The Battle of Serenity Valley was the turning point that led the Independents to their defeat at the hands of the Alliance. Yet the Browncoats had held the valley for weeks against all odds, before being ordered to lay down their arms. Command stated they refused to send in airpower because the ground war was “too hot.” But the soldiers who were there insist that was not true…

While picking up a new cargo on Persephone, Captain Malcolm Reynolds is kidnapped by a bunch of embittered veteran Browncoats who suspect him of sabotaging the Independents during the war. As the rest of the crew struggle to locate him, Mal is placed on trial for his life, fighting compelling evidence that someone did indeed betray them to the Alliance all those years ago. As old comrades and old rivals crawl out of the woodwork, Mal must prove his innocence, but his captors are desperate and destitute, and will settle for nothing less than the culprit’s blood.

Firefly #1: Big Damn Hero (Amazon US) (Amazon UK) (Audible Original) (AbeBooks) is the first original novel trying into the short-lived but much loved science fiction TV series Firefly. I was a fan from the beginning, because I was a fan of Nathan Fillion from Two Guys and a Girl, an ABC comedy that also starred a very young Ryan Reynolds. I was among those that loved the show, confused that FOX aired the episodes out of order, and sad it quickly disappeared halfway through the TV season. But, like many others, I bought the series on DVD and the following grew and grew until the movie Serenity was made to tie up loose ends.

This is another space adventure featuring Malcolm Reynolds and his crew in the spirit of Josh Whedon’s cult classic TV Series. More stories about the best space cowboys out there? I’m in. I do have to say that narrator James Anderson Foster just about nails the Malcolm voice.

Former Browncoats kidnap Reynolds and put him on trial for sabotaging them during the war against the Alliance. No one from his crew knows where he is, and the story alternates between Malcolm and the crew’s point-of-view. As with some other series like Star Trek and Star Wars, the fiction works can be hit or miss when it comes to conveying the same feel as the original. For me, this book was great on dialogue; I really felt the author nailed the characters and how they talked. However, the book lacked the action associated with an episode of Firefly. What fans of the show and movie love to see is a shoot-out or two in every episode; that’s part of what made the space western so great.

What was great was revisiting some of the characters I grew to love during the TV show’s short run. If you’re a fan of Firefly, check it out for the nostalgia. After all, it’s been more than 20 years since the show was on the air, but it lives on forever in fans’ hearts and minds.

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