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Trooper #4
It's the end of the world – but not as we know it.
A woman wakes up in a motel on the outskirts of a remote Oregon city with no memory who she is and a gun at her bedside. As she explores the world around her it seems that civilization has come to a violent end.
That’s bad.
It might also be the most normal thing that happens to her all week.
A woman wakes up in a motel on the outskirts of a remote Oregon city with no memory who she is and a gun at her bedside. As she explores the world around her it seems that civilization has come to a violent end.
That’s bad.
It might also be the most normal thing that happens to her all week.
- GenresAudiobook
Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2012
7 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Noah Chinn
21 books88 followersNoah's books cover a wide variety of genres, but all of them possess a wry and quirky sense of humor to them.
Noah was born in Oshawa, Ontario, and had never really forgiven it for that. Shortly after university he moved to Japan, where he taught English for three years and barely learned a word of Japanese.
After that he moved to London, England to make it as a writer. Unfortunately the closest he came to literary success was working at several bookstores.
Upon returning to Canada he became an editor and has published a number of books in a variety of genres.
In addition to novels, Noah had a long running comic strip called Fuzzy Knights, which centered about the adventures of stuffed toy animals playing Dungeons and Dragons, and the evil hamster trying to destroy them.
Some have called this a cry for help.
He now lives with his unbelievably patient and supportive wife, Gillian, in Vancouver. He also has a ferret.
Noah was born in Oshawa, Ontario, and had never really forgiven it for that. Shortly after university he moved to Japan, where he taught English for three years and barely learned a word of Japanese.
After that he moved to London, England to make it as a writer. Unfortunately the closest he came to literary success was working at several bookstores.
Upon returning to Canada he became an editor and has published a number of books in a variety of genres.
In addition to novels, Noah had a long running comic strip called Fuzzy Knights, which centered about the adventures of stuffed toy animals playing Dungeons and Dragons, and the evil hamster trying to destroy them.
Some have called this a cry for help.
He now lives with his unbelievably patient and supportive wife, Gillian, in Vancouver. He also has a ferret.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 20, 2016
A woman awakens with a gun and a name badge and no memory of who the heck she was before this moment. She’s adaptable though, assumes the name Felice, and sets off to see what’s up.
What’s up isn’t anything good. Much of the world seems to have been burned to ashes and there are “screaming meemies” lurking about ready to suck the life out of you. Felice manages to find some food and a young boy who is also apparently suffering from amnesia. She takes it upon herself to protect him and to get to know him. I loved her then. How could you not?
So, you may be thinking this is just another post-apocalypse zombie-ish filled tale. Well, it is and it definitely is NOT. I know this makes no sense whatsoever but if I go into any sort of plot detail I’ll ruin it all for you and I’m not going to do that. I’ll only say that things take a unique turn and then another and though you may be confused here and there (or maybe that was just me) it all comes together in the end.
I love character focused books and Trooper #4 features a tough, smart and tenacious lead in Felice. She’s thrown into a confusing as hell situation and brings you right along with her as she tries to unravel everything that’s going on around her. She doesn’t sit around waiting for someone to save her or boo hoo about her situation. She digs in and figures things out on her own. She also has a snarky side which made me love her even more.
When someone gets overly complicated to show off how smart they may be she:
“Tuned out the techno babble. Really, who needed it?”
And, this description? Tell me you’ve never thought something similar about someone? (If not, you’re a nicer person than I’ll ever be!)
“The smirk on her face. The kind you wanted to smack off with sandpaper.”
Again, how could I not love her?
I listened to this book as unabridged audio and highly recommend it if you like a strong lead, twists, suspense and can deal with some plot confusion that gets cleared up. There’s nothing worse than a book that wraps up and leaves you confused, right? This isn’t that book. The story was expertly narrated by Barbara Benjamin-Creel . She has an almost musical voice that pulled me into the story from the very first scene. She does a beautiful job with Felice and the various other characters. I always knew who was who and she brought the scenes to life, something many a narrator fails to do, adding a depth to the story.
I can easily recommend listening to Trooper #4 if you’re looking for something different.
What’s up isn’t anything good. Much of the world seems to have been burned to ashes and there are “screaming meemies” lurking about ready to suck the life out of you. Felice manages to find some food and a young boy who is also apparently suffering from amnesia. She takes it upon herself to protect him and to get to know him. I loved her then. How could you not?
So, you may be thinking this is just another post-apocalypse zombie-ish filled tale. Well, it is and it definitely is NOT. I know this makes no sense whatsoever but if I go into any sort of plot detail I’ll ruin it all for you and I’m not going to do that. I’ll only say that things take a unique turn and then another and though you may be confused here and there (or maybe that was just me) it all comes together in the end.
I love character focused books and Trooper #4 features a tough, smart and tenacious lead in Felice. She’s thrown into a confusing as hell situation and brings you right along with her as she tries to unravel everything that’s going on around her. She doesn’t sit around waiting for someone to save her or boo hoo about her situation. She digs in and figures things out on her own. She also has a snarky side which made me love her even more.
When someone gets overly complicated to show off how smart they may be she:
“Tuned out the techno babble. Really, who needed it?”
And, this description? Tell me you’ve never thought something similar about someone? (If not, you’re a nicer person than I’ll ever be!)
“The smirk on her face. The kind you wanted to smack off with sandpaper.”
Again, how could I not love her?
I listened to this book as unabridged audio and highly recommend it if you like a strong lead, twists, suspense and can deal with some plot confusion that gets cleared up. There’s nothing worse than a book that wraps up and leaves you confused, right? This isn’t that book. The story was expertly narrated by Barbara Benjamin-Creel . She has an almost musical voice that pulled me into the story from the very first scene. She does a beautiful job with Felice and the various other characters. I always knew who was who and she brought the scenes to life, something many a narrator fails to do, adding a depth to the story.
I can easily recommend listening to Trooper #4 if you’re looking for something different.
August 15, 2013
A bit of "Walking Dead," a bit of "Red Shirts," a bit of "The Girl Who Would Be King," this book was nothing like what I expected, but a tremendous amount of fun. It only faded a slight bit toward the end as too many mysteries were demystified, but I would recommend it to pretty much anyone looking for a relatively light but interesting read.
January 31, 2013
Trooper #4 is a genre-bending, existential thrill ride!
At least that’s how I’d write the blurb for the front of the DVD. On a more serious note, this really was an enjoyable story that caught me completely off guard.
I feel I should give potential readers the same type of warning I was given prior to reading Life of Pi – “Don’t give up, it gets better!” In the case of Yann Martel’s masterpiece, the warning was to get me through the first half of a book that was, I have to admit, painfully slow. In the case of Trooper #4, the opening does not lack for pace but for substance. That changes. Dramatically. So don’t give up!
What begins as a yet another end-of-the-world zombie-fest (not quite “zombies” but close enough) takes a mind blowing twist when the protagonist, T. Felice, realizes she is not the hero of this story. Or is she?
That’s as much as I want to give away because the fun of this novel, on the first read, is the surprise. Just as Martel did, Chinn managed to flip a story, more than once, and leave me wondering how I never saw it coming. And though the genres are different, both authors managed to pile on layers on meaning within a seemingly simple narrative.
Chinn’s writing is economical and effective, the pace is fast, and the story is gripping. Trooper #4 has all the elements of a classic action story—compelling hero, evil villain, a world in need of saving—but with enough metaphysical twists and turns to feed every reader’s inner philosopher.
I look forward to reading more by Chinn!
At least that’s how I’d write the blurb for the front of the DVD. On a more serious note, this really was an enjoyable story that caught me completely off guard.
I feel I should give potential readers the same type of warning I was given prior to reading Life of Pi – “Don’t give up, it gets better!” In the case of Yann Martel’s masterpiece, the warning was to get me through the first half of a book that was, I have to admit, painfully slow. In the case of Trooper #4, the opening does not lack for pace but for substance. That changes. Dramatically. So don’t give up!
What begins as a yet another end-of-the-world zombie-fest (not quite “zombies” but close enough) takes a mind blowing twist when the protagonist, T. Felice, realizes she is not the hero of this story. Or is she?
That’s as much as I want to give away because the fun of this novel, on the first read, is the surprise. Just as Martel did, Chinn managed to flip a story, more than once, and leave me wondering how I never saw it coming. And though the genres are different, both authors managed to pile on layers on meaning within a seemingly simple narrative.
Chinn’s writing is economical and effective, the pace is fast, and the story is gripping. Trooper #4 has all the elements of a classic action story—compelling hero, evil villain, a world in need of saving—but with enough metaphysical twists and turns to feed every reader’s inner philosopher.
I look forward to reading more by Chinn!
January 13, 2013
Review From Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine:
-----
Noah Chinn is familiar to Knights of the Dinner Table readers as the creator and author of Fuzzy Knights, one of the magazines’ longest running side strips. He is also the author of Bleeding Heart Yard, a charming, clever urban fantasy novel I reviewed back in KODT #183. At the time Noah told me of his next novel, but he mentioned it was a apocalyptic tale, and that is frankly one of my least favorite genres. I have very high standards when it comes to the willing suspension of disbelief, and most authors do not understand how the world works well enough to portray an apocalypse with anything approaching believability. Yes, that makes me a miserable companion when viewing zombie movies.
So, when Noah asked me to read his second novel, TROOPER #4 I wasn’t enthused and I put it off. I even suggested he work on a sequel to Bleeding Heart Yard instead (still a worthy project – both his novels are published by Mundainia Press: http://www.mundania.com).
Silly me. When I sat down to read TROOPER #4 I discovered an engrossing tale that plays with genre concepts and explores some deep intellectual waters with impressive confidence and humor. It was engrossing, far more so then his excellent first novel, so much so that I had a hard time putting it down to eat or sleep.
The novel opens with the familiar genre conceit of a police officer awakening into a world gone mad. Not-quite zombies are shuffling about attacking folks, and the world is clearly not right. But the police officer’s own memory is rather blank… she doesn’t even know she is a police officer at first and must simply accept her name tag’s assurance that she is “T. Felice.” She discovers a young boy she is drawn to protect, and slowly tries to figure out how the world went mad and whether or not she has gone mad with it.
This plot outline is correct yet insufficient. Felice explores the world around her on multiple levels and through multiple time periods as the novel explores the intense link between a creator and his creations. The nature of the novel requires disciplined attention to detail by the writer, as different scenes must be described multiple times and ring precisely true – and yet different – each time. This rewards multiple reads of the book; as after the twist is revealed the book is almost new again to those rereading it as knowledge of the coming twist transforms the many descriptions and dialogue in the text from inane filler to plot critical detail. Noah is a gamer himself, and gamers will find a great deal of inspiration here.
An excellent multi-genre campaign could easily be modeled on the novel itself with plenty of action for those who like explosions and a mind-blowing puzzle for players who enjoy intellectual puzzles. In addition, Chinn creates a clever twist on a technique popularlized by Poe, Chambers and Lovecraft: the use of a fictional book’s plot to advance the story. Many gamemasters would be wise to copy this twist. The book lends itself to any horror roleplaying game but especially Call of Cthulhu or Mage: The Ascension. Several of the book’s fight scenes could make decent Final Days scenarios.
The book’s villain is the real gem here for gamemasters looking to swipe concepts and characters for their game. The motivation is excellent, the method chilling, and the presentation top notch. Even better, she surprised me. What she was, why she was doing it, it wasn’t what I expected – I had an inkling of the secret but didn’t figure out the specifics until Chinn laid them out in the prose, and then everything clicked. I’m almost never surprised by books these days; it is a rare gift when it happens.
Chinn’s writing is very disciplined and the editing is tight, the only substantive criticism one can make is that his novels are too short. TROOPER #4 might have benefited by hundred more pages. I hesitate to mention this; too many writers today try to drown their readers in words (I’m looking at you, Robert Jordan and George R.R. Martin). But some more exposition would have been nice.
With TROOPER #4 Noah Chinn has moved to the next level as a writer. He’s produced an intriguing, entertaining novel that asks interesting questions and reaches impressive answers. If you like apocalyptic novels and are not afraid to think, or if you simply like well written fantasy with vivid characters, then you should read this book.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Paul Westermeyer is a professional military historian for the United States Marine Corps. He’s read fantasy and science fiction voraciously since the mid-Seventies, and has played role-playing games since 1979.
-----
Noah Chinn is familiar to Knights of the Dinner Table readers as the creator and author of Fuzzy Knights, one of the magazines’ longest running side strips. He is also the author of Bleeding Heart Yard, a charming, clever urban fantasy novel I reviewed back in KODT #183. At the time Noah told me of his next novel, but he mentioned it was a apocalyptic tale, and that is frankly one of my least favorite genres. I have very high standards when it comes to the willing suspension of disbelief, and most authors do not understand how the world works well enough to portray an apocalypse with anything approaching believability. Yes, that makes me a miserable companion when viewing zombie movies.
So, when Noah asked me to read his second novel, TROOPER #4 I wasn’t enthused and I put it off. I even suggested he work on a sequel to Bleeding Heart Yard instead (still a worthy project – both his novels are published by Mundainia Press: http://www.mundania.com).
Silly me. When I sat down to read TROOPER #4 I discovered an engrossing tale that plays with genre concepts and explores some deep intellectual waters with impressive confidence and humor. It was engrossing, far more so then his excellent first novel, so much so that I had a hard time putting it down to eat or sleep.
The novel opens with the familiar genre conceit of a police officer awakening into a world gone mad. Not-quite zombies are shuffling about attacking folks, and the world is clearly not right. But the police officer’s own memory is rather blank… she doesn’t even know she is a police officer at first and must simply accept her name tag’s assurance that she is “T. Felice.” She discovers a young boy she is drawn to protect, and slowly tries to figure out how the world went mad and whether or not she has gone mad with it.
This plot outline is correct yet insufficient. Felice explores the world around her on multiple levels and through multiple time periods as the novel explores the intense link between a creator and his creations. The nature of the novel requires disciplined attention to detail by the writer, as different scenes must be described multiple times and ring precisely true – and yet different – each time. This rewards multiple reads of the book; as after the twist is revealed the book is almost new again to those rereading it as knowledge of the coming twist transforms the many descriptions and dialogue in the text from inane filler to plot critical detail. Noah is a gamer himself, and gamers will find a great deal of inspiration here.
An excellent multi-genre campaign could easily be modeled on the novel itself with plenty of action for those who like explosions and a mind-blowing puzzle for players who enjoy intellectual puzzles. In addition, Chinn creates a clever twist on a technique popularlized by Poe, Chambers and Lovecraft: the use of a fictional book’s plot to advance the story. Many gamemasters would be wise to copy this twist. The book lends itself to any horror roleplaying game but especially Call of Cthulhu or Mage: The Ascension. Several of the book’s fight scenes could make decent Final Days scenarios.
The book’s villain is the real gem here for gamemasters looking to swipe concepts and characters for their game. The motivation is excellent, the method chilling, and the presentation top notch. Even better, she surprised me. What she was, why she was doing it, it wasn’t what I expected – I had an inkling of the secret but didn’t figure out the specifics until Chinn laid them out in the prose, and then everything clicked. I’m almost never surprised by books these days; it is a rare gift when it happens.
Chinn’s writing is very disciplined and the editing is tight, the only substantive criticism one can make is that his novels are too short. TROOPER #4 might have benefited by hundred more pages. I hesitate to mention this; too many writers today try to drown their readers in words (I’m looking at you, Robert Jordan and George R.R. Martin). But some more exposition would have been nice.
With TROOPER #4 Noah Chinn has moved to the next level as a writer. He’s produced an intriguing, entertaining novel that asks interesting questions and reaches impressive answers. If you like apocalyptic novels and are not afraid to think, or if you simply like well written fantasy with vivid characters, then you should read this book.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Paul Westermeyer is a professional military historian for the United States Marine Corps. He’s read fantasy and science fiction voraciously since the mid-Seventies, and has played role-playing games since 1979.
April 25, 2015
I really like this audiobook. It’s a different take on the apocalypse and zombies or moaners, which was neat but the narration took it over the top to great! I like the way the story started with Felice having amnesia. It seemed everyone had it. It goes through her thought process of who, what, and where she is. She’s a police officer so she gets into her patrol car and gets to a place named Fort Rock where she finds a kid beside the road who also has amnesia and determines that Mikey is a good name for him. She takes him with her and they begin their trek..
She’s packing a gun and a Gideon. Over the radio she picks up a signal from somewhere, from someone known only by the name Uri so her aim is to get there safely with Mikey in tow. Wherever ‘there’ is. Her and Mikey take off for Haven and it becomes a perilous, but in a way, an exciting journey. Finally, she meets up with Agent Groves along with some other fun characters who are able to explain a few things to her about what’s happening. I love the quips throughout the story. It adds a little lightheartedness to the seriousness of their situation along with some great twists.
Overall, I love the spin on the apocalypse and the story is hard to stop listening to. There is something very unique about it. Halfway through I had to force myself to turn it off last night and pick back up in the morning. Overall, I would definitely recommend this one. It has a lot of appeal. This segues me to the narration.
Barbara Benjamin-Creel does a fantastic job narrating this audiobook. I enjoyed a different setting for her this time as it shows her versatility as a skilled voice actor. I seriously loved her in this role. Couple that with her smooth voice and perfect inflections and boom, this a great listen. Nice work from both author and narrator.
Audiobook gifted in exchange for review.
© 2014 crystalzen © Teresa W.
She’s packing a gun and a Gideon. Over the radio she picks up a signal from somewhere, from someone known only by the name Uri so her aim is to get there safely with Mikey in tow. Wherever ‘there’ is. Her and Mikey take off for Haven and it becomes a perilous, but in a way, an exciting journey. Finally, she meets up with Agent Groves along with some other fun characters who are able to explain a few things to her about what’s happening. I love the quips throughout the story. It adds a little lightheartedness to the seriousness of their situation along with some great twists.
Overall, I love the spin on the apocalypse and the story is hard to stop listening to. There is something very unique about it. Halfway through I had to force myself to turn it off last night and pick back up in the morning. Overall, I would definitely recommend this one. It has a lot of appeal. This segues me to the narration.
Barbara Benjamin-Creel does a fantastic job narrating this audiobook. I enjoyed a different setting for her this time as it shows her versatility as a skilled voice actor. I seriously loved her in this role. Couple that with her smooth voice and perfect inflections and boom, this a great listen. Nice work from both author and narrator.
Audiobook gifted in exchange for review.
© 2014 crystalzen © Teresa W.
October 3, 2014
What made the experience of listening to Trooper #4 the most enjoyable?
I did not know what to expect coming into this book. It was a surprisingly interesting listen. The story starts out slow but really picks up and keeps you on edge as it progresses.
What other book might you compare Trooper #4 to and why?
It is more like the TV show The Walking Dead, very Dystopian and zombie heavy. There are a lot of great twists and turns that easily keep a reader enthralled.
What about Barbara Benjamin-Creel’s performance did you like?
Awesome read, I loved her pace and tone. She has a terrific rasp to her voice that helps bring the main character to life. Her energy throughout the read makes the book move at a really steady read. I will definitely be looking for more of her reads.
Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.
I did not know what to expect coming into this book. It was a surprisingly interesting listen. The story starts out slow but really picks up and keeps you on edge as it progresses.
What other book might you compare Trooper #4 to and why?
It is more like the TV show The Walking Dead, very Dystopian and zombie heavy. There are a lot of great twists and turns that easily keep a reader enthralled.
What about Barbara Benjamin-Creel’s performance did you like?
Awesome read, I loved her pace and tone. She has a terrific rasp to her voice that helps bring the main character to life. Her energy throughout the read makes the book move at a really steady read. I will definitely be looking for more of her reads.
Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, opinions and ratings are my own.
March 31, 2015
Where does Trooper #4 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I've listen to over 100 audio books from sources other then audible and this is in my top ten easily! The Story alone would be a top ten but the narration really put it over the top.
Which character – as performed by Barbara Benjamin-Creel – was your favorite?
T. Felice hands down, her timing on her lines were perfect.
I've listen to over 100 audio books from sources other then audible and this is in my top ten easily! The Story alone would be a top ten but the narration really put it over the top.
Which character – as performed by Barbara Benjamin-Creel – was your favorite?
T. Felice hands down, her timing on her lines were perfect.
May 22, 2015
A woman wakes up,she doesn't know who she is. This book was a very interesting.To say more on it,would give it away.I enjoyed it very much.Barbara-Creel narrated the story brilliantly!
I was gifted a copy through Audioblast for an honest review.
I was gifted a copy through Audioblast for an honest review.
May 2, 2013
Creative, funny, lively post-apocalyptic tale. You will love the heroine, and be fascinated by the events as they unfold.
December 28, 2014
I couldn't help but love the lead character's reaction to her situation as she slowly put the pieces together. This was a fun read, with a creative, unusual and interesting premise. Good stuff.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews