Basic Information
Galactic Outlaws is the second volume in the Galaxy's Edge military sci-fi series, written by Nick Cole and Jason Anspach. Like its predecessor, title Legionnaire, this novel comes in at about 90k words in length or just under 10 hours in length for the audiobook version.
Structure and Story
Galactic Outlaws falls into the military sci-fi genre, despite the changes made to its storytelling compared to book 1 of the Galaxy's Edge series. Unlike its forerunner, the novel mainly follows three the main POV characters. Although there are also a couple scenes presented from the perspective a handful of smaller side characters. The prose too has received a significant change switching from a predominantly first person, present tense style of narration to one in the past tense and the third person.
These changes continue on into the story itself. 7 years have past have passed since the events of Legionnaire and Victory company is no more. Instead we follow the exploits of two bounty-hunters, Captain Keel and Tyrus Rechs, as their usual hit jobs turn into the hunt for a mysterious figure bent on galactic revolution.
Sub-genre Breakdown
In terms of sub-genre, the book has a significant action focus due to its military sci-fi genre. This mostly takes the form of combat engagements between smaller groups of combatants in contrast to the larger form combat of Legionnaire. In some respect these segments have a distinct western feel despite the use of pulse-rifles and slug-throwers. Second in terms of prevalence is a combination of drama and comedy, mostly tied to Captain Keel as he smart-asses his way passed blood-thirsty pirates and high-classed contacts while pursuing his targets.
In the supporting role you'll also find psychological elements dealing with Rechs's fragmented mind, world-building which mostly focuses on setting up the mysterious antagonist for the rest of the series and lastly a few philosophical segments near the very end of the novel itself.
Ratings and Conclusions
I actually ended up enjoying Galactic Outlaws more that Legionnaire, despite from its departure from the typical military sci-fi storyline. Sure, the the beginning of the novel was a bit hard to get into due to the change of cast of characters. But once I got over that initial hurdle I found the story and characters better developed and more fun to read than in Legionnaire. So if you're interested in the military sci-fi genre I think you won't go wrong by picking up Galactic Outlaws. And if you're not interested in the wider series, you could even read it as a sort of standalone space bounty-hunting novel.
Interested in Galactic Outlaws? Get it here:
Have any questions about this book, series or ? Drop me a comment under my YouTube video of this review, and I'll do my best to answer it! Also, if you liked this review, consider sharing it with your book-loving friends or check out some of the other books I've covered!
