Dalton Greaves falls into work with Unity, a pan-species association that is attempting to bring all sentient life in the galaxy into a single group after his life on Earth takes a downturn. He doesn't ask a lot of questions when Neera, a human woman, recruits him.

Neera works with Boreau, a giant snail-like being, whose motives seem more mercenary, and financial, rather than in harmony with the ethos of Unity. The longer Dalton stays with Boreau, the more he thinks he's there to take the fall, and get eaten by any aliens they encounter while on a new Unity mission.

There is another confederation which is doing work similar to Unity, calling themselves the Assembly, who seem to actually seem to hue closer to their stated mission, to recruit new alien cultures to the Assembly so everyone can live harmoniously. The Assembly really, really does not like the Unity, and their new human servants, and in a battle between Boreau's ship and an Assembly cruiser over a newly discovered world, Dalton and Neera find themselves marooned on the planet below, with a stickman, an Assembly soldier, and the planet's native ruling species not happy with the humans.

Neera stays on board their ship, while Dalton and the stickman, named Breaker, are taken in by the nightmarishly insectoid ruling species. Dalton is held captive, and discovers he's in the middle of a political situation that the different sides of the species intend to solve violently.

Dalton learns more about the minarch species, and gradually befriends Breaker, much to Neera's consternation, whose intentions begin diverging from Dalton's the longer the spends with the minarch.

Edward Ashton's humour is present throughout this first contact story. Interestingly, while his “Mickey7” did not work for me, I greatly enjoyed this book. It's fast-paced, moves back and forth between Dalton's present circumstances and his dead end past, giving us a better picture of the man, and why he ends up jumping at Neera's offer. And why, despite all of Neera's urgings, finds himself empathizing with the very beings who constantly threaten to kill him, including Breaker, who proves to be such a wonderful character. The stickman is gently humorous, unexpectedly sensitive, and insightful. Dalton also connects with one of the minarch, the Counselor, who is trying to navigate an increasingly fraught situation within the minarch leadership, and who proves to be surprisingly sympathetic as the story progresses.

I also loved the ending, which though a little surprising, was also in keeping in with Dalton's responses to his evolving situation, leading to a resolution that was organic, and resolved Dalton's competing duties and interests.

I both listened and read this story, and greatly enjoyed the audiobook narrated by Barrie Kreinik, who perfectly captures Dalton's sarcasm, and empathy. I loved the way Kreinik voiced Neera, whose self-interest was delivered in a wryly funny way, and her Breaker made me sympathize almost immediately with this deadly and intriguing being.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for these ARCs in exchange for my review.

Dalton Greaves was living a dead-end life in a little West Virginia town when he was recruited into the service of Unity, a galaxy-spanning alliance that now includes Earth. Those who leave the planet to serve Unity end up living lives of incredible ease and wealth — if they return.

Now a mission has gone sideways, and Dalton and a human woman, Neera, are stranded on a planet light-years from home. As Unity’s titular ambassador, Dalton is left to deal with the insectoid natives, who have a deep conception of honor but no idea of human society or abilities; Breaker, the sticklike representative of a competing confederation, the Assembly; and Neera, who’s itching to blow the stickman into next week.

Ashton, author of such novels as “Mickey7” and “Mal Goes to War,” makes Dalton a deeply sympathetic character, trying to live his odd and desperate situation without getting killed by Breaker or the natives — or Unity, if he and Neera are rescued without having succeeded in their mission. And if this makes the story sound grim, then I’ve done Ashton a disservice. There’s also much humanity in Dalton, and the story moves you right along.

Kreinik, one of the best narrators around, succeeds in making distinct characters not just of Dalton and Neera, Breaker and some of the aliens, but even of the AI translator that’s embedded in Dalton’s neck.

I received this audiobook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. This is a character driven science fiction. I enjoyed learning about the different alien species and their views on each of the confederations. Throughout the book, translation and communication is a major factor. Though our main character has an AI to translate for them, many words are left unknown. This can cause problems for our main character and building relationships.

I don't see that any additional books will be published, but if there are, I will absolutely be listening to them!

I love quirky scifi like this - lots of humor infused into what I know is an utterly treacherous foreign world, yet seems to me to be pretty likeable! The beifs on the world are gender-role flipped: meaning the females are the rulers, the fighters, the stronger sex, and the males are the tittering, dishonorable sex. It makes for an interesting time when Dalton says yes to a risky trip from West Virginia to this world with no weapons, and only his street smarts and a translator to help him make peace within this community. Wild, fun, hilarious, and full of honor-bound space creatures doing things in anger.

A fun, action-filled story that combines the first contact elements of Star Trek and the charming rogues of Star Wars. And the hero's from West Virginia.

