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The Gods of War
In the year 2137 the world stands on the brink of ruin.
Pollution, war and overpopulation have darkened the skies, photosynthesis is failing and most of the Earth’s twenty billion souls face starvation and death. The only hope for survival lays with the fertile fields of Mars, where a thirty year terraforming effort is turning vast swaths of the red planet to green.
But to the leaders of the Cartel, a conglomeration of the world’s most powerful families, using Mars to feed the overpopulated masses of the Earth is a waste of resources. They have another plan—take Mars for themselves and leave the Earth to self-destruct on its own.
The only thing standing in their way is the idealistic President Jackson Collins, head of the United World Government and unquestioned leader of the World Military Forces, who believes that humanity must rise or fall as one.
As the tide of war rises, the James Collins, the President’s son, a lifelong soldier and a weary veteran of his father’s military campaigns returns from the field disillusioned and doubtful as to whether humanity is even worth saving. Though he wants nothing more than to walk away, James soon finds himself drawn into the swirling vortex of battle and caught in the titanic struggle that will decide the fate of two worlds.
Pollution, war and overpopulation have darkened the skies, photosynthesis is failing and most of the Earth’s twenty billion souls face starvation and death. The only hope for survival lays with the fertile fields of Mars, where a thirty year terraforming effort is turning vast swaths of the red planet to green.
But to the leaders of the Cartel, a conglomeration of the world’s most powerful families, using Mars to feed the overpopulated masses of the Earth is a waste of resources. They have another plan—take Mars for themselves and leave the Earth to self-destruct on its own.
The only thing standing in their way is the idealistic President Jackson Collins, head of the United World Government and unquestioned leader of the World Military Forces, who believes that humanity must rise or fall as one.
As the tide of war rises, the James Collins, the President’s son, a lifelong soldier and a weary veteran of his father’s military campaigns returns from the field disillusioned and doubtful as to whether humanity is even worth saving. Though he wants nothing more than to walk away, James soon finds himself drawn into the swirling vortex of battle and caught in the titanic struggle that will decide the fate of two worlds.
- GenresScience Fiction
276 pages, Paperback
First published July 10, 2014
44 people are currently reading
129 people want to read
About the author
Graham Brown
20 books248 followersGraham Brown grew up in Illinois, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, moving often with his family. As far as he knows they weren't in the witness protection program or part of any top secret government agency - but then - would they really tell him?
A former pilot and lawyer and later part of a start up health care firm, Graham decided he hadn't had enough different careers yet and decided to become a writer.
A huge fan of Clive Cussler, Michael Crichton, Stephen King and television shows like the X-files and Lost, Graham's first novel Black Rain debuted in January 2010. The second Hawker/Laidlaw novel, Black Sun published in September 2010. Devil's Gate a Numa Files novel co-written with Clive Cussler published November 2011. The Eden Prophecy will be available January 31, 2012.
A former pilot and lawyer and later part of a start up health care firm, Graham decided he hadn't had enough different careers yet and decided to become a writer.
A huge fan of Clive Cussler, Michael Crichton, Stephen King and television shows like the X-files and Lost, Graham's first novel Black Rain debuted in January 2010. The second Hawker/Laidlaw novel, Black Sun published in September 2010. Devil's Gate a Numa Files novel co-written with Clive Cussler published November 2011. The Eden Prophecy will be available January 31, 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 13, 2014
This is a military space story set primarily on Mars that reads like a good action movie. It’s quick and exciting, although very black and white and predictable.
Action movie books can be tricky to write as you need to strike a delicate balance between simplicity and entertainment. This book rode that line well and resulted in an enjoyable story that didn’t require a lot of brain power to process.
The characters in this story were really black and white. Either they were good or evil, there were no shades of grey. The hero, Captain James Collins, has most of the page time and acts exactly like you’d expect an action movie hero to behave. He manages to have a bit of depth set by the scenes before he arrives on Mars, but he’s really the only slightly dimensional character.
Even though the story is predictable and the characters are rather flat, the action is well choreographed and flows smoothly. It really is just like watching an action movie, and as such, kept my attention the whole way through as there was always something happening. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, with lots more to come in the next book. This makes a great weekend read when you’re craving a bit of action.
Action movie books can be tricky to write as you need to strike a delicate balance between simplicity and entertainment. This book rode that line well and resulted in an enjoyable story that didn’t require a lot of brain power to process.
The characters in this story were really black and white. Either they were good or evil, there were no shades of grey. The hero, Captain James Collins, has most of the page time and acts exactly like you’d expect an action movie hero to behave. He manages to have a bit of depth set by the scenes before he arrives on Mars, but he’s really the only slightly dimensional character.
Even though the story is predictable and the characters are rather flat, the action is well choreographed and flows smoothly. It really is just like watching an action movie, and as such, kept my attention the whole way through as there was always something happening. The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, with lots more to come in the next book. This makes a great weekend read when you’re craving a bit of action.
October 5, 2014
As a reviewer of fiction set around the End of the World, I really liked the sound of this book. Earth dying, Mars being terraformed, war on the horizon.
On the first note, I was disappointed. Minor spoiler and word to the other doomsday junkies out there: the world doesn’t end in this book.
But that’s alright because it’s a fun and well-paced read, and Mars is well-drawn - a character in itself. The toys of war are pretty cool too.
The book is formulaic, the exposition isn’t always handled the best, and the characters are strictly good or evil. But there’s a story in there too and an entertaining one it is.
The authors have done a great job with the pacing and the action sequences. The technology that powers the day is interesting and the sequences set on Mars are the most readable. The character arc for James (the main character) is well-handled even though he is one of those over-the-top principled heroes that should have gone out fashion long ago.
But none of that interferes too much with what is a very readable effort.
Check your brain in at the door, grab a comfy seat, and give this one a go – where it might not be the most inspired effort available it’s still a greater read than most in the genre and will keep you turning pages until the end.
On the first note, I was disappointed. Minor spoiler and word to the other doomsday junkies out there: the world doesn’t end in this book.
But that’s alright because it’s a fun and well-paced read, and Mars is well-drawn - a character in itself. The toys of war are pretty cool too.
The book is formulaic, the exposition isn’t always handled the best, and the characters are strictly good or evil. But there’s a story in there too and an entertaining one it is.
The authors have done a great job with the pacing and the action sequences. The technology that powers the day is interesting and the sequences set on Mars are the most readable. The character arc for James (the main character) is well-handled even though he is one of those over-the-top principled heroes that should have gone out fashion long ago.
But none of that interferes too much with what is a very readable effort.
Check your brain in at the door, grab a comfy seat, and give this one a go – where it might not be the most inspired effort available it’s still a greater read than most in the genre and will keep you turning pages until the end.
December 5, 2019
Expected this Book to be MUCH, MUCH Better
3-stars is the most generous I feel towards this book.
It gets off to a very slow start, I guess these author’s ways to introduce the different ‘main’ characters.
The last third of the book is better than all the earlier pages, and are the only reason I did not go lower in the rating.
The warfare and beatings, both on Earth and Mars, are most unbelievable — but I willing to suspend the disbelief to try and better understand the book and characters.
3-stars is the most generous I feel towards this book.
It gets off to a very slow start, I guess these author’s ways to introduce the different ‘main’ characters.
The last third of the book is better than all the earlier pages, and are the only reason I did not go lower in the rating.
The warfare and beatings, both on Earth and Mars, are most unbelievable — but I willing to suspend the disbelief to try and better understand the book and characters.
November 10, 2025
WOW!!!
The Gods of War is unputdownable.I did not do anything else for one day as I read it from start to finish....
I hope you have a continuation of the story because a lot of issues are still unresolved.
Thank you for making my day
It was a well done and well prepared book with memorable characters and storylines
Please keep it up
Thank you
The Gods of War is unputdownable.I did not do anything else for one day as I read it from start to finish....
I hope you have a continuation of the story because a lot of issues are still unresolved.
Thank you for making my day
It was a well done and well prepared book with memorable characters and storylines
Please keep it up
Thank you
October 30, 2014
Prepare yourself for a book that’s so exactly like a late-90s Steven Seagal movie, it’s uncanny. The Gods of War is every action movie cliché you’ve ever known, carefully caught, collected and pressed between the pages of a book about Earth’s imminent destruction and the prospect of Mars as a lifeboat. There’s something compelling and fatalistic about this book that drags you from word to word and page to page, grimacing all the way because it’s… just… so… bad, but you can’t look away.
Our hero is James Collins, a square-jawed military type who also happens to be the son of the President of the United World Government. Being a taciturn, casually violent kind of guy, he doesn’t let this go to his head, oh no. He works his way up through the military from the field, goddammit, and refuses any promotion that would result in him sitting behind a desk. The guy is primed to be the hero of something or other so it’s a good thing that the cartoonishly evil Lucien Rex (what a name!), leader of the villainous Cartel and in direct opposition to the idealistic President, is planning something nefarious…
This heady drama is enacted on an Earth that’s dying from all the usual suspects – pollution, overpopulation and war. The many are trampled underfoot and underground in dank poverty, while the mighty, like the Cartel, dwell far above the ground in towers, away from disease and destitution. Geddit? It’s one of those, like, metaphors? Anyway, the plan is to terraform Mars so it can provide the Earth with food, like a great big planetary farm. The treacherous Cartel has another plan in mind though, it wants to nick the entire planet for itself and leave the rest of humanity behind to its doom. Dun-dun-duuhhhh!
Naturally, James gets roped into all these shenanigans whether he likes it or not. That’s right, he’s reluctant. He doesn’t reckon that humanity is worth saving. Hell, he’s not even sure if he’s worth saving. Luckily, here are some secondary characters to help him realise the error of his ways. There’s the plucky subterranean-dwelling doctor with the heart of gold, who gave it all up to help the poor. And look, over there! Is that a comely woman with a modicum of intelligence who’s madly in love with James? I think I know how we can figure it out. Are her physical attributes and attractiveness to the opposite sex discussed before we know anything else about her?
Hannah Ankaris sat in the passenger seat of a huge ten-wheeled vehicle, known as a Deca-Trac, as it trundled across the red surface of Mars. The big machine moved slowly, more like a monstrous caterpillar than an off-road vehicle out on the plains.
Thirty-one years old, with straight black hair, olive skin and green eyes, Hannah was attractive enough to most men, but more stern and standoffish than they seemed to like. She was tough, thick skinned and decisive, traits that made for a better friend than lover.
Well, there you go then! She must be the romantic interest. As an added bonus, she also uses her good looks to beguile villainous characters, cleverly hiding how stern and standoffish she is so they’ll be sure to be attracted to her. What a gal!
The Gods of War occasionally slips from being just horrible to so-bad-it’s-good/comical. But mostly it’s bad. Apart from the clichés and the heavy-handed moralising, this just isn’t good sci-fi. The whole Martian plan isn’t a very good one to start with and the science behind the scenes on the Red Planet isn’t terribly robust. At one point, James trots out into the supposedly killing sun of Mars on a rescue mission with nothing but a “metallic tarp” to cover his head. Not only does he not die, he even manages to sprint for a while.
Traditionally, sci-fi books tend to just throw details at you and expect you to catch up with jargon, scientific concepts and an entirely different world as you go along. In this book, everything is painstakingly spelled out – to the point of actually spelling out that the acronym MRV stands for Mechanised Robotic Vehicle. Aside from the fact that that’s a ridiculous name for huge military robots anyway, you can pretty much figure out what they are from the fact that they’re also described as “giant walking tanks”.
The only possible way to try to enjoy this book is to suspend all common sense, celebrate the clichés and be either drunk or very, very hungover. But if you can manage that, you might have a laugh.
Our hero is James Collins, a square-jawed military type who also happens to be the son of the President of the United World Government. Being a taciturn, casually violent kind of guy, he doesn’t let this go to his head, oh no. He works his way up through the military from the field, goddammit, and refuses any promotion that would result in him sitting behind a desk. The guy is primed to be the hero of something or other so it’s a good thing that the cartoonishly evil Lucien Rex (what a name!), leader of the villainous Cartel and in direct opposition to the idealistic President, is planning something nefarious…
This heady drama is enacted on an Earth that’s dying from all the usual suspects – pollution, overpopulation and war. The many are trampled underfoot and underground in dank poverty, while the mighty, like the Cartel, dwell far above the ground in towers, away from disease and destitution. Geddit? It’s one of those, like, metaphors? Anyway, the plan is to terraform Mars so it can provide the Earth with food, like a great big planetary farm. The treacherous Cartel has another plan in mind though, it wants to nick the entire planet for itself and leave the rest of humanity behind to its doom. Dun-dun-duuhhhh!
Naturally, James gets roped into all these shenanigans whether he likes it or not. That’s right, he’s reluctant. He doesn’t reckon that humanity is worth saving. Hell, he’s not even sure if he’s worth saving. Luckily, here are some secondary characters to help him realise the error of his ways. There’s the plucky subterranean-dwelling doctor with the heart of gold, who gave it all up to help the poor. And look, over there! Is that a comely woman with a modicum of intelligence who’s madly in love with James? I think I know how we can figure it out. Are her physical attributes and attractiveness to the opposite sex discussed before we know anything else about her?
Hannah Ankaris sat in the passenger seat of a huge ten-wheeled vehicle, known as a Deca-Trac, as it trundled across the red surface of Mars. The big machine moved slowly, more like a monstrous caterpillar than an off-road vehicle out on the plains.
Thirty-one years old, with straight black hair, olive skin and green eyes, Hannah was attractive enough to most men, but more stern and standoffish than they seemed to like. She was tough, thick skinned and decisive, traits that made for a better friend than lover.
Well, there you go then! She must be the romantic interest. As an added bonus, she also uses her good looks to beguile villainous characters, cleverly hiding how stern and standoffish she is so they’ll be sure to be attracted to her. What a gal!
The Gods of War occasionally slips from being just horrible to so-bad-it’s-good/comical. But mostly it’s bad. Apart from the clichés and the heavy-handed moralising, this just isn’t good sci-fi. The whole Martian plan isn’t a very good one to start with and the science behind the scenes on the Red Planet isn’t terribly robust. At one point, James trots out into the supposedly killing sun of Mars on a rescue mission with nothing but a “metallic tarp” to cover his head. Not only does he not die, he even manages to sprint for a while.
Traditionally, sci-fi books tend to just throw details at you and expect you to catch up with jargon, scientific concepts and an entirely different world as you go along. In this book, everything is painstakingly spelled out – to the point of actually spelling out that the acronym MRV stands for Mechanised Robotic Vehicle. Aside from the fact that that’s a ridiculous name for huge military robots anyway, you can pretty much figure out what they are from the fact that they’re also described as “giant walking tanks”.
The only possible way to try to enjoy this book is to suspend all common sense, celebrate the clichés and be either drunk or very, very hungover. But if you can manage that, you might have a laugh.
December 19, 2020
Great science fiction book, with new technology but a slightly old-fashioned-scifi-book edge, which is a very good thing in my opinion. There was plenty of action, which made it an easy read, although there were thoughtful aspects to the plot. I really enjoyed reading this, and once committed to the story (which came quite quickly), found it a compelling read that was hard to put down.
December 9, 2018
This book was a fun read -- enough sci-fi and action elements to keep me engaged chapter after chapter. It was not the best sci-fi book I ever read -- it was not incredibly detailed --but detailed enough-- and focused in on the characters. I enjoyed the human dystopia at the beginning of the book, it set the stage for the situation on Mars and why things politically and practically the way they were. No re-read value, but I would consider reading a sequel that focused in on the Earth stuff -- maybe the last evacuation of upper class humans to Mars?
August 16, 2014
The year is 2137 and the Earth has a population of over 20 billion that it can’t feed. Many of the major cities are unlivable, the ocean levels have risen so high because the polar ice caps have melted. The world has been united under a single United World Government led by the head of the World Military Forces President Jackson Collins.
Supporting Jackson is a Cartel made up of the most powerful families on the planet. The UWG and the Cartel have been able to make Earth survivable by importing food from Mars. For thirty years they have been Terraforming Mars and creating a colony that will one day be self-sufficient.
With the Earth spiraling into anarchy, only the WMF is able to keep the peace. Though most cities have turned into hell-holes out of a Dickensian dystopia, the fields of Mars beckon as a bright future. President Collins wants to begin sending increasing numbers of people to the Red Planet, but the question is who will go.
The Cartel wants their people to go first. For years they have been building their own private armies, and unbeknownst to Collins, sending mercenary forces to Mars. When ready to make their move on Mars, they also plan to take out Collins and the WMF. Captain James Collins is the last remaining child of the President, with whom he has serious disagreements with (who would have thought).
James, who is supposed to have died in the Cartel’s Earth revolt, ends up on Mars. There he leads a revolt of the workers (think slaves) who have been abducted from Earth to do the deadly job of terraforming. Blah, Blah Blah, the Mars revolt is successful and now awaits a response from Earth in Book Two.
For those who like movies about Spartacus or “The Expendable” movies, this should be right up your alley. There’s not a lot of plot or great characterization but at least most of it is rather plausible. For just plain fun in reading about battles and blow-‘em ups, it’s a lot of fun. Take it for what you will.
Zeb Kantrowitz zworstblog.blogspot.com
Supporting Jackson is a Cartel made up of the most powerful families on the planet. The UWG and the Cartel have been able to make Earth survivable by importing food from Mars. For thirty years they have been Terraforming Mars and creating a colony that will one day be self-sufficient.
With the Earth spiraling into anarchy, only the WMF is able to keep the peace. Though most cities have turned into hell-holes out of a Dickensian dystopia, the fields of Mars beckon as a bright future. President Collins wants to begin sending increasing numbers of people to the Red Planet, but the question is who will go.
The Cartel wants their people to go first. For years they have been building their own private armies, and unbeknownst to Collins, sending mercenary forces to Mars. When ready to make their move on Mars, they also plan to take out Collins and the WMF. Captain James Collins is the last remaining child of the President, with whom he has serious disagreements with (who would have thought).
James, who is supposed to have died in the Cartel’s Earth revolt, ends up on Mars. There he leads a revolt of the workers (think slaves) who have been abducted from Earth to do the deadly job of terraforming. Blah, Blah Blah, the Mars revolt is successful and now awaits a response from Earth in Book Two.
For those who like movies about Spartacus or “The Expendable” movies, this should be right up your alley. There’s not a lot of plot or great characterization but at least most of it is rather plausible. For just plain fun in reading about battles and blow-‘em ups, it’s a lot of fun. Take it for what you will.
Zeb Kantrowitz zworstblog.blogspot.com
August 21, 2014
http://koeur.wordpress.com/2014/08/21...
Publisher: Stealth
Publishing Date: August 2014
ISBN: 9781939398185
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 3.7/5
Publisher Description: In the year 2137 the world stands on the brink of ruin. Pollution, war and overpopulation have darkened the skies, photosynthesis has begun to fail and most of the Earth’s twenty billion souls face starvation and death. The only hope for survival lays with the fertile fields of Mars, where a thirty year terraforming effort is turning vast swaths of the red planet to green.
Review: I like a good SciFi novel. To me, going to Mars in the near future, although believable, is not really SciFi. Dystopian maybe, but not SciFi. Why dystopian? Earth is on its last legs, humanity is reduced to a feral state and hope lies in the arms of Mars with a few good people to battle the “Cartel”.
I thought, initially, that this work was going down the old hero road. James Collins the president’s son is described as joining the army under a different name at age 17, is a platoon leader at 20 and the only reason he is still a Major is because he has turned down every promotion. Yawn. Well as life progresses, we find that the president is no longer in power and the “Cartel” has attempted to assassinate James “Ares” Collins. Only they are unsuccessful and he ends up a slave on Mars. There are moments of James playing Costner as the reluctant hero but thankfully they are few.
This novel surprised me. All the things I like in a good read: Fast pace, movement coupled to character development, a little bit of hinted at boinking but no over the top wuv twiangles, good scene development in the form of descriptive and emotional elements and a plot you can hang your hat on. The surface of Mars is rendered wonderfully as is the plight of the slaves sent to Mars to build its environs under the “Cartel’s” thumb. This novel will make for a good series. We have yet to experience the ire of Lucien at full strength. The war for Mars should continue in good form.
Publisher: Stealth
Publishing Date: August 2014
ISBN: 9781939398185
Genre: SciFi
Rating: 3.7/5
Publisher Description: In the year 2137 the world stands on the brink of ruin. Pollution, war and overpopulation have darkened the skies, photosynthesis has begun to fail and most of the Earth’s twenty billion souls face starvation and death. The only hope for survival lays with the fertile fields of Mars, where a thirty year terraforming effort is turning vast swaths of the red planet to green.
Review: I like a good SciFi novel. To me, going to Mars in the near future, although believable, is not really SciFi. Dystopian maybe, but not SciFi. Why dystopian? Earth is on its last legs, humanity is reduced to a feral state and hope lies in the arms of Mars with a few good people to battle the “Cartel”.
I thought, initially, that this work was going down the old hero road. James Collins the president’s son is described as joining the army under a different name at age 17, is a platoon leader at 20 and the only reason he is still a Major is because he has turned down every promotion. Yawn. Well as life progresses, we find that the president is no longer in power and the “Cartel” has attempted to assassinate James “Ares” Collins. Only they are unsuccessful and he ends up a slave on Mars. There are moments of James playing Costner as the reluctant hero but thankfully they are few.
This novel surprised me. All the things I like in a good read: Fast pace, movement coupled to character development, a little bit of hinted at boinking but no over the top wuv twiangles, good scene development in the form of descriptive and emotional elements and a plot you can hang your hat on. The surface of Mars is rendered wonderfully as is the plight of the slaves sent to Mars to build its environs under the “Cartel’s” thumb. This novel will make for a good series. We have yet to experience the ire of Lucien at full strength. The war for Mars should continue in good form.
March 28, 2017
This post-apocalyptic dystopia is set in 2137, when the leaders of Earth determine that the planet is about six months away from being totally uninhabitable. President Jackson Collins, with the cooperation of a politically powerful business cartel led by Lucien Rex, has been investing massive resources into terra-forming Mars with the goal of helping to feed the people of Earth, who will soon have to move underground in order to survive.
As the story begins, Lucien presents the Cartel with a plan to depose Collins and take over Mars. Lucien does not want to use the resources of Mars to help all the people on earth. Rather, he proposes to abandon the masses, for whom he only has contempt. His plan entails moving the elite and their families to Mars and using the planet for themselves.
Lucien needs to eliminate not only President Collins but also his only surviving child, Major James Collins, 37, a military “lifer.” But the plot to kill James fails, and James is taken to Mars along with many “untouchables” to serve as slaves to get the planet ready for the elite.
On Mars, a couple of thugs working for Lucien but claiming to be acting for President Collins have taken over the planet and enacted harsh measures to get the population under control. But Doctor Hannah Ankaris, 31, is still loyal to President Collins, and moreover, used to be in a relationship with James. When she discovers James has been brought to the colony, she knows what she has to do.
Evaluation: I enjoyed this book for the most part, except for the Prologue, which was awkwardly info-dump-ish. Once the actual story started, however, the book had a good storyline and a satisfying build-up of tension and suspense. As I find with much fiction, the “good” characters were better developed and had more nuance than the evil characters, who verged on cartoonish. Still, the “good guys” were sufficiently appealing to compensate.
While the book doesn’t end with it cliffhanger, it is clearly meant to continue, and I am interested in following up with the story.
As the story begins, Lucien presents the Cartel with a plan to depose Collins and take over Mars. Lucien does not want to use the resources of Mars to help all the people on earth. Rather, he proposes to abandon the masses, for whom he only has contempt. His plan entails moving the elite and their families to Mars and using the planet for themselves.
Lucien needs to eliminate not only President Collins but also his only surviving child, Major James Collins, 37, a military “lifer.” But the plot to kill James fails, and James is taken to Mars along with many “untouchables” to serve as slaves to get the planet ready for the elite.
On Mars, a couple of thugs working for Lucien but claiming to be acting for President Collins have taken over the planet and enacted harsh measures to get the population under control. But Doctor Hannah Ankaris, 31, is still loyal to President Collins, and moreover, used to be in a relationship with James. When she discovers James has been brought to the colony, she knows what she has to do.
Evaluation: I enjoyed this book for the most part, except for the Prologue, which was awkwardly info-dump-ish. Once the actual story started, however, the book had a good storyline and a satisfying build-up of tension and suspense. As I find with much fiction, the “good” characters were better developed and had more nuance than the evil characters, who verged on cartoonish. Still, the “good guys” were sufficiently appealing to compensate.
While the book doesn’t end with it cliffhanger, it is clearly meant to continue, and I am interested in following up with the story.
February 17, 2015
The Gods of War is set in the year 2137. The earth is dying and Mars is being used as both a tool for growing food for Earth and for colonization.
This book was a fast-paced action book. I really liked the main character, James Collins, son of the President and career military man. He was the right kind of hero that you’d expect in this type of action book. He questioned his father’s policies, and didn’t necessarily agree with them, but in the end, he steps up to do what his father was trying to do, which was protect the people.
James has to fight against a cartel of money hungry grubby men, well, not them personally, but their mercernaries and goons. They try to kill James, and when they do not succeed, he is accidentally sent as a slave to Mars. They think he’s dead, but find out later that they were wrong, when James rallies the slaves and saves the day.
There were some interesting characters among the slaves that I wish we would have had more time with, like Bethel, but the story moved so quickly that we were never in one place for too long. It was a nice story, but with a predicatable ending. They left it open for the possibility of a sequel, too, I think.
August 31, 2014
After a slow start, the story hooks the reader emotionally and provides a basis for thrills and suspense. The authors do a great job of describing the weapons and technology of the future. The book is quite satisfying on its own, and sets the stage for future episodes and the battle continue from Mars to Earth. Although the battles and action are substantial, the real story concerns the growing humanness of James Collins as he discovers the true spirit of being a leader. James starts as a favored military officer, survives an assassination attempt, lives underground with the dregs of society, becomes a slave and is returned to Mars as a worker, and becomes the leader he was meant to be as he champions the cause of the slaves. I will look forward to more stories in this series.
February 12, 2015
I'm a major fan of Graham Brown's thrillers, but the description for this book put it solidly in the sci-fi genre. I'll admit to wondering how he and his co-author would approach such a radically different theme. In short? They nailed it! All of the action/thriller punch, just set to a futuristic, semi-apocalyptic, space-faring, Mars terraforming, mech-warrior plot that races along like a freight train.
If you're a fan of sci-fi, read this book. If you love thrillers, read this book. I couldn't put it down.
If you're a fan of sci-fi, read this book. If you love thrillers, read this book. I couldn't put it down.
November 29, 2014
A good start to a new series. The divide between the "haves" and the "have nots" is bigger than ever. The earth is dying along with all the inhabitants. Their only hope is to terra-form Mars to sustain life and grow food. The cartel of the privileged "haves" have come to realize that Mars can't sustain everyone and they want it only for themselves...but the President and military stands in their way. Get ready for the next revolution as the "have nots" fight back.
August 11, 2014
An excellent page turning science fiction work that blends technological advances with human nature turning this into a scenario that could actually happen. The fight between the worst characteristic and the best in human nature is accurately portrayed by this book. I look forward to a sequel.
I'd like to thank NetGalley for a free review copy.
I'd like to thank NetGalley for a free review copy.
September 2, 2014
A fascinating near-future tale that weaves interesting characters with a deep and well thought out storyline. The interplay of human machinations with human nature is a definite draw. This is the first book I've read by this author, but it definitely won't be the last.
February 7, 2015
Fun Adventure
This book was like an 80's action movie, a lot of fun, but lacking a memorable story. I will read the sequel with tempered expectations. Although this book is listed as sci-fi, I can tell you it's an adventure story that happens to take place on Mars.
This book was like an 80's action movie, a lot of fun, but lacking a memorable story. I will read the sequel with tempered expectations. Although this book is listed as sci-fi, I can tell you it's an adventure story that happens to take place on Mars.
August 7, 2015
In reading this book, I couldn't help but imagine an action-sci-fi movie playing. It wasn't very thought provoking, but it did move at a decent pace. I wouldn't recommend it unless you want something mildly entertaining yet thoroughly unoriginal.
January 16, 2016
“I am Ares, The god of war. I bring pain, destruction and death… and yet they still worship me. I won’t have you loving me. It would only make me despise you.”
Quick read, not really complex but Surprisingly a lot of fun..
Quick read, not really complex but Surprisingly a lot of fun..
March 5, 2016
In a book that read like an 80's action films, I don't know whether to be disappointed or delighted. The book started a touch slowly but built up a nice momentum, even with the tropes and cliches thrown in. Nicely written, nicely paced, a decent Saturday afternoon book.
February 22, 2015
Okay..not great. Says the d word a lot. I ends like there will be more in the series. Not sure if I will keep reading the series but for a .99 ebook I didn't waste my precious money.
March 15, 2015
Solid sci-fi offering
A little slow to start, but it picked up about a third of the way through. Characters were realistic and well written. Overall a good story.
A little slow to start, but it picked up about a third of the way through. Characters were realistic and well written. Overall a good story.
April 1, 2015
Good book. If you like military sci-fi.
I enjoyed it quite a bit. Light reading for military buffs. Quick read. I will read the sequel as well. 4 stars.
I enjoyed it quite a bit. Light reading for military buffs. Quick read. I will read the sequel as well. 4 stars.
May 24, 2015
I would highly recommend this book. It was a good story, and I really liked the characters. Graham Brown never fails to weave a wonderful story. It was a fast read with plenty of action.
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