What do you think?
Rate this book
Star Force #4.5
Army of One
PLEASE this story is 78 pages long. As requested by many STAR FORCE readers, ARMY OF ONE has been released as a single title at last. This is a standalone NOVELLA, which means it’s SHORTER and CHEAPER than your typical Star Force book. Sentient machines are invading from the skies! There’s only one man on Earth who’s nanotized but not yet a member of Star Force. Will he do his part to save the world? Or will he join the forces of darkness and doom humanity to oblivion? Previously published in the anthology Planetary Assault, ARMY OF ONE is the tale of one dangerous man on a do-or-die mission. This is the private story of one of the series’ most influential characters, a must-read for any fan of the books, and an easy introduction for anyone who is a new recruit to STAR FORCE.
78 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
61 people are currently reading
291 people want to read
About the author
B.V. Larson
135 books1,529 followersBrian Larson is an American science fiction and fantasy author
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
November 28, 2013
Satisfyingly predictable. The Starforce books have been showing up on my recommendations, but I avoided them as apparently cheap, amateur works. I don't like cheap, usually, but I love free. So I checked this one out when Audible offered it for free. It's pretty good!
The plot and style are unremarkable, but competently done. The characters are cliche, but, again, competently portrayed. The action scenes are a bit clever and hold together well. There was no big stand-out moment, but I enjoyed the story start to finish. That's more than I can say for a lot of "good" books.
So I'll probably check out the main series. I doubt I'll feel driven to chain-read them like I do most series, but they may make a nice, low-effort indulgence. Brownies for dinner.
The plot and style are unremarkable, but competently done. The characters are cliche, but, again, competently portrayed. The action scenes are a bit clever and hold together well. There was no big stand-out moment, but I enjoyed the story start to finish. That's more than I can say for a lot of "good" books.
So I'll probably check out the main series. I doubt I'll feel driven to chain-read them like I do most series, but they may make a nice, low-effort indulgence. Brownies for dinner.
November 9, 2013
Got it as a freebie. Surprisingly well developed and riveting! Might have to pick up the other parts of the stories now.
March 29, 2016
I listened to this just after Swarm because I got it for free at some stage and due to my "meh, it's OK" feeling on Swarm, I'm not embarking on the entire Star Force series so it seemed like as good a time as any to read Army of One.
This is a wee novella that Mr Larson wrote to show some story that happened out of Kyle Riggs' direct line of sight and apparently to give some backstory to Bjorn Gaines (who I guess turns up in book 4 or earlier of the main Star Force story line).
This was quite similar in style and pacing to Swarm. It's an action movie in a book and I couldn't help but dwell on some of the same plot-holes that were ported over from Swarm (why did Bjorn's nanites stick with him when he - somehow - escaped his ship? They abandoned the centaurs post-haste when they were deemed unworthy. And just how did he manage to escape in the first place?) but if you're willing to ignore that and go along for the ride then it's a fun, if implausible, little adventure.
I actually enjoyed this slightly more than Swarm because it's basically all action with no odd plotting to get in the way.
I was not swayed to read any more of Star Force as a result of reading this.
This is a wee novella that Mr Larson wrote to show some story that happened out of Kyle Riggs' direct line of sight and apparently to give some backstory to Bjorn Gaines (who I guess turns up in book 4 or earlier of the main Star Force story line).
This was quite similar in style and pacing to Swarm. It's an action movie in a book and I couldn't help but dwell on some of the same plot-holes that were ported over from Swarm (why did Bjorn's nanites stick with him when he - somehow - escaped his ship? They abandoned the centaurs post-haste when they were deemed unworthy. And just how did he manage to escape in the first place?) but if you're willing to ignore that and go along for the ride then it's a fun, if implausible, little adventure.
I actually enjoyed this slightly more than Swarm because it's basically all action with no odd plotting to get in the way.
I was not swayed to read any more of Star Force as a result of reading this.
January 15, 2014
Savage McHugestrong stared the agent in the eyes. He was a nervous looking guy, with nervous shaky hands because he knew that he was about to die.
"Im gonna give you one chance to put down that tactical nuclear rifle you have aimed at my face." Savage knew that taking a nuke warhead to the face might stress his microminions ability to magically reconstruct his chiseled jawline.
The very average looking agent in his shaky boots pissed himself like the mortal piece of dirt he was.
"Times up" Savage rasped. I aint got TIME for this He thought in his really smart cybernetically enhanced brain. He took three faster than humanly possible steps, covering the 50 meters in two nanoseconds, and punched the pissy agent man's face through the back of his head.
This is the quality of writing you will encounter in this book. But less awesome.
"Im gonna give you one chance to put down that tactical nuclear rifle you have aimed at my face." Savage knew that taking a nuke warhead to the face might stress his microminions ability to magically reconstruct his chiseled jawline.
The very average looking agent in his shaky boots pissed himself like the mortal piece of dirt he was.
"Times up" Savage rasped. I aint got TIME for this He thought in his really smart cybernetically enhanced brain. He took three faster than humanly possible steps, covering the 50 meters in two nanoseconds, and punched the pissy agent man's face through the back of his head.
This is the quality of writing you will encounter in this book. But less awesome.
January 7, 2014
Once I started on this my first though was....hmm, it is short at least. By the end I figured I was done in. I adored this. The narrator with his calm even pacing had me captivated. The character driven novel had me glued to my seat and YES I will read 'Listen" to more by this author.
This short novella was absolutely outstanding.
WaAr
This short novella was absolutely outstanding.
WaAr
January 23, 2014
I thought this was a really interesting and well thought out audiobook. I was impressed with the narrators voice. This is my first Star Force audiobook/book and I might get into this series (one day) if it is as good as this one. 100% sci-fi.
December 4, 2013
4 Stars! Proving yet again that my media tastes are that of a 12 year old boy. Super human strength, an invading army from space and high tech robots...this book has all of the things I geek out on.
May 28, 2025
“Army of One” is a novella in the 'Star Force' series.
It tells the backstory of Bjorn Gaines who, in the series, becomes Kyle Riggs' drinking buddy after the death of Sandra.
It is a tale that doesn't really need to be told as Gaines in the series is very much a secondary character.
It also avoids going into detail about how Gaines escaped from commanding the Nano ship (one of only a handful to succeed) or how he managed to join Star Force without revealing that he had been upgraded.
It's an action story with more or less continuous fighting.
3 Stars.
It tells the backstory of Bjorn Gaines who, in the series, becomes Kyle Riggs' drinking buddy after the death of Sandra.
It is a tale that doesn't really need to be told as Gaines in the series is very much a secondary character.
It also avoids going into detail about how Gaines escaped from commanding the Nano ship (one of only a handful to succeed) or how he managed to join Star Force without revealing that he had been upgraded.
It's an action story with more or less continuous fighting.
3 Stars.
October 24, 2020
Fun Quick Read
I picked up this book to get a feel for this author’s writing.
I’m glad I did. The short book was a good introduction to a series I now want to read and I’ll definitely be checking out more by this author.
Thumbs up on this one. Especially for military sci fi fans.
I picked up this book to get a feel for this author’s writing.
I’m glad I did. The short book was a good introduction to a series I now want to read and I’ll definitely be checking out more by this author.
Thumbs up on this one. Especially for military sci fi fans.
November 2, 2018
The entire series is a worthwhile read
I read the whole series and found the mixture of inter-being relationships, military strategy, sci-fi background, diplomacy, a totally engaging experience.
I read the whole series and found the mixture of inter-being relationships, military strategy, sci-fi background, diplomacy, a totally engaging experience.
March 26, 2017
Good short read that was kinda mindless for me but nice
January 26, 2019
was looking for "the army of none", downloaded this and listened through when traveled. do not recommend and will try to get the right title :)
March 15, 2019
Good short story. I'm not familiar with Star Force, but books stands on its own.
October 21, 2019
This was an excellent short. You have to read at least book 1 or some of this makes no sense. As usual, narrated well by Mark Boyett.
November 19, 2020
Got it free in my audible account, enjoyed it
August 3, 2022
This was a very entertaining story. I purchased it on sale now I want to find the rest of the series.
January 27, 2023
The story fills in some details left out of the series. It rounds out a character in the story.
December 25, 2023
It's been so long since I read the main series, I've forgotten who the main character is.
June 24, 2024
An interesting novella in the Star Force series that takes place within the same timeframe as Conquest. and I would recommend not reading this before Conquest to avoid some key spoilers. A disenchanted Assassin turns down an assignment and is suddenly on everyone's kill list escapes to a remote island somewhere near to the Star Force base on Andros.
Read
April 14, 2021The ‘Star Force’ novels by B.V. Larson tell the story of augmented human soldiers in a war against powerful alien foes. I’ve seen the books pop up now and again. I think I even have one of them buried on my Kindle somewhere. I probably took advantage of a free deal at some point. I do like Science Fiction with a military bend, but free doesn’t always equal cheap. The analogy fits; as a reviewer, I always have a lot of books to read, so my time is valuable, is it not?
‘Army Of One’ is another freebie offered by Audible.com. At roughly two and a half hours, it’s the perfect length for a trip to New York City and back…if, say, you live in Pennsylvania. You’ll want something longer if you’re driving from California. I could make recommendations, but that would be another article. Numbered 4.5 in the series, this novella covers events that occur during the course of the fourth book. The ‘Star Force’ novels are first person, from the point of view of Kyle Riggs. As he can’t be in everywhere at once, despite his enhancements, ‘Army Of One’ is from the point of view of another nanotized man, Bjorn Gaines.
Gaines is a talented assassin. He not only kills efficiently, but has perfected what he terms the more important part of the job: disappearing afterwards. Hunted by men who want to recruit him to spy on Star Force, Gaines employs such talents to disappear in the Florida Keys. There, he indulges in a vacation of a sort, eking out a simple existence on a remote island, until the impending war between the Earth and the Macros lights up the sky.
The war eventually catches up with Bjorn and he is faced with a choice, one that doesn’t include disappearing. Regardless, he does disappear, but only so he can join Star Force on his own terms.
‘Army Of One’ is an entertaining story and a compelling ‘read’. The calm narration of the audio version is a perfect counterpoint to the action, which is thrilling, intense and gruesome. Bjorn, as a character, is fascinating. Through his thoughts, enough backstory is revealed to give the novella a place in the series without overwhelming the reader/listener with detail. It’s a perfectly encapsulated adventure. That being said, I would like to read more. I find the idea nanotized humans fascinating and I always like reading about aliens. The more fearsome the better.
Written for SFCrowsnest.
‘Army Of One’ is another freebie offered by Audible.com. At roughly two and a half hours, it’s the perfect length for a trip to New York City and back…if, say, you live in Pennsylvania. You’ll want something longer if you’re driving from California. I could make recommendations, but that would be another article. Numbered 4.5 in the series, this novella covers events that occur during the course of the fourth book. The ‘Star Force’ novels are first person, from the point of view of Kyle Riggs. As he can’t be in everywhere at once, despite his enhancements, ‘Army Of One’ is from the point of view of another nanotized man, Bjorn Gaines.
Gaines is a talented assassin. He not only kills efficiently, but has perfected what he terms the more important part of the job: disappearing afterwards. Hunted by men who want to recruit him to spy on Star Force, Gaines employs such talents to disappear in the Florida Keys. There, he indulges in a vacation of a sort, eking out a simple existence on a remote island, until the impending war between the Earth and the Macros lights up the sky.
The war eventually catches up with Bjorn and he is faced with a choice, one that doesn’t include disappearing. Regardless, he does disappear, but only so he can join Star Force on his own terms.
‘Army Of One’ is an entertaining story and a compelling ‘read’. The calm narration of the audio version is a perfect counterpoint to the action, which is thrilling, intense and gruesome. Bjorn, as a character, is fascinating. Through his thoughts, enough backstory is revealed to give the novella a place in the series without overwhelming the reader/listener with detail. It’s a perfectly encapsulated adventure. That being said, I would like to read more. I find the idea nanotized humans fascinating and I always like reading about aliens. The more fearsome the better.
Written for SFCrowsnest.
November 22, 2013
I got this audiobook as a freebie from Audible, an obvious teaser to get you into the series. So am I teased enough to start the series? Well, not really.
First, to good: this story is very well told. Being unfamiliar with the series, there's plenty of "well, that's interesting" to have kept me engaged. The reading is also excellent. It's well paced, and the reader does some excellent accents.
But there's a lot of lack of originality, too, starting with the premise (Earth battles invading aliens). And there are names, which are completely logical, but that are so mundane (like, Starforce, Macros, which are quite large, and Nanos which, well, are quite small) that I wonder if they are introduced (in the series) with any sense of irony.
Anyway, maybe someday I'll pick up this series, at a time when I'm really craving a sci-fi war story and/or nothing else looks good. But neither of those happen very often.
First, to good: this story is very well told. Being unfamiliar with the series, there's plenty of "well, that's interesting" to have kept me engaged. The reading is also excellent. It's well paced, and the reader does some excellent accents.
But there's a lot of lack of originality, too, starting with the premise (Earth battles invading aliens). And there are names, which are completely logical, but that are so mundane (like, Starforce, Macros, which are quite large, and Nanos which, well, are quite small) that I wonder if they are introduced (in the series) with any sense of irony.
Anyway, maybe someday I'll pick up this series, at a time when I'm really craving a sci-fi war story and/or nothing else looks good. But neither of those happen very often.
March 9, 2014
This is a on-off novel set into the larger Star Force world. The author describes this as offering a different view into the plot that did not fit into the main arc (as it is told only from the first person view of the main protagonist). This is a view from a side character.
It has the strong feel of a story written by an author who really lives in the world in which this takes place. That immersion gives the story a wonderful grounded feel. I have not read the book series, but this did not bother me - the obviously important events happening in the background of this story were just that, background.
For a story where the main character is pretty much a gruff space marine there is surprisingly little action - this is almost a slice-of-life style of book for a very peculiar life. In some ways it felt like an interlude.
Personally, I enjoy this type of story quite a bit. Not everything has to always be about saving the world.
It has the strong feel of a story written by an author who really lives in the world in which this takes place. That immersion gives the story a wonderful grounded feel. I have not read the book series, but this did not bother me - the obviously important events happening in the background of this story were just that, background.
For a story where the main character is pretty much a gruff space marine there is surprisingly little action - this is almost a slice-of-life style of book for a very peculiar life. In some ways it felt like an interlude.
Personally, I enjoy this type of story quite a bit. Not everything has to always be about saving the world.
September 7, 2016
I got this free at some point in an Audible promo and rediscovered it when I was looking for short listens, and decided to give it a go. It's a nice little vignette in the life of a character I really liked, even though this review pretty much sums him up. I'm probably going to pick up the rest of the series now. I know the rest of the series has a different protagonist but I'm hoping Bjorn shows up at some point. If you know whether or not he does, please let me know!
November 21, 2013
An interesting story, an interesting blend of sci-fi, military action, and thriller, but I had to give up on it. I simply couldn't sustain my "willing suspension of disbelief." Sure, the main character is superhuman, capable of marvels we are not. But, for example, how do you tinker with a sophisticated piece of electronics when the nearest tools are dozens of miles away, across a large expanse of water?
November 30, 2013
I really enjoyed this quick little story. In the last star force book, the character this story focuses on, admitted to having a checkered past prior to joining star force. This novella? is that story and it is done very well. I am glad I read it because the author actually states that he wrote it to be part of the series but could not work out how to integrate it, since the main series is written in the first person view of Kyle Riggs.
March 23, 2015
I usually don't go for military sci-fi, not because I'm opposed to it, but just because it's not what I'm used to. I listened to Army of One because it was a free giveaway from Audible and none of the other options spoke to me at all. Part Robinson Crusoe part Jason Bourne, Bjorn is a alien nanobot enhanced soldier of fortune who just wants to be left alone on the eve of the imminent alien invasion of Earth. I had a lot of fun listening.
November 29, 2013
Not a bad little read. I tried it because it was a freebie on Audible, and I ended up enjoying it. I'm not a big military fan so I'm not sure if it is good enough to inspire me to use my credits to read the rest of the series, but I will keep them in mind if I run out of other books in my wishlist that I'm already sure I want.
December 20, 2013
Meh. Since it was an audible freebie, I thought I'd give it a try. Fairly predictable plot with typical military science-fiction soldiers on the steroids of the future. The narrator was engaging so the story seemed to move quicker. While I'm fine spending a few hours in the Star Force universe, I won't be picking up the series any time soon.
December 16, 2013
I haven't read book 3 and 4 yet, so there was some spoilers for me, but I don't mind. This novella is a nice interlude between books, it reveals the story of Bjorn, who becomes one of the nano-guys. If you ever wondered what happened to the guys outside of the main story, now you have a chance to learn about one of them.
September 11, 2016
This was an audible freebie and not something I would have normally picked for myself. It also is in the middle of a series for which I had no context. It captured my interest more than I was expecting it to and it's a quick read. I would recommened starting at the beginning of the series if it is something that really interests you.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews