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Expeditionary Force #5
Zero Hour
17 hours and 20 minutes
18 pages, Audible Audio
First published November 17, 2017
1657 people are currently reading
1818 people want to read
About the author
Craig Alanson
42 books4,247 followersIf you want to stay up to date on releases, receive promotion alerts and speak to me directly, please join my Facebook Page:
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My Bio:
Craig Alanson used to create financial reports for a large IT services company. Writing fiction at nights and on weekends, he finally independently published three novels on Amazon. Within 6 months of his first ebook release, he was able to quit his day job and pursue a full-time writing career.
The breakout success of Columbus Day (Expeditionary Force, Book 1) reached new heights when Podium Audio released it in audio format, narrated by Audie Award Winner R.C. Bray. The Columbus Day audiobook was a huge hit, and a finalist for an Audie Award as Audiobook of the Year.
The ExForce series, as it is known to fans, has gone on to 10 books/audiobooks, many of which have hit the NYT best-seller list, with a 11th book releasing June 2021 and 14 books planned.
Craig has also published a spin-off series, ExForce: Mavericks; an ExForce audio drama, Homefront; a fantasy trilogy, Ascendent; and a young adult space opera, Aces. Craig lives in Virginia with his wife, who loves him even though he perpetually refuses to clean the garage.
https://www.facebook.com/Craig.Alanso...
My Bio:
Craig Alanson used to create financial reports for a large IT services company. Writing fiction at nights and on weekends, he finally independently published three novels on Amazon. Within 6 months of his first ebook release, he was able to quit his day job and pursue a full-time writing career.
The breakout success of Columbus Day (Expeditionary Force, Book 1) reached new heights when Podium Audio released it in audio format, narrated by Audie Award Winner R.C. Bray. The Columbus Day audiobook was a huge hit, and a finalist for an Audie Award as Audiobook of the Year.
The ExForce series, as it is known to fans, has gone on to 10 books/audiobooks, many of which have hit the NYT best-seller list, with a 11th book releasing June 2021 and 14 books planned.
Craig has also published a spin-off series, ExForce: Mavericks; an ExForce audio drama, Homefront; a fantasy trilogy, Ascendent; and a young adult space opera, Aces. Craig lives in Virginia with his wife, who loves him even though he perpetually refuses to clean the garage.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 436 reviews
February 22, 2018
I'm still enjoying this series, but overall I'm starting to wear on the repetitive pattern: Pirates get in trouble. Skippy can't figure out a way out. Joe finds a solution that Skippy thinks is crazy but will work. Rinse, lather, repeat.
Mostly, this installation had some enjoyable moments, but it's starting to seem like it was just hitting a big reset button with little actual plot advancement, and that's a little sad to me, since there's some nice plot concepts lurking within the background of the Elders.
Mostly, this installation had some enjoyable moments, but it's starting to seem like it was just hitting a big reset button with little actual plot advancement, and that's a little sad to me, since there's some nice plot concepts lurking within the background of the Elders.
November 16, 2025
It's very formulaic but it works, in no small part thanks to the fantastic narration of R.C. Bray.
It's fun action with lovable characters, what's not to like?
It's fun action with lovable characters, what's not to like?
December 17, 2017
I listen to this book while I'm driving, and sometimes I just burst out laughing at Skippy's rants...although those seemed to be less frequent in this installment of the series...this book just lifted my mood while i was reading it. I definitely sped through this one, so i have to listen to it again to catch what i missed.
Expeditionary Force is by far my favorite series, so I guess you have to temper my exuberance. I mean Craig could probably defecate on my coffee table, and I would probably take a selfie and post it on instagram!
For those who don't read the book because of all the reviews complaining about typos and grammatical errors, you are missing out on an ingeniously written story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and make you laugh out loud throughout the book. I'm thoroughly entertained by it...though again, I'm not the type to get hung up on grammar.
I do think Columbus Day was the best of the books, but that's just because Skippy's emergence as a character was so different from all of the other more serious sci fi I've read. I looked like a lunatic while reading that one...with a witty comment from Skippy practically on every page after he was introduced. The introduction was just a riot, and I read it again every now and then when I need a little inspiration. Such a novel idea that an alien A.I. has such a wild personality...rather than the standard killer A.I.
Zero Hour had a great story line, and continued the trek of the Merry Band of Pirates with some predictability, which was then yanked out from beneath you with unexpected twists. Story side tracks like the insane visualizations of the 'bad kitty' at the end of this one had me laughing hysterically...its just so crazy. I love that Craig continually develops the 'enemy' aliens he's created; and this book gives some individuality to some Thuranin and Maxolhx, away from their typical collectives. I'm hopeful the story line will eventually swing back to the Berger Meister again at some point...she's another of those characters along the way that Craig creates a depth that makes the reader want to know more about them.
In all seriousness, I instantly put down whatever else i'm reading at the time when continuations of this series are available. My favorites are history, alternate history, and sci-fi , but CA jumps to the front of the line. There are probably better sci-fi writers, with many more rabid fans, but I'll be willing to bet that those in the cult of Skippy the Magnificent are the most fun.
Expeditionary Force is by far my favorite series, so I guess you have to temper my exuberance. I mean Craig could probably defecate on my coffee table, and I would probably take a selfie and post it on instagram!
For those who don't read the book because of all the reviews complaining about typos and grammatical errors, you are missing out on an ingeniously written story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and make you laugh out loud throughout the book. I'm thoroughly entertained by it...though again, I'm not the type to get hung up on grammar.
I do think Columbus Day was the best of the books, but that's just because Skippy's emergence as a character was so different from all of the other more serious sci fi I've read. I looked like a lunatic while reading that one...with a witty comment from Skippy practically on every page after he was introduced. The introduction was just a riot, and I read it again every now and then when I need a little inspiration. Such a novel idea that an alien A.I. has such a wild personality...rather than the standard killer A.I.
Zero Hour had a great story line, and continued the trek of the Merry Band of Pirates with some predictability, which was then yanked out from beneath you with unexpected twists. Story side tracks like the insane visualizations of the 'bad kitty' at the end of this one had me laughing hysterically...its just so crazy. I love that Craig continually develops the 'enemy' aliens he's created; and this book gives some individuality to some Thuranin and Maxolhx, away from their typical collectives. I'm hopeful the story line will eventually swing back to the Berger Meister again at some point...she's another of those characters along the way that Craig creates a depth that makes the reader want to know more about them.
In all seriousness, I instantly put down whatever else i'm reading at the time when continuations of this series are available. My favorites are history, alternate history, and sci-fi , but CA jumps to the front of the line. There are probably better sci-fi writers, with many more rabid fans, but I'll be willing to bet that those in the cult of Skippy the Magnificent are the most fun.
November 17, 2018
While I loved this book overall, I feel it suffered from some pacing issues, and felt like a "bridge" between story arcs, with a lot of backstory and foreshadowing, but very little plot advancement and weak characterization.
I would have ended the book at chapter 24 / 82% at around 400 pages. The remaining chapters (26+ / 85% / about 80 pages) would then have made up the beginning of Book 6, as they did not fit thematically or temporally with the rest of the book, but do set the stage for the next. A novella would have worked better to cover the lengthy but imprecise time gap and events between chapter 24 and 26 (aka chapter 25).
I would have ended the book at chapter 24 / 82% at around 400 pages. The remaining chapters (26+ / 85% / about 80 pages) would then have made up the beginning of Book 6, as they did not fit thematically or temporally with the rest of the book, but do set the stage for the next. A novella would have worked better to cover the lengthy but imprecise time gap and events between chapter 24 and 26 (aka chapter 25).
March 2, 2024
Dobra kontynuacja, ale trochę mi się ciągnęła w drugiej połowie i zabrakło mi jakiegoś napięcia. Skippy i Joe wciąż bawią i dostarczają rozrywki, ale nie bawiłam się tak dobrze, jak przy poprzednich tomach.
January 5, 2020
As consumers, we have to stop accepting this crap. Book 1, 2 and 3 are amazing. Amazing! And if you haven't listened to R.C. Bray's narration, you need to find a way to listen to it. Pardon the cliche, but he was born to narrate this series. I still LMAO everytime I think about one sheep.
Book 4 was also excellent, with a few moments of - been there, done that. But book 5 there is sooooooooo much of the same old same old. Problem, sarcasm, monkey banana comment, Joe with a never conceived of before solution that will most likely kill us all... Hooray, they did it. Now repeat that 10 more times. Cue Bart Simpson - "I didn't do it" Kid episode.
Now, I am not an author and I do not write for a living, but... I find it hard to believe that Craig Alanson thinks this book is great. When I do something that isn't my best, I sure as hell know it. AND I respect people who tell me it's not good. AND because I know I can do better and better is expected of me... I do better.
The publisher wants to make money, and it's easy money for Alanson and his agent...great, more power to them. But as a fan of the series and a consumer of it, I am totally insulted. Just because an author I love wrote something, doesn't mean I have to love it. Craig Alanson is a great writer and I have high expectations of his work. This one falls short. So as consumers, we have to rate things according to their real value. I don't think people are doing that with this book. As for this series - Books 1,2,3,4 brilliant, hilarious, engaging to the max... but after reading this one, I'm out.
Blah, blah, blah... shutting up and putting soap box away.
Book 4 was also excellent, with a few moments of - been there, done that. But book 5 there is sooooooooo much of the same old same old. Problem, sarcasm, monkey banana comment, Joe with a never conceived of before solution that will most likely kill us all... Hooray, they did it. Now repeat that 10 more times. Cue Bart Simpson - "I didn't do it" Kid episode.
Now, I am not an author and I do not write for a living, but... I find it hard to believe that Craig Alanson thinks this book is great. When I do something that isn't my best, I sure as hell know it. AND I respect people who tell me it's not good. AND because I know I can do better and better is expected of me... I do better.
The publisher wants to make money, and it's easy money for Alanson and his agent...great, more power to them. But as a fan of the series and a consumer of it, I am totally insulted. Just because an author I love wrote something, doesn't mean I have to love it. Craig Alanson is a great writer and I have high expectations of his work. This one falls short. So as consumers, we have to rate things according to their real value. I don't think people are doing that with this book. As for this series - Books 1,2,3,4 brilliant, hilarious, engaging to the max... but after reading this one, I'm out.
Blah, blah, blah... shutting up and putting soap box away.
January 13, 2018
Not as good as the others
I loved the previous books although I started noticing in the previous one more irrelevant chit chat between characters to fill up the pages. In this one the Can and Joe go on and on chit chatting about everything, making me jump off so much of the book. There are possibly so many angles to write about that is sad the author filled the book with endless meanningless talk. In moderation the humor of conversation between this two characters is great but he is overdoing it big time.
The last part of the book was rushed and it does not ties with the rest. Don't know if I will be able to keep reading the series if the books are as bad as this last one.
I loved the previous books although I started noticing in the previous one more irrelevant chit chat between characters to fill up the pages. In this one the Can and Joe go on and on chit chatting about everything, making me jump off so much of the book. There are possibly so many angles to write about that is sad the author filled the book with endless meanningless talk. In moderation the humor of conversation between this two characters is great but he is overdoing it big time.
The last part of the book was rushed and it does not ties with the rest. Don't know if I will be able to keep reading the series if the books are as bad as this last one.
May 24, 2019
What can I say about this book that hasn't been said by countless other reviews that still give it 4 and 5 stars... this series sort of feels like it's draining the life out of me. There is 👏 JUST 👏 SO 👏 MUCH 👏 FILLER. How many times can we repeat the same story arcs? The thing that kills me is that I like the overall idea... A lot. The first book felt so awesome because it was clever and fun and hadn't had a pattern to copy before it. I feel like I could write the rest of these books by copying and pasting 2nd book and changing the locations. This entire series up to this point could fit in 2 books. Hell, this book could have been at least a quarter shorter if no one repeated themselves even from sentence to sentence.
The thing that kills me, is that I genuinely want to know how this thing shakes out, but reading it is just so much tedium. This is the only book (I've been listening to audio books with the excellent RC Bray) where I find myself verbally talk back to the narrator to say "Oh come on" or "There is no way even an crappy AI would make that mistake".
***SPOILER***
There is one other thing that really bothered me about this one in particular, and this is a spoiler.
The way they treated the Maxolhx prisoner at the end of the book, holding it with robots and forcing it to dance around even though it was a prisoner without any agency whatsoever was an image that made my stomach turn. This creature was already sick and scared and they took glee in watching it be forced to physically move around to music. It just felt like torture, and instead of anyone saying, "maybe we shouldn't be doing this", the humans were delighted and had trouble controlling their joy. It felt gross to me. That creature then committed suicide shortly after. Ugh.... I think that broke me. I don't know if I'll ever be able to come back to these books, and it was honestly more about this moment at the end, than it was about the repetitive writing. No one else seems to feel the same way in these reviews though, so maybe it's just me.
The thing that kills me, is that I genuinely want to know how this thing shakes out, but reading it is just so much tedium. This is the only book (I've been listening to audio books with the excellent RC Bray) where I find myself verbally talk back to the narrator to say "Oh come on" or "There is no way even an crappy AI would make that mistake".
***SPOILER***
There is one other thing that really bothered me about this one in particular, and this is a spoiler.
The way they treated the Maxolhx prisoner at the end of the book, holding it with robots and forcing it to dance around even though it was a prisoner without any agency whatsoever was an image that made my stomach turn. This creature was already sick and scared and they took glee in watching it be forced to physically move around to music. It just felt like torture, and instead of anyone saying, "maybe we shouldn't be doing this", the humans were delighted and had trouble controlling their joy. It felt gross to me. That creature then committed suicide shortly after. Ugh.... I think that broke me. I don't know if I'll ever be able to come back to these books, and it was honestly more about this moment at the end, than it was about the repetitive writing. No one else seems to feel the same way in these reviews though, so maybe it's just me.
March 5, 2018
OK so not knocking the book because I enjoyed it. Great story, interesting ending and wonderful performance as always by RC Bray on the audible version!
But like some others here, I'm starting to wonder where it's gonna lead... Will it be another 30 books or will it end in book 6-7?
Not because I don't enjoy the characters, but more that it's starting to remind me of how I felt about the TV show Lost. So many mysteries, and it was so awesome at the start but then it was like, hey keep following these breadcrumbs until next season and then next season until you have the last season which was ok but the mystery got too big for one season to explain. Ok I'm starting to rant here..
Basic jist, if you liked the other books you'll like this one but I hope the writer starts moving the overarching series story forward with a bit more pace.. Because it's getting a little bit "more of the same" now...
But like some others here, I'm starting to wonder where it's gonna lead... Will it be another 30 books or will it end in book 6-7?
Not because I don't enjoy the characters, but more that it's starting to remind me of how I felt about the TV show Lost. So many mysteries, and it was so awesome at the start but then it was like, hey keep following these breadcrumbs until next season and then next season until you have the last season which was ok but the mystery got too big for one season to explain. Ok I'm starting to rant here..
Basic jist, if you liked the other books you'll like this one but I hope the writer starts moving the overarching series story forward with a bit more pace.. Because it's getting a little bit "more of the same" now...
December 22, 2025
How many times can I use the word awesome?
Seriously, this book is awesome. Unlike previous books now the thing in danger is no other than Skippy himself. The worm is back and he's out of options. He doesn't even have his awesome capabilities anymore.
This little change in circumstances makes this book even more interesting than the rest. Before, Skippy could just deus ex machina whatever Joe needed for his monkey brained idea and we'd have an awesome action scene (not that I am complaining, I love it). Now though, they have to rely only on their stolen Thuranin tech, and that posses new challenges we haven't seen before.
This is the recipe for my favorite book in the series so far.
I don't know what to say, or how to praise it without repeating the word awesome endlessly, copying what I said on previous reviews, or going into spoilers. It's just that good.
Seriously, this book is awesome. Unlike previous books now the thing in danger is no other than Skippy himself. The worm is back and he's out of options. He doesn't even have his awesome capabilities anymore.
This little change in circumstances makes this book even more interesting than the rest. Before, Skippy could just deus ex machina whatever Joe needed for his monkey brained idea and we'd have an awesome action scene (not that I am complaining, I love it). Now though, they have to rely only on their stolen Thuranin tech, and that posses new challenges we haven't seen before.
This is the recipe for my favorite book in the series so far.
I don't know what to say, or how to praise it without repeating the word awesome endlessly, copying what I said on previous reviews, or going into spoilers. It's just that good.
July 10, 2023
Ah this latest installment of Expeditionary Force is a bit different. Be prepared for the unexpected and of course more Joe & Skippy shenanigans.
November 4, 2025
There are some good plot devices with a world building that makes sense and is sometimes really clever.
Skippy's foil - the all-American, average Joe, hero...called Joe, is an odd read. He's in his mid-20's but thinks and often talks like a 40-year-old. He seems mostly to use cultural references from 20 years before he was born, too.
There’s another niggle developing. Joes Civilian boss is obviously there for Joe to rail against and for the Skipster to berate and deride. Only problem is…he’s not really a bad chap. He mostly does the right or decent thing, isn’t stupid and seems to have a friendly disposition. But Joe choses to believe this is because he’s a ‘tight-ass’ professional diplomat.
It continues to be an American-centric affair. British lieutenants are now pronounced ‘lew-tennant’, not ‘leff-tennant’, which I’m sure any self-respecting SAS man would readily point out is a no-no and which the great Mr Bray I’d hoped would have known by now.
I want to see how far the Monkeys get, so I will continue to follow Awesome Admiral Skippy.
...but not if he sings.
Skippy's foil - the all-American, average Joe, hero...called Joe, is an odd read. He's in his mid-20's but thinks and often talks like a 40-year-old. He seems mostly to use cultural references from 20 years before he was born, too.
There’s another niggle developing. Joes Civilian boss is obviously there for Joe to rail against and for the Skipster to berate and deride. Only problem is…he’s not really a bad chap. He mostly does the right or decent thing, isn’t stupid and seems to have a friendly disposition. But Joe choses to believe this is because he’s a ‘tight-ass’ professional diplomat.
It continues to be an American-centric affair. British lieutenants are now pronounced ‘lew-tennant’, not ‘leff-tennant’, which I’m sure any self-respecting SAS man would readily point out is a no-no and which the great Mr Bray I’d hoped would have known by now.
I want to see how far the Monkeys get, so I will continue to follow Awesome Admiral Skippy.
...but not if he sings.
December 3, 2017
It's fun, but it's also "One damned thing after another." There's nothing that gets resolved. Sometimes I feel like we've recycled a plot device. Oh, no, here come the aliens again.
I enjoy the dialog, and the characters, and will read the next one, and the next, and the next ...
I enjoy the dialog, and the characters, and will read the next one, and the next, and the next ...
Read
November 29, 2022Pointless action
Rating: minus 5
I can not read anymore of this series. A mid-twenties idiot who had no clue why he was fighting in Africa, is still acting the moron. He defers to a U.N. official whom he recognized as having no grasp of the reality that the pirates face. He doesn't accept responsibility for his decisions but is still making them. The AI is at least a little insane but at least it is interesting.
I suggest a scan of the one star reviews. A "rogue" Goodreads tech will not "Allow" to see other reviews, will not "Allow" me to see commenter ID, will not "Allow" me to remove my last lurker, will not respond to my queries. 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
My last lurker is Dr Susan Hamilton (a Maths professor at University of Tennessee ?). She posted nothing over two years + since her friend request, yet has not responded to my request that she unfriend me. 🤔🤔🤔 I hope that she is not fascinated by my reviews, because I am just not that interesting. 🤗🤗
I wrote a brutal review of a "poorly written salute to the January 6, 2021 hero" and suddenly a "rogue" Goodreads tech finds that my being a communist is a bad thing. Quite a surprise.😊😊
For more Goodreads, see my review of "Battleship Leviathan", a sorry space adventure or Powers of the Earth (A poorly written salute to the January 6, 2021 hero) and the comments from a Claes Rees Jr/cgr710 (a self-identified NeoNazi and US patriot).
To Claes Rees Jr/cgr710
Don't be a numpty. Be a smarty. Come and join the Communist Party.
I wonder if US patriots (Tucker Carlson, Claes Rees Jr and US Republican Party, for example) imagine that in its many wars the US army ever sanctioned the multiple rape of a for year old, rape and murder of 50year old women or castration and mutilation of prisoners. If so, I think that they are very mistaken.
Russia's military policy does not equate to US practices. Stop supporting it. By all means, take the gold bars and then be quiet.
GLORY TO UKRAINE !!! and GLORY TO THE HEROES !!!
The premise was plausible in the beginning of the series in an awkward manner. The books seemed more than the usual US army in space. Besides being boring, the US hegemonic fantasy is always Star Wars level of illogical.
The flag is well and truly planted here but there are different types of alien with goals that are more or less comprehensible. That is as it should be and their tactics seem insane to human logic, which is exactly as it should be.
The series stretches the role of this sergeant as leader past its expiry date. The main character dithers and refuses to take responsibility. He has not grown as a person despite his experiences. He is still an immature non commissioned officer, who clearly should not lead or command an expedition. The US10th Mountain Division is not well represented.
Officers who are not american have to answer to a sergeant who keeps asking himself what his superiors would want. He violates every standard command structure that has ever existed. He is not trained as a commander and is not growing into the role. A UN diplomat sort of leads the expedition but the sergeant makes the decisions, sort of?
If the characters were developed, the women infantry would seem more believable. It should be the case and would be welcome, if the characters felt like real people. Instead it feels like a gimmick because they do not.
Officers command, non commissioned officers lead. Even at his level, he should be able to allocate available resources to accomplish the mission but he is not a decision maker. Officers taking orders from him is ridiculous. The other non commissioned officers are all senior in grade, why is he the de facto commander still. I forgot. He is american. Now it makes sense.
There is alien tech, which is not understood very well. It is not user friendly for the humans but every soldier can use it easily. Contradiction is more than a notion, it aggravates the reader. I am a reader and it aggravated me greatly.
The scientists are apparently unnecessary, especially after the writer forgot that they exist. They have company, as the writer forgot that there was a second AI. How do you forget characters?
The AI's could be as entertaining as the aliens, if there was not an offensive female persona assigned to the second AI. As comedy, it might be cute for a few pages but the AI never turns back into an intelligent being.
We get a sexist sitcom nagging female, who alternates between her default nagging and over the top maternal nurturing. That portrayal is offensive and does not advance the story. It ruins one of the opportunities for AI to AI interaction, as well as AI to human interaction.
While not the worst, it is disappointing. The world building was actually interesting, if flawed. The characters need nurturing because they fade in and out as people. I am not going to read more of the series.
This is about the best that low end science fiction can offer. That reality has turned me away from science fiction in general. My tendency now is to find science fiction on the streaming services, which produce more entertaining and better written fare than the print. There is also the bonus of the multinational selection belonging to Netflix.
I began looking for science fiction on YouTube more than years ago. I found the fan fiction, commentary and also the incredible number of special interest channels. Eventually I stumbled upon the documentary site advertisements and best of all, the book channels.
The book channels are wonderful.😍😍 They cover all of the book lover's interests. The communities fostered by these channels are thoughtful, curious and excited by all things bookish. 😊 These are the antithesis of the Goodreads experience. I recommend a visit to several of these channels for any reader and have listed several below.
The educational video sites feature documentaries but also essayists, documentary channel and lecture content found on YouTube. I really enjoy Curiosity Stream/Nebula at a cost of about $15 USD for a yearly subscription. I think that all the sites are worth a look. 😊
As for Goodreads, please consider that this might be a hostile site. 😐
Ominous music begins. 🙂 I minimized my profile information, avoid the messaging in favor of emails, removed all the lurkers that Goodreads "Allowed" and take screenshots of the oddities and grotesque. Ominous music ends. 🙂
Seriously, the lurkers and "rogue" tech are a nasty group of freedom lovers. 😊
My YouTube picks of the moment.
Ship Happens, Alice Cappelle, Mandy, Straight No Chaser, No Justice MTG, Ben and Emily, Owen Jones, Sarah Z, Sarah Millican, TVP News, NFKRZ, Alt Shift X, The Templin Institute, Linguoer Mechanic.
Some of my favorite YouTube channels.
Mala Armia Janosika, Karolina Zebrowska, Tara Mooknee, Tom Nicholas, Munecat, Danni and Joe, The Armchair Historian, Apostolic Majesty, Tibees, Kelly loves Physics and History, Vlad Vexler, The Juice Media, Prime of Midlife, TVP News, Some More News, France 24, Alize, Jessica Gagnon, Elina Charatsidou, Denys Davydov, Atun Shei, Knowing Better, Truth to Power, Ancient Americas, Three Arrows, Hakim, Chugging Along, Northern Narrowboaters, Cruising Alba, Engineering with Rosie, Lilly's expat life, Books with Chloe, A Cup of Nicole, The Shades of Orange, Hello Future Me, Between the Wars, Historia Civilis, Thersites the Historian, Paleo Analysis, Geo Girl, Kathy's Flog in France, May Moon Narrowboat, Boat Time, AllShorts, Daniel Rubin, Breaking Points, Philosophy Tube, Tulia, Real Engineering, A life of Lit, Emmie, Viva la Dirt League, Overly Sarcastic Productions, Brickcrafts, Ask a Mortician, Diane Callahan Quotidian Writer, Lady of the Library, Renegade Cut, Book Furnace, Sabine Hossenfelder, TIKHistory, IzzzYzzz, Maggie May Fish, Event Horizon, Digital Engine, What Vivi did next, Mythic Concepts, Epimetheus, Jill Bearup, Snappy Dragon, Leftist Cooks, The Piano Guys, Cruising the Cut, Adult Wednesday Addams, Patrick is a Navajo, Sort of Interesting, Holly the Cafe Boat, Then & Now, DUST, Nomadic Crobot, Writing with Jenna Moreci, Library Ladder, The Templin Institute, Spacedock, Dr Becky, Dr Stephen Kotkin, MIT Video Productions, Lex Fridman.
I wish you a cozy morning, a lazy afternoon, a pleasant evening, a wonderful night and may we all keep learning.
Though they may fail, the fully Human aided by Hope attempts.
Adolph Hitler
Rating: minus 5
I can not read anymore of this series. A mid-twenties idiot who had no clue why he was fighting in Africa, is still acting the moron. He defers to a U.N. official whom he recognized as having no grasp of the reality that the pirates face. He doesn't accept responsibility for his decisions but is still making them. The AI is at least a little insane but at least it is interesting.
I suggest a scan of the one star reviews. A "rogue" Goodreads tech will not "Allow" to see other reviews, will not "Allow" me to see commenter ID, will not "Allow" me to remove my last lurker, will not respond to my queries. 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔
My last lurker is Dr Susan Hamilton (a Maths professor at University of Tennessee ?). She posted nothing over two years + since her friend request, yet has not responded to my request that she unfriend me. 🤔🤔🤔 I hope that she is not fascinated by my reviews, because I am just not that interesting. 🤗🤗
I wrote a brutal review of a "poorly written salute to the January 6, 2021 hero" and suddenly a "rogue" Goodreads tech finds that my being a communist is a bad thing. Quite a surprise.😊😊
For more Goodreads, see my review of "Battleship Leviathan", a sorry space adventure or Powers of the Earth (A poorly written salute to the January 6, 2021 hero) and the comments from a Claes Rees Jr/cgr710 (a self-identified NeoNazi and US patriot).
To Claes Rees Jr/cgr710
Don't be a numpty. Be a smarty. Come and join the Communist Party.
I wonder if US patriots (Tucker Carlson, Claes Rees Jr and US Republican Party, for example) imagine that in its many wars the US army ever sanctioned the multiple rape of a for year old, rape and murder of 50year old women or castration and mutilation of prisoners. If so, I think that they are very mistaken.
Russia's military policy does not equate to US practices. Stop supporting it. By all means, take the gold bars and then be quiet.
GLORY TO UKRAINE !!! and GLORY TO THE HEROES !!!
The premise was plausible in the beginning of the series in an awkward manner. The books seemed more than the usual US army in space. Besides being boring, the US hegemonic fantasy is always Star Wars level of illogical.
The flag is well and truly planted here but there are different types of alien with goals that are more or less comprehensible. That is as it should be and their tactics seem insane to human logic, which is exactly as it should be.
The series stretches the role of this sergeant as leader past its expiry date. The main character dithers and refuses to take responsibility. He has not grown as a person despite his experiences. He is still an immature non commissioned officer, who clearly should not lead or command an expedition. The US10th Mountain Division is not well represented.
Officers who are not american have to answer to a sergeant who keeps asking himself what his superiors would want. He violates every standard command structure that has ever existed. He is not trained as a commander and is not growing into the role. A UN diplomat sort of leads the expedition but the sergeant makes the decisions, sort of?
If the characters were developed, the women infantry would seem more believable. It should be the case and would be welcome, if the characters felt like real people. Instead it feels like a gimmick because they do not.
Officers command, non commissioned officers lead. Even at his level, he should be able to allocate available resources to accomplish the mission but he is not a decision maker. Officers taking orders from him is ridiculous. The other non commissioned officers are all senior in grade, why is he the de facto commander still. I forgot. He is american. Now it makes sense.
There is alien tech, which is not understood very well. It is not user friendly for the humans but every soldier can use it easily. Contradiction is more than a notion, it aggravates the reader. I am a reader and it aggravated me greatly.
The scientists are apparently unnecessary, especially after the writer forgot that they exist. They have company, as the writer forgot that there was a second AI. How do you forget characters?
The AI's could be as entertaining as the aliens, if there was not an offensive female persona assigned to the second AI. As comedy, it might be cute for a few pages but the AI never turns back into an intelligent being.
We get a sexist sitcom nagging female, who alternates between her default nagging and over the top maternal nurturing. That portrayal is offensive and does not advance the story. It ruins one of the opportunities for AI to AI interaction, as well as AI to human interaction.
While not the worst, it is disappointing. The world building was actually interesting, if flawed. The characters need nurturing because they fade in and out as people. I am not going to read more of the series.
This is about the best that low end science fiction can offer. That reality has turned me away from science fiction in general. My tendency now is to find science fiction on the streaming services, which produce more entertaining and better written fare than the print. There is also the bonus of the multinational selection belonging to Netflix.
I began looking for science fiction on YouTube more than years ago. I found the fan fiction, commentary and also the incredible number of special interest channels. Eventually I stumbled upon the documentary site advertisements and best of all, the book channels.
The book channels are wonderful.😍😍 They cover all of the book lover's interests. The communities fostered by these channels are thoughtful, curious and excited by all things bookish. 😊 These are the antithesis of the Goodreads experience. I recommend a visit to several of these channels for any reader and have listed several below.
The educational video sites feature documentaries but also essayists, documentary channel and lecture content found on YouTube. I really enjoy Curiosity Stream/Nebula at a cost of about $15 USD for a yearly subscription. I think that all the sites are worth a look. 😊
As for Goodreads, please consider that this might be a hostile site. 😐
Ominous music begins. 🙂 I minimized my profile information, avoid the messaging in favor of emails, removed all the lurkers that Goodreads "Allowed" and take screenshots of the oddities and grotesque. Ominous music ends. 🙂
Seriously, the lurkers and "rogue" tech are a nasty group of freedom lovers. 😊
My YouTube picks of the moment.
Ship Happens, Alice Cappelle, Mandy, Straight No Chaser, No Justice MTG, Ben and Emily, Owen Jones, Sarah Z, Sarah Millican, TVP News, NFKRZ, Alt Shift X, The Templin Institute, Linguoer Mechanic.
Some of my favorite YouTube channels.
Mala Armia Janosika, Karolina Zebrowska, Tara Mooknee, Tom Nicholas, Munecat, Danni and Joe, The Armchair Historian, Apostolic Majesty, Tibees, Kelly loves Physics and History, Vlad Vexler, The Juice Media, Prime of Midlife, TVP News, Some More News, France 24, Alize, Jessica Gagnon, Elina Charatsidou, Denys Davydov, Atun Shei, Knowing Better, Truth to Power, Ancient Americas, Three Arrows, Hakim, Chugging Along, Northern Narrowboaters, Cruising Alba, Engineering with Rosie, Lilly's expat life, Books with Chloe, A Cup of Nicole, The Shades of Orange, Hello Future Me, Between the Wars, Historia Civilis, Thersites the Historian, Paleo Analysis, Geo Girl, Kathy's Flog in France, May Moon Narrowboat, Boat Time, AllShorts, Daniel Rubin, Breaking Points, Philosophy Tube, Tulia, Real Engineering, A life of Lit, Emmie, Viva la Dirt League, Overly Sarcastic Productions, Brickcrafts, Ask a Mortician, Diane Callahan Quotidian Writer, Lady of the Library, Renegade Cut, Book Furnace, Sabine Hossenfelder, TIKHistory, IzzzYzzz, Maggie May Fish, Event Horizon, Digital Engine, What Vivi did next, Mythic Concepts, Epimetheus, Jill Bearup, Snappy Dragon, Leftist Cooks, The Piano Guys, Cruising the Cut, Adult Wednesday Addams, Patrick is a Navajo, Sort of Interesting, Holly the Cafe Boat, Then & Now, DUST, Nomadic Crobot, Writing with Jenna Moreci, Library Ladder, The Templin Institute, Spacedock, Dr Becky, Dr Stephen Kotkin, MIT Video Productions, Lex Fridman.
I wish you a cozy morning, a lazy afternoon, a pleasant evening, a wonderful night and may we all keep learning.
Though they may fail, the fully Human aided by Hope attempts.
Adolph Hitler
March 3, 2024
When I thought this was getting repetitious it proves me wrong and becomes even more amazing
The best audible for this month because it was such a joy to listen to. The storyline is so similar to the last four story lines but they are progressions and I actually is interested to see what happened next. I still lovely care but any other character other than the MMC and Skippy. The jokes were so funny and even though I'm not American I understand majority of them. The space battle just keep getting more impossible and yet the Pirates always prevail.
The best audible for this month because it was such a joy to listen to. The storyline is so similar to the last four story lines but they are progressions and I actually is interested to see what happened next. I still lovely care but any other character other than the MMC and Skippy. The jokes were so funny and even though I'm not American I understand majority of them. The space battle just keep getting more impossible and yet the Pirates always prevail.
April 7, 2018
The series remains fairly well done, but is beginning to slip. Plot elements are being repeated for at least the 3rd if not 4th or 5th time, and the predictability factor has skyrocketed. The series is starting to become formulaic like the author picked up discarded scraps from a Star Trek cutting room floor and pieced it together.
It’s been a book and a half now since anything surprising has happened. That “wow I didn’t see that coming” moment was left in the dust 300+ pages back, and the story has been coasting on momentum ever since. Even the characters have flattened out. While I appreciate characters getting some more dialogue, what is delivered remains flat, uninteresting and predictable. Characters here have lots of potential (nothing but potential) for development, but for some reason the author just won’t go there.
While I’ve enjoyed the series, this really could’ve been an ending to it that would’ve been okay all around. The story was coming to a natural and satisfactory conclusion that the ending of book 5 forcefully contorted seemingly only to justify a Book 6. I’m disappointed that this series hasn’t invested better in development of characters, and I’m only marginal on whether I will bother with Book 6 or just let it end here for me.
It’s been a book and a half now since anything surprising has happened. That “wow I didn’t see that coming” moment was left in the dust 300+ pages back, and the story has been coasting on momentum ever since. Even the characters have flattened out. While I appreciate characters getting some more dialogue, what is delivered remains flat, uninteresting and predictable. Characters here have lots of potential (nothing but potential) for development, but for some reason the author just won’t go there.
While I’ve enjoyed the series, this really could’ve been an ending to it that would’ve been okay all around. The story was coming to a natural and satisfactory conclusion that the ending of book 5 forcefully contorted seemingly only to justify a Book 6. I’m disappointed that this series hasn’t invested better in development of characters, and I’m only marginal on whether I will bother with Book 6 or just let it end here for me.
July 1, 2023
June 2023
Not as funny this time, and yet still just as good. I still laughed out loud several times.
June 2020
This time, we really got some serious suspense. I don't know this author well enough yet (even after 5.5 books!) to know if he's going to really kill off a character or not. I'm usually pretty sure he won't, but you can just never be sure and that helped the plot here.
But what got me most of all was the laughing. I laughed out loud so many times during this particular book in the series that I knew it was going to warrant 5 stars. Say what you want about predictability and a recycled plot - it works. And it's the best entertainment!
RC Bray makes this perfect, of course, it goes without saying really. I'd never love this series if not for him.
Not as funny this time, and yet still just as good. I still laughed out loud several times.
June 2020
This time, we really got some serious suspense. I don't know this author well enough yet (even after 5.5 books!) to know if he's going to really kill off a character or not. I'm usually pretty sure he won't, but you can just never be sure and that helped the plot here.
But what got me most of all was the laughing. I laughed out loud so many times during this particular book in the series that I knew it was going to warrant 5 stars. Say what you want about predictability and a recycled plot - it works. And it's the best entertainment!
RC Bray makes this perfect, of course, it goes without saying really. I'd never love this series if not for him.
July 23, 2020
I'm sorry but book 5 will be my last. I just can't anymore.
The tedium has personified and is beating me with a bat.
The concept is cool and the first couple books worked but it is so woefully repetitive.
Its like, joke joke joke joke (not different jokes.. the same excruciating joke over and over) before the first of a multitude of deux ex machina fuckery begins. Then repeats.
I'm guessing this has a surprisingly high review as only folk that really really enjoy the hurt normally read this far. Lucky me.
The tedium has personified and is beating me with a bat.
The concept is cool and the first couple books worked but it is so woefully repetitive.
Its like, joke joke joke joke (not different jokes.. the same excruciating joke over and over) before the first of a multitude of deux ex machina fuckery begins. Then repeats.
I'm guessing this has a surprisingly high review as only folk that really really enjoy the hurt normally read this far. Lucky me.
May 5, 2022
I'm bored with this series. I actually almost skipped over the last two hours and just ended it yesterday but I decided to finish it today and really, I wish I hadn't. My biggest pet peeve with this series is the fact that it's gotten into a nice groove and refuses to change, it just goes on and on and rehashes the same plot over and over again with slight variations, I was starting to get sick of the repetitiveness in the last book and thought this one might have something different, I thought that with the cliff hanger on the last book being that we needed to get the AI Skippy a conduit to a higher dimension, and with the cover art, I thought that we might actually get to see some weird inter-dimensional stuff or something but nope.
I really was hoping that we'd get a progression on humanity and technology and stuff like that but also no. Or that we'd get to have alien crew members join the merry band of pirates but also no.
This guy has crafted a massive universe of possibilities and refuses to use it. I'm also VERY aware of this authors goddamn PADDING!
This book is something like 17 hours and twenty minutes long and I swear it could have been just ten or less! The author spends HOURS with these redundant and quite frankly boring conversations between the AI and Joe Bishop the protagonist which were funny and charming at first, to establish the characters and their dynamics but holy hell am I over it. The dialogue was the strongest part of this series and the author somehow managed to make even that dull, I just wanted to get to the freaking point and get it over with, which ironically is a joke that's told OVER and OVER again as the two characters bicker with each other and get side-tracked by useless shit, the book is self aware that it repeats itself, drowns on and on, and wastes my time but that DOESN'T MAKE IT OKAY.
Goddamn I decided to skip all further books in this series and just skim the wikis on the plots for what happens, the interesting parts that I care about anyway because I'm just over the rest of it.
I really was hoping that we'd get a progression on humanity and technology and stuff like that but also no. Or that we'd get to have alien crew members join the merry band of pirates but also no.
This guy has crafted a massive universe of possibilities and refuses to use it. I'm also VERY aware of this authors goddamn PADDING!
This book is something like 17 hours and twenty minutes long and I swear it could have been just ten or less! The author spends HOURS with these redundant and quite frankly boring conversations between the AI and Joe Bishop the protagonist which were funny and charming at first, to establish the characters and their dynamics but holy hell am I over it. The dialogue was the strongest part of this series and the author somehow managed to make even that dull, I just wanted to get to the freaking point and get it over with, which ironically is a joke that's told OVER and OVER again as the two characters bicker with each other and get side-tracked by useless shit, the book is self aware that it repeats itself, drowns on and on, and wastes my time but that DOESN'T MAKE IT OKAY.
Goddamn I decided to skip all further books in this series and just skim the wikis on the plots for what happens, the interesting parts that I care about anyway because I'm just over the rest of it.
April 26, 2025
Quinta parte de la serie de Fuerza Expedicionaria de Craig Alanson. Más de lo mismo que la primera, con grandes dosis de Deus ex machina cortesía del autor y decenas de páginas de cosas que son así porque le viene bien a la historia. Lo malo no es que lo haga, porque todos los autores lo hacen, claro, adecuar las "circunstancias sobrevenidas" para que tu historia vaya por donde tú necesitas que vaya. El problema es que se ve claramente cómo lo hace y para qué lo hace. Esas exposiciones de tramoya quedan fatal pero el autor no sabe cómo evitarlas.
Estoy con estos libros en la frontera de dejarlo o no dejarlo, pero como me pasaba con Dan Brown siempre hay un mínimo hilo de empatía con los protagonistas que el autor sí consigue construir y que te tiene esperando a ver qué mas pasa. En esas estamos.
Estoy con estos libros en la frontera de dejarlo o no dejarlo, pero como me pasaba con Dan Brown siempre hay un mínimo hilo de empatía con los protagonistas que el autor sí consigue construir y que te tiene esperando a ver qué mas pasa. En esas estamos.
June 1, 2020
Slow start to the beginning, but the story continued and it picked up after a while. Skippy the Meh was brilliant as always and I can't help but crack up at his sassy attitude. The fact that they compared him to Frasier had me DYING BECAUSE IT'S SO TRUE. The story continued on a decent incline, but had a few bumps of non relevant descriptions. I just can't help but find out what is going to happen to the Merry Band of Pirates. I will be sad when these books are complete.
Ps - THAT ONE CHAPTER WAS NOT FUNNY.
PPS - R.C. Bray gets all the stars. He is absolutely the perfect narrator for this story.
Ps - THAT ONE CHAPTER WAS NOT FUNNY.
PPS - R.C. Bray gets all the stars. He is absolutely the perfect narrator for this story.
April 10, 2018
Of doamne cât se mai lungește seria asta. Cartea a fost interesantă și a mers extrem de repede, dar deja sunt la a 5-a carte și misterul este cumva același de acum câteva cărți. Nu mă plâng. Seria este distractivă.
May 2, 2023
Complex Planning Writ Large
If you’re reading a review for the fifth book in a series, you want assurances of the quality. Zero Hour sticks with the Expeditionary Force formula of detailed planning and complex execution of squad-level military operations, while lightening the mood with the comedy act of Skippy and Bishop. There’s nothing surprising here — it’s still military sci-fi — yet at the same time, the writing quality has been consistently improving.
An issue with previous novels has been the plot armour surrounding our comedic duo. Battles are rarely tense when you know there’s no danger to the core cast. What was exceptional in Black Ops, and is amped up in this novel, is that the danger to Skippy is written in a way that endangers those around the main character. This makes novel much more thrilling as while there’s no doubt Skippy and Bishop will survive, the supporting cast, the UNS Flying Dutchman, and Earth itself might not be so lucky.
Lampshaded in the novel itself, our heroes have been constantly responding to crisis after crisis, and taking risk after added risk. These bets layer on top of themselves, and part of the charm of the Expeditionary Force series has been the effort spent at the strategic planning level in order to avoid unintended consequences. No plan survives contact with the enemy though, and Zero Hour is the result of four novels worth of repercussions. In a sense, Craig Alanson’s pedantic operational planning skills are applied across all novels now, and the resulting mess of game theory, move and countermove, makes my head hurt.
Unfortunately, those exacting details result in an oddly-paced book. It doesn’t follow the three-act structure, and at times, the novel really gets bogged down with technicalities. Mirroring the cast’s frustrations, the reader will grow tired of crisis-after-crisis. This pedantic, complex cycle of planning weakens the narrative. Just like Bishop’s plans are full of holes that go through constant revision, the story follows a similiar pattern. But you can’t get one without the other, and I really like the details.
Zero Hour is tense, thrilling, and superbly executes on the unique qualities of the Expeditionary Force series. The author knows his audience, and has doubled-down on this niche. When book after book is consistently getting better, no fan will be disappointed.
Highly Recommended.
If you’re reading a review for the fifth book in a series, you want assurances of the quality. Zero Hour sticks with the Expeditionary Force formula of detailed planning and complex execution of squad-level military operations, while lightening the mood with the comedy act of Skippy and Bishop. There’s nothing surprising here — it’s still military sci-fi — yet at the same time, the writing quality has been consistently improving.
An issue with previous novels has been the plot armour surrounding our comedic duo. Battles are rarely tense when you know there’s no danger to the core cast. What was exceptional in Black Ops, and is amped up in this novel, is that the danger to Skippy is written in a way that endangers those around the main character. This makes novel much more thrilling as while there’s no doubt Skippy and Bishop will survive, the supporting cast, the UNS Flying Dutchman, and Earth itself might not be so lucky.
Lampshaded in the novel itself, our heroes have been constantly responding to crisis after crisis, and taking risk after added risk. These bets layer on top of themselves, and part of the charm of the Expeditionary Force series has been the effort spent at the strategic planning level in order to avoid unintended consequences. No plan survives contact with the enemy though, and Zero Hour is the result of four novels worth of repercussions. In a sense, Craig Alanson’s pedantic operational planning skills are applied across all novels now, and the resulting mess of game theory, move and countermove, makes my head hurt.
Unfortunately, those exacting details result in an oddly-paced book. It doesn’t follow the three-act structure, and at times, the novel really gets bogged down with technicalities. Mirroring the cast’s frustrations, the reader will grow tired of crisis-after-crisis. This pedantic, complex cycle of planning weakens the narrative. Just like Bishop’s plans are full of holes that go through constant revision, the story follows a similiar pattern. But you can’t get one without the other, and I really like the details.
Zero Hour is tense, thrilling, and superbly executes on the unique qualities of the Expeditionary Force series. The author knows his audience, and has doubled-down on this niche. When book after book is consistently getting better, no fan will be disappointed.
Highly Recommended.
April 2, 2018
The series continues apace as the consequences of curiosity finally catch the cat (or beer can) and lead our erstwhile indomitable Skippy humbled - or at least as humbled as his awesomeness can allow. The merry band of pirates’ being as snake bitten as they are, Skippy’s misadventure couldn’t come at a worse possible time as they find themselves bounced from one impossible conundrum to the next before ultimately risking it all to go where no one has gone before (well, more technically, every advanced species has been there before, just no one has made it back).
The action is inexhaustible and the tension and scale continues to build as Alanson delivers another fun galactic adventure delivered with dollops of humour.
The action is inexhaustible and the tension and scale continues to build as Alanson delivers another fun galactic adventure delivered with dollops of humour.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2025
Since the original story in this series up to this point, this has probably been my favorite in the series aside from the first book. I was about to give up on the series until this book. The series has taken a good turn and has me eager, once again, to find out what happens next.
January 13, 2018
Fun
Not as engaging or interesting as the previous books but still worth the read. I greatly look forward to the next tittle.
Not as engaging or interesting as the previous books but still worth the read. I greatly look forward to the next tittle.
December 1, 2019
Pretty good.
October 14, 2020
Keep on going strong. -1 star because there is some repetition in the exposition and I'm tired of that already.
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