Stellar Heir

Stellar Heir, Book 1

De: Scott Killian

Narrado por: Shamaan Casey

Jael Ked’Korhva hadn’t anticipated becoming the galaxy’s most wanted.

He hadn’t planned on picking up a strange alien artifact, either, but once it was clasped around his wrist, Jael was granted extraordinary abilities. His senses were heightened, his reflexes faster, and he could now regenerate from damage that would spell the end for others—abilities that would have been coveted even during his days as a warrior monk. Now, working as a scavenger, these powers were a boon, especially when forces from every corner of the stars wanted Jael’s artifact for themselves and would stop at nothing to get it.

What initially appears as an advantage swiftly transforms into a weighty charge. Yet, it's a charge Jael accepts without hesitation, understanding the catastrophic potential should the relic fall into the wrong hands.

Prodded onward by visions of an ancient ally and a mysterious enemy, Jael becomes a pivotal piece in a vast interstellar play of power and dominion in a galaxy on the brink of war.

A high-octane space opera that blends adrenaline-fueled martial arts with interstellar thriller, Stellar Heir is Mass Effect meets John Wick, perfect for fans of sci-fi like Sun Eater by Christopher Ruocchio or Skyward by Brandon Sanderson.

©2024 Salt and Sulfur, LLC (P)2025 Salt and Sulfur, LLC

this awesome

attention to do details is amazing. if you like space and sci-fi this is the book. the way that this are described outstanding. the story line keeps you engaged the whole time

His voice!

I could listen to Shamaan all day! His inflections were superb. Not too much and not too little.

Stellar Heir Shines Bright!

From the moment I hit play on Stellar Heir by Scott Killian, I knew I was launching into something special. Blending a coming-of-age journey with the high-energy twists of an interstellar chase, this audiobook had me buckled in for a wild ride across the galaxy. Think space opera meets LitRPG vibes, sprinkled with martial arts action and a dash of mystery—definitely my kind of adventure!

Jael Ked’Korhva, the hero at the center of this cosmic whirlwind, finds himself accidentally bonded to an alien artifact that instantly amps up his abilities. As he and his crew race through space, dodging threats and tackling side quests like seasoned gamers, the artifact reveals its secrets bit by tantalizing bit.

Author Scott Killian brilliantly sets up a galaxy rich with layered characters and complex backstories, and I especially appreciated how each reveal brought Jael closer to understanding himself and his purpose.

Narrator Shamaan Casey is a standout here, effortlessly shifting between voices for humans, aliens, and everything in between. His smooth, engaging delivery pulled me deep into Jael’s world, making every chase scene and heart-to-heart feel vivid and genuine. Listening to Casey narrate felt like traveling with an old friend—warm, familiar, yet full of fresh surprises.

While I would have loved a few more heart-pounding close calls to keep me guessing, the pacing and character depth more than made up for it. I particularly enjoyed the exploration of friendship, sacrifice, and how our past shapes our decisions—heavy themes handled with a perfect balance of heart and action. It’s the kind of story that reminds you how vital bonds with friends are, especially when you’re galaxies away from home.

If you’re craving a sci-fi adventure with heart, humor, and heaps of potential, Stellar Heir definitely deserves a spot on your listen list. I’m already eagerly waiting to see what Killian and Casey cook up next in this stellar saga!

A coming of age space tale

Steller Heir is a coming-of-age young adult space opera tale full of action, mystery, and chases across the universe. The story is authored by Scott Killian, who has one other Audible audiobook at the time of this review. This is the only story I have listened to by him as well. The audiobook’s narration is expertly performed by the wonderful Shamaan Casey, Mr. Casey continues to grow in his narration ability. He only gets better. The story feels like a space LitRPG as we observe the main characters maturing and needing to work together to solve their problems. A young group of salvagers stumble upon some discarded items in a derelict ship, yet one of the pieces attaches itself to our main character and from here the story takes many twists and turns as the assumed rightful owner of this piece of treasure will do almost anything to get it back in their possession. If you are a fan of young adult space tales, I would recommend you give this audiobook a listen.

Upon discovering this odd artifact and having it attach itself to Jael, he notices that the artifact elevates many of his physical and mental abilities. Sometimes this is discovered the hard way when facing a new opponent trying to retrieve the object for the previous owner. It is also a means by which the main character can communicate with an alien being who over time unwraps the main purpose of this object. From here, the story grows into a much more involved storyline and adventure. Many will go to any means and travel vast distances just to get the reward for this object that our characters had stumbled upon accidently. As with many good RPG-like adventures, our characters are sent on a few side-missions to retrieve an item before the NPC will provide them with the next steps in their journey and ultimate goal.