Dalton Greaves is working for Unity, a group working to bring sentient life across multiple planets into a single confederation. But the work Unity is promised is not at all what Dalton is expecting and he ends up trapped on a planet with his co-worker, an alien from the rival confederation, and a city full of potentially hostile locals. Dalton has to manage the wants of the local queen and balance the desires of the two confederations in laying claim to the world. Only everyone, for different reasons, thinks it might be easier if Dalton is out of the way.

Edward Ashton has delivered another funny, unique science fiction story in The Fourth Consort. The book is lightening fast and quickly builds out its world before throwing everything off with new twists and turns. Dalton reminded me a lot of Mickey and the motley group of characters reminded me a lot of the crew in Mal Goes to War (along with all of the translator AI issues throughout), so this book really brings out the best of Ashton's prior works. The final climactic fight made me laugh harder than any book recently. This book will please anyone who has enjoyed Ashton's prior stuff and anyone looking for some easy to read light science fiction. The audiobook also has a lot of fun with the voices of the different species and how it relates to the translator used by Dalton.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a copy of the Fourth Consort in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for this advance listener copy of The Fourth Consort!

This was a really interesting read that I'm glad I got to experience. I was intrigued by the characters, world, and story from the beginning. One of the things I appreciated most about this story was how fully the author leaned into the fact that it takes place on an alien planet. NOTHING is like earth as we know it, and the differences in biology, language, culture, and almost everything else were really fascinating. They added to some of the mystery and setting that I think boosted the story really well. Another part of the story I appreciated was the way the concept of colonization is explored. The question of whether you are on the right side of a war and history in general is worth asking, and a question I don't see explored enough in Sci-Fi. However, I do think those concepts were more subtle than necessary and could have been fleshed out and explored more thoroughly. If they had been more prominent, it probably would have bumped this up to a 4 star read for me.

Lastly, the human female character felt very simplified and "written by a man" for me.

All things considered, I am interested to see where the story goes, and would likely pick up a sequel if there is one down the road.

I liked this audiobook! I think the author was good at writing, and the narrator did a great job with reading the story. I liked the science fiction and fantasy combination, and how the whole book flowed. I was a fan!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

Thanks, Macmillan Audio, for the opportunity to listen to THE FOURTH CONSORT. Unfortunately, the story didn't draw me in or hold my attention and I didn't finish it.

In true Ashton fashion, our reluctant hero is thrown into an impossible, ludicrous and deadly situation that I’m sure we’ll laugh about later, only to win the day with cunning, wit and a lot of luck. Another enjoyable space adventure!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my copy. These opinions are my own.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

With a synopsis like that, there’s little room to break down the story. But i will say this, Ashton’s ability to make you love the ‘hapless hero’ trope is pretty spectacular and I can’t get enough of it. His main character is the space-faring everyman whose sharp wit and just dumb luck gets him into some pretty interesting situations.

The supporting characters here are also where this book shines. I enjoyed this on audio so the uppity-british accents for the second and third consorts were very comedically received. The ‘Stickman’ and Neera were also quite well developed as we learned about the opposing motivations and the alien cultures, and customs of Dalton’s companion.

Overall, I really enjoyed the pace of this and the mix of light-heartedness with a mix of harrowing scenarios and tribal feuds – which is what is to expect from an Ashton story. Come the for great story and stick around for the sharp wit and eccentric alien characters.

I was provided both and ARC and an ALC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

Dalton was a down on his luck guy with nothing to look forward to, when he gets recruited to be part of a confederation to spread love and harmony throughout the galaxy. Dalton's crew is Unity, but they have a nemesis group called The Assembly and they really don't get along. Both groups seek out new civilizations and want to broker alliances and they will do whatever it takes to make sure their side wins a new friend.

Dalton finds himself stranded on a new planet and guest of the planet's queen. He and Breaker, a member of the Assembly are both vying for her attention and still attempting to form and alliance, but Dalton has a hard time understanding the culture and strange sense of honor that the their mostly female civilization operates under. At the same time he questions the motivations of his own crew and mission. His survival on the planet hinges on the queen making him her consort, which Dalton doesn't understand, as there is no romance between them. As things become more clear he comes to understand how politics work on the planet and that he may just be a bargaining chip.

I really loved getting to know Dalton as he had to navigate this precarious environment. He can't leave the planet, and he is forced to be the consort of an alien queen for political reasons. He is always offending those around him, mainly because he doesn't understand their culture, which leads to some pretty humorous moments throughout the book. I loved the snark from the AI translator that helps Dalton navigator the various languages. At times this felt like cozy sci-fi as Dalton deals with more social situations and what he feels is moral and honorable and there isn't alot of graphic content when it comes to violence and other content.

I loved this. It was fun, had the right amount of humor, and falls in the more cozy genre that is so popular right now. This has more political intrigue and self reflection themes to it, so if you are expecting epic world building and super technical sci-fi this is not that book. Dalton spends much of his time underground so there isn't a ton of world building or description of the world. The plot is more focused on will Dalton follow the orders of his exploration company, or will he follow his own moral compass. I thought Dalton's relationship with Breaker was great and while this is a standalone I would love to know how they get on in the future.

#TheFourthConsort: 4️⃣🚀🧑‍🚀⁣
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Thank you @stmartinspress and @macmillan.audio for my gifted copies! ⁣
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“If you had a brain to match your bulk, you might be dangerous.”⁣
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I’ll be honest, I was iffy starting out. Do I really want to sci-fi this day? The answer is a resounding yes. Even my non-sci-fi friends, this is the one. This is it. ✨slams finger into book for emphasis.✨⁣
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I went in blind because that’s my thing. But I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was such an interesting premise and I really liked the translator aspect of the story. ⁣
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Audio was phenomenal. I had a lot of books to read, but I just kept grabbing the audio because it was so intriguing. Barrie Kreinik had the perfect voice for this. ⁣
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This just released February 25th and honestly, it’s one of my favorites so far because dang this story was so unique and good.

A small story with a big world. I really enjoyed the creativity here and all of the scifi species we saw.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Dalton was reaching an all time low in life on earth. He didn’t have much going for him when he was approached with a job proposal he couldn’t refuse, figuratively. He was hired as the first humankind representative of Unity; a group working towards coexisting with all sentient life. But after an altercation between Unity and the already present Assembly, who was already attempting to accomplish the same task, Dalton ends up marooned on an alien planet. He now has another proposal he is given where he can’t refuse, literally.

There was a lot of this book that was fun and enjoyable. I enjoyed the world building and the cast of characters. Bob and Randall were definitely my favorite with their banter and overall commentary in Dalton’s situation. Unfortunately this storyline was a bit forgettable. It was a good time but not a long time. I understand where Ashton was trying to go in a lot of the story and it was fun but overall it landed a bit flat for me. Maybe I would enjoy it more on a reread but as of right now, I think a 3/5 stars is where I am landing.

The narrator was great! I loved the voices given to each of the characters and the pacing was done so well. I give Kreinik 5/5 stars for this performance!

This book was such a fun ride. It feels like the sci-fi books I would read in high school in the 90s. It takes tropes and puts them on their head, the most interesting 'love triangle' I've read about in a while. The plot and descriptions were kept short and sweet without padding. The fact that you never know who's on the 'right side of history' and that as more information is revealed it changes where each group stands. A good amount of tension, without being overbearing, and characters that are interesting to read about make this a very enjoyable book. The ending really made me happy. The narrator did a fantastic job of all the voices and was part of what made this book so enjoyable. I listened to this audiobook through NetGalley.

In The Fourth Consort, representatives from two multi species galactic confederations, Unity and the Assembly are marooned on a newly discovered non-space faring world and are soon intertwined in the local politics and intrigue as they each wait for rescue including Dalton, one of our main human characters getting named as the titular fourth consort to the planet’s leader. This was an interesting take on first contact stories told through a relatively small cast of characters on the planet that explores and plays with some of the conventions of first contact and to some degree prime directive type tropes. Overall, I enjoyed this and would recommend for anyone looking for an interesting and somewhat humorous first contact story that gives more agency and credit to the “discovered” civilization.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing an audio review copy of The Fourth Consort. Full review is available in episode #297 of Narrated podcast: https://narratedpodcast.com/episodes/297

3.5 stars
Thanks to Net Galley for the early preview of this audiobook.

I am going to have to say that my favorite Edward Ashton book was his first one, Mickey 7. Since then, I have liked his books a little less. However, I mostly liked this book. I did enjoy the first-contact part of the story, and it was fun listening to the translator trying to figure out what the aliens were saying. I did feel like there were too many characters to keep track of, even though there were not that many. It just got a little confusing for me. And how come all aliens seem to have mandibles? Either way, it was fun and short, and I would read more books by Edward Ashton.

I wish I could give half stars. I do not feel like this is a 4-star book, but I also do not feel like it is a 3-star book. I suppose for Goodreads I will have to round down and for Net Galley, I will have to round up.

Audiobook narrator Barrie Kreinik rating: 4 stars
I thought the narrator did a pretty good job of changing their voice for different characters. I suppose I would have liked just a little more variation between the alien voices.

In the book The Fourth Consort, author Edward Ashton takes us on a journey through space following the hero of the human race, Dalton Greaves. He is tasked with working for Unity and a team of misfit aliens to bring peace to the universe. This was a lighthearted story that kept moving along. I would recommend this book. The audio-book narration was good. I received a copy of this audio-book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.