Elite: Mostly Harmless

Elite: Dangerous

By: Kate Russell

Narrated by: Kate Russell

Written by Kate Russell under official license from the creators of, and based in the vast universe of, the seminal space trading computer game Elite: Dangerous.

Commander Angel Rose, forced into a life of crime due to circumstances beyond her control, is determined to survive in the unforgiving void as a professional assassin.

Will she be forced into the ignominy of moving back in with her parents when her efforts fail to leave her with credit-earning blood on her hands?

After years of galactic travel, could Angel's destiny be to end up drinking cheap liquor in a bar in Slough?

Follow Kate on her website: katerussell.co.uk. Music by Allen Stroud. Cover design by Heather Murphy.

A Radio Theatre Workshop production for Fantastic Books Audio. All rights reserved.

©2014 Kate Russell (P)2015 Daniel Grubb

Its a decent story, but....

Overall, it was an entertaining story. Sound effects from the game were a nice touch. It did take jarring turns from silliness to super graphic descriptions. I don't mind that so much if it serves a purpose but it seemed like the author said "I'm being too silly, I have to go to edgy now" Most of the other characters were forgettable. so much so that the author seemed to forget them too after a while. Beyond that, while I thought it was a cool story to pass a long drive, I found the main character a little hard to relate to or care about. Her motives seem...vague. No spoiler, but the end was...well let's say it's execution was ham handed. There is the seed of a really good story buried here, but the author needed to give it a few more revisions that it sadly didn't get. It's not a horrible story and I enjoyed the time I spent with it on the road. I doubt I will be inclined to travel with it again, though.

Wow, I can't believe how great this story was!

As the title says, I was very impressed with this story. I was worried that it would suck and it would not truly embody what Elite dangerous embodies and what Elite dangerous means to me.

Excellent Elite Goodness!

The narrator (and author) is very British (I think, maybe from Wales?) so there was a small hurtle for me as a US-American. But the book was excellent. Great sound effects and well written. A lot of Elite elements and sound effects reminded me I was in the Elite universe. Great job Kate Russell!

Meh

I personally don't understand the hype behind this one. It has its moments, but it's rife with inappropriately timed jokes and too many Douglas Adams references, the main character's motivations don't make much sense, the supporting cast is forgettable at best, and the overall story is kind of, to put it bluntly, ridiculous.

And don't even get me started on Doris...

Kate Russell's performance is well done, however, I have to give her that.

Decent story. Hard to finish.

I liked the performance and the overall story. Though I found the main character hard to empathize with which is why it was hard to finish for me.
I enjoyed the sounds and and found that their integration into the narrative really helped the story seem lived in.

Highly entertaining space pulp fiction

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This story is a classic adventure story in the vein of pulp adventure fiction with heavy shades of noir, all set against the space opera backdrop of Frontier's Elite setting. If you're looking for critical gold, this isn't your story. If you're looking for something that would make a pretty good movie and tells like an engaging adventure, this hits the mark perfectly.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dread Catherine, although I have a lot of affection for Angel Rose. Catherine's pragmatism and the fact that she has a tragic backstory that she doesn't spend a whole lot of time in self-exposition (it is shown rather than told) makes her a comfortably familiar trope well applied, inserted into the story effectively without clubbing the audience over the head with who she is.

What about Kate Russell’s performance did you like?

She does a pretty good job at voice-acting even if she is not known as a voice actress. I'm also a sucker for her voice. That is perhaps a matter of personal taste, but it works for me.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes. It took me two sittings, but it's over 8 hours in the reading so that's a long time to sit.

Any additional comments?

Chapters 19 and 20 are repeated in "21" and "22", which is a fault of editing. I'm surprised the editors didn't catch that.

I love Elite Dangerous.

I love the Elite dangerous universe. looking forward too more. I enjoyed the story a lot of action and alot of humerus parts as well.

I was on the edge of my seat with my jaw dropped.

this is the only book in my library that had my jaw hanging open through most of the book.

O7 commanders

That cobra had an extra hard point if you pay attention. Quite different from the usual two med two small hard points a cobra usually has.
Other than that, it was a good listen to.

An entertainingly told tale.

The book was alright, the story drags on in detail of several things it REALLY didn't need to, I can think of three instances of this. However, the rest played out alright.
To Audible: There seems to be a hiccup in the file, I believe around what Audible App claims is Chapter 19 the book replays the last four or five chapters on accident.