I felt that the author did a good job of building up the many characters and their backstories. They felt lifelike and multidimensional. These backstories were slowly presented to the listener via a few different flashbacks including some shocking information about Jael, his parents and his upbringing. Having his pet, many close friends and this monk martial arts training helped me to better understand him. I would have enjoyed a few more close calls for our main characters, but overall, the story had a good flow, pace and direction. It might sound like a small thing, but I did take note and wanted to give kudos as the author for using what I would call localized profanity instead of simply adopting English vernacular. Nothing upsets me more than when a society in the outreaches of space or a fantasy land has the same expletives as we do. I also found that the author crated a few unique creatures that were not simple science fiction tropes as well.

The author did a good job of bring in the importance of friendships and the dependance on them in times of trouble. Although the writing style and sentence structure felt simpler, there were some very well written parts. The story addressed the need for one to sacrifice for the good of all. As well, it delt with how one’s past emotions and the need for revenge can sometimes blind people to the purpose of their mission. Yet, Jael’s companions were always there to help and assist him in any way they could. Strong friendships and bonds were clearly portrayed in the story. Also, the main character’s ability to overcome past trauma and anxiety going back to his childhood were a part of the story as well. A bit more action and vulnerability would have made the story even better, but that is a very subjective thing.

About the audiobook’s narration, once again I have to say that I very much enjoy listening to Mr. Casey’s works. He has a smooth yet rich tone that brings the characters to life. His ability to voice many different types of characters from men, women, and even aliens and it all simply feels fluid and effortless. Yet, I know the level of effort that goes into professional audiobook recording, and I can say that his quality is right up there with the best. I have also listened to multiple different genres of books, and he puts the same effort into all his work. I do not recall any problems with audio involving artifacts such as pops, clicks, background noise, or plugs, which again shows his attention to detail and the importance of giving the listener the best quality audio he can.

For parents and younger listeners, there are a few references to alcohol use, some mature themes, and kidnapping. These are not overly emphases in the story but be aware that they exist. If one is easily offended by any of the above, please select a different audiobook. I would say that the story is more young adult in it writing style, so teen and above would be my recommendation.

In summary, I enjoyed the coming-of-age space tale, and the narration was of the highest quality. Although not a perfect story, it was paced well and the character development exceeded what I often see in the young adult genre. It will be interesting to see where the story goes from here as this is only book one in what I would assume to be a long running series.

Well Told Story, 1st in Series

The author wrote a very good 1st story to start off this Series. I enjoyed it very much and look forward to the next book in this Series when it becomes available on Audible books. Narrator does a Great job with keeping the story a page Turner and makes the characters lively.

Entertaining

Stellar Heir by Scott Killian is an amazing detective space Sci-Fi. Shamaan Casey is an amazing narrator, bringing the story to life. The story is entertaining, interesting, engaging, enjoyable, funny and action packed. The story is fast paced and keeps you on your toes. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Great SF adventure

Another really great book by Scott Killian, brilliantly voiced by Shamaan Casey. The Archons and Mortuum make great villains. The Mortuum are kinda gross but that's the point lol Looking forward to see where this goes in book 2

YA Sci-Fi

Some rough edges, but Stellar Heir is a reasonably well-paced and action-filled space opera that I think lands well in the young adult market for science fiction. It doesn’t have an overly complicated plot, but it was easy to listen to and a fun story to boot. The story follows Jael, a scavenger who stumbles upon a mysterious artifact, a gold and onyx bracelet that immediately binds to his wrist. It makes him awfully hard to kill and the most wanted man in the galaxy.

With the bracelet, he starts getting messages about the future of the galaxy, and it doesn’t look good. There’s something vast and evil trying to claw its way back into the universe, and Jael holds one of the keys to stopping them.

Along with his snarky sidekick, Goni (a kid-sized half-monkey type thing), they battle alien creatures in frozen wastelands and plenty of shipboard combat with gun battles and martial arts. Goni is probably my favourite character. Jael is your standard reluctant hero and saviour of the universe, and Goni is your standard snark-fuelled sidekick who mostly only looks out for himself but has a heart of gold and of course looks out for his friends.

Shamaan Casey, the narrator, gave Goni a gruff New York style voice and I think it fits his character perfectly. I’d quite enjoy a backstory just of his adventures! The banter between Jael and Goni is fun though and adds the feeling that they’ve known each other for years.

There’s a lot of action, and worth noting that being aimed at a young adult market the cussing is kept to clean alternatives. The only f-bombs being dropped are swapped out with “frax” or “fraxxing” – which keeps it clean while keeping the intent.

The narration by Shamaan Casey was smooth and professional, with no obvious retakes or background noises to distract you. My only minor quibble was his pronunciation of “viscount” (rhyming it with “discount” instead of the silent “s”), which stood out to me. I’m not sure if that’s a regional pronunciation, but it comes up a few times throughout and sort of bugged me… but I concede that’s possibly just a me thing! Not a big deal, just something that caught my ear.

Overall, this was a fun sci-fi story with lots of action and a straightforward plot. Well-paced with humour sprinkled throughout and space battles in and out of the star lanes. While it’s not the most groundbreaking sci-fi or reinventing the genre, it delivered what it promised.

Thrilling Coming Of Age Space Opera

Stellar Heir by Scott Killian is a coming-of-age, high-stakes interstellar adventure story. The story follows Jael Ked’Korhva, a former warrior monk turned scavenger, aboard the Zigzagunda. When he and his sentient humanoid simian, Goni, survey a space battlefield, he discovers an alien artifact, and his life takes an unexpected turn. Jael begins to have nightmarish visions of ghostly figures calling him the "chosen one" and providing him cryptic messages and instructions. The relic also gives him strange, extraordinary new abilities—heightened senses, accelerated reflexes, and remarkable regenerative powers—quickly transforming him into the galaxy’s most wanted individual.

The book has a diverse cast of characters, ranging from rogue mercenaries to enigmatic alien species. Protagonist Jael is intelligent, resourceful, and a skilled fighter. When he first discovers his newfound extraordinary powers and ability to communicate with alien beings, he is overwhelmed and terrified. But as the story unfolds, through experience in battles and the help of his comrades, he rises to the occasion and begins to understand the reason why he was chosen. The camaraderie between Jael and his eclectic crew adds depth to the narrative, with their interactions providing comedy and heartfelt moments.

Jael’s backstory is slowly presented through flashback scenes, revealing shocking information about his parents and his upbringing. Jael’s sidekick Goni is a very complex character who’s endearing and amusing. He proves himself to be a brave warrior in several scenes, but his unwillingness to follow orders makes him infuriating at times. The banter between Jake and Goni is filled with quips and witty comebacks that make their friendship special and add entertainment value to the story. The found family trope is strongly pronounced in the book, as Jael and his comrades look out for each other and have a strong mutual respect.

The story is fast-paced with a lot of entertaining dialogue and action-packed battle scenes. The world-building in this book is very expansive for a YA novel—readers are drawn into a universe with different species, spacecraft technologies, and complex political warfare. The cinematic action scenes are very descriptive and intense, often giving the feel of a “Star Wars” type movie in your mind!

In the first 20 percent of the book, the story jumps around a lot, introducing all of the diverse characters/species and establishing the world-building—if listening to the audiobook, it’s highly recommended to listen at a slower speed to fully grasp all of the world-building and keep track of the characters. Eventually, the storyline becomes more settled, but the pacing remains relentless throughout, making it difficult to put down. The story culminates in a cliffhanger ending that leaves readers eagerly anticipating what’s next for Jael Ked'Korhva in book 2, “Syndicate Moon”!

There is some mature content in this book, including alcohol use, violent battle scenes, and kidnapping, but overall the book is still suitable for YA readers. Aside from all the action and engaging dialogue, the story has some very powerful messages. Jael’s journey emphasizes that you cannot run from your past—the traumatic things that happen in one’s life eventually resurface to be resolved, paving the way for new challenges and ensuring that the same mistakes are not repeated. The book also has the vibe of a space LitRPG, where the characters work together to solve challenges and move on to new adventures.

Overall, Stellar Heir is a thrilling space opera with expansive world-building, memorable characters, and thrilling battle scenes. The book sets the stage for a potential epic series that could gain popularity with each new installment! With a large cast of characters and intricate storytelling, this is the perfect book to pair with its audiobook, superbly narrated by Shamaan Casey, for a fully immersive reading experience. Readers who enjoy action-driven sci-fi, rich world-building, and a wide range of characters will love this book and be eager to read book 2 in the series!