Book Review: Hard Luck Harry in Deadtime, by F.A. Corporan and S.E. Bryan, published by Black Rose Writing of Texas (expected publish date in September 2025)

I was given an Advance Reader Copy of Hard Luck Harry in Deadtime and asked to do an honest review.

When Earth is made uninhabitable through human folly, Mars is colonized. Wherever humans go, so go their natures, good, bad, and ugly. Tyrants arise and joust for power, exploiting people, places, and things. Villains vying for complete control – some control is never enough for these types – include Solomon Fiske, the son of a ruthless mob boss who now calls the shots; Senator Moss, a decrepit, corrupt politician in search of the fountain of youth; and the Feds, trying to keep power in the hands of the government.

All bad guys have their paid enforcers. Fiske has Mr. English, Baxter Parish, and Preston Marlowe. Senator Moss wheels and deals to get what and who he wants through coercion, extortion, etc. Enter Hard Luck Harry, a cast-off Mech(anoid) now working as a Bounty Hunter for The Peoples Republic of Mars Feds.

Harry is in rough shape after crawling his way out of a junk heap. His operating system, named Link, is on the fritz, and he needs it tweaked before he dies. Luckily he knows a cybersurgeon and just needs to come up with funds for the parts.

The story revolves around triangulation, manipulation, and frequent all-out brawls between the power players and their paid minions. Of course, innocent people can and do get hurt along the way. Those include geneticist innovator, Dr. Rosewood, and his daughter, Alexia, aka Lex.

When Dr. Rosewood goes missing, Lex hires Harry to find him.

There is so much to like about Hard Luck Harry in Deadtime. The cover art is perfect, as it sets a visual beyond the words in the reader’s mind of the two main characters. I appreciate the creativity of the names of everyone and everything. I enjoy the fast pace, where there’s always something happening. There are many detailed fight scenes between skilled combatants. I appreciate the way the authors are not afraid of using big words. The plot is intelligent and scientific-minded and includes science fiction, a lot of which may not be so far into the future. Descriptions of mechanisms and procedures are meticulous.

Aside from that, there are excellent character studies in it. There is a flashback about villain Solomon’s childhood that explains why he may be the person he is. Harry’s existential anguish about life, the universe, and everything is very well-done.

The support network of characters are also varied and well-developed.

If you enjoy intelligent science fiction writing that is action packed but also has a tender heart at its center, Hard Luck Harry in Deadtime is the book for you. I hope that this is just the first of many Hard Luck Harry (and Lex) stories.