The Merry Band of Pirates races across the galaxy to combat a threat to Earth, while the UN Navy seeks allies in the fight against aliens. The story balances humor, action, and intrigue as characters navigate escalating stakes and ethical dilemmas.

Reader Review Summary

"Breakaway" is the latest thrilling installment in Craig Alanson's beloved Expeditionary Force series. Once again, Alanson delivers an incredibly entertaining and action-packed sci-fi adventure featuring the witty and irreverent duo of Colonel Joe Bishop and the wisecracking AI Skippy.

What makes this book, and the series as a whole, such a tremendous joy is Alanson's masterful blend of humor, suspense, creative sci-fi concepts, and well-developed characters that readers have become deeply invested in. The banter and chemistry between Joe and Skippy remains an absolute delight, providing endless laughs as they face overwhelming opposition. R.C. Bray's phenomenal narration brings their hilarious exchanges to life perfectly.

In Breakaway, the stakes are higher than ever as the aliens have triggered an extinction-level event by creating a cloud that will freeze the Earth. This existential threat provides an awesome backdrop for Bishop, Skippy, and the crews of the Valkyrie and Dutchman to unleash a barrage of crazy, over-the-top plans to take down their powerful enemies. The never-ending ingenuity and determination of the human characters is inspiring and often had me cheering out loud.

Alanson has deftly expanded the series' universe by focusing more on the various alien races and organizations like the Mavericks and Alien Legion. These new perspectives add intriguing depth and worldbuilding. The Ethics & Compliance Office plot line exploring the moral implications of humanity's actions is particularly fascinating. Longtime fans will relish all the rewarding character growth and mythos expansion.

While a couple reviews mention the book having some filler or pacing issues, the vast majority are extremely positive. Readers rave about the perfect balance of humor and high-stakes action, the clever solutions to vexing problems, and how the story still feels fresh this many books in. You can sense their admiration for Alanson's commitment to avoiding narrative stagnation and constantly raising the stakes.

With Breakaway, Craig Alanson has delivered another wildly entertaining entry in one of the best sci-fi series around. Balancing laugh-out-loud moments with nail-biting suspense, while continuing to evolve the overarching story, he keeps readers enthralled and desperately awaiting the next book. Breakaway is an absolute must-read for fans of the series and sci-fi lovers in general.