Stephen K. Stanford sets his fun romp in the far future when a political movement is slowly taking over planets. Col and his investigator partner Danee are sent to the lawless (think Las Vegas) artificial world out of phase with the galaxy, Jubilee(paper from Flame Tree Press) A politician's body has to be returned, and with the coroner on a drinking jag, they get a free three days. Unfortunately that’s enough time for the movement to have taken over Col’s hom planet, soon Both Col and Danee are soon fired, Col has his eye gouged out, and discovers that his wife is missing. Luckily there is help found in Jubilee and Col has a lot of talents at spy work\, James Bond style, Lots of fun. I wouldn't mind more adventures.

This was funny and with fantasy/scifi elements…It was filled plot and loads of characters to really like and hate. I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to Author Stephen K. Stanford, Flametree Press and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this epic space adventure 💫

Col is a soldier simply following orders when he and colleague Danee travel on a secret mission to the planet of Jubilee, run by the AI Douglas. Miraculously located 8 seconds in the future in a parallel universe, there are few rules and entrance is only possible via invitation... something the two of them have seemingly acquired via political channels.

But almost immediately, it's clear there is far more happening beneath the surface than they have been briefed on. Between the impossibly advanced technology, a fanatical galactic political movement, kidnapping, DNA altering, murder and an unexpected job offer, how will Col make it out alive?

I had great fun reading this book and trying to guess how each twist and turn would play out. Witnessing things unfold from Col's perspective (your classic street wise soldier) was quite interesting , especially when it involved matters of the heart, as he often said or did things in a way that only landed him in more hot water.

A perfect read for those looking for your classic space opera, with a heavy lean on future high tech and the implications this would have. I can't wait to see what else the Author comes up with in future!

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jubilee is a fast-paced, action-packed detective story with a very interesting setting of a lawless alternate space dimension but unfortunately one that I did not enjoy. I stopped reading it at the 40% mark because the crass writing style, tonal whiplash and the constant objectification of women was too much. I get that it supposed to emulate the vibe of the neo-noir detective novel but with some added humour but the characterisation lacked depth and the love-triangle situation was unpleasant to read about. The pacing was also much too quick for me as well, so many events would happen to the main character, and I would say some of these events were fairly traumatic, but unfortunately their impacts were never explored resulting in minimal character growth. Readers who like fast-paced action and adventure scifi might enjoy this one more.

Imgur link goes to Instagram graphic scheduled for Feb 4th
Blog post goes live Feb 18th
Will be covered in January reads pt 2

TL;DR - Not for me but some will enjoy it. A questionable (cheating) main character with a simplistic writing style and all over the place plot. Stay for the mystery, maybe not the characters?

This one had me excited, but unfortunately it went sideways very quickly. This follows Col and his partner as they go to the equivalent of Vegas in space, Jubilee. There a politician has supposedly died and they are to fetch the body. Unfortunately things go sideways on their return. The political landscape has changed, they are framed for the murder, and Col’s wife has gone missing. Thus begins the ‘romp’ of the story. Col returns to Jubilee where he’s made quick friends of the AI that runs the place and they begin a wild mission to find his wife and upset the new political landscape.

My biggest issues with this were primarily the characters. The writing was simple, yes. But the character of Col annoyed the piss out of me. Not only was everything VERY easy for him, but he spent the entirety of the book cheating on his wife? And in a very obvious, everyone could tell way that had me just going ‘wtf’? Additionally the women, though in the story, had very little to add. For a book that focused on the women, they were little more than boobs and sex objects.

This seems to have found it’s audience based on a lot of reviews but it really wasn’t for me.

2 out of 5 mobiles

4 Stars!

Jubilee by Stephen K. Stanford did not look like a book that would normally draw my attention. With a cover reminiscent of a comic book, the book did not immediately speak to me. I decided to give it a read since it was from Flame Tree Press and I have to say that I am happy that I gave it a chance.



When Detectives Col and Danee are sent on a mission to retrieve the body of a prominent politician, it seems like a mundane assignment on the surface. It would be just that, however, except for where they need to go to retrieve the body. Jubilee is a planet that exists in its own dimension. It has become the equivalent of Las Vegas and the Wild West in the galaxy, a place where anything goes and where ones best dreams or worst nightmares can come true. Trips to Jubilee are always eventful, especially when it is to retrieve a body that may have more secrets in death than in life.



The Detectives soon find out that all is not as it seems on the surface. When they return from Jubilee, they find their entire world has changed. A universal political movement, The Movement 4 Morality (M4M) is spreading across the galaxy. Although they may preach morality and good deeds, they M4M will do whatever it takes to gain more power. Col and Danee soon find themselves on a world-hopping adventure to try to uncover a wide conspiracy that could enslave the galaxy shortly after it ends their brief lives.



Jubilee is, quite frankly, a bit of a mess. Stanford gives us a space opera that jumps from world to world with abandon and with a speed that can leave the reader’s head spinning. There are times when the story seems to make little sense with its pseudo-politics/pseudo-religion undertones mashing up against the action and leaving me wondering what was really happening. The story then shifts once more and it all does not really matter anymore. I am not really sure how to best describe this novel with any type of coherent terms. it is a book that truly has to be read to be believed.



If I were to sum up Jubilee in one word, it would be “fun.” This novel is just a lot of fun to read. I was sometimes left scratching my head and sometimes a bit confused as to how we had gotten here, but at no point was I not entertained. Jubilee reads like a B-movie science fiction story that is just pure entertainment as long as you do not think about it too hard. Stanford keeps the story moving along at a breakneck pace and I just could not get enough. There are some real leaps of faith to keep the story going, and the reader will have to exercise more than a little suspension of disbelief to overlook some of the rougher points of the story, but on the whole, the novel is just a very fun read. Jubilee is a breath of fresh air in a genre that seems too often stuck in a pattern of dense stories that tend to take themselves too seriously. Jubilee is just one hell of a ride through a galaxy of excitement and intrigue. Strap on your rocket pack and get ready for the ride of your life!



I would like to thank Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for this review copy. Jubilee is scheduled to be released on February 13, 2024.

Thank you, NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for an eARC copy of this in exchange for an unbiased, honest review!

In full honesty, I DNFed this book rather early on, but that’s because I really hated being in the main character’s head, the story wasn’t adding anything new, exciting, or interesting to a sci-fi setting/mystery story, and for lack of a better term: I got the ick.

The main character wastes no time at all commenting on the attractiveness of women around him, clocks the brothels in his immediate vicinity as soon as he lands in Jubilee despite being married (if his was a situation that included polyamory/open relationships: great. But it’s clear that it doesn’t and he briefly mentions tremendous guilt over lusting after his partner, so it felt gross and I didn’t really want to watch a character cheat and agonize over it for any more pages).

The A.I. character’s purpose as a plot device was unclear and its voice was grating. And while there was opportunity to showcase a really cool alternate reality sci-fi world, the story spends the first 50 pages giving backstory (on the MC’s previously happy marriage?? Weird choice when he cheats on her a couple pages later) and having the characters experience zero gravity (which felt boring because: space).

It’s a short story, but I really disliked the voice and where the plot was going; I unfortunately found it sexist and unexciting.

This hits so many things I tend to like in sci-fi, so I was disappointed to not have enjoyed it more. I know plenty of readers would like it, but for me it never really hit the mark. I never connected to the characters or the story, and it got more serious than I expected when this is described as being a fun read.

Note: arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for honest reviews

When Col and Danee shift out of normal space into a parallel universe, free from government jurisdiction or control, their mission should be simple enough. Law enforcement officers, they’ve come to Jubilee, the free-for-all galactic pleasure garden, to take possession of a corpse and return to their planet. Unfortunately, they are met with some technical difficulties, given an exclusive hotel room for the night, and wined and dined as only that locale can offer. It’s not the cesspit some believe. In fact, the Jubilee experience can cater to whatever passions you bring. Want to lose your inhibitions about gambling, drink, drugs, or sex? You can. Want to have a day in near-Zero G, bouncing around and having fun? You can. Want to indulge in the simple decadences of exquisite food and lovely wine? You can do that to. This is Col’s first visit to the place, and while he’s there he even gets a security team job offer from the AI in control of the place. He’s happy with his current role, thanks, but he promises to keep it in mind.

When they finally arrive at their home planet to find much has changed in the two days they’ve been away. The Movement 4 Morality (M4M) group has secured power on their home planet and are applying a tight control over the various branches of government and enforcement. Soon enough, Col and Danee are on the run, dodging torture and threats alike, and making their way back to the one safe port—Jubilee. There, they will work with Jubilee’s AI Douglas to devise a plan to outmaneuver the M4M, recover Col’s wife Sana from servitude to the sinister M4M leader, and possibly smash the oppressive M4M by ferreting out its dirtiest secrets. To do so may require DNA modifications, ferreting out a hidden LAI (Large Artificial intelligence), outwitting a psychotic chairman, and dodging true believers and tormentors alike.

Stephen K. Stanford’s science fiction novel Jubilee is a space opera romp that effectively balances light adventure with some dark consequences. At the novel’s beginning (following a cheeky “translator’s note” from the far future), we find ourselves in the hands of a point of view character who is unafraid of sharing his awestruck moments at the possibilities of Jubilee’s strangeness and excesses. Soon enough, the novel gets pulled out of the gee whiz future speculations into much more grounded issues about the grimdark side of legislated morality and totalitarian control, which includes the protagonist losing a body part in a moment of pure body horror. However, the text’s “translator” also breaks the fourth wall just before it happens, inviting a page turn for those who would prefer not to see such material.

In fact, there are a few moments where such intrusions occur, and they are cleverly utilized and never gratuitous. Folks who don’t mind delving into darker regions can carry on, but those who’d prefer not to be triggered can read the book with little worry about hitting on their personal squirm buttons. The writing is generally clever stuff, applying some intriguing references to quirky and comic sf of the past (I noted sections that might have been offering nods to such fare as Red Dwarf and the TTRPG, Tales of the Floating Vagabond) as well as staid entries in the genre (this book evokes and plays with almost as many permutations of society as Haldeman’s The Forever War) but an awareness of such influences is unnecessary in appreciating the wit and ideas at play in the story itself. The book is self-contained, with clear beginning, middle, and end but there is a wealth of material the author might exploit for future books.

Where Stanford’s book offers the best surprises is in how quickly things can change and how much ground the prose can cover in relatively short order. By the time we hit the middle of the book, the characters are familiar, but the situations are a far cry from where we started. There are numerous twists, not only in the plot but in terms of where our characters go and how they wind up.

Jubilee is the sort of book that will please both regular readers of non-intrusive space opera adventure as well as those looking for the pointed social critiques of the coolest New Wave sf. And which is as entertaining a look at human foibles as any crime novel written by Elmore Leonard. Stanford’s writing is infectious, readable stuff. Ideas and action flow nicely, the characters pop, the situations veer from light to dark and back again with ease, and the book balances beach read readability, grit, and satiric punch.
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Special Thanks to NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I rarely DNF a book, but this book was not my cup of tea. I tried reading it a few times, but sadly, I just don't connect to it in any way. I do think that there are plenty of people who would enjoy this, though. Giving 3 stars, as it may be a good book, but just not my type of book.

Action packed fantasy thriller. Nice plot, humour and interesting characters. For me the pace slowed a little in the middle of the book, but I was glad I continued reading right to the exciting end. Thank you to Flame Tree Press and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine freely given.

Stephen K. Stanford creates a great scifi mystery novel, it really shows how good the genre can be. I enjoyed the characters and that the mystery worked well overall. Each character worked together with the world and it was a joy to read.

There are some clever ideas in Stephen Stanford’s Jubilee, as well as characters you can be sympathetic towards. For all the current tropes, however, I found the book curiously old fashioned, with some Golden Age sensibilities. I also found the first-person narrative to have a simplistic tone, which kept me from really engaging with the book. Pleasant and diverting bot no more.

Sci fi with grimy characters, a love triangle, and cheek and sass to spare. The ending felt a little rushed to me but it was a great read.

Jubilee
By Stephen K. Stanford
Thanks to Netgalley, for the ARC copy for an honest review.
'Jubilee' was full of action and fun. It is a great sci-fi action adventure with a bit of romance and would really recommend it. I am not really into the love triangle trope but it didn't really bother me so much in this novel.
Rating: 4 Stars

Fun read with great action. The love triangle felt a bit forced at times and didn't add any tension, but otherwise didn't detract from the story too much.

3.5/5

I’m conflicted about this one. “Jubilee” is undeniably an imaginative sci-fi adventure that I mostly enjoyed. However, I have a few reservations, particularly with the ending, which didn’t quite resonate with me, hence my decision not to rate the book higher. But it changes little; it’s an engaging book, with excellent futuristic ideas, solid characters, and explosive action.

Detectives Col and Danee embark on a hastily arranged mission to retrieve the body of a prominent conservative politician who, it seems, got naughty on Jubilee. They quickly discover that the body has been swapped, and the deceased’s identity will bring even more trouble. As the situation gets more complicated, an unexpected bond forms between them. Which is tricky since Col is already married and will need Danee’s help in rescuing his wife.

The adventure combines scientific intrigue, imaginative twists, and a touch of romance. Things get crazy. In other words, don’t let my rating stop you from giving it a chance. My reservations revolve around the ending, which, while not to my personal liking, is likely to appeal to the majority of readers.