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Starfire
Two ships launch, but only one can come home with the prize—and no one suspects what they’ll find when they get out there.
On June 30, 1908 an object fell from the sky releasing more energy than a thousand Hiroshima bombs. A Siberian forest was flattened, but the strike left no significant crater. The anomaly came to be known as the Tunguska Event, and scientists have never agreed whether it was the largest meteor strike in recorded history—or something else.
Alien Artifacts have been uncovered since the 1908 event, and a new star drive is discovered. When another, larger Artifact is detected orbiting Jupiter, both NASA and the Russian Federal Space Agency are determined to beat all rivals to the next treasure trove of alien tech.
STARFIRE is a 400+ page action-packed Space Exploration novel by bestselling author B. V. Larson and Thomas LeMay.
On June 30, 1908 an object fell from the sky releasing more energy than a thousand Hiroshima bombs. A Siberian forest was flattened, but the strike left no significant crater. The anomaly came to be known as the Tunguska Event, and scientists have never agreed whether it was the largest meteor strike in recorded history—or something else.
Alien Artifacts have been uncovered since the 1908 event, and a new star drive is discovered. When another, larger Artifact is detected orbiting Jupiter, both NASA and the Russian Federal Space Agency are determined to beat all rivals to the next treasure trove of alien tech.
STARFIRE is a 400+ page action-packed Space Exploration novel by bestselling author B. V. Larson and Thomas LeMay.
460 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 6, 2014
97 people are currently reading
281 people want to read
About the author
B.V. Larson
134 books1,529 followersBrian Larson is an American science fiction and fantasy author
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
September 22, 2020
Listened to it as Audible book. Not a lot of psychological depth and some of the characters were somewhat one-dimensional. Some leaps in plots. But for all that, this was a good book to occupy part of the brain while doing more routine work.
October 22, 2017
Parts were excellent, parts let me down. Could have been much better
July 13, 2018
Started out with a good interesting premise and slowly disintegrated. Story goes back and forth between Russian and American spaceships both heading to Jupiter moon to hopefully retrieve technology from what maybe an alien craft. The science gets totally lost in the thriller story of who is going to kill who and who will manage to get to whatever it is up there. Good enough to finish and the characters carried the story. Took me two tries to finish and if not for Edoardo Bellerini narration I am certain I'd not stuck with it a 2nd time.
October 5, 2016
Some books are so blah that I have a hard time even conjuring the energy to write a review. It’s almost like reading the book has drained me of all my creative energy. Starfire is a perfect example of this type of book. It isn’t ‘bad’ per say, it just isn’t ‘good’. If I were to ghostwrite a novel for someone, I’d probably put in about the same level of effort. Here’s a list of characters, their hair color, and one quirky trait. Here’s the plot. Ready… go.
Yeah. So in Starfire a large cast of science characters get thrown in with a large cast of military type characters, all directed by some shadowy political type characters to basically figure out an alien spaceship. That’s not really a spoiler, because its obvious from the get go that its an alien space ship even though technically B. V. Larsen doesn’t tell you that for a while. They all race out to space in a mini cold war reenactment and the book suddenly stops. The end.
This is like a Syfy original movie on Netflix that you think is a real movie until you watch the first 10 minutes, and by that time you’re like, ‘well, it’s too late to start over with a new movie’ so you just watch it only to later promise yourself you’ll never do it again. That’s not to say there isn’t a time and place for a good Syfy original movie. If you know what you’re getting into, and your twelve, or babysitting or something, a bunch of Syfy movies can be great. But if you’re all grown up and don’t drink to excess and gorge on pizza anymore, you should probably pass.
I don’t think Starfire is really for anyone. Or if it’s for you, then you’re a lot different from me, which is probably good, congratulations. I don’t think I’ll read anymore independently published books for a while. I hate to say that, but I’ve just haven’t hit on a good one yet. For those of you in a similar boat, keep looking.
Yeah. So in Starfire a large cast of science characters get thrown in with a large cast of military type characters, all directed by some shadowy political type characters to basically figure out an alien spaceship. That’s not really a spoiler, because its obvious from the get go that its an alien space ship even though technically B. V. Larsen doesn’t tell you that for a while. They all race out to space in a mini cold war reenactment and the book suddenly stops. The end.
This is like a Syfy original movie on Netflix that you think is a real movie until you watch the first 10 minutes, and by that time you’re like, ‘well, it’s too late to start over with a new movie’ so you just watch it only to later promise yourself you’ll never do it again. That’s not to say there isn’t a time and place for a good Syfy original movie. If you know what you’re getting into, and your twelve, or babysitting or something, a bunch of Syfy movies can be great. But if you’re all grown up and don’t drink to excess and gorge on pizza anymore, you should probably pass.
I don’t think Starfire is really for anyone. Or if it’s for you, then you’re a lot different from me, which is probably good, congratulations. I don’t think I’ll read anymore independently published books for a while. I hate to say that, but I’ve just haven’t hit on a good one yet. For those of you in a similar boat, keep looking.
August 16, 2015
BV Larson was my go-to author for lean, fast paced SF. Often his books move too quickly for their own good, but that was more than FINE with me. When he teamed up with another author to continue his Star Force series, I was worried, but those novels continued on without missing a beat.
Sadly that's not the case here. This is the same kind of filler-laden SF I have to wade through in search of gems like Larson's previous books. We get deep dives into mundane characters while the plot is dribbled out in stingy little doses.
My problem with ALL these character-heavy SF novels is that they're not actually about what their descriptions say they're about! Their synopses trumpet big SF concepts, but their content is all interpersonal relationships. Their covers are all bitchin' space ships, that serve only as backdrops for character drama. If I wanted that, I switch to nonfiction where all the really interesting characters are.
Sadly that's not the case here. This is the same kind of filler-laden SF I have to wade through in search of gems like Larson's previous books. We get deep dives into mundane characters while the plot is dribbled out in stingy little doses.
My problem with ALL these character-heavy SF novels is that they're not actually about what their descriptions say they're about! Their synopses trumpet big SF concepts, but their content is all interpersonal relationships. Their covers are all bitchin' space ships, that serve only as backdrops for character drama. If I wanted that, I switch to nonfiction where all the really interesting characters are.
October 24, 2017
Loved the start of the book. kept having to go back and re-read in the the middle of the book as I got distracted. Then I couldn't wait till it would end. Way too obviously it was setting up for a series. The only positive feeling I have now is that I am glad it won't appear in my recommended list in audible any more. The whole last quarter of the book just felt rushed, cheap and cliche. I guess I'm being this harsh, both because it is very late as I am writing this, but also I really hoped for a much more nuanced climax to the story.
Having taken some classes again, this felt a lot like my recent essays where I had 3 pages to say what I had to say but found at the end of page 2 I'd covered the first of three topics and if I was going to meet the deadline to get it turned in, I couldn't rewrite. So I crammed the last two topics and conclusion into the final page and dropped most of the interesting things I had to say. So in that way the book's style seemed very familiar.
Having taken some classes again, this felt a lot like my recent essays where I had 3 pages to say what I had to say but found at the end of page 2 I'd covered the first of three topics and if I was going to meet the deadline to get it turned in, I couldn't rewrite. So I crammed the last two topics and conclusion into the final page and dropped most of the interesting things I had to say. So in that way the book's style seemed very familiar.
August 29, 2018
Jupiter Rising: Cold War, Cold Planet
This was a very good Sci-fi read! And, its perfect for Audible. It was narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, who is one of the very best narrators (in this galaxy.) So, it sounds great. And, the story line is captivating from the start. Like your typical novel, the author moves back and forth between the Russians and the Americans; in various locations like Area 51, Barrow Alaska, Munich, the Bering Sea, Vladivostok Russia, Washington DC, and the International Space Station. Then there are flights in space in the later half of the book. So, there's a lot of action.
It delves into the alternate history of the Cold War, but in space. I thought the characters were very interesting as well. Some of the tech introduced was unlike any that I've seen in other books, where many books reuse your standard space elevator... yada, yada, yada... Starfire shows a bit of creativity. I recommend this for anyone wanting a good space opera/ sci-fi book.
This was a very good Sci-fi read! And, its perfect for Audible. It was narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, who is one of the very best narrators (in this galaxy.) So, it sounds great. And, the story line is captivating from the start. Like your typical novel, the author moves back and forth between the Russians and the Americans; in various locations like Area 51, Barrow Alaska, Munich, the Bering Sea, Vladivostok Russia, Washington DC, and the International Space Station. Then there are flights in space in the later half of the book. So, there's a lot of action.
It delves into the alternate history of the Cold War, but in space. I thought the characters were very interesting as well. Some of the tech introduced was unlike any that I've seen in other books, where many books reuse your standard space elevator... yada, yada, yada... Starfire shows a bit of creativity. I recommend this for anyone wanting a good space opera/ sci-fi book.
August 9, 2018
I read this book because I was able to download it for free and was trying to decide which series to read next. This was a shorter stand alone novel and that is exactly what I needed. The book is not what I expected. I was expecting more science fiction, but the book seemed more mystery or thriller. I was reminded of the one James Patterson book I've read. But I'm not complaining. I did like the book. The story was interesting and compelling. There wasn't a lot of deep character development, but there wasn't really a single main character either. Overall I'm glad I read it and enjoyed it while I did.
September 20, 2018
After spending a year reading tough hard core Space Operas, I've decided to take on something simpler which it was, but surprisingly and unexpected it was a really good and fun story which I really enjoyed!!!
I fully recommend this book especially if you need a break and get some easy, fully understandable, simple reading and still enjoyable.
I fully recommend this book especially if you need a break and get some easy, fully understandable, simple reading and still enjoyable.
July 23, 2018
Not too bad if you are into the competition between Russia and America. Descent space flick. It is actually book 6 out of his standalone novels. Maybe some of the earlier ones are good I thought. Then I read the bios for a few and Spyware (2010) Element-X (2013) stood out to me, https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/b-v....
Open to suggestions if you've read any of his other volumes.
Open to suggestions if you've read any of his other volumes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2020
Fascinating, intriguing, page turning
This book was extremely fascinating and intriguing and worth the sleepless nights that it produced, I hope that the writer is able to continue the series I am truly intrigued to find out the process and knowledge that was provided and what humanity will do about it, most sleepless nights that are worth it
This book was extremely fascinating and intriguing and worth the sleepless nights that it produced, I hope that the writer is able to continue the series I am truly intrigued to find out the process and knowledge that was provided and what humanity will do about it, most sleepless nights that are worth it
April 16, 2019
An action-packed thriller with spaceships. I enjoyed getting to know the cast of characters and glimpses into the science, and especially enjoyed the exciting action. I think the politics were a bit weak, but nothing really distracted me from wanting to know what happened to the characters next.
March 24, 2017
I'm slightly irked by the premise of this story which is that the greatest discoveries of the last century are due to us cheating by studying alien technology buried in the Artic ocean and Area 51. Otherwise, it's a fairly interesting twist on the cold war arms race.
January 26, 2018
Pretty good! Definitely in the sci-fi / suspense category. The book moved along at a good pace and had a good cast of characters. If there was a second one, I'd definitely consider picking it up.
Read
July 17, 2019Quite interesting!
October 29, 2021
Arthur C. Clarke wrote a much better version of this story back in 1968.
September 23, 2016
The author made up a nation called the United States and one called Russia. Gave them some alien tech in an alt-history and then made up a US government that operates unlike any proper government. The author made up some science and tech and made it act remotely according to the laws of physics.
This is part SciFi part "espionage." It lost three stars for one reason, it stopped; it just stopped. It's as if the author just decided not to write any more. Of course, this could be part one of a series but even at that, the active characters need some kind of resolution of their current circumstances and sitting on the beach looking up at distant sniper/guards isn't much resolution. No resolution for one of the key characters, this book just stops. There isn't even some tickler, a hint of direction, anything that would want you to pick up the next book in the series (if there is one).
As others have observed, the characters aren't compelling, largely stereotypical, no one is particularly unique. Spoiler alert... the simple plot is some type of alien craft broke up into three pieces and crashed on earth in the early 1900's. The Russians have a piece, the Americans have a piece. The Russian piece calls home to a moon of Jupiter. The Americans in an alien ship chase the Russians with an adapted alien drive to Europa, the moon. It doesn't work out well and some of the Americans and one Russian make it back to Earth with nothing but their lives and a lot of questions.
This is part SciFi part "espionage." It lost three stars for one reason, it stopped; it just stopped. It's as if the author just decided not to write any more. Of course, this could be part one of a series but even at that, the active characters need some kind of resolution of their current circumstances and sitting on the beach looking up at distant sniper/guards isn't much resolution. No resolution for one of the key characters, this book just stops. There isn't even some tickler, a hint of direction, anything that would want you to pick up the next book in the series (if there is one).
As others have observed, the characters aren't compelling, largely stereotypical, no one is particularly unique. Spoiler alert... the simple plot is some type of alien craft broke up into three pieces and crashed on earth in the early 1900's. The Russians have a piece, the Americans have a piece. The Russian piece calls home to a moon of Jupiter. The Americans in an alien ship chase the Russians with an adapted alien drive to Europa, the moon. It doesn't work out well and some of the Americans and one Russian make it back to Earth with nothing but their lives and a lot of questions.
January 10, 2016
Starfire is a little different than B.V. Carson's previous books. I loved how it starts out with Russians at the north pole, then shifts to the Americans. The two sides are clueless of each other's intent and capabilities. Much like the Cold War of old. The characters are stereotypical and but still grab your attention. The point of view we see from both sides is that of the subordinates, those who have little influence in decision making.
Having lived long enough to have been around during the 1st cold war, I had to laugh out loud at some of the characters. The Alien is as imaginative as I would expect from B.V. Larson. Both he and Thomas Lemay related an interesting and quite possible situation. The book is standalone but it leaves you open to continued situations which throw the two sides together in order to survive. So YES, I would like to see a second book.
Having lived long enough to have been around during the 1st cold war, I had to laugh out loud at some of the characters. The Alien is as imaginative as I would expect from B.V. Larson. Both he and Thomas Lemay related an interesting and quite possible situation. The book is standalone but it leaves you open to continued situations which throw the two sides together in order to survive. So YES, I would like to see a second book.
April 6, 2016
Starfire was compact and action packed. I thought the character development and action were balanced very well and paced masterfully. Just enough of everything with no extra filler. Exactly what I would hope out of book of its length. I really enjoyed that this book was grounded in real world science, albeit a controversial area of it, with the EM Drive. It's not often that science fiction stories are based in the modern era, and Starfire is a good example of how this time period should be served.
May 7, 2015
It was OK, but nothing memorable. In all fairness, my expectations could have affected my opinion. After reading Larson's other books in the Star Force and Undying Mercenaries series, I was anticipating an action packed adventure, and this wasn't one of those. At times it was interesting, but felt overly drawn out and suffered from an unsatisfying ending. If there's an attempt to continue the story in a sequel, I'm unlikely to read it.
June 22, 2015
It was an interesting read, I was coming off the back of his Starforce series. It has a different style / feel compared to Starforce, not as dark, and reading other comments and not spoiling the end, perhaps the start of another series?
It didnt engage me like the characters in Starforce, all had decent backgrounds, but I wasn't wishing for them to win the day.
Slow moving story at the beginning, hero's all over the globe connected by alien artifacts, end up fighting for their lives off world.
It didnt engage me like the characters in Starforce, all had decent backgrounds, but I wasn't wishing for them to win the day.
Slow moving story at the beginning, hero's all over the globe connected by alien artifacts, end up fighting for their lives off world.
August 29, 2016
I gave this 4 stars but only because I thought it was better than three stars. I think if there was a 3.5 stars I would have given it that.
The first half of the book is a bit confusing and slow with very little character development, but once the main event finally takes place, all the at changes and the book gets a lot better. But then the story feels a bit rushed, and by the time I started getting into the book, the conclusion started and then the story ends.
The first half of the book is a bit confusing and slow with very little character development, but once the main event finally takes place, all the at changes and the book gets a lot better. But then the story feels a bit rushed, and by the time I started getting into the book, the conclusion started and then the story ends.
January 13, 2015
Gripping science fiction...not so far removed from Earth...
This was a great read. I got sucked in pretty quick, but the character development was really good. Started on earth but with some plausible artistic licence we were at Area 51 and beyond. I'd like to see what happens next.
This was a great read. I got sucked in pretty quick, but the character development was really good. Started on earth but with some plausible artistic licence we were at Area 51 and beyond. I'd like to see what happens next.
May 13, 2015
3.5 stars
I was surprised by this book, it was just supposed to be a quick listen to kill some time until the unabridged release of Jurassic Park, but I was entertained. Points lost for the somewhat open ending and because .
I was surprised by this book, it was just supposed to be a quick listen to kill some time until the unabridged release of Jurassic Park, but I was entertained. Points lost for the somewhat open ending and because .
December 24, 2015
Good Journalism Disguised As A Novel
“Starfire” fills in the details on Area 51, first contact with aliens and the government conspiracy to cover up the facts. No matter how many misleading stories that sneaky politicians plant in the media, I now know what they are hiding in the Nevada desert. While this is not the best book by BV Larson, it is a good reminder that “the truth is out there”.
“Starfire” fills in the details on Area 51, first contact with aliens and the government conspiracy to cover up the facts. No matter how many misleading stories that sneaky politicians plant in the media, I now know what they are hiding in the Nevada desert. While this is not the best book by BV Larson, it is a good reminder that “the truth is out there”.
August 30, 2016
Great book, had a very Crichton-esque feel. Reminded me a bit of Sphere and Jurassic park, but with some neo-cold war intrigue thrown in. I liked that most of the character development seemed pretty evenly distributed, and I found most of the hero characters to be likeable except for one (you'll see).
March 2, 2024
Action scenes are well described here. But that's about the only virtue this novel has. Characters are unbelievable. Ideas are half-baked. And the structure is deeply flawed. It reads like a bad TV movie.
February 7, 2015
I wish this was a series.
They fight Russians, aliens and their own country politicians. Yet together some come home alive not Russian or American, but humans. But I wonder when the aliens return will the government's of the world join together to save the human race.
They fight Russians, aliens and their own country politicians. Yet together some come home alive not Russian or American, but humans. But I wonder when the aliens return will the government's of the world join together to save the human race.
May 21, 2015
Waste of time reading. It was like someone else wrote it rather than BV Larson. It was disjointed and drawn out. He must've been directed to write a 450+ page novel. I enjoyed Starforce, but this was horrible and a waste of an audible credit.
July 20, 2015
A massive difference to the author's normal pulp fiction. Quite deep, interesting and creepy as we dig deeper into the mysteries discovered on earth. A throw back to the Cold War type stories which is a little old fashioned but still very enjoyable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews