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Hayden War Cycle #3
Valkyrie Burning
The war that began on Hayden's World years ago has blossomed into a brawl across the stars, and yet that single and otherwise largely unimportant colony continues to be a central point in the conflagration. Human forces have pushed outward, now taking enemy worlds in response to the attacks on their own, but they don't have the numbers or the power to hold what they take.
Now the alien Alliance shows a sliver of it's true power, and the war for domination of the skies over Hayden burns brightly once more. Neither side has any intentions of giving up the game, and both sides have plenty more aces held back against a rainy day.
A fiery rain is coming, and when it passes the future of the entire Orion-Cygnus Arm of our Galaxy will be decided.
Admiral Nadine Brooke, Captain Jane MacKay, and Sergeant Sorilla Aida intend to make certain it's decided in humanity's favor.
Valkyrie Burning is Book Three of the Hayden War Cycle. Books One and Two are On Silver Wings and Valkyrie Rising. The final novel of the Cycle, Book Four - the Valhalla Call - is scheduled to be released in early 2013.
Now the alien Alliance shows a sliver of it's true power, and the war for domination of the skies over Hayden burns brightly once more. Neither side has any intentions of giving up the game, and both sides have plenty more aces held back against a rainy day.
A fiery rain is coming, and when it passes the future of the entire Orion-Cygnus Arm of our Galaxy will be decided.
Admiral Nadine Brooke, Captain Jane MacKay, and Sergeant Sorilla Aida intend to make certain it's decided in humanity's favor.
Valkyrie Burning is Book Three of the Hayden War Cycle. Books One and Two are On Silver Wings and Valkyrie Rising. The final novel of the Cycle, Book Four - the Valhalla Call - is scheduled to be released in early 2013.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 6, 2012
318 people are currently reading
474 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
March 18, 2019
Charles van Buren
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun
March 17, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
The war continues in space and planet side. The story is fun for fans of military sci-fi who want a lot of information on strategy, tactics and how things work. The fun is hampered somewhat by some poor grammar, word choices and sentence construction. And particularly the overuse of smirk. Better editing would help. This isn't David Weber, Christopher Nutall or David Drake but it's still fun.
I downloaded this book via Kindle Unlimited.
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun
March 17, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition
The war continues in space and planet side. The story is fun for fans of military sci-fi who want a lot of information on strategy, tactics and how things work. The fun is hampered somewhat by some poor grammar, word choices and sentence construction. And particularly the overuse of smirk. Better editing would help. This isn't David Weber, Christopher Nutall or David Drake but it's still fun.
I downloaded this book via Kindle Unlimited.
September 16, 2019
Another good read.
April 8, 2016
Changes in latitude, changes in attitude, nothing remains quite the same..
I like these books, I do. But, why, oh why, can't the author keep the names straight? Is it Ros' El, or Ross' El? Last time it was Commander Kayne, this time it's Kane. The names flip flop back and forth throughout these books. There are also numerous spelling and grammatical errors. If I didn't enjoy the adventure and Sergeant Aida so much I'd stop reading these.
So please, pretty please, hire a proofreader! It's getting hard to cope.
Results: a good adventure marred by a lack of consistency that could be easily fixed, if the author cared enough to do it.
I like these books, I do. But, why, oh why, can't the author keep the names straight? Is it Ros' El, or Ross' El? Last time it was Commander Kayne, this time it's Kane. The names flip flop back and forth throughout these books. There are also numerous spelling and grammatical errors. If I didn't enjoy the adventure and Sergeant Aida so much I'd stop reading these.
So please, pretty please, hire a proofreader! It's getting hard to cope.
Results: a good adventure marred by a lack of consistency that could be easily fixed, if the author cared enough to do it.
December 1, 2022
Pros:
If you like action then Valkyrie Burning is another one that will keep you entertained. There is just enough character focus to make you care about them, but make no mistake. This book, and the 2 before it, are all about the action.
Similar to Valkyrie Rising, the story pivots across several different characters now, and I especially enjoyed the POV's of some of the enemy characters. You see the begrudging respect that they give the human armies, and you really get the sense that they realize that they are just pawns in a larger bureaucracy.
Cons:
There were 3 major cons that probably warranted a 2 star review, but I'm leaving it at 3 because it was entertaining.
1 - There seemed to be inconsistent references to time throughout the book. It seemed as though a character would talk about something happening 5 years ago on one page and then a few pages later the same thing happened much more recently. Eventually I just stopped caring about any reference to time in the story as it had no real meaning.
2 - An annoying amount of effort is put into highlighting the gender of various (specifically) female characters. It did seem to be slightly toned down from Valkyrie Rising, but was still far too prevalent. I enjoy Sorilla and most of the other, largely, female cast of heroes. The story is just very obnoxious about gender though, and it's detracts from these otherwise solid female characters because of it.
3 - The plot advances per convenience. - Spoiler Ahead - . The world of Hayden has been occupied by humans after the events of the first book for some time (I won't dare guess which time reference was accurate), and they have just left the alien sentinels from the 2nd book roam free in the jungle this entire time. Upon her first day back revisiting this planet, Sora just happens to realize that this is a bad idea, she gets approval from the commanding officers to do something about it, and the very reason that she thought it was a bad idea comes back to haunt them. Again this all happens within a 24 hour period after Hayden has been left untouched for a year or more.
If you like action then Valkyrie Burning is another one that will keep you entertained. There is just enough character focus to make you care about them, but make no mistake. This book, and the 2 before it, are all about the action.
Similar to Valkyrie Rising, the story pivots across several different characters now, and I especially enjoyed the POV's of some of the enemy characters. You see the begrudging respect that they give the human armies, and you really get the sense that they realize that they are just pawns in a larger bureaucracy.
Cons:
There were 3 major cons that probably warranted a 2 star review, but I'm leaving it at 3 because it was entertaining.
1 - There seemed to be inconsistent references to time throughout the book. It seemed as though a character would talk about something happening 5 years ago on one page and then a few pages later the same thing happened much more recently. Eventually I just stopped caring about any reference to time in the story as it had no real meaning.
2 - An annoying amount of effort is put into highlighting the gender of various (specifically) female characters. It did seem to be slightly toned down from Valkyrie Rising, but was still far too prevalent. I enjoy Sorilla and most of the other, largely, female cast of heroes. The story is just very obnoxious about gender though, and it's detracts from these otherwise solid female characters because of it.
3 - The plot advances per convenience. - Spoiler Ahead - . The world of Hayden has been occupied by humans after the events of the first book for some time (I won't dare guess which time reference was accurate), and they have just left the alien sentinels from the 2nd book roam free in the jungle this entire time. Upon her first day back revisiting this planet, Sora just happens to realize that this is a bad idea, she gets approval from the commanding officers to do something about it, and the very reason that she thought it was a bad idea comes back to haunt them. Again this all happens within a 24 hour period after Hayden has been left untouched for a year or more.
January 6, 2020
This is a continuation of the military space opera adventure featuring Sorilla Aida as a super soldier who ends up back down on the planet Hayden, once again. Inevitably as this adventure has worn on, we get a wider number of characters pulled into the story as there are also sections from the viewpoint of the aliens who are attacking Hayden. They seem rather too similar in outlook and culture to the human commanders embroiled in this war, however this is not a dealbreaker.
Currie has a fluid writing style that whips the story along with plenty of pace and action. What I did miss from this slice of the adventure was enough of Sorilla who I fell in love with during On Silver Wings and I would have liked to have seen more of her – especially after that amazing stunt she pulls with the space tether. The outstanding aspect of this book are the space battles, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Currie has set out the rules by which his technology works and gives his reader a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the ships embroiled in his battles, which works really well. There was a shocking outcome which reminded me all over again that Currie is not afraid to kill off characters that I’ve grown to enjoy.
I found this an entertaining and readable adventure and look forward to more Hayden goodness in the future. Recommended for fans of military space opera.
8/10
Currie has a fluid writing style that whips the story along with plenty of pace and action. What I did miss from this slice of the adventure was enough of Sorilla who I fell in love with during On Silver Wings and I would have liked to have seen more of her – especially after that amazing stunt she pulls with the space tether. The outstanding aspect of this book are the space battles, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Currie has set out the rules by which his technology works and gives his reader a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the ships embroiled in his battles, which works really well. There was a shocking outcome which reminded me all over again that Currie is not afraid to kill off characters that I’ve grown to enjoy.
I found this an entertaining and readable adventure and look forward to more Hayden goodness in the future. Recommended for fans of military space opera.
8/10
July 24, 2018
Having read and enjoyed the first two books in the series, I found the next installment very satisfying. The author tells the tale from the respective points of view of several key human characters as well as those of the principal aliens, who provide hints of inter-species tensions within the alien empire. As in the earlier novels, the action sequences, both in space and on the ground, are high energy entertainment. I noticed at least one instance in which a term more appropriate to air combat (e.g. "banking") than to maneuvering in space appeared, and there were also a small handful of mistakes that slipped through the editing process. Overall, this was one of the better entries I've read in this genre, and I've already started on the next book in the series.
February 7, 2022
This book definately has the best action and build up so far in the series, but I wish we got to see the operatives for a little bit more than the beginning. However, Sorilla was brilliant in this and her run on Hayden was insane. The showdown between Sorilla and Kriss was all I could ask for. I really hope I get to see them face off again. The new POV from the Parithalians continued to add depth to the story. I really enjoyed the begrudging respect each side had for the other despite being enemies, especially Kriss' respect for Sorilla.
November 13, 2017
Great Alien Invasion Military Space Opera
This is the second of this series I have read, and it is just as good as the other (book 2). Somehow I missed the first book, but based on #2 and #3, I am sure it is good as well.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AS BOTH AN INDIVIDUAL BOOK AND AS A SERIES
This is the second of this series I have read, and it is just as good as the other (book 2). Somehow I missed the first book, but based on #2 and #3, I am sure it is good as well.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AS BOTH AN INDIVIDUAL BOOK AND AS A SERIES
May 25, 2020
Abandoned this one after one too many unnecessary and out of place depictions of the main character's breasts. This book needs an editor. I'm happy to have so many female characters but nobody has any depth besides "strong." I had hopes after book 2 seemed to give a little more personality and less "and also her nipples were hard," but here it was and I couldn't get past it.
July 19, 2021
3.5* (Almost a 4 ). Currie tells a really good story, with lots of action, interesting tech and some great characters. Sergeant Aida is great! His writing is again, better than the last book, and he is getting better at achieving some emotional impact. I still get a little irked with some of his military jargon, but I am really enjoying the series.
December 13, 2022
Unexpected
More aliens as part of the Alliance. A second group that sees value in the beleagered Solari. Years after the last story ended and Sorilla is still deeply embroiled in the fight. As long as she's fighting I will follow to see if her grit, skill, and determination can win the day.
More aliens as part of the Alliance. A second group that sees value in the beleagered Solari. Years after the last story ended and Sorilla is still deeply embroiled in the fight. As long as she's fighting I will follow to see if her grit, skill, and determination can win the day.
July 17, 2018
Fast and furious!
Wow! That's all that anyone needs to say. This, the third book in the Hayden War, is by far the best to date. The action is fast and the characters have become old friends. Evan Currie has certainly come of age! Excellent, can't wait for the next book.
Wow! That's all that anyone needs to say. This, the third book in the Hayden War, is by far the best to date. The action is fast and the characters have become old friends. Evan Currie has certainly come of age! Excellent, can't wait for the next book.
October 4, 2018
We have met the enemy
The story line has progressed and Sorilla and friends have taken on the alien invasion. This series truly leaves you looking for the next episode. Well written.
The story line has progressed and Sorilla and friends have taken on the alien invasion. This series truly leaves you looking for the next episode. Well written.
April 30, 2021
Battle in space, battle on the ground
Sorilla and Jerry tackled the guerrilla Lucians by themselves while Admiral Brookes and the fleet face a dangerous new species come to try and take Hayden from the colonists and Earth's space force.
Sorilla and Jerry tackled the guerrilla Lucians by themselves while Admiral Brookes and the fleet face a dangerous new species come to try and take Hayden from the colonists and Earth's space force.
July 22, 2021
Great stuff!
My son and I have talked about the use of a space elevator and it was fun to see it play out in this war. The big Alien bad guys were also fun to listen to as they tried to figure those puny humans out!
My son and I have talked about the use of a space elevator and it was fun to see it play out in this war. The big Alien bad guys were also fun to listen to as they tried to figure those puny humans out!
August 2, 2021
Excellent novel and series.
Special Forces, space ships, aliens and great characters what more could you want. I had trouble putting this down for chores or work. The story had me locked in and would not let me go. Recommend to the highest degree.
Special Forces, space ships, aliens and great characters what more could you want. I had trouble putting this down for chores or work. The story had me locked in and would not let me go. Recommend to the highest degree.
May 10, 2017
Awful
Kindles update destroyed the synch with Audible making reading the book virtually impossible. Kindle swears it isn't them so it must be author/publisher.
Kindles update destroyed the synch with Audible making reading the book virtually impossible. Kindle swears it isn't them so it must be author/publisher.
November 6, 2017
This series just moved from the good category to great. I really like this series.
March 10, 2018
Good continuation
March 31, 2018
Holy Deus ex Machina, Batman!
October 9, 2018
Book!😎
Love this book!!!!!!😎Absolutely amazing!!!😎 Best book ever since the start of time!!!!😎😎😎😎😎😎 Space aliens and find / fighting and again BEST BOOK EVER!!!😎
Love this book!!!!!!😎Absolutely amazing!!!😎 Best book ever since the start of time!!!!😎😎😎😎😎😎 Space aliens and find / fighting and again BEST BOOK EVER!!!😎
November 28, 2018
I really rather enjoyed this action-packed military SF chapter in the on-going tale. Plenty of good scenes that mixed together well.
January 1, 2019
Much better than the last as it had less techno babble and more story. A story that kept moving and brought you with it. An ending that means more yo come....😁😁
March 23, 2021
6e3hdh
Hshdhehejj us e e r r r r r 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 yyyy y. R r r t t
Hshdhehejj us e e r r r r r 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 yyyy y. R r r t t
July 2, 2021
Well paced
The book is easy to read. Doesn’t over complicate the story with side stories, unneeded dialogue, and complicated character background stories.
The book is easy to read. Doesn’t over complicate the story with side stories, unneeded dialogue, and complicated character background stories.
July 3, 2021
Another Great READ!
Really love the double sided story telling. Mistakes in war often rule the day and Evan tells it well. Start with the first book and enjoy.
Really love the double sided story telling. Mistakes in war often rule the day and Evan tells it well. Start with the first book and enjoy.
Read
October 16, 2021popcorn, but a page turner
May 11, 2022
4.5*, a ripping yarn!
December 14, 2022
Great!!!
March 8, 2024
it captures your attention.
It is written with a good mixture between character depth and action that many books miss.
It is an entertaining read.
It is written with a good mixture between character depth and action that many books miss.
It is an entertaining read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews