Firefly: Carnival is the 6th book in the series, but chronologically it would be first because the events in it occur during the time of the original TV series. That makes it a pretty standalone novel with a unique setting for telling a fun story because the planet Bethel has a definite Las Vegas vibe going for it. On Bethel, Carnival is approaching and that means three days of non-stop partying, but that's not the reason why the crew of Serenity have arrived there. Mal and crew have taken on a security job that requires them to guard an important shipment of minerals, which should be a piece of cake. Of course, even when Mal is trying to be on the right side of the law, things don't go according to plan. The shipment is stolen and the crew of Serenity finds themselves split up, with two of them taken hostage by the owner of the lost shipment. If Mal doesn't come up with the 500 platinum required to pay for the shipment, then those two will be executed, and local law enforcement won't do anything about it. This puts the rest of the crew at odds and it results in a lot of arguing over what the plan should be. When that fails to produce a viable option, multiple schemes are taken on by various crew members, each trying to earn some quick money before it is too late.

This novel introduces another new author to the series, Una McCormack, and she does an excellent job of capturing the essence of all of the characters. The story splits into multiple threads before finally all coming together in a fashion that would make for an excellent episode of the TV show. It is pure comfort food to spend time back in the Verse with the crew of Serenity and this book was over before I knew it. Another great entry in a series that should be read by every fan of the show. As of this writing there is one more in the series and it too introduces a new author, but it has good reviews and I am definitely looking forward to it. I do pace the Firefly books out a bit because I know how good they are and that makes me not want to burn through them too fast. 

James Anderson Foster is back at the mic for the audiobook and he nails it once again. Listening to these allows your mind's eye to represent all of the characters as you know them from the TV series and Foster's reading helps make that happen.