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The Last War #2
The Last Hero
Earth is reeling.American alliances are shaking.And humanity's enemies rally.For six months after the failed alien attack American Admiral Jack Mattis has been ordered to patrol the periphery to stop more alien incursions. Even though he knows the attackers weren't alien, but grotesque mutated super-humans from the future.A truth world governments publicly deny.And now an American scientist witnesses an experimental super-weapon gone awry at a top-secret genetics lab in deep space, while a rebel veterans group storms a Chinese embassy on an American world. Tensions flare, and the American-Chinese peace begins to fray.Admiral Mattis races to put out the fires, while trying to piece together the mystery of the future human invasion, knowing that failure means not only certain death for him, but for the entire human race.The clock is ticking.
- GenresScience FictionEbooks
404 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 20, 2017
844 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
About the author
Peter Bostrom
12 books56 followersPeter Bostrom is the pen name of Nick Webb as he co-writes Science Fiction with other authors.
Nick lives in Seattle, and someday wants to be the first man to die on Mars. Not like a heroic, failed-Nasa-mission style death where he plummets through the thin atmosphere and crashes into Olympus Mons, but a calm one in a hospital with plenty of fantasy books to ease his passing.
Nick lives in Seattle, and someday wants to be the first man to die on Mars. Not like a heroic, failed-Nasa-mission style death where he plummets through the thin atmosphere and crashes into Olympus Mons, but a calm one in a hospital with plenty of fantasy books to ease his passing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
June 29, 2017
Once again I’m back aboard my old ship, the USS Midway! Only this time, it’s a starship! Would have been really cool if that were the case, but back in 1970, the USS Midway was barely an aircraft carrier considering today’s modern standards. Anyway, this book is again about the USS Midway, an American starship that is commanded by Admiral Jack Mattis, a war hero of the recently concluded American-Chinese War. Both sides were trying to patch up their relationship and start an era of peace when the co-owned space station, Freedom Station, was attacked and blown up by unknown forces. Of course, some Americans felt that the Chinese were behind the attack, but since Admiral Mattis was there and defended what was left of the station, he knew it wasn’t the Chinese.
But, since Admiral Mattis has a grudge against the Chinese for killing his brother, the American High Command and the President want him as far away from any Chinese starships as possible. So, the Midway has been assigned patrol duties in the far fringes of known space. Everything was getting pretty darn boring until they got orders to intervene in a hostage situation at a Chinese Embassy on the planet Sanctuary. It seems as though a group of old war veterans were not happy with the way things were going with the Chinese so they decided to take over the Embassy and get what they believed to be a deep, and dark conspiracy out to the public.
“The Forgotten” as this group of Veterans call themselves, believe that something is going on that the Chinese are behind and if the American government doesn’t wake up, more attacks like the one at Freedom Station are going to happen. So, the USS Midway is sent to try and settle this situation down and deal with these veterans which will also require him to deal with the Chinese.
In the meantime, a wimp of a scientist name Steve Bratta gets himself in a situation where he’s attacked by what he believes are aliens. He manages to video the entire attack while going to work on the planet Zenith for the MaxGainz Corporation. The “aliens” that attacked him did appear to be somewhat human, but far bigger, stronger, and quicker than any human he has known. The MaxGainz corporate cops that eventually rescued him from the attack confiscated his cell phone which they assumed he used to video the “aliens”. They certainly didn’t want that video released to the public, but the actual video was on his portable hard drive and Bratta took that with him and fled the planet. He meets up with his ex-wife, a police officer, and she manages to get the video to a pretty famous TV reporter. Soon the entire episode is made public and people are wanting to know where these “aliens” came from.
Back on the USS Midway, Admiral Mattis gets a strange communication from a Chinese starship with the caller identified as Admiral Yim. Admiral Mattis knows this name very well since it’s the then same Captain Yim who, in the recent war, destroyed his brother’s starship killing everyone aboard, including his brother. Yet, Admiral Yim was also aboard Freedom Station when it was destroyed. So it can’t be the same Admiral Yim, or can it?
This book is very good, but the story seems to have some gaps. I’m not certain how somethings tied together to result in the conclusion that came about. I may have missed something in the reading, but I read pretty thoroughly. There also seems to be some pretty casual contact between Admiral Mattis and the President of the United States. I don’t think real Admirals contact the President directly very often. Also, we have the problem of an Admiral still commanding the USS Midway when it was previously commanded by a Captain. Unless this is a flag ship for a fleet, a Captain should be commanding. And, the author needs to fix this mismatch with the XO’s rank being a Lieutenant Commander while his Chief Engineer is a full Commander. It should be the other way around or both should be full Commanders. I know there is a lot of friendly(?) banter between the XO and the Chief Engineer, but it’s still a subordinate rank (Lt. Cmdr.) addressing a superior office (Commander). Besides, if an Admiral is going to command the USS Midway, then his XO should be at least a full Commander. Ok, enough of my military nit-picking.
I’m really looking forward to the next book since this leaves a lot of the story still untold. It can only get better.
But, since Admiral Mattis has a grudge against the Chinese for killing his brother, the American High Command and the President want him as far away from any Chinese starships as possible. So, the Midway has been assigned patrol duties in the far fringes of known space. Everything was getting pretty darn boring until they got orders to intervene in a hostage situation at a Chinese Embassy on the planet Sanctuary. It seems as though a group of old war veterans were not happy with the way things were going with the Chinese so they decided to take over the Embassy and get what they believed to be a deep, and dark conspiracy out to the public.
“The Forgotten” as this group of Veterans call themselves, believe that something is going on that the Chinese are behind and if the American government doesn’t wake up, more attacks like the one at Freedom Station are going to happen. So, the USS Midway is sent to try and settle this situation down and deal with these veterans which will also require him to deal with the Chinese.
In the meantime, a wimp of a scientist name Steve Bratta gets himself in a situation where he’s attacked by what he believes are aliens. He manages to video the entire attack while going to work on the planet Zenith for the MaxGainz Corporation. The “aliens” that attacked him did appear to be somewhat human, but far bigger, stronger, and quicker than any human he has known. The MaxGainz corporate cops that eventually rescued him from the attack confiscated his cell phone which they assumed he used to video the “aliens”. They certainly didn’t want that video released to the public, but the actual video was on his portable hard drive and Bratta took that with him and fled the planet. He meets up with his ex-wife, a police officer, and she manages to get the video to a pretty famous TV reporter. Soon the entire episode is made public and people are wanting to know where these “aliens” came from.
Back on the USS Midway, Admiral Mattis gets a strange communication from a Chinese starship with the caller identified as Admiral Yim. Admiral Mattis knows this name very well since it’s the then same Captain Yim who, in the recent war, destroyed his brother’s starship killing everyone aboard, including his brother. Yet, Admiral Yim was also aboard Freedom Station when it was destroyed. So it can’t be the same Admiral Yim, or can it?
This book is very good, but the story seems to have some gaps. I’m not certain how somethings tied together to result in the conclusion that came about. I may have missed something in the reading, but I read pretty thoroughly. There also seems to be some pretty casual contact between Admiral Mattis and the President of the United States. I don’t think real Admirals contact the President directly very often. Also, we have the problem of an Admiral still commanding the USS Midway when it was previously commanded by a Captain. Unless this is a flag ship for a fleet, a Captain should be commanding. And, the author needs to fix this mismatch with the XO’s rank being a Lieutenant Commander while his Chief Engineer is a full Commander. It should be the other way around or both should be full Commanders. I know there is a lot of friendly(?) banter between the XO and the Chief Engineer, but it’s still a subordinate rank (Lt. Cmdr.) addressing a superior office (Commander). Besides, if an Admiral is going to command the USS Midway, then his XO should be at least a full Commander. Ok, enough of my military nit-picking.
I’m really looking forward to the next book since this leaves a lot of the story still untold. It can only get better.
November 13, 2017
The first book in the series depended heavily on the military elements of the story. The writing style and character interactions were subpar. Unfortunately, book 2, at least halfway through, has very little believable military action and the characters interactions are way too simplistic to be interesting.
BTW, as an American I love our neighbors to the north, good people. What the hell does the author have against Canada?
(((SPOILER)))
I put the book down at the following part: there is an enemy incursion on Midway, the Admiral and his XO decide that the only way to defeat the incursion is to hop in a fighter and blow out the side of the ship. Seriously? That’s the plan??? Is this a book or a plot for bad anime?
BTW, as an American I love our neighbors to the north, good people. What the hell does the author have against Canada?
(((SPOILER)))
I put the book down at the following part: there is an enemy incursion on Midway, the Admiral and his XO decide that the only way to defeat the incursion is to hop in a fighter and blow out the side of the ship. Seriously? That’s the plan??? Is this a book or a plot for bad anime?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2017
Too weird
This is hardly worth the time to review. It became so strange about halfway through that I looked at the epilog, and the finish of the story was an obvious excuse to write more drivel for the unwary reader to purchase. Buy it if you like stuff ten times weirder than the Twilight Zone sci fi TV show. I did not find this very entertaining, but a waste of time.
This is hardly worth the time to review. It became so strange about halfway through that I looked at the epilog, and the finish of the story was an obvious excuse to write more drivel for the unwary reader to purchase. Buy it if you like stuff ten times weirder than the Twilight Zone sci fi TV show. I did not find this very entertaining, but a waste of time.
June 28, 2017
Pick a genre!
Not bad. First book was better. Too much flippant humor in this book. Either write Space Opera or write Comedy. Pick one. And stop taking shots at Canada.
Not bad. First book was better. Too much flippant humor in this book. Either write Space Opera or write Comedy. Pick one. And stop taking shots at Canada.
October 24, 2017
This follows on straight from the first book, in which a grumpy old Admiral, Jack Mattis, a veteran of the American/Chinese war, takes control of his old warship when they are attacked by a mysterious force that destroys a space station that he was there to commemorate. This is much to the disgust of a Senator called Pitt, whose son serves on the same ship.
They initially think that the ships attacking them are ‘aliens’, but other things soon come to light.
There are several more battles with this strange new species and their ‘alien’ ships, and during one of these battles, Pitt’s son is killed.
As we move into this story, we find that Senator Pitt is basically set upon killing Mattis for the death of his son, even though it wasn’t Jacks fault.
Jack is basically moving about the galaxy, trying to find out what the ‘aliens’ were, and where they came from, knowing that they are not actually aliens, and that the initial information that they were humans from the future was actually incorrect.
What follows is an intriguing story. Relations between the Chinese and the Americans are still at boiling point, with many remnants of the older American military (calling themselves the ‘Unforgotten’), claiming that it was the Chinese that actually destroyed the stations and fired on Jacks ship (the Midway), and other battles.
This leads to some interesting confrontations, and as such, Political and Social issues.
This story covers some very interesting ground about how the media can interfere with Military actions, how Politics and Politicians can cause so many issues when it comes to Military issues, how when there is war, the two do not mix. There are also some examples though of how the Media can provide useful input, or the odd politician can do the right thing and actually help those on the front line.
Bostrom provides a gritty, intense and in some ways, realistic feel for his story, whether it is the interactions of the bridge crew of the ships, the bitter enmity that turns into grudging respect between old enemies, or the cocky banter that flies about as the fighter pilots fight against ridiculous odds for their lives. There is just such a gritty realism to this story as Mattis desperately fights for his life and that of the others in his command.
I can’t wait for part three too come out to find out how this story wraps up, and to see what happens with each of the characters in what is a stunning Sci-Fi series, with some exceptional characters as well as some interesting political issues between the major players.
They initially think that the ships attacking them are ‘aliens’, but other things soon come to light.
There are several more battles with this strange new species and their ‘alien’ ships, and during one of these battles, Pitt’s son is killed.
As we move into this story, we find that Senator Pitt is basically set upon killing Mattis for the death of his son, even though it wasn’t Jacks fault.
Jack is basically moving about the galaxy, trying to find out what the ‘aliens’ were, and where they came from, knowing that they are not actually aliens, and that the initial information that they were humans from the future was actually incorrect.
What follows is an intriguing story. Relations between the Chinese and the Americans are still at boiling point, with many remnants of the older American military (calling themselves the ‘Unforgotten’), claiming that it was the Chinese that actually destroyed the stations and fired on Jacks ship (the Midway), and other battles.
This leads to some interesting confrontations, and as such, Political and Social issues.
This story covers some very interesting ground about how the media can interfere with Military actions, how Politics and Politicians can cause so many issues when it comes to Military issues, how when there is war, the two do not mix. There are also some examples though of how the Media can provide useful input, or the odd politician can do the right thing and actually help those on the front line.
Bostrom provides a gritty, intense and in some ways, realistic feel for his story, whether it is the interactions of the bridge crew of the ships, the bitter enmity that turns into grudging respect between old enemies, or the cocky banter that flies about as the fighter pilots fight against ridiculous odds for their lives. There is just such a gritty realism to this story as Mattis desperately fights for his life and that of the others in his command.
I can’t wait for part three too come out to find out how this story wraps up, and to see what happens with each of the characters in what is a stunning Sci-Fi series, with some exceptional characters as well as some interesting political issues between the major players.
September 30, 2018
Robert's Review
This was quite an interesting little series. I was not sure if I would like this series when I read the tag line for the first book. The characters kind of grow on you as the book progressed, especially Commanders Modi and Lynch.🤣 Admiral Mattis was a stable commander and Senator Pitt was an awesome villain, I did not like him from the start. GoodRead, I look forward to book 3.
This was quite an interesting little series. I was not sure if I would like this series when I read the tag line for the first book. The characters kind of grow on you as the book progressed, especially Commanders Modi and Lynch.🤣 Admiral Mattis was a stable commander and Senator Pitt was an awesome villain, I did not like him from the start. GoodRead, I look forward to book 3.
October 29, 2017
It was boaring
Took to long to get to the action. Almost no action in the book until the end. Some of the characters like the son accomplished nothing even although there were whole chapters dedicated to them. The author is not on my following list.
Took to long to get to the action. Almost no action in the book until the end. Some of the characters like the son accomplished nothing even although there were whole chapters dedicated to them. The author is not on my following list.
July 11, 2017
Great
Saga continues to develop. Characters are fleshing out. Twists and turns throughout the story with a real surprise at the end. Looking forward to part 3.
Saga continues to develop. Characters are fleshing out. Twists and turns throughout the story with a real surprise at the end. Looking forward to part 3.
July 14, 2017
Another great read for this series.
Wonderful character interaction and pacing make this book a joy to read. Modi and Lynch are my favorite duo in this series.
Wonderful character interaction and pacing make this book a joy to read. Modi and Lynch are my favorite duo in this series.
July 29, 2017
I liked this! It's science fiction and space battles, and it's not bad at all.
October 25, 2017
I like the humor relief of the XO and Modi. I like this better than the first book and hope it gets better with the third.
January 30, 2018
A slow burner, but hang on in there it gets better.
January 22, 2018
This is a fun series, the only problem I have with it is the lead character is an old experienced admiral and he acts more like someone in their 20s and not in a good way and there are a lot of senior military officers who don't seem to have the maturity their rank would suggest. I'm not saying that doesn't happen but it would seem to me they'd be drummed out of the service pretty quickly for the behavior. Otherwise I've enjoyed this series so far, good plot, good intrigue, and the books pull me through them. So 4 out of 5 stars just because I'd like to fire some of the lead characters.
April 12, 2019
Book 2 of he Last War
This ts the second of five books. The problem with the plot is that the author overlooks detail or simply, doesn't care. For instance, in a sequrence, two pilots dressed in sealed space suits make a wagger and, the losser pulls out a wrinkled paper bill (out of where???) to pay the bet to the winner!! And there are several examples of that thru the book. There's no aliens in this soup opera, it's mankind fighting againg each other in deep space. You'll find some answeers to the questions left unasweered in book 1 after reading this book. Where does the plot go? I guees, I'll have to download book 3.
This ts the second of five books. The problem with the plot is that the author overlooks detail or simply, doesn't care. For instance, in a sequrence, two pilots dressed in sealed space suits make a wagger and, the losser pulls out a wrinkled paper bill (out of where???) to pay the bet to the winner!! And there are several examples of that thru the book. There's no aliens in this soup opera, it's mankind fighting againg each other in deep space. You'll find some answeers to the questions left unasweered in book 1 after reading this book. Where does the plot go? I guees, I'll have to download book 3.
June 25, 2018
Disappointed....
Well I cant say I enjoyed this that much. Where the first in the series was action packed with space battles, this was sadly lacking in that respect and was more filled with an attempt at political intrigue etc. It didnt keep my attention like the first and I had to come back to it time and time again just to finish it. Even then I found myself scanning and skipping. I will probably get the next one just to see if it gets back on track but....
Well I cant say I enjoyed this that much. Where the first in the series was action packed with space battles, this was sadly lacking in that respect and was more filled with an attempt at political intrigue etc. It didnt keep my attention like the first and I had to come back to it time and time again just to finish it. Even then I found myself scanning and skipping. I will probably get the next one just to see if it gets back on track but....
October 9, 2019
A PB./NW./DA. SYFY. Deep Space Wartime Action Adventure (TLH) (TLWSB - 2)
PB./NW./DA. have penned a deep space wartime action adventure. The war continues and the attackers are becoming more defined. The space war has a high attrition rate and finding replacements and replacements parts are becoming next to impossible. The different ships are boarded and in ship fighting occurred in all instances. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
PB./NW./DA. have penned a deep space wartime action adventure. The war continues and the attackers are becoming more defined. The space war has a high attrition rate and finding replacements and replacements parts are becoming next to impossible. The different ships are boarded and in ship fighting occurred in all instances. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
December 11, 2019
Just awful. The first book was good enough to tempt me to read this one. I really wish I hadn't given in to that temptation because that's ten hours of my life I can't get back. The middle half of the book was painfully slow. The author's bio states that he co-writes science fiction with other authors; that's what probably happened here. The whole thing feels like it was written by a committee.
April 5, 2019
Exciting series!
This is the second book in the Last War series and is, if possible, even better than the first book. Each book leaves you anxious to read the next one. If you haven't read any of these books and you like good science fiction, I strongly recommend the Last War series
This is the second book in the Last War series and is, if possible, even better than the first book. Each book leaves you anxious to read the next one. If you haven't read any of these books and you like good science fiction, I strongly recommend the Last War series
November 16, 2019
A So-so Novel
While I mostly enjoyed Book 1, I wasn't as enthused by Book 2. I couldn't really connect with any characters and only sort of like Modi, Lynch and to a smaller degree, Bratta.
As for the plot (don't worry, no spoilers), It feels contrived. I'm just not buying the antagonists or whatever it is that they are up to.
I might finish the series at a later date.
While I mostly enjoyed Book 1, I wasn't as enthused by Book 2. I couldn't really connect with any characters and only sort of like Modi, Lynch and to a smaller degree, Bratta.
As for the plot (don't worry, no spoilers), It feels contrived. I'm just not buying the antagonists or whatever it is that they are up to.
I might finish the series at a later date.
March 24, 2020
Intrigue and coincidences
I liked the action and the puzzles. A lot of the stuff was totally implausible but it enhanced the action. I agree with a previous reviewer that there are a lot of typos. I suspect that there was a lot of pressure to hurry up and finish, but it seemed unprofessional.
I liked the action and the puzzles. A lot of the stuff was totally implausible but it enhanced the action. I agree with a previous reviewer that there are a lot of typos. I suspect that there was a lot of pressure to hurry up and finish, but it seemed unprofessional.
March 7, 2018
The Last Hero: Book 2 continues from the end of the previous volume, adding a few new characters. The story its essential the same, but the story provides more insight into the invading force. Are they aliens or future-humans? Beleaguered Admiral Mattis must patrol the edges of the American and Chinese space territories looking for the aliens, as designated by the American government, while knowing that they are genetically human. Mattis is hounded by Senator Pitt, whose son was killed as the result of Mattis actions. Space battles between ensue between the Americans and Chinese, and with the invaders. Other characters come to the fore in the story adding to the complexity of the story.The characters are not necessarily fleshed-out but are nonetheless interesting. Read Book 1 first and then dig into this one because the story assumes the reader has knowledge of some of the intrigue.
June 23, 2018
Fabulous follow-up to the first book…
More danger. More mayhem. More intrigue. And just a little romance. Nothing beats great space opera. This is hard military science fiction, with believable characters and solid storylines. I can't wait to read book III.
More danger. More mayhem. More intrigue. And just a little romance. Nothing beats great space opera. This is hard military science fiction, with believable characters and solid storylines. I can't wait to read book III.
September 21, 2018
After book 1 I hoped it would get better. The illogical character reactions and stilted dialogue and plot. Alas, no. What made me give up on the series was the ridiculous Deep State plot line. Oh well. Onto something else.
April 17, 2019
Well worth reading if you liked Book 1
Some production issues, many misspelled words (embarrassingly), a confusing mix up of last names concerning the two "Chucks", but very well worth it if you liked the first book.
Some production issues, many misspelled words (embarrassingly), a confusing mix up of last names concerning the two "Chucks", but very well worth it if you liked the first book.
July 24, 2017
Another excellent book
As in the last book the ending was a little predictable, however in the last book they were from the future. This was another interesting read.
As in the last book the ending was a little predictable, however in the last book they were from the future. This was another interesting read.
August 17, 2017
This series reminds me of Battlestar Galactica and The Expanse, with an intriguing mystery, political intrigue and some badass space battles. Very enjoyable read and I can't wait for the next
August 24, 2017
Great sequel
This is a great book and a great read! I recommend it for anyone who loves science fiction story. So read and enjoy.
This is a great book and a great read! I recommend it for anyone who loves science fiction story. So read and enjoy.
May 31, 2019
Like the storyline so far.
The story is fun looking forward to the next book
I will see what happens next on this storyline
Bye
The story is fun looking forward to the next book
I will see what happens next on this storyline
Bye
July 16, 2019
Good book
This book was good, changed from a war in space to a mystery novel. Still it was a good way for The characters to develop.
This book was good, changed from a war in space to a mystery novel. Still it was a good way for The characters to develop.
August 24, 2019
Great sci-fi adventure, well written, interesting and imaginative.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews