Book Review: Bad Luck Charlie by Scott Baron

Bad Luck Charlie (The Dragon Mage #1) by Scott Baron
Narrator: Gary Bennett
Series: The Dragon Mage #1
Published by Self-published on 06-28-19
Genres: Science-Fiction
Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
Format: Audiobook
Source: Narrator
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Charlie Gault had all the luck. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the good kind.
It was looking like Lady Luck had quite a grudge against him. In fact, at this point merely crashing the multi-billion-dollar ship he had helped design would have felt like winning the lottery compared to his current dilemma. If only he were so lucky.
Things had started off all right––that is, until a freak wormhole unexpectedly swallowed his ship, leaving him stranded on an unknown planet far, far from home. With the crew’s lives at stake, Charlie had no choice but to stop his whining, put on his big boy pants, and step up to save them all, and much to his surprise, it actually looked like he might succeed. Of course, that was when things really went sideways in ways that made merely crashing on an uncharted planet seem like a walk in the park.
Suddenly faced with alien space pirates, talking dragons, and something that seemed very much like magic, Charlie found himself adrift, feeling like a space age Robinson Crusoe––only his man Friday was a blue-skinned alien, and this wasn't just a desert island. It was a whole new galaxy. 

Charlie is a man of science, and one of his major accomplishments is having built a rocket. Little did he know that he also had to fly in it, a task for which he was not mentally prepared. But he did not only fly it, he also got lost with the rest of the crew in another galaxy, far away from home. As the title mentions, Charlie is not lucky, and he will face new situations, each darer than the previous one.

I was curious about this book after the reviews I read, and they were right, this is something different from anything else I have read before. I have to say that I thought about two books while I was listening to it: Gulliver’s Travels, because Charlie’s travels have very differentiated phases, a bit Deus Ex Machina like. It also made me think of The Dragon and the George, by Gordon R. Dickson, excellent fantasy book in which a man of science is trapped in a dragon’s body (it was also an inspiration for the famous movie The Flight of Dragons).

I had the same issues as Charlie at first. Probably the beginning of the book made me think that this was going to be a science-fiction story, even though the series title indicated otherwise. I found the world, actions, and its inhabitants a bit naive, a bit like if I were reading a children’s story or an old book like Gulliver’s Travels.

The feeling improved after a while, and perhaps I, like Charlie, was ready to believe in magic in a science-fiction book. It was a very enjoyable story, and Charlie grew in me. I am definitely looking forward to Charlie’s future adventures in this new world.

Gary Bennett did an excellent job creating the perfect atmosphere in this special world. He gave subtle difference voices and styles to every character, not overdoing it or interfering with the story, which I think it is something difficult in this kind of books. The only thing I missed was maybe a bit more expression when interpreting the characters, but I prefer this than overacting. Bennett has a pleasant voice, and the audio production was spotless.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Story (Plot)
Narration
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