What do you think?
Rate this book
Jump Universe #4
To Do Or Die : A Jump Universe Novel by Mike Shepherd
From the national bestselling author of the Kris Longknife series comes an all-new Jump Universe novel. Retired Colonel Ray Longknife and Marine Captain Terrence "Trouble" Tordon come to Savannah via different routes, but what they find is the same. One bully strongman is intent on keeping power no matter what the new rules are for peace. He’s got the population cowered by thugs, and tanks at the ready. He expects to win the coming elections handily. He doesn’t expect trouble. Or, in this case, Mrs. Trouble—aka Ruth Tordon—a Marine wife on a mission to find the drug lords that almost killed her and her husband and put them out of business—and she’s not about to be stopped by some barely trained roughnecks. Abandoned by their strongman and desperate in defeat, the heavy armor get ready to roll into town over anybody in their way. But Ray Longknife, Trouble and Ruth are standing in their way…and nothing is going to flatten them.
Mass Market Paperback
First published February 25, 2014
16 people are currently reading
267 people want to read
About the author
Mike Shepherd
80 books565 followersA pseudonym used by Mike Moscoe.
Mike was born in the Philadelphia Navy Yard Hospital -- and left that town at the age of three days for reasons he does not presently recall. But they had to draft him to get him back there. He missed very little of the rest of the country. Growing up Navy, he lived about everywhere you could park an aircraft carrier.
Mike was one of those college students who didn't have to worry about finding a job after graduation. In 1968, his Uncle Sam made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Two days into boot camp, the Army was wondering if they might not have been a bit hasty. Mike ended the day in the Intensive Care Unit of the local Army hospital. Despite most of Mike’s personal war stories being limited to "How I flunked boot camp," he can still write a rollicking good military SF yarns.
Mike didn’t survive all that long as a cab driver (he got lost) or bartender (he made the drinks too strong) but he figured he could at least work for the Navy Department as a budget analyst. Until he spent the whole day trying to balance the barracks accounts for paint. Finally, about quitting time, a grinning senior analyst took him aside and let him in on the secret. They'd hidden the money for refitting a battleship in that little account. Slowly it dawned on Mike that there were a few things about the Navy that even a kid who grew up in it would never understand.
Over the next twenty years, Mike branched out into other genres, including instruction memos, policies, performance standards and even a few labor contracts. All of those, you may notice, lack a certain something. Dialogue ... those things in quotes. In `87, Mike’s big break came. He landed on a two year special project to build a digital map showing where the trees, rivers, roads, Spotted Owls and other critters were in western Oregon. The list went on and on with no end in sight and two years became ten.
Since there was no writing involved in his new day job, Mike had to do something to get the words out. He signed up for a writing class at Clark Community College and proudly turned in a story ... Star Wars shoots down the second coming of Christ.
Two years later, Analog bought "Summer Hopes, Winter Dreams" for the March, 1991 issue. Four years later he sold his first novel. In the ten years since then, Mike’s turned in twelve novels and is researching the next three.
Mike's love for Science Fiction started when he picked up "Rocket Ship Galileo" in the fifth grade, and then proceeded to read every book in the library with a rocket sticker on its spine.
Mike digs for his stories among people and change. Through his interest in history, he has traces the transformations that make us what we are today. Science launches us forward into an ever changing universe. Once upon a time, the only changes in peoples lives came with the turning of the seasons and the growing wrinkles on their brows. Today, science drives most of the changes in our daily lives. Still, we can't avoid the pressure of our own awakening hormones or hardening arteries. Mike is happiest when his stories are speeding across thin ice, balanced on the edge of two sharp blades, one anciently human, the other as new as tomorrow's research.
Trained in International Relations and history, salary administration and bargaining, theology and counseling, Mike is having a ball writing about Kris Longknife ... coming of age while the world her grand parents built threatens to crash down around her ears. These are books I think you’ll love ... and my granddaughter and grandsons too!
Mike lives in Vancouver, Washington, with his wife Ellen, his mother-in-law and any visiting grandkids. He enjoys reading, writing, watching grand-children for story ideas and upgrading his computer -- all are never ending.
Mike was born in the Philadelphia Navy Yard Hospital -- and left that town at the age of three days for reasons he does not presently recall. But they had to draft him to get him back there. He missed very little of the rest of the country. Growing up Navy, he lived about everywhere you could park an aircraft carrier.
Mike was one of those college students who didn't have to worry about finding a job after graduation. In 1968, his Uncle Sam made him an offer he couldn't refuse. Two days into boot camp, the Army was wondering if they might not have been a bit hasty. Mike ended the day in the Intensive Care Unit of the local Army hospital. Despite most of Mike’s personal war stories being limited to "How I flunked boot camp," he can still write a rollicking good military SF yarns.
Mike didn’t survive all that long as a cab driver (he got lost) or bartender (he made the drinks too strong) but he figured he could at least work for the Navy Department as a budget analyst. Until he spent the whole day trying to balance the barracks accounts for paint. Finally, about quitting time, a grinning senior analyst took him aside and let him in on the secret. They'd hidden the money for refitting a battleship in that little account. Slowly it dawned on Mike that there were a few things about the Navy that even a kid who grew up in it would never understand.
Over the next twenty years, Mike branched out into other genres, including instruction memos, policies, performance standards and even a few labor contracts. All of those, you may notice, lack a certain something. Dialogue ... those things in quotes. In `87, Mike’s big break came. He landed on a two year special project to build a digital map showing where the trees, rivers, roads, Spotted Owls and other critters were in western Oregon. The list went on and on with no end in sight and two years became ten.
Since there was no writing involved in his new day job, Mike had to do something to get the words out. He signed up for a writing class at Clark Community College and proudly turned in a story ... Star Wars shoots down the second coming of Christ.
Two years later, Analog bought "Summer Hopes, Winter Dreams" for the March, 1991 issue. Four years later he sold his first novel. In the ten years since then, Mike’s turned in twelve novels and is researching the next three.
Mike's love for Science Fiction started when he picked up "Rocket Ship Galileo" in the fifth grade, and then proceeded to read every book in the library with a rocket sticker on its spine.
Mike digs for his stories among people and change. Through his interest in history, he has traces the transformations that make us what we are today. Science launches us forward into an ever changing universe. Once upon a time, the only changes in peoples lives came with the turning of the seasons and the growing wrinkles on their brows. Today, science drives most of the changes in our daily lives. Still, we can't avoid the pressure of our own awakening hormones or hardening arteries. Mike is happiest when his stories are speeding across thin ice, balanced on the edge of two sharp blades, one anciently human, the other as new as tomorrow's research.
Trained in International Relations and history, salary administration and bargaining, theology and counseling, Mike is having a ball writing about Kris Longknife ... coming of age while the world her grand parents built threatens to crash down around her ears. These are books I think you’ll love ... and my granddaughter and grandsons too!
Mike lives in Vancouver, Washington, with his wife Ellen, his mother-in-law and any visiting grandkids. He enjoys reading, writing, watching grand-children for story ideas and upgrading his computer -- all are never ending.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 6, 2014
Mon avis en Français
My English review
Firstly I must say that I did not know anything about the series and when I saw the cover I was not convinced that it would be for me. Besides the synopsis confirmed me this fact… science fiction, other planets, marines, and many things I don’t really like but yet I was very surprised to see that I had a great time with this novel and it also made me really want to try the others in the series. Yes, because as always I start my story here with Volume 4, but do not worry right now, I really had no problems and the author manages to do everything perfectly so we understand from the outset that we can follow the chapters without worries.
Throughout the novel, we follow a lot of people but who move together in the same environment. I always have a little trouble with too many POVs, but it’s really not the case here, perhaps because it is very often on the same 2-3 people. In addition, the chapters are often very short too, which definitely helps the reading and makes us want to continue to learn more. Early in the book, we focus specifically on two characters, Ruth, the wife of a Marine who is determined to help him discovering who are the manufacturers of the drugs on a planet and Ray, a colonel who left his wife for a diplomatic mission on the same planet. It is quite difficult to see how the two stories will meet, but through the chapters, we understand where the author wants to lead us.
I took great pleasure in discovering this story, to understand what the characters were trying to do to bring down the dictator. It must be said also that all the actors are really important and interesting whether Ruth and her husband, or Colonel Mary, a navy woman who helps her but also all the orphans of this planet with whom Ruth binds friendship and who will be of crucial help to reach their goals. So many characters but all more interesting than the others. But while their research is long and tedious, the resolution of their case will be really far from being as easy as they might think. However, our group faces all that and I took a great pleasure in discovering Ruth with her kindness, her generosity but also her determination and her will. We have many things here, of course, we also have a few reminders of other volumes and it is true that I would love to attend and read the encounter between the young woman and her husband but I think it will be for later.
As I said at the beginning, we can read the novel very quickly and I took a great pleasure to see it all, whether it’s about the characters or the plot and I’m now curious to learn more. By trying something different, I’m glad to say that I had a great time and I was eager to see how it would be resolved. The author presents here a very nice mix of conspiracy, science fiction and characters who particularly affect us. To read!
My English review
Firstly I must say that I did not know anything about the series and when I saw the cover I was not convinced that it would be for me. Besides the synopsis confirmed me this fact… science fiction, other planets, marines, and many things I don’t really like but yet I was very surprised to see that I had a great time with this novel and it also made me really want to try the others in the series. Yes, because as always I start my story here with Volume 4, but do not worry right now, I really had no problems and the author manages to do everything perfectly so we understand from the outset that we can follow the chapters without worries.
Throughout the novel, we follow a lot of people but who move together in the same environment. I always have a little trouble with too many POVs, but it’s really not the case here, perhaps because it is very often on the same 2-3 people. In addition, the chapters are often very short too, which definitely helps the reading and makes us want to continue to learn more. Early in the book, we focus specifically on two characters, Ruth, the wife of a Marine who is determined to help him discovering who are the manufacturers of the drugs on a planet and Ray, a colonel who left his wife for a diplomatic mission on the same planet. It is quite difficult to see how the two stories will meet, but through the chapters, we understand where the author wants to lead us.
I took great pleasure in discovering this story, to understand what the characters were trying to do to bring down the dictator. It must be said also that all the actors are really important and interesting whether Ruth and her husband, or Colonel Mary, a navy woman who helps her but also all the orphans of this planet with whom Ruth binds friendship and who will be of crucial help to reach their goals. So many characters but all more interesting than the others. But while their research is long and tedious, the resolution of their case will be really far from being as easy as they might think. However, our group faces all that and I took a great pleasure in discovering Ruth with her kindness, her generosity but also her determination and her will. We have many things here, of course, we also have a few reminders of other volumes and it is true that I would love to attend and read the encounter between the young woman and her husband but I think it will be for later.
As I said at the beginning, we can read the novel very quickly and I took a great pleasure to see it all, whether it’s about the characters or the plot and I’m now curious to learn more. By trying something different, I’m glad to say that I had a great time and I was eager to see how it would be resolved. The author presents here a very nice mix of conspiracy, science fiction and characters who particularly affect us. To read!
January 17, 2016
This is a new "Jump Universe" novel, since 2001, written under the pseudonym "Mike Shepherd". The first three were written as Mike Moscoe. For those of you, like myself, who've read all of Shepherd's "Kris Longknife" books, this gives you back story on Kris' grandfather Ray Longknife, as well as other familiar characters. Shepherd writes excellent military/political/space opera, with lots of great characters, dialog, and action. This book is no exception.
August 11, 2022
Retired Colonel Ray Longknife has been sent to Savannah on a diplomatic mission to check out a President-for-life who is getting ready to hold a "fair and open" election. Marine Captain Mary Rodrigo and her troop and there to protect him. Ray is traveling there on a spaceship that is exploring some of the jump science that Ray learned on Sainte Marie when he battled the supercomputer that ran the place.
Lieutenant Terrence "Trouble" Tordon and his new wife Ruth are also there on Savannah. They are on the trail of the drug business that caught them up in the previous book. Ruth, as part-time DEA, is looking for the labs that developed the drug.
They find a society that is messed up. The different nationalities are all being urged to fight against each other. The cops are the bad guys. There are no social services leaving growing numbers of children out on the streets except for a few religious agencies and the Salvation Army who run small shelters.
Ruth recruits a few of these street kids to be her native guides and help her find her way around the city. The intel she is gaining from the kids is more than the embassy's intelligence agents have been able to learn.
As Ruth gets closer to the hidden labs, she is drawing more and more attention from the villains who have no intention of giving up any of their power.
This episode has Trouble and Ruth battling actual land battles with tanks versus Marines while Ray is trying to build a new political system once the dictator can be disposed of. I enjoyed both the battles and the political maneuvering in this story. I liked seeing more of Ray, Mary, Trouble and Ruth.
Lieutenant Terrence "Trouble" Tordon and his new wife Ruth are also there on Savannah. They are on the trail of the drug business that caught them up in the previous book. Ruth, as part-time DEA, is looking for the labs that developed the drug.
They find a society that is messed up. The different nationalities are all being urged to fight against each other. The cops are the bad guys. There are no social services leaving growing numbers of children out on the streets except for a few religious agencies and the Salvation Army who run small shelters.
Ruth recruits a few of these street kids to be her native guides and help her find her way around the city. The intel she is gaining from the kids is more than the embassy's intelligence agents have been able to learn.
As Ruth gets closer to the hidden labs, she is drawing more and more attention from the villains who have no intention of giving up any of their power.
This episode has Trouble and Ruth battling actual land battles with tanks versus Marines while Ray is trying to build a new political system once the dictator can be disposed of. I enjoyed both the battles and the political maneuvering in this story. I liked seeing more of Ray, Mary, Trouble and Ruth.
April 25, 2024
First off, this was the first book by Mike Shepherd I had ever read. It's a testament to the writer's fun style that I was able to jump into book 4 in a series and really enjoy the characters and the story. One element that truly drew me into the book was how To Do or Die is not your typical military scifi. I loved the dichotomy between Trouble (the marine captain) and his wife Ruth.
In so many of these types of stories, it would be easy to have only male main characters, but the women in this book hold their own and then some. Between the themes of space exploration, political or social upheaval, and military conflict, there's also a lot going on and it easily kept my interest throughout.
I will also say that the book had a decent ending with good resolution YET also managed to throw in a fun cliffhanger on the side involving some side characters which I hope gets delved into more in subsequent books. Looking forward to trying more by this writer!
In so many of these types of stories, it would be easy to have only male main characters, but the women in this book hold their own and then some. Between the themes of space exploration, political or social upheaval, and military conflict, there's also a lot going on and it easily kept my interest throughout.
I will also say that the book had a decent ending with good resolution YET also managed to throw in a fun cliffhanger on the side involving some side characters which I hope gets delved into more in subsequent books. Looking forward to trying more by this writer!
January 1, 2018
Another book full of action and intrigue. There's more ground fighting than space battles. There is a lot of action especially toward the end. The story of Black Mountain that was mentioned in an early Kris Longknife novel happens here.
December 1, 2018
Recent Reads: To Do Or Die. Backstory to Mike Shepherd's Kris Longknife. After the Unity Wars there's still cleaning up to do. Savannah is a world in the hands of the corrupt. Can a few good women and men clean things up?
November 30, 2017
The Jump Universe has stories all its own.
Before Kris Longknife.
The building blocks of King Ray.
Nice
Before Kris Longknife.
The building blocks of King Ray.
Nice
June 16, 2018
Typical military sci fi. Part of a series.
June 17, 2015
4th book in the Jump Universe series. The first three were written under the name Mike Moscoe.
When Colonel Ray Longknife and Marine Terrence "Trouble" Tordon end up on the same planet, you know there is going to be trouble. The planet Savannah is ripe for revolution due to a brutal dictator who is kept in power solely to ensure Savannah remains a big supplier of the drug trade. When Trouble's wife, Ruth, gets swept up in the intrigue, Longknife and Trouble decide that the situation has to change.
Entertaining military sci-fi. An interesting look at how Longknife and Trouble got heir nicknames... and to realize that it wasn't just the men causing problems.
My main complaint is that I didn't know there were 3 previous books in this series, so as I was reading it, I kept thinking, "This can't be the first of the series. There has to be more." I didn't realize the first three were written under the authors real name and not his pseudonym Mike Shepherd. It was very frustrating for me. I did eventually go back and red the first three books in the series, which helped.
I recommend reading the first three books in the series to get a feel for the characters.
When Colonel Ray Longknife and Marine Terrence "Trouble" Tordon end up on the same planet, you know there is going to be trouble. The planet Savannah is ripe for revolution due to a brutal dictator who is kept in power solely to ensure Savannah remains a big supplier of the drug trade. When Trouble's wife, Ruth, gets swept up in the intrigue, Longknife and Trouble decide that the situation has to change.
Entertaining military sci-fi. An interesting look at how Longknife and Trouble got heir nicknames... and to realize that it wasn't just the men causing problems.
My main complaint is that I didn't know there were 3 previous books in this series, so as I was reading it, I kept thinking, "This can't be the first of the series. There has to be more." I didn't realize the first three were written under the authors real name and not his pseudonym Mike Shepherd. It was very frustrating for me. I did eventually go back and red the first three books in the series, which helped.
I recommend reading the first three books in the series to get a feel for the characters.
July 19, 2016
This is the 4th book in the Jump Universe series by Mike Moscoe/Mike Shepherd. In this one General Ray Longknife and Colonel Terrence "Trouble" Torden along with Ruth Torden all end up on the planet Savannah where a ruthless dictator is in power. They are based at the Society of Humanities embassy where along with the staff there and the help of a bunch of street wise local kids they proceed to destroy the dictators power base. First they destroy his drug crops and then steal away his scientists that are helping to develop new crops of drug plants. After losing his power base he quickly leaves the planet but an old enemy in the form of ex-Admiral Whitebred tries to fill the vacuum, but they see to it that he too is defeated and and honestly elected official is put into power. A very good read with a surprise ending that I hope means another book in this series.
October 21, 2014
Decent, but not as good as the usual Kris Longknife novels.
It should be noted I have NOT read the other three 'Jump Universe' books, so I was jumping in cold. But the book was fairly decent in setting up characters plus I had background from the Longknife series.
I liked Trouble & Ruth, pretty much, but Ray Longknife comes across very unsympatetic, honestly. In fact he's a dick. So his bits weren't a fun read. It was also kind of... a let down to read the Battle of Savannah when it was described so well in the Kris series. Here, it's less than thrilling.
So yeah, decent but not highly recommended.
It should be noted I have NOT read the other three 'Jump Universe' books, so I was jumping in cold. But the book was fairly decent in setting up characters plus I had background from the Longknife series.
I liked Trouble & Ruth, pretty much, but Ray Longknife comes across very unsympatetic, honestly. In fact he's a dick. So his bits weren't a fun read. It was also kind of... a let down to read the Battle of Savannah when it was described so well in the Kris series. Here, it's less than thrilling.
So yeah, decent but not highly recommended.
April 6, 2014
Unfortunately, I misread the description on this one, so I am way out of sequence. I definitely need to go back to the beginning to read about how these characters all met.
That said, this is the story of Kris Longknife's (https://www.goodreads.com/series/4981...) grandparents, who provide the colorful backdrop to the later series. The "grandparents" have the same quirky humor and clever tactics. This book was a bit darker than Kris' stories, intense and taught.
If you like military scifi with a good amount of social commentary thrown in, you'll like these books.
That said, this is the story of Kris Longknife's (https://www.goodreads.com/series/4981...) grandparents, who provide the colorful backdrop to the later series. The "grandparents" have the same quirky humor and clever tactics. This book was a bit darker than Kris' stories, intense and taught.
If you like military scifi with a good amount of social commentary thrown in, you'll like these books.
July 26, 2014
Somewhat adequate space opera. The general plot of the book is fine, except for a few extraneous scenes that belong to the next novel's plot-line. However, the bulk of the time is spent on a world that suffers from being far too small. There's no sense of being anywhere other than a fairly small city, particularly when politics and an election arrive. It would be nice to see a group of corrupt and/or secret police that were not comic-book thugs easily dispatched. Finally, the climactic battle is horribly contrived and unrealistic.
August 21, 2015
You can really tell that this written a long time after the first three as the authors writing style has changed and grown alot better since then. While i think the second for the four books in this series is still my favorite this is a close second as it has the most interesting history from the Kris series in it. Overall a good read and worth it in general but i still like the Kris series the best.
July 5, 2014
In the second book of Kris Longknife's series we heard the tale of the Ladies from Hell and their charge up Black Mountain with Trouble, but now we get the actual story! (And that is only a small portion of what is going on!)
September 2, 2014
The 4th Jump Universe book and where we really get to do some hard core science exploration as well as exploring the challenges of military, romance and disabilty.
I enjoyed this one more than the first 3 but still prefer Kris!
I enjoyed this one more than the first 3 but still prefer Kris!
October 6, 2016
One saga comes to a close, another one begins.
After reading about the assault in/on Savannah in the Kris Longknife series, it's nice to read about the events leading up to it. Then at the end of the book, it begins.
After reading about the assault in/on Savannah in the Kris Longknife series, it's nice to read about the events leading up to it. Then at the end of the book, it begins.
July 22, 2015
Enjoyable even if the story feels a like a recycled Kris Longknife story.
What saves it is the strong characterization and the extra bit of series mythos slotted in.
What saves it is the strong characterization and the extra bit of series mythos slotted in.
July 25, 2015
Typical Longknife novel. Be careful as it is the 4th novel set in the past. I didn't realize it when I read it.
March 25, 2014
A very good book ! the first 3 books in this series were written 15 years ago and the author has polished his skills since then ! this book is on par with the current "Kris Longknife" books !
April 10, 2014
Enjoyed the book but don't really think the link story started until around 70% through the book. The stories I want filled in appear to start around that point.
May 15, 2014
Another great entry in the series. Don't miss ONE!
May 20, 2014
Predictable but fun.
June 18, 2014
As good as all the others, but a little getting used to the younger selves.
November 27, 2015
Like the people, hate the bad guys, but I wanted more resolution.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews