Read Time: 3 Minutes
I recently stumbled upon the Interstellar Gunrunner series by James Wolanyk after it was recommended in a Reddit thread. I’ll admit this wasn’t on my radar at all. I’d never seen anything about it or the author. Audible didn’t recommend it as an also-bought or anything like that. I literally found out about this because someone was trying to remember the name of the book (spoiler! It was this one!). They’d given heaps of data, yet nothing seemed to match up. Some ten days after the original post, I got an update ping with the answer to the question… and oh boy am I glad they stuck with it!
This is all three books in the Interstellar Gunrunner series in a single volume. Looking at Audible, it doesn’t look like they were ever released individually. Three stories, thirty-plus hours, and lots of laughs all for one credit? I’m all in.
This was a rollicking good time. Set way in the future where humans, and human-like things, have colonised most of the known universe. Told from the perspective of our (somewhat) anti-hero, Bodhi Drezek in a fourth-wall-breaking narration of his own memoir which recounts the greatest adventure of his life.
Bodhi is in this life to make money, end of story. He seemingly has very little in the way of morals, and will happily sell defence grids to planets while simultaneously selling planet-busters to their enemies. He’s an equal-opportunity arms dealer. Despite his flaws, Bodhi is a compelling character with a sharp wit and a willingness to take on even the most daunting challenges.
What starts out as a simple storyline quickly evolves into something much larger. The fate of all sentient life in the universe is at stake. Surely, there’s someone infinitely more qualified to handle this than Bodhi.
The whole story breezed by for me. I listened for hours on end, not wanting to stop most of the time. The cast of characters is unique, from a pipsqueak master painter to aliens from other dimensions; all fit in well and seem well-rounded as characters. Even the story itself is a refreshingly new take on the whole sci-fi hero saves the universe thing.
Garrett Michael Brown’s narration was excellent, with a wide range of voices, good pacing, and excellent comedic timing. While there were a few odd background noises here and there, they didn’t detract from the overall experience. I’d certainly listen to him again.
If this weren’t already the complete series, I’d be running out to buy the next one. As it is, I’ll need to look up what else author James Wolanyk has done because if this is the standard, then there are lots more credits I’ll be flinging his way. This will come back into my rotation when I’m between books in the future. Easy to listen to and easy to enjoy.