What do you think?
Rate this book
Rise of Mankind #1
Behemoth
Three years ago, Earth was attacked by an invading force so devastating, only one ship in the fleet survived. Their hard won victory came from the aid of an alliance of aliens long at war with an aggressive force. With the aid of advanced technology, humanity retrofitted their surviving vessel. The Behemoth became a shield against any future incursions. Now a strange ship has arrived, heading straight toward Earth. As it is not answering hails, the Behemoth heads out to intercept. The operation is interrupted by other visitors from beyond the solar system. Outnumbered the Behemoth must fend off the invaders once again but this time, the stakes are much higher.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 7, 2016
474 people are currently reading
797 people want to read
About the author
John Walker
1,214 books163 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
May 25, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this quick read. It wasn't terribly deep, nor particularly ingeniously-crafted, I just found it to be a lot of fun. Okay, so "fun" will always be in the eye of the beholder, but still. To me, it felt like an episode of "Star Trek" or "Babylon-5." One of the GOOD episodes, of course. The pacing, the scenario, the unfolding of events, it was pretty much just like that. I noticed what appeared to be some influence from the flight-sim game "Descent Freespace the Great War," which I've spent many hours playing, and its sequel "Fresspace-2," which, ditto.
I did notice a few things that had me vacillating between 3 and 4 stars, things that I hope the author irons out in later instalments of the story arc:
Some of the characters seemed too informal for the crew of a starship, addressing each other by first name far more often than by rank.
Those pesky apostrophes in alien names, apostrophes that don't seem to do anything linguistically, other than make the name look exotic in print. What's with that, anyway?
The alien co-main character uses contractions in speech, something that didn't feel quite genuine to me.
I'm not entirely sure the back-of-the-book blurb matched up too well with the actual story, but I readily acknowledge that synopses are a first-rate pain in the rear to write.
To the author's credit, he mostly avoided making his solutions too convenient, as they tend to be on "Star Trek." (Sure, in TV, there are concrete production reasons why certain things wind up rushed, but still.) He also made a valiant, and I think mostly successful, effort to make the tech. at least as believable as anything out of Trek, B5, or Star Wars.
I did notice a few things that had me vacillating between 3 and 4 stars, things that I hope the author irons out in later instalments of the story arc:
Some of the characters seemed too informal for the crew of a starship, addressing each other by first name far more often than by rank.
Those pesky apostrophes in alien names, apostrophes that don't seem to do anything linguistically, other than make the name look exotic in print. What's with that, anyway?
The alien co-main character uses contractions in speech, something that didn't feel quite genuine to me.
I'm not entirely sure the back-of-the-book blurb matched up too well with the actual story, but I readily acknowledge that synopses are a first-rate pain in the rear to write.
To the author's credit, he mostly avoided making his solutions too convenient, as they tend to be on "Star Trek." (Sure, in TV, there are concrete production reasons why certain things wind up rushed, but still.) He also made a valiant, and I think mostly successful, effort to make the tech. at least as believable as anything out of Trek, B5, or Star Wars.
April 30, 2020
This is a new author to me; one of his first books that I’ve read, but certainly not the last. Our story is about a huge starship that Earth has built to defend itself from attacking aliens. Earth has survived their first encounter with an alien race bent on the destruction and eradication of humanity. How it survived that initial encounter is not totally known since there wasn’t any prior books in this series. That’s some what annoying because several times during the book, the characters mention what happened during the original defense of Earth, but we’re not provided the entire story. It appears that Earth’s entire space force, which wasn’t much, was almost totally destroyed, but with the aid of other allied aliens, the enemy was finally beaten back. Now Earth has built a massive space ship called the “Behemoth” and it is the defender of Earth and the Solar System.
Captain Gray Atwell commands the Behemoth. He has been with the ship since it’s first inception and has watched it grown into the monstrosity it now has become. It is definitely a fighting ship, and while huge, it can move far faster than one would expect. The crew has been trained and should be ready to do their duty and protect Earth from any future alien attacks. Aboard the Behemoth, Captain Atwell is advised by Clea An’Tufal of the Kielan, an allied alien race. She has knowledge of the enemy although her race has almost been exterminated.
The Behemoth has not been tested in battle. While she has weapons far superior than previous Earth ships and she also has a new shield system, none of this has actually been in a fight. Her crew is the same, most just came from various academies and have been assigned to the Behemoth as their first duty station. The Behemoth is a defensive weapon for Earth until another ship of her kind can be built. Hopefully, that will happen before another attack takes place.
That hope has now gone when an unidentified starship is found fast approaching Earth. It’s design and intent are completely unknown, even the alien advisor has no knowledge of this type of ship. It doesn’t appear to be one of the previous enemy ships, but who knows what’s out there in the vastness of space. The crew of the Behemoth is about to find out and be tested to their limits.
This is a very good book and makes an excellent start to a new series. The writing is straight-forward with minimal technology babbling although you do get an understanding that things work a little differently between alien and human ships. There is a lot of character building and not just focused on the Captain. In fact, the background for Captain Atwell is not greatly written about, but you get the feeling that he’s in his position because he earned it.
I am lucky in that the next book in the series, “Warfare” is already published and I have it on my reading list.
Captain Gray Atwell commands the Behemoth. He has been with the ship since it’s first inception and has watched it grown into the monstrosity it now has become. It is definitely a fighting ship, and while huge, it can move far faster than one would expect. The crew has been trained and should be ready to do their duty and protect Earth from any future alien attacks. Aboard the Behemoth, Captain Atwell is advised by Clea An’Tufal of the Kielan, an allied alien race. She has knowledge of the enemy although her race has almost been exterminated.
The Behemoth has not been tested in battle. While she has weapons far superior than previous Earth ships and she also has a new shield system, none of this has actually been in a fight. Her crew is the same, most just came from various academies and have been assigned to the Behemoth as their first duty station. The Behemoth is a defensive weapon for Earth until another ship of her kind can be built. Hopefully, that will happen before another attack takes place.
That hope has now gone when an unidentified starship is found fast approaching Earth. It’s design and intent are completely unknown, even the alien advisor has no knowledge of this type of ship. It doesn’t appear to be one of the previous enemy ships, but who knows what’s out there in the vastness of space. The crew of the Behemoth is about to find out and be tested to their limits.
This is a very good book and makes an excellent start to a new series. The writing is straight-forward with minimal technology babbling although you do get an understanding that things work a little differently between alien and human ships. There is a lot of character building and not just focused on the Captain. In fact, the background for Captain Atwell is not greatly written about, but you get the feeling that he’s in his position because he earned it.
I am lucky in that the next book in the series, “Warfare” is already published and I have it on my reading list.
April 6, 2020
Pretty good space opera
Ok space opera. Would have liked more buildin of characters. Lots of action. Overall good story. Well done. X x
Ok space opera. Would have liked more buildin of characters. Lots of action. Overall good story. Well done. X x
April 29, 2020
After a fight with an alien force, earth and its ally have launched a new massive warship which is going through training and shakedown near earth when an approaching unknown ship is detected. Fearing the worst they approach cautiously and after an initial confrontation with a fleet of drones launched form the strange ship they discover that the ship is running automatically and they board and make contact with the onboard AI. It seems the ship is occupied by a crew and passengers escaping from their planets destruction and are all in suspended animation. The Ship has suffered some damage and with the help of the AI the crew of the Behemoth work to get it repaired. While this is going on two more ships appear and these are not friendly in fact they are in pursuit of thestrange ship. A battle ensues and, oh why give it all away if it sounds intriguing look it up, its the of a box set of 10 novels.
November 3, 2016
Same-old,Same-old but different
The same old story of the only ship that earth has to defend itself against the bad guys. The really interesting hook in this story is that they go to challenge the bad buys who turn out to be good guys. Then comes the bad guys and the big fight, which we win naturally.
The same old story of the only ship that earth has to defend itself against the bad guys. The really interesting hook in this story is that they go to challenge the bad buys who turn out to be good guys. Then comes the bad guys and the big fight, which we win naturally.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 17, 2017
DNF.
This book is terrible. The dialogue slips off the page into an insipid puddle on the floor. The characters lack the width necessary to be two dimensional and 3d characters with depth are a distant dream.
And.. well... every piece of dialogue... well.. it's all crammed with enough ellipses and ums and ahs and wells to make it seem like this was dictated by a distracted Jeff Goldblum.
This book is terrible. The dialogue slips off the page into an insipid puddle on the floor. The characters lack the width necessary to be two dimensional and 3d characters with depth are a distant dream.
And.. well... every piece of dialogue... well.. it's all crammed with enough ellipses and ums and ahs and wells to make it seem like this was dictated by a distracted Jeff Goldblum.
March 19, 2017
Excellent read
I read this not knowing the author or series. I was so pleasantly surprised I read the book in two days. John Walker is now in my top five authors to read. This book is an adventure and believable to ask old SF fan. Thank you John Walker.
I read this not knowing the author or series. I was so pleasantly surprised I read the book in two days. John Walker is now in my top five authors to read. This book is an adventure and believable to ask old SF fan. Thank you John Walker.
August 5, 2019
Fantastic story line so far. Can't wait to find what happens in book two. One inportant note. Don't forget to read the prequel. The link is at the end of this book, or at the beginning of the book 1-10 version.
July 14, 2017
Great military sci-fi!
Wonderful characters engagements and a gripping read. Buying the next one asap.
If you like Star Trek or bsg or etc read it
Wonderful characters engagements and a gripping read. Buying the next one asap.
If you like Star Trek or bsg or etc read it
September 7, 2017
Rather enjoyed and have headed straight into book 2.
November 23, 2017
Great read
This was a great read. The book had plenty of action and the storyline went well with it. I couldn't stop reading it because of wanting to see what would happen next.
This was a great read. The book had plenty of action and the storyline went well with it. I couldn't stop reading it because of wanting to see what would happen next.
April 4, 2020
Synopsis: Mankind is just taking its first steps into space when it encounters a hostile alien race that annihilates the fleet -- all except for the lone warship, Behemoth. But before Behemoth can be destroyed, another alien race shows up and drives off the enemy. All of this happens before the book starts. Rise of Mankind #1 begins when the aliens reveal that there's an Alliance against this implacable foe and they'd like Humans to join and, while they're here, they'll upgrade the Behemoth and help mankind build new ships if they'll join the fight.
Reaction: I don't like to say thing like this, but the writing was dreadful - all hyberbole and forced drama! This is not a subtle narrative. However, not only did I finish this book, I read the other 9 (yes, nine!) in the series. Why? Mainly because I wanted to find out what happened. Each book takes Behemoth on a unique mission which build on one another until the conclusion in book 10.
Most of the characters have that lack of depth you find in some military novels -- the protagonists are noble and brave; the enemy is wicked and implacable; fighting honorably is the only way to resolve this conflict, but we will not back down! Quite some time is spent honoring fallen fictional colleagues and opining on their sacrifice.
All that said, I enjoyed the ride. Once I adjusted to the style and the drama! I was genuinely interested in finding out what happened.
Reaction: I don't like to say thing like this, but the writing was dreadful - all hyberbole and forced drama! This is not a subtle narrative. However, not only did I finish this book, I read the other 9 (yes, nine!) in the series. Why? Mainly because I wanted to find out what happened. Each book takes Behemoth on a unique mission which build on one another until the conclusion in book 10.
Most of the characters have that lack of depth you find in some military novels -- the protagonists are noble and brave; the enemy is wicked and implacable; fighting honorably is the only way to resolve this conflict, but we will not back down! Quite some time is spent honoring fallen fictional colleagues and opining on their sacrifice.
All that said, I enjoyed the ride. Once I adjusted to the style and the drama! I was genuinely interested in finding out what happened.
April 29, 2020
I wasn't sure what I was getting into with this, and I actually really enjoyed the hell out of it. For me this was a very quick read because it got me hooked pretty early (can't remember where) and than I just sailed off with it. It's one of those books which was absolutely not a chore during any part of it and was just purely enjoyable from start to finish for me which is why I've already picked up the second and intend to use this series to fill out my fifty books a year challenge! Well some of it at least!
Just the right amount of tension and suspense, and the right amount of optimism for my liking. I really like stories like this and already bought the second.
I will say though if you want a character drama, this isn't for you, I've seen some reviews crap on the characters but I mean this was a military science fiction novel which focuses on the conflict and the conflict is... military... it's combat and action focused.
Do not go into this thinking you're going to get anything but a joyride of action. Not that the characters weren't likeable and enjoyable for what they were, they were all of that, just not very deep. The story focuses on it's story and action, five stars for executing what it set out for perfectly.
Just the right amount of tension and suspense, and the right amount of optimism for my liking. I really like stories like this and already bought the second.
I will say though if you want a character drama, this isn't for you, I've seen some reviews crap on the characters but I mean this was a military science fiction novel which focuses on the conflict and the conflict is... military... it's combat and action focused.
Do not go into this thinking you're going to get anything but a joyride of action. Not that the characters weren't likeable and enjoyable for what they were, they were all of that, just not very deep. The story focuses on it's story and action, five stars for executing what it set out for perfectly.
July 2, 2017
This wasn���t a bad book, but although it seemed a lot was happening I found it quite slow going at times. I think there was just too much inconsequential detail, this didn’t help develop the characters and just got in the way of the action. In fact the ‘action’ consisted of basically one minor space skirmish, which took virtually the whole book.
One of the things I didn’t understand was if they defeated this ‘enemy’ before they had the Behemoth, why did they make such as bad job of it now.
As for most of the characters, they weren’t very well developed, by the end of the book I knew very little more than I did at the start.
There was enough in this story for me to try the next book, but I hope the author’s narrative is a bit more sophisticated in the next book and provides a better explanation of the ‘enemy’ and their capabilities.
One of the things I didn’t understand was if they defeated this ‘enemy’ before they had the Behemoth, why did they make such as bad job of it now.
As for most of the characters, they weren’t very well developed, by the end of the book I knew very little more than I did at the start.
There was enough in this story for me to try the next book, but I hope the author’s narrative is a bit more sophisticated in the next book and provides a better explanation of the ‘enemy’ and their capabilities.
March 21, 2020
I can’t quite phantom how is it possible to get all the books in the Rise of Mankind on Kindle for just $1.20 or something like that. Even if the books are average to below average. Writing x books which don’t sell is quite futile undertaking in my opinion. Well, maybe it is just an effort to make at least off of older series. I didn’t make any research and I don’t know the author...
For that price, you can’t really complain about its quality. There are some typos here and there. Some dialogues are quite boring, the action is a bit bland, uninspiring. There are some interesting turns here and there. Overall impression is not rather average. I finished the book and will probably read the next one too. Authors usually up their game in following books.
For that price, you can’t really complain about its quality. There are some typos here and there. Some dialogues are quite boring, the action is a bit bland, uninspiring. There are some interesting turns here and there. Overall impression is not rather average. I finished the book and will probably read the next one too. Authors usually up their game in following books.
August 28, 2017
There's just nothing here to really enjoy here. I read to 35% and gave up. The book reads like sci-fi anime...without the anime. The characters and plot line are cliché and interactions between characters are quite "wooden." In the first 35% the action was predictable and the dialogue was amateurish. I used to never give up on books but life is too short and it's the responsibility of the author to "hook you in."
August 8, 2018
A Decent Beginning
This wasn't a horrible book, just one that reads like the first official novel written by this author. The storyline was okay but the world felt underdeveloped, the characters were flat, and the battle scenes were...anticlimactic. I did see that there are at least 10 novels in this series, and since this novel read like the authors first book, I am willing to try the 2nd and look for the improvements.
This wasn't a horrible book, just one that reads like the first official novel written by this author. The storyline was okay but the world felt underdeveloped, the characters were flat, and the battle scenes were...anticlimactic. I did see that there are at least 10 novels in this series, and since this novel read like the authors first book, I am willing to try the 2nd and look for the improvements.
January 18, 2022
Very short and quick read. We follow the Behemoth, a ~kilometer long warship built by earth.
I would have liked to have seen more character development but there are 9 more books in the series, so still plenty of time.
We are told that there was an attack on earth prior to the novel by an alien race. And surprisingly they are shrouded in almost a veil of mystery.
Overall it was a good book, looking forward to continuing the series.
I would have liked to have seen more character development but there are 9 more books in the series, so still plenty of time.
We are told that there was an attack on earth prior to the novel by an alien race. And surprisingly they are shrouded in almost a veil of mystery.
Overall it was a good book, looking forward to continuing the series.
August 4, 2024
A Decent Beginning
The storyline begins with the conflict and opposing sides already established. With reference and slight descriptions for the initial engagement, we are rapidly assimilated into the next anticipated conflict. Character and plot development is sufficient, though sorting the individual characters and stories takes a bit of time. This installment ends with a win for our protagonists, and a cautious hope for a future.
The storyline begins with the conflict and opposing sides already established. With reference and slight descriptions for the initial engagement, we are rapidly assimilated into the next anticipated conflict. Character and plot development is sufficient, though sorting the individual characters and stories takes a bit of time. This installment ends with a win for our protagonists, and a cautious hope for a future.
February 22, 2019
Did not finish.
The characters are paper thin, the plot holes are enormous and the language is trite and often flawed. There was a voice in my head groaning and repeatedly saying, "that's just stupid."
There are so many books in this series that I suspect it gets better. I don't have the patience to find out though.
The characters are paper thin, the plot holes are enormous and the language is trite and often flawed. There was a voice in my head groaning and repeatedly saying, "that's just stupid."
There are so many books in this series that I suspect it gets better. I don't have the patience to find out though.
October 18, 2017
Good read
While the story has a good structure, I did not feel it introduced the characters enough to allow me to understand their place in the story well enough. I found the book overall readible but it lacked depth to encourage me the seek out book 2
While the story has a good structure, I did not feel it introduced the characters enough to allow me to understand their place in the story well enough. I found the book overall readible but it lacked depth to encourage me the seek out book 2
June 4, 2018
Sort Of.
This is one of those books that, whilst not ending in a cliffhanger, leaves you ambivalent. Do you want more or not? It's not a bad book and it's not a fantastic book but you will not be throwing your money away.
This is one of those books that, whilst not ending in a cliffhanger, leaves you ambivalent. Do you want more or not? It's not a bad book and it's not a fantastic book but you will not be throwing your money away.
February 18, 2020
Hotdamn!
I gave this book 5 stars because I enjoyed it so much.The characters were developed nicely it was nothing it was unusually ridiculous and it It was fast moving Easy to read Overall good job
I gave this book 5 stars because I enjoyed it so much.The characters were developed nicely it was nothing it was unusually ridiculous and it It was fast moving Easy to read Overall good job
November 14, 2020
Robert's Review and Comments
Good start to the series. Even with the prequel I am not sure of the tie between the first intruders and the ones described herein. Time will expand the storyline. Thanks for a GoodRead.
Good start to the series. Even with the prequel I am not sure of the tie between the first intruders and the ones described herein. Time will expand the storyline. Thanks for a GoodRead.
February 20, 2021
Great Sci-Fi action!
The action in this novel is as good or better than any other military Sci-Fi novel! Well written and cohesive story plot. I read whenever I get a chance but this story I made time to read!
The action in this novel is as good or better than any other military Sci-Fi novel! Well written and cohesive story plot. I read whenever I get a chance but this story I made time to read!
April 18, 2023
I think I'm too long in the tooth for these generic tropes.
I thought that I was going to get something different, but I didn’t, I should have paid closer attention to the blurb, my bad. I suppose it was the premise that drew me in, more fool me, I should have known better, at my age.
The “just in time,” scenarios, I can’t get the shields up captain, get me those weapons back online now, phew that was close; I'm sure these phrases have been exploited to the hilt, by many an author, over the years. So, I'm afraid to report, sadly nothing new here. Whether the next book is any better I'll have to see, now at the moment, it’s a 50/50 toss-up.
I thought that I was going to get something different, but I didn’t, I should have paid closer attention to the blurb, my bad. I suppose it was the premise that drew me in, more fool me, I should have known better, at my age.
The “just in time,” scenarios, I can’t get the shields up captain, get me those weapons back online now, phew that was close; I'm sure these phrases have been exploited to the hilt, by many an author, over the years. So, I'm afraid to report, sadly nothing new here. Whether the next book is any better I'll have to see, now at the moment, it’s a 50/50 toss-up.
September 2, 2023
3.5 a nice tight narrative. Pretty fun read. Nothing groundbreaking or anything. Just some good space fun with some charming and capable characters aboard The Behemoth, Earth’s only defence against galactic alien threats.
November 10, 2017
Ok but no real excitement
Found it very weak in the actual story. No real surprises. Took a while for the story to move along.
Found it very weak in the actual story. No real surprises. Took a while for the story to move along.
September 2, 2018
A middle of the pack Sci-fi adventure
It was an fairly interesting story with pretty decent writing but it never really had a wow factor for me.
It was an fairly interesting story with pretty decent writing but it never really had a wow factor for me.
October 18, 2018
If you took that scene from Independence Day where the humans upload a virus to the aliens using a laptop and made a whole book out of it, Behemoth is what you'd end up with.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews