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Steel Legion #1
Steel Breach
The Vasilov Worlds are on the edge of Human space. They have fought a war for 35 years against the insectoid Kadan that they have no intention of ending. It’s too essential to a society where the only social movement is via battle promotion. Then it all changes when the Kadan nearly annihilate the front lines.
Vasilov Officer Colonel Cole Clarke has just returned home from service with the Sigg Military. Now that he has learned how the Sigg fight, he's bringing that knowledge to the Vasilov Military, plus an entire battalion of second hand Sigg Armor purchased on the scrap market. But instead of a fresh battalion of troops, he’s assigned a penal battalion filled with convicts. The Vasilov Military doesn't accept change easily, even when they need it.
What would happen if an entirely new style of warfare came onto the battlefield? Could a strike force of second hand armor trump the defensive doctrines they’d used for thirty five years or would they be doomed to failure and death on the icy planet Lishun Delta?
One squadron of armor. One Colonel. A thousand of the worst convicts in the Vasilov Military. Will they be up to the task?
Vasilov Officer Colonel Cole Clarke has just returned home from service with the Sigg Military. Now that he has learned how the Sigg fight, he's bringing that knowledge to the Vasilov Military, plus an entire battalion of second hand Sigg Armor purchased on the scrap market. But instead of a fresh battalion of troops, he’s assigned a penal battalion filled with convicts. The Vasilov Military doesn't accept change easily, even when they need it.
What would happen if an entirely new style of warfare came onto the battlefield? Could a strike force of second hand armor trump the defensive doctrines they’d used for thirty five years or would they be doomed to failure and death on the icy planet Lishun Delta?
One squadron of armor. One Colonel. A thousand of the worst convicts in the Vasilov Military. Will they be up to the task?
354 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 3, 2015
48 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Casey Calouette
12 books35 followersFocusing the lens onto the Amazing, interesting, and wonderful.
I write science fiction that I'd love to read. Fleet fights, giant battles, and non-stop action.
I write science fiction that I'd love to read. Fleet fights, giant battles, and non-stop action.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 28, 2015
Casey Calouette is a new author for me. Thought I would give the first book in the series a try and see if I like it. The genre is military sci-fi. The book grabbed my attention right away and kept it all the way to the end.
The Vasilov worlds are on edge of human space and have been at war for 35 years against an insectoid race called Kadan.
The protagonist is Vasilov officer Colonel Cole Clarke. He just returned home from service with the Sigg Military. He has learned how the Sigg fight and wants to introduce that knowledge to his own military. He has also brought back some second had armor from the Sigg military. The military does not want to change so assigned him to a penal battalion filled with convicts. They are stationed on the icy planet of Lishan Delta. On a hot day it is great to read a story about an icy world.
Calouette has created realistic battle scenes this seems to be his forte. The story is less about the technology and more about the people. The story is dialogue and action driven and light on description and back-story. I assume Calouette will develop the characters more as the series goes on. It is well written and entertaining. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. Jeffrey Kafer does a good job narrating the book.
The Vasilov worlds are on edge of human space and have been at war for 35 years against an insectoid race called Kadan.
The protagonist is Vasilov officer Colonel Cole Clarke. He just returned home from service with the Sigg Military. He has learned how the Sigg fight and wants to introduce that knowledge to his own military. He has also brought back some second had armor from the Sigg military. The military does not want to change so assigned him to a penal battalion filled with convicts. They are stationed on the icy planet of Lishan Delta. On a hot day it is great to read a story about an icy world.
Calouette has created realistic battle scenes this seems to be his forte. The story is less about the technology and more about the people. The story is dialogue and action driven and light on description and back-story. I assume Calouette will develop the characters more as the series goes on. It is well written and entertaining. I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. Jeffrey Kafer does a good job narrating the book.
July 23, 2015
A good premise, but confusing and poorly executed.
The basic idea is humanity has expanded out into the universe via stargates (as they don't have ships to travel...how did the gates get in place to begin with) and they're in conflict with a couple of alien species, the Kadan and Emflife. The Kadan is the immediate threat and takes up the lion's share of the book.
What's confusing is we're not really sure which character is the main character or even if there's a main character. There's Tomi, a miner convicted of a minor infraction that's never fully explained that's conscripted into his governments war machine. Then there's Karl, an infantryman fighting on a frozen wasteland of a planet. Finally, there's Colonel Cole Clarke who risks his personal fortune to update the army to include an armored cavalry -- which makes no sense.
We're not told why the humans and Kadan are fighting over a frozen hellhole of a planet other than to insinuate it's of strategic importance. But that rings hollow as both sides have star gates. The only explanation we're given is the war is held in status quo to promote people into nobility. Again, this makes no sense since the bulk of the nobility are described as self-surviving, ineffectual, and incompetent. Why does the nobility have a driving need to promote other into the nobility?
The planet-side fighting is WW1 trench warfare, no aircraft, no tanks, no armored personal carriers, no orbital support. They make do with just infantry, trenches, artillery, and anti-artillery. Huh? Really?
If the author wanted to create a book about tank warfare, fine. Go for it, it's a niche that hasn't really been tapped in the sci-fi market, but this was forced to the point that it makes no sense.
TL/DR version: The world is poorly explained, the characters are cliche and uninspired, the combat, while detailed, doesn't make a lick of sense in TODAY'S military, let alone in some future setting.
The basic idea is humanity has expanded out into the universe via stargates (as they don't have ships to travel...how did the gates get in place to begin with) and they're in conflict with a couple of alien species, the Kadan and Emflife. The Kadan is the immediate threat and takes up the lion's share of the book.
What's confusing is we're not really sure which character is the main character or even if there's a main character. There's Tomi, a miner convicted of a minor infraction that's never fully explained that's conscripted into his governments war machine. Then there's Karl, an infantryman fighting on a frozen wasteland of a planet. Finally, there's Colonel Cole Clarke who risks his personal fortune to update the army to include an armored cavalry -- which makes no sense.
We're not told why the humans and Kadan are fighting over a frozen hellhole of a planet other than to insinuate it's of strategic importance. But that rings hollow as both sides have star gates. The only explanation we're given is the war is held in status quo to promote people into nobility. Again, this makes no sense since the bulk of the nobility are described as self-surviving, ineffectual, and incompetent. Why does the nobility have a driving need to promote other into the nobility?
The planet-side fighting is WW1 trench warfare, no aircraft, no tanks, no armored personal carriers, no orbital support. They make do with just infantry, trenches, artillery, and anti-artillery. Huh? Really?
If the author wanted to create a book about tank warfare, fine. Go for it, it's a niche that hasn't really been tapped in the sci-fi market, but this was forced to the point that it makes no sense.
TL/DR version: The world is poorly explained, the characters are cliche and uninspired, the combat, while detailed, doesn't make a lick of sense in TODAY'S military, let alone in some future setting.
May 31, 2018
Casey Calouette has created an interesting universe and filled it with colorful characters. The pacing is even and it easily keeps the readers interest. Where the book falls down for me is in being underdeveloped. The universe, characters and the story itself all seem to be lacking in that final bit of detail that would make them great.
July 29, 2018
It took a a few chapters to get into the book and the characters but it was well worth the perseverance and the book turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable read. The book makes a welcome change from the sugar ciated run of the mill sci fi books and its grittiness definitely helps the story and character development.
I will get the second book to read now
I will get the second book to read now
July 21, 2018
Of I could manage half a star I would add it.
Battle books are not my favorite. I get bogged down with terminology. But this book was worth the effort to get through the battles. I really hope the cowards get theirs in the next book.
Battle books are not my favorite. I get bogged down with terminology. But this book was worth the effort to get through the battles. I really hope the cowards get theirs in the next book.
August 6, 2018
The best war story ever
For a fictional war this one is the best. The author made this seem like it was the real thing. The picture was painted with words that made it just jump right off my Kindle. Good job!
For a fictional war this one is the best. The author made this seem like it was the real thing. The picture was painted with words that made it just jump right off my Kindle. Good job!
August 6, 2018
A good sci-fi war story.
February 18, 2017
I got about halfway through this book before I had to walk away.
The quality of the prose varies a great deal, but it bottoms out way too often in eye-rollers and cliches, and most of the time is merely dull. The characters are flat, uninteresting archetypes. There are typographical and continuity errors all over the place (is the 19th Armored going to be sent to the planet in one week or two weeks? Is this person named Lady Atzi or Lady Atli? I didn't stick around to find out).
Let's talk about some stuff that doesn't make sense:
The Vasilov military apparently does not have any armored fighting vehicles. When shown footage of armored personnel carriers with decent cross-country performance, a Vasilov General (a _General_) acts utterly flabbergasted.
One of our staunch cardboard cutouts informs the same General that the founder of Vasilovia (or whatever) was himself a renowned armor commander. What?
The Vasilov military is equipped with weapons and detection systems that can easily engage thousands of artillery rounds per minute, but they are flummoxed by bombers. What?
The Vasilov apparently colonized a dozen worlds, but they have no high-performance aircraft. Or low-performance aircraft.
We are informed at some point that the Vasilov are sending poorly-supported light infantry to fight in trenches on a frozen hell-world because it's too energy-intensive to send armor or heavy weapons through stargates. It is apparently not a problem to send vast quantities of artillery ammunition or millions of anti-artillery cannon rounds, nor all concrete necessary to build various fortifications (we do not wish to mention that they've been shipping millions of people on and off this planet for decades), but a steel box on wheels? Don't be insane.
By the way, we are later told that one of several stargates on the frozen hell-world is powered by a reactor of unspecified size, itself powered by a miniature stargate which OPENS A PORTAL INSIDE THE NEARBY STAR. A star!
These aren't just nits I'm picking, the conduct of the war and the technology that both makes it possible and constrains it are the basic premise of this story, and none of the things we're told about any of it adds up.
I have enjoyed poorly-written stories with lame characters because they had interesting action or an interesting premise. I have enjoyed stories with stupid premises full of holes because they were well-written or had fun characters.
This is a poorly-written story about cardboard cutouts the premise of which doesn't make any sense, and I'm not going to turn another page of it.
The quality of the prose varies a great deal, but it bottoms out way too often in eye-rollers and cliches, and most of the time is merely dull. The characters are flat, uninteresting archetypes. There are typographical and continuity errors all over the place (is the 19th Armored going to be sent to the planet in one week or two weeks? Is this person named Lady Atzi or Lady Atli? I didn't stick around to find out).
Let's talk about some stuff that doesn't make sense:
The Vasilov military apparently does not have any armored fighting vehicles. When shown footage of armored personnel carriers with decent cross-country performance, a Vasilov General (a _General_) acts utterly flabbergasted.
One of our staunch cardboard cutouts informs the same General that the founder of Vasilovia (or whatever) was himself a renowned armor commander. What?
The Vasilov military is equipped with weapons and detection systems that can easily engage thousands of artillery rounds per minute, but they are flummoxed by bombers. What?
The Vasilov apparently colonized a dozen worlds, but they have no high-performance aircraft. Or low-performance aircraft.
We are informed at some point that the Vasilov are sending poorly-supported light infantry to fight in trenches on a frozen hell-world because it's too energy-intensive to send armor or heavy weapons through stargates. It is apparently not a problem to send vast quantities of artillery ammunition or millions of anti-artillery cannon rounds, nor all concrete necessary to build various fortifications (we do not wish to mention that they've been shipping millions of people on and off this planet for decades), but a steel box on wheels? Don't be insane.
By the way, we are later told that one of several stargates on the frozen hell-world is powered by a reactor of unspecified size, itself powered by a miniature stargate which OPENS A PORTAL INSIDE THE NEARBY STAR. A star!
These aren't just nits I'm picking, the conduct of the war and the technology that both makes it possible and constrains it are the basic premise of this story, and none of the things we're told about any of it adds up.
I have enjoyed poorly-written stories with lame characters because they had interesting action or an interesting premise. I have enjoyed stories with stupid premises full of holes because they were well-written or had fun characters.
This is a poorly-written story about cardboard cutouts the premise of which doesn't make any sense, and I'm not going to turn another page of it.
September 7, 2015
Okay, here's the thing: This book doesn't get 4 stars for being mind-blowing, consciousness-expanding scifi, it doesn't get 4 stars for creating mind boggling complex worlds or coming up with the weirdest the bleeding edge of science can deliver. It gets four stars because this book wants to be military scifi and it reaches this goal competently. You might think this is no big feat but looking at all the bad military scifi that's been churned out day by day I firmly believe otherwise.
So, what do you get with this book? Well, let's start with what you won't get: You won't get characters to dazzle and to fascinate you. You won't get too much cool tech, no fancy technology (except maybe some weapon systems) and no complex plot.
What you do get is:
- great atmosphere: The setting is WW1 trenchline warfare in Siberia-esque conditions with a healthy dose of WW2 Panzer action - and the author makes you feel the cold and the misery that such a setting entails. Frostbite is a constant threat and a tank in this universe is not a RV - it stinks, it's cramped and after some medical emergencies it's plain gross inside. The description of the civilian centres, especially the main planet of the colonial forces combines the worst aspect of Warhammer40k gothic dystopia with 1950's soviet architecture.
- multiple perspectives - no space Jesus/chosen one: Yes, there's one brilliant colonel but his main achievement consists of introducing modern war doctrine and tanks to his Motherland. Other than that, the tactics are fairly basic and no hint of exceptionalism is being pushed into the reader's faces; instead, we see the story unfold from the perspective of three or four soldiers serving at the frontline, offering different perspectives on the action
- interesting worldbuilding: The whole universe is a patchwork of different societies and many of them just outsource technology. Why raise up a whole industry of atmospheric fighters you only need in certain situations? Just ask your pals from 50 lightyears away if they would be so nice to send some help. Is that orbital giving you a hard time? Well, wasn't there a merchant house with a big-ass siege breaking ship they got from god knows where and who would do anything to get the coordinates for that asteroid you couldn't be bothered to mine? I must say, I like the concept. This way, the technological level of a war theatre can vary heavily, depending on who rallied which assets and what each opponent was willing to muster
- no jingoism, no misogyny: Yes, sadly this is something that needs to be mentioned. Okay, granted, the author at times gets a serious case of soldier worship (including a bumbling, obtuse top brass) but at least it's not the "ra-ra humans are awesome, military dictatorship is sexy!" shtick. Also, even though the story very often talks about the "men and woman" when describing the soldiers, memorable female characters are nonexistant and the few that are there only get a handful of lines. However - even though it sounds like damning with faint praise - the author's heart is in the right place and there is no egregious mishandling of female characters.
So, long story short: this book might not do much, but what it does it does well and in interesting ways. If you are all out of Marko Kloos and Jack Cambpell, get this one to tide you over. Also, as a bonus: The audio version is pretty good.
So, what do you get with this book? Well, let's start with what you won't get: You won't get characters to dazzle and to fascinate you. You won't get too much cool tech, no fancy technology (except maybe some weapon systems) and no complex plot.
What you do get is:
- great atmosphere: The setting is WW1 trenchline warfare in Siberia-esque conditions with a healthy dose of WW2 Panzer action - and the author makes you feel the cold and the misery that such a setting entails. Frostbite is a constant threat and a tank in this universe is not a RV - it stinks, it's cramped and after some medical emergencies it's plain gross inside. The description of the civilian centres, especially the main planet of the colonial forces combines the worst aspect of Warhammer40k gothic dystopia with 1950's soviet architecture.
- multiple perspectives - no space Jesus/chosen one: Yes, there's one brilliant colonel but his main achievement consists of introducing modern war doctrine and tanks to his Motherland. Other than that, the tactics are fairly basic and no hint of exceptionalism is being pushed into the reader's faces; instead, we see the story unfold from the perspective of three or four soldiers serving at the frontline, offering different perspectives on the action
- interesting worldbuilding: The whole universe is a patchwork of different societies and many of them just outsource technology. Why raise up a whole industry of atmospheric fighters you only need in certain situations? Just ask your pals from 50 lightyears away if they would be so nice to send some help. Is that orbital giving you a hard time? Well, wasn't there a merchant house with a big-ass siege breaking ship they got from god knows where and who would do anything to get the coordinates for that asteroid you couldn't be bothered to mine? I must say, I like the concept. This way, the technological level of a war theatre can vary heavily, depending on who rallied which assets and what each opponent was willing to muster
- no jingoism, no misogyny: Yes, sadly this is something that needs to be mentioned. Okay, granted, the author at times gets a serious case of soldier worship (including a bumbling, obtuse top brass) but at least it's not the "ra-ra humans are awesome, military dictatorship is sexy!" shtick. Also, even though the story very often talks about the "men and woman" when describing the soldiers, memorable female characters are nonexistant and the few that are there only get a handful of lines. However - even though it sounds like damning with faint praise - the author's heart is in the right place and there is no egregious mishandling of female characters.
So, long story short: this book might not do much, but what it does it does well and in interesting ways. If you are all out of Marko Kloos and Jack Cambpell, get this one to tide you over. Also, as a bonus: The audio version is pretty good.
March 1, 2017
A surprisingly good military SF
A trench war with an alien race.
A penal battalion.
A second chance.
Band of Brothers meets Kelly's Heroes and Dirty Dozen - in the age of stargates and faster-than-light travel.
Good character arcs, great narration that never slows down - a page turner with soul and uniqueness that sets it apart from bulk of the genre.
Buying next book in the series right away.
A trench war with an alien race.
A penal battalion.
A second chance.
Band of Brothers meets Kelly's Heroes and Dirty Dozen - in the age of stargates and faster-than-light travel.
Good character arcs, great narration that never slows down - a page turner with soul and uniqueness that sets it apart from bulk of the genre.
Buying next book in the series right away.
August 30, 2015
'fast' fun read
First, I'm not a 'techno-geek' where science in Sci-Fi is important. I'm more into the fiction part -- plot, characters, action and credible, in relation to people-politics-military. Plasma is whatever the author wants it to be. The science, to me, doesn't have to make a lot of sense from a what we know today or perceive of what it will be.
I'm not a fan of authors who spend a lot of time, words to justify their 'universe', technology and how, why stuff works. Often, this 'slows' down many a book to the point where I find myself 'speeding' thru 1/3 of a book, and more! If you're into the science part, this is not your read. If you like starships over other means of travel in the future, maybe not, but there are starships!
Plot? Sub-plots? Interesting characters? Yes, Steel Breach has it and delivered in a credible way. I enjoyed the story but I was also a little frustrated. I wanted to know more, maybe about a hundred pages or so more about some of the characters and a bit more about the universe -- from a geopolitical standpoint. Since I read this author before and enjoyed his series, I'm betting on it's intentional. Most of what you learn is through action, non-verbose character thoughts and deeds.
Does it have some holes? Yes. I'm not convinced a unit could perform so well given amount of training. Partially explained by most of penal battalion were soldiers and many were veterans BUT.... Then there's the flip side of authors dragging me thru hundreds of pages of USMC, SPECOPS training as many are wont to do. Been there, done that and don't need to be reminded. Besides, most boot campitis authors get so much wrong.
Some other - holes - pop up also but doesn't bother me too much nor ruin story. I don't nit pick unless it's really off and kills 'credibility '.
Book was a fun, interesting read leaving me wanting more and unfortunately published recently. Meaning I have to wait for the next to satisfy my curiosity.
First, I'm not a 'techno-geek' where science in Sci-Fi is important. I'm more into the fiction part -- plot, characters, action and credible, in relation to people-politics-military. Plasma is whatever the author wants it to be. The science, to me, doesn't have to make a lot of sense from a what we know today or perceive of what it will be.
I'm not a fan of authors who spend a lot of time, words to justify their 'universe', technology and how, why stuff works. Often, this 'slows' down many a book to the point where I find myself 'speeding' thru 1/3 of a book, and more! If you're into the science part, this is not your read. If you like starships over other means of travel in the future, maybe not, but there are starships!
Plot? Sub-plots? Interesting characters? Yes, Steel Breach has it and delivered in a credible way. I enjoyed the story but I was also a little frustrated. I wanted to know more, maybe about a hundred pages or so more about some of the characters and a bit more about the universe -- from a geopolitical standpoint. Since I read this author before and enjoyed his series, I'm betting on it's intentional. Most of what you learn is through action, non-verbose character thoughts and deeds.
Does it have some holes? Yes. I'm not convinced a unit could perform so well given amount of training. Partially explained by most of penal battalion were soldiers and many were veterans BUT.... Then there's the flip side of authors dragging me thru hundreds of pages of USMC, SPECOPS training as many are wont to do. Been there, done that and don't need to be reminded. Besides, most boot campitis authors get so much wrong.
Some other - holes - pop up also but doesn't bother me too much nor ruin story. I don't nit pick unless it's really off and kills 'credibility '.
Book was a fun, interesting read leaving me wanting more and unfortunately published recently. Meaning I have to wait for the next to satisfy my curiosity.
February 26, 2015
I like Sci-Fi books and the future seems always filled with war. Steel Breach doesn't break new ground but does a fantastic job of telling the story for the writer’s universe. On the technical side, the novel is well laid out and well edited. If you read a lot of Kindle Books, you know this sets this one apart right away. The characters might fit the usual who’s who for the type of setting (military, war, redemption) but they are all well fleshed out and flow into the story to help it move along.
The writing style moves the reader from act to act even as it skips around to different groups within the novel. As the groups interest, merge, and continue on their own way, I never found myself having to go back to reread something to understand how the story moved to that point.
This is a well thought out, polished Kindle ebook worth the time to read and enjoy. I look forward to reading the next installment in the series and am looking at other works for the author now.
The writing style moves the reader from act to act even as it skips around to different groups within the novel. As the groups interest, merge, and continue on their own way, I never found myself having to go back to reread something to understand how the story moved to that point.
This is a well thought out, polished Kindle ebook worth the time to read and enjoy. I look forward to reading the next installment in the series and am looking at other works for the author now.
April 13, 2015
Most military sf star versions of marines who are gung ho and eager to kill. Casey Calouette finds a penal battalion filled with drug addicts, drunks, and even a few civilians. In a future filled with aliens and star gates, The human Vasilov Worlds have been fighting with insectoid Kadan for decades on a world they really don’t want. However bravery in battle brings nobility, so they have happily fought a trench war. Unfortunately the Kaden have gotten powerful allies and they might just conquer that world and follow the humans to the settled areas. Colonel Cole Clarke has been observing another human fighting force, the Sigg Military. They won their war against other aliens. So Colonel Clark buys used tanks from them, and trains the penal battalion he’s been assigned. The troops somehow have to keep their fellow fighters sober so they can survive. Steel Breach (ebook which I bought) is lots of fun in a future that promises great sequels. Review printed by Philadelphia Weekly Press
March 14, 2015
Good, but. . . .
I knocked a star off because this book is rife with grammatical errors.
It seemed the author was trying too hard to write good prose. There were times it came across as brilliant. Others where it felt like the work of a sixth grader. Most of it, however, was in the middle.
The author balanced a rather large cast of characters well, but gave us only glimpses of some of them. Personally, I would've liked to see more of Karl Sigorski. He along with Colonel Clarke and Umi were the most interesting characters in the book.
All-in-all, it was a good read. The action sequences were well described and exciting. While not what I would call a "page turner," it was good enough to finish.
The author really needs to proofread their work better and/or hire an editor.
I knocked a star off because this book is rife with grammatical errors.
It seemed the author was trying too hard to write good prose. There were times it came across as brilliant. Others where it felt like the work of a sixth grader. Most of it, however, was in the middle.
The author balanced a rather large cast of characters well, but gave us only glimpses of some of them. Personally, I would've liked to see more of Karl Sigorski. He along with Colonel Clarke and Umi were the most interesting characters in the book.
All-in-all, it was a good read. The action sequences were well described and exciting. While not what I would call a "page turner," it was good enough to finish.
The author really needs to proofread their work better and/or hire an editor.
September 15, 2015
Strong reminiscent of Hammer's Slammers, this is an excellent cross between future war and old war. The technical hand waving as to why, in the far future, we're still fighting trench warfare is acceptable, and the depictions of the trenches in the freezing world are striking. I felt cold, and it's not cold here. The story is nothing super original, and I feel like the brief "political" scenes were thrown in, more than planned, but this was overall an enjoyable read.
September 26, 2015
Good Armor, Infantry story.
The author does a good job showing the need of an armored column for its infantry cover on its flanks. In return, the infantry would be cut down easily without its armor cover. All things being equal, without artillery or air, a combined Armor, Infantry assault hasn't been stopped in recorded military history.
One thing I would have liked would have been a little more detail on the Sigg tanks. Being a former tanker, it was a little hard to imagine what they looked like.
A good read with no bog down explaining trivial matters. A good military book.
The author does a good job showing the need of an armored column for its infantry cover on its flanks. In return, the infantry would be cut down easily without its armor cover. All things being equal, without artillery or air, a combined Armor, Infantry assault hasn't been stopped in recorded military history.
One thing I would have liked would have been a little more detail on the Sigg tanks. Being a former tanker, it was a little hard to imagine what they looked like.
A good read with no bog down explaining trivial matters. A good military book.
February 15, 2015
Strong military SciFi
A great start to a new series! Mr. Caloutte is clearly channeling David Drake in this book. The action is gritty and chaotic. The characters are human and flawed, but rise to the moment. The story flows well and the editing is solid. I was drawn in from the first pages of the story, bought the book when I ran out of the Amazon preview, and read from start to finish in a single sitting.
Now waiting for the next book to be written, sigh...
A great start to a new series! Mr. Caloutte is clearly channeling David Drake in this book. The action is gritty and chaotic. The characters are human and flawed, but rise to the moment. The story flows well and the editing is solid. I was drawn in from the first pages of the story, bought the book when I ran out of the Amazon preview, and read from start to finish in a single sitting.
Now waiting for the next book to be written, sigh...
May 31, 2015
Good military sci fi. The author does a good job capturing both the stalemate and butchery of static trench type warfare and the advantages that armored mobile forces brought when used against that style of warfare.
He also does a good job of capturing the dynamics of military personnel at the individual level, where it is more about loyalty to the men and women next to you than any grand military objectives.
A good read.
He also does a good job of capturing the dynamics of military personnel at the individual level, where it is more about loyalty to the men and women next to you than any grand military objectives.
A good read.
March 27, 2015
A great book that I couldn't put down.
Seriously, take Kelly's Heroes and put it in a .modern science fiction setting - you just can't go wrong. I was delighted with this novel became it was well edited. To me, the quality of editing can either make or break a book. In this case, it made this book shine above the rest. I can only hope the author continues this saga!
Seriously, take Kelly's Heroes and put it in a .modern science fiction setting - you just can't go wrong. I was delighted with this novel became it was well edited. To me, the quality of editing can either make or break a book. In this case, it made this book shine above the rest. I can only hope the author continues this saga!
October 13, 2015
Second chances
Thoroughly enjoyed my time in your world and look forward to reading your next book.
Characters were very believable and story was fast paced.
This was my first introduction to you and will look into other books by you.
Thoroughly enjoyed my time in your world and look forward to reading your next book.
Characters were very believable and story was fast paced.
This was my first introduction to you and will look into other books by you.
April 19, 2015
Not much depth to the characters and a novel in dire need of a proofreader but, like the armored vehicles themselves, pretty effective once it got rolling.
May 19, 2015
Action packed
Good story line, fast paced. I could just about feel the cold. A good proof reader and a a little more editing and I would have given five stars.
Good story line, fast paced. I could just about feel the cold. A good proof reader and a a little more editing and I would have given five stars.
June 16, 2015
Good read
This was a good book to read. Liked the different aliens. Would enjoy some more info on them. Keep up the good work.
This was a good book to read. Liked the different aliens. Would enjoy some more info on them. Keep up the good work.
July 30, 2015
Overall great book, a little dis-jointed at the beginning it all came together at the end.
August 5, 2015
Great book!
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