Boltguns and Duct Tape

Spaceship Mechanic, Book 1

By: Jamie McFarlane

Narrated by: Mikael Naramore

One busted starship.

One small-town mechanic.

One wild ride into the galaxy.

Rix Banner thought his fighting days ended with World War II. Back home in Cranberry Cove, he just wants to fix cars, drink coffee, and put the past behind him. But when a broken-down starship crash-lands in a Wisconsin cornfield, Rix discovers the universe isn’t done with him yet.

The Galactic Empire doesn’t care about Earth’s isolation. They want their ship back—and the fugitive who stole it. Rix isn’t a soldier anymore, but he’s the only one standing between his town and an alien war. With nothing more than wrenches, welding torches, and a stubborn streak, he’ll have to patch together a ship—and a plan—before everything he loves is stripped for parts.

Fans of retro science fiction, found-family crews, and grease-stained heroes will love Boltguns and Duct Tape—a fast-paced adventure where the galaxy’s fate depends on one small-town mechanic who refuses to quit.

Grab your copy today and discover why sometimes the galaxy doesn’t need a hero—it needs a mechanic.

©2025 Fickle Dragon Publishing LLC (P)2025 Fickle Dragon Publishing LLC

fun and well paced.

overall I enjoyed it. I was initially disappointed as the premise seemed the same as his previous series, but he seems to be taking it in a slightly different direction.
I found the characters fun and endearing. The mechanic is relatable, and although both characters might be a tiny bit OP, it makes for a good story. I'd recommend it. looking forward to seeing where it goes.
this next line might be considered a spoiler although I do not consider it so.


Bebe reappears, although this is clearly an earlier iteration in that universe.

I picked this book as a long shot.

I picked this book as a long shot. I found it quirky with many snickers, some chuckles and even a belly laugh or two.

Pretty good, not great

Reasonably good story, although full of odd inconsistencies. For example the main character is described as someone who is hard core about doing the right thing and following rules. However he partners up with Kel who brought ruin to him by stealing and hiding out from the victim at his shop. Then shortly afterward he steals a firearm from another character and earns money to give it to Kel. Kel was unlikable at nearly every turn in my opinion, as she repeatedly threw fits for no real reason, I guess every character can't be enjoyable, but I found this one grating.

The narrator does good voices, although I've come to associate Naramore's voices with other McFarlane series. My only real complaint is that Naramore regularly mispronounces common words like atoll. Its not the end of the world but every time it takes my mind right out of the story.

Definitely another great start to a series!

Only on chapter 12, so far. But I'm wondering where this fits in the timeline of Beverly and A.J ?
So far, I'm very pleased !

Fun listen

Lots of humor and the author avoided using profanity which was refreshing. fun and easy listen. I plan on gettting the next book when it comes out.