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Rogue Clone #4
The Clone Elite
2514 A.D.: An unstoppable alien force is advancing on Earth, wiping out the Unified Authoritys colonies one by one. Its up to Wayson Harris, an outlawed model of a clone, and his men to make a last stand on the planet of New Copenhagen, where they must win the battle and the waror lose all.
384 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2008
6 people are currently reading
216 people want to read
About the author
Steven L. Kent
36 books242 followersSteven L. Kent is the author of the Rogue Clone series of Military Science Fiction novels as well as The Ultimate History of Video Games.
Born in California and raised in Hawaii, Kent served as a missionary for the LDS Church between the years of 1979 and 1981. During that time, he worked as a Spanish-speaking missionary serving migrant farm workers in southern Idaho.
While Kent has a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and a Master’s degree in communications from Brigham Young University, he claims that his most important education came from life.
He learned important lessons from working with farm laborers in Idaho. Later, from 1986 through 1988, Kent worked as a telemarketer selling TV Guide and Inc. Magazine. His years on the phone helped him develop an ear for dialog.
In 1987, Kent reviewed the Stephen King novels Misery and The Eyes of the Dragon for the Seattle Times. A diehard Stephen King fan, Kent later admitted that he pitched the reviews to the Times so that he could afford to buy the books.
In 1993, upon returning to Seattle after a five-year absence, Kent pitched a review of “virtual haunted houses” for the Halloween issue of the Seattle Times. He reviewed the games The Seventh Guest, Alone in the Dark, and Legacy. Not only did this review land Kent three free PC games, it started him on a new career path.
By the middle of 1994, when Kent found himself laid off from his job at a PR agency, he became a full-time freelance journalist. He wrote monthly pieces for the Seattle Times along with regular features and reviews for Electronic Games, CDRom Today, ComputerLife, and NautilusCD. In later years, he would write for American Heritage, Parade, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune and many other publications. He wrote regular columns for MSNBC, Next Generation, the Japan Times, and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate.
In 2000, Kent self-published The First Quarter: A 25-year History of Video Games. That book was later purchased and re-published as The Ultimate History of Video Games by the Prima, Three River Press, and Crown divisions of Random House.
During his career as a games journalist, Kent wrote the entries on video games for Encarta and the Encyclopedia Americana. At the invitation of Senator Joseph Lieberman, Kent has spoken at the annual Report Card on Video Game Violence in Washington D.C.
Born in California and raised in Hawaii, Kent served as a missionary for the LDS Church between the years of 1979 and 1981. During that time, he worked as a Spanish-speaking missionary serving migrant farm workers in southern Idaho.
While Kent has a Bachelor’s degree in journalism and a Master’s degree in communications from Brigham Young University, he claims that his most important education came from life.
He learned important lessons from working with farm laborers in Idaho. Later, from 1986 through 1988, Kent worked as a telemarketer selling TV Guide and Inc. Magazine. His years on the phone helped him develop an ear for dialog.
In 1987, Kent reviewed the Stephen King novels Misery and The Eyes of the Dragon for the Seattle Times. A diehard Stephen King fan, Kent later admitted that he pitched the reviews to the Times so that he could afford to buy the books.
In 1993, upon returning to Seattle after a five-year absence, Kent pitched a review of “virtual haunted houses” for the Halloween issue of the Seattle Times. He reviewed the games The Seventh Guest, Alone in the Dark, and Legacy. Not only did this review land Kent three free PC games, it started him on a new career path.
By the middle of 1994, when Kent found himself laid off from his job at a PR agency, he became a full-time freelance journalist. He wrote monthly pieces for the Seattle Times along with regular features and reviews for Electronic Games, CDRom Today, ComputerLife, and NautilusCD. In later years, he would write for American Heritage, Parade, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune and many other publications. He wrote regular columns for MSNBC, Next Generation, the Japan Times, and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate.
In 2000, Kent self-published The First Quarter: A 25-year History of Video Games. That book was later purchased and re-published as The Ultimate History of Video Games by the Prima, Three River Press, and Crown divisions of Random House.
During his career as a games journalist, Kent wrote the entries on video games for Encarta and the Encyclopedia Americana. At the invitation of Senator Joseph Lieberman, Kent has spoken at the annual Report Card on Video Game Violence in Washington D.C.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
May 28, 2018
These books keep entertaining me. I suppose reading the book while also watching the new Netflix adaptation of Lost in Space made it seem pretty great by comparison.
I particularly enjoyed the character development of the protagonist in this novel. Normally an extremely shallow and generic figure, we get to see some darker sides of him in this instalment, with the militarism and Amerocentrism of the previous books seeming more and more parodical (there's a painful sequence portraying the entire military command as utterly brainless morons).
Also, aliens.
I particularly enjoyed the character development of the protagonist in this novel. Normally an extremely shallow and generic figure, we get to see some darker sides of him in this instalment, with the militarism and Amerocentrism of the previous books seeming more and more parodical (there's a painful sequence portraying the entire military command as utterly brainless morons).
Also, aliens.
January 7, 2024
Enjoyed it even though I haven’t read the first three, will look them up and read them .
July 3, 2018
Elite kicks off after the previous book with Freeman and Harris finding themselves on the Planet of New Copenhagen where the UA military is about to become in battled in what seems like a last stand as the aliens that we saw in the previous book are advancing across the galaxy and the forces of the UA are literally down to two planets! :D
As the story progresses as ever you get to see the divisions in the UA army as the officers, with some notable exceptions like Burton, as waves of clone marines and army forces are sent against the invading Avatari as they are coined! :D As the whole book is told from the perspective of Harris we get to see a visceral front line view of every battle and situation that he finds himself in! :D From the beginning you can really feel the situation and it's tensions almost dripping off the page! :D A prime example of this is where Harris leads his platoon in an attempt to 'get behind the lines' where they all are undercover playing doggo as the enemy goes by and this sets the one for the other actions of the book! :D Harris where possible always tries to take the structured approach and this comes off clearly with every page! :D Indeed as the situation deteriorates on New Copenhagen and Harris is caught up in it you can really see Harris's desire to try and change things! :D
Harris' partner in crime Freeman is also along for the wide ride! :D Freeman throughout is taciturn as ever with his trademark humour which works as a perfect counter-balance to Harris style of getting his points across! :D Though on New Copenhagen there is a group of scientists trying to find the solution to their alien 'problem and the friendship he strikes up with William Sweetwater and Arthur Breeze comes as surprise to the characters as well as the reader! :D The consequent battle in the cave network on the equator that occurs after Freeman and Harris discover the Avetari's operation is brilliantly staged and the introduction of the scientists puts a spin on things as it shows that all the characters are having to make adjustments to their perceptions! :D This is shows that in amongst all the daring do and specking this and that the story is also about the characters! :D Throughout we are introduced and catch up with various clone and 'norm born's such as Thomer, Moffat etc and this gives the the book a very eclectic cast paint a different picture than you would expect! :D
Though of course as the same time the whole book has a somewhat raw quality to all of it's scenes and this work brilliantly keeping the reader on the edge of the seat as well as the same time keeping the edge to the story! :D It should be noted that at no point in the storyline does the story slow down at all! :D One moment Harris. Freeman and the other characters are knee deep in viscera and then back to the base and before you know it you are in the next chapter and you are straight back into another raid, battle or some disaster that needs to be headed off the books pace is off the scale and it amazing that in amongst all of this the characters still develop in a natural way! This all contributes to the book fluid feel ans everything seems to develop naturally throughout the course of the book! :D
In amongst all the character development and combat there is humour throughout as well! :D The Hen House comes to mind as well as the general attitude to Generals and officers! :D This help to break up the battle scenes but even these are full of witty asides from Harris and this all contributes to the craziness that happens throughout the book! :D Herrington's and Bol's acquisition of Thermite Weapons is hilarious!
Exile is full of moral choices as well as characters going up and beyond! :D The heroics that come naturally to the the characters come in a way that seem everyday and they are completely unaware of of the way they act! :D This in turns makes it easier for their commanders to treat them as fodder as some of the a wont to do! :D This attitude in turn though set things up for the next books and you can see the plot threads being layered down as Harris becomes – if that is even more possible – more cynical about those in charge and this certainly promises a certain levelling in the next book! :D The actions of the military command have it coming though let be honest and this puts a neat twist on things as even in the command there are people who see there is a problem and this in turn promises very unusual alliances in the next books! :D
Exile succeeds brilliantly as what it sets out to do really digging in and giving us a rolling battle that also set up plot and threads for the future book and promising more kick the wannabe alien conquerors adventures to come! :D Exile is fast paced, full of heroics, daring do, adventure and action packed throughout! :D Highly recommend Crisp High Five! :D Make sure you have then next one! :D
As the story progresses as ever you get to see the divisions in the UA army as the officers, with some notable exceptions like Burton, as waves of clone marines and army forces are sent against the invading Avatari as they are coined! :D As the whole book is told from the perspective of Harris we get to see a visceral front line view of every battle and situation that he finds himself in! :D From the beginning you can really feel the situation and it's tensions almost dripping off the page! :D A prime example of this is where Harris leads his platoon in an attempt to 'get behind the lines' where they all are undercover playing doggo as the enemy goes by and this sets the one for the other actions of the book! :D Harris where possible always tries to take the structured approach and this comes off clearly with every page! :D Indeed as the situation deteriorates on New Copenhagen and Harris is caught up in it you can really see Harris's desire to try and change things! :D
Harris' partner in crime Freeman is also along for the wide ride! :D Freeman throughout is taciturn as ever with his trademark humour which works as a perfect counter-balance to Harris style of getting his points across! :D Though on New Copenhagen there is a group of scientists trying to find the solution to their alien 'problem and the friendship he strikes up with William Sweetwater and Arthur Breeze comes as surprise to the characters as well as the reader! :D The consequent battle in the cave network on the equator that occurs after Freeman and Harris discover the Avetari's operation is brilliantly staged and the introduction of the scientists puts a spin on things as it shows that all the characters are having to make adjustments to their perceptions! :D This is shows that in amongst all the daring do and specking this and that the story is also about the characters! :D Throughout we are introduced and catch up with various clone and 'norm born's such as Thomer, Moffat etc and this gives the the book a very eclectic cast paint a different picture than you would expect! :D
Though of course as the same time the whole book has a somewhat raw quality to all of it's scenes and this work brilliantly keeping the reader on the edge of the seat as well as the same time keeping the edge to the story! :D It should be noted that at no point in the storyline does the story slow down at all! :D One moment Harris. Freeman and the other characters are knee deep in viscera and then back to the base and before you know it you are in the next chapter and you are straight back into another raid, battle or some disaster that needs to be headed off the books pace is off the scale and it amazing that in amongst all of this the characters still develop in a natural way! This all contributes to the book fluid feel ans everything seems to develop naturally throughout the course of the book! :D
In amongst all the character development and combat there is humour throughout as well! :D The Hen House comes to mind as well as the general attitude to Generals and officers! :D This help to break up the battle scenes but even these are full of witty asides from Harris and this all contributes to the craziness that happens throughout the book! :D Herrington's and Bol's acquisition of Thermite Weapons is hilarious!
Exile is full of moral choices as well as characters going up and beyond! :D The heroics that come naturally to the the characters come in a way that seem everyday and they are completely unaware of of the way they act! :D This in turns makes it easier for their commanders to treat them as fodder as some of the a wont to do! :D This attitude in turn though set things up for the next books and you can see the plot threads being layered down as Harris becomes – if that is even more possible – more cynical about those in charge and this certainly promises a certain levelling in the next book! :D The actions of the military command have it coming though let be honest and this puts a neat twist on things as even in the command there are people who see there is a problem and this in turn promises very unusual alliances in the next books! :D
Exile succeeds brilliantly as what it sets out to do really digging in and giving us a rolling battle that also set up plot and threads for the future book and promising more kick the wannabe alien conquerors adventures to come! :D Exile is fast paced, full of heroics, daring do, adventure and action packed throughout! :D Highly recommend Crisp High Five! :D Make sure you have then next one! :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2013
Elite is the fourth book in The Clone Rebellion series written by Steven L. Kent. The Clone Rebellion series is a deep space, high tech military Science Fiction story. Its highly enjoyable, fast-paced, action filled and vastly entertaining. The first book was released in 2006 by Ace in the US. Titan Books is bringing this series to the UK and is releasing all the book so far in 2013, one new book per month!
With Elite being already the fourth book in the series I think it will be quite hard to not tell some of the events that happened in the first three books. Sorry in advance if that might happen!
The third book in The Clone Rebellion, Alliance, left this series quite on an open ending. Wayson Harris, a special class of clone, a Liberator, managed to defeat the Mogat uprising. Not without a cost though, the U.A. suffered many in their clone force. With such an open ending anything could happen in Elite. Furthermore Alliance left me with a good image of the character of Wayson and how he was finding out that his free will might not be that free, or is it really so? The clone aspect of the series is cool to read about. Being all grown in “orphanages” on Earth the clones are all identical, genetic wise, and they posses the death reflex, which is an action that as soon as the clone finds out he is a clone a chemical is released killing him instantly. Now this isn’t the case for Wayson, him being a Liberator and all, he knows he is clone, accepted this but he still find himself standing in front of choices that he finds hard to make.
In the beginning of Elite I really thought that Wayson had final broke free and I think he thought so himself as well. However with so many causalities in the battle to destroy the Mogat separatists uprising, the Unified Authority have decreed a new act, the Elite act where retired soldier are called into conscription once again. And yes, Wayson finds himself sitting on a plane to the battle frontier once again. But what battle has to be fought now? With the Mogat home planet being destroyed? I was actually wondering when I might expect a visit of them. Well hold on! Aliens. What is a good Science Fiction book without some xenos? Well there you have it, a new possible direction in which this series can go. And just as the Unified Authority thought they were done with everything they find themselves again facing an unexpected threat. Possibly bigger than the Mogats
In the beginning of Elite, Wayson is living the normal civilian life, fighting in Sad Sam’s Palace and just enjoying his every day things. However this soon will be turned upside down as he finds himself on route the planet of New Copenhagen, a small planet near Earth that is the next one on the list to be taken over by the aliens. The remainder of the story all takes place on New Copenhagen. Again Wayson’s “partner in crime”, Ray Freeman isn’t far behind, they have build up quite the extensive relationship between them and trust each other fully. These two have a kind of chemistry between them that’s hard to describe but they both have a dry sense of humor that in this whole military background really brings certain episodes to life. Many of the other characters of that you read about are mostly new there are some other officers that you knew already, although with not having the focus on them explicitly they make up a great secondary cast. And do I think Wayson might have a problem with authority? Hmmm….
Now onto the new and cool part of the book, the aliens, the xenos, the Avatari. When I first read that there would be aliens in this story, I did got quite eager because they are just pretty cool. They can be made into horrendous creatures or more laughable versions. What Steven L. Kent did with his introduction was very special. There was already an encounter with them in Alliance but remained quite obscure, this is further explained in Elite and is mainly the reason Wayson finds himself there. When I read, how they conquer the planets, surrounding them in a “sleeve” an ion curtain, that makes travel and broadcasting impossible I thought this was pretty cool. Isolating a whole planet and then taking it over. But this isn’t everything by far, the first appearance is just amazing to read about. With the light that is being accompanied by their entry, I should have guessed that they weren’t all what they seemed to be up front. And well they aren’t. Like I mentioned above, the U.A. soon starts calling them the Avatari, and I will leave it at that. They are much more obscure then you and I would have thought. And even though the ending seems like a bit of a conclusion, these higher lifeforces may still be something to look out for.
Did I like this new direction that Steven L. Kent ventured into, well if I may quote Wayson “Specking! Yes” It’s great to see that each book introduces the reader to a very engaging story featuring the clone Wayson. He is going through some developments himself and each story addresses his character quite nicely. The first three books put the emphasis on the Mogat Separatists and Wayson fighting against them, but with that out of the picture, Elite offers a great new start of a storyline. Wayson’s determination and dry humor make him a great character to read about. Elite adds another stripe for me behinds Steven L. Kent name. I can’t stress this enough, as soon as you pick up one of these books, you lost in the blaze until it’s over. When you ‘re dealing with an unknown alien force, you don’t fight fire with fire, but fire with nukes. The Clone Rebellion is military science-fiction at it’s best.
With Elite being already the fourth book in the series I think it will be quite hard to not tell some of the events that happened in the first three books. Sorry in advance if that might happen!
The third book in The Clone Rebellion, Alliance, left this series quite on an open ending. Wayson Harris, a special class of clone, a Liberator, managed to defeat the Mogat uprising. Not without a cost though, the U.A. suffered many in their clone force. With such an open ending anything could happen in Elite. Furthermore Alliance left me with a good image of the character of Wayson and how he was finding out that his free will might not be that free, or is it really so? The clone aspect of the series is cool to read about. Being all grown in “orphanages” on Earth the clones are all identical, genetic wise, and they posses the death reflex, which is an action that as soon as the clone finds out he is a clone a chemical is released killing him instantly. Now this isn’t the case for Wayson, him being a Liberator and all, he knows he is clone, accepted this but he still find himself standing in front of choices that he finds hard to make.
In the beginning of Elite I really thought that Wayson had final broke free and I think he thought so himself as well. However with so many causalities in the battle to destroy the Mogat separatists uprising, the Unified Authority have decreed a new act, the Elite act where retired soldier are called into conscription once again. And yes, Wayson finds himself sitting on a plane to the battle frontier once again. But what battle has to be fought now? With the Mogat home planet being destroyed? I was actually wondering when I might expect a visit of them. Well hold on! Aliens. What is a good Science Fiction book without some xenos? Well there you have it, a new possible direction in which this series can go. And just as the Unified Authority thought they were done with everything they find themselves again facing an unexpected threat. Possibly bigger than the Mogats
In the beginning of Elite, Wayson is living the normal civilian life, fighting in Sad Sam’s Palace and just enjoying his every day things. However this soon will be turned upside down as he finds himself on route the planet of New Copenhagen, a small planet near Earth that is the next one on the list to be taken over by the aliens. The remainder of the story all takes place on New Copenhagen. Again Wayson’s “partner in crime”, Ray Freeman isn’t far behind, they have build up quite the extensive relationship between them and trust each other fully. These two have a kind of chemistry between them that’s hard to describe but they both have a dry sense of humor that in this whole military background really brings certain episodes to life. Many of the other characters of that you read about are mostly new there are some other officers that you knew already, although with not having the focus on them explicitly they make up a great secondary cast. And do I think Wayson might have a problem with authority? Hmmm….
Now onto the new and cool part of the book, the aliens, the xenos, the Avatari. When I first read that there would be aliens in this story, I did got quite eager because they are just pretty cool. They can be made into horrendous creatures or more laughable versions. What Steven L. Kent did with his introduction was very special. There was already an encounter with them in Alliance but remained quite obscure, this is further explained in Elite and is mainly the reason Wayson finds himself there. When I read, how they conquer the planets, surrounding them in a “sleeve” an ion curtain, that makes travel and broadcasting impossible I thought this was pretty cool. Isolating a whole planet and then taking it over. But this isn’t everything by far, the first appearance is just amazing to read about. With the light that is being accompanied by their entry, I should have guessed that they weren’t all what they seemed to be up front. And well they aren’t. Like I mentioned above, the U.A. soon starts calling them the Avatari, and I will leave it at that. They are much more obscure then you and I would have thought. And even though the ending seems like a bit of a conclusion, these higher lifeforces may still be something to look out for.
Did I like this new direction that Steven L. Kent ventured into, well if I may quote Wayson “Specking! Yes” It’s great to see that each book introduces the reader to a very engaging story featuring the clone Wayson. He is going through some developments himself and each story addresses his character quite nicely. The first three books put the emphasis on the Mogat Separatists and Wayson fighting against them, but with that out of the picture, Elite offers a great new start of a storyline. Wayson’s determination and dry humor make him a great character to read about. Elite adds another stripe for me behinds Steven L. Kent name. I can’t stress this enough, as soon as you pick up one of these books, you lost in the blaze until it’s over. When you ‘re dealing with an unknown alien force, you don’t fight fire with fire, but fire with nukes. The Clone Rebellion is military science-fiction at it’s best.
April 28, 2020
Dit is een vertegenwoordiger van de militaire sf. Je ziet dat steeds meer, een aantal delen achter elkaar over één of ander kosmisch conflict. In dit geval gaat het over een gekloonde marinier, eentje die weet dat hij gekloond is. Alle andere kloons zijn zo geprogrammeerd dat ze denken dat iedereen een kloon is, behalve zij. De strijd gaat tegen een religieuze secte. Pas veel later blijkt dat deze secte gemanipuleerd wordt door een niet menselijk ras met snode bedoelingen ....
Er zijn vier delen van: the clone republic, the rogue clones, the clone elite en the clone alliance.
Er zijn vier delen van: the clone republic, the rogue clones, the clone elite en the clone alliance.
June 19, 2018
I enjoyed the book, it did not blow me away at first and I still have some issues with the sci-fi tech, but it was a good book.
This is the fourth installment in the series, and I'm curious about the other books. If I run across them I will gladly have at it.
This is the fourth installment in the series, and I'm curious about the other books. If I run across them I will gladly have at it.
February 15, 2020
I just love these books. They’re quick, fun, and action packed. The dynamic duo of Harris and Freeman is hard not to like.
July 11, 2011
This is the fourth book Steven L. Kent’s series about the Unified Authority (U.A.) and Wayson Harris a very unique clone. About 300 yrs before the series Earth discovered how to broadcast over the enormous distances in space and set out to colonize the galaxy. A unilateral organization was created to govern this, many of the constitutions of Earth’s nations were deemed inadequate to govern a galactic expansion so a constitution based on Plato’s Republic was implemented. I accordance with Plato’s ideals society broke into three strata – citizenry, governance and defense.
The defense on U.A. is built upon cloned soldiers. The officers are pure humans but the manpower comes from clones bred this only purpose. Wayson Harris is a Liberator a special more violent line of clones, but he is the only one as the authority shut down the program and sent all other Liberators to their death during the galactic uprising. The three first books in the series are about the civil war and the uprising.
The fourth book begins with Harris living a civilian life, maybe not fulfilling one, but still not in the armed forces. His life takes a turn when the authorities call up veterans using an Elite act. The galaxy is being invaded by aliens from outside and an elite force is created to make a last stand before our galaxy is run over.
So what about this book? I don’t really know, book three started to get a bit old on me, but in this one Kent creates some new interesting aspects. Harris is back in the environment that was promised at the beginning of the series, incompetent officers, corrupt government, humans that don’t care about the troops deployed because the troops are only clones anyway. We also get deeper insight in Harris psyche and begin to see deterioration of the clones bred behaviour and moral values. Still, there is something missing. The transportation system that sustained commerce was destroyed in earlier books a long time ago. Yet, there are enough resources for the U.A. to put millions of men and tons of materiel on a distant colony to resist the aliens. The strength from the previous books, the military part, is of lower quality in this book. The missions are more about Gung-Ho and testosterone challenges, than real strategic operations, but that could be biased by my own military background.
Overall, the book is not bad. It is readable, there are some quirks, but it does promise that there will be more books in this series as many good ideas are introduced but in part left unexplored. It is also a book about Wayson Harris.
The defense on U.A. is built upon cloned soldiers. The officers are pure humans but the manpower comes from clones bred this only purpose. Wayson Harris is a Liberator a special more violent line of clones, but he is the only one as the authority shut down the program and sent all other Liberators to their death during the galactic uprising. The three first books in the series are about the civil war and the uprising.
The fourth book begins with Harris living a civilian life, maybe not fulfilling one, but still not in the armed forces. His life takes a turn when the authorities call up veterans using an Elite act. The galaxy is being invaded by aliens from outside and an elite force is created to make a last stand before our galaxy is run over.
So what about this book? I don’t really know, book three started to get a bit old on me, but in this one Kent creates some new interesting aspects. Harris is back in the environment that was promised at the beginning of the series, incompetent officers, corrupt government, humans that don’t care about the troops deployed because the troops are only clones anyway. We also get deeper insight in Harris psyche and begin to see deterioration of the clones bred behaviour and moral values. Still, there is something missing. The transportation system that sustained commerce was destroyed in earlier books a long time ago. Yet, there are enough resources for the U.A. to put millions of men and tons of materiel on a distant colony to resist the aliens. The strength from the previous books, the military part, is of lower quality in this book. The missions are more about Gung-Ho and testosterone challenges, than real strategic operations, but that could be biased by my own military background.
Overall, the book is not bad. It is readable, there are some quirks, but it does promise that there will be more books in this series as many good ideas are introduced but in part left unexplored. It is also a book about Wayson Harris.
July 14, 2010
Well i don't really know, what to think of this book!
On the one hand it surely WAS a Wayson Harris novel and it did push his character over the top like it most likely was supposed to do. On the other hand it introduced a whole new set of distraction which ended up as a set of completelly uninspired slaughter-scenes and far too much graphically detailed deaths without even going a single step farther the up till now common theme of all the novels..
So it will be up to the next volume of the series to show if there is any honest development in for Wayson Harris or if it will turn out that he is just meant to fight and kill and get a little bit more bitter and fucked of with each battle without truly going the ONE step he seemed always meant to go since he first stepped out of the pages of the first novel.
This volume was little more than "Space-Marine-Porn" and just put a lot of words between incidents that had logically to follow from one to another. But the series itself is not just yet dead.
On the one hand it surely WAS a Wayson Harris novel and it did push his character over the top like it most likely was supposed to do. On the other hand it introduced a whole new set of distraction which ended up as a set of completelly uninspired slaughter-scenes and far too much graphically detailed deaths without even going a single step farther the up till now common theme of all the novels..
So it will be up to the next volume of the series to show if there is any honest development in for Wayson Harris or if it will turn out that he is just meant to fight and kill and get a little bit more bitter and fucked of with each battle without truly going the ONE step he seemed always meant to go since he first stepped out of the pages of the first novel.
This volume was little more than "Space-Marine-Porn" and just put a lot of words between incidents that had logically to follow from one to another. But the series itself is not just yet dead.
July 5, 2010
After surviving the suicide mission to the Mogats home world, Wayson Harris has retired from the Marines. But the have not tired of him. The "Space Angels" have returned and are taking over the entire universe and every man/clone that can stand on their own two feet are drafted back into service. This includes thousands of older veteran clones some of which are barely able to take care of themselves. But they are all transferred to New Chopenhaven to await the arrival of the "Mudders" or more accurately the "Avatari".
This is an impossibly battle against an enemy that cannot die. How do you win a war against an enemy you cannot kill?
Wayson Harris and Ray Freeman figure it out in spectacular fashion! Great read!
This is an impossibly battle against an enemy that cannot die. How do you win a war against an enemy you cannot kill?
Wayson Harris and Ray Freeman figure it out in spectacular fashion! Great read!
December 18, 2016
Well, this one has been a bit of a surprise for me. I didn't really like the last part (which I've read 5 years ago) and have been very hesitant to start this one (if I hadn't this part and the next two ones already at home, I wouldn't have).
But, it's been okay. The story has been engaging and I thought the concept (aliens cut off the planet from any communication and nothing can get to or leave the planet and there is no escape and, as we discover during the book, there won't be a victory that can be fought for either) pretty interesting.
The things that bothered me in the last part (the constant repetition of stuff we already know/just have been told), have still been there and made enjoy the book less than otherwise.
But, it's been okay. The story has been engaging and I thought the concept (aliens cut off the planet from any communication and nothing can get to or leave the planet and there is no escape and, as we discover during the book, there won't be a victory that can be fought for either) pretty interesting.
The things that bothered me in the last part (the constant repetition of stuff we already know/just have been told), have still been there and made enjoy the book less than otherwise.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2008
I don't know what to say other than I really like the characters in the book. Harris, the main protagonist, is a likable guy while Freeman, his stoic mercenary friend isn't nearly as likable, but still interesting.
Secondary characters and Harris' interaction with them, combined with one of the smoothest first person writing styles you'll ever read in sci-fi mil-fic, make this a really enjoyable read.
There's nothing earthsaking about the plot of this book, or the metaplot of the whole series, but it's a really enjoyable read.
Secondary characters and Harris' interaction with them, combined with one of the smoothest first person writing styles you'll ever read in sci-fi mil-fic, make this a really enjoyable read.
There's nothing earthsaking about the plot of this book, or the metaplot of the whole series, but it's a really enjoyable read.
Read
March 24, 2011* vague spoilers *
This is the book where Harris takes on alien foes instead of human. This is also the book where the series goes downhill a bit. A bit. I'm not particularly fond of the aliens Mr. Kent invented because the conflict between Harris and the aliens is so thin, for a better word. It's in the nature of the aliens that this conflict would end up like this, and therefore I don't like them.
This is the book where Harris takes on alien foes instead of human. This is also the book where the series goes downhill a bit. A bit. I'm not particularly fond of the aliens Mr. Kent invented because the conflict between Harris and the aliens is so thin, for a better word. It's in the nature of the aliens that this conflict would end up like this, and therefore I don't like them.
March 21, 2016
This was a good book, and one that I enjoyed reading, but will not read again or add to my library. I enjoyed how the character of Wayson has developed, and the insight into his background. I appreciated the author's insights at the back of the novel, regarding how some of his descisions in the writing came to be. I also appreciated the author explaining why he chose some of the story lines he did. I look forward to the next book.
November 18, 2008
Not my favorite. Heavy on action and violence light on plot. I did enjoy the idea of liquid light and gas + tachyon particles etc which makes this Sci-Fi. Science was up and front where the soldiers depended on it on this book witch I really liked.
January 3, 2009
The completion of the series. It was great. 'Get those specking mudders! They won't die! they won't die!'
Ahh, that just about covers the entire storyline... :p
Well, I can't wait for the three book series that kent says he'll be putting out, still about Harris. Anticipation!!!
Ahh, that just about covers the entire storyline... :p
Well, I can't wait for the three book series that kent says he'll be putting out, still about Harris. Anticipation!!!
June 15, 2015
The plut is starting to speed up a bit, however they need to quit goign in to the history of these matters so much. We get the point.
ON a positive light, I can't believe they stopped the alians that way. I'm quite surprised.
ON a positive light, I can't believe they stopped the alians that way. I'm quite surprised.
December 4, 2008
I don't just read for entertainment...but this series of books is a lot of fun. Written by one of my best friends in the world, this is military science fiction at its finest.
December 28, 2008
Fun military sci-fi. Clones! A very fun world, and this one continues where the last left off well.
August 21, 2010
Very slow from the beginning through the middle, started picking up a bit towards the end, bt the book never really got my full interest. It just kind of meandered though it's plot.
August 9, 2011
Good end to the series.
November 7, 2012
THIS BOOK IS THE REAL ELITE!!!!
December 26, 2012
I love these books they are exciting
January 29, 2014
A bit slower than the rest and the enemy was really boring. Hopefully they don't continue into the next book.
March 31, 2010
Pure futuristic military pulp.
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