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A Catastrophic Future
Renegade follows a space captain who discovers his father is the target of an assassination attempt, leading him to defy orders and go rogue to hunt down the assassin. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
First, I think it was only a matter of time before Nick’s father (Van Childs) and the leader of the Consortium would be the subject of an assassination. Second, I wanted to put Nick back on Earth after years of absence. And finally, I wanted a story that centered more around Nick and not the Argos team as a whole. Doing these things required a story backdrop that would carry Nick forward in a compelling tale with some complexity that people would want to follow.
What are some things that you find interesting about the human condition that you think make for great fiction?
As the book suggests, humans are becoming more and more reliant on automation of one kind or another, especially with the addition of AI. As a result, and as each generation passes, we lose the fundamental skills and sense of initiative that earlier generations had. In Renegade, I suggest what society might be like after the major threats to humans have been eliminated and governments can divert money from military preparations to social causes. The need and even willingness to work fades when everything is taken care of by the government. One of the most significant issues that exists even today is the lack of skilled labor. Who will take care of plumbing issues years from now? Who will fix your cars and other modes of transportation? All these skilled positions are fading as the older generation passes. Given the scenario in Renegade, that could be catastrophic. When writing about the future, I think it is important to project current events and capabilities and guess what impact society would have in the not-so-distant future.
When you first sat down to write this story, did you know where you were going, or did the twists come as you were writing?
Initially, I had an idea that I might normally have run with, but this time, I mapped out the outline of the book from beginning to end. That’s not to say that I didn’t make changes along the way; there were many. With as many characters as the book contains, filling their backstories was a significant challenge. I constantly had to refer back to things that I wrote early on. One of the hardest parts was choreographing the battle scenes in space. I had over thirty sheets of paper with each stage of the battles to ensure consistency in locations, attacks, damage, etc. Twists and turns presented themselves along the way.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
The next book will be called Defiance. In it, the Argos team will return to the planet Brintal at the request of the world government. Something strange is happening there, and they need the help of Captain Nick Hall and his crew to solve the mystery. As one might suspect, there are complications, including the existence of a new species that can threaten Brintal and all of the worlds of the Consortium: the home of the Argos. It should be a page-turner!
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Captain Nick Hall has always followed orders—until now.
When an assassination attempt targets his father, he defies Guardian Force and the Consortium, embarking on a rogue mission to hunt down the assassin. What he discovers is far worse than he imagined.
Earth, once a dominant force, has fallen into complacency after the Arkon war. Advanced technology has made life easy, and global defenses have crumbled. Two powerful factions see this weakness as their chance to seize control, using covert sabotage and open warfare to reshape the planet’s future.
With limited resources, minimal support, and enemies closing in from all sides, the Argos crew is facing their most dangerous fight yet.
Packed with high-stakes action, political intrigue, assassinations, and space warfare, Renegade is an explosive chapter in the Records of the Argos series.
If you love intense battles, deep strategy, and heroes willing to break the rules to win – Join the fight for Earth’s survival.
Renegade: Records of the Argos, Book 4
Renegade, the fourth installment in the Records of the Argos series, drops you straight into a tense, post-Arkon War universe, where Earth’s fragile new order is under threat. The story follows Captain Nick Hall as he returns home to find his father, the Commander of Guardian Force, nearly assassinated. With his crew scattered and orders to stand down, Nick goes rogue to track down the attacker and uncover a conspiracy that stretches from Geneva to São Paulo. It’s a space opera packed with political tension, cool tech, a snarky AI, and a relentless sense of urgency that had me flipping pages like a maniac.
As a diehard fan of The Expanse, I felt right at home with Farlow’s blend of grounded world-building and layered political drama. The Earth Federation, strained by internal divisions and past trauma, felt eerily familiar—like the uneasy alliances in The Expanse’s Earth-Mars-Belter triangle. One moment that really stuck with me was when Nick returns to Earth and sees how society has grown soft post-conflict. Wizzy, the ship’s AI, quips about Earth’s complacency, saying people had “no challenge” left. It’s the kind of subtle world commentary that sneaks in under the radar.
Then there’s the writing style. It’s clean and direct, like Farlow’s trying to get out of the way and just let the story flow through you. The sniper scene early on with Paul Aubert was chilling. Quiet tension. Perfect pacing. I was holding my breath as Paul assembled his Dragunov in Geneva. That kind of scene-building takes skill. Later, when Nick’s alone on the Argos, grappling with the betrayal and powerlessness, it doesn’t drag—it simmers. The emotional weight is there, but it never bogs down the momentum. And Wizzy steals the show. Picture a sarcastic cousin of Mass Effect‘s EDI with zero filter and perfect timing. Every conversation between him and Nick crackles.
What surprised me most was how personal the book felt. Sure, it’s got galaxy-spanning stakes, secret missions, and sleek shuttles, but the heart of Renegade is one guy trying to protect his family and figure out who he really is when the rules break down. Nick’s torn between doing what’s “right” and doing what’s necessary. When he breaks protocol and sneaks back to Earth as “Walter Scott,” it’s risky and maybe dumb, but it’s so human. That’s what makes these kinds of stories sing.
If you love sci-fi with teeth—gritty, smart, character-driven with a pulse—you’ll enjoy Renegade. Especially if you’re into series like The Expanse, Battlestar Galactica, or anything where politics, tech, and loyalty are tangled up in a mess of consequences. Farlow doesn’t reinvent the space opera wheel, but he sure as hell tunes it up and makes it roar.
Pages: 338 | ASIN : B0DY6VMFF5
LITERARY TITAN 