Great action Sci-Fi

This has been a great series that I found it difficult to put down at times. The story was full of twists, lies, sex and action all put together with a nice dollop of dry humor. The narrator does a great job of bringing the characters alive with distinctive voices.

I believe that this is a two book series but I plan to look up other books from the author.

Please note that I was provided with a free copy of this audiobook to provide a non-biased review

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Great Story

Filled with action, the plot was fun to follow. I literally had to stop the audio so I can catch up breathing from laughing at one point. I can't wait for the next one.

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A good follow-up with a fast-paced story.

Over all, I really enjoyed this story. The characters are fun and the banter had me chuckling a couple of times. There were some definite good twists and turns in the story, Though occasionally the main character seems a bit slow for someone who's 10 times as smart as normal humans. That's part of his charm I suppose.

The narrator did a better job of not having loud inhales between every sentence as in the first book, though there were a few places where edits obviously not been taken out, a couple duplicate lines things like that. But the voices, except Clarice which started to grate after a while, we're well done and well-read.

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Definitely Check This One Out

This is my eighth book by CT Phipps and there hasn't been a single one that I haven't liked yet.  Even some of the ones that aren't in my "normal" genres.  Lucifer's Nebula is the second book in the Lucifer's Star series by Phipps and Michael Suttkus and it was a blast to listen to.  Which, ironically is exactly what I said about the first book.

I went back and read my review of the first book and now I have to try really hard not to write the exact same thing.  I felt the same way about this book but it wasn't as much of a whodunit and more of a pure science fiction book.  It has alien races, alien god-like races, cognition AI's, deceit, double-crossing, cloning (legal and illegal), family issues, and so much more.  I've noticed that in these books I think I'm going to get one or two stories and arcs but Phipps and Suttkus always throw 10-15 at me.

I think my favorite parts of this book were just the attitude that Cassius had throughout it.  He grew, a lot, as a character and he both hated and loved himself for it.  His journies - both internal and actual physical ones were both extremely interesting to follow.  I felt like I was getting a deep psychological look into his brain as he was going through these things - without it feeling like too much.

Near the end of this book, I found myself needing to focus a lot since they were jumping all over the place.  I believe this was done on purpose and it caused some disconnect for me (not in a bad way) but just a "what in the heck is going on" way.  I think we were supposed to feel the same confusion and disorientation that Cassius felt.

Combine the excellent writing with the narration by Eric Burns who just brings their words to life - you have a winner in Lucifer's Nebula.  A blast of a book from beginning to end.  You should definitely check this one out. I requested a free copy of this book - it has not affected my review in any way.

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Entertaining story

I like the science fiction stories written by C.T. Phipps. He has a certain style that give his characters a flawed personality which makes them more entertaining. The characters in this book are very entertaining as is the story. Well worth the listen.

"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

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Lucifer's Nebula: Lucifer's Star, Book 2

I thought I was going to be tired of Eric Burns' performance as the main character. I was wrong. I still want to hear it!
Great story! Great narration!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

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3 people found this helpful

Fun twisted conspiracies, relationships &awareness

*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Eric returns to voice Cassius. He has a husky voice that feels to fit Cassius. He gets to play with accents too. A few characters have accents based on where they are from in the universe. We get slightly different tones to differentiate female and male characters, along with personality to go with emotions and who the people are. I'm impressed with how Eric voices Cassius and Cassius the Elder. They sound different in personality and voice. Totally cool.

The first chapter starts us off with a space fight in fighters, setting the feel of the book for Cassius and crew on the Melampus. We meet those under him on the ship and the relationships he has with each. We get a feel for those relationships as they characters interact as well.

All of the interact shows how the crew has fallen into a "normal" for them. Love and hate all in one place and it works together. This highlights the crew as a whole and makes the journey more fun.

Cassius has turned into a good guy. Well, he does take jobs that aren't on the up-and-up, but he tries to take care of his people and crew. That makes him a good guy, right? He'll make the deals that he wouldn't normally make to keep his crew safe, even if it could be danger for later.

I found I was surprised that we spend a good half of the book on the ship with Cassius and his crew. It didn't feel like that much of the book! There is a whole lot of crazy in their lives and how they are all tied together! There were whole twisted conspiracies, love, and realizations along with fights that happen. A whole space opera that kept me interested. Their lives are affected by what they do or don't do, creating choices that will help or hurt one or all of them and how they will protect each other. Or not as there is that option too.

Wow. There is a lot of crossing and twisting to the plans. I kept wondering which story will pan out to be the truth, and had to keep going to find out! People say one thing, have another thing in mind. Then someone else is doing something different, either for or against the plans of another. People saying one thing to get someone to react a way to get something else to happen. What's the truth? What's the true outcome desire? There could be many, depending on who you talk to. But, there is one ultimate goal by one selfish driven individual. Just sniff out what he truly wants. Wow. This is one adventure to follow closely.

It's always a pleasure to spend time with Cassius and his crew. They have great relationships that make you smile as they don't hold back when talking. It's all out in the space around them. lol. Then there's the trouble they get into. Fun action story.

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Great follow up, even better than the first one!

Lucifer's Nebula follows the continuing story of Cassius Mass as he attempts to live out his life in relative obscurity aboard his essentially stolen starship, the Melampus. However, that wouldn’t have made a very good story, so instead, poor Cassius is written back into the spotlight and tossed into a web of intrigue, politics, and plots to destroy all of humanity. Want to know more? Then read it!

Lucifer's Nebula started out with (and kept) a much faster pace than Lucifer's Star. I suppose that’s the benefit of a second book, as it can skip over the majority of the world-building and character introductions. But it’s not all action -- we do get to know each one of the Melampus crew a bit better and I really felt like a lot of secondary characters from Lucifer's Star got fleshed out a bit more in Lucifer's Nebula. All in all, I really enjoyed Lucifer's Nebula more than the first book and I think it was a combination of the aforementioned pacing, character development, and the lighter tone of the second book. Lucifer's Nebula has a surprising amount of humor for a book that’s basically about fallen empires, orphaned scions, and mass genocide on a stellar scale.

Eric Burns does a great job narrating Lucifer's Nebula, I loved almost all the character voices, the performances, and how the personality of each character really comes through in the narration. My only complaint is that Burns does some voices for some of the female characters that are somewhat off-putting, but opposite gender voices tend to be a challenge for a lot of narrators, so I can’t really hold it against him. I certainly couldn’t do a better job.

Special thanks to C.T. Phipps, who provided me with this book at my request.

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Excellent second installment! Phipps does it again!

Great story, continuing from where Lucifer’s Star left off. Enjoyed the characters and the action. Feels a bit like “The Expanse” meets “Collapsing Empire”. Fun and engaging plot. The audiobook performer does a very good job differentiating voices and personalities. Even between clones / doppelgängers.

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Dark Space Opera at its finest!

When I read a book I really enjoy, I often have reservations going into the second book. Will it be a letdown? Will it take the characters in directions I won't like? Will the plot just be filler trying to get to the next book in the series? Well, I am happy to say, Lucifer's Nebula, the followup to the wildly inventive dark space opera Lucifer's Star more than lived up to my expectations. Not only did they write a compelling plot, but the directions taken with the characters not only fit, but expanded on who they were, as well as creating opportunities in future books to flesh them out even more.

The story starts with the crew of the space freighter Melampus, captained by the former Arch Duchy of Crius Count Cassius Mass, on a job transferring weapons for some shady characters. Unfortunately, said shady characters, being shady, are more than willing to screw them over and try to kill them. In the middle of the double-cross, another shady group interrupts, and a fire fight ensues, allowing Cassius and his medical officer/lover Isla, to escape. Upon escaping, they are contacted by Ida Claire, the former captain of the Melampus, who also happens to be the leader of The Commonwealth's spy agency, The Watchers. She has a job for Cassius and crew that will wipe the slate clean for them, as well as pay big: bring the reconstituted Arch Duchy of Crius, now known as The Free Systems Alliance, leadership, who have been kicking the Commonwealth's tail, the terms of surrender for the Commonwealth!

This is where things really take off, as Cassius and crew determine to follow this mission, even though they suspect it will be a trap. They also have the secret of Judith, the Cognition AI who happens to be modeled on Cassius's wife to protect, which would have them made outlaw anywhere in the universe. In the course of fulfilling the mission, Cassius and crew face betrayal on all sides, Including from people they had every reason to trust. They also have a family reunion for Cassius, including with a member of his family he thought long dead! This sends things spiraling in a wild direction, as they discover that The Free Systems Alliance is not at all what it appears.

There is a much bigger conspiracy behind it all, with elder races who have passed beyond mortality, the Community of aliens who hover on humanities borders, and an ancient Evil locked away in Lucifer's Nebula all pulling strings behind the scenes for their own various schemes to come to fruition. Humanity, unfortunately, may be the ones to pay the price! Cassius and his friends and new allies must figure out which side to back, all while avoiding the betrayal mentioned before, from someone you just don't expect. At the very end, Cassius and crew are forced to decide if running away is worth the price of the potential destruction of humanity itself, even if that humanity has betrayed them time and again.

Since I have started reading their books, I have been a huge fan of how Charles and Michael have been able to create such relatable, exciting characters. They flesh them out so well, even the side characters. The motivations for their actions, even in a distant, sci-fi future, are realistic, never forced. Being willing to fight for friends and crew, no matter the odds, is a trait that any reader should be able to admire. The characters have flaws, and make mistakes, making them even more relatable, but they still try to do the right thing. Well, right enough.

The plot is fast moving, smoothly transitioning from one action packed scene to the next, while allowing character interaction and growth. There is humor sprinkled throughout, with a lot of pop culture references, which is a hallmark of their writing. The settings, whether on the ship, or in the various planetary settings, are well drawn out. You can feel like you're right there in the scene, in the middle of the action, especially in the scenes in the Nebula. You never get the feeling this is a retread of some other sci-fi property.

Narration, like the first book, is handled by the talented Eric Burns. He has a real knack for bringing each character to a life of their own, and you are never confused about which character is which. His narrative pacing is excellent, never dropping into a monotone, keeping the listeners engaged in the story. Overall, an excellent narration job.

Overall, I feel this is a great addition to the series. The writers took what worked in the first book, and really ran with the ideas, expanding on the themes, adding new characters, and exploring new ideas to round out the story. I can heartily recommend this story to anyone who likes strong character driven sci-fi.

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