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Lindsay Buroker
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Star Nomad: Fallen Empire, Book 1 Kindle Edition

by Lindsay Buroker (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 5,537 ratings
The Alliance has toppled the tyrannical empire. It should be a time for celebration, but not for fighter pilot Captain Alisa Marchenko. After barely surviving a crash in the final battle for freedom, she's stranded on a dustball of a planet, billions of miles from her young daughter. She has no money or resources, and there are no transports heading to Perun, her former home and the last imperial stronghold.

But she has a plan.

Steal a dilapidated and malfunctioning freighter from a junkyard full of lawless savages. Slightly suicidal, but she believes she can do it. Her plan, however, does not account for the elite cyborg soldier squatting in the freighter, intending to use it for his own purposes. As an imperial soldier, he has no love for Alliance pilots. In fact, he's quite fond of killing them.

Alisa has more problems than she can count, but she can't let cyborgs, savages, or ancient malfunctioning ships stand in her way. If she does, she’ll never see her daughter again.

Fans of Firefly and Star Wars should enjoy this fun, fast-paced new series from USA Today best-selling author, Lindsay Buroker.
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  1. Book 1 of 9
    Fallen Empire
  2. Print length
    229 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    26 May 2016
  6. File size
    4.4 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 9 books in this series.

In this series (9 books)

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  1. “Pessimism is an admirable quality in an engineer. Pessimistic people check their work three times, because they’re sure something won’t be right. Optimistic people check once, trust in Solis-de to keep the ship safe, then blow everyone up.” “I think you’re mistaking the word optimistic for inept.” “They’ve got a similar ring to my ear.”
    Highlighted by 104 Kindle readers
  2. “Parades are for heroes,” Alejandro said. “There are no heroes in war. Just tools being used by one organization or another.”
    Highlighted by 92 Kindle readers
  3. “I simply meant that heroes find a way to change the world for the better without killing.”
    Highlighted by 64 Kindle readers
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01FWOW72W
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 26 May 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.4 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 229 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 9 ‏ : ‎ Fallen Empire
  • Customer reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 5,537 ratings

About the author

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Lindsay Buroker

Lindsay Buroker

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Lindsay is a full-time independent fantasy and science fiction author who loves travel, hiking, tennis, and vizslas. She's written over ninety novels, appeared on the USA Today bestseller list, and has twice been nominated for a Goodreads Readers' Choice Award.

She lives in the Seattle area and is currently working on the next book.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
5,537 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy this sci-fi adventure for its lively action and great characters, particularly appreciating the believable female protagonist and character-led space opera style. The book receives positive feedback for its compelling writing, with one customer noting its realistic technical details, and customers find it a great start to the series. While customers find the book strong and entertaining, some mention it has a bit of a slow pace.

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54 customers mention ‘Plot’54 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the plot of the book, describing it as a great sci-fi adventure with lively action, and one customer notes how it sets up a wider saga.

"...me sympathetic to her mission, especially in that fabulous opening sequence in the feral scrapyard, inhabited by all sorts of nasty critters –..." Read more

"...The action then shifts fairly rapidly from place to place, though Alisa is still a long way from home when the story stops...." Read more

"...Very appealing book with a lot of humour and action. Really recommend the whole series." Read more

"...on a briskly paced, character driven space opera that sets us up for a wider saga, but is nevertheless a cracking self contained adventure in and of..." Read more

53 customers mention ‘Readability’50 positive3 negative

Customers find the book entertaining and fantastic to read.

"...Her snarky, deadpan take on the world is both funny and insightful – while being unswervingly loyal to Alisa, even though she often doesn’t agree..." Read more

"...Star Nomad is certainly entertaining and well presented, and I can recommend it on those terms...." Read more

"...Very appealing book with a lot of humour and action. Really recommend the whole series." Read more

"...also slowly unpacks the characters through this series in a really enjoyable way, so, even though this is space opera, it has a very human face to it..." Read more

39 customers mention ‘Character development’39 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, particularly noting the believable female protagonist and character-led space opera adventure, with one customer highlighting how the characters bounce off each other well.

"...Very highly recommended for those who love good quality, character-led space opera adventure with plenty of humour." Read more

"...The characters were interesting, and there are several clues that there are major political stakes at play between them, but I never felt that I got..." Read more

"...As well as the sci fi there is a touch of paranormal about some of the characters...." Read more

"...Also, the characters develop in depth as this book (and the series) go on, and I found myself engaging with them as they struggle with their..." Read more

20 customers mention ‘Pacing’18 positive2 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book compelling and readable, with one customer noting its realistic technical details.

