and the Council of Twenty, and Hozark’s mission to find a Vespus Blade, and kill a Visla, who it turns out, is protected by a Ghalian long thought dead.
The mythology and world building that has gone into this series is just incredible, there is so much intricate detail weaved throughout the story that just adds a whole extra dimension.
In book 1 Hozark had to complete a mission, and for that, he required a legendary Vespus Blade, and that was basically the plot of book 1, him hunting down and getting the blade and completing his mission.
During this mission, we met Bud, his pilot, his co-pilot Laskar, and Demelza, another Wampeh Ghalian that becomes tied to Hozark’s mission.
In Book 2, the crew set out on a new mission (I don’t want to give away spoilers), Hozark again is the main character, but he is joined by Bud, and Laskar, and due to their mission, Demelza also continues to be a part of their party.
The second book takes on a slightly different nature to the first book, in that Hozark is not just tied to the single mission as he was in the first book, and in this book, there is a lot more intrigue.
In Book 1, Hozark discovered that a former Ghalian, once considered dead, is actually alive, and has turned rogue, working for an organisation called ‘The Council of Twenty’. The Council is the ruling body for the Sector, and is meant to be an unbiased group, that looks out for the best interests of all those in the Sector, whether that be trade, planetary issues, people’s rights. However, they are totally corrupt, using their positions to gain money, power, and magic. Every member is either a Visla or an Emmik, one of the two privileged positions of power in the Sector, and the two that can hold significant magical power.
In this book, we learn the Ghalian don’t take sides, as they like to be able to take contracts from both parties. But, they have been known to favour anything that works against the Council of Twenty.
There is so much mystery, intrigue, captivating story lines as pieces on the board are moved around in this incredibly complex game on both sides. We see this all from Hozark’s point of view, as he looks on at what is occurring between not only the Wampeh Ghalian’s, but all the other different people in the Sector, and the Council of Twenty, and all of their interests.
This is a fascinating book, and the more you read, the more interesting, the more involved you get.
The really great thing about this book is just the broad range of things that happen. Not only is there this complex game of thrones occurring that is playing out, that the Ghalian are watching, but there are all these enthralling missions that Hozark is a part of, that keep you absolutely glued to the page. The combat scenes with the Ghalian are just stunning – imagine two magical Jedi Vampire’s being unleashed on a host of bad guys, and you get a vague idea, but the descriptive work is beautiful. The Author describes these scenes with such brutal, gritty detail, that you feel like you are watching via multiple drones and go-pro camera’s mounted on the blades of the characters.
The character work is exquisite, Hozark is fascinating as the often silent Master, having worked alone for so long, but he seems to be coming out of his shell as this book progresses, realising that it is actually a good thing having a ‘Team’.
Demelza is another really captivating character, with her ability to keep up with the Masters, but having taken a bit of a different learning path than others. We get to learn more about her in this book.
Bud and Laskar are just hilarious, and offer a bit of comic relief in a book that could quite easily become very dark and moody given that we are following a pair of blood sucking assassins.
Whilst they are assassins, they do have a code, and to a large extent, they are honourable, not just randomly killing for the sake of it.
This is a very intelligent, well-crafted story that once you pick up, you are going to have a hard time putting down, it is a lot of fun to read, the story is fascinating, and the combat scenes are just extraordinary.
It doesn’t matter what genre you like, you will love this series!!
I have not listened to anything by Eric Bryan Moore previously, but he did a great job with the Narration. He was clear and concise, so it was easy to understand and listen to him. He has a great range of voices, both Male and Female, and the main characters voice, Hozark, is exceptionally well done for this particular character. You can pretty well distinguish who is talking most of the time, but there are times it can be a bit hard to tell which character is speaking.
However, Moore does an amazing job of conveying the emotional range of his characters, so you really understand what they are feeling, from happy to sad, angry to joyful, you get a good understanding of all of this.
Moore does a great job, and I look forward to hearing him read the next parts in the series!

2 people found this helpful

⭐️Read This Bundle!⭐️

I wasn’t at all surprised that I enjoyed these books!
•••⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️•••
I have read some of the author’s other work (Space Pirate Charlie) and find his writing to be out-there, yet wholly captivating! Scott Baron really knows how to weave an intricate story—cause that’s what this is!

I like, and appreciate, the fact that the writing itself isn’t overly complicated, but requires the reader/listener to pay close attention if they want to truly grasp the story. And Eric Bryan Moore does a masterful job with the many different characters!

Do yourself a favor and grab this bundle! Then, after you realize you love this “world,” go out and get you some more books by Baron!

You won’t be disappointed!

1 person found this helpful

Great fast moving adventure!

As a representative of AudioBookReviewer.com here is my review on Space Assassins 1 and 2 written by Scott Baron and narrated by Eric Bryan Moore.

Space Assassins is set in a magical universe. This team of assassins accept a contract and set off on a magical adventure full of twists and turns. They are skilled in magic and armed with the most powerful blade of all.

There are many different characters introduced throughout both books. Each given enough detail and intricately woven into the story. Space Assassins 1 moved very quickly but moved at a steady enough pace that left you feeling you had all of the information needed to progress. Book 2 added the length that was lacking in book 1 and did so without hurting the plot or pace of the story.

Eric Bryan Moore did a wonderful job with the narration. His voice was smooth and was able to navigate well through the different characters adding depth in how he voiced them.

Overall, this was a fun listening experience. Scott Baron has a fun style of writing and has built a great universe. I can’t wait to hear more from the Space Assassins series.
The audio production of this book was clear and well done, there were no issues.

Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.

1 person found this helpful

your in for a treat.

let me start with the cons. scott like to repeat certain aspects , but it's more of a reassuring/clarification use. and two if you love scott baron already and have ingested some of his books already. it's gonna take 2-5 chapters for you to get used to this author. though boy once you get used to this guy's small little issues, man he's is good, and let me tell you I almost stopped listening but I did it and I don't regret my decision.

This so fleshed out the ghalians of the magic universe. it really paints the picture of how easy hard situations are for them. if you are wanting to know what the life of the ghalians is all about the. you need to start this series.

Great as a bundle

The first book was very short so the fact they were merged into a bundle makes the use of a credit worthwhile.
The pace is quite quick but there is a nice amount of detail.
The story was very engaging from the start and didn't have all the action at the end like a lot of other books.
The only thing I found a bit difficult was the magic, it needs more explanation on how it works
Overall I enjoyed this book and will look for others by this author as long as they are long enough.

Pronunciation is very important.

Authors. Please somehow. Make sure the voice actor listens to the pronunciation from your other books. It’s such a little thing. But it makes me crazy