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The Frontiers Saga (Part 1): Discovery #13
A Show of Force
The liberation old worlds... The addition of new allies... The fall of a regime... The death of a trusted friend... The Aurora begins clearing a 20 light year sphere of safety around Earth, taking out Jung forces as they liberate the core systems. However, Captain Scott and the Alliance quickly discover that not every world wants to be liberated, and the Jung have a few surprises of their own.
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First published April 1, 2015
331 people are currently reading
267 people want to read
About the author
Ryk Brown
58 books853 followersBorn in 1960 and raised on an overdose of television, NASA, and science fiction, Ryk Brown has worked as a cook, rock guitarist, stage lighting technician, and paramedic. He currently resides in Northern California with his wife, daughter, and cat. By day he fixes computers, and by night he creates stories.
Having spent his entire life "thinking stuff up", the advent of digital publishing has finally given him an excuse to write it all down and share it with others. ("Others" meaning someone other than his poor wife and daughter.)
A long-time fan of all things science and space, his goal is to write and publish an on-going series of sci-fi adventures. To be set in his own version of humanity's future, his characters will explore the vast reaches of the galaxy, and perhaps even the universe. He invites you all to join him on this journey through his vivid imagination.
Having spent his entire life "thinking stuff up", the advent of digital publishing has finally given him an excuse to write it all down and share it with others. ("Others" meaning someone other than his poor wife and daughter.)
A long-time fan of all things science and space, his goal is to write and publish an on-going series of sci-fi adventures. To be set in his own version of humanity's future, his characters will explore the vast reaches of the galaxy, and perhaps even the universe. He invites you all to join him on this journey through his vivid imagination.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
January 20, 2017
This is one of my favorite space operas. It has been great fun watching Ryk Brown evolve into an excellent author. This is the 13th book in the series. The series should be read in order otherwise the reader is lost. This author does not go back and fill in details from prior books.
In the last book, Earth has been cleared of the Jung. The Arora and Celestia are all shot up and the asteroid repair station is also damaged. In this book the repairs are in process and Nathan sets out to clear the Jung from neighboring star systems. He hopes to save them from destruction by the Jung and convert them into allies for the Alliance. Jessica once again goes undercover on a strange planet. The Arora faces off two Jung battleships alone. Unfortunately, Brown kills off one of the key characters. Oh, how could he! The book ends in a cliff hanger.
The book is well written. In fact, Brown’s writing improves with each book. The plot twists and turns. The action is non-stop and the pace is fast. Brown continues to build his characters and adds new ones. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.
Jeffrey Kafer does an excellent job narrating the book. Kafer has narrated all the books in the series, which I think is great to have only one narrator for the series.
In the last book, Earth has been cleared of the Jung. The Arora and Celestia are all shot up and the asteroid repair station is also damaged. In this book the repairs are in process and Nathan sets out to clear the Jung from neighboring star systems. He hopes to save them from destruction by the Jung and convert them into allies for the Alliance. Jessica once again goes undercover on a strange planet. The Arora faces off two Jung battleships alone. Unfortunately, Brown kills off one of the key characters. Oh, how could he! The book ends in a cliff hanger.
The book is well written. In fact, Brown’s writing improves with each book. The plot twists and turns. The action is non-stop and the pace is fast. Brown continues to build his characters and adds new ones. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.
Jeffrey Kafer does an excellent job narrating the book. Kafer has narrated all the books in the series, which I think is great to have only one narrator for the series.
May 10, 2015
The only real problem with "A Show of Force," the 13th in the Frontiers Saga series, is that I've completed reading it. Damn. And despite the fact that in the back author Ryk Brown promised another episode soon, I'm still bumming. The Ghatazak's Telles has got to be one of the highlights. Prince Casmir plays a significant role, and the Jung are back on the offensive after taking a serious beating. The Alliance has growing pains, the jump drive is susceptible to theft and our heroes learn that the Jung are far more sophisticated an enemy than they anticipated. They have spying down to a science, to a nanite level. The NSA in comparison are a bunch of hacks. Brown's just toying with my mind. He makes it tough to be a fan as he beats the bejesus out of his characters. This is not some episodic series in which he ties of lose ends easily. Brown likes to make his fans sweat with his characters. Saving the universe for freedom is not a simple thing. It takes sacrifice. I get that. But damn, I need another fix. What the heck happened? I just finished the book today. Does it show?
February 27, 2021
A Show of Force felt a little different from the previous books in the Frontiers Saga, and it’s a difference, and a change, that I welcome.
The stakes of the series has been raised over the last couple of books, and while the previous books have had a tendency to feel (not without exceptions) like it’s not a question of whether our heroes will win, but how, this book adds some, not necessarily needed, but certainly welcomed, nuance to that feeling. As the costs of winning becomes more apparent, the approach the Alliance has to take in the battle against the Jung no longer feels like a matter of winning or losing – it feels like having to decide what the best possible outcome might be, and how to get there.
Aside from that, this book also had some twists, and added some new elements to the story, which I didn’t see coming at all. Again, not needed, but very much welcomed.
All in all, this book did take a while to ramp up, but once it got there, it became a more wholesome book than what I’ve been used to from this series.
The stakes of the series has been raised over the last couple of books, and while the previous books have had a tendency to feel (not without exceptions) like it’s not a question of whether our heroes will win, but how, this book adds some, not necessarily needed, but certainly welcomed, nuance to that feeling. As the costs of winning becomes more apparent, the approach the Alliance has to take in the battle against the Jung no longer feels like a matter of winning or losing – it feels like having to decide what the best possible outcome might be, and how to get there.
Aside from that, this book also had some twists, and added some new elements to the story, which I didn’t see coming at all. Again, not needed, but very much welcomed.
All in all, this book did take a while to ramp up, but once it got there, it became a more wholesome book than what I’ve been used to from this series.
April 15, 2015
Boy! These books are exciting! I can’t get enough of them. Yet, I’m reluctant to start each one because I know the story will quickly be over and I’ll have to wait for the next episode. I hate waiting!
I know writing is hard. And I also know it takes a lot of time and effort to get a good story-line developed and keep it going to satisfy the fan-base as it grows. Well, Ryk Brown has no problem doing that with his Frontiers Saga book. If you’re just starting on the Saga, you won’t understand what’s going on now so I strongly recommend you start at the beginning.
The action is extremely fast in this episode. We’re out to kick some butt; specifically, some Jung butt! Earth or the Alliance has decided to go on the offensive and start clearing out the Jung on occupied worlds within 20 lightyears of Earth. That’s just a great strategic idea, but we’ve only got one ship, the Aurora, that is combat ready plus a fews Scout ships and some Falcon fighters. We can land a boat load or two of Ghatazhak soldiers to take care of ground forces, but we still don’t have all the weapon platforms we need. The Celestia is in dry-dock getting repaired. She should be there for about two-months which is a long time for one of the only two jump capable Earth capital ships.
Still, Admiral Dumar and Capt Nathan Scott (Aurora Actual) have decided that it’s time and they can’t wait any longer. So, off they go to liberate a number of star systems. They’re not asking if anyone wants to be liberated either. Yeah, we’ve planted some spec-ops prior on some of the planets to find what the locals feel about the Jung, but one way or another, the Jung are going out.
There’s a ton of space fighting and ground fighting in this episode. Everything seems to going just great for the Alliance. but no book ends on a happy note in this series. Something always pops up and has to be dealt with, but that only guarantees a next book which is great.
Somebody important dies in this book. You need to read it to find out who. How it’s going to shape the rest of the story; I have no clue. While Earth has it’s problems with the Jung, it’s not a paradise in the Pentarus Cluster.
Great writing, pretty good editing and this isn’t a particularly short book, but you will want to read it continually so set a good day or two aside. Now, where’s the next episode?
I know writing is hard. And I also know it takes a lot of time and effort to get a good story-line developed and keep it going to satisfy the fan-base as it grows. Well, Ryk Brown has no problem doing that with his Frontiers Saga book. If you’re just starting on the Saga, you won’t understand what’s going on now so I strongly recommend you start at the beginning.
The action is extremely fast in this episode. We’re out to kick some butt; specifically, some Jung butt! Earth or the Alliance has decided to go on the offensive and start clearing out the Jung on occupied worlds within 20 lightyears of Earth. That’s just a great strategic idea, but we’ve only got one ship, the Aurora, that is combat ready plus a fews Scout ships and some Falcon fighters. We can land a boat load or two of Ghatazhak soldiers to take care of ground forces, but we still don’t have all the weapon platforms we need. The Celestia is in dry-dock getting repaired. She should be there for about two-months which is a long time for one of the only two jump capable Earth capital ships.
Still, Admiral Dumar and Capt Nathan Scott (Aurora Actual) have decided that it’s time and they can’t wait any longer. So, off they go to liberate a number of star systems. They’re not asking if anyone wants to be liberated either. Yeah, we’ve planted some spec-ops prior on some of the planets to find what the locals feel about the Jung, but one way or another, the Jung are going out.
There’s a ton of space fighting and ground fighting in this episode. Everything seems to going just great for the Alliance. but no book ends on a happy note in this series. Something always pops up and has to be dealt with, but that only guarantees a next book which is great.
Somebody important dies in this book. You need to read it to find out who. How it’s going to shape the rest of the story; I have no clue. While Earth has it’s problems with the Jung, it’s not a paradise in the Pentarus Cluster.
Great writing, pretty good editing and this isn’t a particularly short book, but you will want to read it continually so set a good day or two aside. Now, where’s the next episode?
April 14, 2016
Losing interest
Another one I pretty much just skim through. Theres so much jumping its very redundant. The author still thinks we dont know theres a flast of blue when they jump so he tells us after every jump. Jessica is the worst spec ops in the galaxy always going on missions then blabbing everything to a stranger always just short of that one critical piece of information. Its annoying she cant keep her mouth shut. Most of the series you can pretty much skip the first 65% and just read the ending. Im losing interest but ill finish it after so much investment in time and money.
Another one I pretty much just skim through. Theres so much jumping its very redundant. The author still thinks we dont know theres a flast of blue when they jump so he tells us after every jump. Jessica is the worst spec ops in the galaxy always going on missions then blabbing everything to a stranger always just short of that one critical piece of information. Its annoying she cant keep her mouth shut. Most of the series you can pretty much skip the first 65% and just read the ending. Im losing interest but ill finish it after so much investment in time and money.
April 3, 2015
And it continues...
Excellent follow-up to the last book. As usual, the story keeps going, leaving me waiting for the next in the series. I really had trouble putting this novel down....
Excellent follow-up to the last book. As usual, the story keeps going, leaving me waiting for the next in the series. I really had trouble putting this novel down....
April 3, 2015
It continues
Another good read with all action. Some deeper character development would develop the story even more. I would also enjoy a pov from the enemy.
Another good read with all action. Some deeper character development would develop the story even more. I would also enjoy a pov from the enemy.
October 1, 2018
13 oh crap the Jung got away with a jump ship this is a disaster. Damn damn damn. Takarañs have started a civil war it's not looking good for the alliance.
March 7, 2019
Good Action & Strategic - but based on bad science
Same strengths and weaknesses as recent novels in series. "Gasoline" fueled spaceships & not recognizing that relativist KKV gain so much mass they fold/warp space so bad as to likely stop any nearby FTL drive of any type - but particularly any space folding (wormhole) continuous microjump drive. The whole being able to monitor but not touch FTL ships was a bit artificially and awkwardly contrived plot mechanism. The author could have used an extradmimensional drive that was not an immediate end to end wormhole travel but then monitoring during travel would have been impossible without same drive. I suppose the author could have just been a bit more vague as to the exact physics and hand waved something about each ship having a quantum bubble and Pauli exclusion of some sort preventing interaction beyond observation of either precise position or speed (Heisenburg twist). That would have been confused and murky enough to prevent being nailed down as obviously flawed physics. It would also probably kept the author from trying to mess with interception physics rules beyond his grasp.
I just have to feel that the author cheated physics for pure plot convenience and arrived at situations that were overly contrived. I suspect he had gut feel it was bad physics dropped but he figured he could sell it audience. And perhaps he could have gotten a pass from me -- except the new physics blooper was always inserted at the exact moment to yield a major plot twist instead of introduced well in advance as an unimportant comment or consideration.
Overall a great epic tale...but with real sore spots in the spinning of the yarn.
Same strengths and weaknesses as recent novels in series. "Gasoline" fueled spaceships & not recognizing that relativist KKV gain so much mass they fold/warp space so bad as to likely stop any nearby FTL drive of any type - but particularly any space folding (wormhole) continuous microjump drive. The whole being able to monitor but not touch FTL ships was a bit artificially and awkwardly contrived plot mechanism. The author could have used an extradmimensional drive that was not an immediate end to end wormhole travel but then monitoring during travel would have been impossible without same drive. I suppose the author could have just been a bit more vague as to the exact physics and hand waved something about each ship having a quantum bubble and Pauli exclusion of some sort preventing interaction beyond observation of either precise position or speed (Heisenburg twist). That would have been confused and murky enough to prevent being nailed down as obviously flawed physics. It would also probably kept the author from trying to mess with interception physics rules beyond his grasp.
I just have to feel that the author cheated physics for pure plot convenience and arrived at situations that were overly contrived. I suspect he had gut feel it was bad physics dropped but he figured he could sell it audience. And perhaps he could have gotten a pass from me -- except the new physics blooper was always inserted at the exact moment to yield a major plot twist instead of introduced well in advance as an unimportant comment or consideration.
Overall a great epic tale...but with real sore spots in the spinning of the yarn.
February 2, 2021
The Alliance has decided to go on the offensive. If they can clear the Jung out of the systems within one light year of Sol, they can give the military a full year to rebuild. But nothing comes easy.
Another terrible and tragic installment for this series. I am more in shock than anything but as much as I love this series I don’t seem to be emotionally attached to most of the characters. I wasn’t a weeping mess with the many characters lost in this book.
I think Nathan Scott is the most difficult thing to handle. Now that he is is not in charge of the Earth’s defense he seems to have lost his conscience. He is not affected by the thousands of lives he has been taking. I felt this a little bit in the last book but this book the change is enormous. Nathan is almost like a completely different person.
Also, the events that go wrong in this book are bad. In fact the ending is depressing and dark. I really don’t know how things will ever be able to be the same. This was my least favorite book in the series.
R- Language. The language continues to be horrendous. Violence. There is still tons of very graphic violence and horrible death scenes.
Another terrible and tragic installment for this series. I am more in shock than anything but as much as I love this series I don’t seem to be emotionally attached to most of the characters. I wasn’t a weeping mess with the many characters lost in this book.
I think Nathan Scott is the most difficult thing to handle. Now that he is is not in charge of the Earth’s defense he seems to have lost his conscience. He is not affected by the thousands of lives he has been taking. I felt this a little bit in the last book but this book the change is enormous. Nathan is almost like a completely different person.
Also, the events that go wrong in this book are bad. In fact the ending is depressing and dark. I really don’t know how things will ever be able to be the same. This was my least favorite book in the series.
R- Language. The language continues to be horrendous. Violence. There is still tons of very graphic violence and horrible death scenes.
January 3, 2020
It's interesting seeing A Show of Force escalate from where we were earlier in the series. The Aurora and her crew have kicked one evil empire's butt, freed the Earth, and are now taking the fight to the Jung, clearing a 20 light year radius.
It's a pretty crazy book, with lots of fights, both on the ground and in space. Nothing hugely surprising happens, with most of the book pushing towards the final confrontation I expect we'll see shortly. We do see a lot more of the Jung now, seeing them as at once more human and at the same time as a force worth fighting. It's far better than the faceless evil enemies that we've had for so long.
And that ending... Oy.
Space travel and fighting among the many and varied colonies of humanity is never going to be the same...
My last book of 2019, I look forward to finishing this series in 2020.
It's a pretty crazy book, with lots of fights, both on the ground and in space. Nothing hugely surprising happens, with most of the book pushing towards the final confrontation I expect we'll see shortly. We do see a lot more of the Jung now, seeing them as at once more human and at the same time as a force worth fighting. It's far better than the faceless evil enemies that we've had for so long.
And that ending... Oy.
I suppose I should not be complaining about a twelve second comm-lag over a distance of nearly twelve light years.
Space travel and fighting among the many and varied colonies of humanity is never going to be the same...
My last book of 2019, I look forward to finishing this series in 2020.
September 20, 2017
Before you start this book, please realize it is #13 in a series: if you haven't read the other books in the series in order, this one will make no sense to you.
This installment is a major pickup in the action and pace of the last novel, which is significant as episode #12 really stepped it up a few notches. The Alliance takes the fight directly to the Jung, Casimar is fighting a civil war, and you have non-stop action from the first chapter to the end. Similar to other episodes in this series, I also appreciate how the advances in future technologies aren't described over your head, and you can get your arms around it and understand it.
As usual, and without having a spoiler, there was yet another cliffhanger ending but it was something I didn’t see coming and I think this is one of the better plotted and written episodes of the series. Unlike other space operas that may have worn out their welcome after a few books, I'm ready for the next episode.
This installment is a major pickup in the action and pace of the last novel, which is significant as episode #12 really stepped it up a few notches. The Alliance takes the fight directly to the Jung, Casimar is fighting a civil war, and you have non-stop action from the first chapter to the end. Similar to other episodes in this series, I also appreciate how the advances in future technologies aren't described over your head, and you can get your arms around it and understand it.
As usual, and without having a spoiler, there was yet another cliffhanger ending but it was something I didn’t see coming and I think this is one of the better plotted and written episodes of the series. Unlike other space operas that may have worn out their welcome after a few books, I'm ready for the next episode.
January 10, 2024
Becoming repetitive
As other reviews have mentioned, after 12 books, we know the act of jumping a space ship causes a blue flash, we don't need to be reminded every time the event occurs
Battles are also becoming far too predictable and again repetitive. Most battles can be summed up with "lots of jumping, lots of lasers, lots of missiles, Aurora wins". What actually gets described is pages of detail, that feels like each paragraph is just a repeat of the previous one
So all of that's the negative, thankfully there are still enough positives to make this an ok story. The political intrigue is becoming interesting and the Jungs ability to "brain wash" people opens up a whole new set of issues for the alliance.
Overall not as good as previous books due to the items mentioned, it still worth sticking with, in the hope that things revert to more of a 4* standard
As other reviews have mentioned, after 12 books, we know the act of jumping a space ship causes a blue flash, we don't need to be reminded every time the event occurs
Battles are also becoming far too predictable and again repetitive. Most battles can be summed up with "lots of jumping, lots of lasers, lots of missiles, Aurora wins". What actually gets described is pages of detail, that feels like each paragraph is just a repeat of the previous one
So all of that's the negative, thankfully there are still enough positives to make this an ok story. The political intrigue is becoming interesting and the Jungs ability to "brain wash" people opens up a whole new set of issues for the alliance.
Overall not as good as previous books due to the items mentioned, it still worth sticking with, in the hope that things revert to more of a 4* standard
August 26, 2017
This was another great chapter in an epic series. The Alliance gets cocky in its plans for a war against the Jung and almost gets its head chopped off. The Ghatazhak encounter staggering losses and are forced to retreat. The nobles stage a coup further complicating the Alliance plans for a 20 light year zone of protection for Earth. Brown has the natives of the liberated planets question the Alliances rational for their actions. All these factors plus some major character developments make this chapter in the epic story worth reading. Plus the Jung are given a voice finally.
December 18, 2023
13 books in and the plot and characters are getting out of control. Lots of action scenes but hard to keep track of who is doing what on which planet/star system and how this affects the overall war going on. Major wins and losses all around but i do hope the next one stays focused more on fewer people.
May 4, 2018
The Alliance continues to clear an area around the earth. Yet, things don't always go as planned, and even the Gottajack can have a really bad day. Victory can be transformed in an instant, into disaster.
March 21, 2019
Another excellent episode in this always entertaining saga. The space battles are thrilling and the political elements are intriguing. This is a very long, and continuing story but the pace never lets up, characterisation is very good and there are plenty of surprises.
October 9, 2024
The escalation in this book and the next couple was really dramatic in scale and really makes you start to wrestle with ethics of war and violence, which I think is very worthwhile in the context of American audiences who grow up on (excuse me) masturbatory violence as entertainment.
June 20, 2017
The sweeping saga continues
More explosions, more technology, more battles, spec-ops skuldugery, saving the alliance is very hard work. You should read this series!
More explosions, more technology, more battles, spec-ops skuldugery, saving the alliance is very hard work. You should read this series!
September 17, 2017
A gripping adventure
I cannot stop reading this space navy book series. It's an amazing and thrilling ride that's building and building with great action and relatable characters.
I cannot stop reading this space navy book series. It's an amazing and thrilling ride that's building and building with great action and relatable characters.
October 12, 2017
The suspense goes on
More victories, more challenges. The battle goes on. Mixture of hope and despare. Heroism and new challenges. Battles a little too detailed.
More victories, more challenges. The battle goes on. Mixture of hope and despare. Heroism and new challenges. Battles a little too detailed.
December 12, 2017
another action packed sequel in this series. I don't really know how to review this because if you are 13 books in you know what your going to get. overall an amazing sci series.
April 23, 2019
Great read
Great Series so far can’t wait to read the rest of the series. I highly recommended this to all readers. The plot twists are ever changing
Great Series so far can’t wait to read the rest of the series. I highly recommended this to all readers. The plot twists are ever changing
September 8, 2019
Very good series with very well written characters. Very much enjoyed the whole series start to finish.
August 3, 2021
I am not sure if this one started to feel repetitive or whether the ending was a bit painful and it caused me to take a break... for a couple of weeks. I'm back on episode 14.
Read
January 8, 2023Went on a binge of this whole series. Fun stuff.
January 10, 2023
Stakes are high
Stakes are high; people are dying. I do not like seeing some of my favorite characters get blasted away...who is going to be left? On to the next book...
Stakes are high; people are dying. I do not like seeing some of my favorite characters get blasted away...who is going to be left? On to the next book...
June 13, 2023
As the stakes rise and some of the series’ plot armour is finally removed we get some real drama at last.
March 21, 2024
You know, I feel like things coulda gone a lot smoother if Jessica'd just keep her big mouth shut instead of sharing intergalactic secrets like they were dinner conversation topics.
March 14, 2025
Damn! Another great installment in this Crazy, thrilling at ever escalating gories. Can't Wait to start the next one !
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews