While an interesting premise, this novel did not connect with me as much as I hoped.

-- This review is several years past the release date due to the many issues of 2020, but a huge thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy of the book.

I really enjoyed this book, it was well written, had good flow and narrative and well-developed characters with good world building. The characters grab you along with the story from the first few pages. would definitely recommend checking it out. I finished it in a few hours I could not put it down!!

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2021 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2021/02/2021-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

I've read sci-fi that deals with the distant future, where people are fighting over possession of planets or resources. And I've read sci-fi set in the near future, where we're taking our first steps onto Mars or beyond, like the Martian. But Fearless is a book which talks about the exact moment things shift from exploration to war.

Captain Ellisa Shann thrives in space and has made it her home. Her ship, answers a distress call from a freighter - and when she answers it, all hell breaks loose. There's murder, espionage and a mysterious unseen enemy that it seems will stop at nothing to destroy them. She doesn't have transporters or advanced weaponry, and must use her wits to fight back.

The story was full of tension, suspense and high risk, the space travel details fascinating and plausible and the characters, though a little prickly at times, were perfectly pitched for the situation with some brilliant story arcs. I raced through and am really looking forward to the sequel!

Often these days science fiction likes the crew to be very dysfunctional. The weird dynamics of the Guardians of the Galaxy; the humour and rivalries of Firefly or filled with tension as in the Expanse. But one of my favourite films is Wrath of Khan. There we have a tight competent crew being pushed to the max in an extreme situation. People very good at what they do putting it all on the line. When I read Fearless by Allen Stroud, I definitely got that latter vibe in an excellently tense deep space adventure where a captain and her crew put themselves up against a powerful enemy all alone in the night.

In the early twenty-second century humanity is just pushing the edges of colonising the solar system. Colonies are being created but are still very reliant on supplies being slowly sent across space by freighters. And with that traffic comes the potential for disasters for which the crew of the Khidr led by Captain Ellisa Shann take regular six-monthly patrols of space forever on alert. A distress call is intercepted but rather than the usual engine failure or computer breakdown the crew find evidence of violence and for the first time in human history signs that another ship was violently involved – the first ever space battle. Their investigations trigger a series of strange events, betrayals and ultimately a new front line in space which Captain Shann and the crew need to investigate before the mysterious hidden enemy can ensure no one escapes alive.

What really leapt out of me is that this story starts fairly routine. This is a small effectively space coastguard vessel on patrol – not a warship; not a flagship just a good crew arriving in the wrong place at the wrong time. The vast majority of the tale is narrated by Captain Shann and the worldbuilding here is subtle but very textured. Space travel is fairly routine in terms of cargo runs but still dangerous and as becomes clear this crew all love the idea of working in space – doing something few others can do. Shann’s highly competent crew is what is required to save lives but Stroud throws this crew into a very different situation than they’ve ever faced before. Refreshingly rather than people questioning orders or playing out long standing feuds this crew’s job is to evaluate the situation, work out options and try to fix them. Stroud creates some engineering/space logistics challenges that make the tension ratchet; but then nastily (yay) throws two different elements into the mix to really make the crew suffer – a powerful enemy lurking nearby in space and a potential betrayal on the ship.

At this point the story gets even meatier and we start to have other points of view come into the narrative. A coast guard style crew against a highly powered and smart adversary hiding in space gives the story the kind of bite you get in a naval adventure (hence why Wrath of Khan came to mind reading it) – despite the vast distance between the vessels the sense is of the enemy weirdly looming and oppressive impacting decision making. The enemy gets closer and they can’t warp jump out of their so other innovative solutions are needed. Some people end up taking very dangerous risks which added to the crew’s realisation that there is a traitor on board starts to raise doubts about who the reader can trust. Stroud very skilfully creates this mystery and the payoffs are personal, powerful and rewarding. This crew are changed by what they go through.

Character wise we are not going for the big characters you may find in more snarky space operas. These are professionals but Stroud delivers quite a good level of depth especially as we get to know them. I had three favourites worth highlighting – Captain Shann is a standout. Extremely focused, , tactically minded dedicated and also someone for whom space offers a very interesting challenge. It is revealed she was born with no legs and in gravity relies on prosthetics and in zero gravity gets more movement than most people. But I was pleased Stroud showed that gravity transitions posed a bigger challenge for her than most (rather than imply in space disability wont; mean anything) and also Stroud is very much putting this highly professional Captain in a situation where they are tested – their ship and crew are being hurt. Her tale is very much is about trying to deal with the consequences of her orders and the stresses a Captain has to suffer. She is a fascinating character to get to know.

Two others also jumped out at me. I really liked Ensign Johannson an ambitious junior officer who is looking for that next promotion and initially sees this adventure as one for advancement and instead finds this a dose of realism and learning to work for the crew. In contrast Sellis is very much someone who sees space as a job and not one for bravery – rarely volunteers and would be much happier playing with cards than battles. Each of these characters gets pushed into places they were not expected to go and our views on them change smarty over the story. This is a group where characters are subtle but over the novel, they have all been impacted by events.

In summary Fearless offers the reader a great piece of smart science fiction that fans of space opera and spaceship battles will enjoy immensely. Expect lots of tension and a group of characters you soon get invested in. There is also some foreshadowing that this small crew has got themselves involved in a much bigger moment in human history than anyone has yet recognised but this first adventure for the crew is quite rightly focused on getting to know them.

Humanity has spread into space. There are colonies on the moon, Mars....even Europa. To protect the outposts, resupply ships and travellers, there is a fleet that patrols space. Their job is to patrol, offer help to space freighters, conduct search & rescue missions when needed, and give aid to stranded or damaged ships. It's an important job -- without the resupply ships, the outposts would be completely cut off. Most of the time the work is routine.....until it isn't. When Captain Shann and her crew respond to a distress signal, things get dicey. One of her crew is murdered, and then the ship is attacked.... Their job just got very non-routine quite quickly!

This book has some awesome action scenes and definitely kept my attention. I love Captain Shann as a main character...she is intelligent and incredibly capable. The story is told from multiple points of view. Normally, I really don't care for that sort of plot -- but for this Space Opera, it worked perfectly. I can't wait until this comes out in audio format -- this is the perfect sci-fi novel to listen to! I loved reading it -- but I think I will enjoy it even more in audio!

This is the first book by Allen Stroud that I've read. I'm definitely going to be reading more. Best Sci-Fi adventure I've read in quite awhile! I love the front cover art for this book....so awesome!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Flame Tree Press. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Captain Shann and her crew help protect space vehicles, an interstellar RAC! When they receive a distress signal off they go. But a crew member dies…..was this an accident or murder? And so this marvellous space opera becomes a murder mystery.

With a large cast of characters, lots of suspects, space battles and plenty of action to keep even the most ardent fans of sci-fi thoroughly entertained. Brilliant.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC of Fearless. This is my honest and unbiased review

What seems like a simple rescue mission to a distress call, it becomes something much bigger then Captain Shann could ever imagine. There is murder, an unknown enemy, a lot of questions and barely any answers.

It’s a hard sci-fi story filled with all the technology, science, and details the genre requires while having loads of action to leave you up all night turning page after page. The book is told in three different perspectives, showing different approaches, motivations, troubles, and conflict each of the characters go through.

One of the things that I enjoyed a lot was the connection to our Earth, the version of it that we know. And while the book is set 100 years in the future and humans are colonizing the solar system, there are a few references to our time making the story closer to home, more recognizable.

Another high note was how Captain Shann’s disability isn’t a pity card or a defined characteristic of the character. Her disability is something that she has, not something that she is. And while she expresses her difficulties in the past and the present, and even the barriers that she needs to overcome because of her disability, it’s not the focal point of the story or the character. I enjoyed how badass she was portrait while still not having both legs.

Bottom line, there are still some loose ends and plot points that could be explored even further in a possible sequel. *fingers crossed* Although I must say that this book works as a standalone since it has an end to the mystery, it would just be a shame to stop there.

I hope this is a series as the book just ends without much of a resolution. I liked the beginning but found too many info dumps as the story progressed. It slowed the action down and while it provided some information it left the main point of the story up in the air. I will check out the next book as I want to know if the main point is still to be addressed.
I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

A hundred years into the future, humanity has colonised the solar system, but all the habitats and space stations are still dependent on regular resupply from Earth. The Fleet operates several search and rescue ships which ply the space lanes on a regular schedule to lend assistance to the vast space freighters without which the colonies are cut off. Captain Elissa Shann and her crew of twenty-five man the Khidr, inbound to Phobos when they pick up a distress signal from the freighter Hercules.

Things turn critical even before they arrive at the rendezvous with the freighter, with a crew member murdered. Uneasy with the knowledge she has a killer aboard, Shann is unprepared to be attacked by a ship nobody on the Khidr had any idea was present - a ship that doesn’t exist on any spaceship register, something that’s not supposed to be possible. Nobody has ever even fought a battle in space; the Khidr’s laser and torpedoes are meant for fending off stray asteroids, not attacking ships! But Shann’s no quitter. Born without legs, she went into space because zero-g meant her disability actually became an asset. She’s getting out alive, and she’s bringing as many of her people with her as she can. No matter what it takes.

There are a lot of threads here that don’t get tied off, starting from the mystery of the strange sounds heard by Apollo 10 astronauts back in the early days of space exploration. Shann and her crew find - and have to abandon - several artifacts they can’t identify, and there are at least two players on the board whose backers are unidentified, so there’s a much bigger game at play they don’t fully understand. Yes, there’s a fairly satisfying ending given here with Shann and (a few of) her crew winning the day and headed for safety (content warnings for lots of deaths, some fairly gruesome, and serious injuries). It does seem obvious that this is the first of a series; to me it has echoes of David Weber’s fabulous Honor Harrington series. I’m not sure if it will go that long, but there’s at least a trilogy here, and I’d love to read more of it.

Shann as a heroine with a disability who is absolutely not defined by it - at one point it even works for her because she requires less oxygen than other crewmembers who have complete bodies to fuel - is really great to read. She’s also not the only one; talented, ambitious young office Johansson is missing a hand, though she uses a prosthetic. Shann uses prosthetic legs under sufferance and avoids gravity unless she must.

The story is told in first person and primarily in Shann’s head, though we also get to see the perspective of others at different times, which helps to make the crew feel ‘real’ and not just a bunch of redshirts. April Johansson is brilliant and fiercely ambitious, at the beginning thinking only of how to impress her captain, her eyes always on climbing the Fleet rank ladder, but by the end, she is ready to sacrifice herself to give the rest of the crew a chance at survival. Engineer Sellis is a likable enough sort, a skilled repair technician… with a serious gambling problem and debts across the solar system which leave him vulnerable to blackmail.

While there’s a mystery to solve and an unexpected battle to fight, it’s the characters who make this story so intriguing, led by Shann. I thought she was a fascinating heroine and I ended the book really wanting to know how things turned out for her, wondering what reception she’d get from Fleet. A well-written page-turner, the fact that I’d have happily gone straight out and bought the second book in the series if it was available mean this deserves nothing less than five stars.

This one is written in first-person viewpoint (I), across several protagonists. It starts with what should be a routine call for help – and turns into something far more stressful and unexpected. I loved the initial scene-setting and how lethal acceleration is to the oh-so-fragile crew, which is done really well. The world is vividly depicted without lots of info-dumping and I quickly bonded with the Shann, the captain. When something then goes wrong, the captain quickly and decisively deals with it – and while we were regularly in other characters’ viewpoints, it was Shann who was my solid favourite. I felt her character and motivation was by far the most well nuanced and established. However, there were times when she seemed oddly detached from the crew, who she’d spent years alongside. We’re told they are a tight-knit bunch, but Shann doesn’t seem to know them well enough. I liked the fact that despite she is clearly tough-minded and brilliant, she is also fiercely individualistic and maybe that has compromised her leadership skills. This sort of nuanced characterisation is unusual in such an action thriller.

I thought the overall pacing worked well and mostly the characterisation was successful, though it’s always a challenge to get that completely right in such a action-packed story. I also thought the action scenes were very well written, with a strong balance between the characters’ thoughts and emotion amidst the unfolding chaos.

However, while the initial emergency has been dealt with, our intrepid crew are still facing a major hazard with a host of questions that have been raised, but not fully addressed. I’m assuming that this is the start of a series, but there is nothing to suggest that is the case. If it isn’t, then I am beyond disappointed – I want more! On the grounds that I believe it is the beginning of a series, this one is highly recommended to fans of high-octane space opera adventure. While I obtained an arc of Fearless from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10

An immersive and compelling story about the bonds of a crew and the perils of working in space.

The three shifting perspectives provide both a broader view to the events as well as allowing the mystery to deepen. We’re shown why people would spend their lives in space (Shann, due to a disability that anti-gravity makes easier to live with, Johannson due to ambition, and Sellis from escaping his debts). Each character has different, often conflicting, motivations. While they have different personalities from one another, we could have gotten a lot more backstory on them. They do have their own arcs to contend with, but we don’t learn a lot about why these arcs exist in the first place. The rest of the crew are hardly afforded any exposition, making it hard to remember who people were at times and to understand why they made the choices they did. But, it’s possible we have to sacrifice deeper characters for the amount of technical realism the book provides.

I liked that while Shann’s disability does define her in terms of determination and fortitude, her arc is not about this but making tough command decisions. It’s not often a person with a disability is the main character, and even less often does their arc focus on anything other than “overcoming” their physical differences.

The action and space maneuvering scenes were very well-described and the novel definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat. There are space battles, threads of mutiny, EVA excursions, and lots of blood floating in space. There is an interesting mystery too. It often felt like an old sea tale but with no oxygen instead of waves. I very much enjoyed it and would definitely entertain a sequel.

Just a note: the title is very lackluster and kind of melodramatic. I mean, I get it, the crew had to be fearless to survive, but it’s very generic.

I read FEARLESS in one day, heart-in-throat breathless, because there is not a moment of rest in this thrilling, intense, Space Opera. The characters don't rest, the reader can't rest. Compelled to read to conclusion, I was a roiling mass of wonder, shock, suspense, compassion, and fear. FEARLESS is tremendously exciting, featuring a unique protagonist and a diverse cast, not to mention Space Travel and futuristic philosophical considerations [shades of Arthur C. Clarke]. I'm stunningly eager to read more from author Allen Stroud.

Captain Shann of the spaceship Khidr is free when she’s away from Earth. Born without legs, on Earth she is bound by gravity to use prosthetics for movement. In space, though, sometimes her lack of legs is a benefit rather than a hindrance. It is at least not a handicap to her rising through the ranks of the fleet to command a ship.

The Khidr typically follows a path that takes them from Luna and Mars through the asteroid belt and to the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Their transit usually lasts about six months. Then after a break they begin again. Occasionally they have to rescue a ship with some mechanical problem. They have never had to face hostile action. So there is no reason for them to suspect any enemies when they receive a distress signal from a freighter.

When a crewmember dies during an acceleration, it is tragic and unexpected. Safety protocols and redundancies should have prevented the accident. Very quickly they learn it was no accident. The young man was murdered. They have a killer on board their ship.

Things get worse when they arrive at the disabled freighter. It shows definite signs of hostile action. And all doubts are removed when the Khidr itself comes under attack from an unknown vessel the crew must fight both the enemy from the other ship and the enemy, or enemies, among their own crew.

I fell in love with science fiction as a child. The first writers I distinctly remember in the field were Heinlein and Asimov. I was that strange child reading Starship Troopers and the Foundation Trilogy in the 4th and 5th grade -- and I’m that strange adult that remembers reading the Foundation Trilogy almost 45 years later. (I was reading it during lunch in the cafeteria at Juchem Elementary School in Westminster, CO. I am quite sure you were asking yourself that very question.)

Allen Stroud’s Fearless has elements of those classics of an earlier era. He takes science seriously. The plot is gritty and full of twists. Not everyone survives the entire novel. The descriptions of being in space are harrowing and fascinating. There is a real sense that anyone could die at any moment: from enemy action, from shipboard murder, or just from the realities of living in a vacuum with only a thin skin of metal between yourself and the void. It is vivid and compelling and unnerving.

Where Stroud departs from so many of those earlier masters is in his characters. They are in some regards a motley bunch: a female captain with no legs, a computer tech with a cybernetic hand, black and brown and white all working together largely in harmony (except for the ones trying to kill the others). I have often thought that science fiction writers were missing an opportunity by not including more characters who would have physical challenges on Earth but are empowered in a gravity-free environment. I won’t say Stroud read my mind: that would be implying some measure of credit for his creative exploration of those ideas. I will admit to some jealousy that he got there before I did! All kidding aside, I love the approach he takes with Captain Shann and the other members of the crew. There is no pity, no taking it easy on any of them. She may not have legs, but Captain Shann is as tough as they come. She earned her position. And she will not surrender without a fight.

Captain Ellisa Shann and the crew of the Khidr are at the start of a six-month patrolling assignment. They will crisscross a large sector of space to maintain the peace of the shipping lanes between the colonies on Earth’s Moon, Mars, Ceres, and Europa. When they receive a faint SOS, they prepare to go to the disabled freighter, Hercules, but as they come out of a burn to make course adjustments, one of the crew is found dead. Is it an accident? If so, how could it possibly have happened. When they reach the Hercules, they are not prepared for what they find. No one on the Khidr has any experience dealing with the disaster on the Hercules, including Captain Shann.

Stroud has written a fast-paced, action-filled space opera. He tells the story from the viewpoint of multiple crew members, but mainly from the Captain’s perspective that lets us know she’s following the protocols dictated for her from the Fleet’s people on Earth. The reader gets quickly caught up in the goings on while Stroud ramps up and maintains a taut line on the action as things rapidly spin out of the control of the Shann and her crew.

The well-drawn characters who occupy the seats on the bridge deck, especially Captain Shann, are engaging and readers will hope that none of them are traitors. The plot line will capture any SciFi fan’s imagination while the writing is such that the tension continues to build and will keep you reading into the wee hours of the morning.

If you like space operas, then this is the book for you. It deserves to be at, or near, the top of your to-be-read list.

My thanks to Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for an eARC.

Following the crew of the Khidr as they attempt what should be a straightforward search and rescue mission, Allen Stroud’s new novel, Fearless, gets off to a strong start. A mysterious distress call from the depths of space might be a simple setup, but space is a big place (duh) and a lot can go wrong there. There’s positively limitless scope for almost anything to come out of the black and wreak havoc.

It would be easy, therefore, to be slightly disappointed by the assailants of the Khidr - another ship, very similar in design but with a little more oomph. But there is good reason behind this - Stroud is very concerned with the nitty gritty, the actual mechanics of space travel and galactic commerce. Tentacled beings from other galaxies are not the order of the day here; we instead get a somewhat more grounded (so to speak) story of space warfare. The roles of the crew of the Khidr are clearly laid out, with much observance of rank and protocol throughout. The military science fiction crowd might find a lot to like about certain aspects of this.

Where the novel is less strong is in the pacing. What should be action packed or tension filled moments are oddly truncated or stilted, with extensive explanations of the inner workings of the ship, childhood flashbacks and endless pontificating intruding on almost every scene. No decision is made on the Khidr without discussion - understandable on a military vessel - but the constant hand wringing the characters go through on the way to voicing their opinions and suggestions, or before they complete even the smallest task, sucks all the energy out of so many scenes. Explanations about the construction of the ship, its layout, how the airlocks work and much, much more besides sap any chance at fun out of proceedings, with the constant need for characters to explain their thinking making even the more exciting chapters feel strangely plodding.

These problems persist in the characterisation. The old mantra of “Show, don’t tell” is largely ignored, with long winded inner monologues, as well as flashbacks which essentially serve as signposts saying “This is why I am the way I am.” There is a distinct lack of subtlety to much of the characterisation; whilst Captain Shann is fairly interesting, many of the rest of the crew are practically interchangeable. This is particularly the case with some of the male characters, who seem quite one-dimensional (with the exception of the male narrator, Sellis). The multiple first-person narrative doesn’t actually seem to serve any real purpose here, making the story feel more bloated than anything. Characters often recount the same events that we’ve just seen, but from their perspective, which feels unnecessary and again slows things down. Seeing everything from Captain Shann’s perspective would allow us to feel more invested in the story; as events ultimately seem to have more impact on her than any of the other characters, it seems like it’s more her story to tell than anyone else’s. Consequently, the decision to make this a multiple viewpoint narrative is actually somewhat baffling.

On top of the pacing and characterisation issues, there’s the matter of the plot, which is not so much complex as convoluted. Betrayals, double crosses, blackmail and bribery abound, much of which isn’t resolved in a particularly satisfying way (or at all, in some cases). This brings with it yet more debates (both spoken and internal), this time on the potential loyalties of characters we haven’t had any opportunity or reason to become invested in and don’t know much about. There are also various glimpses of worldbuilding scattered throughout, but it’s a real struggle to see how many of them are particularly relevant to the plot - much of the politics which are referred to ultimately serve no purpose, even when it seems like they should. Even when it seems like the shadowy backroom dealings (or whatever it is that’s going on) look like they might have a bearing on events, the characters maintain their course of action; one can’t help but wonder why this aspect was included at all.

Ultimately, this is a fairly by the numbers story, which could have benefited from considerable trimming and tightening up to inject some more excitement. Captain Shann is a reasonably interesting character, who displays plenty of resourcefulness and presence, and the decision not to focus solely on her is to the novel’s detriment. Fans of military fiction of various sorts might find something to like in the exhaustive descriptions of the workings of the ship and the repeated references to rank, but will have a lot to wade through when it comes to the equally exhaustive inner monologues and exposition-heavy discussions.

It is good enough space opera with a lot of action, but there were some things that iritated me:
1. We have a mystery and the crew from wchich everyone can be a suspect. But with the investigaiton it's like : 'We're not sure if we can trust you, because (something). And then the accused says: "But I'm telling you thath you can trust me." And then interrogators: "All right, so if you can say that we can trust you, we are sure we can trust you." - it wasn't literally like that, but close enough.

2. The motives of some people are not concvincing enough.

3. Bad guys and traitors are revealed from nowhere. You don't think about who could do this, because youu don't really know people of the crew. They are here and then, but you can't know their motivations, whar urges them and so you can't predict who could be responsible of some thing.

4. Sometimes I think that the captain gets no respect. Her crew is constantly disobeying orders without even consulting their ideas with her (maybve she would say yes ever think of that?)

I think that while the plot is interesting, this novel suffers with characterization. There is so many potentially interesting characters that could be developed much more. The only one I catually liked was our rotagonist captain Shann, because she is the only one developed enough to like.

Rating: something between 2,5 and 3 stars.

This has well written characters, an entertaining and sometimes complex plot, and some mystery thrown in. It also has some action, and kept me engaged. Recommended for scifi and space opera fans.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

Fearless

Allen Stroud

Flame Tree Press

I encountered author Allen Stroud in April 2020, when I reviewed the Forgotten Sidekicks anthology which had recently been published by Kristell Ink. I was greatly impressed by his contribution, the short story Saving Simon which took us into a gritty and realistic world of superpowers; Stroud examined the all-too human costs of using those powers, even in the pursuit of goals we might consider good, and the fact that having super-powers cannot protect one from betrayal from those close to you, especially if they perceive you to be doing the wrong thing – even if for the right reasons. Action-packed and thought-provoking, Saving Simon was one of the highlights of the anthology, and I made a note to look out for other titles written by Stroud in the future. As such, I was very pleased to be contacted by Stroud himself and offered an advanced review copy of his upcoming sci-fi thriller Fearless, which was being released by no less a publisher than the awesome Flame Tree Press. Flame Tree Press are a deeply impressive publisher that release high-quality titles across several genres, so that reputation combined with Stroud’s obvious skill as a writer made it an extremely easy decision to accept the review copy. The cover art for Fearless was suitably impressive, with a cool-looking spaceship soaring through space and some striking font choices; and the back-cover blurb easily drew me in with some tantalising plot elements that seemed to differentiate the novel from its countless competitors in the genre.

Fearless is set in the early 22nd century in a universe where humanity has colonised wide swathes of local space, setting up colonies on many of the planets in the solar system that are supplied by vast commercial freighters that run back and forth along the trade routes established between the colonies and far-distant Earth. It’s a difficult and stressful career to run those freighters, with accidents and disasters a routine occurrence, and as such the Earth-based United Fleet Consortium maintains a flotilla of vessels that constantly roam the trade routes answering distress calls. Captain Elisa Shann, a highly talented and experienced spacefarer commands one of these vessels, the search and rescue starship Khidr. On a routine mission, the decision to answer a distress call from the corporate freighter Hercules leads to Shann and her crew stumbling into a deeply complex and thoroughly dangerous situation when a routine search and rescue situation turns into something far more sinister and far-reaching than Shann could ever have imagined. A freighter crew that has been brutally massacred, a mysterious cargo, and the shocking realisation that there is a murderer on-board the Khidr is the only beginning of a terrifying and revelatory journey for Shann.

I think one of the things that impressed me the most about Fearless was the decision by Stroud to base the novel on the crew of a civilian search and rescue vessel, which is a rather refreshing change from the usual genre archetypes of the crew of a smuggling vessel, or the crew of a military warship of some description. It gives us a different perspective to the usual space-based scifi/space opera narratives, with Shann and her crew providing what is effectively an ‘outsiders’ perspective to the clashes between powerful corporations and the United Fleet Consortium as the colonisation of the solar system slowly progresses to the very limits of the system. Because while Stroud does give us an overarching plot that makes use of the common genre scenario of ‘Corporations versus Governments’, at no point does it fall into the numerous pitfalls common to the genre. Matters are far more complex than they first seem to Shann and the crew of the Khidr, and Stroud weaves a multi-faceted and masterful narrative that demonstrates that both the corporations and UFC are undertaking their own objectives and machinations that are equally morally, ethically and legally dubious, and equally threatening to Shann and her crew who should – in theory – be completely neutral and focused only on rescuing vessels and their crews who are in distress. Danger comes from both the corporate interests and the UFC which should be in support of Shann and the Khidr, with Stroud deftly avoiding the stale stereotype of ‘evil corporation against heroic/competent Earth-based government’ and in the process making Fearless far more engaging than its competitors. This is aided by vivid excerpts from Earth-based media articles and video transcripts which demonstrate that while this might be a future with spaceflight and colonies deep in the solar system, there continue to be massive social and economic inequalities which are exacerbated by continuous conflict between corporations and the governments of Earth. Stroud melds it all together to create a compelling, appealing and well-rounded narrative that helps propel the plot while also doing an impressive amount of world-building that will benefit future titles in the series.

That impressive world-building is allied to an inherent understanding of the ‘hard scifi’ concept of operating in the void of deep space, with the importance of major – and even minor – decisions being highlighted routinely throughout the novel. Altering the course of a vessel means burning more fuel, which in turn means less to get to another destination in order to refuel and resupply, and more oxygen and supplies consumed. Accelerating and decelerating have to be perfectly judged to avoid damage to the vessel and its occupants, with the gruesome consequences of not taking proper safety precautions in a ship changing course and being put under significant gravitational force being vividly demonstrated in the opening chapters of the novel. A crewmember dies under horrific circumstances when their restraint seat malfunctions and throws them clear when the Khidr undertakes a course correction towards the distress call from the Hercules, what little is left of them indicating both the inherent dangers of spaceflight, and the specific dangers of being on a spaceship where a traitorous crewmember can sabotage a restraint seat. Stroud brings us into a universe where ‘spacing’ a crewmember is entirely permissible under UFC rules if the commander of a vessel judges it as their punishment, or requires it to save the vessel and its cargo; and where people are merely seen as living cargo, to be treated as commodities in exactly the same manner as the cargo they transport. It makes for a hard-nosed and chilling setting, as well as a major element of the underlying tension in the novel. From the realities of space travel to the steps required for conducting reconnaissance and rescue operations in zero-g, as well as the ad-hoc repairs that have to be conducted in emergencies, it becomes obvious that Stroud has put a huge amount of thought a research into this novel. Not only is this reflected in almost every page of Fearless, but is also the core basis for why the novel works so well – there is a deeply impressive consistency that ensures that at no point are we, as readers, pulled out of the story by some inaccuracy or research error.

Even the most well-written and researched novel can be derailed by poor characterisation and two-dimensional characters, so I’m pleased to advise that Stroud’s characters are just as thrilling and well-constructed as the rest of the novel. I found myself liking protagonist Captain Shann as soon as I started reading the novel, her character grabbing me and refusing to let go with her unapologetic, badass attitude; in space, a lack of legs doesn’t mean anything, zero-g mitigating her disability and allowing her the freedom that wouldn’t be found on a planet with traditional gravity. She has a no-nonsense appeal to her as she leads the crew of the Khidr into the rapidly-escalating chaos of the Hercules rescue and everything that unfolds from there, and even when things were at their worst I was impressed by Stroud’s depiction of her trying to keep calm and professional even when confronted with issues she could never have trained for. Shann has a fascinating background that is explored in dreams and flash-back sequences, and I’d be intrigued to see a short-story or novella detailed her earlier career prior to the events of Fearless. The other characters featured in the novel are just as well fleshed-out, feeling like three-dimensional crewmembers even when they only appear for a relatively short space of time. Stroud deftly develops the atmosphere within the Khidr of a crew dealing with stressful search and rescue missions while also dealing with their own duties, as well as the problems caused by the mysterious murder. Each crewmember is a professional, with diverse backgrounds and their own personal issues that make them interesting in their own way; this in turns makes later events in the novel far more understandable, with betrayals and treachery making sense to the reader because Stroud has taken the time to develop the characters and their varying motivations. These then dovetail nicely with the murder-mystery elements that get introduced into the plot, Stroud deftly doling out clues every so often to keep the reader interested without overwhelming them, as an atmosphere of mistrust and paranoia slowly infects the Khidr and sees crewmembers turning on each other in tense, often action-packed sequences.

Fearless is a brilliant achievement, and one of the best science-fiction novels I have read in a very long time. Stroud has produced a tense, atmospheric and masterfully-written title with a thought-provoking and engaging plot supported by a cast of colourful and unique characters that all combine to create a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The novel features a vibrant, original universe that acts as the setting for a compelling and complex, multi-faceted plot that hints at a huge amount happening beyond the perceptions of Shann and her surviving crewmembers, resulting in near-unlimited potential for sequels and – hopefully – an entire series. Fearless is a fantastic read, one that I raced through in a very short amount of time, and I truly hope that Stroud gets the chance to work with Flame Tree Press again to write a second book in the series. I’ll certainly be the first to pick it up if there is one.

Fearless by Allen Stroud- This is SPACE OPERA writ LARGE! What starts out as a fairly typical space rescue procedural quickly becomes a non-stop roller coaster ride of treachery, deceit, mutiny. Each chapter is told in first person by different crew members with tensions mounting as loyalties are questioned and paranoia reigns free. There are no lulls for regrouping, just breakneck twists and turns that keep those pages turning furiously. Quite an accomplishment that I recommend highly. Thanks NetGalley for this great ARC.