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Frontlines #2.1
Lucky Thirteen
The story of rookie pilot Lt. Halley's first drop ship command. (A short story in the Terms of Enlistment universe.)
17 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 14, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 151 reviews
July 2, 2019
One of my favourite episodes of
Love, Death & Robots
was this one about a ship that is said to be the unluckiest but actually proves to be great in the right hands.
Lucky Number Thirteen is so named for her serial number and after a few fateful incidents, she's almost feared for the bad luck she supposedly attracts. But then she gets a new pilot, who neither believes in ships having characters nor in any sort of luck. She'll find out that at least one of those assumptions is wrong.
We thus get to fall in love with the ship as much as her pilot did and I feel no shame when admitting that I shed a tear at the end of the episode and again when finishing this short story.
I had no idea the episode was based on a short story but apparently most of them actually are, which is very cool. Then I also found out that this (and another one which I also read today and will be reviewing shortly) was penned by a German author so of course I had to read the source material. It's totally worth it, just like the Netflix series.
Lucky Number Thirteen is so named for her serial number and after a few fateful incidents, she's almost feared for the bad luck she supposedly attracts. But then she gets a new pilot, who neither believes in ships having characters nor in any sort of luck. She'll find out that at least one of those assumptions is wrong.
We thus get to fall in love with the ship as much as her pilot did and I feel no shame when admitting that I shed a tear at the end of the episode and again when finishing this short story.
I had no idea the episode was based on a short story but apparently most of them actually are, which is very cool. Then I also found out that this (and another one which I also read today and will be reviewing shortly) was penned by a German author so of course I had to read the source material. It's totally worth it, just like the Netflix series.
October 9, 2019
This is a short companion novella featuring Halley. It was my least favorite book of the series. Not a bad story but just didn't capture my interest as the others did.
March 5, 2014
Did you read Terms of Enlistment? if you did you met Andrew and Halley who "fell in love" during basic training (hey it's the future, they were bunk mates...nothing like when I was in the army). This book takes place before the climatic events in that book but after the events of basic training. Halley is in her fist posting as a Marine Drop Pilot and her ship is..."Lucky 13". The ship got it's name because it twice survived to come back into service after all hands in it (crew and troops) were killed.
This is Halley's ship.
What you're going to get here is the proverbial rousing military action yarn. It's an edge of the seat short story with boosters on full blast and guns blazing. if you liked the novel, if you like action, if you like military science fiction, if you like military fiction this one's for you.
I highly recommend the novel that precedes it and this short story...and this writer. So far I've liked everything I've read by him and I have the second novel in this universe waiting.
Enjoy.
Update: Because the story says this is Halley's first drop ship I thought the story took place before the first novel. Having started the second novel i believe that the story actually takes place between novel. In the events of the first novel i guess Halley didn't actually have her own drop ship assigned.
Oops.
This is Halley's ship.
What you're going to get here is the proverbial rousing military action yarn. It's an edge of the seat short story with boosters on full blast and guns blazing. if you liked the novel, if you like action, if you like military science fiction, if you like military fiction this one's for you.
I highly recommend the novel that precedes it and this short story...and this writer. So far I've liked everything I've read by him and I have the second novel in this universe waiting.
Enjoy.
Update: Because the story says this is Halley's first drop ship I thought the story took place before the first novel. Having started the second novel i believe that the story actually takes place between novel. In the events of the first novel i guess Halley didn't actually have her own drop ship assigned.
Oops.
March 27, 2019
Her hull number wasn’t actually 13. She wore a dark red 5 on her olive drab flanks. But one of the grease monkeys had found her assembly number plate while swapping out some fried parts one day, and the news made the rounds that the unlucky ship’s serial number was 13-02313. Not only did it have a leading and trailing 13 in it, but all the digits of her serial number also added up to 13. Thusly branded, she was named “Lucky Thirteen”, and put in storage as a cold spare until they needed an airframe for the new First Lieutenant. Then they dusted her off, updated the computers, and handed me the keys.
A great military sci-fi short tale about a pilot and her rusty old ship filled with action and hearth-warming emotions.
The story is the one who inspired the episode with the same name of the recent Netflix blockbuster series Love, Death + Robots, a real good one that made me quickly start hunting for all the stories inspiring it after watching.
This was my first step into Marko Kloos' Frontlines space-opera setting and I enjoyed it for good, sadly just have too many series in my to-read list to add this too for now, but I really wanna read more of it sooner or later.
October 25, 2018
This would more accurately be considered 1.1 as it occurs AFTER book 1 in the series but BEFORE book 2.
It's nice to see a bit of Halley, even if it is just a short story. I love her repeated proclamations to not be superstitious... but you can feel her heart arguing with her mind even in the short 15 pages this story occupies. One tough broad... and one big softy <3
It's nice to see a bit of Halley, even if it is just a short story. I love her repeated proclamations to not be superstitious... but you can feel her heart arguing with her mind even in the short 15 pages this story occupies. One tough broad... and one big softy <3
July 14, 2019
Learned of this story from friend Trish. The book version of my favorite episode from Netflix's animated series Love, Death & Robots. My first Marko Kloos read. Impressive.
One of the most important things in any story is voice. Do the words on the page allow the reader to imagine the characters in all their nuance? Absent proper voice, the smart edgy femme fatale can translate as whiny witch, the manly hero as arrogant oaf. Kloos gets voice and in Lucky Thirteen voices Lt. "Comet" Hally perfectly. She doesn't feel like a character. She is the soldier you have beers with at the bar. Matter of fact about exploits you marvel at. Wry sense of humor. Tough. Smart. Reliable. A person you know will always have your back no questions asked, no thanks required.
Lucky Thirteen is a great story and masterclass in voicing a character. Bravo. I'll be reading more of Mr. Kloos.
-----
PS: Having just watched the film again I am perplexed why scriptwriters feel they must edit even inconsequential things in source material. I can understand narrowing a plot or removing a side story to focus the film. But names? In the film, the pilot is named Lt. "Cutter" Colby vs "Comet" Hally in the book. Comet is a much better call sign for a space pilot than Cutter. The ship models also have different names in the film. Finally, a funny thing about voice. Even good voice doesn't prompt the same visual in every reader. The film depiction of Cutter/Comet (a young, slightly built black woman) is not who I envisioned when reading the book. For some reason I pictured a Latina woman, someone like Rosario Dawson, from Netflix's Daredevil and Luke Cage series.
One of the most important things in any story is voice. Do the words on the page allow the reader to imagine the characters in all their nuance? Absent proper voice, the smart edgy femme fatale can translate as whiny witch, the manly hero as arrogant oaf. Kloos gets voice and in Lucky Thirteen voices Lt. "Comet" Hally perfectly. She doesn't feel like a character. She is the soldier you have beers with at the bar. Matter of fact about exploits you marvel at. Wry sense of humor. Tough. Smart. Reliable. A person you know will always have your back no questions asked, no thanks required.
Lucky Thirteen is a great story and masterclass in voicing a character. Bravo. I'll be reading more of Mr. Kloos.
-----
PS: Having just watched the film again I am perplexed why scriptwriters feel they must edit even inconsequential things in source material. I can understand narrowing a plot or removing a side story to focus the film. But names? In the film, the pilot is named Lt. "Cutter" Colby vs "Comet" Hally in the book. Comet is a much better call sign for a space pilot than Cutter. The ship models also have different names in the film. Finally, a funny thing about voice. Even good voice doesn't prompt the same visual in every reader. The film depiction of Cutter/Comet (a young, slightly built black woman) is not who I envisioned when reading the book. For some reason I pictured a Latina woman, someone like Rosario Dawson, from Netflix's Daredevil and Luke Cage series.
July 22, 2022
It was okay. I guess. I think Love, Death & Robots episode was far better. Or I'm too tired to write a decent review. But I'm afraid that whatever I write would be longer than this short story. Good night :D
September 8, 2016
Underrated short story, I think this is up there with Mountains of Mourning by Lois McMaster Bujold.
February 26, 2024
Nice short story in Marko Kloos' Frontlines military scifi series.
August 11, 2018
Nice vignette to the larger story, sure.
August 10, 2020
Even reading it several years past the novels, the short story stands on it's own as a good tale.
October 6, 2024
Short and sweet
December 18, 2019
História curta passada no universo de FC militarista Aftershocks de Marko Kloos. Uma nave de combate, que tem a malfadada associação com o número 13, revela-se mais resiliente do esquadrão. Como se fizesse tudo para proteger os seus tripulantes. Kloos, como sempre, não perde muito tempo com emoções e leva-nos diretamente a uma história onde o foco é o hardware militar futurista, chega de ação.
April 9, 2019
The real deal.
I'm a ground pounder so can't speak to the piloting skills. But the chopper rides I've had tell me the author damn well knows about hot zones.
I'm a ground pounder so can't speak to the piloting skills. But the chopper rides I've had tell me the author damn well knows about hot zones.
January 19, 2020
A quick simple read that’s fun and full of life. Yes, sometimes objects seem to have a life of their own and take better care of us than other more advanced things might (our comfort factor?). This is an excellent exploration of this and if there’s a weakness it’s that it’s to short. Making the story a little longer would have made this one even better.
February 3, 2014
Another piece of the Terms of Enlistment world and more development of another character, this time one who was a major part of the first novel. As with A Measure of Absolution, this story shows more of the stories' world and puts the reader behind the eyes of a different narrator.
So far I've really enjoyed the three things I've read by Marko Kloos, and I hope he's got a long and productive career ahead. As a (now-retired) career military type myself, I've found the stories to have a plausible ring and the characters to remind me of people I knew. Again, highly recommended for fans of military SF.
So far I've really enjoyed the three things I've read by Marko Kloos, and I hope he's got a long and productive career ahead. As a (now-retired) career military type myself, I've found the stories to have a plausible ring and the characters to remind me of people I knew. Again, highly recommended for fans of military SF.
May 6, 2013
This is pretty much as the summary states -- a short story set in the Terms of Enlistment universe, about Halley's first dropship missions. I liked the novel, and I liked Halley (probably more than I liked the actual main character), so it was nice to see something from her POV. It's what you'd expect. There are spaceships. Stuff explodes. If you liked the novel, you enjoy books with spaceships and explosions, and you have a dollar you weren't doing anything else with, you might as well read it. It's fun.
September 15, 2023
This is one of two short stories that are in the Frontlines series. I really love the series and this is a story to pep up Halley.
This is a 3.5 cause up to and including this point, I really don't like Halley as a character. Out of the two short stories, Corporal Jackson in Measures of Absolution is a lot better than this one. The reason is that you really don't add much to Halley. There are two things you know from the first two books and that she is really aggressive when it comes Halley's sex life. Most of the interaction between her and Grayson is them banging. The second thing is that through book two she is just the best at everything she does. She was the best in boot camp, the best pilot in simulator and beat records, she is the best drop ship pilot and within a few years is already training new recruits.
She has no flaws and in this short story we see what she has been doing in the meantime while Grayson has been away. I get the purpose of the story and its supposed to add more depth to Halley. Even at the end of the story, she still doesn't seem phased by anything that has happened. Great first two books and I have enjoyed Measures of Absolution better because we at least see some vulnerability to the passionless character she portrayed in book 1.
This is a 3.5 cause up to and including this point, I really don't like Halley as a character. Out of the two short stories, Corporal Jackson in Measures of Absolution is a lot better than this one. The reason is that you really don't add much to Halley. There are two things you know from the first two books and that she is really aggressive when it comes Halley's sex life. Most of the interaction between her and Grayson is them banging. The second thing is that through book two she is just the best at everything she does. She was the best in boot camp, the best pilot in simulator and beat records, she is the best drop ship pilot and within a few years is already training new recruits.
She has no flaws and in this short story we see what she has been doing in the meantime while Grayson has been away. I get the purpose of the story and its supposed to add more depth to Halley. Even at the end of the story, she still doesn't seem phased by anything that has happened. Great first two books and I have enjoyed Measures of Absolution better because we at least see some vulnerability to the passionless character she portrayed in book 1.
March 3, 2021
This reads like somewhere between an origin story, ode and eulogy to a ship (or all at once). It’s pretty breezy and does the job, shows the tenderness the pilot has to his ship. Like a loyal pet, the ship meant a lot to him; he was sad to see it go but felt proud of it the whole time. A vehicle chase and exchanges of fire. There’s a lot of action in it, too.
3.5/5
p. 4 “The Fleet has another tradition: once you find something that works for you, and you get attached to it, you end up losing it.”
p. 5
“My threat scanner lit up like a Pachinko parlor.”
—This sounds like writing from someone who’s been stationed in Japan before!
p. 12
“There as something in the air all of a sudden—a whiff of burnto ozone smell, and a strange sound, like a piezo switch.”
—Really enjoyed the olfactorial and audio input in the writing.
p. 13
“Promotions ride on points, and those ribbons count for a lot of those points.”
—Very pragmatic of the protagonist. Seems like he knows what he wants and guns for it.
3.5/5
p. 4 “The Fleet has another tradition: once you find something that works for you, and you get attached to it, you end up losing it.”
p. 5
“My threat scanner lit up like a Pachinko parlor.”
—This sounds like writing from someone who’s been stationed in Japan before!
p. 12
“There as something in the air all of a sudden—a whiff of burnto ozone smell, and a strange sound, like a piezo switch.”
—Really enjoyed the olfactorial and audio input in the writing.
p. 13
“Promotions ride on points, and those ribbons count for a lot of those points.”
—Very pragmatic of the protagonist. Seems like he knows what he wants and guns for it.
December 24, 2020
I'm sure like many of you here Love, Death & Robots introduced me to a whole new brand of amazing short stories, and Lucky 13 was one of those episodes that touched me. I think the visual version did amazingly well and made a better impact, not because I watched it first, but the way it was directed really built up and sent the message - and the question - in a very short span, about the sentience of the Wasp drop ship.
The empathy was immediately established and the way its pilots moved around the drop ship really made a difference. The book felt much more abstract and the events made it seem much more like a lucky coincidence, while the visual episode really fired up the brain. One would not exist without the other and both were a great read and watch, and was one of those stories where you kind of wish for more but when you move on you'll remember it often and feel satisfied.
The empathy was immediately established and the way its pilots moved around the drop ship really made a difference. The book felt much more abstract and the events made it seem much more like a lucky coincidence, while the visual episode really fired up the brain. One would not exist without the other and both were a great read and watch, and was one of those stories where you kind of wish for more but when you move on you'll remember it often and feel satisfied.
July 23, 2017
Will State The obvious, Marko Kloos is not Robert A. Heinlein and the Frontlines series is not Starship Soldiers/Troopers.
Actually, kind of picked Lucky 13 from the series even though I knew it was technically book 2.1. I wanted to know if I will enjoy reading it and what best way to understand than by a 36 page short story set in the same universe. A classic Military Science fiction. Out and out a fast paced read. The action sequences and scenes are vivid. Author has brought them before your eyes.
For me though, the description of Wasp class attack drop ships reminded of Raptor class ships from Battlestar Galactica. Also, in this part the author had not elaborated anything about the Sino-Russian Alliance. Its political motivations/agenda, its Military Industrial capability or its description, nothing.
Actually, kind of picked Lucky 13 from the series even though I knew it was technically book 2.1. I wanted to know if I will enjoy reading it and what best way to understand than by a 36 page short story set in the same universe. A classic Military Science fiction. Out and out a fast paced read. The action sequences and scenes are vivid. Author has brought them before your eyes.
For me though, the description of Wasp class attack drop ships reminded of Raptor class ships from Battlestar Galactica. Also, in this part the author had not elaborated anything about the Sino-Russian Alliance. Its political motivations/agenda, its Military Industrial capability or its description, nothing.
December 12, 2017
audiobook
Story: B+, Narration: B+
Not a review, just some thoughts for personal reference. Possible spoilers.
This is a short story set early in Kloos's Terms of Enlistment series about Halley's first command as a drop-ship pilot. Her ship is nicknamed Lucky Thirteen as a bit of irony because it's been anything but that in the past. But, things change under Halley until one final, fateful mission.
I really like this series and have both read and listened to all of the full-length books. That said, I wasn't sure if I'd like a short story, and one from Halley's POV, at that. But I was pleasantly surprised and really did enjoy it. Looking forward to Book #6 coming out in about a month.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2017
Enjoyable Short
Waiting for the next book in the series I've been reading other novels, but today I wanted the familiar territory of a known work. As I scrolled through my kindle liking at all I'd loaded I saw the two shirts by Marko Kloos. I picked Lucky Thirteen because I'm saving the other for just a little longer, until I have a stronger desire to live in Marko's universe.
This did not disappoint. The writing is as well done as the novels. The character has the same feel, and the story is excellent.
Waiting for the next book in the series I've been reading other novels, but today I wanted the familiar territory of a known work. As I scrolled through my kindle liking at all I'd loaded I saw the two shirts by Marko Kloos. I picked Lucky Thirteen because I'm saving the other for just a little longer, until I have a stronger desire to live in Marko's universe.
This did not disappoint. The writing is as well done as the novels. The character has the same feel, and the story is excellent.
November 2, 2017
This is another side trip into he Frontlines series, but unlike “Measures of Absolution,” this stands in it’s own right as an excellent read. We get insight into another important character in the series but even more importantly we get a feel for the soul of this universe and it’s creator. This is WWII corny at it’s absolute best. This short story follows pilot Lt. Halley on her first drop ship command in an old and out of date ship named Lucky 13. There is more heart in that ship and in this story than can be found anywhere else in literature.
A must read for any Frontlines fan.
A must read for any Frontlines fan.
Read
April 5, 2023Good write, Good Read
You have to have owned and parted with a machine that you have such feeling for it. My o!d car is in that realm of things. I owned it for it for 30 plus years. Pretty much took me everywhere I needed to be though almost any bad weather. I finally had to give it up to keep peace. I remember the day it was taken away and how I felt. It did need some work and had wanted to get it repainted, but those old fox bodies were pretty tough machines. Nothing like driving a four eyes! Would give much to have it back!
You have to have owned and parted with a machine that you have such feeling for it. My o!d car is in that realm of things. I owned it for it for 30 plus years. Pretty much took me everywhere I needed to be though almost any bad weather. I finally had to give it up to keep peace. I remember the day it was taken away and how I felt. It did need some work and had wanted to get it repainted, but those old fox bodies were pretty tough machines. Nothing like driving a four eyes! Would give much to have it back!
June 4, 2025
Very satisfying
Love this story. This a marvelous story about how things can seem to take on human attributes and how these same things can seemingly perform unbelievable tasks. I've worked around a number of machines that seemed to unequivocally perform at extraordinary levels. I know that their creators and their operators instill a certain rhythm to the machine harmonics that also results in excellence above the original design standards. This story focuses on that abstract excellence. Been there, done that. This is a very satisfying story.
Love this story. This a marvelous story about how things can seem to take on human attributes and how these same things can seemingly perform unbelievable tasks. I've worked around a number of machines that seemed to unequivocally perform at extraordinary levels. I know that their creators and their operators instill a certain rhythm to the machine harmonics that also results in excellence above the original design standards. This story focuses on that abstract excellence. Been there, done that. This is a very satisfying story.
December 1, 2017
First I bought this by mistake I love Marko Kloos work and thought it was a side story for the Frontlines saga (which it is). The only problem is I didn’t see that it was only 30 mins long, but that aside I did real enjoy Nicol Zanzarella’s performance and I would have been happier with the book if it would have been around 2-1/2 hours long but for $1.99 for 30 min I didn’t feel like I got my money worth out of this short story.
March 17, 2018
Poignant.
Kloos does a good job of guiding your feelings in respect of the ship Lucky 13. Named this partly because of it's manufacturer's plate which starts and ends with 13 and partly because it has lost its full crew and all on board twice without sustaining much damage to itself, it's considered anything but lucky. But then it finds itself with a young rookie pilot who disagrees with the gossip.
This is the poignant tale of their partnership.
Kloos does a good job of guiding your feelings in respect of the ship Lucky 13. Named this partly because of it's manufacturer's plate which starts and ends with 13 and partly because it has lost its full crew and all on board twice without sustaining much damage to itself, it's considered anything but lucky. But then it finds itself with a young rookie pilot who disagrees with the gossip.
This is the poignant tale of their partnership.
March 29, 2018
Humans at war have always believed their machines were more than machines
This combat sci-fi short story drops right into that genre—-the loving crew chief, the bad luck streak, the human quality of the ship/plane/chopper. Like Robert Mason’s biography of his time as a Huey pilot in Vietnam (Chickenhawk), or some of the memoirs of the British aces and their Spitfires...this story imagines that future relationship happening again...
This combat sci-fi short story drops right into that genre—-the loving crew chief, the bad luck streak, the human quality of the ship/plane/chopper. Like Robert Mason’s biography of his time as a Huey pilot in Vietnam (Chickenhawk), or some of the memoirs of the British aces and their Spitfires...this story imagines that future relationship happening again...
December 10, 2020
Awesome little short story that added a little color to a beloved world. It did much to flesh out one of the main characters, and give her a piece of the spotlight. It was also nice to see her be the awesome the pilot from a first hand perspective. I only wish Mr.Kloos had incorpated some of her perspective on her relationship with the other main character of the series. Thanks for keeping us invested in this awesome series.
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