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The Catherine Kimbridge Chronicles
The Infinity Brigade #1 Stone Cold
Death of a World/Birth of a Marine... By any reasonable definition, this was a bad day. My parents and sister were on Mars when the planet died. I watched it happen and could do nothing. That type of thing changes a man.
- GenresScience Fiction
126 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 20, 2016
123 people are currently reading
64 people want to read
About the author
Andrew Beery
56 books49 followersI am a geek with a passion for God [I am a fulltime Presbyterian Pastor/Retired computer programmer.]
I'm an unrepentant technologist with over 25 years in the "Information Technology" field -much of it as a Senior Manager of Research and Development.
I have a wonderful wife named Lori, and two fantastic daughters... CJ and Jackie. CJ is ten years the elder and is in college (Muskingum University, New Concord Ohio).
All four of us love Science Fiction, Scuba Diving and good food. Lori and the girls share a passion for music and the piano - regrettably I have absolutely no skills in this area. I do have a passion for Notre Dame and Green Bay Packer Football.
About my writing...
My current passion is a pure Science Fiction series following the adventures of a future "Horatio Hornblower" style character called "Admiral Catherine Kimbridge". I have also co-authored a fantasy series with my eldest daughter (CJ) called "The Ways of Mages"
PLEASE NOTE: All of the proceeds from the first book in each series goes to funding food banks and homeless ministries... So enjoy an inexpensive read and know that you are helping someone else in the process!
Blessings
Pastor Andy
I'm an unrepentant technologist with over 25 years in the "Information Technology" field -much of it as a Senior Manager of Research and Development.
I have a wonderful wife named Lori, and two fantastic daughters... CJ and Jackie. CJ is ten years the elder and is in college (Muskingum University, New Concord Ohio).
All four of us love Science Fiction, Scuba Diving and good food. Lori and the girls share a passion for music and the piano - regrettably I have absolutely no skills in this area. I do have a passion for Notre Dame and Green Bay Packer Football.
About my writing...
My current passion is a pure Science Fiction series following the adventures of a future "Horatio Hornblower" style character called "Admiral Catherine Kimbridge". I have also co-authored a fantasy series with my eldest daughter (CJ) called "The Ways of Mages"
PLEASE NOTE: All of the proceeds from the first book in each series goes to funding food banks and homeless ministries... So enjoy an inexpensive read and know that you are helping someone else in the process!
Blessings
Pastor Andy
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
June 1, 2018
Mediocre, boring
I bailed somewhere between 16% and 20% into the book. The background that makes the first pages of the book not seem crazy is missing. You cannot understand what's happening if you haven't read the other series novels. I didn't because I hadn't.
There were no memorable characters and it was degenerating into another "aren't U.S. marines wonderful" story. Training wasn't easy!!! Surprise. Marines don't recruit men and women, they recruit "guys and gals". Maybe it's just me but that's sexist out of the gate. The dialogue such as it was, fit these stereotypes (really can't call them characters).
Aliens attack Mars, not Earth??? to start a war. Apparently all groundforce troops are marines and all marines are U.S. marines. I never found out if all Earth Space forces were all American (of the real variety) or not. Maybe the writer has talent, maybe not but it wasn't on hand when he wrote this book. He was able to find a Ramirez and voila he has created a good representation of the U.S. population. Not particularly creative, accurate or sane.
I hope that the guys and gals of the U.S. space force won the war but I'll never find out. Good book with which to go to sleep, you don't have to finish it.
I will not bother to read the rest of the series. It felt like a waste of my time.
I bailed somewhere between 16% and 20% into the book. The background that makes the first pages of the book not seem crazy is missing. You cannot understand what's happening if you haven't read the other series novels. I didn't because I hadn't.
There were no memorable characters and it was degenerating into another "aren't U.S. marines wonderful" story. Training wasn't easy!!! Surprise. Marines don't recruit men and women, they recruit "guys and gals". Maybe it's just me but that's sexist out of the gate. The dialogue such as it was, fit these stereotypes (really can't call them characters).
Aliens attack Mars, not Earth??? to start a war. Apparently all groundforce troops are marines and all marines are U.S. marines. I never found out if all Earth Space forces were all American (of the real variety) or not. Maybe the writer has talent, maybe not but it wasn't on hand when he wrote this book. He was able to find a Ramirez and voila he has created a good representation of the U.S. population. Not particularly creative, accurate or sane.
I hope that the guys and gals of the U.S. space force won the war but I'll never find out. Good book with which to go to sleep, you don't have to finish it.
I will not bother to read the rest of the series. It felt like a waste of my time.
April 11, 2017
First book in the series I have read. The book has good potential, unfortunately I think it will take a great editor to help it reach that potential. I found it read like a slightly watered down Starship Troopers, if the main character in ST was obsessed with his own brilliance, perfect physique, superiority over all including his instructors etc, and had a nonstop internal monologue congratulating himself.. Perhaps it would appeal to some people as written, judging from the ratings it is doing quite well, but I couldn't get past the inconsistencies, and the young bratty teenagers at a summer camp feel of the training and boot camp. A huge amount of redundant dialog, excessive quotations and references to other books/movies that seemed to be too focused on being clever to add to the story. Things like calling the mechanized body armour Stark suits, and having a character pause to contemplate the name, just in case the reader might have missed the reference, or the constant repetition of the main character's uncle's name(Luke Hamill) over and over to reinforce the cleverness of combining an actor's last name and the first name of a character he played in the same genre.
Plot holes etc should be closed up as well. For example at the start of the long drawn out Mars sequence, the main character is informed that at one point they will face the drill sergeants in training and are certain not to win. This never happens.
I think the author has room to grow and some great ideas. With the right editor I would be inclined to have another go at the series, I am saving the series name to check back in a few books and see if there's been any improvement.
Plot holes etc should be closed up as well. For example at the start of the long drawn out Mars sequence, the main character is informed that at one point they will face the drill sergeants in training and are certain not to win. This never happens.
I think the author has room to grow and some great ideas. With the right editor I would be inclined to have another go at the series, I am saving the series name to check back in a few books and see if there's been any improvement.
November 27, 2016
I enjoy books where training to get skills is part of the subject. Boot camp for AG Stone and his mates was well described and the details of the weapons and other items were explained in a way that made sense to me. The first-person point-of-view immersed one into the story. There was always an exciting moment where something happened and the action kept on coming.
Looking forward to the next book in the series.
Looking forward to the next book in the series.
June 1, 2018
Good stories
If your idea of a good space opera requires pornography and profanity, you won't find that in these books. If you are looking for a set of good old fashion stories in the tradition of EE (Doc) Smith or John Campbell, or H Beam Piper then yes. the old trope of the good, competent, protagonist who tackles the impossible job anyway because it needs doing, these are good. I've enjoyed the entire set of the Kimbridge universe books.
If your idea of a good space opera requires pornography and profanity, you won't find that in these books. If you are looking for a set of good old fashion stories in the tradition of EE (Doc) Smith or John Campbell, or H Beam Piper then yes. the old trope of the good, competent, protagonist who tackles the impossible job anyway because it needs doing, these are good. I've enjoyed the entire set of the Kimbridge universe books.
June 10, 2018
Spot on!
Yes, yes, yes. I'm going to love this series!!! The author has captured the essence of learning to command... Maybe not the essence. But he takes a philosophical wack at it. I've lived through the he'll of basic training and learning to be a good NCO then finally made it through officer training... The story story line pro iced me with me with flashes of recognition that made me smile. I can't wait to read the additional stories!!!
Yes, yes, yes. I'm going to love this series!!! The author has captured the essence of learning to command... Maybe not the essence. But he takes a philosophical wack at it. I've lived through the he'll of basic training and learning to be a good NCO then finally made it through officer training... The story story line pro iced me with me with flashes of recognition that made me smile. I can't wait to read the additional stories!!!
December 27, 2018
Good book for the first one in the series
A good book for a first book in the series, not as preachy as some of his other books. Maybe it’s because it revolves around a Marine in the same universe as cat Cambridge. This book is more character driven so far, not enough science fiction but a very good book.
A good book for a first book in the series, not as preachy as some of his other books. Maybe it’s because it revolves around a Marine in the same universe as cat Cambridge. This book is more character driven so far, not enough science fiction but a very good book.
February 7, 2019
Great
This was a great book, in my opinion. The characters grow through the book; starting as Marine trainees to full-fledged Marines. The training adventures of this group show how buddies grow close and depend on each other. Tragedy is what brought the protagonist into the service but he found his family and himself as well. A very enjoyable read.
This was a great book, in my opinion. The characters grow through the book; starting as Marine trainees to full-fledged Marines. The training adventures of this group show how buddies grow close and depend on each other. Tragedy is what brought the protagonist into the service but he found his family and himself as well. A very enjoyable read.
April 28, 2019
A very entertaining read not a classic but well worth reading. I agree with other comments that the book is written in the style of Heinlein, Doc Smith etc who wrote a number of very good books before their classics. I will certainly read the next book in the series and hope to enjoy it as much as the first
April 24, 2018
Great start to the series
I am very pleased with development of cmdr stone character and his various exploits to date. I eagerly look forward to experiencing more of his adventures in the books that follow.
I am very pleased with development of cmdr stone character and his various exploits to date. I eagerly look forward to experiencing more of his adventures in the books that follow.
August 27, 2018
Great, but get proofreading
I found tons of errors, especially the use of where instead of were. Big difference. Make more stories but please check the spelling and correct word usage.
I found tons of errors, especially the use of where instead of were. Big difference. Make more stories but please check the spelling and correct word usage.
December 16, 2018
Can't wait to read more
I was suppose to be studying or practicing computer coding but this was good. Very likable characters, simple story, no craziness. This is going to be a long and unproductive weekend.
I was suppose to be studying or practicing computer coding but this was good. Very likable characters, simple story, no craziness. This is going to be a long and unproductive weekend.
January 21, 2019
First off, I was irritated that there were no follow up books to this. It feels like things were just getting started.
An enjoyable book with good characters and setting. This is the first of Beery's books I've read.
Looks like there are a bunch of others I'll have to check out.
An enjoyable book with good characters and setting. This is the first of Beery's books I've read.
Looks like there are a bunch of others I'll have to check out.
January 15, 2019
A rousing "John Wayne" type action story. Very enjoyable and easy read.
dnf-not-for-me
August 9, 20211/10: Couldn't get past the first few chapters; not for me.
March 3, 2017
This is a well told coming of age story along the lines of Starship Troopers or Ender's Game.
Dr. Beery can spin a good story. He keeps the pace up and the padding down. His characters are believable and he sketches them in a few good sentences.
This is a good read.
Dr. Beery can spin a good story. He keeps the pace up and the padding down. His characters are believable and he sketches them in a few good sentences.
This is a good read.
September 19, 2016
Stone cold the infinity brigade#1
Wow. I loved this character. Stone , manages to be faster, better and smarter than almost everyone around him.
Where this would make most people arrogant jerks. It doesn't him , he retains his humanity , shows a helping hand to those around him and generally seems to be someone you would love to know personally.
This book I hope is one of a long line of books , the author reminds me of (Robert Heinlein ) with his fast paced narrative and great grasp of military behavior but he seems to have a better sense of humor and be a little more flexible in his rhetoric.
But he had many greats in sci-first to model himself after ,Heinlein was an original ,never to be replaced but he emulates him well.
This book was a rollicking rollercoaster adventure from the start and it's also a lot of fun. A lot of military science fiction is over maudlin and can be depressing. But this book manages to treat a heavy subject matter with humor and joy. Yet still doesn't come off as comedy , that's hard to do right and the author did so really well. I know I'll be following every adventure to come . A great read worthy of five stars!!
Wow. I loved this character. Stone , manages to be faster, better and smarter than almost everyone around him.
Where this would make most people arrogant jerks. It doesn't him , he retains his humanity , shows a helping hand to those around him and generally seems to be someone you would love to know personally.
This book I hope is one of a long line of books , the author reminds me of (Robert Heinlein ) with his fast paced narrative and great grasp of military behavior but he seems to have a better sense of humor and be a little more flexible in his rhetoric.
But he had many greats in sci-first to model himself after ,Heinlein was an original ,never to be replaced but he emulates him well.
This book was a rollicking rollercoaster adventure from the start and it's also a lot of fun. A lot of military science fiction is over maudlin and can be depressing. But this book manages to treat a heavy subject matter with humor and joy. Yet still doesn't come off as comedy , that's hard to do right and the author did so really well. I know I'll be following every adventure to come . A great read worthy of five stars!!
August 17, 2016
Pulls you in and doesn't let go
Nice story development, characters quickly become real as each is introduced. Blending of old world marines with new reminds you of the uniqueness of marines as an institution. Look forward to book 2.
Nice story development, characters quickly become real as each is introduced. Blending of old world marines with new reminds you of the uniqueness of marines as an institution. Look forward to book 2.
October 8, 2016
A fun read.
Following the exploits of Marine recruit AJ Stone kept e page turning. AJ has skills and is a bit of a rebel. He gets into and out of trouble relying on dining which at time seems demented. A very good read indeed.
Following the exploits of Marine recruit AJ Stone kept e page turning. AJ has skills and is a bit of a rebel. He gets into and out of trouble relying on dining which at time seems demented. A very good read indeed.
August 3, 2016
Very fast reading excellent training novel for a Marine recruit
August 14, 2016
Interesting story
Marines have all the fun. Just joking good book with a great expectations for the next book. See you on the other side.
Marines have all the fun. Just joking good book with a great expectations for the next book. See you on the other side.
August 29, 2016
Omg!
The ending was a slap in the face! I was eating this thing up and you slammed the door. I neeed more.very good series intro. I anxiously await the next. Thx
The ending was a slap in the face! I was eating this thing up and you slammed the door. I neeed more.very good series intro. I anxiously await the next. Thx
September 18, 2016
I liked it
I liked it , the character was fun and ridiculous, like John Wayne meets kirk. A nice balance between all aspects
I liked it , the character was fun and ridiculous, like John Wayne meets kirk. A nice balance between all aspects
September 19, 2016
Oorah
Love the story. Exciting from beginning to end. I recommend this book to everyone who loves the Marine Corps will love this book.
Love the story. Exciting from beginning to end. I recommend this book to everyone who loves the Marine Corps will love this book.
September 22, 2016
Excellent
A step back to the golden years of the fifties and sixties science fiction. Reminds me of Heinlein or Norton. A good clean read. Definitely recommend
A step back to the golden years of the fifties and sixties science fiction. Reminds me of Heinlein or Norton. A good clean read. Definitely recommend
September 24, 2016
Good, enjoyable read
Well written, enjoyable book. Definitely worth reading, and will have me looking into other stories by the author. Thank you.
Well written, enjoyable book. Definitely worth reading, and will have me looking into other stories by the author. Thank you.
December 6, 2016
Ooh-rah!
This is a good chronicle of life in the Corps. Well written and well told. A somewhat unusual hero, but altogether a good read.
This is a good chronicle of life in the Corps. Well written and well told. A somewhat unusual hero, but altogether a good read.
April 11, 2017
(Format : Audiobook )
""I am not a sir, I work for a living.""
Nearly eight years after his home, his parents and his little sister died when life on Mars was destroyed, Anthony Grant Stone, one time surfer and out of control youth, joins the marines. He survives boot camp and prospers. This is his story.
Not an altogether new theme but engaging, nevertheless, with some neat twists to the training. Well characterised and written, it opens the way to a new series which promises to be most enjoyable.
Narrator Adam Verner is excellent, really becoming Stone, the boy becoming man. He really assumed the persona as well as differently voicing all of the other characters with an authenticity which brings them very much to life. Only one exception: one of Stone's friends, another recruit nick-named JJ, is British, but the accent on the audio most certainly is not. But this is a small quibble and the resultant voice is certainly distinctive and consistent.
I very much enjoyed Beery's book, Stone Cold, the first of the Infinity Brigade series, but stand alone in it's own right, and look forward to hearing the next, Stone Hard
""I am not a sir, I work for a living.""
Nearly eight years after his home, his parents and his little sister died when life on Mars was destroyed, Anthony Grant Stone, one time surfer and out of control youth, joins the marines. He survives boot camp and prospers. This is his story.
Not an altogether new theme but engaging, nevertheless, with some neat twists to the training. Well characterised and written, it opens the way to a new series which promises to be most enjoyable.
Narrator Adam Verner is excellent, really becoming Stone, the boy becoming man. He really assumed the persona as well as differently voicing all of the other characters with an authenticity which brings them very much to life. Only one exception: one of Stone's friends, another recruit nick-named JJ, is British, but the accent on the audio most certainly is not. But this is a small quibble and the resultant voice is certainly distinctive and consistent.
I very much enjoyed Beery's book, Stone Cold, the first of the Infinity Brigade series, but stand alone in it's own right, and look forward to hearing the next, Stone Hard
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews