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Invasion Earth #0.5
Phalanx
Prisoners used as soldiers. More like cannon fodder.
When the aliens popped up this side of the asteroid belt, earth panicked. All the petty wars and disputes on the planet were forgotten as they faced a new threat from outer space.
There were no space marines. There wasn't a space navy. No one was prepared.
A committee had a bright idea. The poor had always fought the wars before. Why not fight the aliens too? Empty out the prisons, ship them off to the Red Planet and leave them to stop the alien menace. It's a holding mission, buying time while the real soldiers train for space combat.
A young kid was in the wrong place, wrong time. Just being homeless was enough to get picked up and shipped off. He's dropped in the middle of a firefight and has to learn to survive. Assigned to a platoon with a by the books commander, the new soldier gets to choose sides.
Either one could get him killed. Probably will since they have one mission. Destroy the alien gun emplacements to get much needed supplies. Hope they have enough weapons and air to make it, otherwise the suicide mission won't stop the alien colonization of Mars, a beachhead for invading earth.
When the aliens popped up this side of the asteroid belt, earth panicked. All the petty wars and disputes on the planet were forgotten as they faced a new threat from outer space.
There were no space marines. There wasn't a space navy. No one was prepared.
A committee had a bright idea. The poor had always fought the wars before. Why not fight the aliens too? Empty out the prisons, ship them off to the Red Planet and leave them to stop the alien menace. It's a holding mission, buying time while the real soldiers train for space combat.
A young kid was in the wrong place, wrong time. Just being homeless was enough to get picked up and shipped off. He's dropped in the middle of a firefight and has to learn to survive. Assigned to a platoon with a by the books commander, the new soldier gets to choose sides.
Either one could get him killed. Probably will since they have one mission. Destroy the alien gun emplacements to get much needed supplies. Hope they have enough weapons and air to make it, otherwise the suicide mission won't stop the alien colonization of Mars, a beachhead for invading earth.
- GenresScience Fiction
81 pages, ebook
Published October 2, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 17, 2018
Oops I read this on last.
I have read this short story out of context with the other Invasion Earth series. Ok so what. It still adds depth to some late comers (characters) in the series. I finished Infiltrate and am left hanging waiting for the next episode. My wife watched soaps and Friday is always a cliff hanger. Guess I'll just have to wait and see. Not as good as a full story but it serves its purpose.
I have read this short story out of context with the other Invasion Earth series. Ok so what. It still adds depth to some late comers (characters) in the series. I finished Infiltrate and am left hanging waiting for the next episode. My wife watched soaps and Friday is always a cliff hanger. Guess I'll just have to wait and see. Not as good as a full story but it serves its purpose.
October 29, 2018
Pretty much your standard military sci-fi, that ticks all of the boxes (pro and con). "Fish out of water" marine rookie viewpoint? A gruff wise-to-the-world Sargent? An alien foe, bereft of any character or motivation? Lots of blood and guts and war-is-hell action? All here, in spades. Nothing off-putting, nothing out of place, but also nothing that I haven't read many times before.
I was perhaps more annoyed with the writer's actual mechanics in this e-book. The format and the author's voice often never clarified exactly who is saying what during heavy dialog scenes..., and the jump from Marine Reynard's viewpoint to Navy Captain Dawes' was so jarring, I thought it might have been a Kindle application bug. The flashback(s) are also handled in a somewhat clumsy manner.
Going three stars on this, though 2.5 is perhaps more realistic. This Kindle book was a freebie giveaway, so I didn't lose much of anything giving is a go. The action and pacing is right on target for the MilSciFi genre. It's not horrible, but the author's style does need a bit more polishing and some tighter editing.
I was perhaps more annoyed with the writer's actual mechanics in this e-book. The format and the author's voice often never clarified exactly who is saying what during heavy dialog scenes..., and the jump from Marine Reynard's viewpoint to Navy Captain Dawes' was so jarring, I thought it might have been a Kindle application bug. The flashback(s) are also handled in a somewhat clumsy manner.
Going three stars on this, though 2.5 is perhaps more realistic. This Kindle book was a freebie giveaway, so I didn't lose much of anything giving is a go. The action and pacing is right on target for the MilSciFi genre. It's not horrible, but the author's style does need a bit more polishing and some tighter editing.
January 1, 2020
Lowry here writes violent sci-fi space invasion warrior literature. This series is better edited than most of his freebie series I’ve read previously.
A British Man of War in harbour in need of sailors first emptied the jails and then sent press gangs into the streets and emptied the dockside pubs. “Recruits” often regained consciousness at sea. Little is seems has changed except here the ships are in the vacuum of space and the recruits dropped into a hot zones on Mars. Weber explains that he was tazered as one of street gang raping a lone gal. He regained consciousness about to be parachute dropped into a hot zone, their weapons dropped after them. The cons fought one another as the aliens picked them off. As always the poor and uneducated became cannon fodder while the sons of wealth sat home or bought commissions.
Bodies turn into misty clouds of red or get cut in half. The violence here is graphic. As in jungle warfare in the past the environment here is just another enemy.
A British Man of War in harbour in need of sailors first emptied the jails and then sent press gangs into the streets and emptied the dockside pubs. “Recruits” often regained consciousness at sea. Little is seems has changed except here the ships are in the vacuum of space and the recruits dropped into a hot zones on Mars. Weber explains that he was tazered as one of street gang raping a lone gal. He regained consciousness about to be parachute dropped into a hot zone, their weapons dropped after them. The cons fought one another as the aliens picked them off. As always the poor and uneducated became cannon fodder while the sons of wealth sat home or bought commissions.
Bodies turn into misty clouds of red or get cut in half. The violence here is graphic. As in jungle warfare in the past the environment here is just another enemy.
October 7, 2019
This is an interesting introduction to this new sci fi series by Chris Lowry! Exciting adventure from start to finish! For all lovers of alien wars! This is for you!
May 3, 2021
now the prisoners are fighting wars. Against aliens. On Mars
June 2, 2023
Great story
March 2, 2022
Aliens have a outpost on Mars. Earth send srecruits to fight them to give Earth time enough to improve weappons. But will they have enough time.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews