What do you think?
Rate this book
Junkyard Pirate #1
Junkyard Pirate
Vietnam vet Albert “AJ” Jenkins never dreamed he’d have his own starship.When a pile of scrap rocket parts falls and crushes the overweight curmudgeon, he thinks it’s finally the end. But just as he’s about to take one final breath, a snarky extraterrestrial offers him one last chance.AJ’s life in return for the alien sharing his body.With a little coaxing from his new inner resident, AJ’s broken carcass improves so much that even an old flame is impressed. But his bright outlook fizzles when he discovers he’s at ground zero of a galactic conspiracy to strip Earth for all it’s worth.Will AJ’s rusty military skills stand a chance against alien invaders or will humanity fall?Junkyard Pirate is the first book in a found spaceship space opera series. If you like grizzled soldiers, unlikely heroes, and intergalactic conspiracies, then you’ll love Jamie McFarlane’s fast-paced alien adventure.Buy Junkyard Pirate to dive into the fight for Earth today
310 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 30, 2019
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 349 reviews
November 16, 2019
Fast ride on a wish fulfillment train
For an old busted up Marine nam vet like me, this is wish fulfillment at its best.
AJ is an old vet, also a Marine (Ooorah!) who is hobbling through his later life running a junkyard and drinking himself to death since his wife died. When he buys a load of used missile hulls to salvage he gets a bit more than he expected and the fun begins!
A solidly written fun story that grabbed me from the start and didn't let up to the end (for now) pedal to the metal all the way.
Hopefully there's more to come because this is too much fun. Old crusty jarhead and friends meet vast alien civilizations, oh yeah! Rock on AJ!
For an old busted up Marine nam vet like me, this is wish fulfillment at its best.
AJ is an old vet, also a Marine (Ooorah!) who is hobbling through his later life running a junkyard and drinking himself to death since his wife died. When he buys a load of used missile hulls to salvage he gets a bit more than he expected and the fun begins!
A solidly written fun story that grabbed me from the start and didn't let up to the end (for now) pedal to the metal all the way.
Hopefully there's more to come because this is too much fun. Old crusty jarhead and friends meet vast alien civilizations, oh yeah! Rock on AJ!
February 7, 2020
My reviews of McFarlane's work ranges from 5 stars to 2. Some is truly excellent others I find increasingly annoying as I read on.
In a lot of his work I just disagree with the way characters seem to change personality and intelligence over the course of the story. This is a prime example; i loved the first half, the second however all the characters seem to become incredibly stupid. I can think of literally a hundred different courses of action that would make more sense. I feel the problem is likely he had a plan for where he wanted the story to end and therefore forced the characters to act out of character and make stupid choices to get them into that end position to line up with where he wanted the next story to begin.
A story plan and outline is always a good idea but you need to be flexible to change as you write. The way the story was going didn't naturally flow into the Area 51 scenario and it was downhill from there.
I'll probably read the next book but if it's bad i won't be reading the rest of the series. I feel bad giving mediocre reviews to an author that I enjoy reading so much.
In a lot of his work I just disagree with the way characters seem to change personality and intelligence over the course of the story. This is a prime example; i loved the first half, the second however all the characters seem to become incredibly stupid. I can think of literally a hundred different courses of action that would make more sense. I feel the problem is likely he had a plan for where he wanted the story to end and therefore forced the characters to act out of character and make stupid choices to get them into that end position to line up with where he wanted the next story to begin.
A story plan and outline is always a good idea but you need to be flexible to change as you write. The way the story was going didn't naturally flow into the Area 51 scenario and it was downhill from there.
I'll probably read the next book but if it's bad i won't be reading the rest of the series. I feel bad giving mediocre reviews to an author that I enjoy reading so much.
December 27, 2020
The first page of the book was strange, taking a Mitsubishi engine from a 1989 Subaru? Followed by; The car was notorious for breaking timing belts at a hundred twenty thousand miles. You wouldn’t expect any timing belt to last hundred twenty thousand miles. Not all that important, but it did make me wonder what the author was thinking.
The actual story starts well, but although it was described as an ‘imaginative space opera’, I began to wonder if this was trying to be a comical parody. At times some of the actions really didn’t make sense and quite a bit of the early dialogue was moronic. The story did settle down and there were several interesting sections, but I was never really convinced by the story as a whole, it didn’t seem as if the author had really thought it through.
I gave up on this author’s Privateer series because at times the only way he seemed able to keep the story going was to make the characters suddenly stupid. There are occasions in this book when I felt he was using the same tactic.
Incidentally the author seems to have an obsession with waste, often his ships develop non-functioning waste systems.
The actual story starts well, but although it was described as an ‘imaginative space opera’, I began to wonder if this was trying to be a comical parody. At times some of the actions really didn’t make sense and quite a bit of the early dialogue was moronic. The story did settle down and there were several interesting sections, but I was never really convinced by the story as a whole, it didn’t seem as if the author had really thought it through.
I gave up on this author’s Privateer series because at times the only way he seemed able to keep the story going was to make the characters suddenly stupid. There are occasions in this book when I felt he was using the same tactic.
Incidentally the author seems to have an obsession with waste, often his ships develop non-functioning waste systems.
January 9, 2020
Not a great read
For the most part, I felt that the ‘plans’ made to reach certain goals were ludicrous. Just heading in a direction and hoping for the best is not a plan, it’s lazy writing. The protagonists were ex-military, yet kept walking into traps with no exit strategy, or tactical plans at all beyond the liberal politics bantered around about prisoners’ rights. And the dog was not only unnecessary, it was beyond stupid and it ruined the whole book for me. Not going to read anything else by this author.
For the most part, I felt that the ‘plans’ made to reach certain goals were ludicrous. Just heading in a direction and hoping for the best is not a plan, it’s lazy writing. The protagonists were ex-military, yet kept walking into traps with no exit strategy, or tactical plans at all beyond the liberal politics bantered around about prisoners’ rights. And the dog was not only unnecessary, it was beyond stupid and it ruined the whole book for me. Not going to read anything else by this author.
December 25, 2020
I really enjoyed the fun of this. The main character is a great crotchety old man, add a few friends and a dog, along with a couple of symbiotic aliens and you got a group ready to take on other aliens to save the world. That is pretty much it in a nut shell as a plot. The really fun is the main character and friends.
April 30, 2022
Nope this is not a series that I will continue reading. The story is mediocre, even childish at times, the characters mediocre and the book as a whole is, well, mediocre at best.
When reading the book blurb I thought this was a type of story that I could like. A military veteran makes a, somewhat involuntary, first contact and is told about Earth being invaded by aliens. There are so many ways that can be turned into a good story.
Unfortunately the author completely squandered the opportunity.
For starters, the main character, I never really felt like rooting for him. He is stubborn, he never really appears to be very competent and appears rather content at living in a pigsty. That old nurse that he knows from the war and which rather early gets dragged into the story appears to be not only more likable but also more competent as well as kick-ass. At least she doesn’t just sit there letting the, supposedly, friendly aliens shit-talk them.
That brings us to the aliens. The idea of microscopic aliens that would work together with the main characters like some AI implant is not new but can be quite cool of done right. Unfortunately they are condescending and arrogant most of the time and even less likable than Jenkins.
Then we have the story about these, second, aliens which actually have already kind of invaded Earth and are stripping it of rare elements that the humans doesn’t even know exists yet is weak. Especially the part where there are supposedly 20 million or so of them in the process of strip-mining Earth and not a single human would have noticed anything suspicious.
To really insure that the story lacks much interest, for me at least, these “good” aliens are actually not really there to help kick the invaders out but to gather information to present to some galactic council and make a formal protest against the “bad” aliens. Seriously, like some bloody resolution from the totally useless UN which Iran, North Korea, China, Russia and such like terrorist dictatorships happily uses for toilet paper while laughing at the clueless UN bureaucrats.
Actually the first, not so subtle, hint that this book was not going to be a book for me came already at page 24 when these aliens explained to Jenkins about this two rare elements that were being mined on Earth, Fantasium and Blastorium. What the fuck!?!? I so hate when an author just invents totally ridiculous names for things and persons.
Yes, the author did come up with a half-assed explanation for these silly names that the alien inhabiting Jenkins came up with but once that was explained he could have given them some decent names. Instead I had to go through the entire book with these frustratingly shitty names thrown at me on every second page.
Overall the story is simply not very good. Jenkins lacks charisma and this so called military veteran gets shot or clobbered, and have to be saved by his few friends, more often than not.
So, nope, this series goes on the not-to-read shelf.
When reading the book blurb I thought this was a type of story that I could like. A military veteran makes a, somewhat involuntary, first contact and is told about Earth being invaded by aliens. There are so many ways that can be turned into a good story.
Unfortunately the author completely squandered the opportunity.
For starters, the main character, I never really felt like rooting for him. He is stubborn, he never really appears to be very competent and appears rather content at living in a pigsty. That old nurse that he knows from the war and which rather early gets dragged into the story appears to be not only more likable but also more competent as well as kick-ass. At least she doesn’t just sit there letting the, supposedly, friendly aliens shit-talk them.
That brings us to the aliens. The idea of microscopic aliens that would work together with the main characters like some AI implant is not new but can be quite cool of done right. Unfortunately they are condescending and arrogant most of the time and even less likable than Jenkins.
Then we have the story about these, second, aliens which actually have already kind of invaded Earth and are stripping it of rare elements that the humans doesn’t even know exists yet is weak. Especially the part where there are supposedly 20 million or so of them in the process of strip-mining Earth and not a single human would have noticed anything suspicious.
To really insure that the story lacks much interest, for me at least, these “good” aliens are actually not really there to help kick the invaders out but to gather information to present to some galactic council and make a formal protest against the “bad” aliens. Seriously, like some bloody resolution from the totally useless UN which Iran, North Korea, China, Russia and such like terrorist dictatorships happily uses for toilet paper while laughing at the clueless UN bureaucrats.
Actually the first, not so subtle, hint that this book was not going to be a book for me came already at page 24 when these aliens explained to Jenkins about this two rare elements that were being mined on Earth, Fantasium and Blastorium. What the fuck!?!? I so hate when an author just invents totally ridiculous names for things and persons.
Yes, the author did come up with a half-assed explanation for these silly names that the alien inhabiting Jenkins came up with but once that was explained he could have given them some decent names. Instead I had to go through the entire book with these frustratingly shitty names thrown at me on every second page.
Overall the story is simply not very good. Jenkins lacks charisma and this so called military veteran gets shot or clobbered, and have to be saved by his few friends, more often than not.
So, nope, this series goes on the not-to-read shelf.
December 2, 2019
Lipstick on a pig
I will give him credit for trying. He was shooting for quirky and fun. He ended up with mildly cutesy and slightly annoying. The worst part is that underneath it is really just another survivalist novel. You can substitute korguls for zombies. It is like putting lipstick on a pig
I will give him credit for trying. He was shooting for quirky and fun. He ended up with mildly cutesy and slightly annoying. The worst part is that underneath it is really just another survivalist novel. You can substitute korguls for zombies. It is like putting lipstick on a pig
April 8, 2020
A fun read of what would happen if alien abolitionists teamed up with some of the retired/retirement aged vietnam vets.
And, as with any good McFarlane story, there is OF COURSE, a problem with the septic system on a spaceship! :-)
And, as with any good McFarlane story, there is OF COURSE, a problem with the septic system on a spaceship! :-)
January 29, 2021
Notes:
Nice mix of great characters, oddball aliens, and action. I'm glad I took my friend's advice & read the book. =)
Nice mix of great characters, oddball aliens, and action. I'm glad I took my friend's advice & read the book. =)
November 14, 2019
I'm a bit undecided about this book. Jamie McFarlane is a very good writer and this comes through in all that he writes; however, I'm undecided the story. For those of a certain age, maybe not as old as the characters in this book, but old anyway, the story has the feel of a "movie of the week." As I remember, these old television movies were basically unsubstantial two-hour long shows that featured old "stars" who my parents knew and that I had no clue of who they were and why they were "famous." We only watched these movies because there was nothing else on tv. After it was over, you were vaguely aware of having spent time that you would never get back without any real upside. That's kind of how I feel about Junkyard Pirate. I had to re-read several sections because I really had no idea of what happened and why -- it's also how I feel about the overall book -- the writing was good, the plot moved along, but in the end, I'm not really sure what happened or why. But because Jamie McFarlane is such a good writer, I'll probably read the next entry in the series.
November 26, 2021
I little too simplistic for my taste. The bad guys are really bad and the heroes are simple veterans who are amazing skilled, innovative and incredibly lucky. There is some sexual attraction but it doesn’t rise much above e,e teary school teasing. I almost expect them to be passing notes soon. I would call this more young adult.
February 14, 2020
Characters keep ignoring obvious answers to problems to advance the plot. Supposed combat veterans go into a trap with no plan what so ever knowing it's a trap. The humor was good and I actually enjoyed the first half or so of the book.
January 19, 2023
Fun Book and Imaginative Story
OK, this is not serious sci-fi but it was a fun book. It might appeal more to the older generation who remember the Vietnam war and have a “warped “ sense of humor. There’s a lot of camaraderie and very interesting alien interactions.
OK, this is not serious sci-fi but it was a fun book. It might appeal more to the older generation who remember the Vietnam war and have a “warped “ sense of humor. There’s a lot of camaraderie and very interesting alien interactions.
January 21, 2020
Bored
Military, symbiotic relationship and a little Tech. All done before. I found the characters and story to be boring. I don't understand why this book was rated so highly.
Military, symbiotic relationship and a little Tech. All done before. I found the characters and story to be boring. I don't understand why this book was rated so highly.
January 8, 2023
Nice story idea and a good start, but with some lengths and - what I really don't like - a lot of unlogical bits. I made it through the first book, won't read the rest of the series.
September 7, 2021
Solid work. I might be skewed toward lower expectations lately after some bad experiences with self-published fiction on Amazon, but I still think this was a good work.
I had a hard time with it early on, for a couple of reasons. First, AJ, the main character, keeps talking out loud to his alien "rider" – the tiny alien being who has merged with him and can communicate with him internally – in front of other people. That drove me up the wall. Who would do that, over and over? If you talk out loud as though you're talking to someone who isn't there, in front of other people, you're going to create a lot of problems for yourself. How can he not be aware of this? Why isn't he cognizant of the presence of other people who can hear and see him talking to an apparent imaginary friend? People will think he's crazy. It doesn't help him to have people think he's crazy – it can only hurt him, and it will make his goals harder to achieve.
Second, he seems like a bad person at first. Unnecessarily so. At one point he takes a stray dog to the local vet. He's in a wheelchair, and as he approaches the entrance to the vet's office, a nice woman opens the door for him. She then sees the dog and asks "Is he hurt?"
AJ insults her, saying "No, you moron..." I don't remember his exact wording after he called her a moron, but the gist was of course he's hurt, why would we be here if he wasn't, etc. His insult was just unbelievable in this context. To call someone you don't know a moron on that basis is beyond rude and malicious. To call someone a moron after they've just gotten up to open a door for you is, well, terrible. To call a *lady* a moron, who you don't know, and who just showed you kindness, makes it worse. When people say things like "Is he hurt?" when it's obvious what the answer is, that's just a normal way to open the topic. It's a quirk of how humans use language, and how they respond to novel situations in the first couple of seconds. It's not actual stupidity. She knows the dog is hurt. It's just how people talk.
But thankfully AJ gets better. I don't understand why he's so bad at first, but he doesn't stay that way. He's an impressive dude with all sorts of technical and engineering tasks, working with his hands, etc.
The story is pretty cool, and innovative. I don't buy that friendly aliens would have such dumb ethical frameworks such that they'd think we were wrong to use force in self-defense against predatory aliens. But any intelligent aliens that actually exist in the universe might not be comprehensible to us at all. I also don't think intelligent biologicals can be smaller than a thumb – the neuronal structures or equivalent would need a lot more volume. And their framework for ranking species is primitive and shallow – it's just a crude elitism about intelligence, or what they characterize as intelligence. There's a lot more to sentience than simple IQ.
I had a hard time with it early on, for a couple of reasons. First, AJ, the main character, keeps talking out loud to his alien "rider" – the tiny alien being who has merged with him and can communicate with him internally – in front of other people. That drove me up the wall. Who would do that, over and over? If you talk out loud as though you're talking to someone who isn't there, in front of other people, you're going to create a lot of problems for yourself. How can he not be aware of this? Why isn't he cognizant of the presence of other people who can hear and see him talking to an apparent imaginary friend? People will think he's crazy. It doesn't help him to have people think he's crazy – it can only hurt him, and it will make his goals harder to achieve.
Second, he seems like a bad person at first. Unnecessarily so. At one point he takes a stray dog to the local vet. He's in a wheelchair, and as he approaches the entrance to the vet's office, a nice woman opens the door for him. She then sees the dog and asks "Is he hurt?"
AJ insults her, saying "No, you moron..." I don't remember his exact wording after he called her a moron, but the gist was of course he's hurt, why would we be here if he wasn't, etc. His insult was just unbelievable in this context. To call someone you don't know a moron on that basis is beyond rude and malicious. To call someone a moron after they've just gotten up to open a door for you is, well, terrible. To call a *lady* a moron, who you don't know, and who just showed you kindness, makes it worse. When people say things like "Is he hurt?" when it's obvious what the answer is, that's just a normal way to open the topic. It's a quirk of how humans use language, and how they respond to novel situations in the first couple of seconds. It's not actual stupidity. She knows the dog is hurt. It's just how people talk.
But thankfully AJ gets better. I don't understand why he's so bad at first, but he doesn't stay that way. He's an impressive dude with all sorts of technical and engineering tasks, working with his hands, etc.
The story is pretty cool, and innovative. I don't buy that friendly aliens would have such dumb ethical frameworks such that they'd think we were wrong to use force in self-defense against predatory aliens. But any intelligent aliens that actually exist in the universe might not be comprehensible to us at all. I also don't think intelligent biologicals can be smaller than a thumb – the neuronal structures or equivalent would need a lot more volume. And their framework for ranking species is primitive and shallow – it's just a crude elitism about intelligence, or what they characterize as intelligence. There's a lot more to sentience than simple IQ.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2020
I wanted to give this book 3 1/2 stars. The humor was a little silly at times, but I found it to be charming.
The story: An elderly retired Marine, Albert Jenkins (AJ), is running a junkyard that includes parts from space ships and satellites that have been deorbited. While chasing his dog through the junkyard, a pile of junk falls on him. While he is dying, he gets an offer from an alien (Beverly who takes the appearance of a smartly-dressed middle-aged woman) to meld with him. This cohabitative blending saves AJ's life and even makes him younger. The problem is that he can't let anyone know through official channels that Beverly is riding shotgun in his brain because an invasion force of competing aliens has turned a lot of people (especially government and military officials) into pod-people under alien control. Beverly doesn't control AJ. She is just making suggestions. The mission is to get an alien spacecraft working and send a report to the Galactic Congress (a space "united nations" of sorts). Of course, nothing goes right and things get violent.
Any problems with this story? Although I liked the idea of an elderly handicapped person as the hero of the story, it seemed a little beyond belief that a wheelchair-bound guy would be fixing the engine of a Subaru so soon after his injuries. The author explained it away in the story, but it didn't seem credible that the main character (a real stubborn guy) would go along with it. The guy was crazy, not stupid. AJ also hired a 12-year-old neighbor boy to drive him and a stray dog to the vet. While I can imagine some 12-year-old farm boys being able to drive a car, I cannot imagine a city kid doing it and in fact, he crashed the car.
Little things like this cropped up throughout the book, but I went along with them, and didn't insist on strict logic and normal common sense. That made the read humorous and fun.
Any modesty issues? Toward the end, the F-word shows up. Granted, the characters were under a lot of stress, but why did the author wait until 2/3rds of the way into the book? On the other hand, the S-word was used frequently and throughout. There was a lot of flirting.
The ending seemed a little forced. The major threads of the story were resolved, but a new major thread was introduced, setting things up for the next book in the series, "Old Dogs, Older Tricks". It was practically a cliffhanger and I don't like those. Luckily, I have the next book in the series. Both are available with Kindle Unlimited.
The story: An elderly retired Marine, Albert Jenkins (AJ), is running a junkyard that includes parts from space ships and satellites that have been deorbited. While chasing his dog through the junkyard, a pile of junk falls on him. While he is dying, he gets an offer from an alien (Beverly who takes the appearance of a smartly-dressed middle-aged woman) to meld with him. This cohabitative blending saves AJ's life and even makes him younger. The problem is that he can't let anyone know through official channels that Beverly is riding shotgun in his brain because an invasion force of competing aliens has turned a lot of people (especially government and military officials) into pod-people under alien control. Beverly doesn't control AJ. She is just making suggestions. The mission is to get an alien spacecraft working and send a report to the Galactic Congress (a space "united nations" of sorts). Of course, nothing goes right and things get violent.
Any problems with this story? Although I liked the idea of an elderly handicapped person as the hero of the story, it seemed a little beyond belief that a wheelchair-bound guy would be fixing the engine of a Subaru so soon after his injuries. The author explained it away in the story, but it didn't seem credible that the main character (a real stubborn guy) would go along with it. The guy was crazy, not stupid. AJ also hired a 12-year-old neighbor boy to drive him and a stray dog to the vet. While I can imagine some 12-year-old farm boys being able to drive a car, I cannot imagine a city kid doing it and in fact, he crashed the car.
Little things like this cropped up throughout the book, but I went along with them, and didn't insist on strict logic and normal common sense. That made the read humorous and fun.
Any modesty issues? Toward the end, the F-word shows up. Granted, the characters were under a lot of stress, but why did the author wait until 2/3rds of the way into the book? On the other hand, the S-word was used frequently and throughout. There was a lot of flirting.
The ending seemed a little forced. The major threads of the story were resolved, but a new major thread was introduced, setting things up for the next book in the series, "Old Dogs, Older Tricks". It was practically a cliffhanger and I don't like those. Luckily, I have the next book in the series. Both are available with Kindle Unlimited.
August 2, 2022
Two alien species are in conflict for the supremacy on Earth. A regular Joe senior citizen, Albert Jenkins (AJ), a senior citizen, military veteran and owner of a Junkyard, starts his impossible journey to reach and conquest space. If they are able to reach the Galactic Congress, then maybe, just barely, could Earth be protected and possibly saved from this Alien Invasion (Korguls vs Beltigersk Five).
I am uncertain whether the author or the main character and supporting characters are childish and immature, or maybe everybody is a little senile in this urban-fantasy-dystopian-apocalyptic-version-of-our-future-world...
Because of the symbiotic relationship that AJ has with an alien, Beverly, he begins to regain his strength, becomes younger, loses age, etc...She is also technologically advanced, and although "weird" in her "ignorance of idioms and social expressions" has a "positive" relationship with AJ. Without Beverly of Beltigersk Five (BB), AJ would have died crushed right at the beginning of this story.
Although there is little to no character and World (outer worlds) development and description, the writing is action packed. Dialogues are okay, just somewhat childish or senile? This fist volume has 300+ pages, no maps, no interior illustrations, with 27 chapters. On average it means that each chapter has 10-14 pages. Mostly childish dialogues...
So a senior citizen, military veteran, who is not a pilot or a mechanic (but is an aerospace engineer), is trying to create an "Anakin Skywalker" and leave Tatooine... wait, it was actually more like Rey (scavenger and orphan) in the terrible "Star Wars" (The Phantom Menace) parody titled (The Force Awakens or "Re-Awakens")... Too "Mary Sue" to be believable? Or because Beverly is the intelligent, able, capable, knowledgeable, etc. then the "Mary Sue" character is not "good fit" here??
This "Junkyard Pirate" Series has 6 volumes so far, the sixth volume was first published today (August 2nd., 2022). I fear that story is a little bit too cliché, filled with tropes and canons from other "space movies" (mentioned and not mentioned here).
I am uncertain whether the author or the main character and supporting characters are childish and immature, or maybe everybody is a little senile in this urban-fantasy-dystopian-apocalyptic-version-of-our-future-world...
Because of the symbiotic relationship that AJ has with an alien, Beverly, he begins to regain his strength, becomes younger, loses age, etc...She is also technologically advanced, and although "weird" in her "ignorance of idioms and social expressions" has a "positive" relationship with AJ. Without Beverly of Beltigersk Five (BB), AJ would have died crushed right at the beginning of this story.
Although there is little to no character and World (outer worlds) development and description, the writing is action packed. Dialogues are okay, just somewhat childish or senile? This fist volume has 300+ pages, no maps, no interior illustrations, with 27 chapters. On average it means that each chapter has 10-14 pages. Mostly childish dialogues...
So a senior citizen, military veteran, who is not a pilot or a mechanic (but is an aerospace engineer), is trying to create an "Anakin Skywalker" and leave Tatooine... wait, it was actually more like Rey (scavenger and orphan) in the terrible "Star Wars" (The Phantom Menace) parody titled (The Force Awakens or "Re-Awakens")... Too "Mary Sue" to be believable? Or because Beverly is the intelligent, able, capable, knowledgeable, etc. then the "Mary Sue" character is not "good fit" here??
This "Junkyard Pirate" Series has 6 volumes so far, the sixth volume was first published today (August 2nd., 2022). I fear that story is a little bit too cliché, filled with tropes and canons from other "space movies" (mentioned and not mentioned here).
June 8, 2021
3.5 You Mean She’s Screaming Stars
Junkyard Pirate is the first book in the series Jamie McFarlane.
Purely fascinating. Reminds me somewhat of the Kurtherian Gambit except the Kurtherian’s hadn’t infiltrated Earth in Anderle’s rendition of a similar plot. However, the glob of Korgul infestation that has covertly overtaken a large amount of Earth’s population is both disgusting and aggravating. More so, in the view that the entirely of the Galatic Congress holds for that of humanity and their registration as sentient life forms. Ascertaining whether they have rights in the eyes of this galaxies governing body.
I find myself a little upset over how much transpired in this novel. How short and rushed everything managed to be by the end of the book. Mostly, that it appears we’ll be transitioning from focusing on freeing the Earth, and humanity, from their future overlord or extinction. Further transitioning to Beverly, or BB’s, mysterious bounty. That seems nefarious in nature. Also, wtf Jack? What a little pissant. I was hoping for a character growth type of moment where he and Jayne could bridge their divide but OH BOY did he manage to complexly tank even the mere hope of such a scenario.
I wonder if I’m traveling to Tanderi they will meet up with, if not more Beltigersk, then perhaps other parasitic life forms with some care for their plight. Mainly so that Jayne can have another onboard buddy.
Also, Beverly, maybe possibly closely followed by Graybeard and Seamus, is the absolute best part of this entire book. She is such a character with her ridiculous costume changes, and adapting human phraseology.
Junkyard Pirate is the first book in the series Jamie McFarlane.
Purely fascinating. Reminds me somewhat of the Kurtherian Gambit except the Kurtherian’s hadn’t infiltrated Earth in Anderle’s rendition of a similar plot. However, the glob of Korgul infestation that has covertly overtaken a large amount of Earth’s population is both disgusting and aggravating. More so, in the view that the entirely of the Galatic Congress holds for that of humanity and their registration as sentient life forms. Ascertaining whether they have rights in the eyes of this galaxies governing body.
I find myself a little upset over how much transpired in this novel. How short and rushed everything managed to be by the end of the book. Mostly, that it appears we’ll be transitioning from focusing on freeing the Earth, and humanity, from their future overlord or extinction. Further transitioning to Beverly, or BB’s, mysterious bounty. That seems nefarious in nature. Also, wtf Jack? What a little pissant. I was hoping for a character growth type of moment where he and Jayne could bridge their divide but OH BOY did he manage to complexly tank even the mere hope of such a scenario.
I wonder if I’m traveling to Tanderi they will meet up with, if not more Beltigersk, then perhaps other parasitic life forms with some care for their plight. Mainly so that Jayne can have another onboard buddy.
Also, Beverly, maybe possibly closely followed by Graybeard and Seamus, is the absolute best part of this entire book. She is such a character with her ridiculous costume changes, and adapting human phraseology.
July 5, 2021
Excellent, fun read
Ignore the comments by those more concerned with PC language than a realistic story. there is nothing sexist in this book and the characters are well with and imaginative. Our heros are adding Vietnam vets with a gritty past and an outlook and attitude consistent with that era. Judging the actions of the characters by today's standards is evidence of someone who doesn't appreciate history of the facts of life.
While it took most of this first book to really get rolling, the story picked up speed quickly in the second half. I suspect the faster place will continue in the next book. Like any good science fiction/fantasy story it doesn't waste time trying to over describe or explain the hardware. I've read many stories that we listed as 300+ pages long but were really only about 25 when you took out all the repetitive schlock about this gun and that gun that used 5 paragraphs of passing to say " he pulled his gun and shot the bad guy". This is NOT one of those. Lots of good story here and lots of clever dialog and realistic banter ( which is so hard to get right).
This is a nicely numerous take on an invisible alien invasion sorry and the unlikely heros who take them on.
Highly recommended.
Ignore the comments by those more concerned with PC language than a realistic story. there is nothing sexist in this book and the characters are well with and imaginative. Our heros are adding Vietnam vets with a gritty past and an outlook and attitude consistent with that era. Judging the actions of the characters by today's standards is evidence of someone who doesn't appreciate history of the facts of life.
While it took most of this first book to really get rolling, the story picked up speed quickly in the second half. I suspect the faster place will continue in the next book. Like any good science fiction/fantasy story it doesn't waste time trying to over describe or explain the hardware. I've read many stories that we listed as 300+ pages long but were really only about 25 when you took out all the repetitive schlock about this gun and that gun that used 5 paragraphs of passing to say " he pulled his gun and shot the bad guy". This is NOT one of those. Lots of good story here and lots of clever dialog and realistic banter ( which is so hard to get right).
This is a nicely numerous take on an invisible alien invasion sorry and the unlikely heros who take them on.
Highly recommended.
April 28, 2020
3 stars. A fun if not somewhat uneven sci-fi romp that was well worth the price!
Jamie McFarlane's "Junkyard Pirate" starts and ends in completely different directions! The fun of this book is seeing how the changes occur to the main characters ranging from humans, aliens and even canine players along the way. The writing is for the most part smooth if not occasionally repetitive (keep your head down, yeah, we get it!) and overall it's just a pretty basic and entertaining read. Sure, it gets a bit impatient in terms of pacing past the halfway point and some really good potential is just left unused. The ending is brutally abrupt and there are far too many open and unanswered questions left dangling to really get the rating any higher for me.
I think if there were ANY indication anywhere - here on goodreads, in the book itself, even on the author's webpage - of when or if a sequel is expected, I might feel more positive. For now at least I'm left feeling like I waited too long for dinner that wasn't enough to satisfy my hunger ... and with no chance at dessert either. Wasn't bad, just wasn't what I was looking for. Oh well, we'll see what the future holds.
Jamie McFarlane's "Junkyard Pirate" starts and ends in completely different directions! The fun of this book is seeing how the changes occur to the main characters ranging from humans, aliens and even canine players along the way. The writing is for the most part smooth if not occasionally repetitive (keep your head down, yeah, we get it!) and overall it's just a pretty basic and entertaining read. Sure, it gets a bit impatient in terms of pacing past the halfway point and some really good potential is just left unused. The ending is brutally abrupt and there are far too many open and unanswered questions left dangling to really get the rating any higher for me.
I think if there were ANY indication anywhere - here on goodreads, in the book itself, even on the author's webpage - of when or if a sequel is expected, I might feel more positive. For now at least I'm left feeling like I waited too long for dinner that wasn't enough to satisfy my hunger ... and with no chance at dessert either. Wasn't bad, just wasn't what I was looking for. Oh well, we'll see what the future holds.
July 5, 2020
I'll admit, for me this book rather dances along the line of sexist very hard. Possibly this is due to the age of the characters since they grew up in the time that we culturally outgrew and then got their youth back. But given how everything is written, I suspect it is because McFarlane is following older, campy sci-fi tropes to set the tone. And they are fun. I did enjoy this book and its sequel. And all the little "sexy" outfits he has the alien symbiot visually swap around in would probably translate to the screen very well (which may have been part of the plan).
Still. I think if it weren't for the doctor's character and just how strong she is and the way she does make so many hard decisions that truly have an effect on the plot and her own life, I probably would have walked away from this book. There's just too much of the looking at women's bodies and describing them longer and in more detail then the men's. So if you're feeling vulnerable in this area...just skip these books.
Meanwhile Fun. Campy sci-fi. Where a small group of people save the Earth and hurrah human ingenuity!
Still. I think if it weren't for the doctor's character and just how strong she is and the way she does make so many hard decisions that truly have an effect on the plot and her own life, I probably would have walked away from this book. There's just too much of the looking at women's bodies and describing them longer and in more detail then the men's. So if you're feeling vulnerable in this area...just skip these books.
Meanwhile Fun. Campy sci-fi. Where a small group of people save the Earth and hurrah human ingenuity!
February 18, 2021
This one was cute. It was also another one where I had to set it aside. The dog dies in the first chapter. Yep, gotta separate myself from that. THEN, AJ finds a stray. That is not healthy. The heartbeat became rapid again. Whew, safe from that. Yes, I am in the "I don't care who dies as long as the dog lives" brigade. Which isn't really true, but close enough.
The story here is quite clever. Some of the terminology because quite confusing to me and I found myself frequently shaking my head over the differences between Korgul Prime and Korgul minor and just plane Korgul. The politics of the situation and who was important and who wasn't was also mind boggling to me. And, the Betleswhatchamacallits. Ugh. so much of an info dump.
The biggest lack, to me, was relationships and heart. There was a lot of shoot em up and a lot of science, but not a whole lot of heart. AJ is a kind curmudgeon who cares for the waifs and the strays around him, but even that was down played. This lack made it very hard for me to get attached and care about any of it.
I think this is very much a first book, and I will likely move on to see where it goes from here because it *was* entertaining.
The story here is quite clever. Some of the terminology because quite confusing to me and I found myself frequently shaking my head over the differences between Korgul Prime and Korgul minor and just plane Korgul. The politics of the situation and who was important and who wasn't was also mind boggling to me. And, the Betleswhatchamacallits. Ugh. so much of an info dump.
The biggest lack, to me, was relationships and heart. There was a lot of shoot em up and a lot of science, but not a whole lot of heart. AJ is a kind curmudgeon who cares for the waifs and the strays around him, but even that was down played. This lack made it very hard for me to get attached and care about any of it.
I think this is very much a first book, and I will likely move on to see where it goes from here because it *was* entertaining.
October 2, 2021
This was a good premise, and a fun ride. But it was just missing anything truly "wowing" when it comes to scifi. But its a lovely exercise in weaving together a collection of tropes into a workable story.
*SPOILERS FOLLOW*
Which tropes? Secret alien invasion (They Live). Parasitic aliens that make their hosts superhuman (Puppet Masters, The Faculty), though with a little twist. The mining if resources we don't know we have or need (Phantasm).
The novelty of the story (to me) lay in how the parasites opted to behave like technology, and that creativity really shone through on the character BB. With Graybeard coming in a strong second. I freakin' loved Graybeard. He needs a spin off series. The Adventures of Graybeard, the Augmented Dog. LOL
Anyway, there was something there, it just wasn't a home run. I can tell you this much though, if you like episodic sci fi that reads more like a TV show or movie than a novel... you'll probably enjoy this just fine. It's a fun little romp with some laughs and good times along the way. The characters are fun to "hang out" with. And as someone in my 50s, the reversing aging fantasy played well for my demographic. :)
*SPOILERS FOLLOW*
Which tropes? Secret alien invasion (They Live). Parasitic aliens that make their hosts superhuman (Puppet Masters, The Faculty), though with a little twist. The mining if resources we don't know we have or need (Phantasm).
The novelty of the story (to me) lay in how the parasites opted to behave like technology, and that creativity really shone through on the character BB. With Graybeard coming in a strong second. I freakin' loved Graybeard. He needs a spin off series. The Adventures of Graybeard, the Augmented Dog. LOL
Anyway, there was something there, it just wasn't a home run. I can tell you this much though, if you like episodic sci fi that reads more like a TV show or movie than a novel... you'll probably enjoy this just fine. It's a fun little romp with some laughs and good times along the way. The characters are fun to "hang out" with. And as someone in my 50s, the reversing aging fantasy played well for my demographic. :)
November 21, 2024
Creative & clever take on the secret alien invasion trope
AJ is a pirate all right, the kind that combines ferocious grit with a kind heart for the helpless. Unless the “helpless” is a recently-extracted alien parasite, of course. And even then, he can be convinced to spare its life. As long as it is safely contained in a thermos, of course.
(A thermos! Genius!)
Loved the characters, even the Korgul; loved the plot and how deftly McFarlane pulls us through each twist and explosion. Loved how he makes you feel every bullet wound, every shrapnel extraction, even the rough roads etc. came across as tactile experience not facile exposition. I’m ordering all the rest of this series and putting off the next “Out of the Darkness” book on hold until I explore the rest of these!
(If you like David Weber’s Out of the Darkness you will probably love this Junkyard series— in both, humanity proves more resourceful and dangerous than the aliens believed. Weber embraces exposition and long complex dialogue, McFarlane avoids those and cuts to the chase. Or the fight. Or the imminent death of a character you’ve grown to love… no spoilers, but believe me, it’s awesome)
AJ is a pirate all right, the kind that combines ferocious grit with a kind heart for the helpless. Unless the “helpless” is a recently-extracted alien parasite, of course. And even then, he can be convinced to spare its life. As long as it is safely contained in a thermos, of course.
(A thermos! Genius!)
Loved the characters, even the Korgul; loved the plot and how deftly McFarlane pulls us through each twist and explosion. Loved how he makes you feel every bullet wound, every shrapnel extraction, even the rough roads etc. came across as tactile experience not facile exposition. I’m ordering all the rest of this series and putting off the next “Out of the Darkness” book on hold until I explore the rest of these!
(If you like David Weber’s Out of the Darkness you will probably love this Junkyard series— in both, humanity proves more resourceful and dangerous than the aliens believed. Weber embraces exposition and long complex dialogue, McFarlane avoids those and cuts to the chase. Or the fight. Or the imminent death of a character you’ve grown to love… no spoilers, but believe me, it’s awesome)
July 9, 2021
Absolutely fantastic!
To say that I loved this novel is an extreme understatement. I binged this book in less than a day, it was that good.
AJ is not your typical protagonist- he’s old as dirt, rude, stubborn, and a Vietnam vet who lives and works in a junkyard. When he gets crushed by old spaceship shrapnel and gets introduced to the fact that aliens exist- and have already enslaved 20 million humans, he gets a new reason for living. Together with his new, very sassy brain alien of his very own, he’s off to try to save the planet.
I thoroughly the book. The characters are all very dynamic and fun to read. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat, not knowing what will happen next. And yet, this whole book is very accessible. I’m sometimes turned off by sci-fi that gets too into the weeds explaining mechanics, and war formations, and weapons. This book cleverly integrates just enough to make the science work, and leaves it at that.
If you grew up reading the series Animorphs, this is the book for you! Don’t hesitate!
To say that I loved this novel is an extreme understatement. I binged this book in less than a day, it was that good.
AJ is not your typical protagonist- he’s old as dirt, rude, stubborn, and a Vietnam vet who lives and works in a junkyard. When he gets crushed by old spaceship shrapnel and gets introduced to the fact that aliens exist- and have already enslaved 20 million humans, he gets a new reason for living. Together with his new, very sassy brain alien of his very own, he’s off to try to save the planet.
I thoroughly the book. The characters are all very dynamic and fun to read. The story keeps you on the edge of your seat, not knowing what will happen next. And yet, this whole book is very accessible. I’m sometimes turned off by sci-fi that gets too into the weeds explaining mechanics, and war formations, and weapons. This book cleverly integrates just enough to make the science work, and leaves it at that.
If you grew up reading the series Animorphs, this is the book for you! Don’t hesitate!
August 15, 2022
Science fiction, meets adventure, and a bit of romance. It does mention the Vietnam war.
The naming of the main character is inconsistent. It does include a little bit of humour which is nice.
Sometimes it's the right people, at the right place, at the right time (with the help of some magical people).
There are times in the book where it skips ahead a period of time without telling the reader which is sometimes confusing and requires the reader to pause for a moment before continuing.
"Yes. You humans have such a whimsical history," she said.
""You might want to step out for this," Stern warned. AJ bit back a response about not being able to step anywhere."
""You really get off on changing your appearance, don't you?"
"I have spent decades pasted to the side of space debris. I find humanity's expression of individuality quite refreshing. Surely, you wouldn't deny me a small pleasure?""
“No one said English was easy to understand.”
"Did you ever read Alice in Wonderland?"
Darnell quirked his head to the side.
“Buddy, Alice was strictly amateur hour.”"
The naming of the main character is inconsistent. It does include a little bit of humour which is nice.
Sometimes it's the right people, at the right place, at the right time (with the help of some magical people).
There are times in the book where it skips ahead a period of time without telling the reader which is sometimes confusing and requires the reader to pause for a moment before continuing.
"Yes. You humans have such a whimsical history," she said.
""You might want to step out for this," Stern warned. AJ bit back a response about not being able to step anywhere."
""You really get off on changing your appearance, don't you?"
"I have spent decades pasted to the side of space debris. I find humanity's expression of individuality quite refreshing. Surely, you wouldn't deny me a small pleasure?""
“No one said English was easy to understand.”
"Did you ever read Alice in Wonderland?"
Darnell quirked his head to the side.
“Buddy, Alice was strictly amateur hour.”"
November 24, 2019
Not a bad story but is it special? The characters were limited in quantity and quality. There were not many characters, and the ones he had were a bit on the boring side. Been there, done that...
This book felt like a young author learning as he went along? The characterization may or may not fit the author but the feeling is still there.
The path that this book took was fairly predictable. The setup for the next book was exactly what one would expect.
The book wasn't bad, it just seemed a bit under developed and unpolished.
SPOILERS FOLLOW!
I ask the following. Did anyone else think the headquarters target was shaky? Did anyone else have questions about the current owners of the alien headquarters having that property and yet the aliens were NOT general knowledge? Was the entire section in the base a quick wrap up to ship the book out the door?
This book felt like a young author learning as he went along? The characterization may or may not fit the author but the feeling is still there.
The path that this book took was fairly predictable. The setup for the next book was exactly what one would expect.
The book wasn't bad, it just seemed a bit under developed and unpolished.
SPOILERS FOLLOW!
I ask the following. Did anyone else think the headquarters target was shaky? Did anyone else have questions about the current owners of the alien headquarters having that property and yet the aliens were NOT general knowledge? Was the entire section in the base a quick wrap up to ship the book out the door?
January 15, 2021
An intriguing premise makes for a mostly fun read, but the action scenes need work. The author tends to play fast and loose with realism, making for a jaring experience during what should be the most satisfying passages. Especially during the last 10%, the picture is fuzzy and imprecise as to how events unfolded during the final battle. The action just stops in way that is very unsatisfying, making the characters seem like puppets controlled by the author instead of people, thus spoiling the illusion. In addition, the book follows the irritating trend of "only villains use violence" that many books seem to embrace these days. In order to maintain the mantle of "good guys," the characters end up in battle after battle with outcomes that would only be possible with aid of an omnipotent author.
October 9, 2023
I liked this, but I think I mainly liked it because it was very different from what I normally read. It really has no cohesive plot, it's just one long wild road trip where the main characters fall in and out of trouble despite the little to no planning they have done.
I'm not sure I care to continue with the manly glory days power trip going on here. It's one veteran old fart with his old fart veteran best friend, a lady veteran doctor, and a dog. The amount of Ooorah beer drinking listen here I'm gonna do it my way and still win with a dash of buckle up little lady and I'll even get my 30-year-old body back has to be some sort of he-man fantasy but I guess I'm not a man. I mean, what 70-year-old Vietnam vet wouldn't want to have his mid 30s strength and still save the world while doing it? I just find that one book was enough for me.
I'm not sure I care to continue with the manly glory days power trip going on here. It's one veteran old fart with his old fart veteran best friend, a lady veteran doctor, and a dog. The amount of Ooorah beer drinking listen here I'm gonna do it my way and still win with a dash of buckle up little lady and I'll even get my 30-year-old body back has to be some sort of he-man fantasy but I guess I'm not a man. I mean, what 70-year-old Vietnam vet wouldn't want to have his mid 30s strength and still save the world while doing it? I just find that one book was enough for me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 349 reviews