Book Review: Space Pirate Charlie by Scott Baron

Space Pirate Charlie (The Dragon Mage #2) by Scott Baron
Narrator: Gary Bennett
Series: The Dragon Mage #2
Published by Self-published on 11-29-19
Genres: Fantasy, Science-Fiction
Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
Format: Audiobook
Source: Author
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Charlie was living the life of luxury... as an alien wizard’s gladiator slave. It was not ideal.
He had survived a spaceship crash, alien slave traders, space pirates and fierce gladiatorial combat. Hell, he’d even faced an actual fire-breathing dragon and lived, but now he was presented with an even greater challenge. Domestic living, captive on a strange world.
Charlie almost had to laugh at his changing circumstances, having seen it all since a wormhole spat him out in a distant galaxy. He learned to fight, he learned to use magic, he even learned to kill––to survive at all costs. And that hard work had somehow landed him a cushy life on a powerful wizard’s estate. But all was not what it seemed.
Something was wrong, and he still wasn’t a free man. Captivity, even in a gilded cage such as this, was abhorrent to the spaceman from Earth. And while the new existence he had fallen into seemed one of luxury, he couldn’t help but wonder when it would all go to hell.
He should have known, with his luck, the answer was soon.

This book picks up the story where the previous one left it. There is a prologue with a brief account of the events in the first book, something I appreciated, as my memory is terrible and I listen to many audiobooks, so I often have problems remembering previous books in series.

Charlie has arrived at a new world where he will be serving along with his friend Tuktuk. He is still a slave, but his new life seems to be much more promising than the pirate life he had in book one. He will see, nevertheless, that things are never what they seem.

I was looking forward to this sequel. I think the concept is very original and interesting. I like Charlie as a character, and I think he has noble intentions. I felt for him, even though sometimes he seemed a bit too naive. This is a small issue I had with this book. The story is about a grown man, but the writing style and the general feeling is like a children’s book. Everything is explained several times, and the dialogs feel forced. The dragons are amazing, though, and it makes it all worth it.

I think I would have enjoyed a lighter pace, as the story felt a bit slow and long-winded. Somehow the writing style failed to grip my attention.

Gary Bennet has a very pleasant voice, and the audio production was spotless, but I would have appreciated a more lively narration style. It is true that the narration matched the writing style, but I would have liked a bit more expressiveness, especially when interpreting the characters.

All in all, I enjoyed this audiobook, even though I found it a bit difficult to connect emotionally with a character that was a grown-up but whose story was told as a children’s book.

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)
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