As a viper, Kate's no stranger to death. As a Richmond, she'll do anything to protect her brother. Kate Richmond has seen it all. The former army ranger and ISS operative has engaged in missions of sabotage, cyber theft, espionage, and assassination on her path to become a viper cyborg. After barely surviving a full-scale alien invasion by the Merkiaari, she doubts life can hold anymore surprises, until a family mystery lands on her doorstep.
Her brother has been linked with a dead viper and numerous Merkiaari corpses. Now she must embark on a mission she never expected. It's time to find her brother.
Operation Breakout is the fourth installment in Merkiarri Wars, a military science fiction space opera about alien invasion and exploration in the far future. Get lost in a detailed universe with heroes, villains, and everything in between. If you like page-turning futuristic action, you'll like this.
Mark E. Cooper lives alone in a small town in the south of England, where he writes most mornings and evenings. His background is in mechanical engineering where he spent over thirty years working for Ford. He loves reading about strong female characters and can often be found laughing to himself as he listens to a book on his iPod.
His hobbies include driving his cobra--a V12 monster he built with his best friend--reading fantasy and sci-fi, and maintaining his blog at http://www.impulsebooks.co.uk/markcoo...
He is now the author of more than eight titles in the genres he loves to read.
It’s been awhile since I got back to this series and I had to think about what happened in the previous book catch up. The story doesn’t repeat a lot of the history of the series but does give you some hints as to what has happened in the past. This book focuses on a trio of Vipers operating on their own, initially, to find a fallen comrade but develops into a bigger mission involving the Alliance Navy.
The story is pretty good although I was really getting tire of Richmond’s obsession with finding her brother! She’s been looking for this kid for years and has only gotten glimpses of his whereabout but nothing concrete until now. Luckily her brother happens to be located at the same place as her next mission. Well, he was supposed to be there. Getting her brother retrieved is all she can think about even if he’s in a maximum security prison! Now here is where it gets real stupid. I don’t know how she can justify breaking her brother out of a prison for any reason. All she keeps saying is, “He’s my brother; my family!”. Well, so what! The kid has gotten himself into some big time trouble so he needs to pay the price. If she wants to just see him, that’s one thing but to plan on breaking him out and start running from the law is just stupid and much to idiotic for a Viper.
And she doesn’t realize that Stone, now Viper Captain Stone, is more than willing to help here see and talk to her brother. He knows she’s not going to like what see finds out about him, but he’s willing to help, to a point. Richmond doesn’t bother asking for help and does about the worst thing she could have done. It’s a wonder that Stone doesn’t kill her the next time they meet. He should have!
Good story, not a lot of fighting. We get the same Navy characters we read about in the original first book and those involved in the Shan war with the Merki. I think this book is leading up to a bigger battle for the Earth Alliance than any before. Maybe our contact with three new alien races will help us in this coming war. We’ll have to wait for the next book to find out.
Once again, Cooper continues the adventures of the Mekiaari war series without pause or any reduction in quality. This is a space serial or series in the best tradition of any of the authors of the 1950's and 60's. Mark Cooper grabbed my attention from the first chapter of the first story and I am still just as interested.
One of my comments in past has to do with Mark's ability to seem as if he tells the story in first person, he does and it really makes the book flow from person to person and chapter to chapter. He does this not only from Alliance (ie. Human characters, but also from the point of view of various Alien Characters, lending them more credibility and even, dare I say it, human perspective. This is something very few authors today try, let alone accomplish. He does it very well.
If you want a book review, see the other reviews for a plot or spoiler. I tend to let you know what I think of the book and author's ability. Better yet, get any of Mark E. Cooper's free starter books and see for yourself, BUT be warned - Like Lays Potato Chips: You can't stop at one! A newer author worth PAYING for!
(I hope you read Hard Duty, What Price Honor, and Operation Oracle first…) The Merkiaari Wars series continues with the same always-interesting characters, an unpredictable plot line, and compelling mayhem. This one has pirates (in possession of the bodies of Merkiaari, humans, and several previously unknown alien species), a rogue Viper operative, and a massive return of the Merkiaari, much better prepared this time to cleanse the galaxy of human vermin. Mark E. Cooper reads like a best-selling hardcover author, He is, so far, the most reliable writer of stories guaranteed to engage readers (of this genre). One more to go in this series, and a wide variety of other ventures into unrelated territories.
Book 4 of the Merkiaari Wars delivers the goods. The Merkiaari previously embarked on a modified breeding program to change their warriors. Increased intelligence and ability to control battle rage and fight more strategically were key traits they sought. One of the new breed is leading the rematch against The Alliance and he a real threat. He reminds me somewhat of Darth Vader without the funky helmet and breathing disorder. So the bad guys are in position to make things really tough for the good guys... Let's see stay happens in the next book of the series.
I swear this series gets better and better with each book. I've loved every one. The story line is great as well as the narration. I'm definitely looking forward to book 5!
The 4th instalment of the Merkiaari Wars Saga has a similar structure to the first 3. It continues on from the events in part 3, and this time we are back with Colgin and the crew of the Warrior. The start of these books are always interesting, a short couple of chapters in which something fairly incredible happens, before we are torn away to another event of no relevance at all in another part of the Galaxy with another Main Character. It is a good way to keep you reading, as you not only want to learn what happened at the start, but you immediately get drawn into the second story as well. In this instalment, there are several threads that the reader gets taken down. Without giving away too much, the first is Colgin and his crew. These parts of the story are always intense, strategic, but utterly brilliant. Colgin is the ultimate ship’s Captain, with the ability to turn any battle in his favour. Another thread is the discovery of a massive Merki ship, named the Leviathan for its incredible size and bulk. This find leads to several side missions and a whole lot of fun and excitement that these books are all about. But one of the major threads of this book is Kate Richmond and the search for her brother. When intel is found that leads to the location of her brother, Kate will stop at nothing to get to him. Unfortunately, she has now been made into one of the most powerful soldiers in the galaxy, and having her go ‘Rogue’ is not an acceptable option. Operation Breakout is a journey, through several different stories, and through some of our Main Characters lives, as they try and understand the choices that have been made BY others, and that have been made FOR them. The result is a very clever and engaging story that you will not be able to put down as it leaps from one character and life threatening moment to the next. As with the other books, the Vipers continue to be the main characters, with Gina, Kate, Stone and Eric being at the lead. Colgin and his Crew, as well as the Shan continue to be a major part of each of the plot lines as the stories continue. This is a brilliant series, with all these little sub stories and threads, as well as all these amazing characters that Cooper has developed. The universe he has created is exceptional, and only continues to grow bigger and better. Cooper has also spent a lot of time developing some amazing technology for use within his universe, with the different weapons, ships, and a multitude of other things. The descriptions of tech, such as the new ‘Leviathan’ object that the humans have found is really amazing. There is a definite feeling that this story is slowing building towards something, that we have not yet seen the best, which considering how good the first 4 parts have been is saying a lot. Cooper is an outstanding author, and this series should not be missed by anyone who loves Sci-Fi.
I enjoyed that this book was able to arrive for the holidays.
I don't really know how I feel about this new novel. The writing was quite good and our story allowed our characters to grow while shaping the way for the battles to come. However in my opinion this book seemed to be a bit thin, the last couple of books we had battles interspersed with logistical and strategic preparations for the new war. This book spends most of our novel with Stone and Kate and their complicated relationship. While the completion of Kate and her brother's back-story is tied off nicely it felt more like something that could have been a novella rather than the backbone for a novel in the series.
We don't see Sebestation or the General laying their groundwork. We never see how the Shan are integrating to both Snakeholm and the Alliance. After fighting with the regiment and navy we get thrust back into a story-line that revolves around a single protagonist. Despite the revelations and information that is gained from Paul Richmond I feel that this could have come through the "intelligence efforts" like most of the other information that is shared in the books with us and allowed the author more time to really write about the war instead of focusing on a single story for most of the book. In fact other than the fight over Red One we don't see much about the Alliance and the efforts that must be occurring towards gaining a war footing.
I like that we continue to see more of Valjoth. While the Merkiaari have been great as a shadowy threat from space getting information about their empire and culture gives that depth to the conflict that makes the war that much more intriguing. I do wonder about Bethany's world and if their conflicts with the vipers will become a bigger issue through the Alliance.
While the story was a good story it felt more like a side story set in the universe than part of a larger Merkiaari War series.
For all fans of the Merkiaari Wars, this title will NOT disappoint! Mark takes the reader through a roller coaster of events and surprises that will keep you up at night, trying to get through one more page. Fair Warning - His mix of his characters' personal development, and engaging fleet actions guarantee that EVERYONE who picks up one of his books will NEED to stick around to read more! Gotta go, book 5 is in my inbox (I delayed reading this, so I could go back-to-back)
This review is for: Operation Breakout: Merkiaari Wars Book 4
This book proves we'll go faster than the Speed of Light; the Story does., February 8, 2015
I've Rated this book 5 out of 5 stars
I just finished Book 4 in the Operation Breakout series and I'm still breathing heavy. As soon as I finished books one through three I had to order book 4. I will have a difficult time waiting for book 5. I've read many Sci Fi books and this is the best series I've ever read. The science, physics and technology are so easy to accept and even understand. This is a well researched book by an author that seems to be a combination of James Michener, Stephen King and Tom Clancy.There are a lot of characters over a long period of time and it takes a little effort to follow along in the beginning but, it is very much worth the effort; in fact it's this detai that makes this series an epic story that would be the equal of the "Star Wars" movies. Review by "THE HOLEY ONE"
When I started reading this series, I was hoping it would be a tetralogy....however, after reading this (so far) last book, it seems much more likely, it's gonna be one of those never ending series....as well written as it is, I don't particularly like endless sci-fi. I don't mind long fantasy series, but somehow I always loose interest in it, if it isn't something really special. The book itself wasn't bad...it was pretty much the same as the last three books...but I was disappointed that no resolution is in sight. Indeed, the plot is getting more and more trivial...I'm sure it could just be building up towards some great and awesome conclusion....I'm just not willing to go through another 10 books to get there. So...the book is as good as the previous books (more or less), and if you don't mind endless series, you'll probably like it :)
Spoiler Alert. I was hoping this book would hold exciting news of possible Viper-enhanced Shan warriors or details of the ramifications of the "advances" in Viper predictive capabilities, but no such luck. The overall storyline of the series did move forward, but not by much. I felt like a disproportionate amount of the story was spent on the "long lost brother" subplot (which I personally never found to be a very compelling subplot in any of the previous books, but that's just me) with an in satisfying resolution or and too little payoff for time spent on it. The Shan were barely mentioned at all, and they were the most interesting species to me in earlier books. The book ends with a cliffhanger to lead-in to the next book, which may be more exciting.
Operation Breakout by Mark E. Cooper is the 4th book of the Merkiaari Wars series and I can't say enough positive things about this great book and series. This is science fiction space opera at its best.
The author has developed a tale of adventure and action that is nonstop and fast paced. It will leave you breathless after each segment. As each book in the series has developed the tale becomes more exciting and deeper.
The characters Mark E. Cooper has created are full of life and are very believable. It is easy to get into their rolls and follow them. I really enjoyed getting into the story this deep.
I really liked reading Operation Breakout by Mark E. Cooper and I highly recommend this book to all readers.
This continues the plot of the previous three books, and while it adds a richer background, doesn't resolve any problems. He is just nursing the success of the previous 3 books. I liked the book, but wasn't happy with the open ending, and the lack of any flash back history. Since I am reading these one after another, it isn't a problem, but if their was a time interval between reading the books, I would be sunk, and would probably drop the series. I am getting the next book called Incursion, which is book 5 of the 8 shown now in the series.
I am really enjoying the series but disappointed that the next book is not yet released in America. Sigh. I have enjoyed the characters and how they have been brought together. I have enjoyed that the author is taking his time and not pushing characters into artificial situations to speed the plot. Of course the downside is that as some of these character developments are occurring the overall big story arc is slowed but the subplots have been pretty enjoyable. I am looking forward to book five and the release in america.
This series homes me from the beginning. Mark creates characters you become attached to right away, and simply must know what happens to them next. Building upon one race of people to the next, the story grows at a pace that has kept me enthralled. I'm off to buy the next in the series.
I really enjoyed this series. Enhanced humans, evil warlike aliens intent on extermination of humans, new aliens to make contact with, corrupt politicians. I liked this so much I read 4 books worth of the tale.
I love this series! The ending will leave you searching the web for book five, but I have it on good authority that we wait will not be much longer. I have been listening to the audio, and the production is great. If you love scifi, start reading. You wont regret it.
A slow burn of a plot which is a good thing but it felt a little like a middle book in a trilogy made to check some boxes. The sub-plot/background was better than the main line. 3+ stars. A bit of a dip for the series.
Great,human meets alien first contact, humans have cyborgs that other humans are afraid of, space battle in large ships, dog fights, exploration. Novel I really enjoyed. Great Tech!