This one was a really fun read, think Mickey7 meets Enemy Mine. Human Dalton Greaves is sent to convince an alien species called minarchs (pictured in my head as giant centipede things) to join up with his intergalactic gang, Unity, instead of the rival Assembly. Misunderstandings and hilarity ensue.
4.5/5 stars

From the publisher: Dalton Greaves is a hero. He’s one of humankind’s first representatives to Unity, a pan-species confederation working to bring all sentient life into a single benevolent brotherhood. That’s what they told him, anyway. Part first contact story, part dark comedy, and part bizarre love triangle, The Fourth Consort asks an important question: how far would you go to survive?

The Fourth Consort is one of my favorite books of 2024. (I know, it doesn’t come out until 2025, but I read an advance reader copy.) It was fun to read, and I really had no idea what to expect. I stayed up late into the night reading it, something I haven’t done in some time. Both the main character and the characters around him surprised me. Some of the plot twists also surprised me.

This is not what I’d call an action story. It’s a character study. The main character is a human, stuck on a planet with a race of sentient and intelligent insects. Dalton works for a consortium that evaluates intelligent life. Also on the planet is an individual from a different insect species that also represents a consortium evaluating intelligent life. The two consortia are rivals. The AI translating the various languages is sarcastic and not always helpful. The climactic battle to rescue Dalton takes place off stage and doesn’t quite end the way one might expect. Dalton is a military veteran of two combat tours who received three Purple Hearts, and he is very thoughtful about how much fighting and killing is really necessary. He is also grieving and battling PTSD.

Other readers may compare The Fourth Consort to other stories, but I found it fresh and engrossing. If I were to compare it to anything, it would be to the feel of the best of Star Trek. It’s morally very thoughtful. It’s so nice to read something hopeful every now and then. Ashton’s Mickey7 comes out as a movie in 2025; I hope a movie version of The Fourth Consort is also in the works.

I read an advance reader copy of The Fourth Consort from Netgalley. It is scheduled to come out on February 25, and the Galesburg Public Library will own it in multiple formats.

I definitely recommend this book. It was an unusual book. It started off rather slow and dull, but I kept going. I hate to not finish a book. But Greaves started to grow on me. He seemed to have no direction at the start and then he grew and matured as the story went along. The concept of honor and the alien who was trying to stop Greaves' side in the conflict was interesting. Greaves is forced to look at honor and how he treats others. The different society which Greaves is forced into changes him.

There is humor along the way. Greaves' translator computer is funny and snarky. His partner, Neera, is no nonsense, greedy, and deadly and puts him in tough situations. Greaves, who just wants to go with the flow, ends up in all sorts of problems.

I really enjoyed the book and am glad I kept reading. I now want to find more books by Ashton.

As a big fan of Edward Ashton’s work, I was excited to dive into The Fourth Consort, and it did not disappoint. Ashton delivers a gripping blend of expertly written action, intriguing characters, and science fiction concepts that are both imaginative and accessible. The pacing is tight, and every scene crackles with energy, keeping you fully immersed from start to finish.

One of Ashton’s strengths is his ability to balance thrilling action with clear, straightforward explanations of the science and technology driving the story. Whether he’s describing futuristic tech or alien environments, the concepts are presented in a way that’s easy to grasp without slowing down the narrative.

The story itself is packed with twists, high stakes, and moments of genuine emotion, making it a standout in the genre. Ashton has a knack for crafting characters you root for, even in the direst of circumstances. The Fourth Consort combines the best elements of sci-fi and action into a page-turner that’s impossible to put down.

If you’re a fan of thought-provoking yet accessible science fiction with plenty of heart and adrenaline, this book is a must-read. Edward Ashton proves once again why he’s one of my favorite authors in the genre.

Dalton takes a leap of faith and finds himself on another planet, acting as a diplomat (sort of) for the group Unity, which is led by the alien race that once invaded his world. At least, that's what he thinks his mission is all about. As he navigates this strange new reality, Dalton's journey is anything but straightforward. His pilot and boss is a giant snail, and his colleague Neera, a highly skilled and experienced operative, seems to despise him from the very beginning. The hostility between them makes every diplomatic encounter tense and unpredictable.

Dalton's confusion deepens when he meets a diplomat from the Assembly, a rival faction that claims to be working to bring peace and unity to the galaxy. The Assembly seems to represent the opposite of Unity's mission, yet the lines between enemy and ally blur as Dalton learns more about both groups. The Assembly's diplomat appears to be genuinely committed to galactic harmony, which leaves Dalton questioning his role and whether he is truly on the right side of this conflict.

As tensions rise, the fragile balance between the two groups is shattered. The Assembly and Unity ships end up in a catastrophic standoff, leading to mutual destruction. In the chaos, Dalton suddenly finds himself stranded on an alien planet. He is welcomed by the local inhabitants in bizarre and mysterious ways, and before he knows it, he agrees to something that appears to make him the consort of the planet's Female President.

The role of consort is far from clear, and Dalton is thrust into a labyrinth of alien customs and political intrigue. What exactly does a consort do? How can he navigate the treacherous landscape of alien politics, where every gesture and word carries weight and significance he doesn’t fully understand? And why do the locals keep ominously referring to the first consort being devoured?

With its blend of humor, suspense, and intergalactic intrigue, this book takes readers on a rollicking, fun adventure that is truly out of this world. If you're looking for a story filled with unexpected turns, complex characters, and an imaginative setting, "The Fourth Consort" is a journey you won't want to miss.

#stmartins #thefourthconsort #edwardashton

i DIDN't expect to like this nearly as much as I did, but this one was a total wild ride with some awesome, well-done charactrers and twists. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

This was so much fun! Exactly the type of easy to get into, funny, witty and interesting sci-fi I was expecting from Edward Ashton, who is rapidly getting into my list of automatic buys for sci-fi novels. I'm excited to see what he comes up with next!

I love when sci-fi is done so well that it can appeal to the masses and particularly to those readers who are typically adverse to the genre. The Fourth Consort absolutely hit that mark for me. It was entertaining, intriguing, and exciting. It took place in an unnamed future and technology had advanced in a way that wasn't explained - and I was here for it. Ashton didn't bog us down with technical jargon or unnecessary explanations. In fact, he jumped right into the story and let the story speak for itself. It was marvelous!

I loved how the plot and characters developed. We got flashbacks of Dalton's former life on Earth and how he came to be a space traveler. We also learned of prior missions, a few other worlds, and the overall goal of the current mission throughout the course of the book. This information was provided naturally and without sidelining or derailing the main plot. The execution was flawless.

As someone intrigued by sociology and psychology, this book incorporated many of those elements. Learning the culture of another species and world, their behaviors, and hearing of their customs was fascinating. I liked the technological aspects included with the translators and the weapons and I appreciated even more that while they existed, we weren't inundated with exactly what they were or how they came to be.

While this novel was certainly sci-fi and set in some unknown future, it really didn't feel that far off. Maybe it won't happen in my lifetime, but I can totally see a Boreau coming to our planet and facilitating interstellar travel. I can absolutely envision a Neera and Dalton infiltrating the Minarch's planet and learning their customs and "saving" their peoples from demise.

Overall, The Fourth Consort was excellent. A great story, well-laid out plot, and good writing. I absolutely recommend. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the copy.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC. I honestly expected way more humor from this book. The characters were also pretty boring. This book was just not for me.

Being a representative of humanity to a remote planet isn't all it's cracked up to be. Particularly when your partners seem to be less than civil-minded and have other things on their mind besides friendly relationships. What's the real goal on this strange planet? It certainly doesn't seem to be a friendly alliance.

An interesting take on the "us vs them perspective", The Fourth Consort follows an interplanetary explorer on a mission to make first contact with alien civilizations. His mission leads to a number of misadventures with an insect-like species named the minarchs that leave him wondering whether the life he knows is all there is. This is a standalone book but left more than enough room for future installations if the author wishes.

I ‘ve enjoyed all of Edward’s books. 4th consort just as enjoyable as all the Mickey books. Space opera with memorable characters. Hope to see this story blind continue. Good descriptions but fun contest would be what us readers really feel everyone looks like .5of 5

I love alien stories, and I love first contact alien stories in particular - so when this also added "bizarre love triangle" in the mix I was hooked immediately. Unfortunately, there was neither "love" nor "triangle" in any shape or form - but thankfully still plenty of aliens and first contact shenanigans.

Content warnings include: death, injury, borderline slavery/loss of autonomy.

Despite all of the base hooks appealing to me, I was a bit wary of this as I was quite underwhelmed by another book by the author, Mickey7. I'm happy to say though, I enjoyed The Fourth Consort much more, though I can also see similarities in the author's style that are not my favourites.

I am not the biggest fan of flashbacks. This book had plenty, though they were (thankfully) kept rather short. They also made sense and tied directly into what was happening in the story, mostly at least (though I could have done without quite a few of them). I still wish the storytelling had been more linear overall.

The character work was quite weak. None of them really felt deep or truly fleshed out. I had no clue about the true motivations or feelings of any of the characters. Even the protagonist, Dalton, was sort of nothing - which, to be fair, is also a personality trait, I suppose. If nothing else, he was brave.

Unfortunately, that lack of character depth lead to a narrative that felt emotionally removed from the characters and events of the story. To be fair, that worked well with the comedic parts and tone of the writing, so maybe that was the intention all along.

While there is humor, I wouldn't say this is a funny book. It's mostly situational comedy, putting a human context on alien situations. Personally I found it almost too comical to the point of being distracting - I think that was at least partially because I find the subject matter of first contact stories and exploring alien cultures, combined with political intrigue and diplomatic negotiations so interesting. So to approach all that in a less than serious matter wasn't my favourite - or rather, I just wanted more from all of it. Instead, what I got only just scratched the surface.

I still enjoyed all those aspects of the story, as well as the plot twists, though I also would have enjoyed more of it. That said, I think some central aspects were criminally underutilized.
A small example is the sentient translator chip in Dalton's ear, which sometimes gives snarky commentary. It could have been used for so much more cool things!
A much bigger and more crucial example: the whole consort business. I still have no clue what exactly the purpose of it all was. Without going into too much detail or giving too much away, Dalton is simply declared consort of the head-alien, but there is no why or how or really what that even means, other than vague surface level "here are your new quarters" kind of stuff.
(I also wished the other consorts had been more relevant as characters, but alas, not like any other characters got more attention.)

What bothered me the most about this book was that it definitely was not an alien romance - that is fine! - but it almost sort of pretends that it is? But it reads like it also did not want to commit to that. I did not really expect a romance going it, and there was none, but some details almost made me think there would be some. I think the most egregious example both for that romance part, as well as the lack of commitment to is, is that at multiple points in the book the word "partner" is used... just to be switched to "friend" in the last chapter. The switch is not explained, but it's implied that it is because the sentient translator got better at translating over time. I found that almost cowardly, like come on, just commit to the bit at this point, don't chicken out! (Full disclosure though, I read an ARC so the choice of words may be subject to change in the final copy.)
On the other hand, the previously mentioned weak characters applied to the not-love interest as well, as well as to the relationship between him and Dalton, so maybe it was for the best. I would have loved to see more of their relationship, or even a second book about them, but this is advertised as a standalone.

Ultimately this is a fun, fast-paced alien first-contact adventure with dominant comedy elements and surface level intrigue and mystery plots. The advertising is not at all accurate with the "love triangle" bit, so beware, I definitely fell for it and was disappointed.

The Fourth Consort is an entertaining, fast-paced story on alien culture clashes, finding common ground, and the sometimes impossible task of communication and translation.

Our main character, Dalton, finds himself stranded on an alien planet with his (human) partner, Neera, after an accident on what was supposed to be a first-contact peace envoy to the local species, the minarchs. As part of the Unity group, Dalton and Neera plan to bring the minarchs into their fold for guidance as their civilization becomes more technologically advanced. Unfortunately for them a representative from their main rivals, whom Dalton names Breaker, is also stuck planetside trying to win this new species over with the same promises of enlightenment and protection from his employers, the Assembley. Meanwhile the minarchs, who are very nearly giant sentient praying mantises, have their own plans for leveraging their guests’ arrival for internal political gain. Throughout this game of tug-of-war, there’s consistent discussion on honor and morality across the different species involved.

Edward Ashton does a wonderful job of depicting the pitfalls in trying to navigate an alien world where the main characters share very little in the way of common experience, lifestyle, and even physiology. Dalton’s snarky translator AI explaining its interpretation and confidence intervals for various phrases was one of my favorite parts of the book. The different levels of (mis)understanding between Dalton, Breaker, and the minarchs created both humor and tension, depending on the circumstances. While I wouldn’t go so far as to call this a comedic story, Ashton still balances that tension well with lighthearted moments.

I would have liked more resolution of some smaller plot points introduced throughout the book; I was disappointed we didn’t get to learn more about the “secret language” the translators weren’t familiar with. This is currently a standalone novel, but it ends in a way that allows for a sequel. With that being said, the resolution was satisfying and I appreciate that it was overall more realistic/messy.

I’d recommend The Fourth Consort if you enjoy first-contact stories, thinking about translation and communication barriers, or just want sci-fi with more character development over abstract ideas. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Edward Ashton always creates character driven, compelling science fiction, from his Mickey7 to his Mal Goes to War his writing provokes the reader to explore perspectives and moralities they might otherwise not anticipate wrestling with in a quirky oddball SF tale. In the Fourth Consort Ashton
takes his readers on a journey to an unnamed planet populated with uncanny buglike aliens. Dalton Greaves is a human who has been enlisted to work with the ammies, snail-like spacefarers who claim to be working toward uplifting and protecting the Galaxy by saving nascent planets from themselves. The ammies are in direct conflict with a group of aliens who call themselves the Assembly and profess to have the same mission. Dalton and his human cohort Neera end up marooned on the planet of the minarchs and they not only have to survive but they have to secure the trust and loyalty of the minarchs, if they lose out to the stickmen, they might lose everything they've worked for. But when Dalton goes out to treat with the minarchs he quickly realizes things aren't so cut and dry and that being a human among a planet of aliens is going to be even harder than he'd anticipated. Really wonderful science fiction, I read absolutely everything Edward Ashton publishes.

In “the Fourth Consort,” Dalton and Neera, human representatives of a multi-world, multi-species consortium called “Unity” are sent to a planet populated by lobster like creatures called “Minarchs” to establish a relationship between the Minarch’s planet and Unity. Shortly after landing on the planet, the ship on which they came is destroyed when their pilot opens fire on the vessel of a competing entity called “the Assembly.” The Assembly ship is also destroyed in the process, leaving behind a representative which the Unity refers to as a “Stickman”. While Dalton, along with the Assembly’s representative, Breaker, treats with the various powers in the Minarchs’ hive like city, Neera stays behind on the lander.

Soon, Dalton is absorbed in what he suspects is political intrigue on the part of various planetary factions, a part of which includes Dalton being given the status of “Fourth Consort” to the ruling Minarch, the “First Among Equals,” which Dalton’s embedded AI interprets as the “Queen” of what is apparently a matriarchal society. As he fights for his life using nothing but his wits, Dalton forms an unlikely friendship with his competitor, Breaker.

Filled with witty dialog and well-drawn, multi-faceted aliens and fully realized alien worlds and structures, the Fourth Consort is a fun and entertaining read. Although at times the setting got a bit monotonous since Dalton was essentially trapped underground for most of the book, the Monty Python style banter and occasional violent encounters with the Minarchs more than compensates.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me an ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

This was my first book by the author, and probably won't be my last. Stand-alone sci-fi, with snappy, snarky dialogue which I much appreciated. Good premise, interesting locale and creatures, and use of translators to help with conversations was well done.

My only complaint, and it's not major, is that there is a lot of dialogue, and by a lot, I mean a loooooooooooot. Much of it is clever, but it's still a ton of talking. Dalton and Breaker's relationship is quite interesting, and to me, is the star of the show.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

This was adorable and so fun. I loved the MC and his friend? Lover? Reluctant ally turned platonic life partner? Who knows, but their relationship was fascinating and heartwarming. I also loved the unique element of the translation difficulties figuring into the plot! I actually wish the translator “spoke” more!

I didn't enjoy this as much as Mickey7, but it was still a great romp. Ashton's characters are hilarious and he puts a new spin on sci-fi storytelling.

This is filled with snide remarks and sarcastic humor. It feels refreshing at times to have a bleak sci-fi story about survival be broken up by some comedy. Ashton has created a winning formula.