What Professionals are Saying
About the Orphan Ship Trilogy

"Authors have the ability to open a reader's eyes to the situation around them as well as the situations possible in the future. The trick here is captivating the reader to the point that the severity of the situation resonates to the reader. If you don't care enough about a character to begin with, when the big events happen you kinda just shrug your shoulders and say "eh." However, this is not the case with The Orphan Ship. The characters are woven so intricately together with the plot that it is impossible not to care about them, especially when they begin to see past their own concerns in order to benefit the lives around them. I will always be the first to tell you that fantasy or science fiction stories aren't typically my deal. But the humanistic interest in this book made reading worth it. This is a solid read that isn't just fluff. And for those science-fiction buffs, you are guaranteed an enjoying read."
- Mari Jensen (Bookrated.com)

"Reading The Lost Sheep is like eating a full-course meal at a five-star restaurant: it's completely fulfilling on multiple levels with an action-packed plot with surprising twists; rich, complex characters; a villain you'll love to hate and a hero you can't help but love; a theme that will touch your heart and mind; fun sci-fi elements; and even a touch of romance. I can't put down this series!

The Lost Sheep follows a spaceship captain as she battles against the odds (and her colleague's unnerving premonitions) to spring her friend from jail and fight for the underdogs: abducted homeless children who are being sold as slaves. Buckle up, readers; it's time for takeoff!"
-- Tamara Ward, author of Private Deception

"The Orphan Ship is Sterling R. Walker's first sci-fi book. Spaceships? Check. Humans living on other planets? Check. Advanced technology? Check. In other words, it has all the elements you'd expect in a sci-fi book. However, it also has something that you may not expect: heart.

Walker introduces and develops many wonderful characters that bring this story alive. For example, Danae Shepherd, captain of the spaceship Ishmael, is complex. She struggles between being the rational, take charge captain while at the same time, dealing with a significant loss in her life. And she is only one of several compelling characters in the story.

The book can be enjoyed for the surface level story. There is plenty of action, intrigue, and humor for The Orphan Ship to be satisfying. However, it is the deeper look at poverty, greed and inhumane behaviors which give the book weight--especially when Walker skillfully portrays how children are impacted.

Did I enjoy the book? Yes. Very much so. It was engaging with enough sci-fi gadgets to bring out the inner tech geek in me. But it was the characters and the story than kept me coming back for more.

It's a clean read with no bad language or sex scenes. There is some violence, but it's not graphic and it's needed to fully give the impact this story requires.

While it can be read as a stand-alone book, it leaves the door wide open for one, if not more, books--much to my delight."
--J. Lloyd Morgan, award-winning author of The Hidden Sun

"Robert Heinlein's "Juvenile" novels written in the 1940s and 50s were my first exposure to literary Science Fiction. Have Spacesuit will Travel, Red Planet, Rocketship Galileo - these books captivated my imagination. During that time, Heinlein wrote books for adolescents filled with realistic characters and high adventure designed to stimulate the mind. He never spoke down to us. He gave pre-teens and teenagers credit for being able to grasp diverse concepts like orbital dynamics and political theory.

Sterling R. Walker gets it. Her Orphan Ship trilogy is a wonderful way to introduce adolescents to Science Fiction. An engaging, multi-national crew, exotic locales ranging from Mars to the Far East, subdued violence, and science that never gets in the way of the fiction. The series is a triumph with a positive message that treats adolescents like young adults."
-- Tony Bowman - author of Vales Hollow

"It isn't very often that I find a Sci-Fi book that keeps me interested and looking forward to what happens next. Walker has thoughtfully produced an appealing storyline with unique ideas to intrigue readers and keep them engrossed in each of the character's lives. The title is skillfully chosen and I like that as I read the story I was able to recognize its value as I got to know the individual characters.

Excited for the next in the series as Walker provided a fast paced storyline to ensure readers stay riveted to the book while excitedly anticipating the next. I felt that science, speculation, action and feelings were all completely incorporated with the perfect equilibrium of unexpected twists to keep readers intrigued. Excellent job at keeping the storyline believable in an out of this world setting!"
-- The Book Stalker Reviewed

What Fans are Saying
About the Orphan Ship Trilogy

A. E. Drury
5 out of 5 stars
Nice adventure with lots of heart and great characters.

Character driven morality tale with great messaging and compelling action. I enjoyed all the characters, even the disagreeable helmsman and the vile dirty cop. Amazing detail is given to the back-stories yet the story kept me turning pages quickly to see where it was going to go next and how all these lives fit together. Reaching the end, I immediately ordered the next book which is fair warning, this is a compelling series and you will probably want no pause between this first book and the next though there is no true cliff hanger. It's just that good.