A Paranormal Sci-fi Adventure (The Harvesters Series Book 1)

Hahaha I loved reading this book. I recommend this book to anybody that like humorous action packed sci-fi, I know I do. The characters were so likable and I can't wait till the next one in the series. Lots of thanks please keep them coming.

Rachel Cross is looking for her brother Michael, and, rumours are, he's being held prisoner by the Red King, the raknoth who has overseen the world since the Catastrophe fifteen years before. Jarek wants his suit back, an exosuit he shares with Al, 'home' as well as giving him enhanced powers. Seems the only person who might know where it is just happens to be this very same Michael. His explosive first contact with Rachel occurs In the prisons of the Red King's castle...

Great story, vividly written with superb characterisations and very fast paced, imaginative battle scenes.. Rachel is arcanist able to channel powers: she's a tough, if frightened, lady looking out for her "boy scout" revolutionary brother, whilst Jarek is a sardonic, egotistical joker, a "let's see what happens kind of guy", and a pretty hot fighter even without his suit. And that Red King is a really nasty piece of work. There are other great personalities, too, such as Pryce ("Albert Einstein's evil twin gone mad scientist and starting to bald") and the past hero of the Resistance, missing now for five years, Alaric.So many comedic one liners in a rattling good adventure story.

I loved this book and recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone looking for an addictive reading, nicely structured, fast fun book with a hint of superheroes. Completely stand alone, it does end with a super big cliffhanger and I, for one, am really looking forward to book two. Oh, and don't forget to read the author's end notes, including the dedication: they are almost as entertaining as the story itself

I really enjoy books that develop and build out an imaginative, believable world view. And the post-apocalyptic story has been done so many times, it's hard to find a really fresh take at this genre. However, Mr. Mitchell has developed a really believable world, requiring only the insertion of baddies and their minions to initiate this world. He also balances the reality of our world being mostly wiped out with pockets of optimism and hope for an improved future.
The author has done a really nice job developing his characters. The protagonist characters are likeable and built out by the story, not through narrative description which keeps the story moving and doesn't disrupt enjoyment of the story. And the baddies are really, really bad. They are physically superior (by a lot) and basically consider humans as bugs to be squashed. A lot of the reviews point to the snappy, snarky dialogue employed by Jarrett (the male good guy). I was almost put off by this because some authors overdue this kind of dialogue ... so much so that it keeps snapping me out of the "willing suspension of disbelief" so critical to enjoying any speculative fiction. But Mr. Mitchell avoids this trap and uses snark when appropriate and "normal" human discourse when appropriate. The female good "guy" is very strong and independent, but she has a vulnerable side that makes her approachable and not just a superhero guy in a skirt.
I very much enjoyed this story and have already started in on the sequel. I strongly recommend Red Gambit by Luke Mitchell.

Lots of books these days claim to have funny, wise-cracking protagonists. I can only assume this type of dialogue is actually pretty hard to write, as most authors don’t quite hit the mark. Well, this author pulled it off with his protagonist extraordinaire, Jarek Slater. This guy wasn’t wannabe funny, he really was funny! Seriously, the guy was a hoot! The banter was definitely above par.

Of course, there was also a well-rounded cast of characters, lots of action, a tough AND funny hero, etc. Sure, this stuff has been done before, but there were a few new ideas, different angles on the bad aliens. Also, not a deep read, but definitely an engaging one. I don’t hand out a lot of 5-star ratings, but I’m giving this series 5 stars because Jarek kept me laughing throughout. If you can keep me laughing, that’s more than just above average in my book.

I read the prequel, Soldier of Charity, then #1 Red Gambit and #2 Hell to Pay. The humor didn’t kick in until Red Gambit, but I still enjoyed reading about Jarek as a teenager in the prequel (a novella). All good reads, can’t wait for #3 in the series!

Just an FYI to any other readers who enjoyed this series; if you like humorous sci-fi than you should also checkout the Hard Luck Hank series, another one that always keeps me laughing.

It was solidly entertaining trash fic. Decent flirtation dynamic. The chick's combat relevance is explained by magic powers. She remains reasonably feminine, rather than being a man with boobs.

There are credibility stretches here and there. The absence of post-apocalyptic racial segregation is unrealistic. The chick is a little too OP, the protagonist a little too reckless. The idea of vampire-dragons triggering nuclear apocalypse to turn Earth into a happy feudal feeding ground is solid worldbuilding, although nothing blew me away. At least it avoids the AI singularity problem, which is always a challenge.

The thing is, even though we're in the middle of a somewhat cheesy fight between Invincible Lizard and the Robot Ninja, it's all worthwhile because the characters are vivid. They carry enough psychological realism to suspend quibbling disbelief, and their interactions invest you in the movement of the unremarkable plot. Characters have arcs and grow. You begin to care.

That's where the author's true talent lies. I'll admit, it crept up on me. It's like a cartoon with unexpected depth.

In general, I do not like lead characters with unscientific superpowers, and the first chapter had me worried. But I do like heroes with noticeable flaws, and subject to human limits. My concern was allayed with her limitations and her flaws, and when she was joined with an irreverent, wise-cracking mercenary with a heart of gold, I was sold. I had also read the prequel, which focussed on the younger brother of the female lead. In general, I do not like teenage heroes but did love the AI-enfused suit he wore. He is back, but a secondary character this time. The suit comes back too now belonging to the wise-cracking mercenary. So good fun is available to all. The male and female heroes spar as in Moonlighting (the TV series) and the plot includes a crazy scientist, a vampire-like alien, and some father-son tension in two other secondary characters. All in all, very absorbing, if not as hard science as I normally like.

I enjoyed Red Gambit. I especially like the independent nature of main characters Jarek and Rachel (and Al of course). While they choose to formally join the resistance, their interests are certainly aligned. Was glad when Jarek able to recover his exo-suit "Fela". The resistance would not have a chance against the Rankoth without the Soldier of Charity. Very anxious to see what next issue in the series will reveal. The Red King captured and possibly able to provide some insight into the origins of the Rankoth. Are they ancients from earth history? Are they invading aliens? What is their weakness? How will the responding hoard (as implied at end of Red Gambit) be dealt with? Cannot wait to get some answers

I was able to read the prequel, "Soldier of Charity", first so it gave me some insight on Jarek and his motives and attitude. This book picked up right after that, so I'm not sure how anyone reading this book without having read the prequel first would be able to understand his trust issues and his attachment to his exo-suit. As he tries to find out who stole his suit he has to make some hard decisions on who to trust. Without the back history I might have been a little lost on his reluctance to only rely on himself and one trusted old man and an AI. But,there is plenty of humor some of it dark, and lots of action. I'm going to read the second book now. I'm hooked.

Holy crapola. The book started out kind of slow, but man does it escalate quickly. Jarek is kind of like Deadpool sans healing factor, shoved into an Iron Man suit that has no repulsors. Jarek does what he feels is right and tries to protect the weak, while Rachel, sweetheart, provides a strong female lead who is serious but succumbs to Jarek's superpowers wit and facetiousness. I'd recommend this book to anyone who's a fan of superhero novels, Deadpool, dystopian worlds, with tones of Battlefield Earth. Overall, 5 stars do not give it enough credit, and my only regret was it wasn't longer (although it was long) I can't wait to sink my teeth into more of Jarek's, Al, and Fela's exploits!

I received a free advanced review copy of this book. Where Luke's first book "Soldier of Charity" introduces us to Jarek and his AI equipped battle suit. In Red Gambit Jarek has lost his battle suit but kept the AI. The story is a fast paced romp with some new characters that provide a lot of witty dialogue and plot twists. The humor lightens up what could be a dark tale of unending struggle to discover where his battle suit is and who can he really trust. Throughout these first two books Luke is exploring the question: Does the end result justify the means taken to achieve them? I think he does a pretty good job exploring and illustrating this continuing dilemma that we all face.

Firstly, if you haven't yet read Soldier of Charity, you might want to read that first. It gives a little background to the circumstances behind the main series, and introduces us to the primary characters, namely Jarek Slater, Pryce, mad scientist and all-round good guy, Al- short for Alfred, but see how it looks like AI? See what he did there?-the computer behind the exo-suit Fela, whose use makes Jarek stronger, faster and deadlier than he would be otherwise. The asshattery is all him.It also tells the story behind the nickname.

So, Red Gambit. This has been my holiday read. It lasted only 2 days because I couldn't put it down. My holiday has been, therefore, less than eventful. Red Gambit takes place around 10 years after we meet Jarek in Soldier of Charity. He's now in his mid-twenties, older, more experienced but not, apparently, wiser. He has managed to lose Fela in drunken encounter with a red-head, leaving himself and Al bereft and twiddling their thumbs. When Pryce lets him in on some intel that suggests an old Resistance acquantance may know of Fela's whereabouts, his first thought is to track the guy down. Unfortunately, the aforesaid acquaintance is locked up in the fortress of the local Raknoth chief. The Raknoth are a race of vampire-like reptiles, who can look like normal humans when not in full-on vamp mode. They rained nuclear fire down upon the world around 15 years before this story begins, leaving ruins in their wake. Jarek doesn't think twice about infiltrating the Red King's fortress to break his buddy Michael out; in the meantime, Michael's sister Rachel is also searching for him. Rachel is a tiny blonde, who is also an arcanist who can seriously kick butt.

Suffice it to say, the Red King is unimpressed with people breaking into his fortress, and even less impressed that the Resistance have intercepted an item so powerful, it could bring destruction down on all of them. Jarek is less than impressed that they also intercepted Fela while they were at it.

Will the Red King have his revenge? Will Fela be found and reclaimed? Will we discover what on earth an arcanist is? Find out all this an more in Red Gambit! Same time, same channel.

There's something for everyone in this series. It's set in a post-apocalyptic dystopia, with an Iron Man-type protagonist, smart-ass mouth and all. Then there are vampires with a twist, a girl with a magic staff and shades of Star Wars-esque freedom fighters. And it works. It could have been an awful mish-mash, but remarkably it all slots together in a fast-paced, quite convincing way. The pacing of the emergence of back stories is well done, adding to the depth of some interesting characters who really grow on you.

SPOILER ALERT: This book ends on a wicked cliffhanger, so be sure to have the next book, Hell to Pay, ready to go. You won't want to wait.

Mitchell hits another home run with Red Gambit as this sci-fi action/adventure takes you on a non-stop roller coaster ride. The plot has more twists and turns, ups and downs, and sudden jolts that will keep you wondering what just happened!
Did not have the ending I expected, but that just left me salivating with expectations for the next edition in the series. I highly recommend this novel and award it 5 stars!

Soldier of fortune meets his match! She can kick his can or save it. Along the way she and he have to come to terms while they save the lost and fight with, well, everyone. When he's all together he IS superman - with a bitter, screw-you attitude. Rachel is a short blonde female almost Harry Dresden, mouth and all. She is not quite there yet since she hasn't racked up as many enemies. But with Jarek's help and the enmity of the raknoth Red King, Rachel and Jared are working on gaining all the enemies anyone can handle. Read this. It is so well plotted and such great characters that it deserves a 5*

If you enjoy sci-fy, superheroes who are really "just" human, and get a kick out of thoroughly American attitude and humor, THIS IS IT! This post apocalypse tale is irresistible and draws you ever deeper into adventure that you will relish staying up late to read more. Know what a mercenary is? Wait until you meet this one: He has his own private definition! In the first few pages I went rapidly from "What?" to a fully fledged fan! Join us!

Sci-fi action adventure Fun! I'm not usually into sci-fi, but the hero (at least that's how the protagonists sees himself!) is so much fun! I can't wait to read the next book to find out what happens with the lizard king who's hot on our hero's tail because he and the resistance have something the lizard king wants quite badly, but no one in the resistance even knows what it is that they have. Hopefully that will also be revealed in book 2. Write on wordsmith! Love the way you tell a story!

Getting this on Kindle Free brought me on board as a low-expectation reader. Three chapters in and a whiplash dose of tight dialogue, sharp fighting seuences and subtle plot foreshadowing ... I`ll just say I went into work the next day bleary-eyed and with a reading hangover!

Though short, this book packs serious punch force. And despite how a troped-out-befanged breed of bad guy appears in the book, the creative spin Mitchell took here pulled me back in (was one foot out for several pages ...) Enjoyed both Jarrec and Rachel`s POV - was actually impressed at how well Rachel was portrayed. I`ve noticed in pure fantasy or hybrid fantasy works done by male authors, female character-building is often lacking. Take Abercrombie for example, LOVE all of his books - The First Law Trilogy stands as my absolute favorite series - but none of the female leads he intro`d translated realistically/practically. Fiction is fiction but ultimately outcome success relies on readers and fans connecting to charcters.

HIGHLY recommend this book!

This author KNOWS HOW TO WRITE AN ADVENTURE STORY!! I could picture every nuance of the tale. His characterizations CAME TO LIFE for me! I haven't read a better story on Kindle! If this was available in a hardcover...I'd stand in line to BUY IT!! No joke, I fell in love with this tale and will be getting the next one in the series WITHOUT FAIL!! TOUCHE, Luke Mitchell!!

Likeable characters and good pacing made this an entertaining read. There is some disconnect for me between this novel in the prequel, Soldier of Charity. I'm interested enough to be the next novel but still having problems with some of the video game type powers and villains.

Mix a loner, an AI named Al, vampire type aliens, assorted friends and foes and a magic user -- mix them all up add a dash of sophomoric humor and a bit of great story telling. What you get is a fun crafted story that keeps you turning the pages. Give this one a try & see if I'm not right.

Loved this story! It dives right into the action and really keeps you caught up. The characters are well written and believable, even when the situations they find themselves in are extreme. You don't have to read the prequel "Soldier of Charity" to get what's going on, but I was glad I had. Of course, it also kind of made me want to smack Jarek for being careless with Fela AGAIN. I would definitely recommend you read this.

Though I'm usually a fan of military space opera, I got hooked into this series by the prequel, Soldier of Charity. I was thoroughly impressed by the author's handling of cross-genre elements, and so was prepared mentally for this novel. And he dished it out! I read this one in record time (for me) simply because I couldn't put it down. And now, having gone through it, I am hoping he will produce the next installment in the series in his own record time! Nice job!

I read Soldier of Charity after getting it free via Ben Wallace. After reading it I really wanted to know what happened to Jarek, Al and Fela. Red Gambit is set 9 years in the future but Jarek is still the loveable buffoon we met in the first book.

You don't have to have read Soldier of Charity to enjoy this book (I highly recommend you do though) as the each characters back story is explained in a way that helps those that haven't read the first book but isn't boring or repetitive for those that have.

I really hope we see more from Jarek et al in the fortune (no pressure Mr Mitchell)

I thoroughly enjoyed this glimpse of people and others attempting to restore some semblance of order to their world. Loved the crisp and often funny exchanges between several of the main characters. If you like a story with magic, sexy teasing, artificial intelligence, biting dialog, and oh yeah, lots of action, then this is the book for you.

Like it's predecessor, the novella Soldier of Charity, it'd call it a post-apocalyptic story that crosses genres: dystopian, sci-fi, shades of even a western at times. And to be clear, it's really good. The author has talent not just for plot, but character. He takes what could have been a straight-forward story and adds humanity and realism to characters that in similar fiction often come off as one-dimensional caricatures.

The dialogue is catchy and, quite often, funny. The book is both humorous and serious without ever taking itself too serious. The pacing makes it difficult to put town. If you're looking for an enjoyable, fun read that takes you to a different world, give this one a shot. You won't be disappointed.

Rachel and Jarek make quite a pair even though neither of them was looking for this particular fight. Rachel would’ve been happy snuggled up in bad and Jarek would’ve preferred a good whiskey. Obligations got in the way.

I really enjoyed this start to this series. I particularly enjoyed our ummm... hero Jarek. I loved his irreverent sense of humor. I liked the slow burn between him and little magic weilder. I like the way the complement and play off each other. Much stronger together.

Wow, could not put it down! Luke masterfully combines the story like style of Fantasy, with the technical style of sci fi.
Through this, we see under dogs became heroes, and bad guys received their just due.
Can't wait for the rest in the series!!!

Ok, first off, I have been reading vampire stories for a long time...and this one captured my attention from the description by the mention of space vampires, and I must say I have not been disappointed, lots of blood and guts, which I like, not too much political stuff which I love, could use more graphic and intense love(sex ?) situations. Hey if you gonna write a grown up book put grown up situations in it. Keep doing what you doing and I'll keep reading. You are definitely in the reading rotation along with my other favorites, Ringo, Dietz, Niven, and Assimov.

Fast paced with great action. We learn about the characters and their world by ther interactions, not monologue. Which is nice. No great plot twist or philosophical meaning. Just good fun with good characters. Great easy read.

I really liked this comic book story from start to finished. Wasn't much into the main character wise crack jokes but overall the story was really interesting and fun to Read. I hope the female character have more too say in next story!

I use kindle unlimited, and this series was reccomend to me. Just finished the "1st" book, and while I like the series so far, this isn't the 1st book. Immediately it felt like your missing alot of backstory, only to find there are two "prequels" that are pay only to get. *shrug* seems decent so far I'll read the rest on the unlimited list and leave it at that.

The characters in this book, are all well written, with great character development. It's also a great story, with lost of twists and turns. And some great humor, from jerrick. Who sort of has, a who gives a crap look at life, but is always there for when he's needed the most!!! Excellent read!