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Crimson Worlds #3
A Little Rebellion
Crimson Worlds Book III
The Third Frontier War is over, and the Western Alliance is triumphant. All across human-occupied space, colony worlds celebrate the coming of peace.
But peace is an elusive dream, and more trouble is brewing. The war was expensive, and the economies of the Superpowers, always fragile, are on the verge of total collapse.
The Directorate, the shadowy intelligence organization that has become the true power behind the Alliance government, plans to strip the colonies bare to pay the costs of war. Already, they are tightening their control over the freewheeling colonial governments. And the Marine Corps faces total destruction at the hands of the worst traitor in its history.
But the colonists are a different breed than the passive mob on Earth, and they have no intention of meekly surrendering their hard won freedoms. On worlds all across the frontier, plans are hatched and weapons hoarded. And in taverns and meeting halls the words of an ancient text are uttered in hushed tones. A little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing.
The Crimson Worlds Series:
Marines (Crimson Worlds I)
The Cost of Victory (Crimson Worlds II)
A Little Rebellion (Crimson Worlds III)
Tombstone (Prequel)
Coming March 2013
The First Imperium (Crimson Worlds IV)
The Third Frontier War is over, and the Western Alliance is triumphant. All across human-occupied space, colony worlds celebrate the coming of peace.
But peace is an elusive dream, and more trouble is brewing. The war was expensive, and the economies of the Superpowers, always fragile, are on the verge of total collapse.
The Directorate, the shadowy intelligence organization that has become the true power behind the Alliance government, plans to strip the colonies bare to pay the costs of war. Already, they are tightening their control over the freewheeling colonial governments. And the Marine Corps faces total destruction at the hands of the worst traitor in its history.
But the colonists are a different breed than the passive mob on Earth, and they have no intention of meekly surrendering their hard won freedoms. On worlds all across the frontier, plans are hatched and weapons hoarded. And in taverns and meeting halls the words of an ancient text are uttered in hushed tones. A little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing.
The Crimson Worlds Series:
Marines (Crimson Worlds I)
The Cost of Victory (Crimson Worlds II)
A Little Rebellion (Crimson Worlds III)
Tombstone (Prequel)
Coming March 2013
The First Imperium (Crimson Worlds IV)
360 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 20, 2013
456 people are currently reading
364 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
February 21, 2013
This is the third book in this series I enjoyed it very much a little bit more than the first one since this one did not feel as rushed, there are still a few points where you feel the author was rushing and just giving a summury of a battle insteasd of going into detail, also throughout this whole series the author jumps several months ahead all the time without really telling you. Those are my onlyt two complaints all in all a very good read looking forward to next book.
December 11, 2020
Nice end to the first trilogy in the series storyline. Nice wrap up and set up for the new story arc. Good military SiFi. Well written and very realistic for the characters. Recommended
March 23, 2021
The author says that he almost extended this into two books because he covered so much material. It is basically the American Civil War IN SPACE! No slaves are involved and it is not even a real civil war. Neither was the American Civil War which was probably the author's point. It was a "War Between the States" as the South tried to breakaway from the North. Thus in this story various colony worlds are attempting to break away from the Earth government... not trying to take it over which is what a civil war would be.
The Story: The colonial planets have a lot of autonomy, but the Earth is attempting to impose more control, so a couple of planets rebel. Those planets are populated by a lot of retired Marines. (See the previous two novels, "Marines" and "The Cost of Victory".) So, even though they have poor weapons they are very well-led rebellions. Meanwhile, the beloved Admiral Garret has been kidnapped and his DNA is used to certify strange orders to the Space Navy and to approve ridiculous promotions. The Directorate is behind it all, but it looks as if they have reached too far.
Any problems with this story? Well... it mainly jumped between two colonial planets and Earth. At times it became a little confusing as to who was doing what to who (or whom). I managed to figure it out. It is a minor complaint. I found the idea of bribing gang members to work with the Marines to be semi-ridiculous. Of course, gang members will do some things for money. That was believable, but the whole transaction seemed to be too off-the-cuff to be credible.
Any modesty issues? As with the other novels in this series, the F-word was used. The Admiral was susceptible to the charms of an agent working for the Directorate, but it wasn't described in any more detail than that.
Generally, I liked the ending. No cliffhanger. It left plenty of room for the sequel, "The First Imperium".
I'll probably read this book again.
The Story: The colonial planets have a lot of autonomy, but the Earth is attempting to impose more control, so a couple of planets rebel. Those planets are populated by a lot of retired Marines. (See the previous two novels, "Marines" and "The Cost of Victory".) So, even though they have poor weapons they are very well-led rebellions. Meanwhile, the beloved Admiral Garret has been kidnapped and his DNA is used to certify strange orders to the Space Navy and to approve ridiculous promotions. The Directorate is behind it all, but it looks as if they have reached too far.
Any problems with this story? Well... it mainly jumped between two colonial planets and Earth. At times it became a little confusing as to who was doing what to who (or whom). I managed to figure it out. It is a minor complaint. I found the idea of bribing gang members to work with the Marines to be semi-ridiculous. Of course, gang members will do some things for money. That was believable, but the whole transaction seemed to be too off-the-cuff to be credible.
Any modesty issues? As with the other novels in this series, the F-word was used. The Admiral was susceptible to the charms of an agent working for the Directorate, but it wasn't described in any more detail than that.
Generally, I liked the ending. No cliffhanger. It left plenty of room for the sequel, "The First Imperium".
I'll probably read this book again.
May 12, 2020
Author Jay Allan continues the saga of Erik Cain and his fellow Marines in the third book of the Crimson Worlds series. Now there's revolution on the colony worlds as Earth's children chafe under the autocratic boot of their homeworld. Allan is a gifted when it comes to writing futuristic combat, both on the ground and in space - he has a real grasp of tactics and how wars might be fought among the stars. In addition, the layered story of the last book becomes even more entangled, as there are now threats from within, shifting alliances, and insterstellar politics which all bear heavily on the fast-paced plot of the book. The only downside I might offer is the expanded cast of characters can get to be a bit confusing, especially with similar sounding names that appear on planets that don't seem to be very different from each other. The main characters are all back with easily recognizable heroics, but the secondary folks from the last book have been elevated into starring roles with somewhat little in the way of differentiating personalities. Even with that, though, this is still a solid read, and Jay Allan is crafting a pretty nifty little sci-fi series here.
November 5, 2021
The war is over, it should be a time of peace. However, those that ensured the victory, seemed to be those that were not being treated fairly, although it's now a time to reduce the navy and marines, there seems as if there is a plan, to split up and send to remote locations, if not pre- matureally pension the veterans off.
So, the story on many fronts continues, with one man in particular trying to become the puppet master. It's another war, but on a different scale and a different enemy. It's a fight for freedom, it's a fight against greed and tyranny. It's a fight they must not be allowed to loose.
So, the story on many fronts continues, with one man in particular trying to become the puppet master. It's another war, but on a different scale and a different enemy. It's a fight for freedom, it's a fight against greed and tyranny. It's a fight they must not be allowed to loose.
August 21, 2025
Good read brings you back into the next stage of the Crimson Worlds
A good read reuniting the Powered Marine characters years after the war that molded them all. New deceptions and conspiracies and struggles as the Marines trybtontakentheir next steps beyond the War and their lives. The story drag them back and calls them all back to places they thought were behind them. Now they are building for themselves and their future but a lot of work and blood to be committed and family to be protected.
A good read reuniting the Powered Marine characters years after the war that molded them all. New deceptions and conspiracies and struggles as the Marines trybtontakentheir next steps beyond the War and their lives. The story drag them back and calls them all back to places they thought were behind them. Now they are building for themselves and their future but a lot of work and blood to be committed and family to be protected.
October 6, 2017
A satisfactory ending to this first sequence - definitely not the end! Sadly not everyone makes it through but there is a good balance of warfare on the rebel worlds, together with machinations at the political level and in both naval and marine hierarchy. It's a long book (and suffers from some poor proofreading - both typos and actual errors; I'm being hypercritical.)
I'll come back to this universe at some stage.
I'll come back to this universe at some stage.
March 5, 2018
A page turner with caveats
Good strategy and dialog but, the characters are a bit too cardboard; the protagonist borders on being a Marty Stu; and the author repeats descriptions of characters ad nausium every encounter like he is attempting to increase word count. The events are also a tad predictable and the influience of the American wars are readily apparent.
All that being said the book was enjoyable and I do plan on finishing this part of the series.
Good strategy and dialog but, the characters are a bit too cardboard; the protagonist borders on being a Marty Stu; and the author repeats descriptions of characters ad nausium every encounter like he is attempting to increase word count. The events are also a tad predictable and the influience of the American wars are readily apparent.
All that being said the book was enjoyable and I do plan on finishing this part of the series.
August 18, 2017
Ok, Jay his suckered me completely in with this series. I absolutely Love Eric Cain. The supporting characters are so well developed that it one falls in love with them, or hate in some cases. Jay artfully articulates how freedom and liberty can be eroded. This story May be set in the far future but couldn't be more poignant to today.
September 29, 2017
Gotta read faster...
Just finished A Little Rebellion, couldn't put it down! I'll make this quick so I don't waste any time to read #4...read these books, you won't be disappointed.
Why are you still reading this review, when you could be reading one of Jay Allen's fantastic books. Go! Buy, read, enjoy your time in the Crimson Worlds.
Just finished A Little Rebellion, couldn't put it down! I'll make this quick so I don't waste any time to read #4...read these books, you won't be disappointed.
Why are you still reading this review, when you could be reading one of Jay Allen's fantastic books. Go! Buy, read, enjoy your time in the Crimson Worlds.
June 17, 2018
A next step on the road
With this novel Jay Allen moves his credentials up a notch. He is already moving toward the ranks of our top military fiction authors. His action is balanced with intrigue and political infighting. Sides are clearly drawn, with infiltration, assasination and economic warfare employed carefully to produce a believable environment for revolution.
With this novel Jay Allen moves his credentials up a notch. He is already moving toward the ranks of our top military fiction authors. His action is balanced with intrigue and political infighting. Sides are clearly drawn, with infiltration, assasination and economic warfare employed carefully to produce a believable environment for revolution.
March 22, 2019
Great book, only criticisms really is that some parts feel really rushed. Jumping through battles, just giving summaries of major events. The last bit particularly feels rushed. Also, the author repeats character descriptions or motives that he has already stated, so parts of the book you end up wanting to just breeze through due to this.
May 20, 2019
I bought the bundle for books 1-3. I enjoyed book 3 and it had a few errors throughout. The overall information was a little over the top and had so much going on that it was sometimes hard to keep track on which character was describing or talking. I enjoyed the overall plot, but was a little predictable. I look forward to book 4.
February 4, 2018
Congratulations on another excellent military sci-fi book. This one was a fitting (sort of) ending to the trilogy. Some characters live and some die but in the end, "the good guys" come out ahead. Thanks to Kindle Unlimited for allowing me to read these in order.
July 6, 2021
The Revolution Begins
The only thing I really dislike about this is the intrusion of Gavin Stark and subsequent murk in the waters. That is not to say it is not good, just that I dislike the type of character Stark represents.
The only thing I really dislike about this is the intrusion of Gavin Stark and subsequent murk in the waters. That is not to say it is not good, just that I dislike the type of character Stark represents.
December 3, 2021
Marines disbanded, Navy gutted?!
Lots of intrigue and action in this one. Alliance Security is expanding its evil control to the colonies. Their plans could alter the balance of power on earth. And something odd is going on at the archeological site...
