Fear the Liberator

by Mars Dorian

RX is the elite pilot of an experimental spaceship, entangled in a galactic war. During the risky attack on the enemy's space station, he crash-lands on an unknown planet, where the real trouble begins.

Rescued by mysterious colonists, RX now has to deal with their strange way of life and their dangerous technology. His fight for survival leads him to the discovery of the colony’s dark secret—the key to the entire war.

Fear The Liberator is a space opera thriller, set in a future where human factions face catastrophic challenges colonizing the rims of the Milky Way Galaxy.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Aliens

240 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 19, 2015

About the author

Mars Dorian is a recovering world traveler, a web-based illustrator and an indie sci-fi author.

He's created artwork for startups and popular podcasts such as The Unmistakable Creative and written viral articles for renowned marketing blog 'Grow' by Mark Schaefer.

He loves telling compelling stories using words and pictures, dealing with future technologies and how they impact human lives...forever. His books tackle futuristic topics such as privatized military, human/alien contacts and cybernetic humanity.

When Mars is not busy getting lost in the worlds he has created, he can be contacted via his website www.marsdorian.com/contact

Reviews

[Per Gunnar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Mars Dorian’s second book and it is, to no ones surprise I hope, the second book that I read from this author. His first book was a pretty whacky story of “warhipsters” and a super capitalistic world (the Ferengis would be amateurs in this world) where warfare was done more based on financial reasoning rather than anything else. Each round of expended ammo was counted and you could make “in-war” purchases. Take that you people that complain about in-app purchases! I actually found his first book rather fun reading and although this one is fairly different it is also quite fun reading.

I would classify this as an adventure/mystery story in space with a nice mix of space combat, character interaction and mystery solving. RX, which is a rather funny name but then the name of his best buddy is D12 which is not much better, is a pilot as the book blurb states. He might be elite in his own eyes but the rest of the world do not consider him as such. Actually he has real problems with his combat ratings.

The author could not entirely let go of the capitalistic tones of his previous book although they are not so pronounced in this one. Even so, the pilots have to pay their own expenditure like food etc. on board the company carrier and their financial gains are entirely dependent on their performance. So to say that there is a wee bit of a competition between some of the pilots would be an understatement.

As the blurb states, RX crashes on a unknown (or is it?) planet and finds himself among a bunch of mysterious colonists with weird behaviours. This is where the mystery bit starts and the story becomes quite different from the first parts of the books. It is still quite nice reading though. Maybe the way things play out is somewhat predictable at times but the author has put together a story with enough originality in it to make the reader interested in what happens next. It is difficult to go into details without spoiling the story so I will refrain from doing that.

The book is a fairly quick read though, partly because it is rather short at around 250 pages. I think there would have been room to add a few pages to make the story more detailed. Especially in the initial world building. How did this “universe” come about? It is somewhat hinted that RX did not have a mother but was grown artificially. Is he a company product or?They obviously travel being in hypersleep. Why? Usually hypersleep means that you cannot travel fast enough to be awake all the time but the rest of story seems to assume that you can get from A to B via FTL travel. I know that the author do not like technical details but these kind of “inconsistencies” tend to stick out, at least for me.

Having said that I did like the APEX fighter and the space combat stuff. Weapon load-out, including the description of the weapons and how they were used as well as the combat manoeuvring was quite okay.

On the whole this was a fun and enjoyable book to read. It did end in a way too predictable and somewhat annoying cliff-hanger though. I have an aversion against cliff-hangers in general but this one was just like the traditional last 30 second of a horror movie where the monster (or it’s spawn or whatever) rears its ugly head just before the end texts starts to roll. Apart from the cliffhanger itself there are a some loose threads and hints spread around in the last couple of chapters hinting at a sequel. Okay, okay I am not sure how to do that one better myself given that there was a need to continue the story for a (planned?) second book so I’ll shut up on that part now.

Regardless of that I hope that the author continues to write science fiction. The writing is quite ok for a young writer and the stories are imaginative and does not necessarily follow the mainstream of science fiction. So far I have liked both books although the wackiness of the first one is probably something that I can only digest in small dozes. This one is more my style. If the author decides to write a sequel I will more than likely pick it up.

[Mike Nemeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

RX-88 is a corporate soldier deep in debt in author Mars Dorian's "Fear the Liberator: A Space Opera." He's so much a part of the system that his employer's logo is stamped into his chest. He's a fighter pilot, who to survive the cutthroat competition required by Stryker Solutions TM, must continually improve his fighting percentage to rise within the ratings. He's good, but he thinks too much. He's not like Arrow, who's perfect in every way and an almost Soviet-style super soldier appearing in Stryker advertisements. And she's his nemesis. RX just wants to improve his numbers and pay off his creditors, who constantly badger his personal communicator. He's got to get a better assignment, bigger numbers and a better payday. But somebody out there doesn't like him. Four nameless, faceless thugs pound him into submission. His medical treatment costs him more money, as do the computer printed meals he eats. Then RX gets sent off on an assignment that goes terribly wrong. There's a major explosion. He should have died. Instead, he's transported to a world in which war is outlawed. Everything's cool. They just want to live in peace. RX doesn't like it. Something's fishy. And indeed paradise has a catch. But this is where Dorian really makes Liberator a novel that stands out in the military science fiction genre. His commentary on corporate warfare then meets up with a completely different philosophy. They clash. Through RX, who now goes by Rex, he shows how somebody bred for battle can mellow, accept other forms of governance. RX has to heal from injuries sustained in his crash landing on Evergreen. He's offered free love. He can't accept. Too weird. Unsanitary. But he sees some of the value. Then he discovers there are secrets. Layers of them. He works to unravel the mystery despite everything against him. I slammed through this book over two days. Dorian has a unique writing style that's quite engaging. He has fresh ideas and an imagination that takes on big topics like some of the greats in the sci-fi world.

[Jonathan Lupa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall : A fast paced, military science fiction, following the story of a pilot going through a string of troubles.

The Good : Pacing was good, characters were good. Reading was light and fast. Early work by an independent author, which is always nice to see. The settings were well executed, as was the overall political landscape of the galaxy-building.

The Bad : The light language, dialog heavy prose, and language selection target this book towards a slightly younger reader, in my mind. I'd put this towards the YA spectrum. Nothing wrong with that of course, but it's important to know what you are getting into from the start.

The Ugly : Ugly? More weird, but the book goes through a number of pretty radical setting/plot shifts. Reminiscent of Steakley's Armor (which is a terrific book). I spent some real time context shifting... "Oh, this is that kind of book. Ooops, no, it's actually THAT kind of book. Oh, I guess not, it's something else." The author does a good job with it, but it was a little weird.

All that said, I did quite enjoy it, and will look forward to the followup.

[Inge Hildebrandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

FTL is a smart sci-fi thriller about an elite pilot (or wannabe) who fails an important mission and lands on a planet he knows nothing about. Once he comes in contact with the estranged colonists that are not mentioned on any database, the real conspiracy begins.

The most surprising thing? The witty dialogue and the many twists. I was surprised till the last, and I mean, the very last page.

And even though this is (military) sci-fi, I'm glad the author didn't overdo it with the action and tech. The focus is mainly on the interesting characters, and I like it that way. Even though I don't appreciate what he did to my favorite character, heh.

I wish the theme (which I'm NOT going to spoil) would be even deeper, but since it's the author's 3rd book (according to his Amazon page), there's room for growth. Some questions are left unanswered, so I hope the writer follows up with a sequel.

Looking forward to it!

[Nenad Huskić · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man this Book, it's awesome, easy to read and interesting.

I liked how the action kept going, and it kept me interested in it till the end.
Book have some interesting topics like slavery, Hectic lifestyle of modern man (or woman), Ranking system that doesn't say much how it gives the rank

If i need to say something bad about it is that some of the topics weren't explored enough, like how the war is run, or simple term tehno bable, how the universe work in this book, FTL, CrySleep, Military units that i suspect are clones.

I hpe that author makes this into a 3 or 4 part series, and hopefully he will explain some of the things in the next books. Also i would like to see some more descriptions, some of the rooms, and vehicles werent rly nicely explained. I rly like to put myself on board of carrier, and have some thoughts of how the ship looks from outside

All in all great book to read while you travel, or lay on the beach and sunbath :P

[Mars Dorian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my 3rd book.

I wanted to write a novel that deals with Nietzsche's "The Will To Power", a popular concept that I wanted to tell in a futuristic world where mankind has colonized the rims of the Milky Way Galaxy.

It's more serious than my last book "Attack Planet", and comes with mystery and intrigue, something I hope readers find compelling as they follow the protagonist's journey through the hostile colonist world and its many secrets. Looking forward to your reviews!

[David Miles · Rating 3 out of 5]

An under-appreciated fighter jock struggles within a mercenary Unit to achieve glory and credits. I enjoyed the concept, but I was distracted by the names of the characters (hated them) and their interactions with each other. I've been in the Army for 20 years, and I know how troops think and act and react to certain situations, and I had a hard time buying the reactions of Rx and others.

Troops (even pilots) swear and engage in vulgar shenanigans when coping with stress. They also bond incredibly close and deal with rivalry quickly, decisively, and usually in a painful manner for one (if not both) of them if all-else fails. That really didn't happen here, and I kept wanting to slap Rx upside the head because of it.

Some of the wording seemed a bit forced to me and the PC "swearing" ("...what the fuzz?") detracted from my enjoyment of the book, but all-in-all I found the plot interesting. I'd like to see the author try for something deeper, grittier and more "true" to the reality of human emotions. Give the characters that and I think this book would really pop.

The author provided this book to me in exchange for my honest review on Goodreads.

[Jesse Fort · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Plot

I started this book not knowing where it was going to lead to. I must say I was surprised. The writing style feels more like a person retelling a story instead you reading a book which I found quite refreshing. Since a synopsis of the book is already available to you I will not reveal the plot details. I hate spoilers. The book is pretty well written, good pace and action. A few editing mistakes but nothing that took away from the story. I would have liked to have seen more background on the main character RX. Is he human, cyborg, a grown clone? This question bothered me, but it was the only thing I am also happy to say that based on the ending that there will be more of RX in the future. I read a lot of military sci-fi from indie authors, don't pass on this book. It is a good read with a different story than traditional ones.

[Greg Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and engaging read - my first from Mars - with likable characters and an interesting environment (I would have liked more insight into the operations of Stryker, what sorts of 'upgrades' were available, etc). Even the sassy Arrow was entertaining in her on-screen time in a "Oh, that's just Arrow being Arrow" kind of way. The 'will to power' theme definitely showed through in the story.

My biggest gripe was the amount of grammatical errors and formatting/structure issues that were somewhat distracting and, at times, a little confusing ("Wait, who's supposed to be saying that?").

[Michael Martell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fear the liberator was a great read, I enjoyed Rex and the life aboard the carrier striving to make ends meet. Then the change of scenery was well done and characters were enjoyable. This would definitely be one of my must reads, the plot is well thought out I don't want to give out any spoilers but pick it up you won't be disappointed. I am interested in seeing where the second book goes.

[Soulsun h · Rating 3 out of 5]

RX is a pilot of an experimental spaceship, owned by an orbital military corp. During the intergalactic war, he's sent to attack the enemy's space station but crashes and lands on a planet nobody knows about by accident. Rescued by mysterious colonists, RX has to deal with their strange way of life and their dangerous technology. The pilots fight to live brings him to the discovery of the colony’s dark secret. The key to the entire war. Fear The Liberator is a space thriller id say. It is made as if it was in the future. And that's where humans face challenges for battles in space colonizing in the Milky Way Galaxy! The scenes were changed well. And Many great enjoyable characters. I would recommend this book to someone who like astronauts or people who like space. I don't want to spoil anything for people who want to read this book but also the plot is thought out great.

[richard a rishell · Rating 4 out of 5]

, very interesting

And a lot strange. But I enjoyed am I sick? One would wonder. It was an interesting book and I could recommend it to you.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

First let me point a few things out before I get to the actual review:

1. The author contacted me via Goodreads asking me to read his book and provide an honest review based on the fact that I have reviewed other sci-fi/fantasy material including Star Wars books.

2. I was told by the author that this book was professionally edited and proofread.

3. The concept of this book seemed to have great potential.


This book has a few high rated reviews already and I have to wonder why because quite honestly, it's not a good book. The great potential from the concept is wasted in poor writing, lack of imagination and bad execution.

The book is presented as a Military, Space Opera, Character based novel. It's none of these things. Each one of those categories requires a certain type of writing to pull it off and the author doesn't manage to do that at all. He claims that he wanted to write a book resembling those but without all the extra technical jargon from a Military sci-fi or the in depth to the maximum descriptions known to a Space Opera. He did manage to not do those things but to the other extreme. This book lacks description altogether. There is no world building, no real character description. You don't really even know much about the main character except that he's in debt (somehow), is a space pilot who was suppose to be good but doesn't seem to actually be good (why is that?). You aren't even really told where he comes from. You have to infer that for yourself. This lack of character description extends to each and every character in the book. I wonder if this was really the true intent of the author or just a lack of ability.

There are a ton of things in this book that are quite annoying:

- it may have been professionally edited and proofread (meaning someone was paid to do it) but that doesn't mean it was done well. For example: pretty much everywhere in this book that the word "I" is suppose to be contracted with another word...it's not. So instead of a sentence that is suppose to have I'm, I'll, I've or I'd...it just has I. Sloppy.

- The author uses "chit-chat" constantly in this book. It may be the most annoying thing I've ever read in a book in my entire life. In fact, I've never seen it written in a book before and I've never heard anyone use "chit-chat" as a verb....chit-chatting. The use of a thesaurus would have been nice in these instances.

- This book takes place in the far distant future where Earth (Terra) is treated more like a myth. Then why are the characters doing 21st century things and acting 21st century-ish? Fist Bumping? Seriously? The occasional foul language. Take a page from Battlestar Galactica and change those things. Be more futuristic.

- A line from the book talks about RX listening to his breathing and enjoying the silence. How can he listen to something and enjoy silence at the same time? He can't.

- One page the colonists act like it's impossible for someone to be from space and the next, they accept it like it's no big deal.

One of my worst gripes...it's okay to put obscure references to other works of sci-fi to show you are a fan. I recently gave props to an author for referencing Buck Rogers when his character said he went to William Rogers academy. However...some franchises and references are sacred. One of those is Star Wars. So when you write a line in your book saying that's a "galaxy far far away"...you're going to get slammed. It's poor taste.

Honestly I could go on. There are more things in the book that are bad but a lot can probably be lumped under lack of description/imagination. I've already spent more time on this book than I should have.

Are there twists and turns in this book, a mystery to be solved? Sure...but the pay off isn't worth the journey it takes to get there.

Read a different book.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast but not too bright fighter pilot gets victimized by what amounts to supersoldier office politics, and crashes fortuitously close to an unknown colony of zombified people. His multiple efforts to get the real story and to mediate between various rival parties all end with explosions. This plotline serves as a reasonably sturdy foundation, but the quick action grinds to a halt more than once while the main character is dissed and teased at tedious length by a another pilot. Also, there are a lot of rough edges--ranging from disgusting turns of phrase ("...the grimace of someone who ate fetus for breakfast." "Too bad her character sucked Separatist dick." "Norma staggered and fell over like a meat bag.") to space battles fought at artificially close range ("His scanners picked up the space station thousands of kilometers away. Distance to target: 6.793 km.") and a credibility destroying reference to "supernovas unleashing their brilliance millions of kilometers away." I enjoyed it, but kept being pitched out of the story by these distractions.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fear The Liberator: A Space Opera Novel was a fast and fun read detailing the adventures of Rex, a spaceship fighter pilot. In his world, pilots pay for every weapon, round of ammunition, and meal eaten. Their pay is based on a ranking system and Rex is talented, but struggling to climb the leader board towards riches. This compels him to take a risky job with the potential of high profits, which swings the main story arc.

The book was an enjoyable escape even though the plot twists were predictable, characters under-developed, and text poorly edited. I applaud the efforts of budding authors, such as Mars Dorian. Unfortunately, FTL would be a straight to bargain rack paperback.