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Poor Man's Fight #1
Poor Man's Fight
"This test completes your compulsory education. Congratulations! You have graduated high school. Your financial obligation is 67,879 credits. Please visit our loan officer as you exit."
Tanner Malone never bought into military myths of honor and glory. He never wanted to wear a uniform or medals. Yet when family upheaval brings his otherwise stellar performance in school to a disastrous end, Tanner's plans for university lie in ruins. Facing homelessness and a mountain of debt, Tanner enlists in his home planet's tiny navy.
It’s a hell of a time to sign up. Vicious pirates stalk the space lanes, claiming to fight an oppressive economic system even as they shed innocent blood. Civil war looms beyond the borders of Tanner’s home star system of Archangel. Corporate security fleets are nowhere to be found when trouble arises.
In response, Archangel begins ambitious military expansion. Basic training becomes six months of daily bare knuckle brawls, demanding cross-training and constant stress. Brutal as it is, Tanner will need the preparation. The pirates grow more audacious with every attack. As if that’s not enough, Tanner is assigned to a small ship whose disgruntled crew has no patience for cerebral new recruits, and they’re on the front lines of all of Archangel’s woes.
Tanner soon learns there is only one way to deal with his bullying comrades, their ruthless foes and the unforgiving void of space, and that’s to get up close and personal.
Tanner Malone never bought into military myths of honor and glory. He never wanted to wear a uniform or medals. Yet when family upheaval brings his otherwise stellar performance in school to a disastrous end, Tanner's plans for university lie in ruins. Facing homelessness and a mountain of debt, Tanner enlists in his home planet's tiny navy.
It’s a hell of a time to sign up. Vicious pirates stalk the space lanes, claiming to fight an oppressive economic system even as they shed innocent blood. Civil war looms beyond the borders of Tanner’s home star system of Archangel. Corporate security fleets are nowhere to be found when trouble arises.
In response, Archangel begins ambitious military expansion. Basic training becomes six months of daily bare knuckle brawls, demanding cross-training and constant stress. Brutal as it is, Tanner will need the preparation. The pirates grow more audacious with every attack. As if that’s not enough, Tanner is assigned to a small ship whose disgruntled crew has no patience for cerebral new recruits, and they’re on the front lines of all of Archangel’s woes.
Tanner soon learns there is only one way to deal with his bullying comrades, their ruthless foes and the unforgiving void of space, and that’s to get up close and personal.
356 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 20, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 381 reviews
July 3, 2016
This book has been on my "radar" for some time. It looked interesting and as I like military science fiction seemed something I should try.
Glad I did.
This is an excellent read if you like action (military action or just plain action), military fiction, military science fiction, etc. And let me add you get what I'd call "ground-pounder" or "grunt" action along with "fleet action:.
Also while this will fall under the heading of space opera it's a bit more than the standard brain candy we think of when using the heading.
Going way, way back in the history of science fiction the idea of the "evil corporate" entity has been a standard. Sadly it seems to me that most of the evil corporation plots have been a bit silly. This one comes in with a feasible situation where large corporations have used their financial leverage to gain control of the governing bodies of the planets in the Union.
I can highly recommend this book and I'm moving on to the next. Recommended.
Glad I did.
This is an excellent read if you like action (military action or just plain action), military fiction, military science fiction, etc. And let me add you get what I'd call "ground-pounder" or "grunt" action along with "fleet action:.
Also while this will fall under the heading of space opera it's a bit more than the standard brain candy we think of when using the heading.
Going way, way back in the history of science fiction the idea of the "evil corporate" entity has been a standard. Sadly it seems to me that most of the evil corporation plots have been a bit silly. This one comes in with a feasible situation where large corporations have used their financial leverage to gain control of the governing bodies of the planets in the Union.
I can highly recommend this book and I'm moving on to the next. Recommended.
July 22, 2022
*** 3.75 ***
"...“virtually all wars are just the young and poor like me dying for the lies of old rich people”...
― Elliott Kay, Poor Man's Fight
"...“virtually all wars are just the young and poor like me dying for the lies of old rich people”...
― Elliott Kay, Poor Man's Fight
September 2, 2014
Diehard in space with pirates!
February 28, 2013
I have to say, Eliot Kay knows his military boot camp material. Either he served in the armed forces or he has friends or relatives who did because he has all the external hijinks and internal doubts and everything that goes with it dead to rights. In addition, this book is funny and touching (sometimes at the same time). He paints his space opera with a wide brush but he still finds time to swat lots of sacred cows along the way - education systems, testing procedures, inflexible computers, student loans, corrupt corporations, lazy military leaders, aggresive politicians, smarmy news reporters, etc. What I like the most about "Poor Man's Fight" though is the way Mr. Kay sketches his characters. He's good at it and his easy going writing style is a cover for a highly crafted, well honed piece. His characters feel real and you care about them. He makes the good guys plenty fallible (and lazy, and small minded) and presents the bad guys (and ladies) as sympathetic and understandable. Don't get me wrong, his bad characters do truly bad stuff without any conscience problems, but they manage to be funny, or at least human, while they're doing it. The book was a fun trip from the first page to the last. And, a big plus to me, is the fact that there are very few typos or grammar issues anywhere. Hard to go wrong with this book, in my opinion.
April 14, 2013
I'm not a fan of science fiction novels, although I love scifi movies. This novel reads like a movie. The first scene was entertaining and exciting enough to draw me in. The descriptions and characters are richly developed. The author presents a very unique take on where corporate control of government and skyrocketing education costs will lead if we go on the way we are going. There is also a funny (ironic?) description of a high-stakes "standardized" test. As in many stories, the most interesting character is not the protagonist, but the antagonist. I would have liked to learn more about his motives and personality.
Kay is a fun author who takes his readers along on a rip-roaring ride. His own military background and knowledge of the operation of a sea-going vessel translated beautifully into his creation of a space-going operational fleet. The reader learns several random interesting facts along the way. Kay might have provided a sentence or two of explanation about certain technologies, especially for readers not familiar with the genre. Each and every minor character seems to be named. After a while I got a bit confused and wondered if I should have remembered who was who. I suspect in order to avoid standard "red shirts" Kay decided to give everyone an identity.
Poor Man's Fight ended on a note leaving the possibility of a sequel open. I look forward to finding out what happens next.
Kay is a fun author who takes his readers along on a rip-roaring ride. His own military background and knowledge of the operation of a sea-going vessel translated beautifully into his creation of a space-going operational fleet. The reader learns several random interesting facts along the way. Kay might have provided a sentence or two of explanation about certain technologies, especially for readers not familiar with the genre. Each and every minor character seems to be named. After a while I got a bit confused and wondered if I should have remembered who was who. I suspect in order to avoid standard "red shirts" Kay decided to give everyone an identity.
Poor Man's Fight ended on a note leaving the possibility of a sequel open. I look forward to finding out what happens next.
Read
May 4, 2021This is an interesting book, in that the first half of it is pure military SF at its most basic, with all the tropes. And that's a good thing. It has the basic training and all of the stuff you'd expect from a book 1 in a Mil SF series. The exception being the brilliant reason for why the guy joins -- who would expect military SF to take on the educational debt culture? Well, this book does it, and does it well.
And then the last third of the book is Die Hard in space. Which...again...Die Hard. In Space. As we all know, everything's better in space. I couldn't stop listening to it. Yippee Kai Yay, and all that.
The only negative in the book for me was the switch from tight third person limited early on to third person omniscient, but you know, it didn't really even bother me because it was done well and it helped tell the whole story and added depth. I'll be interested to see how that plays out in later books, though.
I'm not really sure where this series goes from here. The main character at this point has been through so much that putting him through even more seems almost unrealistic...but I'm still going to tune in to see it happen.
Highly recommended for anybody who likes military SF or Die Hard.
And then the last third of the book is Die Hard in space. Which...again...Die Hard. In Space. As we all know, everything's better in space. I couldn't stop listening to it. Yippee Kai Yay, and all that.
The only negative in the book for me was the switch from tight third person limited early on to third person omniscient, but you know, it didn't really even bother me because it was done well and it helped tell the whole story and added depth. I'll be interested to see how that plays out in later books, though.
I'm not really sure where this series goes from here. The main character at this point has been through so much that putting him through even more seems almost unrealistic...but I'm still going to tune in to see it happen.
Highly recommended for anybody who likes military SF or Die Hard.
July 5, 2022
This starts off with a different premise: Pirates board a space cruise ship and recruit all of the young crewmembers, murder some of the others, and sell the hostages back for a profit.
It seems that the young crew is made up of, (more or less), glorified indentured servants because they are in hock up to their eyeballs from the debts the incurred for schooling. Three major corporations run everything, including the educational system. Education is a requirement, but the students rack up phenomenal debt just to attend school. It is the student's financial responsibility, instead of the responsibility of the parents. By the time they graduate high school their interest has accrued to ridiculous proportions. Kind of like our home mortgages and credit cards ;). Anyway, unless one is independently wealthy, the only way to get out of this financial morass is to obtain more loans to pay off the original.
Our MC, Tanner, is a highly intelligent student, but he is also poor as dirt. He joins the military as a way to get out from under his overwhelming educational debts, since the military begins to offer financial incentives. There are a few other factors, but this is the main gist.
Some other points of view are rotated through. Darren is part of a crew on a passenger liner until he defects to the outlaws when his ship has been boarded. Casey is the smarmy scum-sucking pirate captain. He likes to tell potential recruits what they want to hear. And speaking of insincerity...some politicians are given page time.
This was a great story! Tanner as a character really underwent some incredible development. It took a bit for things to kick into high gear, but once they did, holy smokes it was good! I have just bought the next one in the series.
It seems that the young crew is made up of, (more or less), glorified indentured servants because they are in hock up to their eyeballs from the debts the incurred for schooling. Three major corporations run everything, including the educational system. Education is a requirement, but the students rack up phenomenal debt just to attend school. It is the student's financial responsibility, instead of the responsibility of the parents. By the time they graduate high school their interest has accrued to ridiculous proportions. Kind of like our home mortgages and credit cards ;). Anyway, unless one is independently wealthy, the only way to get out of this financial morass is to obtain more loans to pay off the original.
Our MC, Tanner, is a highly intelligent student, but he is also poor as dirt. He joins the military as a way to get out from under his overwhelming educational debts, since the military begins to offer financial incentives. There are a few other factors, but this is the main gist.
Some other points of view are rotated through. Darren is part of a crew on a passenger liner until he defects to the outlaws when his ship has been boarded. Casey is the smarmy scum-sucking pirate captain. He likes to tell potential recruits what they want to hear. And speaking of insincerity...some politicians are given page time.
This was a great story! Tanner as a character really underwent some incredible development. It took a bit for things to kick into high gear, but once they did, holy smokes it was good! I have just bought the next one in the series.
July 12, 2017
Military Sci-Fi at its best - taken from the grunts standpoint. You know the person that makes all the officers look good on a military ship. Sure the lone-man save-things at the end kills the non-officer vibe, but by that time you are so rocking the space opera you don't care.
I love the opening concept of school debt, owing about a car payment a month myself for the next ten years (on top of a car payment, rent, and oh stuff like food). I like creating what if scenarios and Elliott Kay has taken one I've bounced around in my head (really dude, stay out of my head) - and played it out in this intellectual exercise. Got the picture - making people pay for childhood bad. Love the world creation from the concept though!
Very nice military story and can't wait to see more.
I don't give out five stars lightly - but if you like solid space opera, you got it here.
Side Note: I noticed the author has other works in different genres. Be careful you get the path you want. Kind of like Piers Anthony - people who are expecting Mr. Anthony style to be the same for fantasy and sci-fi are in for a rude awakening. No offense Mr. Kay, I am not going to read Good Intentions as it ain't my style - but please finish that sequel quickly so you can return to the Poor Man's Fight universe. I want the Next!
Original review written May 2013; Book read 2nd time July 2015 after purchasing the sequel just to get reacquaint myself with the universe. Still awesome.
I love the opening concept of school debt, owing about a car payment a month myself for the next ten years (on top of a car payment, rent, and oh stuff like food). I like creating what if scenarios and Elliott Kay has taken one I've bounced around in my head (really dude, stay out of my head) - and played it out in this intellectual exercise. Got the picture - making people pay for childhood bad. Love the world creation from the concept though!
Very nice military story and can't wait to see more.
I don't give out five stars lightly - but if you like solid space opera, you got it here.
Side Note: I noticed the author has other works in different genres. Be careful you get the path you want. Kind of like Piers Anthony - people who are expecting Mr. Anthony style to be the same for fantasy and sci-fi are in for a rude awakening. No offense Mr. Kay, I am not going to read Good Intentions as it ain't my style - but please finish that sequel quickly so you can return to the Poor Man's Fight universe. I want the Next!
Original review written May 2013; Book read 2nd time July 2015 after purchasing the sequel just to get reacquaint myself with the universe. Still awesome.
December 8, 2013
I was initially drawn into the story by the concept of intergalactic pirates and corporate financed education. The more I read, the more I felt like the author was attempting to place their political beliefs (not that I don't agree with some of the politics in the book) into the story. The insertion of the author's personal politics felt a bit forced as well and really jarred me out of the story. I ended up very disappointed in this book which started out so well.
March 1, 2017
Easily the best space warfare book I have ever read. I have been searching for a book that has some naval ship warfare, and this one has it in spades. The pacing is excellent and there were sections I flew through that lead to many late nights of reading when I should have been sleeping!
May 12, 2016
Poor Man’s Fight is an exciting addition to the “space opera” genre. Author Kay expertly lines out and fills in three separate and intersecting stories dealing with a galaxy where corporation are the power behind the political executives. They have paid for exploration of far worlds and they want the maximum return on their investment. They are too big to fail.
There are plenty of stories about young people stepping into the adult world. It had been a subgenre in science fiction for most of the last hundred years. What singles this book out is how well Kay crafts his characters and how deeply he sets his plot.
We are experiencing Tanner Malone’s emotions as he decides to join the Union Navy when his other choices didn’t pan out. “He was supposed to go off to an ecology lab for an internship before university, but it got all fucked up and he didn’t know what else to do….He’s gentle. Nice. I never saw him hurt anyone. All he wanted to do was work with furry animals and estuaries and stuff.” Tanner has a lot to learn.
Kay intersperses sections dealing with government on Earth and at Tanner’s distant planet. He also shows a deft touch with the pirates and piracy that challenge every citizen of this universe. Listen to how “Captain Casey” pitches a pirate’s life to the crew of the ship he has just captured:
“I’m here to offer you all a choice of your own free will. Maybe the first truly free choice of your lives. Might seem like there’s a gun to your head right now, but we aren’t holding it.
“The people who really hold that gun have been there all your lives. NorthStar. CDC. Lai Wa….Those corporations wrote all the rules and they hold all the cards, and you have nothing.
“They put you on your knees and keep you there. And then they go and make it your fault by dressing up all the shit you need to live as loans you have to pay back…Before you know it, you owe money just for being alive. And then you owe money for owing money…
“Hell, they’ve got it wired so well now you think you’re free. You people are slaves and you don’t even know it. They know better than to call it slavery. The just tell you that you owe them money and they set all the rules for how you can pay’em back.”
So, our boy Tanner owes a lot of money, and without a scholarship, he can’t help but go further into debt for any additional education. The military seems the best choice. We follow him through his basic training where he tries to get by, by getting along. We see how he comes to make further bad decisions and fails to get his life centered.
A lot of space operas reflect their authors’ fascination with FTL (faster than light) travel, or weird ordinance, or space war strategy and tactics. Kay shows us little of this. He is strong on his venues and paints interesting details of military life, pirate life and the bonds that are formed. He gives us enough depth to the characters to make us ambivalent about some of their activities or points of view.
This is an author worth watching and his second book of the series is already available.
There are plenty of stories about young people stepping into the adult world. It had been a subgenre in science fiction for most of the last hundred years. What singles this book out is how well Kay crafts his characters and how deeply he sets his plot.
We are experiencing Tanner Malone’s emotions as he decides to join the Union Navy when his other choices didn’t pan out. “He was supposed to go off to an ecology lab for an internship before university, but it got all fucked up and he didn’t know what else to do….He’s gentle. Nice. I never saw him hurt anyone. All he wanted to do was work with furry animals and estuaries and stuff.” Tanner has a lot to learn.
Kay intersperses sections dealing with government on Earth and at Tanner’s distant planet. He also shows a deft touch with the pirates and piracy that challenge every citizen of this universe. Listen to how “Captain Casey” pitches a pirate’s life to the crew of the ship he has just captured:
“I’m here to offer you all a choice of your own free will. Maybe the first truly free choice of your lives. Might seem like there’s a gun to your head right now, but we aren’t holding it.
“The people who really hold that gun have been there all your lives. NorthStar. CDC. Lai Wa….Those corporations wrote all the rules and they hold all the cards, and you have nothing.
“They put you on your knees and keep you there. And then they go and make it your fault by dressing up all the shit you need to live as loans you have to pay back…Before you know it, you owe money just for being alive. And then you owe money for owing money…
“Hell, they’ve got it wired so well now you think you’re free. You people are slaves and you don’t even know it. They know better than to call it slavery. The just tell you that you owe them money and they set all the rules for how you can pay’em back.”
So, our boy Tanner owes a lot of money, and without a scholarship, he can’t help but go further into debt for any additional education. The military seems the best choice. We follow him through his basic training where he tries to get by, by getting along. We see how he comes to make further bad decisions and fails to get his life centered.
A lot of space operas reflect their authors’ fascination with FTL (faster than light) travel, or weird ordinance, or space war strategy and tactics. Kay shows us little of this. He is strong on his venues and paints interesting details of military life, pirate life and the bonds that are formed. He gives us enough depth to the characters to make us ambivalent about some of their activities or points of view.
This is an author worth watching and his second book of the series is already available.
February 24, 2013
Absolutely superb military sci-fi. Randomly took a chance on this when it showed up in my Kindle recommendations and I'm so glad I did.
Kay does a great job with the military aspect of the book. You follow the main character through his training and initial service, which is all excellently done, but it also has sections from the point of view of a space pirate captain. Getting to see how the pirates operate and rule themselves on the fringes of society and outside the government's influence was a lot of fun and served as a nice counterpoint to the military chapters. I won't spoil anything, but seeing both of these plot threads develop as the story went along was so much fun.
Also has a healthy dose of political intrigue on a galactic scale. Was really the perfect amount, helping to make the book more interesting without bogging it down or distracting you from the thrilling main plot. Never really takes center stage, save for a select few chapters, but Kay makes each one of them count.
Highly recommended if you're into sci-fi. I really flew through this and I'm already anticipating the planned sequel.
Kay does a great job with the military aspect of the book. You follow the main character through his training and initial service, which is all excellently done, but it also has sections from the point of view of a space pirate captain. Getting to see how the pirates operate and rule themselves on the fringes of society and outside the government's influence was a lot of fun and served as a nice counterpoint to the military chapters. I won't spoil anything, but seeing both of these plot threads develop as the story went along was so much fun.
Also has a healthy dose of political intrigue on a galactic scale. Was really the perfect amount, helping to make the book more interesting without bogging it down or distracting you from the thrilling main plot. Never really takes center stage, save for a select few chapters, but Kay makes each one of them count.
Highly recommended if you're into sci-fi. I really flew through this and I'm already anticipating the planned sequel.
Read
May 30, 2016New review after having actually read the book:
This is basically the movie Under Siege, but with more back story and more plot armor and less suspension of disbelief. I very much enjoyed the movie Under Siege. We owned it on VHS. Keep in mind, this was before gifs. After a bad day my mom and I would cuddle on the couch together to watch Under Siege. We would fast forward to the part where a bad guy opens a hatch rigged with explosives and gets blown away. We would rewind and replay that bit over and over and laugh and laugh and laugh. That's what we did on bad days before the Internet.
Previous Update:
Okay, update, I read the prologue and part of chapter one. So that explains why I don't remember anything.
Original Review:
I don't remember anything about this except that I read it. The other two books are on kindle unlimited though so maybe I'll reread it and finish the series.
This is basically the movie Under Siege, but with more back story and more plot armor and less suspension of disbelief. I very much enjoyed the movie Under Siege. We owned it on VHS. Keep in mind, this was before gifs. After a bad day my mom and I would cuddle on the couch together to watch Under Siege. We would fast forward to the part where a bad guy opens a hatch rigged with explosives and gets blown away. We would rewind and replay that bit over and over and laugh and laugh and laugh. That's what we did on bad days before the Internet.
Previous Update:
Okay, update, I read the prologue and part of chapter one. So that explains why I don't remember anything.
Original Review:
I don't remember anything about this except that I read it. The other two books are on kindle unlimited though so maybe I'll reread it and finish the series.
August 23, 2014
thought I was picking up some sort of parable about student debt, which, you know timely, piketty in space, something something. turned out to be an adventure story about space pirates - the number-five ranked* amazon book in the 'space marine' category, no less.
but honestly, who's complaining! as space piracy** thrillers go, poor man's fight clicked on all cylinders.
*today you/I learned: there is an amazon fiction subgenre named 'space marine'!
**admit it, you laughed
but honestly, who's complaining! as space piracy** thrillers go, poor man's fight clicked on all cylinders.
*today you/I learned: there is an amazon fiction subgenre named 'space marine'!
**admit it, you laughed
March 2, 2017
Really good mil-SF novel with nice socio-economic depth. Fair characterization, lots of excellent action, mostly troop combat at individual or squad level. Fast pace, very well told story, this first book in the series moves from basic training to down and dirty fighting with pirates. The gore level is fairly high, and I felt that Tanner Malone was just a little too much of a one-man army towards the end. The language and military slang is 20th/21st century American, which was a little odd for a colony allegedly founded by the (future) Roman Catholic church. Bottom line - a rip-roaring military SF slugfest, which is great if you like that kind of thing, and I do.
August 3, 2017
4.5 stars. Read this sci-fi for free (sort of) courtesy of the Prime Reading Library. I enjoyed the sections concerning our hero Tanner Malone as he suffers through basic training and his first posting in the Archangel Navy. Not so keen on the passages involving the evil space pirates, did some skimming.
September 1, 2021
4/5
POOR MAN'S FIGHT is an interesting military science fiction story that takes several well-trodden tropes and proceeds to go in some surprising directions with them. Rarely am I ever surprised by a book but this managed to pull off a few twists and turns I did not see coming. It's an interesting combination of Starship Troopers, Die Hard, a pirate story, and a coming of age tale all in one. One that I heartily recommend to those who are interested in space based stories with a focus more on people than science or action.
Tanner Malone is a book smart young lad who has his entire future ahead of him. Unfortunately, due to an inability to handle stress well, he bombs on the Test. The Test being the equivalent of the SAT that meant the difference between whether he would have his student debt wiped out or be able to continue onward to higher education. Like many people denied opportunities, he ends up deciding to try a tour in the military in hopes of getting away from his lack of options back home.
Simultaneously, the charismatic Captain Casey is leading a band of pirates that is marauding band of murderers that specifically target ultra-rich targets then murder the 1% found among them. A burning anger exists within him toward the system and however sympathetic, it motivates him to commit an increasingly brutal series of atrocities. All the while attempting to recruit as many working class spacers as possible into their ranks before driving them to commit atrocities so they can't back out.
Much of the story deals with the fact that Tanner starts as the kind of guy that Casey used to be and other characters have similarities to. I was left with a big question over whether or not Tanner would join the pirates when he finally got a chance to do so. However, the actions of the pirates got increasingly dark and I had to wonder if, instead, it would be illustrating just how different they were at the end. I won't spoil the answer for you but the final third of the book proves to be an extended action sequence that answers that question handily.
Part of what I liked about this book is that it carries a fairly significant amount of social satire. Much of what motivates the protagonists is the awful economy that is slanted against them before they can even try to compete in society. As someone who had significant amounts of student debt myself, I was clearly wrong about it being a good way to finish my education. Whether that's the best way to motivate a protagonist in a rip-roaring action space adventure is anyone's guess but at least it's different.
In conclusion, Poor Man's Fight is a fun little space opera that I think that people looking for a fun read will enjoy. I wouldn't say its an undiscovered classic but it's definitely higher than most Kindle Unlimited fiction I've read and will be picking up the next volume in the series. It's definitely a good afternoon's read.
POOR MAN'S FIGHT is an interesting military science fiction story that takes several well-trodden tropes and proceeds to go in some surprising directions with them. Rarely am I ever surprised by a book but this managed to pull off a few twists and turns I did not see coming. It's an interesting combination of Starship Troopers, Die Hard, a pirate story, and a coming of age tale all in one. One that I heartily recommend to those who are interested in space based stories with a focus more on people than science or action.
Tanner Malone is a book smart young lad who has his entire future ahead of him. Unfortunately, due to an inability to handle stress well, he bombs on the Test. The Test being the equivalent of the SAT that meant the difference between whether he would have his student debt wiped out or be able to continue onward to higher education. Like many people denied opportunities, he ends up deciding to try a tour in the military in hopes of getting away from his lack of options back home.
Simultaneously, the charismatic Captain Casey is leading a band of pirates that is marauding band of murderers that specifically target ultra-rich targets then murder the 1% found among them. A burning anger exists within him toward the system and however sympathetic, it motivates him to commit an increasingly brutal series of atrocities. All the while attempting to recruit as many working class spacers as possible into their ranks before driving them to commit atrocities so they can't back out.
Much of the story deals with the fact that Tanner starts as the kind of guy that Casey used to be and other characters have similarities to. I was left with a big question over whether or not Tanner would join the pirates when he finally got a chance to do so. However, the actions of the pirates got increasingly dark and I had to wonder if, instead, it would be illustrating just how different they were at the end. I won't spoil the answer for you but the final third of the book proves to be an extended action sequence that answers that question handily.
Part of what I liked about this book is that it carries a fairly significant amount of social satire. Much of what motivates the protagonists is the awful economy that is slanted against them before they can even try to compete in society. As someone who had significant amounts of student debt myself, I was clearly wrong about it being a good way to finish my education. Whether that's the best way to motivate a protagonist in a rip-roaring action space adventure is anyone's guess but at least it's different.
In conclusion, Poor Man's Fight is a fun little space opera that I think that people looking for a fun read will enjoy. I wouldn't say its an undiscovered classic but it's definitely higher than most Kindle Unlimited fiction I've read and will be picking up the next volume in the series. It's definitely a good afternoon's read.
October 6, 2017
3,5*
Mostanában nagyon nehezen találok olvasnivalót, amit nagy kedvvel tudnék fogyasztani, ezért gondoltam kilépek a komfortzónámból, és bepróbálok egy military sci-fi regényt.
Nem volt rossz, helyenként egészen tetszett, de sajnos nem buzogott fel bennem tőle az olvasási kedv.
Tanner Malone 18 éves amikor csúnyán bebukja a felvételi tesztjét, így ha nem akar durván eladósodni, akkor nincs más választása, mint belépni az Arkangel rendszer hadiflottájába. Hat hónapos embertpróbáló kiképzés után egy korvett űrhajón kezdi meg a szolgálatot. A fogadtatás inkább hideg mint meleg, a legénység többi tagja folyamatosan terrorizálja a srácot és a leggányabb melókat akasztják a nyakába, valamint nem tanítanak neki semmit. Elég köcsög banda, azután sem hagynak fel a kekeckedéssel, miután Tanner megmenti a fél bagázs életét egy kalóztámadás közben. A kalózok egyébként is igen nagy problémát jelentenek az Arkangel rendszerben, megélhetési gyilkosok nem riadnak vissza több ezer ember meggyilkolásától sem a profit érdekében. Luxus űrhajókat rabolnak el, vagy éppen egy egész bolygóra csapnak le. Mindekez következtében polgárháború dúl a rendszerben és a kormány kénytelen bővíteni katonai apparátusát. A kérdés csak az, hogy mi játszódik a háttérben? Ki mozgatja a szálakat?
Tanner kalandjai nem érnek itt véget, még 3 könyv követi az elsőt, lehet, hogy elolvasom őket, mert alapvetően tetszett a könyv. Kisebb problémáim a karakterekkel voltak, vagyis hát a kidolgozott karakterek hiányával, mivel igazán csak Tannert ismerhetjük meg jobban, mindenki más feláldozható volt.
Mostanában nagyon nehezen találok olvasnivalót, amit nagy kedvvel tudnék fogyasztani, ezért gondoltam kilépek a komfortzónámból, és bepróbálok egy military sci-fi regényt.
Nem volt rossz, helyenként egészen tetszett, de sajnos nem buzogott fel bennem tőle az olvasási kedv.
Tanner Malone 18 éves amikor csúnyán bebukja a felvételi tesztjét, így ha nem akar durván eladósodni, akkor nincs más választása, mint belépni az Arkangel rendszer hadiflottájába. Hat hónapos embertpróbáló kiképzés után egy korvett űrhajón kezdi meg a szolgálatot. A fogadtatás inkább hideg mint meleg, a legénység többi tagja folyamatosan terrorizálja a srácot és a leggányabb melókat akasztják a nyakába, valamint nem tanítanak neki semmit. Elég köcsög banda, azután sem hagynak fel a kekeckedéssel, miután Tanner megmenti a fél bagázs életét egy kalóztámadás közben. A kalózok egyébként is igen nagy problémát jelentenek az Arkangel rendszerben, megélhetési gyilkosok nem riadnak vissza több ezer ember meggyilkolásától sem a profit érdekében. Luxus űrhajókat rabolnak el, vagy éppen egy egész bolygóra csapnak le. Mindekez következtében polgárháború dúl a rendszerben és a kormány kénytelen bővíteni katonai apparátusát. A kérdés csak az, hogy mi játszódik a háttérben? Ki mozgatja a szálakat?
Tanner kalandjai nem érnek itt véget, még 3 könyv követi az elsőt, lehet, hogy elolvasom őket, mert alapvetően tetszett a könyv. Kisebb problémáim a karakterekkel voltak, vagyis hát a kidolgozott karakterek hiányával, mivel igazán csak Tannert ismerhetjük meg jobban, mindenki más feláldozható volt.
March 9, 2024
Oohh! This looks like a very promising series by Elliot Kay. The action is exciting and Tanner’s reluctance to be in the navy is completely understandable, but he’s so damn good at it!
One man Navy, Tanner Malone, is so smart and his physical training makes him great in the field. I just hope people start treating him better ‘cause the crew on St. Jude did him dirty. Arseholes.
I hope the next book has a better team for him to work with.
One man Navy, Tanner Malone, is so smart and his physical training makes him great in the field. I just hope people start treating him better ‘cause the crew on St. Jude did him dirty. Arseholes.
I hope the next book has a better team for him to work with.
January 11, 2016
I enjoyed the series. If the author writes more, I will read it. The stories are well thought out and have a lot of action so they are a quick and fun read.
July 21, 2018
3 Stars, Not a bad start to a series. The middle part started to get a little slow but for the most part is was enjoyable. I will continue with the series.
August 9, 2020
4.5☆ it was diehard in space.
December 12, 2022
This book is fabulous, it grabs you in a great way, it makes you want to keep reading more and it inspires you to keep fighting for what you want.
June 21, 2015
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
Poor Man's Fight feels very much like an indie: some typos (e.g., there/their/they're), some grammatically awkward sentences (e.g., highly educated people saying things like, "It went good."), and far too many extraneous or superflous POVs/situations that didn't forward the plot or story. A strong finish wasn't offset by a ponderously slow beginning and middle, unfortunately .Story: The world is ruled by corporations who have essentially used an 'I sold my soul to the company store' scheme to enslave most of humanity into lifelong debt. High school graduate Tanner Malone has no choice but to enlist in the military to pay off some of the debt: he's highly skilled and among the top in his class but made huge mistakes on the final exam that sealed his fate. Meanwhile, Casey is a space pirate 'fighting the man' and 'freeing indebted citizens' through piracy (e.g., he murders all the people on a starliner except the working stiff crews - to whom he offers a chance to join his gang). Andrea works for the President of the US and both are trying to fix the mess corporations have made of the world. Darren worked on a space liner but got a chance to join the pirates - but he soon learns that mistakes are deadly, especially if you aren't too bright. All these characters will collide in an action packed ending.
As noted earlier, most of the beginning and middle, dealing with Casey and his crew and troubles, Darren fumbling as a new pirate, Andrea giving press conferences explaining away the pirate situation, and Tanner going through boot camp hell really needed to be edited and streamlined. Transitions through time periods were clunky (e.g., Tanner gets bullied mercilessly and then suddenly he's graduating and the bully is mentioned as being taken care of in an off comment). So much of it just wasn't needed (Andrea especially).
Most of the characters felt very undereducated and pretty much talked/acted the same way - lacking nuance. Despite all the POVs, it felt like everyone had the same education and the same outlook on life - frustration and resentment. I wanted more - scenes and situations that didn't feel so set-up by an author so as to make a point, plot or personal.
When the action starts at the end and the characters all begin to tie together, it really becomes obvious which POVs weren't needed and which scenes could have been jettisoned to streamline the story. As well, although the action was good, it really turned into a Die-Hard/Rambo type of story of one man against a WHOLE LOT of pirates. Believable? Probably not and that's the achilles heel of sci fi - it really does have to be plausible and this story just wasn't for me.
I didn't dislike Poor Man's War but there was a lot of soapboxing here by the author that frustrated. Especially at the beginning I felt like I was reading a thinly disguised personal manifesto by Elliott Key rather than an engaging everyman sci fi story. It was distracting and kept me from investing in the characters when they felt like constructs to make a point rather than actual people.
In all, it will not be a story I will continue since I never engaged in plot or characters. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the author.
February 28, 2013
This is a great book, well worth anyone's time, money and effort.
I am impressed with Kay's tight story and outstanding action sequences. If you like military sci-fi, you'll like this book. The opening hook is great, most everyone takes on great amounts of debt at the end of high school. I wish we'd seen more of the corporate oppression in the book, as sci-fi is meant to comment on the present as much as look into the future.
There is one mistake that I must nitpick. Tanner says his friend is a midshipman at Annapolis, then later says she's at West Point. Yes, both are locations for 'the Academy,' but very different Academies: the United States Military Academy (West Point) and the United States Naval Academy (Annapolis). One trains people to play around in row-boats and the other trains officers to lead Soldiers. As a increasingly crusty Old Grad (USMA 2001), I have to point this out. This didn't affect my 4/5 star review.
I can't wait to read more from Elliot Kay.
I am impressed with Kay's tight story and outstanding action sequences. If you like military sci-fi, you'll like this book. The opening hook is great, most everyone takes on great amounts of debt at the end of high school. I wish we'd seen more of the corporate oppression in the book, as sci-fi is meant to comment on the present as much as look into the future.
There is one mistake that I must nitpick. Tanner says his friend is a midshipman at Annapolis, then later says she's at West Point. Yes, both are locations for 'the Academy,' but very different Academies: the United States Military Academy (West Point) and the United States Naval Academy (Annapolis). One trains people to play around in row-boats and the other trains officers to lead Soldiers. As a increasingly crusty Old Grad (USMA 2001), I have to point this out. This didn't affect my 4/5 star review.
I can't wait to read more from Elliot Kay.
January 24, 2016
Kay has got a really good story here. The story is fairly-fast paced but covers the ground well. I didn't feel rushed from point to point. It was more a "here's something good, and then we're going to skip a bunch of boring nothingness, and here's the next good part". I pounded through the story over the course of a couple sittings and ended up wanting more.
The combat action sequences were well done. I could picture most of them in my head without a problem. Not an easy thing to write well. The dialogue was completely believable and meshed well with the images going on in my mind's eye.
Most importantly, the overall book sucked me in. I was completely immersed in the story and never came up against something that bumped me out of the "world".
The combat action sequences were well done. I could picture most of them in my head without a problem. Not an easy thing to write well. The dialogue was completely believable and meshed well with the images going on in my mind's eye.
Most importantly, the overall book sucked me in. I was completely immersed in the story and never came up against something that bumped me out of the "world".
March 1, 2021
Military sci-fy and pirates. This screamed YA in my face, which I sometimes like, but most often not. Reviews urged me to give it a try anyway, and yes! what a nice book this is. Military sci-fi well explained, bootcamp, training, internship, battle. But the great thing is that battle and bootcamp is not played out like a YA videogame. From a sense it made me think of Heinleins Starship Troopers, but more modern and with different politics. The protagonist has feelings and doubt. The pirates are more an anarchist bunch than spacemen with a bit of Yarrrrr-sauce. And even the clash between Darren and Tanner was a pleasant surprise. Yes, I ordered part 2 immediately. I am truly curious how the political clash will unfold. 4 solid stars.
May 23, 2014
Very entertaining and completely gonzo Die-Hard-esque space opera by the end, which rolls to a satisfyingly violent finale after a ropey beginning that has a completely pointless interlude used to infodump non-essential background and a protagonist that starts off like an overwrought Jerry Lewis character.
May 12, 2018
God this book started slow. Once the action starts though it takes off like a shot across the bow. Some great action and a little bit of humor makes this a decent read. Nice to read something from a local author. I heard about this author at NorWesCon41 from another author who recommended his books since I enjoy Space Opera.
November 26, 2021
The book is a bit slow to develop as two separate narrative threads are first built, and then there is almost nonstop action once those two threads--basically Tanner's and the pirate's--meet up. At that point, it is Die Hard in space. Fun ride, and a finish that practically lays out possible sequels.
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