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Earthrise #5

Earth Shadows

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The marauders, terrors from deep space, hit us hard. Our starships shattered. Our armies collapsed. Our cities crumbled. As Earth smolders, the marauders imprison us in camps. They farm us like cattle. They torture us for sport. Earth weeps. But there is hope. The Ghost Fleet, an ancient alien armada, might still exist in deep space. In a single starship, Sergeant Marco Emery and his friends seek this mythical fleet. They must find it. They must return with its might. Or the marauders will kill us all.

418 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 10, 2016

619 people are currently reading
254 people want to read

About the author

Daniel Arenson

148 books877 followers
Daniel Arenson is a bookworm, proud geek, and USA Today bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction. His novels have sold over a million copies. The Huffington Post has called his writing "full of soul." He's written over forty novels, most of them in five series:

EARTHRISE — They came from deep space. They came to destroy us. Against the alien onslaught, Earth stands alone. But we will fight. We will rise. We will win. Start reading with Earth Alone, the first novel in this military science fiction series.

REQUIEM — Welcome to Requiem, an ancient kingdom whose people can grow wings and scales, breathe fire, and take flight as dragons. Requiem is explored in six trilogies, which can be read in any order. If you're new to Requiem, you can start reading with Requiem's Song (you can download it for free). For fans of dark, gritty fantasy like A Game of Thrones.

MOTH — Discover Moth, a world torn between day and night—its one half drenched in eternal daylight, the other cloaked in endless darkness. For fans of classic fantasy worlds such as Middle Earth and Narnia. Start reading with Moth, the first novel in this epic fantasy saga.

ALIEN HUNTERS — Got trouble with aliens? Call the Alien Hunters. A group of scruffy mercenaries, they'll remove the pest for you. Low rates. No questions asked. Start reading with Alien Hunters, the first book in this space opera series. For fans of Star Wars, Firefly, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

KINGDOMS OF SAND — Enter a world of sand and splendor, a world where gladiators battle in the arena, where legionaries and barbarians fight for glory, and where empires rise and fall.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
Profile Image for Montzalee Wittmann.
5,224 reviews2,340 followers
January 26, 2020
Earth Shadows
Earthrise, Book 5
By: Daniel Arenson
Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer
This seemed to be the most gory book and the most hopeful book at the same time! Our gang is split up with most in space experiencing some of the most awesome and magical sights and meeting incredible friendly creatures. Unfortunately the part of the gang on Earth is not experiencing magical sights! But there is always hope!
Profile Image for Sluserfive.
136 reviews14 followers
November 22, 2017
Hi I there was a lot going

Solid work with a lot better cut in a lot better cut than the other guys cut it off so the price
Profile Image for Chandru CS.
374 reviews11 followers
January 7, 2019
Good one for free but reading 📖 I wanted

"Prime meat. Lord Malphas will find you delicious." The alien chuckled, then shoved Addy forward. "Move along." Addy tugged up her pants, hiding the burning brand. She snarled at the marauder, this bloated creature of claws and fangs and stench.
Profile Image for Douglas Owen.
Author 33 books41 followers
February 15, 2018
Torture Reading This Series
It's torture reading this series, so why am I still doing it? Maybe because I don't stop reading when I purchase.

I find it hard to believe the author is not advancing his writing skill while plugging away at this novel. There are so many things wrong with it that I don't know where to start. Let's first look at the claim on the cover of the book - USA Today Bestselling author. Yes, he claims to be a USA Today Bestselling author. Well, let's check. I went to USA Today's site and searched for the author's name, Daniel Arenson. Okay, he has a series on the site and it is listed as a best selling series. It seems you have a title with Dragon in it people buy. Have to remember that one. Lots of comments about under developed plots. I can understand after reading this book.

Okay, so on with the review.

In this novel we are introduced to a new alien race. Great, like to understand them. The Nubarie are a chimp like race on a planet that spins so fast the day only lasts five minutes. Oh, and the night is the same length. This means the aliens fall asleep every cycle and call it a day. Really? So, their almost like cats but only sleep for a little while. That's not the least part of the problems. They have four arms, so okay. But on the hands they have mouths. Really? So I guess you don't shake hands with them. Besides the obvious really I did with this one I tried to imagine what they looked like and my logical mind made their arms thick, but the author writes they are thin. Let's not think about breathing and eating issues they would have.

***Spoiler Alert***

Addy and the Alien
Through this novel Addy is captured by the aliens and transported back to Earth for the marauders have made it their home base. Really? Are you series? Why does every species of aliens want Earth as their own? I understand this alien race eats people, but why would the leader of their race come to Earth instead of having the food brought to him where he is safe? Come on, get real.

Besides that, a feeding tube is stuck into Addy's mouth and she is force fed during the trip back to Earth that takes less than a week. She put on weight. Don't think so. You can gain weight but not that fast. Am I done yet? No, for she pulls a tooth out of one of the aliens and uses it as a sword. And when she is tied up again, they deliberately forget to take it off her? Really? How stupid are these space fairing aliens?

The Good News
Oh, the good news is I only have a few more books to read and then I am finished this series. How it has been a struggle getting through it. I'm only worried that the author is still writing in it and will bring another alien race into play that eats humans and wants to mate with our women as well. God help us.

This reader's review - 2/5 stars just because I have a hard time giving 1/5 for science fiction novels. Hope he gets a better editor for the rest of his series.
Profile Image for Andy Ramadan.
12 reviews
December 27, 2016
This is a tough one to write. Let me first start by saying I didn't HATE this book. Its Earthrise. Its good. We expect it to be good. I enjoyed how this book allows us to explore Addy as an individual, deeper than we've been able to in the previous books. I love how it proves that, despite her trying to project an image of a mindless tomboy, in the end her true colors come out and she proves to be a brilliant war strategist, as well as a caring and sensitive human.
Even Steve shows surprising emotion... in a very Steve sort of way; and the dynamic between the two is undeniable. I suppose thats why the sex was so good.

But one of the things I didn't enjoy was the "wacky" (and trust me I cannot find another adjective, I tried) turns of events surrounding the rest of the crew as they trek in search for the legandary Ghost Fleet.

SPOILER ALERT! From the moment they "casually" land on the planet where Ben Avi's father has been hiding for the past 10 years (seriously), it all becomes a ridiculous amalgam of "flying milk shake shops" and "tree of life wormholes", and "eewok-like beings who are not eewoks and have 5-day sleeping cycles" and "space whales who tow you due to a sound made by a magical conch" that just does not fit with the tone of the story so far. Reading these events felt to me like reading one of the books from the "Alien Hunters" series. I half expected "Romy" to come out from hiding and start eating the frozen Lasagna. It works in a universe of guitar-playing space cowboys who fly around in a spaceship shaped like a dragon and fall in love with robotic geishas, but it feels childish in Earthrise.

That being said, I enjoyed the marauder invasion quite a bit, and have new found respect for Addy and Steve. It is the weaker book of the lot, to be sure, but I will see it to its end, none the less. Come on, Arenson! Pick up your game! 2 more to go!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Michael N..
Author 2 books4 followers
February 21, 2017
This second set of three is really feeling like the first three.

Continuing with the break from Space Marine action Earth Shadows really sits as a fantasy in space novel, replete with the expected tropes and deus ex machina rescues.

This series is starting to wear very thin, but I've come a far way and finally Marco is growing on me. The ridiculous love triangles and romancefest that has been so irritating is starting to get over the top, but I believe I can push through to finish this series. There are some nice bits here to appreciate.
13 reviews
September 18, 2017
Some gaping plot holes , to jumping the shark.

Jumping the shark. Some plot holes that are beyond belief. Addys victory . The whole earth force falls in a day. But a group of pickups , a couple of tanks and couple hundred rebels with guns save the day. And only because a skin head wouldn't let her surrender. Her great victory was by total accident. And waited the whole book for them to find the lost fleet. Nada . Author really has to improve is game. Just hanged in to end to see the fleet.
Profile Image for Remy G.
699 reviews4 followers
August 27, 2020
The fifth entry of Daniel Arenson’s Earthrise series opens with one of the main protagonists, Addy, a prisoner of the antagonistic aliens known as the marauders, who yearn to fatten up their prisoners before feasting upon them. Addy plots insurrection with the other humans, and is ferried back to the ruinous planet Earth, where she seeks her old boyfriend Steve and his friend Stooge. She ultimately forms the Human Resistance with survivors of the marauder conquest, given the decimation of the formal Human Defense Force (HDF) by the aliens, although other factions such as human supremacists somewhat mar Addy’s attempt to unite her people.

Meanwhile, Marco, Lailani, Kemi, and Einav Ben-Ari fly through space far from Earth, quickly abandoning their vessel, the Saint Brendan, in favor of the captured alien ship, the Anansi, with which they continue to outrun the marauders tailing them whilst continuing to seek the fabled Ghost Fleet that could hypothetically turn the tide in the war. They eventually find themselves on a planet with peaceful and intelligent beings, the four-armed and -mouthed Nandakis, one who joins them in their adventure. Furthermore, the remnants of the HDF make one last stand against the marauders under the leadership of Brigadier-General James Petty.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this entry of the series, with the different plot threads generally being easy to follow, with occasional humor and popular-culture references from the latter half of the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The fifth book also divulges some backstory on Addy and Einav, with the latter learning the true fate of her vanished father later on in the story. It’s certainly by no means a flawless story, and some reminders as to the appearance of the characters and alien species would have been welcome, but I would definitely recommend it to science-fiction fans in general.
18 reviews3 followers
July 4, 2021
The first several books in this series are not bad--a little black-and-white (you can spot pretty early who's going to live and who's going to die, classic horror movie rules), but overall not bad.

As we get past the first six or so books, though, the writing becomes progressively worse, almost as if the author wanted to try and tailor his prose to be more accommodating to 12-year-olds, even as he continues to display some pretty adult themes (sex, violence, even rape threats).

The characters never really seem to learn anything, they continue to agonize over the same issues, they continue to have the same internal conversations, and by about the twelfth book, everybody in the inner circle has slept with everybody else, and are constantly revisiting every decision they've ever made, even if they just made that decision a few pages ago.

My enjoyment of the series has progressively declined with each successive book, to the point that I will not buy anything further in this series.
Profile Image for Jemini Willis.
153 reviews2 followers
digital
February 6, 2023

The marauders, terrors from deep space, hit us hard.


Our starships shattered. Our armies collapsed. Our cities crumbled.


As Earth smolders, the marauders imprison us in camps. They farm us like cattle. They torture us for sport. Earth weeps.


But there is hope.


The Ghost Fleet, an ancient alien armada, might still exist in deep space. In a single starship, Sergeant Marco Emery and his friends seek this mythical fleet. They must find it. They must return with its might.


Or the marauders will kill us all.


**

About the Author

Daniel Arenson is a bookworm, proud geek, and USA Today bestselling author of fantasy and science fiction. His novels have sold over a million copies. The Huffington Post has called his writing "full of soul." He's written over forty novels, most of them in five series: Earthrise, Requiem, Moth, Alien Hunters, and Kingdoms of Sand. Learn more about the books at DanielArenson.com.

Profile Image for Sean Bai.
Author 2 books27 followers
February 28, 2019
This series is not for the faint of heart.

This series is violent and gruesome, and will make you sad. Trigger warning: characters have dark thoughts of suicide, PTSD, etc. This is about war.

Now that that is out of the way, the characters are portrayed as extremely human, with their flaws, relationships, etc. The author uses repetition extremely well, and writes like a poet. You will really care about what happens to the characters.

Fight scenes are brutal and realistic. Aliens are cruel and have motivation.

The one thing that gets reused too often is the love triangle cliche and the emotions are built up and brought down in the same way every single book.
Profile Image for William Payne.
6 reviews
April 11, 2018
Mannnnn.... this book sucked (not really). It's like his kids came in the room while he was writing this and said "hey dad, how bout this?" or "hey dad, let me write a chapter?". I really enjoyed the first three books, #4 was alright, but #5 went completely off the tracks. If you're into FANTASY books you'll still like this one. If you're like me and cant follow completely implausible and extremely forced storylines, this is where the series may end. I'm shocked at how quickly this series became unreadable. It had a lot of potential.
944 reviews10 followers
July 12, 2024
Earth and it's colonies are devastated

Toronto has been turned into a slaughterhouse where human ate torture and packaged as food for the Marauder worlds. Addy is able to escape (with Steve) to start a Resistance Movement. They band together and plan to free the still living Humans in Toronto.

Meanwhile the four members of Dragon Brigade (Ben-Ari, Kemi, Leilani and Marco go in search for the legendary Ghost Fleet but when they get there all they find is a massive Black Hole. Where is the Fleet??
3,198 reviews26 followers
October 13, 2018
The 5th SYFY Novel Of the Earthrise Series/Marauders #2

DA has penned the 5th Novel of the Earth rise Series with Earth combatants still trying to fight past the Marauders. The Maurrauders goal is to conquer Earth and then the planet's into a human harvesting farm . The warriors from the first four novels return again, but their numbers are declining. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
207 reviews1 follower
December 29, 2016
Human

In these pages see again the greatest force that there is, the human spirit! Born of God with a never ending thirst to live on. Be it in deep space with Marco going into the unknown, or with Addy on earth fight back. You will find your freinds going forward. Read of their love and heroism.
129 reviews
October 31, 2018
Leaps of Faith

Sometimes you just have to say the hell with it and go with your gut.
I like the way you move the story along. The battles are exciting and choices made are thought provoking. I look forward to continuing the adventure as it progresses. Keep me wanting to read more.
Profile Image for Connie Fogg-Bouchard.
509 reviews4 followers
July 10, 2020
the separation of war

the marauders have crossed the galaxy searching for four people. they will destroy entire civilizations to get them. but it has never been the way of Abby, stuck on Earth's meat market, or Marco, Eianiv, Lailani and Kemi to make it easy on anyone to take their home away from them. the enemy might be surprised
Profile Image for Alan Warney.
20 reviews2 followers
May 10, 2019
Again another fantastic book

This story just keeps getting better and better. The action never takes a break. What will book six bring? I know it will be just as good as the first five. Onward I go to to book six.
11 reviews1 follower
December 27, 2016
Another excellent installment

Another excellent installment in the series. I flew through it and it kept me on the edge of my seat.
400 reviews4 followers
February 20, 2017
This is a good continuation of the series: dark, fast-paced and ...dark.
:-)
445 reviews1 follower
March 16, 2018
Amazing!

I cannot get enough of these books. I wish they were longer so i could enjoy them for even longer! I'm super stoked to read the next one!
31 reviews
July 18, 2018
Another great read

Another excellent sequel keep it going the most exciting series I've read in along time going to get book 6 immediately
Profile Image for derek callaghan.
4 reviews
August 23, 2018
How good a series of books

Grips from the start the flow between the characters/ places is almost seamless i think it's up there with downward fringe broadcast
13 reviews
November 12, 2018
Good

M.m.m.m.m.m.m. .m.m ..m .mj.yhjgireavai h hop. Ouch. By h. C. Be. Be. He w d c. H h h h be. Be c. Usb
Profile Image for Ruth.
149 reviews1 follower
January 24, 2021
So better than expected, a bit gruesome, felt it was a bit drawn out towards the end though
117 reviews
March 12, 2021
Earth Shadows

That was an excellent book. Could not put it down. Will the Band of Brothers unite to distribute the enemy. Time for Book 6
Profile Image for Abhishek Kapoor.
35 reviews
July 6, 2021
For Earth!!!

Absolutely mind blowing. Thank you for the adventure. Will surely miss the Nandaki. Onto the next now, what will happen????
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews

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