Great story, really enjoyed. This was my first read of this type of book, not sure I would read again though.

This book is a prequel to the new Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy video game, and it ends where the game begins. You can still enjoy the book without playing the game, but it adds depth to the characters, and players may notice some Easter Eggs. Likewise, readers may notice references to the book if they play the game. The audiobook is short and entertaining, but it may be challenging for some listeners, as it maintains the specialized language and jargon of the world in which the characters live.

The novel follows the newly established Guardians consisting of Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Rocket, and Groot. They are heroes for hire, and they are always looking for new jobs to make a profit. However, not all jobs go as planned, and the first mission in the book ends with the wrong kind of currency, which happens to be edible. As the Guardians are still getting to know each other, they begin to question Star-Lord's leadership and his many mistakes. But, he has a plan to make money quickly and to make up for his previous errors.

The new job that Star-Lord takes on involves an old acquaintance from his involvement in the Mercury-Earth war. The book alternates between the present predicament of removing a possible war villain from an old base and the time when Star-Lord was actively in the war, reflecting on his time as a soldier. There are also flashback moments in which the reader sees his time with Yondu and the Ravagers.

The alternating timelines in the book are creative and reflect the structure of the game, which also goes back and forth between Star-Lord's past and present. The relationship between the Guardians is full of wit and humor, but there are also moments of anger. The narrator does a decent job portraying the characters and giving them a voice. This audiobook is perfect for fans of Guardians of the Galaxy, whether they are fans of the comics, movies, or the game, but especially for fans of the game. It is a quick, fun, and quirky listen, and I highly recommend it.

Note: I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of reviewing with the lowest amount of bias.

The characters match their game counterparts, but the book is paced out in a way that prevented me from getting a firm grasp on what was happening and why I was supposed to be emotionally invested in it. The time keeps hopping back and forth but with the same characters, so it is difficult to keep track of what situation the heroes were in at any given time.

I listened to the audiobook version: I did not like the narrator though. His Gamora voice and his Kor-El voice hardly sounded any different and his switching between character voices wasn't very smooth.

I somehow missed the “official prequel to the blockbuster video game” on the cover of this. As I haven’t played the game, I think I am missing key details that would make me care more about the events within the book. Additionally, I haven’t seen the Guardians of the Galaxy and related Marvel movies (just the trailers) — which means I’m missing a LOT of key details and most importantly, the characters’ canon personalities and interactions. I requested this solely because I have loved everything MK England has written and I assumed I would love this as well, despite not being familiar with the franchise. I have read other books and fanfictions of franchises I am unfamiliar with and loved them in the past. However this… missed the mark for me.

I liked the plot all right, but I didn’t really care about any of the characters. Additionally, it was confusing with the way it was structured. It is divided into sections that alternate between the present and the past, 12 years earlier. I listened to the audio, which made it very difficult to flip back and check whether I was in the present or the past. I think the confusion stemmed mostly mostly from the fact that both feature Peter getting into scrapes, fighting for his life, etc but with a different set of crewmates each time. The characters weren’t distinct enough for me to easily tell which scenario I was in sometimes, especially with similar battle scenes and running from the enemy scenes in each. Also they were all — especially Peter AKA Star Lord — a little annoying. He was very much a bumbling fool who is eternally optimistic and somehow always comes out on top while everything and everyone around him falls to pieces and I’m not really a fan of that character type.

I was into it, but not really, I guess? Like I cared enough to keep listening, but not enough to choose to listen over doing/reading other things. I actually listened to half of this and then put it down for eight months and by the time I decided to give it a second chance, I’d forgotten enough details that I had to start over from the beginning. This should have made it easier to tell whether I was in the present or past in any given scene, but they still blurred together for me. I realized eventually that I was having trouble distinguishing between Gamora (present) and Ko-Rel (past) in their interactions with Peter. At 80% in I can’t really tell you the point of it all. Things keep happening but they don’t make any impact on me. I’m in the midst of the plot twist / confrontation with the enemy and I think I’m going to put it down again because I have other things to read that will hopefully hold my attention more.

I think this would go over well with fans of the movies and games franchises as well as those who like an emphasis on space action/battle scenes and not so much character development.

The narrator was fairly good and did a decent job giving the characters different voices (except for some of his female voices which were difficult to tell apart, possibly contributing to my confusion.) I found his voice a bit on the annoying side, though I don’t know how much of it was his voice and how much of it was his voicing of Peter as the POV character (who I also found annoying). He also tended toward the dramatic, but that’s understandable given the amount of battles and narrow escapes and arguments between the (very dysfunctional) characters.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media (Marvel) for providing an audio arc for review.

I will read anything and everything MK England ever writes, because they are one of the GREATEST authors of all time!!! This one wasn't my favorite (mostly because I still haven't actually sat down to watch the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and didn't understand everything that was going on oops), but I still love it because FOUND FAMILY + EXPLOSIONS = MK England and I love that! Thank you so much to NetGalley and Recorded Books for letting me listen to a copy of this early!

This was a really interesting fun read, well listen. I wasn't sure how much Gusrdians of the Galaxy history I would need to know to understand or enjoy this book but the author did a fantastic job with flash backs, different time spans, and giving enough information that Eben if you haven't seen the movies you could still really enjoy this story.
The story itself was something I could see playing out in my mind which is a true compliment to both the author and the Narrator. I truly enjoyed this audiobook and will be listening to more in the future.
I can not say enough how wonderful this Narrator was, he felt like a character more than just a voice reading the dialog, amazing job there.
If I could give this one 4.5 stars I would.

A really fun audiobook to listen to with all the voices the narrator does of all the characters of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. It was a really intriguing story and I didn't mind the constant back and forth of the timeline. It could be a bit hard to follow at times, since it was in audio and if you missed the title of the chapter you could end up not understanding what was going on. But it was fine and I enjoyed it, both story and the way it was written. I've always love M.K. England way of writing captivating sci-fi!

I missed my chance to download and listen to this audiobook. It has a very quick date before it disappeared. I would have liked to listen to it.

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: No Guts, No Glory

3.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book acts as a prequel for the video game with the same name. The author did clarify on goodreads that this book is not set in the MCU or 616 continuity, but is in its own unique continuity. AKA we are in a different dimension of the multiverse where Starlord is still listening to cassette tapes and ends up with the same crew, but all have a slightly different backstory. Mainly, Starlord was kidnapped by Chitauri during a war, Drax allegedly has already killed Thanos, and Gamorra joined the resistance and fought against the Chitauri after leaving Thanos.

This book takes place in "present day" 12 years after the war with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and in the "past" during the war with Starlord joining up with the Navy, led by Ko-rel, to hold a base in Mercury. The past timeline was definitely what made this book. I loved Ko-rel and found her loss, processing of emotions while actively on combat, and resilience to be both enduring and realistic. I was very invested in her. The actual Guardiabs of the Galaxy in the present were fine, but the plot just wasn't exciting. You get the witty banter and disfunction you know and love. Drax is asking what different words mean and makes fun of Starlord, Rocket is feisty and most definitely not a racoon, Groot is sweet and enduring, Gamora is a badass but still atoning for her past sins, and Starlord is a lovable idealist and complete train wreck sometimes.

I do appreciate the author putting content warnings on their website and encourage others to check them out. I personally found the sections on losing a child to be haunting and much darker than I expected from a Guardians of the Galaxy book.

I did enjoy the narrator. All the voices were distinct and I especially liked Rocket and Groot.

Overall, it's a fun book but lacks depth in the present day plotline.

I received an advanced audio copy of Guardians of the Galaxy: No Guts, No Glory through Netgalley so I could share my review with you!

Guardians of the Galaxy: No Guts, No Glory is the official prequel for the Guardians of the Galaxy video game, but playing the game is by no means a requirement to enjoy the story! I personally have not played the game yet, but this book made me want to!

The Guardians of the Galaxy are Heroes for Hire. Or, they would be, if they could actually get someone to hire them. After their last job failed to payout, The Guardians are getting desperate for work. So, when they’re offered a seemingly simple job removing a squatter from an old Resistance base, they jump at the chance to make some quick cash. But this mission has ties to each of The Guardian’s pasts that will have consequences greater than they could’ve imagined.

You can get your copy of Guardians of the Galaxy: No Guts, No Glory from your favorite audiobook retailer!

M.K. England is one of my favorite sci-fi authors around, so when they announced that they would be writing this Guardians of the Galaxy novel, I honestly freaked out. I was right to be excited because this book was an outstanding tribute to my favorite Guardians. England wrote the Guardians perfectly, embodying their humor and wit on every page. I tore through this book in record time, because I just couldn’t stop reading! M.K. England and The Guardians of the Galaxy are a match made in heaven!

The narration on this audiobook was spot-on! I cannot believe how wonderfully Austin Rising captured the incredibly distinct character voices. With a franchise like Guardians of the Galaxy, the bar was set high for both the storytelling and the narration quality, and this audiobook nailed it on both counts! Listening to this book felt like watching one of my favorite Marvel movies over again for the first time!

My Recommendation-
Whether or not you have played the Guardians of the Galaxy video game I would strongly recommend reading this prequel novel. Perfect for fans of high-stakes sci-fi packed with humor, I would recommend this book for fans of The Guardians in any media!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this advance listener copy.

Description from NetGalley:
Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax the Destroyer, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot. They’re the Guardians of the Galaxy, turning a tidy profit as heroes for hire—or they will be if Peter Quill can get his act together. After he botches the most critical part of their latest mission—getting paid—his newly assembled crew is close to ditching him for good. Now he needs a big payday, fast.
When an old acquaintance shows up offering a whole lot of units for a field trip to Peter’s past, it’s a no-brainer. Thirteen years ago, Peter fought the Chitauri alongside the Resistance on Mercury to prevent an invasion of Earth. Now it’s time to go back. The old Resistance base has a squatter, and it’s up to the Guardians to “gently escort” them off the premises… and unmask a wartime traitor while they’re at it.
But war is heavy, man, and the Galactic War screwed up each of the Guardians in their own special ways. The brand-new team is barely hanging together, and the mission brings up all kinds of bad memories. It’s make or break time for the Guardians, and they do so love breaking things…
Just hopefully not each other.
I LOVE Marvel. I LOVE the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. So I was super excited to see there was an audiobook for this book. I have the game that this is a prequel to but have yet to play it. After listening to the book, I put in the “to play next” spot.
The narrator, Austin Rising, does a great job doing different voices that sound authentic to the characters. He also does a good job with what M. K. England has constructed for this similar to the movies but definitely a different world. England is drawing more from the comics, but the book doesn’t leave a reader like me, who has not read those particular comics yet, behind. The story is fast paced in both of the timelines going on. I was definitely invested in both; however, I found myself favoring one timeline over the other. Because of the dual timelines this is definitely more of a Star Lord story as opposed to a book about the Guardians as a whole in my opinion.
Overall: 3.5/5

Thank you to NetGalley, Marvel, M.K. England, and Austin Rising (narrator) for the opportunity to read and listen to the audiobook of Guardians of the Galaxy: No Guts, No Glory in exchange for an honest review.

This book takes place before the events of the new Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy video game and ends right where the game begins. You do not have to play the game to enjoy this book, though it really adds a lot of depth to the characters and the reader may notice a few Easter Eggs woven in if they have played the game. The same could be said vice versa: those who read the book first and find themselves interested in playing the game will notice some references within the story. Oh that Chewbacca toy... The audiobook is short and fun to listen to, but not exactly simple. It keeps the heightened essence of the world these characters live in as well as the world-based lingo and jargon that those unfamiliar might have a hard time following along with.

In this novel, the Guardians are more newly established, consiting of Star-Lord, Drax, Gamora, Rocket, and Groot. As heroes for hire, they always seek new jobs to help turn a profit. Of course, not all jobs go right, and the very first mission of the book ends with the wrong kind of currancy, a more edible than monetary one... As the Guardians are still getting a baring for each other, they start to want to leave Star-Lord behind for the many mistakes he seems to keep making, but of course he has a plan to make money fast (and to make up for the previous mishap[s]).

The new job that star-Lord takes on for the crew involves an old aquaintance from his previous involvement in the Mercury-Earth war (not official title). The book goes between the present predicament of removing a possible war villain out of an old base to the time when Star-Lord was actively in the war, reflecting on his time as a soldier. There are also a number of flashback moments in which the reader sees his time with Yondu and the Ravagers as well.

The alternating time-lines to tell events is creative and reflects the same way the game goes back and forth with Star-Lord's past and the present. The relationship between the Guardian's is full of wit and humor, though of course at times there are true moments of anger mixed in as well. The narrator does a decent job portraying the characters and giving them a voice. This is a fun listen perfect for fans of Guardians of the Galaxy, whether it be the comics, movies, or the game (but especially the game). A great listen: quick, fun, and quirky. Highly recommend.

No Guts, No Glory is an interesting story. It goes back and forth between Peter's time in a war and when he first gets the Guardians together. It was entertaining, but I wasn't particularly emotionally invested. The audiobook was done well. It's a good listen if you're looking for a nice adventure story.

Literally just finished reading Guardians of the Galaxy: No Guts, No Glory by M.K. England and I needed to run here and shout about it. Nate’s been playing the new GoTG video game so I was stoked to get an ARC of the audiobook since it’s a prequel to the game. This book was so much fun, and sets up the video game perfectly. If you’re a fan of Guardians in the MCU, you can think of this as an alternate universe story. But it still has all the quippy dialogue and familiar characters.

One of the things I really like about the book and video game is that it doesn’t shy away from heavy topics. It makes me even more invested in the characters and is a nice balance to the jokes and silly parts.

Thank you Marvel and Dreamscape Media for the ARC. I definitely recommend any Marvel fan picking up a copy of the audiobook, which has an incredible narrator btw, or a print copy of that’s more your jam.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchanged for an honest review. I found it to be a fun, fast paced adventure.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an audio copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

First let me start by saying I have not read any comics about the Guardian of the Galaxy, I have however read two other graphic novels. The novels were character based; one was Groot and one on Rocket. I have seen and love both the movies. I later realized this book is a prequel to a video game, which I also have not played.

I found this book goes well with the movies, but I think if you never saw them it would still be enjoyable. Having the movies as a reference or starting point it's like coming home. You already know the characters, the quirky relationships and characters flaws. It is easy to picture the interactions of characters, the environment and adventures they find themselves in. This book however did have a bit of different back stories for some of the Guardians that differ from the movies.

The story is told in two different timelines. One is present day with Peter and the Guardians. The other timeline is twelve years previously where Peter is helping the Resistance. Usually I am not a fan of switching timelines and they can often be confusing, but this one was done really well. Especially when it came to the audio part they made it clear which timeline you were in. Austin Rising the narrator did a great job. He brought each unique character to life. I would definitely listen to another book by him.

Overall I would recommend this book highly for any one who loves Marvel, or the Guardians of the Galaxy. The only thing missing was a kick butt soundtrack to go along with it.

I really enjoyed this book! No Guts, No Glory gave me everything a misfit superhero gang space adventure could ever have! The action scenes were clean and easy to follow; the humor was witty and very on brand for all the characters; and it ties really well into the video game. I've only reached chapter 2 or 3 of the game, but the easter eggs I recognized were great! Equally, the narrator Austin Rising did a fantastic job. His narration was engaging and nuanced appropriately when switching points of view (I particularly enjoyed Rocket). I had a fun time with this read! My thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for the copy, and my thanks to M.K. England and Austin Rising for the experience!

Guardians of the Galaxy: No Guts, No Glory is the prequel novel to the recently released video game. Going in the first thing you should know is that while similar these aren’t exactly the same Guardians of the Galaxy as those you many know from the movies. Same characters but they have different backstories than the MCU Guardians. That being said, the fun chemistry between the characters witnessed in the movies is alive and well here.

After completing a poorly negotiated mission that ends with a less than impressive payday, the Guardians are desperate for an actual paying job and reluctantly agree to take on a mission that will take Peter on a trip down memory lane. The story takes place on a base on Mercury, jumping back and forth between present day and 12 years earlier when Peter was helping Ko-Rel (a member of the Nova Corps) defend the base during a war with the Chitauri.

While the constant jumping back and forth in time has never been my favorite story telling device, it works fairly well here. As a fan of both the movies and the comics, I liked that the book includes some characters not seen in the movies. There is even a tiny cameo by Richard Rider aka Nova (who I hope will get introduced into the MCU soon) though sadly we don’t get to see him in action. Both storylines are compelling, with the past storyline being more serious and giving us a in-depth look into Peter’s characters, while the present day story shows us the witty and carefree Guardians we know and love.

Austin Rising does a solid job bringing the entire team to life but he really shines with his rendition of Rocket. I’d like to thank Marvel and NetGalley for the chance to listen to an advanced copy of the Guardians of the Galaxy No Guts, No Glory audiobook. And now that I’ve finished it I’ll be jumping into the video game!

https://www.amazon.com/review/R38FR8GJW92AH7/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This audiobook is well read and very entertaining. The narrator did a fantastic job reading this book. I felt as if I was with the characters in this book. This is a action packed audiobook, it is fantastic for everyone. This audiobook is in stores for $29.99 (USD).

It took me longer than I wanted to finish this book.
I liked the story, the characters and the interaction between the characters.
Unfortunately, the narrator didn’t land with me very well. There was just something about his tone and lack of skill with voices that I didn’t care for.
Not that it was completely bad. He did do some characters nicely, but overall, I think it would have been a better listening experience with a different narrator.