Icarus

Interstellar Cargo, Book 1

By: Matt Verish

Narrated by: Kevin Pierce

Cole Musgrave's dream of interstellar travel is about to become a nightmare. When a high-profile delivery is compromised aboard a state-of-the-art cargo vessel, the newly appointed captain finds himself embroiled in an assignment far above his pay grade.

Blackmail, terrorists, a malfunctioning prototype A.I. pilot, and a sinister terraforming corporation with deep criminal ties await him. Who knew delivering cargo to the deep recesses of space could be so dangerous?

Armed only with his cunning and past military experience, Cole is one against many. But this unorthodox interstellar cargo pilot won't go down without a fight - even after he is faced with a choice that will alter the course of his life forever.

©2016 Matthew Verish (P)2016 Matthew verish

Pleasantly convoluted

A well-narrated story that has devious twists and turns. I would have ended it right there but it seems that Audible requires at least fifteen words in reader-submitted reviews.

Malfunctioning A.I. and a Veteran Space Captain

Cole Musgrave thought he has a posh new job as the back up pilot/captain during a test run with a new A.I. run ship. But the A.I. malfunctions requiring the veteran pilot to take charge. I like dry, sarcastic humor so Musgrave was my favorite character.

This story has lots of unexpected plot twists and it leaves you wondering who the good guys are. There is some science and details about space and things like terraforming but it has a lot more to do with the story between the characters.

The narrator, Kevin Pierce, did a decent job, I’d probably listen to another story narrated by him but I wouldn’t seek him out like I do with other narrators.

I’m curious to see where book 2 will take the crew and am hopeful that there will be more character development and details about the relationships and interactions between the characters.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Solid Start.

A good start to what could be a great series.


This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom dot com.

Looking for more

What does Kevin Pierce bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He is one of my favorite narrators.

Any additional comments?

I hope book 2 comes out soon. I really enjoyed listening to this book. I received this audiobook for free through Audiobook Boom for my unbiased review.

An excellent and original Sci-fi masterpiece!

I'll keep this short; great plot, well written characters, and excellent narration! I dream of the day this becomes the next Martian or Guardians of the Galaxy and heads to the big screen! This is a great read for everyone!

Fun Space Sci-fi Adventure

I was unsure about this book until I was about an hour in. The overall story was well-written, engaging, and fun. There were enough plot twists and turns to keep your mind occupied trying to figure out just wat was going to happen next and who to good and bad guys really are.

A former military cargo ship pilot is tapped for a surprising assignment. He is to pilot the newest state-of-the-art ship in the company's fleet equipped with an advanced artificial intelligence (AI). Surprisingly enough, the AI even turns out to take a liking to him. When he gets only hours into his mission, however, he finds that he was chosen for a reason... To be the fall guy for an act of terrorism. However, there are plans within plans, and other members of the crew have both obvious and hidden agendas. There were enough plot twists, surprises, and turns in the story that I was impressed with the creativity of the writer.

The narrator did a good job with the book as well. I gave him 5 stars, but he was really closer to 4.5.

I think that just about all fans of space science fiction will appreciate this book at the very least. I would recommend it to most of the sci-fi fans I know.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the author, publisher, or narrator in exchange for an unbiased review. I was NOT required to write a positive review and this reflects my honest opinion of the work.

Many twists and turns

A very unpredictable plot and good character development. I enjoyed the story because there was nothing "cookie cutter" about it. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Decent, but that's all

It's an ok read, but didn't think it was all that, much less a masterpiece, inspired, thoughtful, etc. as reviewed... It does bear some similarities to Firefly/Serenity, but lacks the umphf, fluidity, or believability of characters as comparisons may indicate... The dialogue is often amusingly droll, and the pop culture references to things such as Star Wars, Star Trek, music, and the like are witty, well placed, and natural... Cole is a good character, but the others, and the AI thing are a smidge thin... Narration is average, and the product might have been improved w/ a better performance... All in all it's a light diversion that entertains, if not terribly sophisticated... Not sure if I'll follow the series or not...

Exciting Outer Space Adventure

What made the experience of listening to Icarus the most enjoyable?

I purchased this book not knowing the author but I am a dedicated SF fan and then I saw that Kevin Pierce did the narration. That sealed the deal.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Icarus?

This is a riveting story with well developed characters.

Have you listened to any of Kevin Pierce’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

One of my favorite narrators

An Enjoyable Light Read

Icarus: Interstellar Cargo was an enjoyable, light read. As a person who enjoys reading a lot in the genres of Sci-Fi and Fantasy, this book was a comfortable read, if sometimes predictable. That being said, I truly don’t intend any insult. On the contrary, Author Matt Verish has written a very good story with plenty of chracters and action to introduce his series. Based on book one, I would definitely try book two when it comes out on audio. In the mean time, Verish does have a fast paced, short story set in the same world as Icarus.

Narrator Kevin Pierce is a good pairing for this book. He has a distinctive sounding voice that I think works well.

Finally, this audio book was provided by the narrator at no cost in exchange for an honest review courtesy of Audio Book Blast.