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Able Bodied Soldier #2
Able Bodied Soldier 2
Titus Briggs's second chance has become a first-rate, alien-crushing, rebel-stomping success.
The MOCOM units are turning the tide of the war, and the Moonlight Rebellion is on the ropes. But if these treasonous humans, who worship alien invaders as gods, are to be finally defeated, it means cutting off the supply of weapons and equipment from their Thephari overlords... ... if Briggs and his team can find out how they are doing it.
All the autonomous bomb drones, rail guns, pulse rifles, or even MOCOMs in the galaxy can't make a difference while the Thephari's advanced technology--and supply routes--remain a mystery.
So when an opportunity presents itself for Briggs to find out a way to hurt the Scaleys and disrupt their control over the rebels, he must take it. Even if it means putting himself alone, compromised, vulnerable and constantly facing the prospect of sudden death.
Without MOCOMs. Without friends, support, or communication...
Titus Briggs will find a way to cripple the Thephari's plans for a second invasion of Earth... or he'll die trying.
The MOCOM units are turning the tide of the war, and the Moonlight Rebellion is on the ropes. But if these treasonous humans, who worship alien invaders as gods, are to be finally defeated, it means cutting off the supply of weapons and equipment from their Thephari overlords... ... if Briggs and his team can find out how they are doing it.
All the autonomous bomb drones, rail guns, pulse rifles, or even MOCOMs in the galaxy can't make a difference while the Thephari's advanced technology--and supply routes--remain a mystery.
So when an opportunity presents itself for Briggs to find out a way to hurt the Scaleys and disrupt their control over the rebels, he must take it. Even if it means putting himself alone, compromised, vulnerable and constantly facing the prospect of sudden death.
Without MOCOMs. Without friends, support, or communication...
Titus Briggs will find a way to cripple the Thephari's plans for a second invasion of Earth... or he'll die trying.
- GenresScience Fiction
566 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 5, 2025
About the author
J.N. Chaney
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 23, 2025
Harsh ending
The concept is different and you get to read why Briggs was selected. It's not as you would expect
The first half is OK, the second half very good, with Briggs having to play a role very much outside his usual remit
The ending is a surprise too, with Briggs having to make a choice, when you would expect him to be allowed both, given his performance during this episode
The concept is different and you get to read why Briggs was selected. It's not as you would expect
The first half is OK, the second half very good, with Briggs having to play a role very much outside his usual remit
The ending is a surprise too, with Briggs having to make a choice, when you would expect him to be allowed both, given his performance during this episode
March 3, 2025
Go Briggs!
Our protagonist is forced by circumstance to prove himself over and over again that his missing legs aren’t going to keep him from performing his duties in exemplary fashion.
His utmost devotion to his duty and his team is demonstrated multiple times in this book alone. He is incapable of delivering less than his best performance in any setting.
Definitely fun reading!
Our protagonist is forced by circumstance to prove himself over and over again that his missing legs aren’t going to keep him from performing his duties in exemplary fashion.
His utmost devotion to his duty and his team is demonstrated multiple times in this book alone. He is incapable of delivering less than his best performance in any setting.
Definitely fun reading!
April 6, 2025
This is actually two books in one although it does show that in the table of contents or anywhere else. But, the two tremendously different mission for our main character should have probably been developed in separate books. And I’ll have to admit, I didn’t care for the second part of this book!
As you’re aware, Titus Briggs is one tough soldier, although he doesn’t have any legs. That’s hasn’t stopped him from taking Colonel Reid’s offer to become MOCOM pilot (i.e. mech pilot) and he excels at the job. His team of 10th MOCOM Division veterans are currently involved in up-training a whole new group. Of course these newbies aren’t as proficient at their jobs as are the veterans on Briggs’ team, but they’re getting close to graduation so the training has intensified accordingly.
Then the Briggs’ team, lead by the way, by Captain Poe, are told to shutdown the training and prepare for an immediate mission. Briggs, as you know, has no legs. He’s was lost in action a long time back and he wasn’t a viable candidate for regen so now he’s using him CMP (Combat Mobility Platform) to get around when outside his MOCOM. Colonel Reid meets Briggs at the TOC and takes him back to the secure Vault. He wants Briggs’ initial impressions on their next mission. It seems that the Thephari have begun creating a proxy army of humans on Janus-3. Briggs doesn’t understand how humans can even think about supporting humanities greatest enemy, the Thephari lizards, but they do have a following. Janus-3 was the first human colony that fell to the Thephari invasion and it still holds out even after the Thephari were kicked off Earth.
The humans fighting for the Thephari are called Moonies, as you should know by now. They treat the Thephari as some kind of gods and as a religious sect. It’s all very strange to Briggs and most other sane humans! Still, a lot of the humans that are with the Thephari are former Solar Defense Forces (SDF) and they know how to fight, especially when given advance weapons by the Thephari. So, this mission is going to be a reconnaissance run to determine the strength and disposition of the Moonies on Janus-3. If it turns in to something more, well, that’s not strictly authorized, but Briggs knows that self defense is always authorized!
So the A Flight of the 10 MOCOM Division gears up. They will be traveling aboard the *Bellerophon* which will act as the Tactical Operations Center while the MOCOMs deploy to Janus-3. Oh, prior to Colonel Reid dismissing Briggs while in the Vault, he drops a bombshell on Briggs. He tells him that he can get authorization for Briggs to have his legs back in the form of advanced bionics. These are almost just as good as getting regenerated legs so Briggs is very eager to get this done. It will mean he’s whole again and won’t have to rely on CMPs or anything else. But, as always, there’s a catch. Col. Reid tells Briggs that if he accepts his regen legs, he won’t be allowed to stay a MOCOM operator. He’s too good of a Special Forces Operator to allow him to continue doing what he can do without legs when he gets his bionic legs under him. Briggs obviously doesn’t like that condition, but Col. Reid gives him a month to make a decision.
So this new recon mission goes off, but it turns into much more than just recon. On the way to Janus-3, the MOCOM operators are given new surgically inserted bio-implants. These are going to allow the MOCOM operator the advantage of remaining in contact with its MOCOM AI even when they are out of the MOCOM itself. It also will allow almost a seamless melding of the operator and the MOCOM not before experienced. To Briggs, after the initial learning experience, he feels like his MOCOM is almost a part of him or him a part of it. Now when he drops into his MOCOM, his leg stumps just fell into specially prepare harnesses and he learned to operate using that setup. Now it feels like he actually has legs and he begins walking around in his MOCOM as though it something he has always done. Still, this new development really complicated his decision that will have to be made probably at the end of this mission.
That mission concludes and the MOCOM team goes back to their base. Not everyone has made it back so there’s some very tough recovery times ahead. But, most everyone gets through it. Then Briggs is called in again by Colonel Reid and he’s once again exposed to another mission. This is where the book goes haywire. This new mission is totally beyond the scope of anything Briggs has ever done. Why they think he’d be a good candidate for this mission is beyond me. He’s certainly not physically capable of such a mission and only does it because the book wrote it that way. This second part of the book also seems to drag on for far longer than it should. He’s also promised support which never shows until the very last. And to top it off, the SDF already has an operative on the same mission Briggs was not assigned. Why that operative wasn’t sufficient, is never explained.
So, this completes book 2 which I’m still not sure I like the story. They make Briggs out to be far more capable than someone with his physical limitation can actually be no matter how macho or physically fit they say he is. I’m not sure I’ll continue with this series, I’ve got to think about it, but for those interested, book 3, “Able-Bodied Soldier - 3”, is available on Amazon right now.
As you’re aware, Titus Briggs is one tough soldier, although he doesn’t have any legs. That’s hasn’t stopped him from taking Colonel Reid’s offer to become MOCOM pilot (i.e. mech pilot) and he excels at the job. His team of 10th MOCOM Division veterans are currently involved in up-training a whole new group. Of course these newbies aren’t as proficient at their jobs as are the veterans on Briggs’ team, but they’re getting close to graduation so the training has intensified accordingly.
Then the Briggs’ team, lead by the way, by Captain Poe, are told to shutdown the training and prepare for an immediate mission. Briggs, as you know, has no legs. He’s was lost in action a long time back and he wasn’t a viable candidate for regen so now he’s using him CMP (Combat Mobility Platform) to get around when outside his MOCOM. Colonel Reid meets Briggs at the TOC and takes him back to the secure Vault. He wants Briggs’ initial impressions on their next mission. It seems that the Thephari have begun creating a proxy army of humans on Janus-3. Briggs doesn’t understand how humans can even think about supporting humanities greatest enemy, the Thephari lizards, but they do have a following. Janus-3 was the first human colony that fell to the Thephari invasion and it still holds out even after the Thephari were kicked off Earth.
The humans fighting for the Thephari are called Moonies, as you should know by now. They treat the Thephari as some kind of gods and as a religious sect. It’s all very strange to Briggs and most other sane humans! Still, a lot of the humans that are with the Thephari are former Solar Defense Forces (SDF) and they know how to fight, especially when given advance weapons by the Thephari. So, this mission is going to be a reconnaissance run to determine the strength and disposition of the Moonies on Janus-3. If it turns in to something more, well, that’s not strictly authorized, but Briggs knows that self defense is always authorized!
So the A Flight of the 10 MOCOM Division gears up. They will be traveling aboard the *Bellerophon* which will act as the Tactical Operations Center while the MOCOMs deploy to Janus-3. Oh, prior to Colonel Reid dismissing Briggs while in the Vault, he drops a bombshell on Briggs. He tells him that he can get authorization for Briggs to have his legs back in the form of advanced bionics. These are almost just as good as getting regenerated legs so Briggs is very eager to get this done. It will mean he’s whole again and won’t have to rely on CMPs or anything else. But, as always, there’s a catch. Col. Reid tells Briggs that if he accepts his regen legs, he won’t be allowed to stay a MOCOM operator. He’s too good of a Special Forces Operator to allow him to continue doing what he can do without legs when he gets his bionic legs under him. Briggs obviously doesn’t like that condition, but Col. Reid gives him a month to make a decision.
So this new recon mission goes off, but it turns into much more than just recon. On the way to Janus-3, the MOCOM operators are given new surgically inserted bio-implants. These are going to allow the MOCOM operator the advantage of remaining in contact with its MOCOM AI even when they are out of the MOCOM itself. It also will allow almost a seamless melding of the operator and the MOCOM not before experienced. To Briggs, after the initial learning experience, he feels like his MOCOM is almost a part of him or him a part of it. Now when he drops into his MOCOM, his leg stumps just fell into specially prepare harnesses and he learned to operate using that setup. Now it feels like he actually has legs and he begins walking around in his MOCOM as though it something he has always done. Still, this new development really complicated his decision that will have to be made probably at the end of this mission.
That mission concludes and the MOCOM team goes back to their base. Not everyone has made it back so there’s some very tough recovery times ahead. But, most everyone gets through it. Then Briggs is called in again by Colonel Reid and he’s once again exposed to another mission. This is where the book goes haywire. This new mission is totally beyond the scope of anything Briggs has ever done. Why they think he’d be a good candidate for this mission is beyond me. He’s certainly not physically capable of such a mission and only does it because the book wrote it that way. This second part of the book also seems to drag on for far longer than it should. He’s also promised support which never shows until the very last. And to top it off, the SDF already has an operative on the same mission Briggs was not assigned. Why that operative wasn’t sufficient, is never explained.
So, this completes book 2 which I’m still not sure I like the story. They make Briggs out to be far more capable than someone with his physical limitation can actually be no matter how macho or physically fit they say he is. I’m not sure I’ll continue with this series, I’ve got to think about it, but for those interested, book 3, “Able-Bodied Soldier - 3”, is available on Amazon right now.
December 15, 2025
Intensely Good
So much to unpack right now. I'm not much into war movies that were made after John Wayne was in a few. I never watched anything more recent, and not much for military books. I do like scifi, and this series has plenty of that. I sympathized with Briggs having to work with Moonies and having to witness the Moon Ceremony. The gory parts of flesh flying everywhere were hard to take also.
The story though, is very compelling. I was on the edge of my seat through all of Briggs' undercover deployment. The possibility of getting caught and killed felt real to me. I even found myself caring for Michi and the children. In any other setting, they were just a normal loving family.
The team of Chaney and Anspach blew this out of the park. (Even if I still don't know what some of the military jargon means.)
So much to unpack right now. I'm not much into war movies that were made after John Wayne was in a few. I never watched anything more recent, and not much for military books. I do like scifi, and this series has plenty of that. I sympathized with Briggs having to work with Moonies and having to witness the Moon Ceremony. The gory parts of flesh flying everywhere were hard to take also.
The story though, is very compelling. I was on the edge of my seat through all of Briggs' undercover deployment. The possibility of getting caught and killed felt real to me. I even found myself caring for Michi and the children. In any other setting, they were just a normal loving family.
The team of Chaney and Anspach blew this out of the park. (Even if I still don't know what some of the military jargon means.)
October 7, 2025
I found the first book in this series irritating, but there was potential for the story to be interesting, so I gave the second book a chance.
Back in the 60s and 70s, when I first started reading Science fiction, I would definitely have regarded this as 'Pulp SciFi'.
There is too much space filling description and jargon, then when the action starts the author goes into full-on Hollywood blockbuster mode. At times it felt ‘forced’ and I would read a few pages and just give up. By chapter ten I'd had enough.
Back in the 60s and 70s, when I first started reading Science fiction, I would definitely have regarded this as 'Pulp SciFi'.
There is too much space filling description and jargon, then when the action starts the author goes into full-on Hollywood blockbuster mode. At times it felt ‘forced’ and I would read a few pages and just give up. By chapter ten I'd had enough.
January 23, 2025
Far better than the first
This one really is a marked improvement in this series. I think the gritty, undercover work that Briggs was pushed into, serves to elevate this story. It put a human side to the Moonies, letting us know their daily lives as well as their actual beliefs. The ending wasn't anything too surprising, albeit, it does set up things well for the third book. This second book does have a lot more death, destruction in a visceral way.
This one really is a marked improvement in this series. I think the gritty, undercover work that Briggs was pushed into, serves to elevate this story. It put a human side to the Moonies, letting us know their daily lives as well as their actual beliefs. The ending wasn't anything too surprising, albeit, it does set up things well for the third book. This second book does have a lot more death, destruction in a visceral way.
August 4, 2025
Good read but a little predictable.
Liked the series just wish, the marine could learn from all the fighting, up grade weapons, tactics, etc. it’s been known to happen actually win and advance come out on top like real marines, we would learn from mistakes etc. not repeat over and over. Like I said I like it but got a little predictable. Thanks.
Liked the series just wish, the marine could learn from all the fighting, up grade weapons, tactics, etc. it’s been known to happen actually win and advance come out on top like real marines, we would learn from mistakes etc. not repeat over and over. Like I said I like it but got a little predictable. Thanks.
August 14, 2026
This took a turn about midway. No more team playing, but rather a solo trip as a spy. While I think it was good for the character, I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the team. It's just the difference between reading about several characters and getting to know them versus reading about one and the way he handles conflict.
This guy took a lot of abuse! That was hard to read. Thankfully it turns out in the end, but the emotional experience of watching this guy struggle was hard. So much of it was just unfair and with these types of books, we always want the good guy to win. Decisively (most of the time).
So while this had a good ending, it was hard to get there. Regardless, the narration by RC Bray made it worth it.
This guy took a lot of abuse! That was hard to read. Thankfully it turns out in the end, but the emotional experience of watching this guy struggle was hard. So much of it was just unfair and with these types of books, we always want the good guy to win. Decisively (most of the time).
So while this had a good ending, it was hard to get there. Regardless, the narration by RC Bray made it worth it.
July 18, 2025
Awesome Story
If you’d like a good human special operations versus aliens encounter, Max, and a mix of space fighting included this series is for you. Love book one, book 2 did not disappoint, looking forward to reading book 3.
If you’d like a good human special operations versus aliens encounter, Max, and a mix of space fighting included this series is for you. Love book one, book 2 did not disappoint, looking forward to reading book 3.
September 1, 2025
another one bites the dust
Blood and guts all the way his call sign should be Black Cat as he has more than nine lives by my count so it’s on to the next book and wonder what Briggs will do next
Blood and guts all the way his call sign should be Black Cat as he has more than nine lives by my count so it’s on to the next book and wonder what Briggs will do next
September 15, 2025
Good story
Hard to put down. A good sequel with a third book coming. The only negative is our hero is a lot tougher then possible, but he does spend a lot of time in the medical doc. You should enjoy. Read the book.
Hard to put down. A good sequel with a third book coming. The only negative is our hero is a lot tougher then possible, but he does spend a lot of time in the medical doc. You should enjoy. Read the book.
January 6, 2025
Fantastic!
What an amazing book! I absolutely loved this book and such wonderful characters! I can not wait for the next book to come out!
What an amazing book! I absolutely loved this book and such wonderful characters! I can not wait for the next book to come out!
June 25, 2025
So glad I stuck with it.
Full of action and moral dilemas. Do you do what's best for you? Or best for the team? And which team? Good character developement.
Full of action and moral dilemas. Do you do what's best for you? Or best for the team? And which team? Good character developement.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews