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Alex White
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A Bad Deal for the Whole Galaxy (The Salvagers Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Alex White (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 845 ratings
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The greatest dangers hide the brightest treasures in this bold, planet-hopping science fiction adventure series.

The crew of the legendary Capricious are rich enough to retire in comfort for the rest of their days, but none of it matters if the galaxy is still in danger.

Nilah and Boots, the ship's newest crew-members hear the word of a mysterious cult that may have links back to an ancient and all-powerful magic. To find it, hot-headed Nilah will have to go undercover and find the source of their power without revealing her true identity. Meanwhile, Boots is forced to confront the one person she'd hoped never to see again: her old, turn-coat treasure-hunting partner.
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  1. Book 2 of 3
    The Salvagers
  2. Print length
    432 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Orbit
  6. Publication date
    December 11, 2018
  7. File size
    3023 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fast, compelling, epic in scope, with stakes that just keep getting higher and tension that mounts and mounts to the breaking point. A Bad Deal for the Whole Galaxy is excellently paced, with engaging characters and worldbuilding that crams as much fun cool shit in as seems remotely possible. It's a deeply enjoyable ride. I recommend it and its predecessor heartily."―Locus

"White combines elements of magic and traditional space opera to create an intricate world laced with fascinating characters, expansive spaceships, and compelling settings."―Booklist

"[Fans of the TV show Firefly] will find a lot to love in this fast, funny, and wickedly smart series."―B&N Sci-Fi & Fantasy Blog

"A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe is perfectly paced, full of intense, inventive action and refreshingly honest characters. It's the seamless hybrid of fantasy and sci-fi that you didn't know you always needed. Do you miss Firefly? Do you want it back? Well, sorry, not gonna happen. But this book is damn close."―Nicholas Eames, author of Kings of the Wyld on A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe

"A clever fusion of magic and sci-fi makes this book a total blast. I was hooked from page one."―V. E. Schwab, author of the Shades of Magic series on A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe

"[T]his ambitious start...combines magic and space opera to create a fast-paced adventure with charismatic characters and formidable enemies in a realized universe of greed and power."―Booklist on A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe

"To call this book fast-paced or action-packed is underselling it. Buckle up, readers: this is a ride you won't want to get off until the end."―B&N Sci-fi & Fantasy Blog on A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe

"Racing! Treasure and smuggling! A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe is a gripping quest for justice among salvage and magic--I really loved it."
―Mur Lafferty, author of Six Wakes on A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe

"White's assured debut is an entertaining throwback with some fun worldbuilding and two great lead characters."―Publishers Weekly on A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe

"A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe is a rollicking fun ride. I enjoyed it a lot, and I'm looking forward to the sequel, A Bad Deal for the Whole Galaxy."―Locus on A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe

About the Author

Alex White was born and raised in the American South. They take photos, write music, and spend hours on YouTube watching other people blacksmith. They value challenging and subversive writing, but they'll settle for a good time.

Alex lives in the shadow of Huntsville, Alabama's rockets with their spouse, son, two dogs and a cat named Grim. Favored pastimes include Legos and racecars. They take their whiskey neat and their espresso black.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07BVPB56K
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orbit (December 11, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 11, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3023 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 845 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Alex White

Alex White

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Alex White was born and raised in the American south. They take photos, write music and spend hours on YouTube watching other people blacksmith. They value challenging and subversive writing, but they’ll settle for a good time.

In the shadow of rockets in Huntsville, Alabama, Alex lives and works as an experience designer with their spouse, son, two dogs and a cat named Grim. Favored past times include Legos and racecars. They take their whiskey neat and their espresso black.

Alex is the author of THE SALVAGERS book series (Orbit, 2018), a magical space opera treasure hunt, ALIEN: THE COLD FORGE (Titan, 2018)(yes, THAT Alien), and EVERY MOUNTAIN MADE LOW (Solaris, 2016), a dystopian Southern American yarn.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
845 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the story exciting, fun, and engaging. They describe the book as awesome and a great entertainment from start to finish. Readers praise the characters as rich, unique, and diverse. They also describe the pacing as good and fast.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

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Action storyEnjoymentCharacter developmentPacingPaceReadability
16 customers mention "Action story"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the story exciting, fun, and a good blend of sci-fi and fantasy. They appreciate the interesting universe and cool magic system. Readers also mention the book has a tighter plot.

"...of a sense of discovery in this one--but makes up for it with a tighter plot with a well-defined antagonist who's less nebulous than the mysterious..." Read more

"...one was still true here; the exciting story that has a thoughtful plot and isn't too talky, the characters that it's fun to spend time with even as..." Read more

"Good Scifi, good story and had me hooked on the first book. The second had to drift into the author's private political influence...." Read more

"This is a fun read. Lots of action, attaching characters and missions, with impossible odds. Looking forward to book three." Read more

9 customers mention "Enjoyment"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging, fun, and interesting. They say the plot keeps them invested and the book is awesome.

"...enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone looking for a fast, fun adventure...." Read more

"...40k, but the tone and theme is so much better, not lighter, but more interesting and living, breathing and .... realistic?..." Read more

"This is a fun read. Lots of action, attaching characters and missions, with impossible odds. Looking forward to book three." Read more

"This book is awesome. Great entertainment from start to finish. A detailed universe, compelling characters and nonstop action...." Read more

8 customers mention "Character development"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the characters in the book rich and unique. They appreciate the diverse cast and far-reaching enemies.

"...'s writing continues to be confident, his pacing strong, and his characters compelling...." Read more

"...The fact they wrote about quite a diverse cast and such far reaching enemies makes me all the more eager for the next in the series!" Read more

"This is a fun read. Lots of action, attaching characters and missions, with impossible odds. Looking forward to book three." Read more

"...Great entertainment from start to finish. A detailed universe, compelling characters and nonstop action. I could not put it down...." Read more

8 customers mention "Pacing"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the pacing of the book great. They also say it's a solid sequel, one of the best they've read in a while, and a thrilling ride. Readers also mention the book is unique and impossible to compare to anything else.

"...clearly and does not detract from the fast-moving plots and solid characterization...." Read more

"of a high quality series. These books are really unique and impossible to compare to anything else, the closes I can get in the worldbuilding would..." Read more

"This is a very solid sequel. It's a solid thrill-ride closing one open thread from the first book to another...." Read more

"An excellent continuation of the first book, which is a good story on its own...." Read more

5 customers mention "Pace"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's pace good. They say the book starts off fast and grabs their hearts right away. Readers also appreciate the well-timed exposition.

"...White's writing continues to be confident, his pacing strong, and his characters compelling...." Read more

"...Each character has a unique voice, and the exposition well timed without getting in the way...." Read more

"...This one started off fast and grabbed my heart right away...." Read more

"Good character development. Good pace. Interesting story. I have already ordered the next book in the series." Read more

4 customers mention "Readability"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book easy to read. They also appreciate the confident writing and strong pacing. Readers also mention the book is executed clearly and doesn't detract from the fast pace.

"...White's writing continues to be confident, his pacing strong, and his characters compelling...." Read more

"...-with-technology piece is not entirely compelling to me, but it is executed clearly and does not detract from the fast-moving plots and solid..." Read more

"...that makes the world come alive with detail and is clear enough to be easily understood...." Read more

"Easy read, fun escape." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Christopher Buecheler
5.0 out of 5 stars A fast, fun action-adventure that builds on the first book
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2018
Verified Purchase
The second book in Alex White's The Salvagers series lacks a bit of the, well, magic of the first--we already know the characters and the world, so there's less of a sense of discovery in this one--but makes up for it with a tighter plot with a well-defined antagonist who's less nebulous than the mysterious group the heroes were just coming to learn about in the first novel.

White's writing continues to be confident, his pacing strong, and his characters compelling. As I said in my review of the first book, he's clearly comfortable with this world and its rules. Now that he doesn't have to spend as much time introducing his readers to how things work, he can focus a bit more on the intricacies of the plot, the action, and the character development. This makes for a propulsive story that's easy to read but doesn't feel light or simple.

There are a few nits one could pick. The romance between two characters feels a bit rushed, in terms of how quickly their relationship has proceeded from fling, to something deeper, to something troubled, to a specific resolution. White has a peculiar reliance on the term "bloodred" (all one word, like that) which I found jarring to repeatedly encounter, but every writer, myself included, has those kind of quirks. The allegory with current US politics is sometimes laid on a little thick. Still, overall these are extremely minor issues and not worth knocking a star off, for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone looking for a fast, fun adventure. If "it's a space opera, except (almost) everyone in the universe is also a mage" sounds up your alley, this is a series you will absolutely enjoy.
2 people found this helpful
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Kat
4.0 out of 5 stars Space travel, magic, and gender fluidity
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2019
Verified Purchase
This is the second book in the series, and I'll read the rest as they come out. The whole magic-combined-with-technology piece is not entirely compelling to me, but it is executed clearly and does not detract from the fast-moving plots and solid characterization.

In this second book, Hill introduces the whole preferred-pronoun thing, with one character self-identifying as "ze" and another individual identifying as "they," as does Hill themself these days. I find this clumsy and found myself constantly translating to "she" and "her" to make sense of the sentences.

Hill has created an interesting fictional universe here, and it is clearly their right to populate it with as many genders as they wish. (Hill is an individual human being, just so we're clear, who chooses "they" instead of he or she to describe themself.) If this was a conceptual work where exploration of gender reality was central, I think it would work better. For a fast moving space-magic-opera yarn, for me it detracts. The question here, to which there is no correct answer, is whether Hill prefers to use their fiction to work out their own personal stuff, or to write fiction for the maximum enjoyment of others and to build a larger and ultimately more well-paying base of readers.
5 people found this helpful
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D. Provine
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent continuation of the first book, which is a good story on its own.
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2020
Verified Purchase
Everything I liked about book one was still true here; the exciting story that has a thoughtful plot and isn't too talky, the characters that it's fun to spend time with even as they have realistic points of contention with each other, the writing that makes the world come alive with detail and is clear enough to be easily understood.

Sometimes, a story has a continuation but no ending, or an ending but no obvious continuation. Alex White has deftly avoided both of those problems twice in a row: the story of this book comes to its end, while still being obviously part of a larger story.
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Dennis Rhodes
3.0 out of 5 stars Good Scifi, but author is trying to push a political view too much
Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2024
Verified Purchase
Good Scifi, good story and had me hooked on the first book. The second had to drift into the author's private political influence. I won't be continuing this series. Really tired of writers that apparently don't know English and the use of plural pronouns and a whole list of them that I wasn't taught in school.
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Dr H. Teph
4.0 out of 5 stars High quality ending
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2020
Verified Purchase
of a high quality series. These books are really unique and impossible to compare to anything else, the closes I can get in the worldbuilding would be 40k, but the tone and theme is so much better, not lighter, but more interesting and living, breathing and .... realistic?
Anyway, it is a experience unlike any other, just by the worldbuilding and throw in the characters and plot and it is really a marvellous yarn that is spun.
One person found this helpful
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beedyreader
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best sequels I've read in a while!
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2019
Verified Purchase
What an awesome sequel to the first book, Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe. Except there is even more action, fighting, magic and new and old characters to fall in love with! Definitely the best sequel that I have read in the last year or two.

Each character has a unique voice, and the exposition well timed without getting in the way. Their characters seem to make choices or take action rather than letting the force of the story pull them forward, which I truly relish and was glad to see. This book was skillfully woven together. Each unique character had a unique arc, and each arc varied in pace, tone, and length. The fact they wrote about quite a diverse cast and such far reaching enemies makes me all the more eager for the next in the series!
2 people found this helpful
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grenouye
4.0 out of 5 stars Good combination of magic and space operat
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2019
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This is a fun read. Lots of action, attaching characters and missions, with impossible odds. Looking forward to book three.
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Caitlin Bedford
5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2022
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This book is awesome. Great entertainment from start to finish. A detailed universe, compelling characters and nonstop action. I could not put it down. Don’t start this book if you are coming up on finals or have a big work project due. This book may cause procrastination while saying “one more chapter”
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Top reviews from other countries

Ren
5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than the first one!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 18, 2019
Verified Purchase
I loved A Big Ship At The Edge of the Universe (Book 1 in the Salvagers series) & this book got even better! The story got off to a running start, introducing even more magic tech, more high-stakes battles, deeper galaxy-level intrigue, and more action-packed cliffhangers. As with the first book, there’s a dense plot and some complicated worldbuilding — full of twists and double-crossing and revenge — but at the heart of it is a really, really great character story.

More so than the cosmic plot unfolding in the background, I loved seeing the characters and intimate relationships developing further, and getting to meet some new characters including an amazing & terrifying new villain. The Capricious crew have become a found family that truly love & support each other despite (& sometimes because of) their various quirks, flaws & questionable pasts. I can’t wait to see what they get up to next!
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Trolleymusic
4.0 out of 5 stars Very fun sci fi read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 7, 2019
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I bought this *immediately* after finishing the first book. Really fun premise with great characters. I’ve preordered the third book already 😬
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Louise
5.0 out of 5 stars Magical!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
Absolutely love these books, Alex White knows how to write a rip roaring adventure with feeling, imagination, excitement and suspense.
His characters are so well rounded with deep emotions and history that you are right behind them with every step they take through the story. So much so I don't think I have a favourite because they all have so many quirks and fascination about them that unlike many stories you don't miss each character as the storyline jumps around from each characters part.
The humour is great and very real, I especially associate with Boots` often cynical or misplaced humour.
Hoping the the next book is out soon!!!
This is a must read if you like blazing guns, cunning plans, high jinks and good character with web of the seat excitement and and high tech sci do with the unusual addition of magic!
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JC
3.0 out of 5 stars Is it me?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2020
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I know Alex White is American so maybe he's aiming his bad guy guns at Trump supporters but this feels like a sci-fi parody shot at Brexiteers on occassion. Absolutely nothing wrong with that but the book doesnt get to the level of the first one. The villains get more pantomime while the main good guys get more piratey which doesn't feel quite right. Sorry to be a bit negative but its enjoyable nonetheless. Three and a half stars would be fairer.
2 people found this helpful
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Gagan Kaur
5.0 out of 5 stars High stakes, scary villains and dramatic fight scenes
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 22, 2020
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This was such a fantastic second book. Full of action, high stakes, scary villains and dramatic fight scenes. I love the crew of the Capricious and it was great getting to know them better and seeing how their dynamic changes after the events of the last book. I love getting to see how their perspectives differ on what they are doing and the nuances of how their backgrounds affect them. I can't wait for the final book!
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