"...read anything by Buroker before, but obviously I’ve heard of this prolific writer – and I now know why she is so popular...." Read more

"...Star Nomad is essentially a light read. It uses a lot of conventional settings and characters, but rearranges them in new and lively ways...." Read more

"...One source of pleasure is the absence of bad grammar and typos so usually found in Kindle SF...." Read more

"...The writing is clear and delivers on a briskly paced, character driven space opera that sets us up for a wider saga, but is nevertheless a cracking..." Read more

6 customers mention ‘Insight’6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful, with one review highlighting its human perspective and another noting its brilliant concept.

"...Her snarky, deadpan take on the world is both funny and insightful – while being unswervingly loyal to Alisa, even though she often doesn’t agree..." Read more

"This is a quick easy read with classic Buroker characters - a determined, capable and decent female lead, a strong, silent male who’s generally..." Read more

"...it such as the way the Cyborg Concept is developed which brings a very human perspective, the good vs evil of the Magician type characters is again..." Read more

"...I especially appreciated the author’s answers to questions after the epilogue, and see how Lindsay was able to combine her love of the old Sci Fi..." Read more

5 customers mention ‘Start’5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the start of the book, with one mentioning it's a great introduction to Lindsay Buroker's work.

"...This was a good intro to one of Lindsay's space opera series and I've already bought the next one." Read more

"A brilliant introduction to Lindsay 's new sci-fi series. Alisa is a strong character, caring despite her losses...." Read more

"A great start as usual for Lindsay Buroker. I've already bought the rest of the series." Read more

"Great start..." Read more

4 customers mention ‘Strength’4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book strong, with one mentioning its good quality.

"...Very highly recommended for those who love good quality, character-led space opera adventure with plenty of humour." Read more

"...Buroker characters - a determined, capable and decent female lead, a strong, silent male who’s generally disliked and feared and is clearly the..." Read more

"Introduction to a fun character with great strength and perspicacity, that makes you feel that anything is possible and that all challenges have..." Read more

"Never let's you down, you can never second guess what's going to happen next" Read more

4 customers mention ‘Pace’0 positive4 negative

Customers find the pace of the book slow.

"...This book was slow for action...." Read more

"...as several characters in Lindsay Buroker's Dragon Blood series: an ill-timed, ill-judged, puerile sense of humour which is not funny, but merely..." Read more

"...I liked the characters in the book, but felt overall it was a bit slowed pace. Just not for me, I rated it three stars." Read more

"...It's slow and raspy... and DULL...." Read more

Unusual sized paperback
4 out of 5 stars
Unusual sized paperback
I have greatly enjoyed these books and others series from this author as Kindle books. I wanted to support the author by buying the paperback edition, however the book is a very unusual size, unlike any of my other paperbacks. Here I show a photo of the book next to some large paperbacks for comparison. This is a shame because it has put me off buying any others.
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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • sjhigbee
    5.0 out of 5 stars Feisty heroine and mysterious cyber-soldier - what could go wrong?
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 November 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I love it that the reason driving our gutsy heroine is a desperate drive to be reunited to her daughter, now living with her sister-in-law. Once more I’m enjoying that it is family relationships pushing the plot forward in this space opera adventure. It immediately made me sympathetic to her mission, especially in that fabulous opening sequence in the feral scrapyard, inhabited by all sorts of nasty critters – including rats the size of small dogs, as well as the more unpleasant two-legged scavengers.

    Alisa isn’t alone, though. Her partner is fellow soldier and brilliant engineer, Mica – and next to Alisa, Mica is my favourite sidekick. Her snarky, deadpan take on the world is both funny and insightful – while being unswervingly loyal to Alisa, even though she often doesn’t agree with some of Alisa’s riskier moves. Because one of Alisa’s early decisions in this book is to throw her luck in with the cyber-soldier who has taken up residence in the abandoned spacecraft, where she left it after her mother’s death.

    Leonidas, the name the cyber-soldier eventually gives Alisa, was part on a lethal, elite unit who fought for the Empire, against Alisa and the Alliance. He clearly still isn’t happy to have been on the losing side and Alisa regrets having him on board as a passenger. You won’t be shocked to learn that their travel plans don’t work out. The research laboratory where Leonidas wants to be dropped off presents some unexpected, unwelcome surprises and the action was well-handled to the extent that I couldn’t put this one down. I haven’t read anything by Buroker before, but obviously I’ve heard of this prolific writer – and I now know why she is so popular.

    I’ve been reading a shedload of sci fi, space opera during the last few weeks, but this one stands out for all the right reasons and I’m very much looking forward to reading the next one in this series. Very highly recommended for those who love good quality, character-led space opera adventure with plenty of humour.
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  • Richard Abbott
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, but rather formulaic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 July 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Star Nomad, by Lindsay Buroker is the first in what is clearly intended to be a long series. The central character Alisa is a military female pilot, reduced to meagre circumstances by the end of a war and the subsequent demobilisation. She has teamed up with an engineer, Mica, in order to reclaim and repair her spaceship, the Star Nomad. You think at first that this engineer will be another major character, but in fact she slips quite rapidly into the background, eclipsed by others as they arrive. Alisa's big plan is to return to her home planet and be reunited with her daughter. Inevitably things do not go smoothly.

    Alisa gathers a mixed group of people around her as she sets off. Each has a rather murky past, only part of which is unpacked in the book. The action then shifts fairly rapidly from place to place, though Alisa is still a long way from home when the story stops. There are battles - a tricky feat as Star Nomad is unarmed - and a Hollywood style asteroid belt with giant rocks infeasibly close to each other and little ships dodging around them - or not, as the case may be. There are space pirates of an implacably evil nature, revealed mostly by their determination to molest and rape their captives, since they are poorly located in space to actually gather loot.

    Star Nomad is essentially a light read. It uses a lot of conventional settings and characters, but rearranges them in new and lively ways. There is a clear sense that the overall story may well dig deeper into the society left in the aftermath of war and the collapse of empire, but this volume doesn't take you very far into that.

    That really was my main frustration with the book. Lindsay has evidently planned out a long series in broad brushstrokes, and is in no rush to get anywhere. The end of this book is a pause rather than an ending, and feels like a change of levels in a game, not the conclusion of a story arc. The characters were interesting, and there are several clues that there are major political stakes at play between them, but I never felt that I got to know most of them enough to care. One of these interpersonal revelations comes right at the end of the book, and has the air of a carefully designed hook to persuade you to get the next in the series, rather than a natural scene unfolding.

    Star Nomad is certainly entertaining and well presented, and I can recommend it on those terms. However, for me there was too much sense that I was following along a preprogrammed route rather than being drawn into the lives of a group of diverse and quirky people. I enjoyed it, but I haven't rushed out to buy the next in the series.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Bookworm 262
    5.0 out of 5 stars Start of a great series
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 April 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Great sci fi adventure set in a group of planets that were once an empire. A recent war has left these worlds in a desperate state and people have to make a life as best they can. This leads to a group of fun characters travelling about in a beaten up space freighter all for their own reasons. This is the start of a series of 8. All the books are individual stories that stand alone while moving the overall story arc along.

    As well as the sci fi there is a touch of paranormal about some of the characters. The first book introduces us to the team which is made up of friends and enemies all with a reason to get to the central planet whilst fighting off pirates and other assorted bad guys.

    Very appealing book with a lot of humour and action. Really recommend the whole series.
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  • david
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great start to a good series which I really enjoyed reading
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 March 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I have now read through all 8 of this series and enjoyed them all. One source of pleasure is the absence of bad grammar and typos so usually found in Kindle SF. Also, the characters develop in depth as this book (and the series) go on, and I found myself engaging with them as they struggle with their individual problems and hang-ups. The author also slowly unpacks the characters through this series in a really enjoyable way, so, even though this is space opera, it has a very human face to it. I also liked the undercurrent of wry humour which pops up every now and then.
    Although the story uses the well worn model of a disparate bunch of at first seemingly mismatched characters gradually pulling together, the tensions are well handled and believable.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Star Platinum
    5.0 out of 5 stars Space adventure and all the good stuff
    Reviewed in Australia on 29 May 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This is a great start to another series by Lindsay Buroker. Like all other Lindsay Buroker heroines in the Dragon Blood, Emperor's Edge and Flash Gold series, former Alliance pilot Captain Alisa Marchenko is clever, resourceful and mouthy. With her engineer, Mica Coppervein, she embarks on getting back her old ship that was now sitting in a junkyard. With the Alliance defeating the Imperials in the war, soldiers from both sides are now unemployed which was why she wanted to go back to Perun where her daughter was. She had an unwanted guest on the ship though, an imperial Cyborg named Leonidas. Alisa and Mica take on passengers and a security officer Tommy Beck on their space adventure-filled trip. I grew up with Star Wars, Star Trek, Space 1999, Battlestar Galactica, V and Buck Rogers and this is definitely reminiscent of the much-loved TV series I used to watch when I was a kid. Lindsay's trademark sense of humor and snark are very much present in the characters' banter. Some of the scenes are just hilarious and Alisa's sense of humor pops out when she gets into nail-biting situations.

    The book is not too sci-fi for my taste. It focuses more on the story, the adventures and the interaction among characters. This series guarantees more action, explosions, gun battles in and out space. I am truly looking forward to the next installment.
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  • Kumar
    5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book...
    Reviewed in India on 23 May 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This is an excellent space opera series. I simply enjoyed reading this.
    The characters are very well described so that readers can relate to them.

    The narrative is awesome...
    Not giving any spoilers, but every sci-fi fan will love it.
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  • easyreader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging and well written sci fi adventure!
    Reviewed in Canada on 30 March 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Started this first book a few days ago and worked my way through the remaining seven with barely a pause. A well written, engaging sci fi series that I'd recommend to anyone. Not terribly technical, but with enough familiar blended with other worldly descriptions that gave one the sense of an adventure/quest in space. A great list of complimentary characters with a wonderful heroine and a great hero who took their sweet time working out their differences but in a witty, interesting manner. And who knew that chickens could be so endearing? Not sure if the dangling thread at the end of "End Game" will be addressed in any of the author's other works or in an offshoot of the series but I hope so. I'd be interested in knowing the Prince's future. My only complaint was the use of names beginning with the letter 'A', particularly two of the male characters. I wasn't always certain who was front and centre and it disturbed the flow of the read from time to time as I had to check to see which name it was as they were similar. I plan to move on to the rest of the books in the author's repertoire.
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  • Andrew Shortall
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Start to the Series
    Reviewed in France on 29 August 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I have always been a big fan of science fiction including space opera such as Star Trek and Star Wars. This would be closer to the latter, but is every bit as gripping and enthralling as both.

    Captain Alisa Marchenko has just recently recovered from a horrific fighter crash at the end of the war. Stuck on a dustball of a planet, she needs to find a way to get home to her young daughter. Billions of miles from home and family, and with no money or resources, Alisa must resort to stealing a decrepit old freighter. One that looks oddly familiar! There’s only one thing in her way. An elite, cyborg soldier bent on completing his own personal mission. And the fact that they were on opposing sides during the war!

    Aided by her new friend and genius engineer, Mica, and a rag-tag crew of passengers and potential future employees, Alisa must repair the decades old Star Nomad and fly to Perrun, her former home.
    From the opening paragraphs, it’s easy to love this book. The writing is clean, easy to read and inspires you to turn the pages quickly. There’s plenty of action too, right from the first chapter. There’s a great blend of great characters, world building and believable stories. There’s also a nice injection of dry humour throughout the story, which is nice to see. You don’t often get that in science fiction.

    There are seven more books in the series, and I am looking forward to reading every single one. And then venturing into the writer’s other works. Highly recommended!
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  • Hollenfeld
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fataler Fehler
    Reviewed in Germany on 6 October 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Vor einigen Tagen bot Amazon diesen ersten Teil des "Fallen Empire" kostenlos an, leider konnte ich nicht widerstehen!
    Ich mag wirklich keine Abenteuerromane, aber Lindsay Buroker schafft es immer wieder mich zu fesseln und zu unterhalten, seit ich vor zwei Jahren über Sardelle und ihr komisches Schwert stolperte. Natürlich arbeitet sie mit bestimmten Typen, und die Plots sind oft vorhersehbar. Das ist aber bei vielen Autoren so. Ich habe sofort mit dem Lesen angefangen und komme so schnell wohl nicht aus der Serie raus.

    Ich kenne mich mit Weltalltechnologie nicht so aus wie einige Negativrezensenten ... Daher kann ich bei der Plausibilität von Kampfhandlungen etc. nicht wirklich mitreden, mich fazinieren allein die Charaktere und der Plot. Und da bietet Buroker für mich den tollen Mittelweg zwischen strohdoof und superanspruchsvoll. Natürlich ist das nur ein Geschichte, die unterhalten soll. Ich glaube nicht, dass irgendwo auf der Welt Personen, die gerade in Kampfhandlungen verwickelt sind, solche Dialoge abspulen. Das ist alles ein bisschen zu schön, um wahr zu sein. Aber durchaus unterhaltsam. Sogar für mich!

    Ich möchte nicht viel von der Geschichte verraten. Die weibliche Hauptrolle spielt die Pilotin Alisa, der im Verlaufe eines Krieges Ehemann und Tochter "abhanden" kommen. Alisa begibt sich auf die Suche nach ihrer Tochter und gerät dabei von einem Drama ins nächste. Ganz langsam erfährt der Leser, dass hinter der einfachen Pilotin eines abgewrackten Frachters doch wesentlich mehr steckt, als es zuerst den Anschein hatte. Mal wieder ein für Buroker typischer Frauencharakter! Mit einer für Buroker typischen Liebesgeschichte mit zwei Partnern, die vermeintlich nicht gut zusammen passen. Wer das nicht mag, befasst sich besser erst gar nicht mit dieser Serie. Die einzelnen Bände sind unterschiedlich spannend. Insgesamt handelt es sich hier aber um kurzweilige Unterhaltung.
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