To Fall Among Vultures

Union Earth Privateers #2

by Scott Warren, John Adamus (Editor)

A gritty, Military SF page-turner sure to please fans of intrigue and space combat.
Humanity has spent decades carefully establishing a quiet foothold in an uncaring galaxy brimming with hostile powers. That all unraveled six months ago when Captain Victoria Marin and her crew of Vultures stumbled into the center of a conflict between two of the galaxy’s three apex civilizations.
Eager to get off the intergalactic radar, the Vultures spent the last six months laying low, running routine salvage and recon missions for the Union Earth Government. The scavenged xenotech they and the other privateers ship back to Earth are crucial to securing humanity’s place among the stars.
But fate has other plans for the Vultures. When an alien Commander shows up on her doorstep offering Earth its first true defensive alliance, Vick has no choice but to pledge her crew of crafty privateers to their cause. Vick and her Vultures are drawn into a grudge almost a thousand years in the making, and survival for one race could mean extinction for the other.

Genres: Science Fiction, Space Opera, Military Science Fiction, Fiction

233 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 3, 2017

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Another strong volume in the new Union Earth Privateers series. This one took a while to get going, simply establishing a wide range of characters and alien races (it was actually quite confusing until about halfway through the book), but once the board was set, it was off to battle. And those were incredibly fascinating and amazing to read. The concepts were definitely hard science fiction, and contained concepts that I have never seen before.

Really looking forward to the next book!

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

This is a wonderful space opera which follows on nicely from the first book.
If you enjoy military space opera this is for you.

[Jim Kratzok · Rating 2 out of 5]

Where do I begin?

This book was all over the place. There were so many battles, alien races, alien names, etc. that I had a rough time keeping track of what was going on. The writing style is another impediment to enjoyment with this book. Sentences tend to run on and seem sometimes incomplete; either that or I'm missing the point being made. Reading "To Fall Among Vultures" took more energy than I want to spend when I read for fun.

[Florian · Rating 2 out of 5]

The actions of the humans in this book are completely insane. None of the decisions make sense.

I can go into a bit of detail below in the spoilers (SPOILERWARNING)


Basically Humanity has the choice of two potential allies:

On one side you have a multi-star Empire with which you have friendly contact, you even export items that seem addictive to the citizens of that empire (silk and coffee). (Alien A)

On the other side you have a isolationist one planet empire with which you have zero contact and which until now didn't even want contact. (Alien B)

Because their World is getting destroyed Alien B decides to invade a World owned by Alien A (and in the process wiping all Alien A from that World).

Now while this attack is happening two things happen.
1. On arrival human trade ships are attacked by Alien B (but they were saved).
2. Human tradeships tried to leave the system and were attacked by Alien A.

The second attack is what the Humans use as an excuse to jump into the fight and help Alien B.
They send a fleet with stolen super weapons to attack Alien A, before the fleet can attack they get informed that the Attack by Alien A on the tradeships were a ruse. But the Admiral doesn't care.

And so Humanity chooses Alien B as their new ally. A species they didn't have previous contact. A species that never wanted to work with anyone, which promised tech (the same Alien A promised). A species that lost their homeworld, has no industry in place, has exactly enough ships to win a planet and needs to rebuild their whole civilization. While in the process of wiping out Alien A.

Humans choose them over a Species with which they already were friends, which already were in some small ways depended on human trade, which had multiple worlds, industry in place, a well armed fleet.


This does not make sense at all. There was no super benefit of choosing Alien B that negated all the benefits of Alien A. Not even the Attack on the tradeship as a reason makes sense.
And the worst part??? The easy access to tech Alien B promised? Not happening, cause our hero choose to save all the Alien A on the World instead of the tech. And nobody was mad at her for that decision.

And the fleet of superweapons humans have? To establish the alliance they needed to promise to park them over the newly conquered world. So even that detracted from the protection of human worlds.

Humans basically lost three times here. And the only reason i can see why is that the Author wanted to establish some drama for future books.

[Glen Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, the good news. This promises to be an exciting new series, and I really like the premise. Earth finally develops the technology to travel into the stars, only to find they are already occupied and we are horribly outclassed by many superior races, especially by what are considered the Big Three. In order to catch up technologically before we get squashed flat like a bug, we develop a fleet of Privateers, whose goal is to scavenge among the battles between the other races and collect whatever superior technology we can develop for our own use. The first book was fascinating, especially since it was developed around a hard-edged female Privateer captain named Victoria Marin.

In addition, book 2 is setting the stage for a much larger story, one that encompasses many other characters, other planets, other races, and a lot of political intrigue. Promising.

Now the bad news. Book 2, To Fall Among Vultures jumps into its larger story at the loss of one of the most appealing parts of the first book, that being the character of Victoria Marin. She's still in Book 2, but because we so caught up with adding so much information about the other races and planets, et cetera, not to mention a massive space battle that seems to go on for most of the length of the book, we lose the personal touch. The book does include one additional character, an alien referred to as "Southside," who is likeable and seems like he will play a larger role later on. But for the most part, there was so much going on, it was very easy to get lost, much like one of the small space craft in the massive space battle I referred to.

Finally, Fall Among Vultures fell (pun intended) into the trap that many ebooks, indie and traditionally published are falling into. It is sorely in need of an edit. I've been in contact with the publishers, who have promised a thorough proofread in days to come, so let's see what happens.

All in all, it's a promising start to what looks like it might be a pretty good series. But there are still a few kinks to work out.

[Nissanmama · Rating 4 out of 5]

To Fall Among Vultures is a solid addition to the Union Earth Privateers series. I found the writing to be equally as good as the first book, Vick’s Vultures, with the same exception that I noted before, that of repetition. (I read from an advance copy and it may be those few spots I took issue with are changed in final editing.) Calling upon his own training as a pilot, Warren helps us to mentally visualize extensive battle scenes. They feel authentic, if a little drawn out. The reader is definitely in the middle of the action as the point of view shifts through the perspectives of different participants in the fight. I wanted to see the movie the same way I wanted to see the campaigns in Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game.

Like Star Wars’ The Empire Strikes Back, there has to be that middle book which gives us very important information, but maybe doesn’t have the final ending we want. Truthfully, after reading To Fall Among Vultures there’s such a surprise (I won’t spoil it for you) that I’m not even sure what I want from book three. It brings up major questions that need major answers, but until I read this book, I didn’t know to ask them. Readers of speculative science fiction like to speculate and when the author is a step or three ahead of the reader—well, it’s just fun.

The strength of Vick’s Vultures was watching humans overcome incredible odds, take advantage of opportunity, and make noble sacrifices—things we like to pat ourselves on the back for as a people. In To Fall Among Vultures, Warren explores our flaws. Most significantly, as the story becomes more fantastic, it remains plausible where the flawed Earthlings we know are the heroes and the bad guys. Warren handles it well and maintains my good opinion. I’m looking forward to book three.

My Rating: A- Enjoyed A Lot

Read this review and others at That's What I'm Talking About: http://twimom227.com/2017/10/review-t...

[John Purvis · Rating 4 out of 5]

"To Fall Among Vultures" eBook was published in 2017 and was written by Scott Warren (https://www.facebook.com/scottwarrenSCD/). Mr. Warren has published five novels, this being the second in his "Union Earth Privateers" series.

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in the far future, with the primary character of Captain Victoria Marin of the space craft Condor.

Marin leads one of the few Earth Privateer ships that is scouring the galaxy for any technology that can be salvaged, bought or stolen to help advance Earth. Generally the Privateers keep a low profile and out of the way of the 'big three' space civilizations.

Marin is approached with a potential deal to bring Earth an ally in what is growing into a war between two of the 'big three'. She and her crew are drawn into a major battle. She also finds herself at odds with another Privateer.

I enjoyed the 7.5 hours I spent reading this 234 page science fiction thriller. I like the concept of Earth as a 'third-world' in space tech, having to scrounge to survive and advance. I thought that the characters were well developed in the story. The only complaint I have is that the story seems unfocused in places. While this is the second in a series, it reads well on its own, though I did read the prior novel "Vick's Vultures". The cover art is OK, depicting a scene in the story. I give this novel a 3.8 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

[Israel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember the good days, back in book one. Lots of scavengin', more than our fair share of close calls, some characters you'd like to see make it to the last page just don't luck out. But once you fly with Vick, ain't nothin' in the galaxy will keep you from boarding that ship. So when book two heads outta port, I'm on it.

Now, that mess of xeno bickerin' hasn't let up one bit. They still makin' the galaxy one helluva tough piece of black to slip around in. You'da thought then, what with all the super-tech ships getting tore up, we'd have plenty of scavengin' to keep us busy from Prologue to "The End". Ha. That woulda been a fair shake from your friendly neighborhood galaxy. When's the last time that ever happened? Well, Vick's Vultures don't fly in no fairy tales.

So guess what mess we fly headfirst into in this book? Mm-hmm, government. And wouldn'tya know it? Our fancy new hi-tech xeno allies, they got government too. And the big bad xenos, government. Even the super xenos that barely blink at all the other xenos. Government. So guess what happens to us Vultures stuck in the thick of it? Yeah, that's what I said, too.

So strap in for another ride, crack this book, and don't let go, 'cause it won't let you go.

(This reviewer received a copy of the book from the publisher for review via NetGalley.)

[Peter Megyeri · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been some time since I read the first part of the series. Back then I gave it 5 stars, and I will give this one 3. That's not because I think it's much worse than the first one, but because I'm starting to try to force myself to use the rating system as it is intended and not give every book 5 stars all the time. That quite misses the purpose of rating at all.

So I read the previous one quite a while ago, so at first, I had some trouble catching up with the who-is-who. Then it became really intense and action driven and I liked the middle part really much. This really is a page-turner. But unlike last time, somehow I didn't feel quite connected to the characters too much. It's possibly has nothing to do with the book itself, but me. Still.

I probably will read the next part when it's published because I'm not totally uninterested in the faith of the characters, but rather as a "literary snack" in between two, longer, more serious novels.


And spoiler: yes, I was too somewhat underwhelmed by the ending, just like a lot of other reviewers on Goodreads.


Still, read it, if you have read the first part. It's not too long and the action parts (which is the most of the book) are really thrilling.

[SplatterGeist Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

It happened again, folks: I read the second installment of a trilogy series without having read the first book. Damn. By the fourth chapter in I began feeling it though; Warren doesn’t forgive readers who stumble halfway into a series without getting something of a debrief session as each concept, technology, character, and element is thrown at you from left, right, and center.

I got the hang of it eventually though, and man…what an awesome story! I felt like a boxer in the ring with a champ; I’m dodging these blows but gradually my eye begins to kick in and I can read his movements, predict his next attack, foil his strategy.

To Fall Among Vultures is not for the faint of heart, and justifiably so. This is a high-octane military science fiction novel focusing on complex politics and out of this world action with lethal stakes should bad come to worse. Other than it being a bloody and violent compilation of hard-hitting military science fiction and space opera, To Fall Among Vultures is a great concept written with the flair for the dramatic.

Warren gives us everything and then some. 

[Mareth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent, high-paced sci-fi novel, and in my opinion as good as or better than the first Vick's book (which I also thoroughly enjoyed). The novel catches up with the crew of the Condor a few months after the events of Vick's Vultures, where' Captain Marin's success in outmaneuvering a massively more powerful hostile spaceship has given her crew a reputation - which is affecting their ability to go about their scavenging mission in both good and bad ways... Warren really excels at describing combat scenes that are tight, fraught, and realistic. As in this book, the universe and the general workings of the spaceships and technology have already been explained, there's a fewer interludes explaining the 'science' propping up the weapons, engines, and communications equipment - which helps the pacing. There are some amazing individual scenes in the book, most of which I can't talk about without revealing spoilers. The ending is phenomenal, and definitely leaves the door wide open for future installments of the series.

[Jackson Theofore Keys · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book was better. This book was one gigantic, on-going fight where humans end up being reprehensible. There was only one chapter in the entire book that was something other than killing and death. One chapter that reminded me why I usually like science fiction. In the end, I would submit that if you like little character development and a lot of space battle, then this is your book. Otherwise, I would skip it.

[JulianL · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a though one. I knew it didn't have a happy ending from the reviews, but even knowing it was coming didn't soften the blow. Thematically I think it was the right decision, but when it happened, I didn't like it. We will have to see what the next installment brings us when it is released, but it's not looking good for the UE.

[Iah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story but it felt messy and chaotic in its telling. Jumping in and out of story elements from one paragraph to the next with very little finesse.
The story ends with a pretty realistic portrait of how humans would behave. Corruption, money & power results in attempted genocide. We have seen that pattern offer here in the real world. Humans are scum.

[Bill Kulpa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read, interesting characters, different plot.

Nothing critical, could use a bit of editing but overall, well written. Looking forward to the next installment, hope not to wait too long.

[Peter Bruyns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Look.

Mr. Warren ( the author), has taken a page from David Brin and played another look at human upliftment. In the past was one of the original people who gave the galaxy a major help with a new technology. This book is really worth buying.

[Grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great sci-fi war story

This book follows the same main characters as they try to add to humans advance in the universe. This book is full of action and twists making it a great read.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice continuation of the story.

Nice continuation of the story. Stayed up late to read it. Can't wait to read books more by this author.

[Cali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaaaagghh. It ended totally different than I was expecting. Good book but nerve wracking.

[Keith · Rating 1 out of 5]

What began as a great beginning to a series in book 1 went straight to hell over the course of this, book II.

I'm tempted to ask for a refund from Amazon because I am so disgusted by the bait and switch the author set up.

A complete waste of money.

Two words: Ender's Game

[Dale (Aus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series with a good twist

Great series with a good twist in the way the earth handles the galaxy by using privateers to scavenge from the other races. Loved it.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't like the ending. The first in the series was better

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intrigued to see where this series goes next!

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book but still after all this time certain tech from centuries ago is still being used? This is baffling. Also the battle was a bit confusing other than that, very nice read.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott Warren is definitely an up and coming author! The second book of Union Earth Privateers is at least the equal to the first. Exciting and engaging, I read it in one sitting.

[Mercurybard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Straight up military scifi, and the end left a bad taste in my mouth. I don't think I'm going to continue with this series.

[Chuck Hemphill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

[Pieter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this series. The universe is really interesting, and the space battles are awesome. But one of my favorites parts are the mini adventures with the marine units.

[Bill Skees]

Good action and adventure.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book in the series, with more shenanigans involving the established stronger xeno cultures