Exceptional novella in the Tall Boy Universe

Salvager is set in the “Tall Boy” universe that follows the exploits of the First Expeditionary Fleet (C-FEF) unit in their Mechanized Combat Rigs (MCRs). This novella however, looks at another aspect of the story, those that are on the ground, not doing the fighting, but trying to survive the war-torn planet that is left after the various units have fought over it. Salvagers follows young Bameron “Bam” Kold, who spends his days as a salvager on Vaux VI, near the Warren.
Bam’s companion is a construction robot that he calls Sketch, but Sketch is no ordinary construction robot, he has an illegal A.I. mod. A.I. is tightly controlled, with even the military not allowed to have access to full AI in the MCRs.
Bam’s days are spent trying to find bits of scrap from the many leftover bits of wreckage on the battlefields, so he can clean it up, and try and sell it for food or other useful things. He keeps Sketch’s true identity hidden. There are rules with regards to scavenging/salvaging – whilst it is frowned upon, the military and government (what there is of it), realise that it happens, and for the most part, they also recover bits of tech this way. But no one can go near a downed unit, whether MCR, aircraft, or anything else, if there are still any military personnel inside the unit, regardless of if they are dead or alive. If you are found near the unit by other military, you’re going to be shot on sight.
So, it is with great risk one day, that Bam approaches a downed aircraft that crashes right near him. He can see that no one is going to make it to the pilot in time to help them, and the craft is in a dangerous location. He decides that he has to check and see if anyone is alive, because if he doesn’t, they are going to die.
He finds a female pilot in the ship, just a few years older than him, not only alive, but pointing a weapon at him. Worse, she has seen Sketch moving in such a way that indicates he has autonomous, independent movement, something his model doesn’t have.
As a result of the crash, (you can read it), the pilot has to be rescued urgently, and Bam uses Sketch to do this.
What follows is where the story really takes off. Bam and Sketch realise that the pilot has made them. Whilst trying to work out a deal to both help the pilot, and keep Sketch safe, they find themselves caught up with some of the uglier denizens of the wastelands.
Bam and Sketch are separated, but a cross-over occurs here with the Tall Boys series, and Bam runs into some of the characters from that series as they are trying to deal with these unsavoury types (I don’t want to give away too much!).
There is some really exceptional writing in the following parts, the interactions and dialogue between Bam and the other major players is gritty and authentic, making this whole section utterly captivating.
This is a genre that has been done before obviously, but Moon has created his own unique world that is in-depth, incredibly detailed and compelling – you get totally absorbed into this savaged landscape as you wander through it with Bam in his MCR, accompanied by Sketch. Sketch is an artificial construct, and yet there is such a bond between them, and you really feel it. This is a clever and intelligent story, Moon does not disappoint.
If you have read any of the Tall Boy series, this is an absolute must, but even if you haven’t, then this is still a fantastic stand-alone story, or intro to the series. Regardless if you like Sci-Fi, dystopian, or Mech stories, there is something for everyone – but it shouldn’t be missed.
Connor Branagan is a really great Narrator, with a clear and concise voice, easy to listen to and understand. He does a range of male and female voices that are easy to understand, with distinct male and female voices so you can tell characters apart.
More importantly, Branagan provides the emotional context of the characters, bringing the story to life, so you know how the character is feeling (Happy, Sad, Angry, Elated etc), giving context to the words that he is reading. It adds so much extra to the story.
Branagan does a wonderful job of Narrating this story, making this absolutely worth listening to rather than just reading.

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