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Red Company #2
Red Company: Discovery
There’s a land-rush on exploiting alien tech. Pirates, claim-jumpers, cyborgs, and bureaucrats all must be defeated to keep Borag flying.
Corporal Devin Starn is working his way up through the ranks of Red Company. Aboard Borag , a mining ship based out of Mars City, Starn discovers more about the aliens who preceded us. Their ruins and strange technologies deepen the mystery of their ancient downfall.
RED DISCOVERY is a pulse-pounding, military science fiction thriller that will grip you from the first page to the last. Fans of B. V. Larson will be captivated by this action-packed, high-octane adventure that explores the darkest reaches of the cosmos and the strength of the human spirit.
Corporal Devin Starn is working his way up through the ranks of Red Company. Aboard Borag , a mining ship based out of Mars City, Starn discovers more about the aliens who preceded us. Their ruins and strange technologies deepen the mystery of their ancient downfall.
RED DISCOVERY is a pulse-pounding, military science fiction thriller that will grip you from the first page to the last. Fans of B. V. Larson will be captivated by this action-packed, high-octane adventure that explores the darkest reaches of the cosmos and the strength of the human spirit.
268 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2023
311 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
B.V. Larson
134 books1,529 followersBrian Larson is an American science fiction and fantasy author
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 3, 2023
Not up to snuff
I've over twenty B.V. Larson books and enjoyed them all, until this one. It's formulaic, the characters thin shadows of the stock but entertaining protagonists of his other major series. The plot is oh so predictable; except for random weaknesses in logic and cause and effect. It's like the author fleshed out an outline and the book was written by an AI program. A snoozer and a disappointment.
I've over twenty B.V. Larson books and enjoyed them all, until this one. It's formulaic, the characters thin shadows of the stock but entertaining protagonists of his other major series. The plot is oh so predictable; except for random weaknesses in logic and cause and effect. It's like the author fleshed out an outline and the book was written by an AI program. A snoozer and a disappointment.
January 15, 2024
This is not a good book.
This book fails to shape its environment to make the way people fight believable or logical.
The addition of the more compliant wild-woman love interest is very cringe inducing.
The only saving grace is the book reads pretty quickly, even though I was dreading every evening reading session I got through it in about 3 hours.
I can recommend this to a sci-fi fan who is recovering from head trauma and wants something light and easy to ease them back into reading.
This book fails to shape its environment to make the way people fight believable or logical.
The addition of the more compliant wild-woman love interest is very cringe inducing.
The only saving grace is the book reads pretty quickly, even though I was dreading every evening reading session I got through it in about 3 hours.
I can recommend this to a sci-fi fan who is recovering from head trauma and wants something light and easy to ease them back into reading.
August 4, 2024
Just not believable - especially the characters!!
I cannot enjoy this book series because I cannot bring myself to accept a future with space travel, and yet most of humanity is in some kind of slavery or indentured service based on a capitalist society that goes against all reason.
I just cannot believe that piracy isn’t the better choice. And even more irritating is that the people who are screwed over by all of this, actually try to do a good job for their captors (aka “employers”).
How many times can you come back with hugely valuable cargo or knowledge and still find yourself indebted to the company, and then go our and RISK YOUR LIVES (in many cases, giving their lives) for the “company?”
And the main character seems to have no particular love interest, but he seems also to be serious with several of the female characters - and none of their relationships reads the way a real person would interact with someone else. As if this was written by a science fiction geek who has never really kissed a girl in real life. It is a bit bizarre.
Also, a lot of subplots never go anywhere. At one point we are being led to believe a certain female character may be a “bad guy” but now that just faded away. It was very clear that she wasn’t the good person she was pretending to be.
I couldn’t find the story to be logical. And the characters didn’t behave realistically.
It just gets to the point that it isn’t believable anymore.
Not to mention the story gets pretty wild and off the reservation at times. I just quit caring about the characters anymore by the end of this book in the series.
The most annoying thing is that book one was decent. I don’t know what happens to KU writers, but they all seem to have one good book in them, but then when the second book comes out, there is nothing left in the gas tank.
I would give this 1/2 of a star, but I always round up because I am a nice guy!
I cannot enjoy this book series because I cannot bring myself to accept a future with space travel, and yet most of humanity is in some kind of slavery or indentured service based on a capitalist society that goes against all reason.
I just cannot believe that piracy isn’t the better choice. And even more irritating is that the people who are screwed over by all of this, actually try to do a good job for their captors (aka “employers”).
How many times can you come back with hugely valuable cargo or knowledge and still find yourself indebted to the company, and then go our and RISK YOUR LIVES (in many cases, giving their lives) for the “company?”
And the main character seems to have no particular love interest, but he seems also to be serious with several of the female characters - and none of their relationships reads the way a real person would interact with someone else. As if this was written by a science fiction geek who has never really kissed a girl in real life. It is a bit bizarre.
Also, a lot of subplots never go anywhere. At one point we are being led to believe a certain female character may be a “bad guy” but now that just faded away. It was very clear that she wasn’t the good person she was pretending to be.
I couldn’t find the story to be logical. And the characters didn’t behave realistically.
It just gets to the point that it isn’t believable anymore.
Not to mention the story gets pretty wild and off the reservation at times. I just quit caring about the characters anymore by the end of this book in the series.
The most annoying thing is that book one was decent. I don’t know what happens to KU writers, but they all seem to have one good book in them, but then when the second book comes out, there is nothing left in the gas tank.
I would give this 1/2 of a star, but I always round up because I am a nice guy!
December 26, 2024
Sub par
Disappointing after reading the shenanigans of Rebel World at al.
This seemed very juvenile in comparison (& the "World" books are hardly high literature!)...
Not sure why this dip in quality of output has arisen but hope Larson gets over it soon.
Disappointing after reading the shenanigans of Rebel World at al.
This seemed very juvenile in comparison (& the "World" books are hardly high literature!)...
Not sure why this dip in quality of output has arisen but hope Larson gets over it soon.
August 9, 2023
I like most B. V. Larson books and the series he has developed. They are most all well written and very interesting. This series doesn’t live up to that standard as much as I’d like. Red Company is a bunch of hired mercenaries aboard a space mining ship. They seemed to have trained themselves and not that well. They call themselves “Marines”, but I think they are a long, long way from what I think of when I hear the term Marine. The guys in Red Company are just a bunch of thugs trying to protect their ship. If they don’t do their job, they die. That’s their only motivation, well, and also money!
Corporal Devin Starn is our main character and he’s kind of strange. When we first met him, he was a lowly rock miner aboard the mining spaceship *Borag*. Due to his actions during a pirate attack on their mining activities, Starn was allow to become a Marine joining Red Company, the shipboard security outfit that runs along military lines. I’m not sure where their authority comes from, but it’s not back by any government. Red Company and its individual Marines work because they get paid when the ship gets paid for its mining activities.
On this particular mission working for Excavation. Inc. they are again mining an asteroid and it’s doing quite well. Once they lifted off the asteroid, they were returning to Mars to cash-in on their mining cargo. Yet, they were immediately attacked by a pirate ship which wanted that cargo for their own. The *Borag* was not an easy target and they eventually won their battle with this pirate ship although they had travel far into space to do so.
Upon reporting this action to their HQ on Mars, they got new orders. They were directed to follow the heading that the pirate ship was fleeing on and find the pirate’s base! Of course not everyone on the *Borag* like the idea of turning away from Mars and heading toward Neptune. Neptune was a long, long ways away and it would take them almost six months to get there and another six months to get back to Mars. That was a long voyage that most of the crew hadn’t signed on for.
And that’s a little part of how this story goes. This crew is really all mercenaries. They don’t have much allegiance to the ship or their Captain. As long as they are getting paid, most will do their duty, but as soon as that pay is jeopardized, they can turn ugly. Captain Hansen is a competent ships Captain, but she seems to run her ship by committee only making decisions when the majority of her crew agree to a course of action. This is definitely not a military operation although there is a lot of fighting against mostly pirates.
So, this story is kind of off in my mind. In the first book, some of the crew had become infected with a strange virus that was causing some interesting mutations to their bodies. Only one had died so far, but others were felling the effects. In Corporal Starn, one of his arms had grown huge, with bulging muscles. Since Starn was from Earth, that didn’t get notice right away, because he was naturally bulkier than most spacers since he lived most of his live in gravity. Most spacers living in low or no gravity tended to be skinny although quite tall. Because of Starn’s natural strength, he was employed by the Ship’s Captain to act as a bodyguard. Initially, this was only while she was on Mars going from place to place. But lately, Starn had been called up to the Bridge to stand guard. He had heard various officers disagreeing with the Captain on numerous occasions and knew the Captain was actually afraid for her life. Corporal Starn was a dedicated Marine and he was extremely devoted to his Captain. He wasn’t about to let anything happen to her.
This ship finds something strange on one of the moons of Neptune. They follow the trail to a pirate base and commence to destroy that base. Then they send Red Company down to the base to ensure everyone has been dealt with and to find any artifacts or technology the pirates might have been hoarding. No sooner had they returned to the ship, they found two other pirate ships closing in on their location. Desperate to get away, Captain Hansen orders the ship to enter what appears to be a portal atop a definitely alien pyramid. Where this portal leads them is unknown, but the crew definitely knows it’s not going to take them to Mars! Not a good thing for the Captain.
I suppose I’ll continue reading this series. Book 3, “[Contact](https://amzn.to/3YwInuv)”, is available on Amazon and I’ll probably add it to my reading list, maybe!
Corporal Devin Starn is our main character and he’s kind of strange. When we first met him, he was a lowly rock miner aboard the mining spaceship *Borag*. Due to his actions during a pirate attack on their mining activities, Starn was allow to become a Marine joining Red Company, the shipboard security outfit that runs along military lines. I’m not sure where their authority comes from, but it’s not back by any government. Red Company and its individual Marines work because they get paid when the ship gets paid for its mining activities.
On this particular mission working for Excavation. Inc. they are again mining an asteroid and it’s doing quite well. Once they lifted off the asteroid, they were returning to Mars to cash-in on their mining cargo. Yet, they were immediately attacked by a pirate ship which wanted that cargo for their own. The *Borag* was not an easy target and they eventually won their battle with this pirate ship although they had travel far into space to do so.
Upon reporting this action to their HQ on Mars, they got new orders. They were directed to follow the heading that the pirate ship was fleeing on and find the pirate’s base! Of course not everyone on the *Borag* like the idea of turning away from Mars and heading toward Neptune. Neptune was a long, long ways away and it would take them almost six months to get there and another six months to get back to Mars. That was a long voyage that most of the crew hadn’t signed on for.
And that’s a little part of how this story goes. This crew is really all mercenaries. They don’t have much allegiance to the ship or their Captain. As long as they are getting paid, most will do their duty, but as soon as that pay is jeopardized, they can turn ugly. Captain Hansen is a competent ships Captain, but she seems to run her ship by committee only making decisions when the majority of her crew agree to a course of action. This is definitely not a military operation although there is a lot of fighting against mostly pirates.
So, this story is kind of off in my mind. In the first book, some of the crew had become infected with a strange virus that was causing some interesting mutations to their bodies. Only one had died so far, but others were felling the effects. In Corporal Starn, one of his arms had grown huge, with bulging muscles. Since Starn was from Earth, that didn’t get notice right away, because he was naturally bulkier than most spacers since he lived most of his live in gravity. Most spacers living in low or no gravity tended to be skinny although quite tall. Because of Starn’s natural strength, he was employed by the Ship’s Captain to act as a bodyguard. Initially, this was only while she was on Mars going from place to place. But lately, Starn had been called up to the Bridge to stand guard. He had heard various officers disagreeing with the Captain on numerous occasions and knew the Captain was actually afraid for her life. Corporal Starn was a dedicated Marine and he was extremely devoted to his Captain. He wasn’t about to let anything happen to her.
This ship finds something strange on one of the moons of Neptune. They follow the trail to a pirate base and commence to destroy that base. Then they send Red Company down to the base to ensure everyone has been dealt with and to find any artifacts or technology the pirates might have been hoarding. No sooner had they returned to the ship, they found two other pirate ships closing in on their location. Desperate to get away, Captain Hansen orders the ship to enter what appears to be a portal atop a definitely alien pyramid. Where this portal leads them is unknown, but the crew definitely knows it’s not going to take them to Mars! Not a good thing for the Captain.
I suppose I’ll continue reading this series. Book 3, “[Contact](https://amzn.to/3YwInuv)”, is available on Amazon and I’ll probably add it to my reading list, maybe!
July 8, 2025
Story and plot is exciting enough. It's not very complicated. Some of the characters are interesting, some of them are just flat out not.
Several readers here have pointed out the portrayal of women in the book. The main character comes across as a rather "simple" guy, likely from a modest background (though we never really get much detail about his past), which might explain the way women are described—after all, we're seeing everything through his perspective.
The drama between him and the female characters feels overly melodramatic, almost like something straight out of a bad soap opera. Both the dialogue and the events often come off as cheesy, which unfortunately detracts from the overall experience, especially since this part of the story takes up more space than it needs to.
That said, the sci-fi aspects and the rest of the plot are quite engaging and occasionally funny! I’m planning to give the next book a try as well.
Several readers here have pointed out the portrayal of women in the book. The main character comes across as a rather "simple" guy, likely from a modest background (though we never really get much detail about his past), which might explain the way women are described—after all, we're seeing everything through his perspective.
The drama between him and the female characters feels overly melodramatic, almost like something straight out of a bad soap opera. Both the dialogue and the events often come off as cheesy, which unfortunately detracts from the overall experience, especially since this part of the story takes up more space than it needs to.
That said, the sci-fi aspects and the rest of the plot are quite engaging and occasionally funny! I’m planning to give the next book a try as well.
June 7, 2023
Discovery continues the storyline from First Strike with the same over-the-top action-adventure stuff, impossible odds, magic technology, beautiful pirate girls, nasty aliens, and even nastier pirates, as well as all-around bad guys from the supposed allies, so Devin Starn has to juggle dealing with his viral transformation, protecting the captain, fighting in the Red Company against all the above and his dual attraction to Freya and a new pirate girl he saves etc
Definitely interested in the next volume as like the first book, Discovery moves fast and can be read in one sitting
Definitely interested in the next volume as like the first book, Discovery moves fast and can be read in one sitting
June 8, 2023
Story gets going in the 2nd book
B.V. has kept a fast pace throughout the book, which makes for an easy read. 2nd book was much better than the first. He had to do some world building in the first book, so that makes sense. Nobody tells a story better in this genre. A below average bv written book is still better than 95% of books in this genre. He gets 4 stars for that reason. But when you are used to a guy only smashing homeruns in whatever series he creates, a double just isnt the same.
B.V. has kept a fast pace throughout the book, which makes for an easy read. 2nd book was much better than the first. He had to do some world building in the first book, so that makes sense. Nobody tells a story better in this genre. A below average bv written book is still better than 95% of books in this genre. He gets 4 stars for that reason. But when you are used to a guy only smashing homeruns in whatever series he creates, a double just isnt the same.
February 9, 2024
Action packed .. story line a bit lose but I'm in ..
I enjoyed this 2nd book even more than the first. A fast paced space adventure with our hero seemingly attractive to most women. I occasionally lost track of where they were and never did understand how their opponents colluded or why the competitive mining ship captain was so ridiculously gullible.
Notwithstanding I look forward to book3
I enjoyed this 2nd book even more than the first. A fast paced space adventure with our hero seemingly attractive to most women. I occasionally lost track of where they were and never did understand how their opponents colluded or why the competitive mining ship captain was so ridiculously gullible.
Notwithstanding I look forward to book3
May 27, 2024
This felt on par with the first entry in the series and was enjoyable all the way through. Still found myself hoping for some payback moments, but realistically they couldn't happen yet. The one area, and this is personal taste, I wish was better were the battles. They felt more distant than the rest of the story and while it didn't take me out of the experience, it did make me feel less connected.
June 2, 2023
BV Larson does it again!
Yet another phenomenal book by Author BV Larson. His works are always highly readable and very fun. They might not be in a literary masterworks of Shakespeare, but I wait excitedly for each one to be released. His books are always entertaining and fast moving.
Yet another phenomenal book by Author BV Larson. His works are always highly readable and very fun. They might not be in a literary masterworks of Shakespeare, but I wait excitedly for each one to be released. His books are always entertaining and fast moving.
July 1, 2023
Really good.
Had a very nice time reading this book. Even better than the first one, which I enjoyed. The way the women were involved was realistic and fun. Don't want to give things away but involved the differences in women. Fighting, bad types to fight and kill, weapons, et cetera.
Had a very nice time reading this book. Even better than the first one, which I enjoyed. The way the women were involved was realistic and fun. Don't want to give things away but involved the differences in women. Fighting, bad types to fight and kill, weapons, et cetera.
June 10, 2023
Space adventure and battling pirates
If you love military Sci-fi and space opera this is the series for you. Mr. Larson is a masterful writer who can bring new stories and universes alive in his stories. Give his work a try and you won’t regret it.
If you love military Sci-fi and space opera this is the series for you. Mr. Larson is a masterful writer who can bring new stories and universes alive in his stories. Give his work a try and you won’t regret it.
November 17, 2023
Much better than the first and definitely gaining speed. The characters are very familiar to BV Larson’s other series, but it doesn’t really matter, it just makes this series much easier to get into.
October 9, 2024
cheap
Very immature writing with a story line that has good bones. Must have been written quickly to meet production quotas. Jump’s illogically from step to step and lacks any sense of sophisticated writing skills.
Very immature writing with a story line that has good bones. Must have been written quickly to meet production quotas. Jump’s illogically from step to step and lacks any sense of sophisticated writing skills.
July 7, 2023
An enjoyable read..
Our hero was in one major problem after another but was always able to turn things around and move on.
Our hero was in one major problem after another but was always able to turn things around and move on.
July 30, 2023
Great r
Well another great storyline showing how the corporate bosses are ruthless enough to guard their profits. Still good story looking forward to the next book
Well another great storyline showing how the corporate bosses are ruthless enough to guard their profits. Still good story looking forward to the next book
August 21, 2023
Lots of action
Just like the first book this one was full of action with a story line that left one wanting more.The ending is an entrance to another blog
Just like the first book this one was full of action with a story line that left one wanting more.The ending is an entrance to another blog
December 5, 2023
Mindless enjoyment
November 5, 2024
Red Company, Book 2 sets up a great series
Discovery was a great read and expanded on book one's foundation and left me wanting more. Great news series from BV Larson
Discovery was a great read and expanded on book one's foundation and left me wanting more. Great news series from BV Larson
October 21, 2025
Fast paced
The book moves along very well it continues with the storyline and is well based and holds some interesting ideas about red company
The book moves along very well it continues with the storyline and is well based and holds some interesting ideas about red company
November 27, 2024
Between the halfwit, adolescent main character and the paper thin other characters, this was a huge step backwards. From the fascist corporations to the anarchist pirates, they are all bad. Pretty huge plot holes (when there is a plot) also took away from any enjoyment.
August 29, 2023
Red Company: Discovery continues the story of former rock rat and now corporal, Devin Strain in Red Company. While mining asteroids, the crew of the Borag encounters pirates. The chase takes them on a voyage the crew had not imagined. They encounter cyborgs and aliens. Devin faces them as well as intrigue onboard the Borag, and a captured pirate who provides a different personal challenge.
I enjoyed the book. Following the same characters as they encounter these unanticipated challenges was a comfortable read. Many of the characters remained essentially the same. The Captain is a favorite of mine. Her new challenges gives a broader and deeper view of her qualities. Devin continued to not only grow but more of his character was revealed. The new character hopefully adds some surprises.
I look forward reading the next book in the series.
I enjoyed the book. Following the same characters as they encounter these unanticipated challenges was a comfortable read. Many of the characters remained essentially the same. The Captain is a favorite of mine. Her new challenges gives a broader and deeper view of her qualities. Devin continued to not only grow but more of his character was revealed. The new character hopefully adds some surprises.
I look forward reading the next book in the series.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews