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Age of Expansion: The Bad Company #4
Liberation
Humanity’s greatest export—Justice. Space is a dangerous place even for the wary, and especially for the unprepared. The aliens have no idea. Here comes the Bad Company.
When humanity is wronged by the alien AI, the Bad Company leaps to action, but only after the warriors have scattered to the four corners of the galaxy. Nothing like liberty to keep the Bad Company happy and the credits flowing, just like cheap beer.
A side trip to Earth. Vacation on Yol. Meeting a lawyer on Onyx Station. Nothing is outside the realm of possibility as the Bad Company takes much-needed time off.
When the warriors return, they find their ranks bolstered, their weapons upgraded, and their fleet has grown. What they don’t find is the enemy.
The search is on! Between the Bad Company and their target stands too many innocent lives. Join Terry and Char as they confront Ten, a galactic evil…
Join the Bad Company as they fight an enemy from their worst nightmares.
--- PLEASE NOTE ---
*NOTE: If cursing is a problem, then this might not be for you.
376 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 22, 2018
271 people are currently reading
122 people want to read
About the author
Craig Martelle
327 books7,880 followersVisit Craig's web page, craigmartelle.com for the latest posts and updates or find him on Facebook, Author Craig Martelle. Send an email to craig@craigmartelle.com to join his mailing list for the latest on new releases, information on old releases, and anything related to his books.
I see my other lives, a career in the Marines, those damn hand-written tests in law school, a business consultant, as if they're stories from a book. I see my books as if I lived there, as if I were friends with the characters. All things we remember are behind us, only those we imagine lie before.
I'm not sure which place I prefer, but I don't have to choose. They live together in my mind. My books have some award nominations, they have bestseller tags across multiple countries. I write about justice, honor, and loyalty because that's what I care about. My stories are mostly set within worlds that haven't been, but could be. We have to be ready for when those times come.
No matter where I went, I always had a book with me. Thanks to 21st Century technology, I now have hundreds of books loaded on my phone and always with me. This breakthrough allows me to binge read my favorites. How many books would I have read on deployments had I not had to have a physical book with me? I paced myself so I wouldn't finish too quickly.
We aren't encumbered like that now. I love the works of Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, JRR Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and so many more. I have been compared to Andre Norton and that is humbling - she was an incredible author with a huge list of novels to her credit. With every new book, I aspire to live up to those that you, the readers, have compared me to.
Through a bizarre series of events, I ended up in Fairbanks, Alaska. I never expected to retire to a place where golf courses are only open for four months out of the year. But that's the way it is. It is off the beaten path. My wife and I get to watch the northern lights from our driveway. Our dog has lots of room to run. And temperatures reach fifty below zero. We have from three and a half hours of daylight in the winter to twenty-four hours in the summer.
It's all part of the give and take of life. If we didn't have those extremes, then everyone would live in the sub-arctic.
I see my other lives, a career in the Marines, those damn hand-written tests in law school, a business consultant, as if they're stories from a book. I see my books as if I lived there, as if I were friends with the characters. All things we remember are behind us, only those we imagine lie before.
I'm not sure which place I prefer, but I don't have to choose. They live together in my mind. My books have some award nominations, they have bestseller tags across multiple countries. I write about justice, honor, and loyalty because that's what I care about. My stories are mostly set within worlds that haven't been, but could be. We have to be ready for when those times come.
No matter where I went, I always had a book with me. Thanks to 21st Century technology, I now have hundreds of books loaded on my phone and always with me. This breakthrough allows me to binge read my favorites. How many books would I have read on deployments had I not had to have a physical book with me? I paced myself so I wouldn't finish too quickly.
We aren't encumbered like that now. I love the works of Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey, JRR Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and so many more. I have been compared to Andre Norton and that is humbling - she was an incredible author with a huge list of novels to her credit. With every new book, I aspire to live up to those that you, the readers, have compared me to.
Through a bizarre series of events, I ended up in Fairbanks, Alaska. I never expected to retire to a place where golf courses are only open for four months out of the year. But that's the way it is. It is off the beaten path. My wife and I get to watch the northern lights from our driveway. Our dog has lots of room to run. And temperatures reach fifty below zero. We have from three and a half hours of daylight in the winter to twenty-four hours in the summer.
It's all part of the give and take of life. If we didn't have those extremes, then everyone would live in the sub-arctic.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
July 9, 2021
Great transitional book
This book does a great job of transitioning the tragedy in book three into a story where healing can begin, divergent paths are created for characters to begin new arcs (and new series). It also has some great action!
This book does a great job of transitioning the tragedy in book three into a story where healing can begin, divergent paths are created for characters to begin new arcs (and new series). It also has some great action!
May 2, 2022
What can I say? TH not swearing?
The pack splitting up to go their own ways?
You'd think that these are negatives but, in fact, they all brought a positive change after Ramse's death in the previous book!
I love Bad Company, and am enjoying reading about it's growth, and even the changes wrought by both death, and by technological genius!
Ted is really showing what he's made of in this book, and it's Ted's, and his alien friend Ankh, job to finally destroy Ten. But they need the support of the rest of the Bad Company in order to do so.
TH not swearing, though? Well, that won him and Char enough money to go into a business venture right after his own heart - something for them to do in between setting the Universe to rights.
But this book was also about family and, once again, Ted and Ankh develop an instant communications device, which is the main means for Ted's wife, Felicity and, as an added bonus, all the members of the Bad Company, to stay in touch with their children, who had decided to stay on Earth, when the Bad Company moved into space.
So, before going on that final confrontation with Ten, Ted takes some of the newly invented units to Earth, to look for his and Felicity's children, to see who they can leave the devices with, and who they can persuade to come back with them.
There was a lot happening in this book which, under less experienced hands, might have made for chaos but, with Craig Martelle at the helm, and Michael Anderle editing, we got a compelling read, full of all the details that dotted the i's, and crossed the t's, to bring Bad Company into a new era of it's life!
The ending of this book brings the first arc of all these stories to a close, and starts another arc, the Age of Madness, in it's place.
I don't know what will happen there, but I'm sure that, with all the new series coming up, it's going to be a blast.
But there's also a part of the old series continuing. As I look at my reading list, I see that the next book to read, comes from the main Bethany Anne series. It's book 23: Compelling Evidence, which is also marked as book 2 of The Kurtherian Endgame, and so it continues on, bringing a link into the next part of this series of series, known, and loved by all that read it, as the Kurtherian Universe!
The pack splitting up to go their own ways?
You'd think that these are negatives but, in fact, they all brought a positive change after Ramse's death in the previous book!
I love Bad Company, and am enjoying reading about it's growth, and even the changes wrought by both death, and by technological genius!
Ted is really showing what he's made of in this book, and it's Ted's, and his alien friend Ankh, job to finally destroy Ten. But they need the support of the rest of the Bad Company in order to do so.
TH not swearing, though? Well, that won him and Char enough money to go into a business venture right after his own heart - something for them to do in between setting the Universe to rights.
But this book was also about family and, once again, Ted and Ankh develop an instant communications device, which is the main means for Ted's wife, Felicity and, as an added bonus, all the members of the Bad Company, to stay in touch with their children, who had decided to stay on Earth, when the Bad Company moved into space.
So, before going on that final confrontation with Ten, Ted takes some of the newly invented units to Earth, to look for his and Felicity's children, to see who they can leave the devices with, and who they can persuade to come back with them.
There was a lot happening in this book which, under less experienced hands, might have made for chaos but, with Craig Martelle at the helm, and Michael Anderle editing, we got a compelling read, full of all the details that dotted the i's, and crossed the t's, to bring Bad Company into a new era of it's life!
The ending of this book brings the first arc of all these stories to a close, and starts another arc, the Age of Madness, in it's place.
I don't know what will happen there, but I'm sure that, with all the new series coming up, it's going to be a blast.
But there's also a part of the old series continuing. As I look at my reading list, I see that the next book to read, comes from the main Bethany Anne series. It's book 23: Compelling Evidence, which is also marked as book 2 of The Kurtherian Endgame, and so it continues on, bringing a link into the next part of this series of series, known, and loved by all that read it, as the Kurtherian Universe!
October 1, 2021
This is another of the books by the author that has a good quote. “We remember the past , but we have to look forward. It is the only direction in which our eyes point.”
Ankh is working on upgrades for the War Axe. New recruits are being trained on Keeg Station and things aren't going well with them. Rivka is early in her work and much of the rest of the book is spent with people getting together and preparations being made.
The reason? They are going after Ten to try to end him once and for all.
The book does a good job showing how all the pieces for this are being put in place. Everyone knows this will be a vicious battle and that some of them may not survive but they still must prepare for the good and, hopefully, final fight against evil.
Ankh is working on upgrades for the War Axe. New recruits are being trained on Keeg Station and things aren't going well with them. Rivka is early in her work and much of the rest of the book is spent with people getting together and preparations being made.
The reason? They are going after Ten to try to end him once and for all.
The book does a good job showing how all the pieces for this are being put in place. Everyone knows this will be a vicious battle and that some of them may not survive but they still must prepare for the good and, hopefully, final fight against evil.
June 9, 2018
KGU is an amazing universe. The stories pull you in. Only downside is they are rather short, usually only 100 pages or so. They do publish very frequently, but I would rather wait for a longer book. Due to this, the plot sometimes feels rushed towards the end, trying to tie up loose ends in a short amount of time/pages. Overall, I enjoy the series, but I would rather wait for several months and get a longer, more thorough book then get four books that only have 100 or so pages to get the entire plot tied up. I find this takes away from some really good character details, and makes them more two dimensional characters instead of fully fleshed out ones.
June 30, 2018
Excellent ending to an arc
What more can I add to the title of my review?
It felt like it was too short. Looking back at the word count, I have to assume that it's only because I want more!
This was a departure from the usual AoE books in that most of the book detailed life and character development instead of being mostly action.
The action was well done, as usual. The character development was extensive and impressive. We saw Ted become more than the autistic genius plot device and become a person. Having two autistic nephews, I truly appreciated that.
Well done Craig, and thank you.
What more can I add to the title of my review?
It felt like it was too short. Looking back at the word count, I have to assume that it's only because I want more!
This was a departure from the usual AoE books in that most of the book detailed life and character development instead of being mostly action.
The action was well done, as usual. The character development was extensive and impressive. We saw Ted become more than the autistic genius plot device and become a person. Having two autistic nephews, I truly appreciated that.
Well done Craig, and thank you.
October 15, 2023
After the sad finish of the last book, (Not a spoiler for people who don’t skip books) we have a more upbeat story that introduces us to some interesting new characters. Unlike the usual situations where the Bad Company blows up stuff until the enemy is defeated, a large part of the story revolves around Ted (All Hail Ted!) doing ever more genius level work to make Felicity happy and support the Bad Company in their quest to export justice.
We see the beginning of some new story arcs and the first soldiers training without TH & Char personally involved.
We see the beginning of some new story arcs and the first soldiers training without TH & Char personally involved.
April 29, 2018
Wow, loved this book!
Always love the action and adventures with TH and Char. But the humor in this one was especially good. The characters already developed in this series and the Nomad series before it are so well developed that it's amazing how much they continue to grow. I really enjoyed reading about the trip back to Earth along with Terry and Char's vacation. Can't wait to read the next book.
Always love the action and adventures with TH and Char. But the humor in this one was especially good. The characters already developed in this series and the Nomad series before it are so well developed that it's amazing how much they continue to grow. I really enjoyed reading about the trip back to Earth along with Terry and Char's vacation. Can't wait to read the next book.
July 30, 2019
A CM/MA SYFY Novel (L) (AMSO) (TBCB - 4)
C:M/MA have penned a Military Combat Action Adventure which leads to another military action days away from the home planet. THW had thought it was time to go to work because the local populace had begun to get nerveous with FDG at home.They were asked to assist a planet in dire straights. The FDG departed immediately. This is an excellent read for genre.....DEHS
C:M/MA have penned a Military Combat Action Adventure which leads to another military action days away from the home planet. THW had thought it was time to go to work because the local populace had begun to get nerveous with FDG at home.They were asked to assist a planet in dire straights. The FDG departed immediately. This is an excellent read for genre.....DEHS
April 25, 2018
So much happened
So much happened in this story. Some sad, some happy, but as always excitement. One adventure after another TH and company never fail to entertain. Curious about what will happen with all of the new additions. The first time one of the harborians has a drink.
So much happened in this story. Some sad, some happy, but as always excitement. One adventure after another TH and company never fail to entertain. Curious about what will happen with all of the new additions. The first time one of the harborians has a drink.
May 25, 2018
Shazaaaam Bigly
If readers have progressed to here in this Kurtherian universe, then I offer apologizes if this book hasn’t been devoured yet .
Obviously the owners are tied up in some onerous Verk. However, I know they’ll open this scrumptious foray in digital delight when they are able. Have no fear cause Floyd & wabbit conclave have teamed up.
If readers have progressed to here in this Kurtherian universe, then I offer apologizes if this book hasn’t been devoured yet .
Obviously the owners are tied up in some onerous Verk. However, I know they’ll open this scrumptious foray in digital delight when they are able. Have no fear cause Floyd & wabbit conclave have teamed up.
April 28, 2018
Great read!!!!
So much going on in this one but ultimately Bad Company is going after Ten. The train new recruits and get a little time off. TH buys a BAR!! A franchise of All Guns!!! As they head out everyone is hoping not to loose anyone. Read to find out what happens!!!
So much going on in this one but ultimately Bad Company is going after Ten. The train new recruits and get a little time off. TH buys a BAR!! A franchise of All Guns!!! As they head out everyone is hoping not to loose anyone. Read to find out what happens!!!
May 7, 2018
On the edge of my seat!
Well... my bed, to be honest. That was so good! So much action, threads coming together, new plots being started, and what a cliffhanger! When will the next book be out, Craig?
Well... my bed, to be honest. That was so good! So much action, threads coming together, new plots being started, and what a cliffhanger! When will the next book be out, Craig?
May 23, 2018
Great Read
I chose 5 stars because I read the book straight through. I couldn't put it down. At the beginning the team is dealing with loss, but they work through it. Afterwards the ass kicking begins.
I chose 5 stars because I read the book straight through. I couldn't put it down. At the beginning the team is dealing with loss, but they work through it. Afterwards the ass kicking begins.
April 9, 2020
This book is part of the series within a series set in the Kurtherian Gambit Universe. Craig Martelle and Michael Anderle did a great job creating a world and characters you can believe in and get excited about. If you enjoy this series, try the main series, it will take you on a trip...!!!
August 20, 2020
Snow
So snow really now I’ve read it all all men and no women a woman and no men a new a guns blazing a thetop secret home that is not going to be top secret any more and TEN POOR TED then end with a wombat really
So snow really now I’ve read it all all men and no women a woman and no men a new a guns blazing a thetop secret home that is not going to be top secret any more and TEN POOR TED then end with a wombat really
April 25, 2018
Outstanding series...
Loved the book. It keeps the plotline going from the previous books and drags in New characters to enhance the story.
Loved the book. It keeps the plotline going from the previous books and drags in New characters to enhance the story.
April 26, 2018
Action packed
Another action packed story. So much going on I almost got lost a time or two.
I can’t wait to see how all the people adjusts to their new lives.
Another action packed story. So much going on I almost got lost a time or two.
I can’t wait to see how all the people adjusts to their new lives.
May 2, 2018
Can’t wait for the next one.
I love this story line. I can’t wait for the next one to come out. It will be interesting to see where this goes next.
I love this story line. I can’t wait for the next one to come out. It will be interesting to see where this goes next.
May 8, 2018
2 Thumbs Up
I always love reading about TH and Char. This book doesn't disappoint. Comedy and action sorry no spoilers in this review
I always love reading about TH and Char. This book doesn't disappoint. Comedy and action sorry no spoilers in this review
May 10, 2018
Another must read!
Another great adventure with TH and Char. Well laid out and just plain fascinating. An intriguing universe with all sorts of twists and turns.
Another great adventure with TH and Char. Well laid out and just plain fascinating. An intriguing universe with all sorts of twists and turns.
May 13, 2018
Another good Bad Company story
Not quite as much action as the previous books but still a good read. Solid characters, and I love Dokken. Looking forward to more.
Not quite as much action as the previous books but still a good read. Solid characters, and I love Dokken. Looking forward to more.
November 29, 2019
A good story!!
Good action. But Ten is an idiot. If " home world" is the best he can do, we should have no fear of a robot overlord.
Good action. But Ten is an idiot. If " home world" is the best he can do, we should have no fear of a robot overlord.
November 6, 2021
Simply Stunning!
Once again the authors take TH and Char with their family and friends to fight the 😈 evil AI , liberating thousands of innocent humans.
Once again the authors take TH and Char with their family and friends to fight the 😈 evil AI , liberating thousands of innocent humans.
August 8, 2022
Another in the now getting longer series. This one was OK as it took them back to Earth.
January 21, 2020
Just when you thought you had the universe calmed down to an acceptable roar, bad things start happening all over space. The foe is unknown and seemingly impossible to find or defeat. Put on your thinking caps as smash and blast just won't do the trick. Exciting and fun.
May 6, 2018
It's fun to read, the characters are likeable (some not) and realistic. It's not a story of happy endings and it does end with a not so subtle "to be continued" but if you like serial novels, where the stories flow from one book to another you'll love this book. It's imaginative, creative, funny, and makes you beg for the next installment.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews