Unbreakable

Chronicles of Promise Paen #1

by W.C. Bauers

The colonists of the planet Montana are accustomed to being ignored. Situated in the buffer zone between two rival human empires, their world is a backwater: remote, provincial, independently minded. Even as a provisional member of the Republic of Aligned Worlds, Montana merits little consideration--until it becomes the flashpoint in an impending interstellar war.

When pirate raids threaten to destabilize the region, the RAW deploys its mechanized armored infantry to deal with the situation. Leading the assault is Marine Corps Lieutenant and Montanan expatriate Promise Paen of Victor Company. Years earlier, Promise was driven to join the Marines after her father was killed by such a raid. Payback is sweet, but it comes at a tremendous and devastating cost. And Promise is in no way happy to be back on her birthworld, not even when she is hailed as a hero by the planet's populace, including its colorful president. Making matters even worse: Promise is persistently haunted by the voice of her dead mother.

Meanwhile, the RAW's most bitter rival, the Lusitanian Empire, has been watching events unfold in the Montana system with interest. Their forces have been awaiting the right moment to gain a beachhead in Republic territory, and with Promise's Marines decimated, they believe the time to strike is now.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Fiction, Military Science Fiction, Military Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, War

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 13, 2015

About the author

W. C. Bauers is a boy-dad, speaker, believer, bibliophile, and author of children's books and science fiction. His works include the TINY BIBLE TALES, and UNBREAKABLE and INDOMITABLE (both Promise Paen novels).

Bauers' first novel, UNBREAKABLE, was an Amazon and B&N, Science Fiction & Fantasy Best Book-of-the-Month pick. His second, INDOMITABLE, was a B&N, i09, and Kirkus Best of the Month Pick. The novels feature Promise Paen - a blend of Katee Sackhoff's Starbuck meets STARSHIP TROOPERS, with a dash of Summer Glau from FIREFLY.

Bauers lives in the Rocky Mountains with his three sons.

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Update: Just an update to note that I heard from W.C.Bauers (the author) and he was quite gracious about my disenchantment with his book. I thought I should give props. This is the action of a stand-up guy.

Arg....

I bought this at Audible on the strength of "rave reviews". Some people love it. I read "if you like military science fiction you must read this!"

Well just so you get another opinion, if you like military science fiction (as I do) you do not need to read this.

Oh-good-grief.

The protagonist in this book, filled with angst and guilt over her lack of relationship with her father who was killed and the early loss of her mother who was the strong one in the family drove me crazy. First she continues to be "angsty" throughout the entire book (I "skimmed" through it hoping to escape my self imposed rule that if I couldn't finish a book it gets a 1 star rating. I came to the conclusion I had to go 1 star anyway if I am to be honest about how I liked it). The "girl" never grows up. I use the word girl advisedly as the book is very aware of feminism yet she never seems to approach the maturity so that 'woman" would apply. She whines (albeit in her head) and struggles with overwhelming guilt...and we get to enjoy that with her.

As we are enjoying her internal angst through her internal dialogues we get to do it with/in a slow moving narrative that feels as if maybe sedatives were involved. This is called military science fiction but no real action get's involved until we're about halfway through the novel and even then it's mostly short lived and takes a back seat to info dumps concerning Galactic Politics (Galacto politics???). The book's pacing is so slow as to make the whole "watching paint dry" thing start to look acceptable. There are so many scenes where we come away knowing what the grain in the table of the conference room looks like but we still need to yawn. Go figure.

Okay and aside from this our corporal manages to (because of "Galacto politics") get promoted through all the ranks and get a field promotion to second lieutenant. A leader of marines. Of course she's shown signs of being suicidal and she talks to her dead mother whom no one else can see (our hero nor we are sure whether mom's in her head or not).

All in all...gack! I'm through and hope I can find some good space opera/brain candy to wash the taste of this out of my mind.

In case you didn't get it, I can't recommend this...others love it. Not me. If you like it...GREAT, enjoy. Not for me.

By the way I returned it to Audible.

[Phil · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bauers' first novel Unbreakable should really be named Unbearable; that I finished it is the only reason I gave it two stars. David Weber has a glowing blurb on the cover and I can see why he liked it as it definitely has a Honor Harrington-lite feel to it. The problem with Unbearable is that it contains every cliche known to space opera/military science fiction; the only unique thing is the religious flavor added I guess for spice for this rather bland meal.

Our main protagonist, Promise Paen, grew up on Montana, a 'rim planet' located between two human empires. Promise was raised largely by her Anabaptist father after her mother died when Promise was young. After pirates killed her father, Promise joined the Republic space marines; little did she know she would be returning to Montana and then face overwhelming odds from a Lusitanian task force send to seize the planet for their empire. The Lusitanian empire is your typical 'space feudal' empire ruled by a queen while the Republic is your plucky democracy that broke away from the 'Lusties'. Montana is your typical individualist, freedom loving planet that really just wants to go its own way.

So, what we have is Promise, along with an old Republican space cruiser and about 50 marines forced to fend off a large Lustie naval task force and hundreds of Lustie marines. But by the Maker, you know Promise will beat the odds and save Montana! Add in Promise's ghostly mother who keeps giving her advise, a truly sappy romance between Promise and an old coot from Montana, some rather turgid, emotional prose and you have your by the numbers space opera. This was not a horrible book, but if you have ever read any military science fiction you will quickly recognize the cliches and tired old tropes. Plucky heroine with her back to the wall facing insurmountable odds, crying over all the marines who died due to her orders. Meh. 1.5 stars.

[Mogsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/02/12/b...

Every once in a while I’ll get this hankering for some military sci-fi, so Unbreakable couldn’t have come along at a better time. Teasing the prospect of large scale ship-to-ship battles and space marines in mech suits, W.C. Bauers’ debut also features a kick-ass female lead who’ll prove to be the bane of space pirates and the Republic’s enemies everywhere.

Meet Promise T. Paen (yep, that’s her real name), the novel’s protagonist who hails from an outer rim colonial planet called Montana caught between the Republic of Aligned Worlds and the Lusitanian Empire. Montana is also a hotbed for pirates, and when Promise witnesses her father killed in a raid, the young orphan decides to enlist in the RAW Marine Corps and leave her old life behind forever.

Promise is happy enough killing lots and lots of pirates in the RAW-MC, but when Montana’s capital and spaceport comes under attack by the marauders, she finds herself ordered back home to head up the counterstrike. After neutralizing the threat, Promise is promoted and, to her chagrin, showered with accolades and labeled a local hero by Montana’s vivacious president Anne Buckmeister. However, quietly watching behind the scenes are the Lusitanians, who decide to take advantage of the weakened Marine forces to launch their own attack to seize the planet.

Happily, despite being filled to the brim with plenty of detailed and sometimes very graphic battle scenes, Unbreakable isn’t all just violent action and no substance. There’s depth to Bauer’s world and characters, achieved through occasional breathers in the narrative. Some of these little breaks ended up being lulls in the story that I had to struggle to push through, but for the most part there are far more ups than downs.

Sci-fi tech and weapon enthusiasts for one will no doubt geek out over descriptions of the RAW-MC’s impressive arsenal. Some of these sections can be lengthy, and yet I didn’t see them as overly obtrusive. The ins-and-outs of pulse guns and armor suits are as much a part of Promise’s life as everything else, not to mention it’s the little details like that which serve to bring a level of authenticity to this futuristic version of the Corps. There’s also room for levity in the form of social gatherings with Montana’s colonists, outlining the quirks of this backwater planet’s culture. And on the other side of the coin, there are the quiet and heart-wrenching moments of grief as Promise and her company honor their fallen. I honestly thought I’d be getting nothing but gung-ho soldiers and their nifty military toys, but there’s actually a lot more feeling here than I was expecting.

When it comes to characters we don’t get too much insight into anyone else in the story, but that’s because Promise takes center stage and she’s also the most developed. I wasn’t initially all that impressed by her, but what eventually won me over was the fantastic dialogue, which ended up being my favorite aspect of Unbreakable. I learned a lot about Promise and those around her — especially her comrades and President Buckmeister — through their passionate and snappy conversations.

Perhaps the only major criticism I have is the matter pertaining to the main character’s mother, who now and then appears in front of Promise as a specter that only she can see, or speaks to her as a voice in her head. Whether Sandra Paen is a true ghost or just a hallucination of her daughter’s, that’s never really explained or made clear. The publisher’s description in the novel’s synopsis of Promise being “persistently haunted” makes this particular plot point sound more mysterious and significant than it really is, and I’m a little disappointed that it wasn’t explored further.

Still, Unbreakable was a book that intrigued and entertained me. All told, I believe this is a rousing military sci-fi debut that will make fans of the genre quite happy.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Military science fiction is a mashup of an imagined ground or air space war coupled with a cavalry and Indians western. Just add advanced weaponry, lasers, null fields, armor and super guns and your good to go. It's meat and potatoes reading for the macho set. This is especially true if you are not trying to send the message that war is bad - ala Joe Haldeman in his great "The Forever War" and just tell a good "shoot em up" take no prisoners type of story. Add in a female protagonist, who knows her guns and weapons and you might be able to capture lightning in a bottle.

While "Unbreakable", the new military science fiction novel by W.C. Bauers does not quite capture nirvana, this first book in his new "Chronicles of Promise Paen"series does succeed on most levels. I just wish he could have come up with a less obvious series name and character, less inconsistencies and politics and more fighting.

On the good side, Bauer's protagonist, Promise Paen is a very good character. Young, pretty and with a killer instinct. She is a triple hit. Sent by her government back to her homeworld of Montana (stop snickering), Paen's government wants her to show the flag on this strategic world, but Paen ends up dropping in on Montana right during a mercenary attack. She immediately proves her military acumen and ability to kill before being killed. There are several good battle scenes.

A battlefield commission later and the death of all her superiors and Paen is both a hero to her fellow Montanans and her troops. President Annie uses Paen as the face of the good Space Marines and the propaganda campaign is in full swing. There is a little lull.

But soon enough the action resumes and its full throttle ahead. It is not only mercenaries on the ground. Another space empire also has designs on Montana, and Paen must take her scant amount of remaining space marines and protect the planet from an invasion force. Of course the Imperial Force led by Commodore Samuelson is full of a bunch of chauvinistic jerks who think woman are second class citizens who do not know one end of a gun from the other and are easily swayed by a comely female ass. While this may be true of soldiers everywhere, it turns out that the Imperial Force also has female soldiers fighting so it seems odd for Bauer to resort to this type of plot idea. And that is not the only oddity to the story. Bauer also adds an apparition to the mix. Paen's mother, a former dead soldier, only visible to Paen, provides advice and warnings. Not really sure why Bauer felt the necessity of adding this extra element to the story. These miscues distract and do not add to the story.

Needless to say, Paen is a great leader and Samuelson is an ass who squanders his troops huge strategic and empirical advantage and gets their collective ass kicked repeatedly, but again it seems very unlikely that Paen's small contingent of forces and the natives of Montana can hold off an entire cruiser group of trained soldiers for long. Of course you will be cheering for Paen to do so, but the very unbelievably of this plot ploy undermines the story.

There is a lot of good action in "Unbreakable", and Paen is likable character with some great battle skills, but some inconsistencies in the story, the emphasis on politics, and the plot make it hard say that this book is a big winner. It is a good read, but it could have been better.

I believe in the character and the genre. Bauer just needs to come up with better plot and less inconsistencies next time.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well well well... What have we here?

I'm honestly not sure what to make of this book. On it's own, it's a competently written sci-fi actioner with some politics thrown in for good measure. And if I was able to take it as just that, I might have enjoyed it more. However...

There's more than a few glaring ties to the Honorverse created by David Weber. Hexapumas, LAC's, a decidedly old-school Wild West influenced planet called Montana...the list goes on and on. But nowhere that I could find did it actually SAY that this is based in the same universe. Honestly, I'd be fine if it was, but please let me know that it is. I mean, David Weber's name is attached to some fluff on this book, so all the signs point toward... But, since it's never really specified, it leaves me to wonder if this just isn't better than average fan-fiction set in the Honorverse. So then I kept comparing it to Honorverse books, and it kinda came up wanting.

Because honestly, there's not a lot new here. Hell, this book follows nearly all of the same beats as Weber's own In Fury Born, just not as well done. There's even the main female protagonist with the "voices in the head" schtick. I've read this somewhere before...

I don't know. I don't want to bash the book, because I didn't hate it. It's competently written, and the action scenes were visceral and frenetic. Nobody comes out of combat unscathed, and there's a profound sense of loss and frustration when comrades fall on the field. However, the romantic scenes (few and far between) are awkward, and the "voices in the head" portions just seemed out of place, like they belonged in a different style of novel altogether.

One huge plus is the give & take that happens with the tactics and political maneuvering. W.C. Bauers definitely takes some of the established tropes and expectations and twists them a little bit. You'd think you knew how a scene was going to play out, only to have it go a completely different way. That was refreshing, since so much of the rest of the novel felt overly familiar.

So yeah, it's Honor-lite. While David Weber does tend to ramble on and on, and W.C. Bauers definitely cuts to the chase and eliminates a lot of the fluff, I still enjoy the ACTUAL Honorverse books more. There's just more "there". So yeah, that's that.

[Warren Q · Rating 1 out of 5]

Easily one of the worst books I've ever tried reading. I enjoy military science fiction, sometimes despite (or even because of) the faults and quirks of various series. But this reads like bad – very bad – Heinlein (Starship Troopers)/Weber (Honor Harrington) fan fiction.

From the tedious setting (the gun-toting, tax-scorning, desperately homespun Tea Party-fetish planet Montana), to the horribly unreal dialogue, to the interminable unearned cheerleading of the main character, the book is a grueling slog.

Bauers seems to be going for a Harrington-style humble hero, but Promise Paen is more Ensign Mary Sue - a magnet for convenient (but not-too-perturbing) tragedy, and subsequent accolades from various and sundry.

The book sucks all of the fun out of what could have been a great romp through the usual tropes.

Awful.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting is the word that springs to mind when describing Unbreakable. As a massive fan of military science fiction, I had high hopes for Unbreakable. Did it deliver? Yes... mostly.

Unbreakable tells the tale of Promise Paen, the leader of Victor Company of the RAW (Republic of Aligned Worlds) Marines. When events take her and her marines back to her home planet, she is embroiled in a brewing and impending interstellar war.

Unbreakable starts out slow, but quickly escalates into an action packed, balls to the wall, military sci fi. Fascinating characters, sprawling space politics and rivalries, cracking battles and awesome tech make Unbreakable a really good read for fans of the genre. Comparisons with other favourites are inevitable, and titles like Aliens, Old Man's War, and Starship Troopers will be brought up when describing Unbreakable. And yes... there are similarities between them all. This brings me to my small problem with Unbreakable... at times it felt like I had already read something similar before. For example, Promise Paen in some parts resembles a female Johnny Rico... and whilst that didn't detract much from my overall reading experience I just felt Bauers could have pushed the boundaries a little more and changed things up from deploying well used tropes (I concede Robin Hobb's point though that tropes become tropes because we love them!).

Did this ruin Unbreakable for me? No. I still loved it, and would recommend it to anyone with even a small interest in science fiction or speculative fiction. A very solid debut!

4 out of 5 stars.

smashdragons.blogspot.com.au

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted at www.areadingmachine.com

Unbreakable has a strong female protagonist, gritty fast paced action sequences and a killer setting for the whole shabang. It has echoes of Aliens with its intense female lead, sharp dialogue and hoo-ah marines that added the element of a fun and familiar friendly atmosphere. Plot wise Promise Paen is stuck between two empires on the brink of war and sent back to her home world as part of PR exercise to win the hearts and minds of her former people whilst also dealing with space pirates and an angry militia. It’s a personal story. Her crew and her charges and how she relates to them are given a nice weight and we see the bonds develop and change, especially as she moves up in rank. We see how their deaths affect Promise and how their failures and successes are hers as much as theirs. One of my favourite scenes involved her taking a group of militia through the basic instructions for the standard issue pulse rifles because of the attention to detail and innovations in the weaponry but also because of the reactions of the crowd and her people.

The action is visceral, the deaths, carnage and repercussions of battle are palpable and blood almost leaks through the pages, such is the atmosphere Bauer’s often achieves. The Mech suit combat is ridiculously well written and highly entertaining and shit it makes me want to tag into a giant armoured beast and let rip with some full auto. You cant just have action though.

The politics are quite complex and I did find myself re reading one or two sections but Bauers has created a detailed and realistic battlefield on land and in space, which means a few things. The battles in space, ship to ship, are bloody great. They have an old time Navy sort of feel but with more high tech weaponry which is a nice mix but does result in some short battles what with mega lasers being used to cut through entire ships in seconds. We get into the heads of the opposing captains and feel their struggles without getting caught up in the science but we also meet lots of people with military titles and full foreign names and we hear an absolute ton of acronyms which when overused can turns an otherwise cohesive paragraph into military babble. Not being overly familiar with military structure and rank, at times it was hard to know how much attention to give to these side characters as they are numerous, often appearing only for a scene or two and always in jeopardy of a quick death. With Tramper Pilot Rhaymond Garcias, Ensign X’atti Quartz, Staff Sergeant Moya Hhatan and many more all flying about it can get frenetic keeping track of who is who. I just tried to roll with the punches and not get too attached or involved with anyone who was not our Protagonist.

One thing I feel I should mention is that I think the prologue was a bit unnecessary. It does not add anything to what we already know from the back cover and seems as though it is there to draw us into the action in case we don’t have the patience to let the backstory unfold at it’s own pace. From it I got the impression her dead mother would be speaking to her constantly throughout the book which did not appeal to me, as it is she makes well times appearances and works nicely. For me the evidence is in the fact that I picked up this book and put it down three or four times because of the prologue and it was only when I was at the airport and had nothing else to do for an hour and got past the prologue that I was able to get really sucked in. So readers if you are not engaged in the prologue, skip to the first chapter. Don’t abandon the whole book as you will be doing yourself an injustice.

Anyone who likes a good mix of Science Fiction and Military will like this and if, unlike me, you have knowledge of rank and structure, I think you will really get a kick out of it. Great debut and a promising first book and a huge nod to the cover artist, as it’s definitely the sort of book I would pick up off the shelf.

[Geekritique · Rating 3 out of 5]

By all accounts, W.C. Bauers' debut novel Unbreakable (not to be confused with the Shyamalan film) is a good book. Believable warfare, exhilarating action sequences, and a strong protagonist throughout make this military science fiction novel stand out amongst others. But despite it all, it's not perfect and it definitely needs a lot of work.

Promise T. Paen is our protagonist, a female recruit of the Republican Marines. Throughout the novel she goes from recruit to lieutenant but her personal arc is an especially endearing one. She holds dear to her a GLOCK, an ancient semiautomatic from earth that's been in her family for generations. Odd enough, in its presence, the GLOCK becomes a medium of sorts to consort with her dead mother. Whether this is her mother's real spirit communicating to her or her own warped mental shape, is not explicitly identified - and that's for the best.

But can we just take a moment and ask ourselves how the name "Promise T. Paen" made it into a final draft - let alone a novel?

However much of the book is wasted by changing the POV to other far less interesting characters. In fact, there where probably close to 20 POV characters, many of which died before the page was out in one scene or other. And each POV character was given their appropriate rank and title, making many persons very indistinguishable. For someone like myself, who has absolutely zero military background or understanding, these titles go over my head entirely.

It was actually this inability to grasp specific militaristic concepts/abbreviations/terms that made it a very difficult read for me. And this fault in cognizance is wholly my own. The fault in the narrative here is that it doesn't attempt to aid you in understanding. It just expects you to have the rudimentary knowledge embedded firmly in your psyche. In fact, it truly feels like it was written for the average American soldier.

The book also lends heavy fan service to gun fanatics, something Bauers also seems painfully infatuated with, and something I'm woefully ignorant of. Chapter 29 is literally a 14-page Q&A about how his pulse rifle's work. But most of his universe is unnecessarily explained. Sometimes less is more, and this book needs a lot of shaving. I can't help but think of Hemingway's Iceberg Theory, which states, "if a writer of prose knows enough of what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if the writer is writing truly enough, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them." Had Bauers left the majority of his worldbuilding and technical details out of the prose (namely seven-eighths) it'd be a far more cohesive and enjoyable read.

The religious undertones didn't sit well with me. It actually wasn't so much a religious undertone as it was an overtone. It felt overtly evangelically preachy. They even used the NLT. And this shouldn't bother me - I think it's very interesting that evangelist Christianity exists in the future on distant planets. But it served no purpose to the plot.

The dialogue sidestepped truly cursing a number of times, which was actually very annoying. I'm totally for a novel choosing to abstain from cursing. But the book makes it clear when someone curses or is about to curse in Promise' presence, doesn't actually commit to it on text, and then chastises the character for even considering the profanity. What's the point? This was aggravatingly preachy. I can understand this once or twice, but skirting around or bleeping out a profanity or two every few chapters really digs at the reader. I'd much prefer had he just removed every instance of even contemplating a curse.

That said, I couldn't argue with the exhilarating nature of the battle sequences. Top notch stuff, really. And when the book needs to be emotional, or endearing, it totally hits it's mark. But at the end of the day I think military science fiction just isn't my cup of tea.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good first book in the Starship Troopers tradition. It has the feeling of early Honor Harrington with a similar hyper-capable but emotionally stunted female protagonist. Except the focus here is boots on the ground instead of soaring through the stars.

Fans of David Webber, Elizabeth Moon, and early John Ringo will find a lot to like here.

[Cora Wigen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Below is the same review as is posted on my wordpress blog. It is also filled with spoilers, so peruse at your own risk!

----
Full disclosure, I was given an unedited review copy and did not purchase Unbreakable myself. That said, this did not influence the following in an way.

Starting off, I feel like I need to make it clear that the young adult genre was one that entirely passed me by. My dad read to me every night, and he was a huge fan of old school science fiction and fantasy. The result of his influence? I skipped straight from learning to read via Gertrude Chandler Warner’s The Boxcar Children to Asimov, Clarke, Herbert, and Tolkien. I never read any of the typical YA-styled literature, with the exception of Harry Potter (which I read to avoid being the only ten to fifteen year old who hadn’t). That said, though I may have skipped reading this genre, as an avid reader I understand what young adult literature is trying to do, and how. W.C. Bauer’s Unbreakable does a terrible job of representing the genre.

First of all, this book draws upon probably every trope in the science fiction world. Promise Paen (who not only Promises ‘Pain,’ but soon delivers it) was born on the backwater planet of Montana, the daughter of man who, despite the story being set in a space-faring, mech-assisted future, does backbreaking work on a farm. After seeing her father murdered by space marauders, Promise runs off to the join the military in an attempt to revenge her father’s death by chasing and catching privateers. Does this plot line sound familiar? It should, it was the basis of an incredibly successful movie (which became an entire universe)—Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. In fact, I would say the entire book is a nightmarish homage to Star Wars.

Tropes pile up quickly. Upon joining the military, Promise is an (inevitably) brilliant soldier. Her unit is sent out before finishing basic training and is attacked just as they arrive at their destination: Montana, Promise’s ghost-filled home world, a planet that’s been ‘burned’ by the republic government (I could call Montana Tatooine from now on, but I won’t). Promise is badly injured defending the planet from hired privateers, and awakes in Montana’s hospital to find she’s the highest ranking officer still alive. She must turn her partially trained, equipped strapped, and people-short unit into a company that can defeat Commodore Samuelson’s Lusitanian invasion force, with the help of the planetary militia. If you’re flashing back to Stars Wars again, I wouldn’t be surprised, though I couldn’t decide if Samuelson was more Grand Moff Tarkin or Grand Admiral Thrawn.

The stereotyping in this book makes my teeth ache. Promise’s home planet of Montana is described as a relatively desolate, backwater world, facing issues of poverty but with a robust economy (slightly nonsensical). And it’s named Montana for a reason; all of its citizens, from the down-to-earth, gun-toting president Annie Buckmeister, to the older, gentlemanly Jean-Wesley, to the anti-military, anti-female ranchers, embody the stereotype of the red-neck, government-hating farmer. The militiamen are probably the worst of the whole lot—they’re the epitome of the anti-urbanite. They love guns, hate the government, and especially hate being taught how use advanced weaponry by a woman (Promise). They’re backwater hicks (and proud of it)—gun-toting, anti-government, and anti-military (with the exception of the small militias they run).

In the end, while Promise’s company of soldiers and militiamen is decimated, the planet is saved from the overpowering invasion force. Promise comes to terms with her past on Montana, falls in love (slightly), and then she and her unit leave the planet, ready for their next mission. The story is primed for at least one sequel, and probably many more. Indeed, the world that Bauers has created is solid and offers room for a massive amount of expansion. The relationship between the Republic, the Lusitanian Empire, and the numerous non-aligned worlds is well-developed while still offering room for additional expansion (though still remarkably similar to that of Star Wars, and to be fair, most other space-based sci-fi universes).

Finally, the presence and abundance of military jargon makes parts of this book nearly unreadable. Remembering the meaning of acronyms such as a BUMED, RAW-MC, and MARINT wouldn’t be difficult, except that you have a new term every few pages. While readers with a background in military fiction might have a chance remembering everything, there are enough that the book actually features a glossary. I can’t think of single thirteen to twenty year old that would flip to a glossary even once unless under extreme duress, much less every few minutes.

Overall, this book meshes the plot line of Star Wars with a dash of Weber’s militaristic Honor Harrington series in the character of Promise, a mech-focused military reminiscent of the video game Titanfall, and a young adult writing style…to the credit of none of the above. It’s packed full of the worst in stereotypes and enough tropes to make a reader wince; and the reader will wince, because none of the issues are hidden or sneaky. They’re right there in your face from beginning to end.

[John Purvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Unbreakable” was published in 2015 (January)of and was written by W. C. Bauers (http://www.wcbauers.com). This is Mr. Bauers first novel and is the first of his “Chronicles of Promise Paen” series.

I obtained a galley of this novel for review through https://www.netgalley.com. I would categorize this novel as ‘R’ as there are instances some Mature Language and substantial combat Violence. This Military Science Fiction novel is written in the first person and is set in a far future. The primary character is Promise Paen.

Paen is from the fringe world of Montana, successful as fringe worlds go, but still behind the other planets that make up the Republic of Aligned Worlds (RAW). Her mother dies when Paen is young and she grows up with a pacifist father. She witnesses her father being killed by raiders and a short time later Paen joins the RAW Marines.

Pain does well, then her company is chosen to go back to Montana. It is made clear to Paen that her company was chosen because she came from the planet Montana. Their mission is as much public relations as it is military, and she is seen as an asset in winning the confidence of Montana’s very independent inhabitants.

RAW’s rival, the Lusitanian Empire, is thought to be behind the raiders that have plagued Montana and other fringe worlds. Montana lies at the edge of RAW space near Lusitania Empire space, and the Empire wants Montana as added buffer.

Pain is just newly promoted to Lieutenant when an encounter with Lusitania space craft leaves her in command of all that remains of the RAW military on Montana. Together with her few surviving RAW Marines, Paen prepares to confront an invasion by overwhelming Lusitania forces.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 12 hours I spent reading this novel. The characters were well developed, with Promise Paen reminding me a lot of David Weber’s Honor Harrington. I give this novel a 5 out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at http://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unbreakable is an exciting work of militaristic science fiction filled with action. Promise Paen is a marine and the female protagonist and hero. Sent back to her home planet with her troops to serve as representative of the Republic of Aligned Worlds, she must face the bad memories of her past along with the tense situation that is threatening her home planet. Planet Montana is in between two large and challenging empires that both want the planet as a strategic spot. promise and her fellow military must join with the planet's humble militia to train them and get them ready for the inevitable once pirates attach and a hidden warship shows up in their orbit. Featuring cool weaponry and detailed descriptions along with military jargon, space ships, and a complex set of characters, this novel kept me entertained and made it very hard to put down. Recommended for fans of space operas, space war, military fiction, and anyone looking for a good read.

This title was obtained form net galley in exchange for an honest review.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was mostly an enjoyable read. I felt the author spent way too much time in the details of different weapons and there's more of a conservative-Christian bent than I like in my scifi. Also, this is a pretty good example of why male authors sometimes 'miss' when they aim to write female characters. Something about Promise doesn't ring true, and this ends up a story with a female protagonist but very much from a male gaze.

[Deacon Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Promise Paen wanted nothing more than to leave the Planet named Montana and join the Marines. Then the Marines sent her back. Force into the role of reluctant hero Promise returns to her home world to find marauding pirates, like those that killed her family, on the assault and is forced to deal with them. What she suspects, however, is that behind the Pirates is a well organized invasion force from the their deadly rivals, the Lusitanian Empire.
The Montanans, however, have little faith in the the Republic, who have not lived up to their promises. But, when a Lusitanian fleet arrives in orbit her suspicions are all but confirmed, but after the fighting with the pirates she is the senior leader left on planet, and as things begin to spiral out of control, Promise knows that is up to her and her Marines to secure the planet, and save the planet from Lusitanian aggression.

W.C. Bauers has written one of the best military science fiction novels I had read to date. Easily on par with Rick Partlow, and perhaps better. I do not tend to offer five star reviews, but I think this one deserves it, and I will definitely bed reading the next in the series and I hope there are many more to come.

[Indrek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alustuseks niipaljukest, et selle raamatuga on mul selline omamoodi suhe, mis teeb hindamise natuke raskemaks, lisades tublisti subjektiivsus juurde. Nimelt tean suht-koht hästi debüteerivat autorit ja tema perekonda... Samuti oli paari aasta eest eesõigus lugeda käsikirja mustandit ja anda hr Bauersile natuke omalt poolt tagasihoidlikku tagasisidet. Mitte et nüüd lõpptulemuse juures näeksin, et midagi sellest oleks arvesse võetud :)

On mõnesaja aasta kaugune tulevik. Inimkond mööda Linnuteed ilusasti laiali, leidub mitmeid riike, põhiliselt on areenil Liitunud Maailmade Vabariik (Republic of Alligned Worlds; lühidalt RAW) ja Lusitania Impeerium (Lusitanian Empire). Nende kahe suurvõimu vahel on nn puhvertsoon, piiriala, kus asub palju iseseisvaid (niivõrd-kuivõrd) maailmu, mida kumbki rivaalitsev osapool noolib. Selline võrdlemisi tavaline taustsüsteem. Põhitegevustik toimub ühes sellises piirimaailmas nimega Montana, mis on asustatud olnud umb 300 aastat. Kogu sealne ühiskond meenutab vägagi koduselt tänast USAd, ilmselt eriti veel sellist vabariiklaste mõistes ideaalset USAd, kus igaühel, kes tahab on relv ja piibel (hea veel, et hobust mitte) ning kus föderaalvalitsus ei topi oma nima inimeste eraellu.

Peategelaseks on selles military SF žanrisse kuuluvas teoses noor naine: Promise Paen (kusjuures perekonnanimi hääldub nagu sõna pain ehk siis võiks nime tahtimise korral eestindada kui valulubadus, valutõotus). Promise kaotab oma ema varases nooruses, teda kasvatab konservatiivne (ja jääb mulje, et ka religioosne) isa. Tema elu murdepunktiks saab päev, mil planeedile korraldavad reidi piraadid ja ta isa tapetakse. Promise liitub RAW merejalaväe korpusega. Loomulikult on need tulevikumariinid kosmoselaevadel ringi lendavad ja igasugust kõrgtehnoloogilist nodi kasutavad sõjardid. Põhiosas tuleb nende turvise kirjeldusi jälgides silma ette Raudmees, või siis Robocop, aga ka näiteks Haldemani ja Heinleini väljamõeldud varustus.

Montana otsustab ühineda RAW-ga, kuid piirimaailmana jääb ta siiski väheoluliseks ja nii ei paku suur liit sellele piisavalt kaitset. Lõpuks olukord pingestub ja Lusitania Impeerium soovib Montanat endale, siis saadetakse Promise`i kompanii koos ühe lahingulaevaga planeeti turvama.

Edasi arenevad sündmused tõusvas joones ja vähemasti minul oli raskusi raamatu käest panemisega. Rõhutan - Bauers ei hiilga just ülearuse originaalsusega kõikvõimaliku tehnilise kribu-krabu välja mõtlemisel, kuid detailides on kogu teos hästi läbi mõeldud, tundub realistlikuna. On nii maismaal toimuvat aktsiooni kui ka kosmoselahingu kirjeldust. Ei ole üle mõistuse palju igasugust äraseletamist. Erinevad teose elemendid näikse olema päris hästi tasakaalus. Sündmusi vahendatakse läbi peategelase ja kõrvaltegelaste pilgu. Ja peategelane pole ka mingi päris kahemõõtmeline "lähen-läbi-halli-seina" tüüp. Suure osa ajast juurdlesin endamisi muidugi, kas Promise`i ülemisel korrusel ikka on kõik korras või mitte, kuid miks, see jäägu teistel lugejatel avastada.

Päris palju on raamatus päevakajalist - autor ilmselgelt pühendanud aega ja tähelepanu tänaste juhtivate maailma sõjaridite (Venemaa ja USA) retoorikale. Kuidas põhjendatakse ja sõditakse oma sõdasid. Meediasõda, psühholoogiline sõda on siin ilusasti olemas. Konkreetsematest näidetest mainib Bauers muuseas oma tulevikuajaloos NATO-Venemaa nn Krimmi sõda ja muu seas heidab tuumapommi ka nt Peterburile, Kiievile, vist oli ka Varssavi ja - tõesti-tõesti - Tallinn saab ka oma. See on niisugune hästi põgus kõrvalepõige, mis vilksab läbi tulevikusõja reeglite arutelu raames.

Raamat inglisekeelsena kättesaadav veebikeskkonnas (nt Amazon) ja kui viitsimist natuke jantida, siis võib nt audioversioonis - mis oli omaette huvitav elamus - selle endale hankida suht tasuta (Audible vähemalt jaanuari keskel seda pakkus).

Hindeks panen mööndustega viie. Ei ole puuduste vaba see raamat, kuid plussid kaalusid seekord siiski kõvasti üle. Lugemis(kuulamis)elamus missugune!

[Sherron Wahrheit · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved that the author started out in medias res to set the tone. That little amuse bouche enabled me to decide very early that this book definitely isn’t for me and just bail out.

This little flash forward shows her conversing with her mother’s ghost. I wish that had been explicitly stated in the book’s blurb. I would have never even opened this book. I dislike paranormal woo woo and pretty much the entire fantasy genre. I would never have expected a mother ghost in military sf?!? WTF?

The section also shows her crooning over her pistol at bedtime, but it’s nothing suggestive as you might assume. It’s just lengthy (the writing, you perve—not the pistol, lol) and super boring. The book cover has an endorsement from Weber, which did give me pause. I was no great fan of Honor Harrington and her giant pussy cat. It’s not terrible—just tedious.

I have a hard time finding high tech, speculative military sf like Linda Nagata or T. C. McCarthy. John Ringo is always a good read. The Phules Army series is pretty funny. Or anything that hasn’t been done before.

[Christopher Gerrib · Rating 5 out of 5]

Regular readers of my blog know that there is a big debate in science fiction fandom at the moment, with one group saying that “all SF is just ‘social justice stuff’ and the ‘gatekeepers’ have been repressing the Good Old Stories.” I have not had much patience with this line of argument. Having just read the new novel Unbreakable by Mr. W. C. Bauers, my patience has been exhausted.

First, the “gatekeepers.” Mr. Bauers’ novel was published by Tor, the biggest name in SF, and they marketed the crap out of it, which is how a hardcover of it came to my possession. (Oh, and it’s “pick of the month” at those small and quiet booksellers Amazon and Barnes and Noble.) Short of tattooing the ISBN on the ass of everybody in fandom, I’m not sure how much more could be done to get this book out of the gate.

On to the book itself. The story is of one Promise Paen, late a resident of the frontier world of Montana. When her dad is killed in a pirate raid, she joins the Republic of Aligned Worlds Marine Corp, hoping to kill pirates. She takes with her mom’s antique Glock and her dead mom, who periodically visits her daughter.

Fate, in the form of the expanding Lusitanian Empire, draws Promise back to her homeworld. A homeworld in which the local Rotary clubs (!!!! – I am a Rotarian myself, I can do that) form the local military. It is, in short, a libertarian paradise. In any event, Promise ends up fighting both a starship-vs-starship action and two ground combat engagements. She is duly overmatched going into all of these fights.

As far as I can see, anybody seeking good-old-fashioned whack’em, sock’em action should love the hell out of Unbreakable. I did, and I look forward to more from Mr. Bauer.

[Tizroc · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Review for audiobook)
In the fine tradition of the notable heroes of fact and fiction rises the new star Lt. Promise Paen. Part Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller, Honor Harrington, Kristine Longknife and Horatio Hornblower and undoubtedly all her own.

Promise Paen has left her life and her home world behind her in a gamble to gain the expertise necessary wreak bloody vengeance. Instead she finds a home and family in her brother's and sisters in the R.A.W. Marines. No one can run forever, and Lt. Paen has just been called to duty on the one rock in all the 'verse she never wanted to see again.

A dark shadow has come calling upon her home world and Paen must wage a war both conventional and insurgent to save a world and people she never expected to again lay eyes on. She is headed home. Duty and honor will make her confront all her demons face on.

W.C. Bauers is not afraid to cut a swath of blood and bodies through his creation like he made a personal bet with George R.R. Martin over body count. Not one death is over done. Every drop of blood sweat and tears draws the story forward to the plot's climax.

Much like Slim Pickens in Doctor Strangelove I know I am in for the ride of my life, while the sultry tones of Mae West whisper in my ear “Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride”.

The Narrator, Andi Arndt does a brilliant job bringing the characters to life.

Why are you still reading this review and not listening to the book already?

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comparisons to Starship Troopers are inevitable, so let’s get them out of the way. Yes, Unbreakable is quite similar to the Heinlein classic, less the bugs, but it is also so much more. Aside from the obvious gender swap, Promise Paen’s sensibilities are a bit deeper than those of Heinlein’s Johnny Rico, and her motivations are far more personal. After witnessing her father’s murder at the hands of raiders on the colony planet Montana, Promise joins the Republic of Aligned Worlds Marine Corp … and swiftly becomes a serious bad-ass, and a leader of marines. When duty takes her to her home planet, Promise is hailed as a hero, but she is not one to rest on any laurels, especially when she’s outnumbered and outgunned and in more than considerable harm’s way … and haunted by the ghost of her long-dead mother. Military science fiction at its best, with shades of Scalzi’s Old Man’s War and a dash of awesome tech … and a significant amount of mayhem.

[Fantasy Literature · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unbreakable is the debut novel from W.C. Bauers and the first book in THE CHRONICLES OF PROMISE PAEN, billed as a blend of hard military sci-fi (in the vein of Starship Troopers) and the Wild West-like sensibilities of the television series Firefly. While the novel does contain those elements, focusing on them alone does a disservice to Bauer’s incorporation of real and imagined military history and his skillful portrayal of the marines who serve the interests of the Republic of Aligned Worlds.

Second Lieutenant Promise Paen (call sign: “Slipstitch”) is one such marine in the employ of the RAW, and the relatively untested leader of the men and women who make up Victor Company. She’s been traveling to different systems, going whenever her guns and grit are needed, following the tradition of generations of her mother’s ... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

[Rebecca Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got about halfway until I stopped. I could not finish it. Very little happens, and not only does very little happen, the main character is uninteresting and boring, not to mention schizophrenic and talks to her mom only at times when it serves the plot! Other characters are introduced, but other than the main ones none of them are memorable and are just there to, once again, serve the plot, and even then they're just there to take orders from Promise Paen (which is one of the worst character names I've ever heard)
If you like military scifi, there are better ones out there to read. Skip this one.

[Dave Cappuccio · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of military science fiction in a particular for fans of the Honor Harrington series this book fits right on that bookshelf. Very strong character development, good technology, and decent world building combined to create an easy to read enjoyable yarn. This book also sets up for an extended series, which I hope continues in the not-too-distant future.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this new novel. Great space mil adventure with a superb heroine in Promise. Looking forward to the next installment

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the fine tradition of military sci fi, fighting outnumbered, hurt and at the bottom of a gravity well. well plotted and enjoyable.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published at Reading Reality

If you like military science fiction, especially military SF of the space opera school, you will like Unbreakable. And if you enjoy the Honorverse, particularly the first several books before Honor became a walking deux ex machina, you are going to absolutely love Promise Paen.

Which also invites some inevitable comparisons, because Promise and Honor are at least cousins under the skin, if not sisters.

The world setup will seem rather familiar to those who enjoy military space opera (let’s call it that). Promise grows up on a boundary world colony caught between two star empires that have been making cold war on each other for decades if not centuries.

Her planet, named Montana, is a member of the Republic of Aligned Worlds, as opposed to their, well, opposition, the Lusitanian Empire. Unfortunately for Montana, she is in the borderlands, and both empires want to use her and the space she controls as a buffer zone from the other. Even worse for Montana, although they are still developing their world’s resources and economy, they are rich in minerals and other natural resources. So the place is strategic from any number of standpoints.

This is a cold war, so the great powers are using proxies to either defend or destabilize the region. The Republic of Aligned Worlds (RAW for short) isn’t sending nearly enough defenders to fight off the surprisingly organized and well-equipped pirates that the Lusitanians (usually shorted to the offensive “Lusies”) are using as proxies. The Lusies want to create enough disruption that they can pretend to come in to keep the peace. They’ve done it before.

Promise and her father live on a rather remote farmstead. One day while 18-year-old Promise is out for a run, her home is destroyed by pirates. She watches from a distance as her dad tries to talk to the pirates, and they gun him down in cold blood.

After the bloody dust settles, Promise is certain that whatever she wants to do, she wants to leave Montana above all. Her father was a pacifist, her mother was a soldier. Promise joins the RAW Marine Corps and goes off to see the galaxy. She doesn’t so much recover as bury her grief under a pile of duty.

She doesn’t want to ever return to Montana. But years later, after Promise has some experience under her belt and has risen to the rank of Sergeant (and platoon leader) she is ordered back to her former homeworld.

That cold war is heating up, and it has become obvious to the powers that be in RAW that Montana is going to be the first frontline. And they have finally responded to the clue-by-four that they don’t have nearly enough of a garrison on Montana, and that the Montanans are pissed that RAW hasn’t kept their promises.

The military wants to send a native Montanan to head the garrison that they are leaving on planet. It’s a very, very understrength garrison – one company of 40 Marines, plus a ship in orbit. Unfortunately for the Montanans, that really is all that RAW can spare.

Fortunately for Montana, they send Promise. She’s going to have to be everything that they need. Unfortunately for Promise and for Montana, they are all going to pay a cost in flesh and blood and lives to keep Montana safe. Or at least free.

Escape Rating A-: I loved this book, and pretty much poured through it as fast as possible. The more the situation goes out of whack, the higher Promise rises to the occasion. Pretty much of a 24-hour occasion by the end, as the hits just keep on coming.

The book is described as “Book 1 in The Chronicles of Promise Paen” and thank goodness for that! I want to read more of Promise’s career, because she is definitely a rising star.

Other reviewers have compared Unbreakable to Heinlein’s classic Starship Troopers (minus the bugs), which I confess I haven’t read. For this reader, the comparisons were more towards David Weber’s Honor Harrington, with a bit of Torin Kerr from Tanya Huff’s Valor series.

But mostly the Honorverse.

When the story started out, the world felt surprisingly familiar. I say surprisingly because this is the author’s first novel. I can’t have read it before. But it felt familiar because the setup is similar to the Honorverse. They even use the same acronyms for their military departments.

In both stories, a young woman rises higher and faster due to planetary or empire-wide disasters that are not of her making. They are both fast rising stars in empires that need someone to step up and be a standout hero.

Promise’s rise seems more sudden than it actually is, because we don’t see her go through the Academy or watch her in her first assignments as a Marine. We don’t see her in the academy because she doesn’t go – Promise is a non-com like Torin Kerr. Also a Marine like Kerr – Honor is in the Navy.

We catch up with Promise’s career as she really starts living up to her promise – the military operation begins when she is promoted to sergeant. It’s what happens after that makes the book so interesting.

We also get to see a lot of how she feels about it. And sometimes tries NOT to feel about it.

As a military officer, Promise is an expensive miracle who pulls solutions out of her ass with amazing and sometimes frightening regularity. She is also astonishingly lucky – but if she weren’t, she’d be dead.

It’s not that her “luck” isn’t very expensive, her company and the native Montanans pay a huge price for their freedom – but that Promise is always in the right place at the right time with the right tools, even if some of those tools don’t survive. War is still hell.

The situation that Promise faces may be a SNAFU, but it is a SNAFU that is deliberately caused by the Lusies. It’s not just that the Lusie fleet sent for “training maneuvers” in Montana space is there to take advantage of any opportunity, or even that they create those opportunities through the use of their pirate proxies, but that they are deliberately starting a war with extremely underhanded means and a total lack of human compassion. Or human conscience.

They know that Montana and her people will be totally exploited and infinitely worse off under Lusitanian rule than they currently are under RAW’s benign neglect. RAW wants her worlds to be successful, where all Lusitania wants is to suck her colonies dry.

I found the Lusies to mostly be cardboard cutout villains. Not just because they were painted as the bad guys, but because their actions were always the stupidest and/or the most venal and depraved. They always cheat, they never play fair, and they operate under the assumption (possibly correct) that as long as they win they can manufacture enough spin to make their actions seem plausibly justified in universe opinion.

No one seems to care that their actions violate every tenet of the equivalent of the Geneva Convention. I didn’t hear much if any internal dialogue on the part of the Lusies to justify their actions, at least not in the same way that Victor Cachat in the Honorverse often does very bad things for reasons that he feels are good. I missed that sense of decent people doing bad things for good reasons.

The people on Montana, on the other hand, are the classic brave and plucky colonists. At the same time, there are some definite individuals who stand out. President Annie is a fantastic leader who knows just how far she can push her people, and is personally brave into the bargain.

The leader of her all-volunteer almost-militia is an interesting man who we don’t see nearly enough of, and Promise doesn’t either. She is very conflicted about her feelings for Jean-Wesley Partaine, but knows that her life doesn’t include the time or the space for a long-distance relationship.

On a side note, every time I see the name “Jean-Wesley Partaine” I want to shoot the author. In my mind, that name is a combination of “Jean-Luc Picard” and “Wesley Crusher” from Star Trek Next Gen, and just no. It makes me groan and laugh and the character doesn’t deserve that. But that name – OMG.

The star empire cold war reminds me very much of the starting lineup in the Honorverse, with some name reversals. RAW feels very much like the Manticore Empire in its sensibilities, and the Lusitanian Empire is the stand in for the Republic of Haven. Montana is even a good approximation of Grayson if you squint. If the author is planning to revisit the Napoleonic Wars through star empire proxies as the Honorverse does, I would not be totally surprised.

But I would love to see a new interpretation. The Napoleonic Wars are a source for terrific fiction that just keeps on giving.

I loved Promise’s adventures. The action is pulse-pounding, the people are all fascinating (some in a good way, some definitely not) and the world building, while familiar, definitely works for this reader. I can’t wait for the second adventure of Promise Paen – I sincerely hope that it will be just as terrific as this first installment.

Reviewer’s note: I met the author at Worldcon in 2014. We got onto the topic of the Honorverse, and I mentioned that while I enjoyed the books, especially the early ones, Honor’s internal voice just didn’t feel like a woman’s to me. The author said he hoped to do better in his own book. Achievement unlocked.

[Mojofiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you get lucky. I had seen this book before at the bookstore, but I passed it up. Lately, though, I’ve been bingeing on Black Ops 3 on the old Xbox Uno, and I thought the future warfare offered up by Unbreakable might dove-tail with that game. In some ways, it does.

But here’s why I got lucky.

"Unbreakable," by W.C. Bauers, is a character-based story first and space opera second. It’s not an excuse for pages of sci-fi shoot ‘em ups. There is a lot of action, but it’s all through the eyes of a unique and fascinating character.

Subtitled The Chronicles of Promise Paen, "Unbreakable' follows the character Promise as she goes from family tragedy to enlisting with the Republic of Aligned Worlds Marine Corps (RAW-MC). But if you are expecting a Starship Troopers-style story about boot camp, you are mistaken. The author goes past that rather quickly to get to the real story, where Promise is thrown into the fire when she is assigned a mission to help repel pirate raids on her home world of Montana. She wasn’t chosen on accident. Montana is on the outer reaches of the Republic and Promise will serve as a liaison between the planet and RAW. Unfortunately, the rival Lusitanian empire has their sights set on annexing Montana for themselves, and the pirate raids may only be a cover for a deadly game in the cold war between the two galactic powerhouses.

There’s some serious future combat here (hence my Black Ops 3 reference), and it’s well done. There is incredible violence, but also real moments of suspense. The author doesn’t glorify the violence, though. Both sides are presented as human, though one side is obviously “bad” given the way they operate. Nonetheless, the horrors of war are on display as much as the high-tech weapons, from naval-style space battles between massive ships, to ground assaults.

There’s also a heavy political side, as the leaders of Montana try to navigate the path between the two warring parties and come out as unscathed as possible. The political machinations are drawn with a lot of color. So is everyday life on the outer planet. The “About the Author” section states that Mr. Bauers lives in the Rocky Mountains and I think he brings some of that love of the outdoors to his fictional planet. Montana isn’t just a set piece.

Of course, Promise Paen winds up in the middle of all this.

My only complaint would be that the character growth feels a little stunted, like she almost got there, but not quite. There are unresolved issues, which is fine because there is a sequel out there that I’ll read down the road. But I wanted to feel a little more growth. However, this complaint is so minor that I feel like a particularly harsh college English teacher, and I am in no way qualified for that position.

This is a great story.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer, I normally do not pick up anything military related unless it's written by a friend. However, I was in a place where I needed something to read for a few days and I figured I would give this one a try.

This book was a tough read at first, since the chapters are very short (~6 pages) and the author spends a lot of time early on setting up the story, a lot more than was probably needed. However, once it gets going (I'd say about a third thru the book), it does become a lot more interesting and well developed. Action moves well, and while we basically only learn about three characters (the rest of the Marines for the most part absorb into the background), those three characters are fleshed out enough to make for an exciting book.

But there are some negatives that do need to be explained. There are some typos in this book, mostly centered around the wrong word. It will be spelled right, but he used the wrong context. Also, I feel they could have taken out several of the chapters as they did not really add to the story (explaining the Bond gun was the most obvious). Other chapters should have been combined because of unnatural breaks. What I am leading to, is editing. This book had a good author but a not so good editor (whoever that was). All authors make mistakes, but somebody in the editing room should have caught these basic mistakes.

Finally, comparing the book to Starship Troopers while inevitable is not really fair. Ever read Starship Troopers? If you haven't, don't. I tried reading that book several years back and honestly couldn't finish it. (And that almost never happens) This book, Unbreakable is its own beast. The characters are good, the story progresses well, it has enough for military heads without going overboard. It's just that darn editing at the end of the day. And maybe the ending (a little too neat) too. Good effort overall.

[Jordan Brantley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bookworm Speaks!

Unbreakable: A Novel

The Chronicles of Promise Paen

by W.C. Bauers

*****
Acquired: Barnes & Noble Booksellers
Series: The Chronicles of Promise Paen (Book 1)
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Tor Books (July 5, 2016)
Language: English

*****

The Story: The colonists of the planet Montana are accustomed to being ignored. Situated in the buffer zone between two rival human empires, their world is a backwater: remote, provincial, independently minded. Even as a provisional member of the Republic of Aligned Worlds, Montana merits little consideration--until it becomes the flashpoint in an impending interstellar war.
When pirate raids threaten to destabilize the region, the RAW deploys its mechanized armored infantry to deal with the situation. Leading the assault is Marine Corps Lieutenant and Montanan expatriate Promise Paen of Victor Company. Years earlier, Promise was driven to join the Marines after her father was killed by such a raid. Payback is sweet, but it comes at a tremendous and devastating cost. And Promise is in no way happy to be back on her birthworld, not even when she is hailed as a hero by the planet's populace, including its colorful president. Making matters even worse: Promise is persistently haunted by the voice of her dead mother.
Meanwhile, the RAW's most bitter rival, the Lusitanian Empire, has been watching events unfold in the Montana system with interest. Their forces have been awaiting the right moment to gain a beachhead in Republic territory, and with Promise's Marines decimated, they believe the time to strike is now.

The Review: One of the most refreshing things about this book is that it doesn’t start from the beginning, as it were. We read the story of Promise losing her family and joining the Marines but then we skip to their deployment to Montana almost right away. One of the defining features of the genre is the boot camp scene with the main character threatening to break under the relentless training and gruff drill instructors. Those sequences can be fun but Bookworm is glad that they were skipped here. For one thing, it would have taken away more time from the main story and even if it didn’t, we have all seen boot camp in one way or another. It is hard to take anything new away from it.

What is newly taken away is the role religion is brought up in the text. It is made clear that Promise’s father was a fundamentalist Christian and Christianity brought up a few more times. Religion occupies a strange place in science fiction. As a total negative on a societal or personal level, the victim, or not even mentioned. Here, it is mentioned, and portrayed as being both a positive and a negative. This mirrors

Almost the same level of religion is romance. The success of Twilight and the Hunger Games has left major mark on popular fiction in that almost every other author feels the need to add a romantic angle to their story. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t but its not always necessary. Thankfully, in this case the author took that to heart and while there is some romantic hinting between Promise and the male lead it never comes to anything which is very refreshing. Promise, the female protagonist is also refreshing. She is a badass Marine but she is still unfamiliar with social situations and the fact that she can see her dead mother in her head is also memorable. The mechanism behind this is one of the books mysteries, that hopefully will be explored in later volumes.

What is also refreshing is the setting. The planet Montana feels like a fully realized place. The ‘cowboy planet’ may seem silly but it fits with the environment of the planet. This a hard, frontier place where cowboys are right at home. Setting can be neglected in military science fiction sometimes not being much more that battlefield and home base. There is a lot to learn from planet like this.

Not to mention their punishment of rapists.

The citizens of Montana may be memorable and Promise stands out from a lot of science fiction protagonists, for her strength combined with her real vulnerabilities, but the Marines fell into the interchangeable category as they so often tend to do. Sad but true. What is also never made clear is the whole reason why they were on Montana in the first place.

One of the reasons zombie literature is so popular is that it fulfills the fantasy of being a warmonger without having to think about it. In a war between Lusitania and the Republic, you do need to think about it. Its never made clear what the war was really about. Its been remarked that is the case in almost every real life war, but even then there is something. All we get here is a vague reference to territory and a cold war.

That is the biggest flaw of the whole book. It brings a bunch of new stuff but succumbs to the cliche’s of the genre which is further bogged down by the writing, while not terrible, can be a bit amateurish. A lot of this book is forgettable.

Minor nitpick here: but why is the planet called Montana, which is already the name of U.S. state. Granted, Earth and the United States no longer exist in this universe but still, the author could of have called the place New Montana.

Final Verdict: Unbreakable falls into a lot of the traps laid down by the cliches of military science fiction, a genre that unfortunately is leaning towards over saturation. What saves this book is the cliches that it breaks, with colorful characters, an interesting protagonist, and a planet that feels very much alive. The next book in the series is definitely on the TBR (To Be Read) shelf.

Four Montanas out of Five

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[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Promise Paen left the planet of Montana after her father was killed by pirates. She joined the Republic of Aligned Worlds Marines to get away. Years later she is back on Montana as a sergeant of Victor Company. Due to casualties caused by a pirate raid as the Marines landed, Promise is promoted to Lieutenant of the remains of Victor Company. And then the Lusitanian Empire came calling, trying to use guile and force to get the Montanans to switch alignment. Can Promise, Victor Company and the Montanan militia hold out or will all their sacrifices be in vain? A tautly written SF military novel worth reading.