It's possible there is a good story buried in this book, but I could not keep from being distracted by the incredibly high number of times the author used "say/says." There are so many other words to use - or can just omit in general. This is such a small thing but with a big impact that could have been resolved in the editing stage.

It's a 288 page book and I searched "says" results: 737...Thats an average 2.559 times a page. I went to a random book on my Kindle that is 352 pages and searched: 82 results.

I enjoyed this book and the main character had depth and written in fun prose. The story was fast-paced and had me turning pages quickly. It was a well crafted tale, original, and twists that weren't unpredictable, but fit the overall plot.

My god, what a place Author Ashton's head is. A ruthless, greedy giant snail, a human diplomat of murky ethics, a race of only vaguely comprehensible planetary natives so protocol-obsessed that it can be lethal to say "hello" in the <U>wrong way</U>...who also just so happen to have murderously invaded Earth in Dalton's lifetime. Oh, and Dalton's kinda coerced as a condition of not being killed to become the consort of their ruler. The fourth consort...and let's not get into why he's <i>fourth</i>.

Dalton's a Swiss-Army knife of a guy. He studied engineering...most practical people in the world, engineers...he was a soldier/POW in the invasion, a tech bro, and now works for a Galaxy-wide org that needs him as a first-contact specialist. You can see how this trajectory launched. Now that he's out doing the stuff he was hired by the Unity for, it's kind of a rude awakening. It always is when your principles and your training all get engaged with the messy, disorganzed systemless world. (That engineering background becoming even more valuable in these circs.)

What happens when the Great Awakening comes? When you are forced by events to re-evaluate everything that underpins your view of the world? You question yourself first, but assuming you're pretty well-educated, that answers only a fraction of your new questions. Permaybehaps you're not on the side of Right and Reason after all?

Poor Dalton's doing this questioning among people who will eat his flesh...his spirit's probably not very nourishing just at that moment locked as it is in crisis. His situation is rife with possibilities for own goals, and unsurprisingly there are a few. The thrust of the story, though, is the act of questioning the reality of your assumptions in the face of countervailing evidence. Dalton, using copious amounts of sarcasm and not a little facetiousness, has the courage to do this. It helps him, and us, that he's worked his whole adulthood troubleshooting systems. Better training for analysis I can't conjure.

The role of honor and duty is large in the story. Largely, it must be said, in its absence when most required. Dalton's got trouble on every side because of this absence among those meant to have his back. It resembles our own hypercapitalist world in this way. Dalton's troubles, I will say, are external; the struggling he does is, too, so I never felt I was with him in his sea of woe. I'm an observer of the results, not a participant in the process.

This is not a knock. The fact is I'm not here for that story, I'm here for a fun action-romp that takes me over some very interesting terrain. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Dalton navigate the choppy waters of Reality in a skiff formed of principles (his) and held together by pressures (the Unity's). The story does this job very well indeed, though with rather less characterization of side characters than I prefer (hence a missing half-star) Getting us through this plot, however, militated against the time needed being spent that way. That said, I was aware of wanting to spend more time with the second and third consorts and less with his fellow Unity operative. The other missing half-star comes from Dalton's attitude of..."kindness and acceptance" sounds better than "craven lickspittle sycophancy" doesn't it...for a character who does NOT deserve it. I get why Author Ashton made that choice but I do not agree with it to the point of getting frothingly furious at the way it plays out. I shouted at my Kindle from 97% on.

On balance, which I confess I lost along the way, I was amused and entertained by our hypercapitalist snail (as a former veggie gardener I'm here to tell you a better metaphor for the kind of greedy shit who runs an economy solely for personal gain there has never been), by the second and third consorts, and the rest of the cast...telling that I can't remember their names, eh what? (Wait, "Breaker" was one, I think.)

I devoutly hope Author Ashton's name is familiar to you by now from the film of his book <i>Mickey7</i> (link to my review of it above). I thought that story was terrific. I think this story is, too, with minor reservations that do not vitiate the pleasures I found in the read.

I rather enjoyed this story. It's a quick read, but the characters are interesting and I feel like you're given just enough world-building without overburdening the reader. I've never read anything by Edward Ashton before, but I'm interested in checking out his other works if they're just as deadpan humorous as The Fourth Consort.

This book was an absolute blast: witty, fun, and lighter than a zero-gravity tea party. I went in expecting Dalton, our protagonist, to be your typical brooding, traumatized soldier with a death wish, but surprise! Turns out he’s a big ol’ softie with a killer sense of humor. (Who knew trauma could be so hilarious? Well, comedians, probably. And now Dalton.)

Then there’s Neera. Oh, Neera. I have mixed feelings about her. Sure, she’s selfish, but she’s also got a soft spot for Dalton, which makes her... complicated. (Or maybe just human. Or alien. You get the idea.)

The world-building? Perfectly balanced. Enough futuristic tech and planetary lore to feel immersive, but never so much that my brain short-circuited. Soft sci-fi indeed, and I mean that as the highest compliment.

Now, the ending. Whew. I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say I was expecting a supernova and got... well, a very different kind of bang. My reaction? A mix of stunned silence, laughter, and utter confusion. I just stared at the page for a few minutes like that meme of John Travolta in Pulp Fiction. And yet? It worked. The wrap-up was satisfying, especially Dalton and Breaker’s... I want to say friendship. It was an interesting dynamic he was like that brutally honest friend that is there but doesn't know how to comfort you.

Bottom line: This book is a fantastic slump-buster or intro to sci-fi for newbies. It’s smart, funny, and just the right amount of weird. And that last page? Oh, you tease. Now I’m left wondering if there’s more—because I’d happily sign up for another round. 4.5/5 stars, would consort again.

This book description intrigued me, and I'm really glad I read it. The dark comedy, the weird live triangle, and of course the awesome sci fi story make it well worth the read.
It was a bit convoluted in parts, but enjoyable overall.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

Dalton Greaves, ex-soldier and current ambassador for a confederation of species called Unity, finds himself in a bit of a pickle. While attempting to convince a species of insect-like creatures called Minarchs to join Unity, he becomes entangled in dangerous political machinations with not only the Minarchs but also with the nemesis of Unity, a rival confederation called the Assembly.

I really enjoyed the action and fast-paced narrative. While the book was quite short and left much of the backstory unexplained, Dalton is a relatable character stuck on an unfamiliar world, struggling to balance his own (vaguely conceived) honor and morality with that of another human’s and two other entire species’. Humorous and a good, light read; this feels like The Murderbot Diaries, where there could be more stories to come.

3.5/5

I have read, and enjoyed several books by Edward Ashton, so I was excited to be granted access to this early. It had a lot of things I love about an Ashton read- aliens, humor, fast-paced action, and political intrigue. However, this one did not feel as strong as his other books.

Still a fun read though for fans of Ashton.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me for my review.

Ashton does a great job with his far from perfect protagonists, and envisioning how very different aliens might be from humanity. He even managed to surprise me with the ending, even though he'd given a fair number of clues leading up to it. I very much look forward to what he brings us next.

I made it 17% of the way through before DNFing. I think this was a me problem, as the characters and plot were interesting. I’m just not a big sci-fi fan. For fans of Project Hail Mary.

Displaying Ashton’s signature humor, The Fourth Consort takes place in outer space in a sci-fi light comedy. A short and quick read. Enjoyable but I did wish for a little more substance.

Edward Ashton has quite an imagination. He has the ability to build what can seem like far-fetched worlds with borderline fantastical creatures. But, somehow he does it so masterfully the stories become feasible and I can't stop reading them. This is an example of that.

Though in a different direction than the Mickey7 series, this story touches on similar themes. To those open to an abstract but feasible story line, with a well crafted world and storyline, I highly recommend. If the beginning doesn't grab you immediately, keep reading, the book will grab you eventually!

While I enjoyed the book, it didn't excite me as much as I thought it would! But it brought some humour that I wasn't expecting and definitely enjoyed. Overall I thought the story was great and well written and was enjoyable.

Thank you to SMP and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

The Fourth Consort was so compelling, emotional, and interesting. It was sci-fi that kept me on the edge of my seat with the right balance of humor. Overall, an enjoyable read that I would recommend to any sci-fi readers out there.

Dear Author,

I laughed, I laugh cried, but I did not cry. Your book was one of the funniest books I've read this year. What a fun ride from beginning to end. I'm looking forward to picking up Mickey 7!

Thank you,

J.D.McCoughtry

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-ARC.

Dalton Greaves is working for Unity, a group working to bring sentient life across multiple planets into a single confederation. But the work Unity is promised is not at all what Dalton is expecting and he ends up trapped on a planet with his co-worker, an alien from the rival confederation, and a city full of potentially hostile locals. Dalton has to manage the wants of the local queen and balance the desires of the two confederations in laying claim to the world. Only everyone, for different reasons, thinks it might be easier if Dalton is out of the way.

Edward Ashton has delivered another funny, unique science fiction story in The Fourth Consort. The book is lightening fast and quickly builds out its world before throwing everything off with new twists and turns. Dalton reminded me a lot of Mickey and the motley group of characters reminded me a lot of the crew in Mal Goes to War (along with all of the translator AI issues throughout), so this book really brings out the best of Ashton's prior works. The final climactic fight made me laugh harder than any book recently. This book will please anyone who has enjoyed Ashton's prior stuff and anyone looking for some easy to read light science fiction. The audiobook also has a lot of fun with the voices of the different species and how it relates to the translator used by Dalton.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a copy of the Fourth Consort in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book sounded so interesting - I couldn't wait to read it. I'm not sure what happened - but it just wasn't for me. After I figured out what was happening, it could not hold my interest. There were parts I liked - I enjoyed the humor and I liked the technology of the translator. I understood the broader idea of not being tied to your "kind" to find true friendship and understanding. But, I couldn't connect with the story or the characters, I wanted more action, maybe? If this wasn't an ARC I would have DNF'd it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Love me a historical fiction and or historical fantasy book and this is not exception and I always appreciate when it reads like it's all been researched and it actually plausible

I have heard so many great things about Ashton's Novel "Mickey 7" (and the movie adaptation looks great), so I was really looking forward to "The Fourth Consort". However, it just fell flat in a lot of ways.

First, I never really cared that much about or connected to any of the characters. Even with significant time spent in Dalton's flashbacks, I still generally felt pretty indifferent towards him. We didn't learn enough about any of the other characters for me to care about them, or even really understand their motivations. My favorite characters were the other two male consorts. They were funny. Honestly, I think this would have been a much better book if the events were told from their perspectives.

I would have loved to know more about the wider context that this book takes place in. There is some sort of conflict that sets off the events of the book where our characters are trapped planetside. However, we never actually learn about it other than the vague knowledge of two adversarial groups. There's a lot of assumptions and accusations thrown around about said two groups throughout the book, we never really learn what's true. I guess maybe the point is that they're the same.

I think overall there just wasn't a ton that happened in this book and it didn't deliver what it advertised. The description blurbs the book as "Part first contact story, part dark comedy, and part bizarre love triangle". I guess it's a first contact story? I wouldn't exactly call it a dark comedy, it wasn't all that dark or comedic. Love triangle? That was thrown out the window almost immediately. This was mainly a book focused on court politics that didn't have real stakes and no one really understood (especially the characters).

I enjoyed the ending (really the final page), if only because it was so out of left field that it broke up a some of the monotony of the rest of the book. I kind of wish the entire book had that energy.

2 stars

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

An enjoyable survival adventure story on another planet.

"The Fourth Consort" by Edward Ashton kept my attention, and left me wanting to read more when I finished it. This novel pretty much has what I look for in Scifi: spaceships and space travel, explosions, exploding space ships, exotic weapons, multiple aliens, a sense of mystery, and a sufficiently capable protagonist. I definitely recommend to those that like adventure scifi!

I thank the publisher and author for kindly sharing an advanced electronic review copy of this work.