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War Eternal #1–3
War Eternal, Books 1-3
3 books. 1000+ pages. Over 100,000 unbundled copies sold.
Book 1: Starship Eternal
A lost starship...
A dire warning from futures past...
A desperate search for salvation…
Captain Mitchell “Ares” Williams is a Space Marine and the hero of the Battle for Liberty, whose Shot Heard ‘Round the Universe saved the planet from a nearly unstoppable war machine. He’s handsome, charismatic, and the perfect poster boy to help the military drive enlistment. Pulled from the war and thrown into the spotlight, he’s as efficient at charming the media as he was at shooting down enemy starfighters.
After an assassination attempt leaves Mitchell critically wounded, he begins to suffer from strange hallucinations that carry a chilling and oddly familiar warning:
They are coming. Find the Goliath or humankind will be destroyed.
Convinced that the visions are a side-effect of his injuries, he tries to ignore them, only to learn that he may not be as crazy as he thinks. The enemy is real and closer than he imagined, and they’ll do whatever it takes to prevent him from rediscovering the centuries lost starship.
Narrowly escaping capture, out of time and out of air, Mitchell lands at the mercy of the Riggers - a ragtag crew of former commandos who patrol the lawless outer reaches of the galaxy. Guided by a captain with a reputation for cold-blooded murder, they’re dangerous, immoral, and possibly insane.
They may also be humanity’s last hope for survival in a war that has raged beyond eternity.
Book 2: The End of Liberty
An ancient starship discovered…
An eternal enemy revealed…
An impossible mission to save humankind…
The Goliath has been discovered, the first of its secrets revealed. Now the race is on for Captain Mitchell Williams and his crew to return to Liberty and recover Origin’s lost memories before the enemy can complete their violent conquest.
It's a mission with a near-zero chance of success. A mission that only the Riggers would be crazy enough to accept, and skilled enough to survive. A mission that will test the limits of Mitchell’s mind, body, and soul, and force him to make an impossible choice that could cost the lives of millions.
This is war, and if he can’t win a battle for a single planet, how can he possibly change the outcome of a conflict that has raged beyond eternity?
Book 3: The Knife’s Edge
A mission failed...
A civilization on the edge of collapse...
A dangerous alliance to save it…
Colonel Mitchell “Ares” Williams has never been one to accept failure. While the outcome on Liberty is a crushing setback to his and the Rigger’s chances of salvaging the war, there’s no time to waste on regret. After all, the mission wasn’t a total loss, delivering an unexpected asset in the wake of their defeat:
Liun Tio, a.k.a the Knife, a notorious warlord and enemy of the Alliance, whose deep-seated mistrust of artificial intelligence and control over what may be the largest free fleet in the galaxy have made him the most important man alive.
If humanity is going to have a chance to survive the Tetron onslaught, Ares and the Knife will need to find a way to work together.
Book 1: Starship Eternal
A lost starship...
A dire warning from futures past...
A desperate search for salvation…
Captain Mitchell “Ares” Williams is a Space Marine and the hero of the Battle for Liberty, whose Shot Heard ‘Round the Universe saved the planet from a nearly unstoppable war machine. He’s handsome, charismatic, and the perfect poster boy to help the military drive enlistment. Pulled from the war and thrown into the spotlight, he’s as efficient at charming the media as he was at shooting down enemy starfighters.
After an assassination attempt leaves Mitchell critically wounded, he begins to suffer from strange hallucinations that carry a chilling and oddly familiar warning:
They are coming. Find the Goliath or humankind will be destroyed.
Convinced that the visions are a side-effect of his injuries, he tries to ignore them, only to learn that he may not be as crazy as he thinks. The enemy is real and closer than he imagined, and they’ll do whatever it takes to prevent him from rediscovering the centuries lost starship.
Narrowly escaping capture, out of time and out of air, Mitchell lands at the mercy of the Riggers - a ragtag crew of former commandos who patrol the lawless outer reaches of the galaxy. Guided by a captain with a reputation for cold-blooded murder, they’re dangerous, immoral, and possibly insane.
They may also be humanity’s last hope for survival in a war that has raged beyond eternity.
Book 2: The End of Liberty
An ancient starship discovered…
An eternal enemy revealed…
An impossible mission to save humankind…
The Goliath has been discovered, the first of its secrets revealed. Now the race is on for Captain Mitchell Williams and his crew to return to Liberty and recover Origin’s lost memories before the enemy can complete their violent conquest.
It's a mission with a near-zero chance of success. A mission that only the Riggers would be crazy enough to accept, and skilled enough to survive. A mission that will test the limits of Mitchell’s mind, body, and soul, and force him to make an impossible choice that could cost the lives of millions.
This is war, and if he can’t win a battle for a single planet, how can he possibly change the outcome of a conflict that has raged beyond eternity?
Book 3: The Knife’s Edge
A mission failed...
A civilization on the edge of collapse...
A dangerous alliance to save it…
Colonel Mitchell “Ares” Williams has never been one to accept failure. While the outcome on Liberty is a crushing setback to his and the Rigger’s chances of salvaging the war, there’s no time to waste on regret. After all, the mission wasn’t a total loss, delivering an unexpected asset in the wake of their defeat:
Liun Tio, a.k.a the Knife, a notorious warlord and enemy of the Alliance, whose deep-seated mistrust of artificial intelligence and control over what may be the largest free fleet in the galaxy have made him the most important man alive.
If humanity is going to have a chance to survive the Tetron onslaught, Ares and the Knife will need to find a way to work together.
1061 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 26, 2017
469 people are currently reading
368 people want to read
About the author
M.R. Forbes
163 books1,015 followersM.R. Forbes is the author of a growing number of science-fiction series including Rebellion, War Eternal, Chaos of the Covenant, Stars End, and the Forgotten novels. Having spent his childhood trying to read every sci-fi novel he could find (and write his own too), play every sci-fi video game he could get his hands on, and see every sci-fi movie that made it into the theater, he has a true love of the genre across every medium. He works hard to bring that same energy to his own stories, with a continuing goal to entertain, delight, fascinate, and surprise.
He maintains a true appreciation for his readers and is always happy to hear from them.
To learn more about M.R. Forbes or just say hello:
Visit his website:
mrforbes.com
Send him an e-mail:
michael@mrforbes.com
Check out his Facebook page:
facebook.com/mrforbes.author
Join his Facebook fan group:
facebook.com/groups/mrforbes
Follow him on Instagram:
instagram.com/mrforbes_author
Find him on Goodreads:
goodreads.com/mrforbes
Follow him on Bookbub:
bookbub.com/authors/m-r-forbes
He maintains a true appreciation for his readers and is always happy to hear from them.
To learn more about M.R. Forbes or just say hello:
Visit his website:
mrforbes.com
Send him an e-mail:
michael@mrforbes.com
Check out his Facebook page:
facebook.com/mrforbes.author
Join his Facebook fan group:
facebook.com/groups/mrforbes
Follow him on Instagram:
instagram.com/mrforbes_author
Find him on Goodreads:
goodreads.com/mrforbes
Follow him on Bookbub:
bookbub.com/authors/m-r-forbes
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
September 8, 2017
Solid story, maybe a series a bit too long?
Definitely an original story with excellent character development. Just finished the first three volumes and discovering there's four more in the series. Not sure I want to take on that task even though the series has been great so far. It seems a lot to pursue to get to the resolution of the eternal war. Good Sci-fi though!
Definitely an original story with excellent character development. Just finished the first three volumes and discovering there's four more in the series. Not sure I want to take on that task even though the series has been great so far. It seems a lot to pursue to get to the resolution of the eternal war. Good Sci-fi though!
May 30, 2020
Starship Eternal
The End of Liberty
The Knife's Edge
I am not someone who goes for military/war movies or books at all. Though, for some strange reason lately I have been devouring SF Military books from all sorts of new and seasoned writers. I think it is the Scifi aspect that I enjoy. Always been a Trekkie so it has shifted into enjoying a more hard care style of book. Some are good, some have way too many tactical maneuvers and make my head spin and some have such flat 2D characters that you wonder whether they were cut from paper and strung up.
This is the first book that I have wanted to write a 5 star review and say "It was THAT good". I enjoyed the characters, you got to know them, love or hate, even found myself wanting to be a part of the Riggers at times (minus a few of the more unsavory members - if you read it, you know the two who rise to the top). Ares was perfect - sometimes an airhead jock, often misunderstood, and never grasping that he really did have the stuff to save humanity. You actually saw him evolve into the hero. Not many of the books I've been reading lately have done that properly - or at all. The techie parts of the book (tactical maneuvers, etc) were sometimes lost on me - seeing as how I have no experience with that side of things - but for the most part I still got the gist and enjoyed the action. I knew who to root for and who to damn.
I can't wait for the next installment in this series...eagerly awaiting to see who will show up in the next book. Yes, a few grammatical errors - I am finding that happening more often than not in my recent books, but in this one they are rare. Very rare and do not negatively affect the story. You see it, you get past it, and you move on.
Keep 'em coming - don't stop at a Trilogy....just charge ahead and write as long as you feel the story deserves to be told.
The End of Liberty
The Knife's Edge
I am not someone who goes for military/war movies or books at all. Though, for some strange reason lately I have been devouring SF Military books from all sorts of new and seasoned writers. I think it is the Scifi aspect that I enjoy. Always been a Trekkie so it has shifted into enjoying a more hard care style of book. Some are good, some have way too many tactical maneuvers and make my head spin and some have such flat 2D characters that you wonder whether they were cut from paper and strung up.
This is the first book that I have wanted to write a 5 star review and say "It was THAT good". I enjoyed the characters, you got to know them, love or hate, even found myself wanting to be a part of the Riggers at times (minus a few of the more unsavory members - if you read it, you know the two who rise to the top). Ares was perfect - sometimes an airhead jock, often misunderstood, and never grasping that he really did have the stuff to save humanity. You actually saw him evolve into the hero. Not many of the books I've been reading lately have done that properly - or at all. The techie parts of the book (tactical maneuvers, etc) were sometimes lost on me - seeing as how I have no experience with that side of things - but for the most part I still got the gist and enjoyed the action. I knew who to root for and who to damn.
I can't wait for the next installment in this series...eagerly awaiting to see who will show up in the next book. Yes, a few grammatical errors - I am finding that happening more often than not in my recent books, but in this one they are rare. Very rare and do not negatively affect the story. You see it, you get past it, and you move on.
Keep 'em coming - don't stop at a Trilogy....just charge ahead and write as long as you feel the story deserves to be told.
January 5, 2019
If you like space opera War Eternal songs with the best.
I love far going galaxy engulfing stories and War Eternal, books 1-3 fills the bill. Spanning hundreds of years and light years of action, the Riggers of the first Starship, Goliath led by Col. Williams take on the impossible job of preventing the Tetrons from destroying mankind in totality. Again. Days of Future Past have to be unraveled before the whole fricking thing starts from zero again.
I found myself engrossed in the lives of Mr. Forbes characters and felt both their pain and what little joy they experienced.
This 3 book omnibus only wets your whistle for the following 4 books in the series.
In opera as in space opera as in life, it ain't over till the fat alien sings ... or whistles or squawks or hoots or whatever it says to say I quit.
I love far going galaxy engulfing stories and War Eternal, books 1-3 fills the bill. Spanning hundreds of years and light years of action, the Riggers of the first Starship, Goliath led by Col. Williams take on the impossible job of preventing the Tetrons from destroying mankind in totality. Again. Days of Future Past have to be unraveled before the whole fricking thing starts from zero again.
I found myself engrossed in the lives of Mr. Forbes characters and felt both their pain and what little joy they experienced.
This 3 book omnibus only wets your whistle for the following 4 books in the series.
In opera as in space opera as in life, it ain't over till the fat alien sings ... or whistles or squawks or hoots or whatever it says to say I quit.
September 25, 2017
Most Excellent Science Fiction!
Fast paced and mind twisting, the first three books of the Eternal War series takes you on a crazy trip and leaves you begging for more! You will fall in love with the characters and morn when they morn, rejoice when they rejoice. One of the best sci-fi I've read in a while!!
Fast paced and mind twisting, the first three books of the Eternal War series takes you on a crazy trip and leaves you begging for more! You will fall in love with the characters and morn when they morn, rejoice when they rejoice. One of the best sci-fi I've read in a while!!
October 16, 2017
A different spin on machines takeover the world
Brutal at times but also inventive the series takes you in a different direction with AI and how all of “this” ends up. It will have you guessing, “are they a Tetron?” with each character in the book. I am staring to wonder if Mitchell is one. We’ll see what happens in book 4...
Brutal at times but also inventive the series takes you in a different direction with AI and how all of “this” ends up. It will have you guessing, “are they a Tetron?” with each character in the book. I am staring to wonder if Mitchell is one. We’ll see what happens in book 4...
January 20, 2018
Lots of action
Not exactly a Brian-bursting thriller. Thankfully, not a romance worthy of the lifetime channel. Not a morality play (these books are a inconsistent as it gets in that department). But if Michael bay wrote books, this would be the sci-if version of them. Lots of stuff blowing up.
Not exactly a Brian-bursting thriller. Thankfully, not a romance worthy of the lifetime channel. Not a morality play (these books are a inconsistent as it gets in that department). But if Michael bay wrote books, this would be the sci-if version of them. Lots of stuff blowing up.
June 20, 2017
Classic SciFi
A good read. I was pleased and impressed by the solid writing, the detailed plot and subplots, and the character development. I enjoyed every minute of the ride! Now I have to go buy the rest of this series to unravel the mysteries, of course.
A good read. I was pleased and impressed by the solid writing, the detailed plot and subplots, and the character development. I enjoyed every minute of the ride! Now I have to go buy the rest of this series to unravel the mysteries, of course.
July 14, 2017
Amazing
I enjoyed reading these books, as they were engaging, believable, and kept me interested. These books were written so that the uninitiated in the sci-fi vernacular would not feel overwhelmed. I am definitely going to purchase the remaining books in the series.
I enjoyed reading these books, as they were engaging, believable, and kept me interested. These books were written so that the uninitiated in the sci-fi vernacular would not feel overwhelmed. I am definitely going to purchase the remaining books in the series.
August 4, 2017
War Eternal is awesome!
Mr. Forbes has done it again. Have you heard of the A.I. Singularity? Well it's come....from the future past? Who would have believed it! Read War Eternal 1-3 to find out.
Mr. Forbes has done it again. Have you heard of the A.I. Singularity? Well it's come....from the future past? Who would have believed it! Read War Eternal 1-3 to find out.
August 29, 2017
Awesome and Imaginative!
Great interstellar saga filled with action, intrigue, surprises, tech and human emotions. Keeps you engrossed and guessing. Science fiction at its best. Thoroughly enjoyed all three books.
Great interstellar saga filled with action, intrigue, surprises, tech and human emotions. Keeps you engrossed and guessing. Science fiction at its best. Thoroughly enjoyed all three books.
September 14, 2017
Incredible !
Again I have to say it... M.R. You belong among the pantheon of Sci-Fi greats...Your imagination and your ability to build worlds that the readers care about is INCREDIBLE ! I START BOOK FOUR NOW...
Again I have to say it... M.R. You belong among the pantheon of Sci-Fi greats...Your imagination and your ability to build worlds that the readers care about is INCREDIBLE ! I START BOOK FOUR NOW...
July 5, 2018
Excellent read
Its been a long while since i have found a book good enough that i dont care i missed my train stop. I have thoroughly enjoyed these books, watching the characters develop and wondering where the story will go next. An excellent read.
Its been a long while since i have found a book good enough that i dont care i missed my train stop. I have thoroughly enjoyed these books, watching the characters develop and wondering where the story will go next. An excellent read.
July 12, 2018
Three books with no unique storylines
Humans are fighting an insidious machine alien created by humans. Can you say terminator? Nothing new or creative, but sort of interesting. I got them for free and you should too if you’re planning to read them.
Humans are fighting an insidious machine alien created by humans. Can you say terminator? Nothing new or creative, but sort of interesting. I got them for free and you should too if you’re planning to read them.
January 22, 2019
Edge of your seat read.
The books are extremely engaging and the main characters are pretty well built out. I recommend any scifi or war novel reader to give them a read... You'll like it.
The books are extremely engaging and the main characters are pretty well built out. I recommend any scifi or war novel reader to give them a read... You'll like it.
September 26, 2019
Great Read
Really great sci-fi, its got some great layers to it, keeps you pulled in with interesting ideas and perspectives, and it has plenty of tragedy in it which is necessary in a book series about war, in my opinion.
Really great sci-fi, its got some great layers to it, keeps you pulled in with interesting ideas and perspectives, and it has plenty of tragedy in it which is necessary in a book series about war, in my opinion.
June 12, 2017
This was a nonstop action. Ares lived through a lifetime of action, yo save humanity. Could not put it down!
June 17, 2017
Well done
A very unique and we'll crafted adventure. Excellent character development and a strong well crafted plot. Complicated but a fun ride
A very unique and we'll crafted adventure. Excellent character development and a strong well crafted plot. Complicated but a fun ride
June 24, 2017
Brilliant
This story sucked me in and kept me very engaged through all three books of the first trilogy. Go Riggers! Go Mitchell!! Go kick some Tetron ass!!
This story sucked me in and kept me very engaged through all three books of the first trilogy. Go Riggers! Go Mitchell!! Go kick some Tetron ass!!
June 28, 2017
Review
Review
I will have to check with my wife and I have been trying to get a handle on the pointless need for teviee
Review
I will have to check with my wife and I have been trying to get a handle on the pointless need for teviee
June 30, 2017
Story got me hooked and I like the hooks. There were a few continuity issues, and the author was not familiar with military rank structure or terminology that could have been easily researched.
July 24, 2017
Wonderfully written
Nice story with twists and turns galore! Love the unexpected and these volumes give you plenty! Awesome read for all who love space and adventure.
Nice story with twists and turns galore! Love the unexpected and these volumes give you plenty! Awesome read for all who love space and adventure.
August 3, 2017
A very good story line. I enjoyed this series very much, I could not put it down. An extremely intriguing tale.
March 22, 2018
Good to the last chapter
Gr8 book from beginning to end, won't disappoint highly Highly recommend. Can't wait to read the other four books in the series
Gr8 book from beginning to end, won't disappoint highly Highly recommend. Can't wait to read the other four books in the series
July 21, 2019
Read books 1-3 in a week, enjoyed them all so far. Lots of blood and guts with a storyline which keeps it interesting.
November 9, 2023
Anything this author writes is absolutely amazing! My husband can't stop reading!
September 20, 2025
I enjoyed this space travel series. It kept me wanting to read more every time I put it down. Very interesting characters!
I recommend this series to anyone who likes space scifi.
I recommend this series to anyone who likes space scifi.
March 5, 2017
Not only is the war eternal, so is the book - 1,000 pages of almost but not quite seeing the hero killed, as most others around him do die. And still four more books to go if there were any point in doing so.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2020
Multi-book box series, read all the books in this series box set, separately
April 2, 2017
Very Good First Trilogy of "War Eternal" Series
This trilogy, three sequential stories in an epic, seven novel series are very good, and an enjoyable read. I was very late getting to sleep yesterday, as I continued on, reading until the early morning hours. Forbes describes a universe in which time runs in a repeating spiral, not a simple wheel. Something or someone has created a series of artificial intelligence mechanical minds. The AI aliens think a human created their race, and appear in our space and time to meet their "father", and then exterminate the entire human race (the AIs believe that a continuation of humanity creates a danger of humans eventually terminating the AI/machine race).
Forbes has laid out a complicated universe, in which humans and AIs attempt to survive, and individuals of either race can jump far ahead in time to overcome the perceived enemy. If one side or the other can jump ahead and prevent the other from "winning", perhaps history/the future COULD change...Each side creates computer models to analyze the enemy for a weakness that might allow the stalemate to be overcome.
The basic concept behind Forbes' novels makes the action a little hard to follow at times, and it does get a little confusing when a character dies twice, and yet still fights on.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AS AN ENJOYABLE EPIC TEMPORAL/BENDING MILITARY SPACE OPERA .
This trilogy, three sequential stories in an epic, seven novel series are very good, and an enjoyable read. I was very late getting to sleep yesterday, as I continued on, reading until the early morning hours. Forbes describes a universe in which time runs in a repeating spiral, not a simple wheel. Something or someone has created a series of artificial intelligence mechanical minds. The AI aliens think a human created their race, and appear in our space and time to meet their "father", and then exterminate the entire human race (the AIs believe that a continuation of humanity creates a danger of humans eventually terminating the AI/machine race).
Forbes has laid out a complicated universe, in which humans and AIs attempt to survive, and individuals of either race can jump far ahead in time to overcome the perceived enemy. If one side or the other can jump ahead and prevent the other from "winning", perhaps history/the future COULD change...Each side creates computer models to analyze the enemy for a weakness that might allow the stalemate to be overcome.
The basic concept behind Forbes' novels makes the action a little hard to follow at times, and it does get a little confusing when a character dies twice, and yet still fights on.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED AS AN ENJOYABLE EPIC TEMPORAL/BENDING MILITARY SPACE OPERA .
April 2, 2017
Interesting
Has a good plot and an interesting take on time travel. The characters are relatable if a bit archetypal. Worth reading and fun.
Has a good plot and an interesting take on time travel. The characters are relatable if a bit archetypal. Worth reading and fun.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews