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Empire
A new YA space opera from bestselling author Logan Rutherford...
When the aliens invade, the trainees aboard the USTS Empire have no backup, no hope…and no other option but to fight…
Hayden Key is on his final training mission: two weeks wartime simulation aboard the venerable USTS Empire with his fellow recruits. The last step before starting a career as an officer in the Space Fleet. Hopefully the first step in learning something about his father’s scarcely mentioned military history.
When Captain Joshua Ivan, disgraced war hero and practically a relic like the ship he commands, discovers the president’s son is one of the new recruits, a dark secret from his past threatens to expose itself.
But it’s no longer a simulation when Earth’s long-time enemy invades.
The attacking aliens think nothing of one stranded old warship occupied by a has-been officer and an untrained lot of cadets. Captain Ivan helped defeat this force forty years ago, but now they have penetrated Earth’s defenses and threaten humanity’s extinction.
Captain Ivan, Hayden Key, and the group of trainees have to get back to Earth to help thwart the aliens forces and save their loved ones. But they soon realize that they have no backup, no hope…and no other option but to fight…
This new series from #1 Bestselling Author Logan Rutherford is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat with characters you won't forget, and twists you won't see coming. Pick up your copy and join the Empire today!
When the aliens invade, the trainees aboard the USTS Empire have no backup, no hope…and no other option but to fight…
Hayden Key is on his final training mission: two weeks wartime simulation aboard the venerable USTS Empire with his fellow recruits. The last step before starting a career as an officer in the Space Fleet. Hopefully the first step in learning something about his father’s scarcely mentioned military history.
When Captain Joshua Ivan, disgraced war hero and practically a relic like the ship he commands, discovers the president’s son is one of the new recruits, a dark secret from his past threatens to expose itself.
But it’s no longer a simulation when Earth’s long-time enemy invades.
The attacking aliens think nothing of one stranded old warship occupied by a has-been officer and an untrained lot of cadets. Captain Ivan helped defeat this force forty years ago, but now they have penetrated Earth’s defenses and threaten humanity’s extinction.
Captain Ivan, Hayden Key, and the group of trainees have to get back to Earth to help thwart the aliens forces and save their loved ones. But they soon realize that they have no backup, no hope…and no other option but to fight…
This new series from #1 Bestselling Author Logan Rutherford is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat with characters you won't forget, and twists you won't see coming. Pick up your copy and join the Empire today!
271 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 15, 2016
17 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 12, 2017
Another great work from Mr. Rutherford. If you have not read any of his books, you need to start. They are so engaging, well paced and just good fun to read. Empire continues this tradition with a fascinating new story line.
June 29, 2017
Excellent
Why four stars? I rarely give 5 because that implies perfection. This book is good, very good and the characters are alive. Book two, Oblivion, should by out now so it's time to look for it.
Why four stars? I rarely give 5 because that implies perfection. This book is good, very good and the characters are alive. Book two, Oblivion, should by out now so it's time to look for it.
March 18, 2017
Good read
Nice start to a series cannot wait for the next one .. .. . . . . . . .
Nice start to a series cannot wait for the next one .. .. . . . . . . .
November 16, 2016
Rutherford is best known for his work with the ‘Mortis’ and ‘First Supers’ series. This is his first foray into the Military Space scene, and he has certainly made his stamp, proving that he is capable of writing in any genre that he wants.
This is a fun, fast pasted, action packed story of a Captain with a past and a crew of recruits facing an enemy that hasn’t been seen in a lot of years. The enemy has returned in force, with new weapons, and shielding that cannot be penetrated by their weapons. In a short period of time, the forces of humanity are overrun leaving everything in despair. All that remains for any hope is ‘EMPIRE’ a ship with a Captain who was once a hero and is now a bitter wreck with PTSD, haunted by the memories of the previous war. The rest of the crew is made of recruits on their final training mission – this is all that stands between the Murtok and the destruction of Humanity.
This is a story with multiple facets, there are space battles, apocalyptic battles on the surface of planets, as well as some exceptional character interactions.
This has always been a real strength of Rutherford’s work, his Character’s and their interactions. ‘Empire’ is no exception as there are some really great characters. The Captain, Ivan, is incredibly well done as a man who spent his life fighting against enemies in space, and has lost so much in his life. As a result, he is now a bitter and resentful person, filled with hate and anger, and plagued with visions of the past brought on by PTSD. He has been banished to a training ship as he is still a legend, and trains cadets each year on their final ‘live’ training simulations.
Hayden Key is another interesting character as the President’s son, who has joined the military against his father’s wishes. He is very well known, and this is challenging for him as a recruit.
There are other primary characters including Mia on Earth as it is under attack, Vick, Hayden’s friend, Millie another cadet, Ben, Hayden’s nemesis. All of these are exceptionally well written, with a depth to them that makes you want to get to know them better, and understand their back stories. This is the brilliance of Rutherford’s writing, he draws you in and keeps you wanting more, so you can’t put the book down, and once it’s done, you just really want to pick up the next one.
There is no argument here that some of the concepts in this book have been done before, but let’s face it, there is not a lot Mil Sci-Fi that hasn’t been done before these days. It’s the quality that counts, how well it’s written, the characters, and how much entertainment you get out of it. And this certainly doesn’t disappoint. This a fantastic fun read with all the right ingredients, and I can’t wait for the next one (Jan seems so far away!)
This is a fun, fast pasted, action packed story of a Captain with a past and a crew of recruits facing an enemy that hasn’t been seen in a lot of years. The enemy has returned in force, with new weapons, and shielding that cannot be penetrated by their weapons. In a short period of time, the forces of humanity are overrun leaving everything in despair. All that remains for any hope is ‘EMPIRE’ a ship with a Captain who was once a hero and is now a bitter wreck with PTSD, haunted by the memories of the previous war. The rest of the crew is made of recruits on their final training mission – this is all that stands between the Murtok and the destruction of Humanity.
This is a story with multiple facets, there are space battles, apocalyptic battles on the surface of planets, as well as some exceptional character interactions.
This has always been a real strength of Rutherford’s work, his Character’s and their interactions. ‘Empire’ is no exception as there are some really great characters. The Captain, Ivan, is incredibly well done as a man who spent his life fighting against enemies in space, and has lost so much in his life. As a result, he is now a bitter and resentful person, filled with hate and anger, and plagued with visions of the past brought on by PTSD. He has been banished to a training ship as he is still a legend, and trains cadets each year on their final ‘live’ training simulations.
Hayden Key is another interesting character as the President’s son, who has joined the military against his father’s wishes. He is very well known, and this is challenging for him as a recruit.
There are other primary characters including Mia on Earth as it is under attack, Vick, Hayden’s friend, Millie another cadet, Ben, Hayden’s nemesis. All of these are exceptionally well written, with a depth to them that makes you want to get to know them better, and understand their back stories. This is the brilliance of Rutherford’s writing, he draws you in and keeps you wanting more, so you can’t put the book down, and once it’s done, you just really want to pick up the next one.
There is no argument here that some of the concepts in this book have been done before, but let’s face it, there is not a lot Mil Sci-Fi that hasn’t been done before these days. It’s the quality that counts, how well it’s written, the characters, and how much entertainment you get out of it. And this certainly doesn’t disappoint. This a fantastic fun read with all the right ingredients, and I can’t wait for the next one (Jan seems so far away!)
November 21, 2016
YA ? I Hope?
If YA, maybe 2 -- didn't go back n check, scared. I'm a little irked w myself by continuing to read, kind of -- started skimming rather early. Review is my punishment.
40 years prior, Earth beat back invasion by bad, evil aliens. CO of a very old n highly automated ship was hero of that war and currently does training cruises w academy cadets, much like today's Navy Annapolis cadets taking Old Ironsides out for a spin. It's kinda of a punishment billet for him n I'm not really sure why. Might of been in skimmed parts -- a lot of them.
Anyway, bad evil aliens show up again w cadets on board and old, combat vet freezes and silver spoon cadet saves the day, and silver spoon cadet continues to save the day again, and again, ..... The author also uses the Grenada incident where fire support was received via switchboard operator at Camp Lejuene but this time CO finds out Earth invaded via phone to daughter he hasn't talked to in 2 years. Somehow evil aliens killed all communications except phones? From xx light years away?
I'm not going any further other than to say that story wasn't very credible and as it moved along it just got worse. Story went left, right, left -- timing, sequence, consistency were all off. Somehow CO daughter gets to be MC around middle of book n we get her POV for huge chunks of story. Don't know why, don't care and I had no interest in her nor any other character. I admit to wholesale skimming after silver spoon cadet saves day second, third time? Not sure if my 14 yr old would have bought this.
If YA, maybe 2 -- didn't go back n check, scared. I'm a little irked w myself by continuing to read, kind of -- started skimming rather early. Review is my punishment.
40 years prior, Earth beat back invasion by bad, evil aliens. CO of a very old n highly automated ship was hero of that war and currently does training cruises w academy cadets, much like today's Navy Annapolis cadets taking Old Ironsides out for a spin. It's kinda of a punishment billet for him n I'm not really sure why. Might of been in skimmed parts -- a lot of them.
Anyway, bad evil aliens show up again w cadets on board and old, combat vet freezes and silver spoon cadet saves the day, and silver spoon cadet continues to save the day again, and again, ..... The author also uses the Grenada incident where fire support was received via switchboard operator at Camp Lejuene but this time CO finds out Earth invaded via phone to daughter he hasn't talked to in 2 years. Somehow evil aliens killed all communications except phones? From xx light years away?
I'm not going any further other than to say that story wasn't very credible and as it moved along it just got worse. Story went left, right, left -- timing, sequence, consistency were all off. Somehow CO daughter gets to be MC around middle of book n we get her POV for huge chunks of story. Don't know why, don't care and I had no interest in her nor any other character. I admit to wholesale skimming after silver spoon cadet saves day second, third time? Not sure if my 14 yr old would have bought this.
November 24, 2016
Punk Space Cadets Fight Indomitable Aliens.
Full disclosure: I missed the "YA," started reading, and stuck with it till the unresolved ending. Shame on me.
"Empire," is a quick moving, emotion-driven, action-oriented, fantasy space drama, targeted to young adults. Apparently, the youthful author (twenty-one years old), does not believe his peer group and targeted audience, needs coherent writing, plots that are not inane, basic military and/or science knowledge, or simple intelligence. The eBook is more a mindless narrative to accompany a video game, than a story.
A class of emotionally stunted, soon to graduate, space fleet cadets, are assigned to a decades old, former warship, as their final test. The sole crew [sic] of the "USTS Empire," is a broken, former hero, who has "issues." The captain has an AI and "'bots," to assist in maintaining the ship. One cadet, is a pretentious son of the U.S. President, while another is the cowardly bully son of the losing Presidential candidate. All get involved in a "hot" war, as former alien adversaries, return to attack Earth and her colonies, after a forty-year armistice.
If you enjoy reading video game descriptions, you may like "Empire." If you enjoy good SciFi, regardless of your age, be forewarned, as this isn't.
"Empire," was fully read via Kindle Unlimited and is not recommended.
Full disclosure: I missed the "YA," started reading, and stuck with it till the unresolved ending. Shame on me.
"Empire," is a quick moving, emotion-driven, action-oriented, fantasy space drama, targeted to young adults. Apparently, the youthful author (twenty-one years old), does not believe his peer group and targeted audience, needs coherent writing, plots that are not inane, basic military and/or science knowledge, or simple intelligence. The eBook is more a mindless narrative to accompany a video game, than a story.
A class of emotionally stunted, soon to graduate, space fleet cadets, are assigned to a decades old, former warship, as their final test. The sole crew [sic] of the "USTS Empire," is a broken, former hero, who has "issues." The captain has an AI and "'bots," to assist in maintaining the ship. One cadet, is a pretentious son of the U.S. President, while another is the cowardly bully son of the losing Presidential candidate. All get involved in a "hot" war, as former alien adversaries, return to attack Earth and her colonies, after a forty-year armistice.
If you enjoy reading video game descriptions, you may like "Empire." If you enjoy good SciFi, regardless of your age, be forewarned, as this isn't.
"Empire," was fully read via Kindle Unlimited and is not recommended.
January 18, 2017
Good and entertaining
This story grips you quickly and you'll want to finish it all in one sitting.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
On the down side though. The publisher should hire a proof reader that has at least some experience with English language because the typos, runons, and misused words are bothersome.
This story grips you quickly and you'll want to finish it all in one sitting.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
On the down side though. The publisher should hire a proof reader that has at least some experience with English language because the typos, runons, and misused words are bothersome.
December 25, 2016
Excellent
Superb story telling that makes for compulsive reading. I finished this in one day and am very excited to get the next episode. Great stuff, don't miss out.
Superb story telling that makes for compulsive reading. I finished this in one day and am very excited to get the next episode. Great stuff, don't miss out.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews