Boon, Bounty & Bad Decisions [An Ensemble Sci-fi Adventure]

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

[TOP 300 BEST RATED ON ROYAL ROAD]—[BOOK ONE IS NOW COMPLETED!]

Fans of Back to the Future and Guardians of the Galaxy are in for a treat.

Gravel and his crew of professional bad decision-makers thought stealing a high-value data drive from an abandoned jungle facility on Namor would be just another payday. Deliver the goods, collect their shares, maybe disintegrate a sabertooth tiger on the way out. Simple.

Then they actuallylookedat what was on the drive. At least the part they managed to decrypt.

More sabertooth tigers. Very unnatural. Very human-engineered. Very trigger-happy.

Now, instead of a clean getaway, they’ve got the Republic (boring name) breathing down their necks, bounty hunters setting their sights, and at least one corpo organization with techs that shouldn’t exist and definitely wants them dead. Worse, they may have accidentally kicked over a conspiracy big enough to make the entire galaxy very, very unhappy.

The good news?Gravel and Co. aregreat at running.

The bad news? They’re also great at ruining everything.

[This story focuses on planetary adventures more than space battles, at least so far. It has mercenaries, factions, warlords, and galaxy-spanning consequences, and there will be ships blowing up! However, the focus of the first book is on planetary escapades.]

Update: Saturday EST

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2025
Author: D.N. Newyn

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.9/ 5.0
Followers: 345
Views: 64,360

Chapters(89 total)

What readers say about Boon, Bounty & Bad Decisions [An Ensemble Sci-fi Adventure]

“Honestly, this is a very solid story. It kind of reminds me of cyberpunk and star wars a tiny bit, and I find the conversations between the two current characters very realistic. I like how the author is capable of changing her writing style by book, and h…”
167fiveRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“Absolutely Drivving fantastic. This is easily one of the best-written pieces I’ve come across on this site. The prose and writing style are top-notch. Sharp, quick, and efficient when it needs to be, especially during action scenes, which are fast-paced, in…”
FoundForesterRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

167fiveRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Honestly, this is a very solid story.
It kind of reminds me of cyberpunk and star wars a tiny bit, and I find the conversations between the two current characters very realistic.
I like how the author is capable of changing her writing style by book, and her style for this story perfectly reflects its mood and tone.
Overall, this is a very very good story, and I inquire new readers to definately give this a try.
FoundForesterRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Absolutely Drivving fantastic. This is easily one of the best-written pieces I’ve come across on this site.
The prose and writing style are top-notch. Sharp, quick, and efficient when it needs to be, especially during action scenes, which are fast-paced, intense, and thoughtfully choreographed. But it also knows when to slow down, build the world, and let us spend time with the characters without dragging the momentum to a halt.
Speaking of characters, the characterization is excellent. Everyone has their own distinct voice, quirks, strengths, and flaws, making them feel real and engaging. That same level of care extends to the world itself. The setting feels alive. Almost like a character in its own right. There’s clearly a lot going on behind the scenes, with plenty of moving parts, yet it never feels overwhelming or bogged down in exposition.
This also extends to the tech/mutations of the world. Every gun/cyborg arm/Dimond-skin super power, feels unique and interesting without feeling contrived or over powered. I feel like the crew of the Black Fang, have what they need to get the job done. But just barely. They can't just rely on cool tech. they also have to think quick and act quicker.
In short, this is a brilliantly crafted story that balances action, character, and worldbuilding with impressive skill.
JimQuillRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I have a weakness for what I call "kitchen sink" stories—where you can throw anything into the mix, and it all somehow makes sense. This is one of those stories. I love it. It's so much fun. The character banter is sharp, the humor lands well, and I think anyone who enjoys stories like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will find a lot to love here.
If you're looking for over-the-top, bombastic combat, explosions, robots, saber-toothed tigers, and more, this is a great story to dive into!
The characters are witty and fun, each with their own distinct voice and style that makes them leap off the page. The team dynamics are clear, their relationships are engaging, and their clashing personalities add to the humor. Each character possesses powerful abilities, which they use in creative and exciting ways.
The writing is easy to read—in the best way possible. It has a relaxed style that allows the humor to shine. The descriptions enhance the comedy, but where it truly excels is in the short, snappy quips the characters fire at each other.
This follows a team of space cowboys/galactic heroes. You can see clear influences from other media, like Firefly, Cowboy Bebop, and other classic space operas. It knows its tropes and plays with them well. The pacing is breakneck, always pushing forward to the next big moment. For the tone it's aiming for, that’s a fantastic choice.
There are a few minor errors here and there, but you’ll be too busy enjoying the explosions to notice.
LordAetiusRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I enjoy watching sci-fi but don't read it very often; but I found this one very enjoyable. It's a straight sci-fi story, with a squad of bounty hunters, reminiscent of Guardians of the Galaxy and Star Wars, but a bit more gritty.
Style: a classic storytelling style, with plenty of dry humor. It's very well written, the first chapter really a lesson in how to start a story, with lots of action but also developing character and plot.
Story: The crew of the Black Fang are on a straightforward mission to retrieve a data drive from an abandoned planet. Guess what: the mission isn't straightforward.
Grammar: Clean and as I say, excellent prose. The only issue I had sometimes was the POV. Sometimes it felt omniscient, giving occasional summaries of the setting/worldbuilding; sometimes it felt like it was from Gravel's POV. But there was no real internal dialogue. So I'm still not sure.
Character: In the first few chapters we have 4 members of the squad. Immediately, we get very clear personalities for all 4, and interesting interactions. They're a likeable bunch to follow, each with a unique skill set, and competent. There is A LOT of banter/bickering/wise cracking between them, so if that is your thing, you'll enjoy this.
Overall, if you're looking for an action packed sci-fi with a squad of loveable rogues, you've just hit the jackpot!
M_GormanRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Stories centered around an existing group or team of characters have several aspects that make them harder to pull off than origin stories. For one, you lose the organic opportunity to introduce them all, perhaps even the world itself. Another is that they’ve had tens, hundreds, sometimes thousands of interactions and events before the reader starts page one.
Boon, Bounty and Bad Decisions, by Daniel Newwyn bounds toward challenge head-on, as does most of the characters Newwyn brings to life. The story is set in the 28th century and centers the four-person crew the Black Fang: Gravel, the ready-fire-aim captain that can manipulate the liquid metal forced inside him; Hunter, the soldier who fled her army and home; Priest, the cyborg voice of reason and paternal figure; and Fang, the tech prodigy insistent on using her real name as a nickname.
The book absolutely nails the “swashbuckling band of space misfits” vibe of popular entries such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Farscape, Firefly, perhaps even Cowboy Bebop. The characters’ voices and actions are unique to themselves, and despite all the previous shows and movies I’ve listed, they’re not simply new people slotted into the rote roles.
The characters have chemistry between them, and dialogue isn’t just rapid-fire squabbles or bickering–though given the high-pressure situations they endure, there’s always tension. Newwyn does a wonderful job of providing little flourishes and backstory drops to provide that “lived-in” feel for the team.
The universe is often grimy, usually corrupt, and the evolution from war to corporate diplomacy to war is vivid and constructed with care.
It’s a fun, fast-paced sci-fi story that often connects on its big swings. And the Black Fang’s crew are four people you can’t help but root for.
Maverick SantroyRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The whole intro chapter was great. Good balance of character building, world building and mystery!
I enjoyed the boa on another world. Made me wonder about gravity in this world, lighter means larger creatures?
Liquid metal armor buot into the system, nanites? Psionically controlled technology?
I'm looking forward to the next chapters.
RevisorRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Overall, easily one of the top Sci-Fi stories I've ever read. All of the elements that author is trying to push out definitively meets expectations to the fullest extent.
I love the style! The image of the pinata corpse sets a macabre tone. Gravel and Hunter are the barebones of the story in my opinion, cleverly using words to identify and narrate severities of each situation. Grammar is really good! There wasn't a single mistake I saw. Nothing that pulls me out. Everything is put together so well, I only expected to read half of the chapters I ended up on. I'll most likely end up reading more!
Like before, keeps you on the edge. The missions get progressively more difficult as they continue. It differs from different stories that I've read with the reality that, there are no easy ways out, and everything done actually comes down to a challenging factor.
Gravel's unique Morkanium abilities are pushed to their limits as he withstands a direct plasma blast, showing not only his sheer power but also the significant price it exacts upon him. Priest is reliable in his position as the stoic, brooding member of the team, providing valuable insights alongside well-hidden one-liners, while occasional mentions of his "half-Vorlani" eyesight make his background one of greater mystery.
Rowdha Al SolRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I will admit, it's very nice to find competent space opera science fiction that doesn't take itself too seriously. A lot of Space Operas for whatever reason seem to be written by the kind of people who treat starship schematics like sacred texts and think emotional range is a systems malfunction.
I know that made you laugh, because it's so true. "Ah yes, Space Opera. I am Lord Posh-And-Even, Duke of Exposition, and I have never made a joke in my life, unless it's in Ancient Martian."
I think this is a fun little time-killer, especially if you're in the mood for something that takes playful jabs at traditional Space Opera tropes, all while riding in with a kinda space-western lilt. The writing doesn’t gallop; it moseys.
SamiceeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A great read, in the vein of such scifis as Cowboy Bebop, Firefly, and the Culture series. A small group of bickering-but-amicable bounty hunters live from job to job, and find one contract that may be too much to handle.
The characters are distinct, with clear personalities and wants, and we get plenty of time seeing them interact. I particularly like the slower chapters on the ship, where we breathe a bit with a 'slice of life' look at the group. The cast avoids feeling cliched, whilst still feeling of the space opera genre we all know. A good blend of new and familiar.
The style is crisp and clear; I always understood what was going on. The author compares it to Guardians of the Galaxy in the blurb. Whilst there is comedy in this story, a better comparison would be the above examples. There certainly isn't any of that tired Marvel irony going on in Boon.
The wrestle between character POV and omniscient narrator sometimes feels in need of keeping, but rearranging. There are times where the narrator interjects to explain, say, a new planet, in the middle of two characters discussing said planet. These characters have shown they are strong enough to carry more world building on their own - for instance, when a streetwise member of the crew deduces the nature of a rival by knowing, and describing, their ship class.
This is a minor quibble though, and neither frustrates nor impacts the story. A solid 5*, and I look forward to carrying on reading!
T B CarterRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This scratches a literary itch I didn't even know I needed scratching. The novel follows a disparate group of mercenary chancers on their misadventures through a hostile universe. Never mind great space battles, I want to see more half-assed expeditions onto death planets and into cyberpunk cities
The dynamics of the group are great. I love their banter and the differing characters. Their skills and augmentations are just powerful enough to get them out of the scrapes their bad decision-making gets them into.
I haven't got nearly far enough into the book to comment on the overarching plot, but I've promised the author I'd do a review on this great book on what feels like the busiest week of the year for me. This has gone into my binge-reading pile, in fact I can't be assed to write any more. I'm gonna go back to reading about the misadventures of Gravel & co.