Cadets

Cadets #1

by Edward Miller

On a remote training planet, hotshot Earth Defense Fleet Cadet Ryan Thompson and his peace loving ex-girlfriend Amanda Williamson can't agree on anything. But when news comes of an alien invasion of Earth--the first in human history--they are thrown together on a deadly, unauthorized mission to face an unknown enemy. What they find is beyond their wildest expectations. A discovery that changes everything they thought they knew...about their hostile adversaries--and mankind. With a trail of riddles and mysteries, epic space battles and journeys to the far corners of Earth, this "Star Trek meets Indiana Jones" Sci-Fi Adventure from Author Edward Miller should appeal to fans of Sci-Fi Space Operas and Young Adult Science Fiction. Edward Miller's debut novel with co-author J.B. Manas, The Kronos Interference, was named to Kirkus reviews best of 2012 and received a Starred Review from Kirkus, which called it "Impressively original" and a "Tour De Force."

Genres: Science Fiction

339 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 13, 2013

Reviews

[Carl M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the reviews and I guess that's why they make 32 flavors of ice Cream. I'm a fan of a story that goes somewhere. One that has character growth and has a common goal of coming together despite everyones differences.

Yes, I love Science Fiction and Space battles. That being said, I'm not looking for reality. If I want reality I'll open my front door and go to work. I don't really care about Physics and Plausability. If I did I certainly wouldn't have read World War Z and gone to the movies to see Pacific Rim.

When reading a book I look for character growth, a fun story, conflict and overcoming the odds. Cadets has all of that. It's a cross between Y/A Science Fiction and Star Trek. It has conflict, family values, Space Battles, humor and a bit of a love story.

All I can say is if you are looking for a new author and a fun easy Sci/Fi read, give it a go. I doubt you will be disappointed.

[Stu G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Cadets to be a great Space Opera with believable characters. The story has conflict, action, humor and is a page turner.

I found the storyline fresh and different with plenty of plot twists. It has the feel of a new series and I hope it is.

This is not a story for science geeks...it's a story about courage, growth, family values and overcoming ones fears. Don't get me wrong...there's plenty of space battles and things of that nature...but there's much more to the story.

[Josh Silverman · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Cadets" takes us 150 years into the future. It's the story of a team of cadets who have a role to play during an alien invasion of our solar system.

This story is a lot of fun. The plot (which zips us all over the solar system) is tight and tense, and the lead character is charming. The tension and sense of danger are palpable throughout. It's a page-turner.

[Colin Borden · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

I really liked this book, it has its flaws, but I enjoyed it quite a bit. The characters were fun to read from and there were some unpredictable twists throughout this novel. My main problem with Cadets is that the writing style is bland. It was boring at times to read this because of the writing style. But aside from that, it was enjoyable and I do recommend it for fans of science fiction and I think they will enjoy it too.

[Per Gunnar · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a interesting basic story. Not a very original one but one that could have worked if the book would not have been totally riddled with inconsistencies, especially in the area of physics, and plot holes.

The basic story is simple enough. Aliens with an attitude shows up and wants to know what happened to their envoys that, supposedly, arrived to Earth over hundred years ago or else… Naturally they shot up the first fleet trying to stop them. As for the envoys, well, Area 51 anyone? As I said, not very original but it could have been working.

However, there just so many things that are wrong, especially with the physics. Amanda the heroin are said to have written a (valid) paper on inducing solar flares four years earlier which puts her at around 14 years when she wrote it. Yeah right. The invaders obviously had to wait 150 or so years to develop the technology to get to the Earth yet they already know what happened to their envoys since they allegedly had the means to communicate over interstellar distances already then. They are more advanced than the humans, and whops the human’s behinds in battle, but it takes them days to get from Pluto to Earth. The human ships however, zips around the solar system in hours, even minutes. A wet navy torpedo today obviously have much longer range than a space-torpedo 150 years into the future. And so on…

All these bungled up bits and pieces just removes most of the enjoyment of reading this book. The last bit with the mysterious island and their ferocious inhabitants who apparently have managed to repeal any modern attempt to get onto the island with primitive blowguns is also mostly ludicrous not to mention unbelievable.

The writing itself is not bad but the author should do a serious reality-check on his material. Even a Sci-Fi book should be somewhat believable and have a story that holds together.

[D 2Sizoo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Edward Miller conveys that the main character, Ryan, is a good leader by the way he narrates the book. In the middle of the book, Ryan has just received news that a hostile alien fleet has reached earth which causes panic and chaos among the other cadets. When he speaks to his shipmates he says, “I know that each of us is ready to take on any mission, if and when we are called to action. It ain’t over yet, guys. And there’s no team I would rather serve with than all of you,” (Miller 90), the reader sees that Ryan understands his shipmates are worried and tense about the mission. This shows that Ryan knows it is up to him to lift up their spirits and provide encouragement. However, at other times the reader sees that Ryan is not always the self-confident leader he would like to be. When half of the ship fleet is destroyed, Ryan is running out of confidence. Edward Miller reveals this when he says, “But now, with the whole planet in danger and everything turned upside down, Ryan no longer felt invincible. Quite the opposite, he felt infinitely small and unimportant,” (Miller 230), the reader can tell that Ryan exhibits self-doubt. This shows that although Ryan is an effective leader, he is unsure of his ability to handle the huge task at hand.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

YA sci fi ... simple story & read. Would make a good adventure movie.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care much for the Top-gun-esque and the Star-Trek-esque technical bits. They really felt unnatural, forced, and unconvincing (bogies, full thrusters ahead, etc). However, the main idea of encountering an alien fleet planning to invade earth drove me forward even though the book itself wasn't a page-turner. I never really cared about the Ryan and Amanda saga either, but it does do some character development which is needed in any book. But why the heck would they be worried about their feelings for each other with their families up fighting aliens and dying? I was also confused because I never realized until the end that the main characters were on a "cadet planet" and not on earth twiddling their thumbs without moving to any sort of action. I still really like the idea behind the book. It picked up at about 70%, but it lost me again when they got kidnapped. 5-star idea. 1-star follow-through = 2 stars.

[H. J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written Space Opera. I read Mr Millers first novel The Kronos Interference and was actually looking for the sequel for that when I found his new book. It is quite a different type of book. Yes Science Fiction...more of a Space Opera and a Y/A Science Fiction story.

I thought it had a great story line and showed likable characters that grew throughout the story. It was sort of a coming of age for the Cadets as well as some nice family values.

Yes there are space battles and people get killed...but there is a good storyline along with the plot. It's not a straight up military shoot em up type of book. It has more depth.

I thourougly enjoyed the story from start to finish. Bravo Mr Miller!

[Viktorija Panovska · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time finishing this book. One-quarter through, I was ready to give up, but I forced myself to push through because I don't like DNF-ing books. The main reason of this was that the writing was so bad. Choppy and descriptive in places it didn't need to be. The pacing was just a little off, the characters were dull and generic and so was the plot. The action and the writing picked up a little towards the ending (that's why I'm giving it two stars), but it still didn't wow me. For me, the ending was sufficient and I'm definitely not going to suffer through the sequel. And to think that I really wanted to read this book.

[Marty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Incredibly and horrendously bad. Things like one character noting a family resemblance in another character, and then you learn the character had a helmet on, and when she takes it off her appearance is disturbing to a third character. Another point the fleet moves off all in formation but is ordered to "rendezvous." Neither the characters nor the writer seems to have any concrete idea of how things are accomplished.

[Keesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

My dad recommended this book to me, and I'm glad he did.. while it's more hard tech, I did enjoy it quite a bit. I even had a few good laughs thanks to an interesting charachter planted for comic relief.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting coming of age space opera. Main character fairly well developed, other characters not much.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy and engaging read. alien space battles, genius cadets saving the day, big foot read it all before :-)

[John Wenzelburger · Rating 3 out of 5]

kept seeing this book promoted on Kboards but it was not that good .