Old Man's Vines

By: Jon Kiln

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Ezra Kowalski thought life on Halcyon had finally gone back to normal—just him, his hens, and thirty‑six varieties of cucumbers. But when Nora Velasquez shows up unannounced at his homestead, poking around the wreck of her crashed starship, peace goes out the airlock.

Nora claims she just wants to check on the Silver Beetle, still half‑buried in Ezra’s field months after the accident. But when Sprocket—her overly helpful, socially oblivious droid—accidentally boots up a forgotten memory log, Ezra discovers the truth: Nora wasn’t joyriding when she crashed. She was chasing a fragment of a clue about her missing father.

Now Ezra is stuck with an impulsive teenager, a meddling droid, and Mrs. Wong’s relentless “advice” as they unravel a mystery that leads to an abandoned outpost, old Fleet secrets, and more trouble than Ezra ever wanted in his retirement.

Old Man series review

awesome storytelling and characterization. Good solid walking pace. No contrived elements. The story moved along in a realistic fashion.