Storm Assault

Star Force #8

by B.V. Larson

Kyle Riggs has been away from Earth for a long time…but that’s about to change.

In STORM ASSAULT, the eighth book of the Star Force Series, the story moves in a new direction. Massive fleets are built by both Star Force and the Imperials—but there is a third player in the game: the Blues.

A three-way battle for the known star systems breaks out, with the fates of many worlds and species hanging in the balance. Riggs realizes he must destroy his enemies before they destroy him. Seeking justice and revenge, he gathers his strength and ventures out on a mission of conquest from the Eden System.

Humanity must fight to survive, and Riggs is the right man for the job.

Genres: Science Fiction, Audiobook, Space Opera, Military Fiction, Military Science Fiction, Fiction, Aliens

307 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 10, 2013

About the author

Brian Larson is an American science fiction and fantasy author

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite military sci fi series. It has become the standard by which I compare everything else and probably started my infatuation with the genre.

I am shocked. Fans who've been following the series know that Krowe needs to be taken down and now it's about to happen. But it's not JUST Emperor Krowe and the Imperialists Kyle has to worry about. The Blues have been up to no good and show their hand before Kyle and crew can even make it out of the Eden system to return to earth.

What new abomination has The Blues created this time. How can they possible return to Earth and overthrow Krowe? What kinds of traps has Krowe laid for them along the journey back? What new creatures will we meet? What woman will Kyle choose? What's Marvin going to get into?
.
This is what we've all been waiting for and it isn't predictable and doesn't disappoint? I can't wait for more. I missed Sandra though. What a loss.

As always Mark Boyett does a phenomenal job narrating. I really enjoy his voice for Marvin and The Blues. He really brings out the humor.

[Mike Nemeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

B.V. Larson's books are pretty intense. Of course, that depends on a reader's definition of that word. I like his literary intensity and would probably read them until I was late for work or had no options for dinner. Larson doesn't delve too deeply into sub plots. He doesn't treat his novels like they're mini telenovelas, with high drama. He gets to the point. In "Storm Assault," Kyle Riggs is over his moping about his dead girlfriend. Mostly. He is the center of his universe, the Star Force, so when he deteriorates, so does his organization. Because of this, Riggs operates a lot like a cult of personality/dictator type. He's a nice guy and reasonably fair. He treats his people well. But he's in charge. No doubt about it. Again, however, Larson presents his hero with a basically unwinnable scenario. The Blues, the creatures who live in the massive and crushing gravity well of a gas giant and have superior technology, have decided to exterminate (familiar refrain?) mankind like they would an irritating bug infestation. The Blues don't like to leave their planet. Thus the reason they created the macros and the micros (robot intelligence) in the first place. But they decide to send one of their number away to kick some human ass. Riggs takes this personally. He doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell to beat them in a toe-to-to slugfest. So he does what he's always done. He tries to figure out their motivations and outsmart/deceive them. The problem appears impossible. But Riggs has game. Meanwhile, Earth is on the horizon and Riggs' archenemy wants his blood, too.

[Trey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Star Force is one of my favorite series I am currently reading. I couldn't wait for for Audible to release it. That being said, this is probably my least favorite novel in the series.

What really bothered me was that Kyle just didn't seem to work very hard and just happened to get everything he wanted by pure luck. I was completely ready for a massive and epic assault on earth.... which was completely lacking. It was just "oh here is an alien space ship with amazing powers that we got lucky enough to take control of". "Surrender Earth, ok good, thanks". I wanted some decent naval combat and some decent ground assault combat.

[Sylwka (unserious.pl) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pewne wydarzenia z poprzedniego odcinka, natchnęły mnie do wręcz natychmiastowego odsłuchania ósmej odsłony mydlanej opery kosmicznej, z galaktycznym erotomanem Riggsem, B.V. Larsona pod tytułem Szturm.

Pułapki Imperatora…
"Kyle Riggs zamierza powrócić na Ziemię…
Siły Gwiezdne podejmują wyprawę do Układu Słonecznego, chcąc wyzwolić ludzkość spod okrutnej dyktatury imperatora Crowa. Zanosi się na wojnę domową na wielką skalę, jednak do gry wkraczają Niebiescy, a ich okręt nie przypomina niczego, z czym Riggs i jego ludzie zetknęli się do tej pory. Nowy rodzaj broni stworzyły też Siły Imperialne – niesamowite cyborgi okazują się niezwykle wymagającym przeciwnikiem. Pułkownik Riggs musi podjąć kilka trudnych decyzji, a jego oficerowie często mają odmienne zdanie.

Jak zakończy się ten trójstronny konflikt? Czy Siły Gwiezdne mają szansę przetrwać tę zawieruchę?"

Krowe i jego kosmiczny taniec. ;)
Jeżeli chodzi o kosmiczną zawieruchę, podchody polityczne, osobowość dyktatora, wykorzystanie niebieskich i te wszystkie nowe „gadżety”, to muszę przyznać jedno – Larson przeszedł samego siebie. Widać, że główka dobrze pracowała, a połączenie tych wszystkich detali z niezwykle dynamiczną akcją, dało kawał dobrego kosmicznego czytadła.

No i wszystko w tej materii byłoby „cacy”, gdyby nie maniera autora, do robienia z Riggsa jedynej inteligentnej jednostki. Tylko on widzi, tylko on łączy fakty i tylko on potrafi. Momentami odnoszę wrażenie, że ten człowiek otacza się samymi półgłówkami (poza Marvinem), którzy mają stanowić tło, a jego jedyny, godny przeciwnik to Krowe.

Do tego nie można zapomnieć o klasyce gatunku z kategorii bożyszcze kobiet. Każda go chce, każda o nim marzy, a ten bidulek nie wie, co ma ze sobą począć. Ja serio nie wiem, jak bardzo można mieć rozbuchane ego, ale z każdym odcinkiem przekonuję się, że fantazje erotyczne autora, pokonują kolejne punkty, które mi wydawały się już granicą nie do przejścia. ;)

Mimo tego fajnie, że ta najbardziej interesująca mnie część „ruszyła z kopyta”, że jest sporo dobrej akcji i fajnych, ciekawych kosmicznie rozwiązań. Dlatego jeżeli macie ochotę na kosmiczną (i erotyczną) przygodę, to Szturm B.V. Larsona powinien Wam się spodobać.

P.S. Roch Siemianowski jak zawsze odwalił kawał dobrej roboty przy czytaniu. :D

http://unserious.pl/2021/01/szturm/

[D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suppose i just means i am a horrible human being but i just could not take all the moral hand-wringing and second guessing at what seemed to me to be perfectly obvious choices. The further along in the book i got, whenever a particular female character spoke i knew to just pass over the words. No book is perfect and thus, this would have not been unanticipated and otherwise acceptable except that her attitude seemed to infect the main character. No doubt this is a book written with certain political and social sensitivities i lack.
Otherwise, this is one of the kinds of books i go for and felt quite at home with the story. So much so that i knew i would feel no need to have first read the previous seven books in the series. Hell, i could have jumped right to the middle of this book and still figured ti out pretty quick.
Anyways.
This book is similar to much of the work written by Vaughn Heppner.

[Brad Collis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have followed this series from the beginning. It's been imaginative, enjoyable escapism and I was looking forward to this latest instalment, but I feel it has drifted off course. While unencumbered by contemporary Earthly technologies in the construction of plots, characters and worlds, the people and scenarios were always plausible. The Star Force #$8 narrative is just a bit too comic book; the main character now a caricature. but that's just personal taste and doesn't diminish the overall creative effort.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Storm Assault” sees Kyle Riggs finally in a position to return to Earth and to free it from the clutches of the rapacious Jack Crow who has declared himself Emperor.
But the Blues have decided that enough is enough, they've pledged to destroy all humanity, starting right now!
They've created a gigantic, seemingly unbeatable, space fortress and the game is on.
I've felt for a book or two that the series has run out of steam and is deliberately delaying the final battle.
And you won't find it here.
3 Stars.

[Thomas James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun? Oh, yeah!

If you think you have figured out the next twist or turn in Storm Assault, you are probably wrong. This has more twists, turns, and unexpected things than a corn-field maze. But, fun? Oh, yeah! Taking over an alien spaceship? What could be more fun? Or topping a tyrant dictator? Or even the guy getting the girl (finally)? There is violence and sex, but all on a surreal level that makes it fun.

[allan graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

Fast paced, excellent tech and some breast characters. Biggest fall for me is that he could flesh out the other characters a bit more, tends to introduce new people and then forgets about them. Though I do enjoy Marvin

[Shaft]

Kyle Riggs is getting less and less likeable as the books go on and the book begins to feel like Kyle is the only one with a working brain within Star Force. I know the books continue but I think it will be some time before I come back to this series.

[John Merrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing fancy or too techie, just good SciFi; human et al vs evil aliens and machines. Interesting, relatable characters. Good escapist lit with a drop of something more sophisticated popping up here and there.

[Koen Bongers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great piece in the Star Force series! Exciting developments for Colonel Riggs and his “pigs.” The events in this book kept the story engaging and fast-paced, and the ending was especially satisfying. Let me just say this, I’m instantly diving into the next book in the series!

[Ebrahim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I

[Marilyn Szabo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crow eat it yes yes a great day today and tomorrow and then you can put them on the

N read day next one
One two three four four the in out the next book pleasures this system ugh

[Christopher Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spoiler alert - the battle(s) continue(s).

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, I'm getting pretty tired of Colonel Riggs! He's acting like he's the only guy in the book that can do anything!

Starting off, he's been drunk for quite a while since the last battles he fought trying to save the Lobster people didn't do so well. And he suffered a personal loss which has caused him all sorts of problems. Of course, with him out of action, none of his people know how to run a military so everything starts getting out of whack. No wonder with the bunch of idiot cowards he has for senior staff. If any one of them had any b___s, they would have brought him up on charges of gross dereliction and then shot. With Riggs' enhancements, it wouldn't have killed him or anything else, but it would have been nice to see someone else with a brain.

And that's all this book is about; doing what Kyle Riggs wants and just standing around waiting for him to tell every single Marine or Fleet person what to do. That really, really gets tiring.

So, where will Riggs decide to strike next? Is he finally ready to return to Earth and see what's going on? Read the book and find out. Although I got tired of reading about Riggs on every single page, it's still a pretty good/interesting read.

[Julian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic as always. I really hope the author has a lot more stories in him because I really don't want them to end. This is the sort of story you devour in one or two sittings because it is fun from the first page to the last.

Although, I really have no idea how Kyle doesn't have a major desertion problem because he loses about 20% of his force in every engagement and really has no consistent method of command. He would be a terrible boss, he constantly wants to fratenise with his female subordinates, belittles his officers, constantly overrules other people's decisions which would really wreck their confidence... I could go on and on.

Aside from that, it is a lot of fun. Keep them coming!

[BobA707 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summary: Quite enjoyed this, the premise just doesn't work, the characters are all pretty unpleasant, but the plot moves along briskly and plenty of action. This has to be the worst book in the series so far (quite an achievement really). I'm really not sure why I keep reading them.

Plotline: Not well thought out but moves along very nicely, plenty of action. Some huge weaknesses so best to not think too hard about this plot.

Premise: No, just doesn't make sense, well may be a bit more than it did

Writing: The characters are all too one dimensional. Some poor editing/inconsistencies creeping into this volume.

Ending: Plenty of action

Pace: Never a dull moment!

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

How did earth become a dictatorship under the thumb of a rather goofy Australian? I don't know and apparently it doesn't really matter, because the "Empire" only exists to allow Kyle Riggs an opportunity to berate his subordinates, ogle women, and continue to make one stupid move after another--all the while veering from being a "risk-taker" and not doing things "by the book" to harping on how his subordinates hairstyles are "out of regulations."

It's a wonder anybody follows this man. I'm starting to doubt my own sanity for continuing to read these books. I blame Kindle Unlimited.

[Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just can't get enough of this series. Riggs is becoming one of my favorite characters of all time. Well, besides Marvin, that is. This book is interesting because it ends a long-running conflict, but in a very interesting way. Can't say I'll miss that antagonist. I'm kind of wondering where the next book will go, however, as it's such a blank slate now...ANYTHING could happen, it feels like.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the this entry as much as the rest in the series, mostly. The loss of Sandra means the only vaguely strong female character in the series is gone even though Sandra was very nearly a male character in female guise. Also, while the inter-personal relationships with Kyle Riggs have always been somewhat immature, this volume seems to drop it to the high school level especially with his 'love interests'.

[clifford h leighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

I received this book in exchange for a truthful review
I have read all 8 of the books in this series and have purchased the 9th book. I really like the characters, technology and story line . The development of the aliens is excellent, l particularly enjoy the crustaceans, their thought process really makes them alien in my mind. I will say that I am beginning to hope that the author wraps up the series soon, he is running the risk of over extending the story

[Justin Domnitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kyle Riggs finally makes his triumphant return to Earth in spectacular fashion. The eighth book in Larson's epic space opera continues to entertain with surprise deaths, surprise enemies, and some fun twists. By no means would I call this series great literature, but its fantastic fun pulp science fiction.

[Jeffrey Oliver]

Best of the series

A great read from beginning to end. I especially like Marvin, apparently named after the psychologically depressed robot from The Hitchhiker's Guide. His personality just strikes me as pretty much right on. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[Zhifei Ge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waited a long time for Book VIII, and it is not disappointing at all. But it hurt when I heard "The End". Hope Larson is not done with the series, anxiously waiting for Book IX!

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out as bad as the last, but better quick.

[Alexander Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? I want more, more and ever more. This serious is brilliant and getting you back for some more and I dread the day it comes to an end.

[Shawn Kass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story with some loose ends left over for a possible book 8 in the series.

[Mitechie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Done, finally.