Poor Man's Fight: Poor Man's Fight, Book 1

By: Elliott Kay

Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon

Length: 13 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

High school senior Tanner Malone has bombed the Test, a high-stakes exam that establishes how much he owes for his corporate-funded education. Burdened by a crushing debt that rules out college, Tanner enlists in the navy of Archangel, a star system with four terraformed worlds. But he hasn't factored in the space pirates.

Just as Tanner begins basic training, the government ramps up its forces to confront a band of rowdy raiders who are wreaking havoc in the void. Led by complex and charismatic Captain Casey, the outlaws love a little murder and mayhem, but they are also democratic, egalitarian, and devoted to freeing each new recruit from debt and corporate oppression.

Assigned to the front lines, Tanner soon finds himself caught in the crossfire between ruthless foes, cruel comrades, and unforgiving space. Can he do his duty when good and evil look so much alike?

©2015 Elliott Kay (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

DIE HARD…In Space! The student loan wars

I picked up Elliot Kay’s rollicking “Good intentions” on a whim, thinking perhaps it would make for an entertaining break from my usual interest in Sci-fi and fantasy, and was pleasantly surprised when beneath the highly adult themed overtures of the book was a very well written, character and plot development driven book.

Shocked by this turn of good fortune I got the sequel “Natural consequences” and was even more impressed by his ability to tell a fantastic story while seducing his readers with all the sensuality you would expect from Sherrilyn Kenyon or some such other author.

Seeing as I had gone two for two with him I dared to take a chance on this book. Now, anyone who reads Sci-fi and fantasy will be quick to point out that THESE TWO GENRES ARE NOT THE SAME! No matter how readily the guild and (publishers) may want to and continue to classify them both in the same category.

The “Sci” in Sci-fi denotes “Science”, meaning the author has to make a plausible case for scientific origins of events and technology in both story and character. Unlike “Fantasy” fictions in which spell casting and magic can be easily explained through less ornate imagination.

This is why many Fantasy fiction writers don’t or can’t do good sci-fi. The science has to be plausibly explained to be good and this is not something that can be done easily or as easily as explaining a spell.

I say all this to preface my trepidations when I came across this book, as my only experience with Mr. Kay had been with the two fantasy books above so I was unsure if I wanted to sully my experience with a bad sci-fi book. Based on the strength of his prior works, I cashed in my confidence points and spent the point on this book, and boy am I glad I did.
What a story.

This is a very well written and developed Military sci-fi. Yes you will find some familiar themes like the reluctant hero thrust into uncertain situation, acting with valor and honor and with a bit of luck, overcome the bad guys almost single handedly. This was “Die hard” in space

I loved it.

It was enjoyable, and driven by excellent plotlines and characters, and anyone with student loans may even find greater sympathy and enjoyment from this series.
Great work Elliot Kay, looking forward to your next series.

Author and narrator purposely weaken protagonist

The story was great, but the protagonist is unrealistically emotional and weak. For someone who is solely responsible for saving thousands, he's made pathetic, and it gets very irritating. It's as if the writer can't tell the difference between an honorable and humble soldier and someone who backs into saving the world. I'll probably listen to the next in the series, but if the main character doesn't grow some callous, it will be my last listen in the series.

Excellent

With an insightful and satisfying Book 1, Elliott Kay addresses important issues in

this powerful story. Bravo!

I really liked it

I think it was a fun fast paced book with good characters and a well built world that while sometimes seems a little Rambo is really entertaining.

Pretty good

Similar to many other books, young recruit overcomes great odds to save the day. Still, interesting and well paced.

Completely enjoyable

This certainly is just sci-fi genre fiction, but listening to this book will make you appreciate how rare it is to read a straightforward story in good prose style. The characters were engaging, the story was compelling, and the narration was excellent. I particularly liked the voice of Casey the pirate. The action was walloping, and described in fine form, and you can easily follow it on the audio recording. This book would make a great screenplay. I was so happy to find out about this series on Audible. Looking forward to the next installment.

good first book in the series. The rest are better

It's a bit rough in the middle but it all works out for Tanner in the end. this is by far the hardest book in the series but you need it to set up the rest and the rest of the books in the series are absolutely awesome.

A Sci Fi Thriller

Any additional comments?

Character development is very good if not great, the narrator is great, the story is gripping and hard to put down, and I can't suggest this book enough. I would say it is for high school readers and older. Unlike some books of this genre you get a real sense of what the characters are thinking and grow attached and emotionally invested in the story. Others are as detached from the main character's emotions as if you were reading a field report. The story flows smoothly for the most part but has it's choppy bits when combat occures. I anticipate the release of the next book in the series.

space opera

good book, good narration, got the first 2 books for $11. if you like military grade space opera check it out.

Die Hard in Space

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.