Lots of intrigue and action in this one. Alliance Security is expanding its evil control to the colonies. Their plans could alter the balance of power on earth. And something odd is going on at the archeological site...
December 16, 2021
Marines like never before
I never thought that I would be reading sci-fi but believe once you start, you will find it hard to put down. The plots and action is unbelievable. I am a fan of Jay Allan
I never thought that I would be reading sci-fi but believe once you start, you will find it hard to put down. The plots and action is unbelievable. I am a fan of Jay Allan
July 20, 2022
Those who don't learn from history....
Book 2 of this series is indeed a lesson of what happens to those who forget their history... this book reminds me of the American Revolution on steroids. Pure science fiction
Book 2 of this series is indeed a lesson of what happens to those who forget their history... this book reminds me of the American Revolution on steroids. Pure science fiction
January 5, 2017
Cain, Holms and Garrett are forced to side with the rebels against a mad man, Stark. The story of colonies in rebellion. B
November 2, 2017
Great series. I am already looking at the next three that Amazon has in a bundle.
January 22, 2018
Good read. Now on to book 4 of the series. Enjoy the plot development and the building character profile. A well written series that has kept interest level high.
December 27, 2018
Great book
Enjoyed it very much. Jay Allen spins a great yarn. Starting on the third book now. I'm sure it will be as good as his others.
Enjoyed it very much. Jay Allen spins a great yarn. Starting on the third book now. I'm sure it will be as good as his others.
March 1, 2019
Another Good Book
The third book in the series provides a depth of understanding to the characters who will continue to play important roles in the subsequent books.
The third book in the series provides a depth of understanding to the characters who will continue to play important roles in the subsequent books.
April 20, 2021
Good series
This series has been well thought out and executed thus far. Looking forward to the remainder of the series.Recommend highly.
This series has been well thought out and executed thus far. Looking forward to the remainder of the series.Recommend highly.
April 24, 2022
Not as good as the first two. I still enjoyed it though.
August 2, 2013
The third book in this series and it's just as good as the first two! This is great military science fiction. I really like the story up to this point and knew that it was just going to get better even though I knew just as well as Brigadier General (BG) Cain what was going to happen. As the fighting between the Superpowers dies down, peace now comes to the Alliance. But, as has been the case in all our real periods of peace, those times seem to be harder to manage than when we are at war. It has been clear to BG Cain for quite a while that something is not right with the Alliance Government. It wants to control the colony worlds with an iron hand much as it does with the present population of Earth. The people of Earth, except for a small minority, live in deplorable conditions from which Erik Cain managed to escape a long time ago. He does not trust the Earth government but can't quite convince anyone to pay attention to what is now happening with not only the colony worlds but with his own Marine Corps.
It's great to continue reading about a number of characters who have grown through out this series. They have fought and struggled along side each other and now face a very difficult challenge; they now have to fight against their own! The Directorate of Alliance Intelligence has become so corrupt with power on Earth, that it feels the need to now exert it's control over the colonial worlds which just have too much freedoms. Then Directorate of Alliance Intelligence wants to come down hard on these colonies to ensure that the flow of raw materials going to Earth continue without stoppage. Of course, these raw materials are necessary to ensure the elite of the decadent Earth society stay in power and stay accustom to the privileges and excesses they now have.
The colonies are just as you would expect. They want their independence from Earth and everything it stands for. Where does the Alliance Navy and Marine Corp find itself in this struggle between these two entities? Will it follow the orders of the Alliance Gov. as it has done for centuries or will they understand that their function is to protect all Alliance civilian. Should the Alliance Navy follow the demands of an Alliance appointed Governor and drop nuclear bombs on a colony world that would kill thousands, if not millions of civilian?
Read this next book and get answers to all these problems. All the people you've read about in the first two books come to fight again. Unfortunately, not all of them make it out alive this time!
I was a little disappointed with the editing of this book. There seemed to be a lot of screwy sentence structure with left out words or the wrong words used in the wrong places. It doesn't appear that a real effort was made to do a comprehensive edit of the story. Hopefully, the next book will take the time to get a thorough edit and be easier to read.
It's great to continue reading about a number of characters who have grown through out this series. They have fought and struggled along side each other and now face a very difficult challenge; they now have to fight against their own! The Directorate of Alliance Intelligence has become so corrupt with power on Earth, that it feels the need to now exert it's control over the colonial worlds which just have too much freedoms. Then Directorate of Alliance Intelligence wants to come down hard on these colonies to ensure that the flow of raw materials going to Earth continue without stoppage. Of course, these raw materials are necessary to ensure the elite of the decadent Earth society stay in power and stay accustom to the privileges and excesses they now have.
The colonies are just as you would expect. They want their independence from Earth and everything it stands for. Where does the Alliance Navy and Marine Corp find itself in this struggle between these two entities? Will it follow the orders of the Alliance Gov. as it has done for centuries or will they understand that their function is to protect all Alliance civilian. Should the Alliance Navy follow the demands of an Alliance appointed Governor and drop nuclear bombs on a colony world that would kill thousands, if not millions of civilian?
Read this next book and get answers to all these problems. All the people you've read about in the first two books come to fight again. Unfortunately, not all of them make it out alive this time!
I was a little disappointed with the editing of this book. There seemed to be a lot of screwy sentence structure with left out words or the wrong words used in the wrong places. It doesn't appear that a real effort was made to do a comprehensive edit of the story. Hopefully, the next book will take the time to get a thorough edit and be easier to read.
February 6, 2017
This review covers Crimson Worlds Books 1-9. I read them consecutively, so can only review them comprehensively.
Overall: The books are really good, but fall short of being great, for reasons I'll outline below.
Characters: The protagonists are well written, likable, and appropriately complex. The antagonists are clever, and help drive the plot, but perhaps at times lack sufficient positive features to make them completely realistic.
Writing/Editing: The copy editing is well done - no complaints there. The author could use a good developmental editor, however, as there are too many cases of repeating the same phrase and wording. There are also a few cases in which the wrong person or place name is used, which can pop the reader out.
Writing/Combat Scenes: The author does a great job of describing land combat scenes in a way that both gives the reader a feel and view of the overall battle while also engaging the reader in the stress and anxiety of the POV character. I've read few that match the author in this area. The space battles, while good, do not hit the same standards of say a Jack Campbell. These battles are decidedly two-dimensional and the tactical nuances are far less pronounced and engaging.
Writing/Other: There are a large number of characters, as is normal for the genre, though the author does change POV more rapidly than some at times. Thematically, the author is perhaps a bit pessimistic about the human race, but does weave in a solid thread of hope.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the series, and hold the author's portrayal of futuristic ground combat in high esteem. The need for a developmental editor can be a distraction at times, but not enough to make me want to stop reading.
Overall: The books are really good, but fall short of being great, for reasons I'll outline below.
Characters: The protagonists are well written, likable, and appropriately complex. The antagonists are clever, and help drive the plot, but perhaps at times lack sufficient positive features to make them completely realistic.
Writing/Editing: The copy editing is well done - no complaints there. The author could use a good developmental editor, however, as there are too many cases of repeating the same phrase and wording. There are also a few cases in which the wrong person or place name is used, which can pop the reader out.
Writing/Combat Scenes: The author does a great job of describing land combat scenes in a way that both gives the reader a feel and view of the overall battle while also engaging the reader in the stress and anxiety of the POV character. I've read few that match the author in this area. The space battles, while good, do not hit the same standards of say a Jack Campbell. These battles are decidedly two-dimensional and the tactical nuances are far less pronounced and engaging.
Writing/Other: There are a large number of characters, as is normal for the genre, though the author does change POV more rapidly than some at times. Thematically, the author is perhaps a bit pessimistic about the human race, but does weave in a solid thread of hope.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the series, and hold the author's portrayal of futuristic ground combat in high esteem. The need for a developmental editor can be a distraction at times, but not enough to make me want to stop reading.
September 17, 2013
As I wrote in my review of the previous book, The Cost of Victory, I was not at all overly thrilled by all the politics, treachery and backstabbing going on in that book. Actually I was rather disappointed by the book as a result of that. This book is better than the previous one but it is still full of these despicable activities. Of course these gripes that I have are purely a matter of personal taste in the subject of the book. None of the books are bad in terms of the actual writing.
The primary reason I liked this book a bit more than the previous one is because we are now, if not exactly seeing the light at the end of the tunnel so at least, seeing some light. The directorate are indeed getting back some of what they have been dishing out and their nefarious plans are indeed thwarted…for now. Unfortunately, I think the book didn’t go far enough on this and a lot of the scum are still left in positions where they can, and surely will, do some hurt in coming books.
Apart from these gripes, the book itself is a very good book. The boring report-like style of telling things that we saw in the first book in the series is really gone. The characters are interesting, the action is very good and the story advances at a nice enough pace. For anyone that likes military Sci-Fi and do not mind a lot of political treachery this is a highly recommendable book. Me personally, I do not like the political parts but I still find the book good enough that I have already started reading the next one in the series when writing this.
The primary reason I liked this book a bit more than the previous one is because we are now, if not exactly seeing the light at the end of the tunnel so at least, seeing some light. The directorate are indeed getting back some of what they have been dishing out and their nefarious plans are indeed thwarted…for now. Unfortunately, I think the book didn’t go far enough on this and a lot of the scum are still left in positions where they can, and surely will, do some hurt in coming books.
Apart from these gripes, the book itself is a very good book. The boring report-like style of telling things that we saw in the first book in the series is really gone. The characters are interesting, the action is very good and the story advances at a nice enough pace. For anyone that likes military Sci-Fi and do not mind a lot of political treachery this is a highly recommendable book. Me personally, I do not like the political parts but I still find the book good enough that I have already started reading the next one in the series when writing this.
August 28, 2013
Author Jay Allan continues the saga of Erik Cain and his fellow Marines in the third book of the Crimson Worlds series. Now there's revolution on the colony worlds as Earth's children chafe under the autocratic boot of their homeworld. Allan is gifted when it comes to writing futuristic combat, both on the ground and in space - he has a real grasp of tactics and how wars might be fought among the stars. In addition, the layered story of the last book becomes even more entangled, as there are now threats from within, shifting alliances, and interstellar politics which all bear heavily on the fast-paced plot of the book. The only downside I might offer is the expanded cast of characters can get to be a bit confusing, especially with similar sounding names that appear on planets that don't seem to be very different from each other. The main characters are all back with easily recognizable heroics, but the secondary folks from the last book have been elevated into starring roles with somewhat little in the way of differentiating personalities. Even with that, though, this is still a solid read, and Jay Allan is crafting a pretty nifty little sci-fi series here.
November 5, 2017
Like the previous two entries in Jay Allan's 'Crimson Worlds' series, this is probably more accurately called space opera than science fiction: set in a distant future where man has colonised the stars, this concerns itself with an act of rebellion, an act whereby the colony world's of the Alliance are seeking the gain their freedom from the autocratic rule of the latter.
Cue divided loyalties of Eric Cain and his compatriats in both the Marines and the Fleet ...
I found this to be an OKish read: it did keep me reading and turning the (electronic) pages, but it never really sucked me in all that much, never really hooked me enough to go looking for any further entries in the series. Don't get me wrong, I may read them if I come across them, just not actively search them out ...
Cue divided loyalties of Eric Cain and his compatriats in both the Marines and the Fleet ...
I found this to be an OKish read: it did keep me reading and turning the (electronic) pages, but it never really sucked me in all that much, never really hooked me enough to go looking for any further entries in the series. Don't get me wrong, I may read them if I come across them, just not actively search them out ...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews