Starships & Apocalypse

Volume One

Fiction - Anthology
311 Pages
Reviewed on 01/07/2022
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Andrew enjoys writing entertaining science fiction, playing games with his wife and children and relaxing with a beer or scotch whiskey.

Along with his two bird overlords, a mercenary cat, a gaggle of kids and a loving wife, Andrew lives in a town several hundred kilometres north of Sydney, Australia.

He currently writes science fiction for three separate projects:
The first is the Tales of Starships & Apocalypse, a short stories series dealing with immortality, adventures in space and desperate survival for cowardly heroes and brave villains who often find themselves in humorous, if deadly, situations. Just don't mention the fridge.

The second is the Shellworld Conflict Series, a novella-based science fiction series based around an alien 'Shellworld,' an artificial planet as large as the largest stars. On the inside, thousands more shells rotate, allowing countless quintillions of beings to live, play and fight there.

Third is the Persolus Race multi-author series, set in a universe where humans find themselves alone in the universe...

    Book Review

Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite

Starships & Apocalypse: Volume One by Andrew P. McGregor is a collection of stories covering different sub-genres under the science fiction label. Each story has a different take on triumph, grit, time travel, immortality, or simply people trying to exist. Some stories are bizarre, and even a little absurd (which I absolutely) loved. The stories range from a demon desperate to lessen his pain, a maniac genius exiled to the past on Earth, and even sentient combat armor that was mistreated by its owners. These are just some of the stories that left an impact on me, but there are many more that are just as fantastic and entertaining as you expect them to be.

While there are plenty of stories in this collection, my absolute favorite was Demon Dave. You don’t often come across an anti-hero like Dave and feel sorry for him. He was in excruciating pain, and the only way to relieve it was by eating humans. Fascinating and entertaining at the same time. Regardless of the length of the story, each of them was complete and concise. Readers get a perfect slice of life, even when the protagonist is slowly going insane while in solitary confinement. The pace differs from slow, fast, to absolute slow-burn, which gives a nice set of variety for readers to choose from. Each story is unique on a different topic and touches on almost every sub-genre in the science fiction genre in an exceptionally creative way. The characters are complete, rounded, and well-developed (which is surprising, considering that this is a short story collection). For fans of science fiction, this is the perfect travel companion.

K.C. Finn

Starships & Apocalypse Volume One is a collection of short stories in the science fiction genre. They are aimed at the adult reading audience and were penned by Andrew P. McGregor. The book contains eleven works of short fiction, each one working around the themes of a high concept science fiction world whilst exploring individual concepts and issues. Ranging from immortals trapped in time to a suit of armor that has learned to think for itself and everything in between, this book contains something for everyone.

This is an excellent collection of short stories that succeeds in telling a diverse set of tales whilst staying faithful to the book's theme of high-tech science fiction storytelling. The ideas behind each of the stories are exciting and engaging, with Andrew P. McGregor’s prose cutting straight to the heart of each of the characters at the center of each tale. As with all good science fiction, the fantastical elements were effectively used to explore universal themes such as loneliness, personal identity, and having to fight for one's place in the universe. Between them, the stories found room for horror, for humor, and for high concept discussion of the big ideas. Starships & Apocalypse is an essential addition to the shelf of a science fiction reader, with stories short enough to dip into in a single sitting but all deep enough and considered enough to have readers mulling over the themes and plots for weeks after finishing. I recommend this book to all fans of the genre.

Tammy Ruggles

Starships & Apocalypse Volume One, by Andrew P. McGregor, is an imaginative and entertaining collection of science fiction stories that will plunge you deep into alien worlds, space travel, heroes, villains, creatures, technology, and everything in between. Space opera is the perfect way to describe this body of work. You have drama, angst, fear, horror, suspense, and even humor at times. You'll find themes of survival, extinction, humanity at risk, and so many more. There is something here for every sci-fi fan, whether it be space battles or alien clones. I am partial to the clone idea, but you have such a wide array of stories and plots to choose from. Action abounds, conflict persists, and there is enough space drama to make Captain Kirk envious.

McGregor has a serious talent for science fiction, and it's more than simple imagination or coming up with something new. It's the natural way he writes about it as if he lives in these worlds and knows their ins and outs like he knows his own family or friends. The settings are amazing, the plots riveting, and pique the curiosity. There is some humor, which is always fun in space. The style and use of language, dialogue, and descriptions are very appealing and engaging, drawing you inside these worlds with ease. These are stories that you don't have to struggle to understand, but they do pack a punch at times and are capable of deep insight. I prefer the grittier ones and the ones that aren't predictable. As a sci-fi author myself, it's really hard to choose a favorite from this anthology, but "A Hard Shell" would have to be it. The idea of self-aware AI is irresistible. If you're looking for something fresh and lively in your science fiction, Starships & Apocalypse Volume One by Andrew P. McGregor is guaranteed to satisfy.

Vincent Dublado

Andrew P. McGregor’s Starships & Apocalypse is filled with fascinating speculative tales in the far future, where space travel has become common like an everyday commute, yet humanity still faces eternal basic human problems. Some are lighthearted and some are serious, and they can be immersive or gut-wrenching. It’s a mixed bag of themes that operate in the science fiction genre. Demon Dave, for example, is a nine-chapter novelette about an apocalyptic war that raises the question of how far we can hold on to our humanity. And then there is the story of Hard Shell. If you are into stuff like Iron Man and high-tech armored suits, this story will appeal to you. Life Sauce, on the other hand, is a situational story that appears to begin on a serious note yet ends in unpleasant toilet humor.

Do I love every story in Starships & Apocalypse? Not exactly. But I will admit to admiration when it comes to Andrew P. McGregor’s style and unlimited vision and imagination. Most of his stories are prophetic rather than fantasy. McGregor manages to hit you with truths, and it sustains the idea of us humans being restless creatures who continue to search for truth and meaning. This is an anthology that is meant to make you grin, think, and recoil. Not all the stories are nice, but all are thoughtful. ln a nutshell, many of these stories are entertaining enough to keep you engaged. I recommend this book to anyone who loves well-written short speculative fiction. McGregor certainly has plenty to offer—and this is just Volume One.

Natalie Soine

Starships & Apocalypse: Volume One is a collection of entertaining, science fiction short stories. Author Andrew McGregor shares his creative imagination through a variety of interesting characters such as Demon Dave, Duck Face, and an evil Fridge. A Captain sends Elias to an alien planet where he has to fight battles but while he is there, he discovers the answers to a secret that he never knew existed. Davious Goodspeed is the unfortunate companion to the wealthy Madame Elaine Amplebottom and her Light Chaser star-ship named Pretty Pebble that transports people around the universe. In this collection, communication is far easier as people and aliens share their thoughts without having to speak or write anything. Their fantastical abilities, gadgets, and equipment would certainly come in useful on our planet today.

Starships & Apocalypse: Volume One by Andrew McGregor is truly an unusual, intriguing collection of short stories. Each character has their own looks, abilities, and personality. They keep each story interesting as they travel through the universe and encounter strange places, creatures, and events. Andrew is a talented author with a wild imagination and creates fascinating stories filled with action and surprises along the way. I especially enjoyed the humor and fun, some of which make for a good laugh and others are bizarre from pet humans to animal aliens. There are three books in the series and I would love to read volumes two and three. All-round, a great read highly recommended to young and old.