Omega Rising

By: Joshua Dalzelle

Narrated by: Paul Heitsch

Jason Burke was a man hiding from himself in a small cabin high in the American Rocky Mountains when his simple, quiet life was shattered one night by what he first assumed was an aviation mishap. But when he investigates the crash, what he finds will yank him out of his self-imposed exile and thrust him into a world he could have never imagined. He suddenly finds himself trapped on a damaged alien spacecraft and plunged into a universe of interstellar crime lords and government conspiracies, along the way meeting strange new friends… and enemies. As he struggles to find his way back home he is inexorably drawn deeper into a world where one misstep could mean his death. Or worse. He desperately wants to get back to Earth, but it may be the end for him...or is it just the beginning?

©2013, 2014 Joshua Dalzelle (P)2014 Joshua Dalzelle

Good Old-Fashioned Sci-Fi -- For a Change

I am old enough to remember when Sci-Fi was mostly upbeat, the characters were likable, and the plot made sense. This book recaptures that tradition. And the narration was good, much better than in other Sci-Fi series I have recently listened to. The book is not deep but if you want some enjoyable escapist Sci-Fi, this is a good choice. I hope Audible makes the rest of the series available soon.

Rescue is our game, breaking things along… .

If you could sum up Omega Rising in three words, what would they be?

(Earthman vs Synth) Jason is a reclusive veteran, Special OPS rescue veteran. When, what looks like an aviation accident happens near his isolated cabin he goes to render aid. It's not an aircraft but a space craft. There aren't any occupants other than a Synthetic being "Synth" Deets. Some of the worst criminals in the universe are Synths unbeknownst to Jason, Deets seems more like a used car salesman than a bad "guy". He's also in need of a biological! Jason may seem to fit the bill, coming from a backwards planet and all. But Deets never should have tried to sell him!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Deets is a boot licking synthetic and not a nice "guy" but he is very well done. I have generally chosen the main character. But there a wonderful group of supporting characters in this book and Deets is so smarmy he deserves a mention.

What does Paul Heitsch bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Pual Heitsch does a wonderful job but having read this book a couple of times it's difficult for him to bring something new to the tale. He was definitely true to the intent and tone of the story, which says a lot.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It isna fun book and there are several places you would rather not put it down in.

Any additional comments?

This is the first in a series and all are fun books. Fortunately this book ends naturally and doesn't leave you hanging in thin air. But I do hope the others will come sooner rather than later.

Fun space opera

This is more fun than I've had from space opera in a long time. It's right up there with Scott Sigler's "GFL" series. *BUT* this one suffers from amateur writing issues, of the type which won't bother most readers, but will bother anyone who's been writing fiction seriously for more than a few years. The book opens with the main character waking up, pondering his life, and describing himself by looking in the mirror. That's a cliche which every writing workshop warns against. There's some POV shifting from close third to omniscient: We're mostly in Jason's POV, but sometimes the author's voice slips and describes to the reader what Jason doesn't see or know.

That said, this is a story very well told. It moves along at a fast pace, it's fun, and I'm 100% certain this author is a natural-born storyteller. I wasn't blown away by the premise or the world. It's more or less standard heroic fare. But there's a *lot* to be said for good storytelling, solid plotting and pacing, and solidly developed characters. If you liked Hugh Howey's "Molly Fyde" series, or Scott Sigler's "GFL" series, and if you long for more "Star Wars" in fiction, give this a try. Also, the audiobook narrator does a great job.

Great beginning to what should be a great series

Listened to this in 2 days and enjoyed every bit of it.
The writer did a great job of writing a origin story of sorts that sets up for what should be a great series.
Audible now needs to get more in the series as amazon is showing at least 5 more books.

They should make this into a movie

Fun and creative. I've listened to it twice already and highly recommend it! A+. Bravo.