Mankind's newest fleet has just been obliterated. Attacked without warning, enemy unknown. Their last transmission originated from a world on the edge of known space.
Alpha Company is dispatched to investigate. They’re the best of the best. Hardcore warriors piloting battle-tested mechs, they’ve never lost an engagement.
Until they arrive on Ganog 7.
Now, shattered and stuck behind enemy lines, the remnants of Alpha Company struggle to survive. Between them and escape stand three Planetstriders, thousand meter monstrosities capable of destroying an orbiting capital ship.
In order to survive, they must disable these titanic war machines, an impossible task made even more difficult by the discovery of a terrible secret – one that must reach fleet command, no matter the cost.
By day I am an iPhone developer architecting the app used to scope Stephen Colbert’s ear. By night I am Batman. Ok maybe not. One can dream though, right?
I’ve been writing since I was six years old and started inflicting my work on others at age 18. By age 24 people stopped running away when I approached them with a new story and shortly thereafter I published my first one in the Rifter.
Wait you’re still reading?
Ok, the facts I’m supposed to list in a bio. As of this writing I’m 38 years old and live just north of the Golden Gate Bridge in the beautiful town of Mill Valley. If you’re unsure how to find it just follow the smell of self-entitlement. Once you see the teens driving Teslas you’ll know you’re in the right place.
I live in a tiny studio that I can cross in (literally) five steps and don’t own an oven. But you know what? It’s worth it. I love developing iPhone apps and if you want to work in San Francisco you accept that rent for a tiny place costs more than most people’s mortgage.
If you and about 2 million other people start buying my books I promise to move out of Marin to a house in the redwoods up in Guerneville. No pressure. Wait that’s a lie. Pressure.
Well-written space drama that will have you on the edge of your seat. Filled with a diverse population of assorted aliens, Fox builds credible species with assorted capabilities. Humans are allied with the Tigris, a hairy cat-like species and the Primo, the tiny intellectually superior aliens to for a united force against the aggressive Gorthians. In their search for the Gorthians, they stumble upon the Ganog's, a red furred ape-like race that conquer, enslave, or devour their captives. Brave Captain Nolan is chosen to spearhead a platoon in experimental robotic suits to find out what's going on. Exciting, and face-paced, it's a fun read, that will have you searching the other books in the series to get to know the characters better.
The writing and editing are solid threes across the board. There are some technical issues like missed errors during proofing and a lack of understanding when and where to place commas. On the artistic side, some things like 6,000-10,000 (They seemed to change size) foot dinosaurs with giant lasers and an enemy that cannot only grow larger, but they weapons somehow do as well, had me rolling my eyes early on. So why four stars for a three star book? Damned if it wasn't an entertaining read. Others called it a page turned and they're right. I was interested in the characters and how the story turned out almost from the beginning. I would have no hesitation to continue reading the rest of the series. If you like space battles and can suspend your scientific disbelief, it's an enjoyable read.
Behind the Lines picks up sometime after the end of the Eradication Wars, when the 3 races, the Primo, Tigris and Humanity, have come together into a Confederation. Fizgig is now an Admiral and leads the Navy, Nolan is a Captain, with his ragtag crew still in tow, whilst Catherine has moved to the Forge to work on creating tech that is needed, including things like the massive new starships that require only 6 crew to operate at a minimum, but can be run at an optimum of 2800. Whilst all seems good, one of the fleets that is out exploring runs into a new race, and is wiped out. This of course is in the Ganog system. And thus starts a new series, as the Confederation goes to investigate the decimation of their fleet, sending a bigger fleet, with Fizgig, they come across the Ganog Imperium. This series has much of what we loved from the first series with the Void Wraith, the Diversity of multiple different aliens working together against an implacable foe, but this time, the foe are kind of Ape like in nature, and able to inflate themselves through genetic manipulation so that they increase in size, making them very difficult to fight. As a part of the ‘Upgrades’ that people like Nolan and his team have received, and to accommodate all of those that turned themselves into Adjudicators, those working at the Forge have developed Mechs for both living beings (Humans, Tigris etc), and that can also take a memory cube, so can be run by Edwards. This means the ground troops are mobile in Mech units, which makes them a lot more able to stand against giant inflatable Ape like things that stand 10ft tall when angry. That is until they come across the Planetstriders – 3000ft tall Lizards with a cannon the size of a destroyer. Behind the Lines brings a whole new level to the entire spectrum of combat zones, space and land. This is just a lot of fun, with great characters (all the favourites are still there from the first series), some absolutely amazing tech, and some battle scenes that are just extraordinary. This is probably able to be read as a standalone series almost (one of the big almosts is the continuous reference to ‘The Nameless Ones’, which given the Gorthians in the last series, and this is a follow on series, there just has to be a linkage), whilst you will miss some of the relationships between the characters, you could get away with it (you don’t want to, it is well worth taking the time to read the Void Wraith Saga), but as a sequel series, it definitely is worth reading. Can’t wait for book 2!!
The Void Wraith trilogy left me with a sour taste in my mouth. After reading the whole trilogy, I had just come to expect more from the ending but it ultimately failed to excite me much at all. Nolan continued to be an insufferably perfect person in all regards and there was a serious whiff of self inserted protagonist about him. No matter the situation, he was always a badass and he was always correct in his assessment. Or at least near enough that it makes no difference.
That's the detail that sticks out in my mind. Very little else remains, if I'm being perfectly honest. Snippets here and there and as I read my reviews back again, certain things fell into place. And I was struck by the same question I had reading Behind the Lines: Why didn't I just stop after one? The fact that I had bought this already probably figured into that or I might just have skipped to reading his Magitech Chronicles series, hoping it would excite me a little more.
And there's also the Tigris to consider, cat people make any book better.
But there's also something about Chris Fox's writing that just keeps me coming back for more. Although the plots are basic and the characters fairly one dimensional, the action is good enough there's enough of a cohesive thread to keep you engaged. Will they, won't they save the world again? Who knows? Well, I mean, if I read the next two books, I will know.
In this new entry in the series, the first of the Ganog Wars trilogy, a new enemy has been encountered and all attempts to strike back decisively has been met with disaster. The new enemy, the Ganog, are technologically superior and far more ruthless than the Gorthians before them. Here there is no harvest, only destruction. And it's landed our dear protagonist Nolan behind enemy lines, trying hard to stay alive and make as much of a difference as he can before the enemy catches up.
Right off the bat, I'll say that the Ganogs just aren't nearly as fascinating as the Gorthians. Although I'd never argue that the Gorthians were unique in any sense, their very nature made them more of an icky threat than the Ganogs will ever be. Ganogs are essentially very smart gorillas that like to kill and/or eat people and in that sense they're not really anything new. The book doesn't get interesting until a fair bit in when Nolan and his team goes into a city and actually observes the life there. But even then the book doesn't spend nearly enough time here, so desperate to move on to the next set piece that it just can't wait. Any attempt to observe and analyze this new society they find themselves is brief and toothless. It's just sheer luck, at so many turns, that they're not immediately caught and killed.
Other than that, the only real addition the series is the introduction of mechs, robotic vehicles shaped like bipedal creatures, that are operated by the protagonist. But in reality they do virtually nothing for the plot for several reasons, there mostly for the sake of cool. Which is fine, I won't deprive the author of that, but it's still a bit of a meh to the whole proceedings.
All in all, the book was fine. I've ordered the last two books in the series, I'm invested enough that I want to see how the whole thing ends, and I can't say I hated reading it. It's an easy read, the grammar and everything is fine and it's clearly been edited well. After those two, though, I think I'll be taking a break from Fox' writing for a little while.
Fizgig, Dryker and Nolan are back. Exploration uncovers a species with better weaponry and huge egos.
The search for Void-Wraith and Primo ruins has uncovered more than expected. Uncovering this system revealed the ruins of a mighty empire. These ruins were inhabited and the inhabitants are not friendly. Strange, powerful weapons devastated the search team but not before warning the Coalition of United Races (comprised of Human, Tigris and Primo, led by an elected leader for two year terms).
The new species uncovered were highly stratified with labor slaves and tech-smiths on the bottom and the Ganog Imperium at the top. Their weaponry and technology are highly advanced and they easily best the Coalition's forces sent to aid their search team. Their new opponents are not Gorthian, but are still tough enough to give Nolan and Fizgig headaches. Especially the Planetstiders, skyscraper sized with weaponry capable of taking out a capitol ship in orbit from the surface of the planet.
The characters have been well developed in the previous trilogy, but mech warfare is now added to the mix. I love mechs and adding in Tigris and human pilots just took the combat sequences to a higher level. The exciting storyline brings us wall to wall action and ship to ship combat in the open seas of space. Space combat has added the mechs to the fighter forces uncovering a whole new level of action. With our favorite brilliant characters reinforced by some new voices, new tougher antagonists to fight and try to survive, new tech to bolster their existing pew-pews, and page-burning combat sequences, this new read is amazing! And it's just the first section of a trilogy!
A fun space adventure let down by plot inconsistencies, the Alien super weapons are sometimes 2km tall and other times much larger. At another point the heroes talk about running 2.5km in under 20 seconds, 270mph seems a little fast even for future space marines.
I was a little disappointing with the aliens as well. We have space cats that act exactly like cats, washing their paws and sitting on cushions, then we have space apes and space whales, nothing really alien.
There was also a factory station orbiting close to a black hole, which had time dilation but in the wrong way. In the book time passes quickly on the station allowing them to build ships faster than in flat space time. Problem is time dilation in gravity goes the other way with time appearing to pass slowly the more gravity there is, as seen in Intersteller.
I'm I being overly critical, maybe, but there's so much good sci-fi out there at the moment you can afford to be choosy.
It gets 3 stars because the general plot was interesting, even with the above finishing the book wasn't a chore, although I don't think I'll get the sequel.
This book is the first in the second trilogy set in the Void Wraith universe. I recommend reading that trilogy first. That one's pretty good.
This novel continues with the adventures of the newly formed Coalition which is comprised of Humans, Tigris and what remains of the Primo.
I enjoyed the action scenes, because, you know...EXPLOSIONS! I liked the concept and description of the Ganog, and the setup of mystery for the remaining two novels.
However, it felt like in the beginning I was thrown into the story from a tornado. It was a bit jarring as I felt there were a few holes. I found myself looking for a prequel other than Planetstriders to try and find what I'd missed.
I am still going to read the remaining novels as I have become invested in seeing the characters adventures through this the saga.
This was a great story. It was very well developed and contained all the elements of two different sets of minds: those that follow orders to the letter and those those that are given a job and get it done. Nolan leads his people using all the resources available to succeed. His squad works well with old and new allies, some of which were enemies at one time. A lot of Nolan's success is his ability to see both sides of a situation. He and his squad are stranded behind enemy lines and have to find a way to get word back to his leaders. When he does he is given an impossible mission to achieve before they can be rescued. This kept me up reading until very late and I can't wait to start the next book!
Following the war with the void Wraith, Nolan and his allies encounter an even more brutal enemy who are just as advanced as the Primo and the Void Wraith. The action starts immediately and never lets up until the very end of this sequel and continuation of the Void Wraith saga. If you like military fiction with a science fiction twist, you'll love th is book and the rest of this series. Nolan of course somehow continues to pull off the miraculous last minute saves, but in the context of the tale, it is very believable given all of the information and knowledge he and his allies gain through the unfolding of the story. A great read and great fun to read.
DNF: What can I say except 'Meh? I gave up after reaching the halfway mark as everything about the story was just so banal. Why an army would call their Mechs "Mechs" and not build/design/function names is beyond me and stank of a lack of imagination. Also the characters were all so forgettable and there was no sense of camaraderie; every word the team shared was mission/story centric and lifeless. Sorry but I've come away from many of Chris's books feeling underwhelmed and think I'll have to avoid his next few year's work to allow his style to improve :(
This is the first book in the second three-book arc that follows the Void Wraith Trilogy. Chris has been pretty vocal on his YouTube channel about initial errors with the branding on this trilogy, and I'll admit that I'm one of those readers who put off reading this trilogy because the lead-in ("Planetstrider") didn't make it clear that this is set in the same universe as the Void Wraith Trilogy, which I absolutely loved. Once I realized this is the next phase of books in that same universe, I was all in and wasn't disappointed.
Following the Wraith Wars, this novel covers the events as the United Species meet yet another enemy. A survey fleet, unarmed, encounters war-loving aliens. The aliens immediately attack and destroy the ships. Another, armed fleet is sent to the rescue, but it, too is immediately destroyed...but the defeat does provide information that may defeat this berserk enemy.
Recommended as: multi-species military space opera.
A space opera with a collection of races including human are confronted with a new entity whose practice is shoot first and conquer. When a small fleet of the collection is attacked and defeated, a few members are stuck on a planet and are trying to survive as well as send back vital intelligence as they hope to be rescued. Lots of battles both planet side and in space between the opposing fleets. Readable space adventure.
Initially I wasn't so sure about this series. But at this point I'm solidly into it. Nolan can hardly be invincible but he seems darn close to it. Wherever he goes he builds coalitions and comes down hard on the bad guys. So that's kinda fun! Now he's up against some serious baddies. But they are a mix of craftiness and stupid arrogance. I'm guessing by the 6th book they're toast.
I bought this in a box set. I enjoyed this book and it had errors throughout. The overall plot was different from the previous within this series. The author deviated from the Void Wraith a bit and introduced new aliens and plot deviations. The overall plot was fun to read and I hope this section of the series grows.
Just when you thought it was safe a new and powerful enemy threatens Nolan, Fizgig and all of human kind. Very entertaining and fun read. I look forward to the next adventure!!
I thought nolan and co had ended their story with the void wraith but searched for months on kindle for void wraith to no avail anyway. Imagine how great it was to find this series with nolan at the head and multiple installments down woooooooooo hooooooooo
Opening the storyline with the Coalition forces combining to fight off the previous enemy starts a good story combined with a great rendition of the characters makes me look forward to the next book
This series is addictive. Lots of twists and turns and people changing alliances. Characters die and somehow are revived yet it’s all believable and flows with the plot. I’m sold!
This was an interesting read as in who was fighting with the humans. The book was well written and had a great storyline. Can't wait to read the next book.
Excellent entertainment! Nolan is a captain that gets things done. Impossible things sometimes. This book is jam packed with action and shifts point of view from multiple different teams.