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Station Cores #1
The Station Core
Milton Frederick was arguably the best player of Crowned Lieges of Destiny in the entire world. As the strategy coordinator for one of the top guilds, he was beginning to actually make a living from it. That was, until he was abducted by aliens.
Instead of your stereotypical grey aliens with big black eyes who like to perform anal probes upon unsuspecting victims for unknown reasons, The Collective had a more altruistic purpose. Sure, kidnapping 100 humans from Earth, ripping them away from their lives and families, and erasing their memories doesn’t sound great – but the way they saw it, the benefits would far outweigh these side-effects. Seriously, who wouldn’t want their consciousness trapped in a Station Core, subjected to the whims of a collection of alien races, and then ordered to defend against other hostile aliens for all eternity? They’d be immortal – so…bonus!
Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), the Station Core now known as Milton never arrived at his destination. Severely damaged and confused about what happened to him, he woke up to find himself trapped inside a massive chicken egg on a strange, primitive world filled with curious – and deadly – creatures.
Now, in order to survive the harsh environment, Milton has to rely on a snarky, foul-mouthed AI guide to show him what it means to be a Station Core. With her help, he might just live long enough to figure out a way to get off the planet – if only he wasn’t so afraid of squirrels…
The Station Core contains elements of LitRPG including level progression and experience, optional tables, and a heavy Dungeon Core emphasis.
Contains foul language that might not be suitable for young readers.
Instead of your stereotypical grey aliens with big black eyes who like to perform anal probes upon unsuspecting victims for unknown reasons, The Collective had a more altruistic purpose. Sure, kidnapping 100 humans from Earth, ripping them away from their lives and families, and erasing their memories doesn’t sound great – but the way they saw it, the benefits would far outweigh these side-effects. Seriously, who wouldn’t want their consciousness trapped in a Station Core, subjected to the whims of a collection of alien races, and then ordered to defend against other hostile aliens for all eternity? They’d be immortal – so…bonus!
Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), the Station Core now known as Milton never arrived at his destination. Severely damaged and confused about what happened to him, he woke up to find himself trapped inside a massive chicken egg on a strange, primitive world filled with curious – and deadly – creatures.
Now, in order to survive the harsh environment, Milton has to rely on a snarky, foul-mouthed AI guide to show him what it means to be a Station Core. With her help, he might just live long enough to figure out a way to get off the planet – if only he wasn’t so afraid of squirrels…
The Station Core contains elements of LitRPG including level progression and experience, optional tables, and a heavy Dungeon Core emphasis.
Contains foul language that might not be suitable for young readers.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 10, 2018
791 people are currently reading
376 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Brooks
82 books484 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
October 31, 2018
"Milton has to rely on a snarky, foul-mouthed AI guide"
There is a possible bright, wonderful future, where all authors who write snarky sidekicks and sarcastic AIs will be locked in the reeducation camps with the crocodiles. I long for that day.
There is a possible bright, wonderful future, where all authors who write snarky sidekicks and sarcastic AIs will be locked in the reeducation camps with the crocodiles. I long for that day.
November 13, 2024
The book starts a bit slow at the beginning. The action starts to develop only near the end.
The Station Core Milton is sleeping most of the time during the first 100 years and only later he begins to understand the situation better.
The Station Core Milton is sleeping most of the time during the first 100 years and only later he begins to understand the situation better.
July 11, 2018
It was, okay. The writing itself isn't bad and the story is a bit childish but entertaining enough. However there were a couple of issues that keept throwing me out of the story and breaking my immersion.
1.) Milton is said to be a good tactician, to be "smart" about things. Yet that is at best an informed quality. He makes absolutely stupid decisions quite regularly. His tactics are fairly bad. His foresight is lacking. His defenses inadequate etc.
During one fight he "seperates" the enemies. Then sends units to finish off the two weaker ones. Now one would expect him to send a force adequate to kill these two. He doesn't. Even though he has access to vastly improved units he sends his trash and rejects. They all die, they fail to kill their targets. He then brings in new units, who apparently stood by the entire time and for absolutely no good reason. By then the third enemy has returned and easily dispatches these.
This is frankly speaking. As stupid as one can be. It squanders the "surprise" attack. It squanders the opportunity to take out the back up. It's stupid to such an extreme degree and wasteful atop of that. He could've send a handful of his "elite" and kill the enemy before they knew what hit them, then draw these units back before the actual threat could respond. Which he would've done if he was actually smart.
This is explained with him "wanting to get his PvP back on" and "seeing how rusty he got". The problem? He still has to dealth with these guys and he just sacrificed all hit stuff for a simple test drive. Apparently the whole "no second chances" lessond he learned early one he had forgotten by then. All of this results in a situation where effectively he should've died. Because while he cackles and laughs like a "Smug Snake" he fails over and over again to actually stop these guys. He seemed more like some minor villain with overblown sense of self worth than the hero at this point and not the sympathethic kind. The only reason he survives at the end, is because the plot demands it.
2.) The Poop jokes. They're not funny. They're not endearing. Hearing about how he "poops out" units and resources is not just disgusting as a mental image it threw me out of the story as it caused me to groan and stop reading for a time. It seems to be the go to of horrid comedy.
3.) The comedy in general fell flat. Which made it annoying rather than funny and caused it to be more of a hindrance to a semi serious plot. From the naming conventions "hurr hurr BBQ and lolli pop snake" to some other stuff. It's, really not funny. It's as infantile as the poop jokes.
1.) Milton is said to be a good tactician, to be "smart" about things. Yet that is at best an informed quality. He makes absolutely stupid decisions quite regularly. His tactics are fairly bad. His foresight is lacking. His defenses inadequate etc.
During one fight he "seperates" the enemies. Then sends units to finish off the two weaker ones. Now one would expect him to send a force adequate to kill these two. He doesn't. Even though he has access to vastly improved units he sends his trash and rejects. They all die, they fail to kill their targets. He then brings in new units, who apparently stood by the entire time and for absolutely no good reason. By then the third enemy has returned and easily dispatches these.
This is frankly speaking. As stupid as one can be. It squanders the "surprise" attack. It squanders the opportunity to take out the back up. It's stupid to such an extreme degree and wasteful atop of that. He could've send a handful of his "elite" and kill the enemy before they knew what hit them, then draw these units back before the actual threat could respond. Which he would've done if he was actually smart.
This is explained with him "wanting to get his PvP back on" and "seeing how rusty he got". The problem? He still has to dealth with these guys and he just sacrificed all hit stuff for a simple test drive. Apparently the whole "no second chances" lessond he learned early one he had forgotten by then. All of this results in a situation where effectively he should've died. Because while he cackles and laughs like a "Smug Snake" he fails over and over again to actually stop these guys. He seemed more like some minor villain with overblown sense of self worth than the hero at this point and not the sympathethic kind. The only reason he survives at the end, is because the plot demands it.
2.) The Poop jokes. They're not funny. They're not endearing. Hearing about how he "poops out" units and resources is not just disgusting as a mental image it threw me out of the story as it caused me to groan and stop reading for a time. It seems to be the go to of horrid comedy.
3.) The comedy in general fell flat. Which made it annoying rather than funny and caused it to be more of a hindrance to a semi serious plot. From the naming conventions "hurr hurr BBQ and lolli pop snake" to some other stuff. It's, really not funny. It's as infantile as the poop jokes.
July 19, 2018
Just not for me
The books premise of an human turned into a machine to control an passive aliens defenses. Ok I can buy that. But as you read further instead of letting him have the rudimentary defenses and attack knowledge/abilities , he is made to level up to get that, really? Especially as your civilization is being annihilated, makes no sense at all. Then when you have the nanites to be able to fix his core or repair his equipment and you take that away too..it's like sending a soldier to fight, then just before he leaves take his gun away, remove his med kit, and turn tie his hands behind his back.
The books premise of an human turned into a machine to control an passive aliens defenses. Ok I can buy that. But as you read further instead of letting him have the rudimentary defenses and attack knowledge/abilities , he is made to level up to get that, really? Especially as your civilization is being annihilated, makes no sense at all. Then when you have the nanites to be able to fix his core or repair his equipment and you take that away too..it's like sending a soldier to fight, then just before he leaves take his gun away, remove his med kit, and turn tie his hands behind his back.
May 19, 2019
I have real trouble to rate this book, because its split in 2 parts.
And the first part, the first 50 percent, is just "Defunct Warmachine decimates local fauna".
Its an absolute bore and i had real trouble to keep going. His enemies range von bunnies to bears.
Neat SciFi stuff you will miss equally to intelligent advasarys. Just a hole in the ground with rudimentary traps and a army of woodland critters for defence.
After the 50% mark, the story makes a radical shift and becomes worth reading. I finished the second half in the book within a day while the first half took me a week.
And the second Part is quite good, throwing intelligent species into the mix, speeding up the story, advancing the technology and showing the long-term effects of the cores presence.
However, even if i just rate the second part, it fails to make my expectation.
When i read "Station Core" a SciFi take on the Dungeon Core subgrenre, i expected more like... Interplanetary defences, custom warships, planets fused together, maybe spanning around a sun as the fortress, luring aliens with riches and technology into its deadly trap.
Not... A hole in the ground on a planet where a Bear nearly kills it.
Whch is why i remove 2 stars for the first half of the book for being incredible boring and longwinded and another star for failing to deliver to the scifi genre.
And the first part, the first 50 percent, is just "Defunct Warmachine decimates local fauna".
Its an absolute bore and i had real trouble to keep going. His enemies range von bunnies to bears.
Neat SciFi stuff you will miss equally to intelligent advasarys. Just a hole in the ground with rudimentary traps and a army of woodland critters for defence.
After the 50% mark, the story makes a radical shift and becomes worth reading. I finished the second half in the book within a day while the first half took me a week.
And the second Part is quite good, throwing intelligent species into the mix, speeding up the story, advancing the technology and showing the long-term effects of the cores presence.
However, even if i just rate the second part, it fails to make my expectation.
When i read "Station Core" a SciFi take on the Dungeon Core subgrenre, i expected more like... Interplanetary defences, custom warships, planets fused together, maybe spanning around a sun as the fortress, luring aliens with riches and technology into its deadly trap.
Not... A hole in the ground on a planet where a Bear nearly kills it.
Whch is why i remove 2 stars for the first half of the book for being incredible boring and longwinded and another star for failing to deliver to the scifi genre.
August 11, 2018
Boring
I like lirpg but this was like reading an instruction manual for D&D. There was no moving the plot along. We were stuck with every dice throw and minute increment stat change. It makes gamers look like the dweebs and geeks(not in a good way) That they can be at times. No more information isn’t always better and the majority of us would prefer that the plot move not inch along.
I like lirpg but this was like reading an instruction manual for D&D. There was no moving the plot along. We were stuck with every dice throw and minute increment stat change. It makes gamers look like the dweebs and geeks(not in a good way) That they can be at times. No more information isn’t always better and the majority of us would prefer that the plot move not inch along.
June 6, 2019
Trapped
Kidnapped and trapped in a core. Now what are you do. Adapt and survive. The first you have to learn is It seems that training is at a minimum when you're kidnapped were destroyed before they could teach you how to use your new environment. Let the adventures begin.
Looks like a fun new series. I liked the first book a lot and hope for more enjoyment in the future with more books. I also appreciate the authors attempt to simplify by footnoting the stat charts. Even if that is my favorite part.
Kidnapped and trapped in a core. Now what are you do. Adapt and survive. The first you have to learn is It seems that training is at a minimum when you're kidnapped were destroyed before they could teach you how to use your new environment. Let the adventures begin.
Looks like a fun new series. I liked the first book a lot and hope for more enjoyment in the future with more books. I also appreciate the authors attempt to simplify by footnoting the stat charts. Even if that is my favorite part.
August 1, 2019
Pros - Very imaginative and descriptive. Brooks takes you into the world and keeps you there. Cons - could use an editor - used the word "that" unnecessarily. The female AI swung from sweet to raunchy and he character never really develops.
July 22, 2018
Besides the need for another round of proofreading, I liked this story.
I agree with other reviews in that there were a lot of things that don't make sense if you try to put this story into the framework that it was supposedly based on, but if you ignore all of that, then it's a very nice story, and it's well worth reading. I'm not sure why the author chose the setting he did, then promptly threw it all out the window to make the rest of the story, perhaps some reworking of the backstory before laying out the whole thing might be in order, but otherwise, I liked the story, and although I can't say I agreed with everything in the book, and there were some errors, (like when the core dropped to 1%, then later it was forgotten, and the core was listed as 2%), I can't say there's really anything there that would absolutely break the story either, so if you like a good LitRPG story, feel free to give this one a try, you might enjoy it.
I agree with other reviews in that there were a lot of things that don't make sense if you try to put this story into the framework that it was supposedly based on, but if you ignore all of that, then it's a very nice story, and it's well worth reading. I'm not sure why the author chose the setting he did, then promptly threw it all out the window to make the rest of the story, perhaps some reworking of the backstory before laying out the whole thing might be in order, but otherwise, I liked the story, and although I can't say I agreed with everything in the book, and there were some errors, (like when the core dropped to 1%, then later it was forgotten, and the core was listed as 2%), I can't say there's really anything there that would absolutely break the story either, so if you like a good LitRPG story, feel free to give this one a try, you might enjoy it.
July 27, 2018
It gets better
I have to say, the first half of this book is a slog. I understand the need for a back story, but man is it long. If you want to hear all about the exploits of animals and the almost entirely useless, and pointlessly foul mouthed sidekick, the first half of this is for you.
In essence, the first 50% is 100 years of meh, and the next 40% is 3-4 weeks of things going on. The last 10% is charts.
That 40% is well written, has an interesting storyline and characters, as well as a cliffhanger. I would recommend reading the reason the core is there, then assuming things happen and jumping to part 2. Even the sidekick sleeps through most of part one.
All in all, it does get good. It is well written and 2 of the characters (of which there are basically 3) are relatable. The odd one out being the sidekick. She sounds like someone who needs to learn how to swear and not act like a 10 yr old who knows 1 swear word.
I have to say, the first half of this book is a slog. I understand the need for a back story, but man is it long. If you want to hear all about the exploits of animals and the almost entirely useless, and pointlessly foul mouthed sidekick, the first half of this is for you.
In essence, the first 50% is 100 years of meh, and the next 40% is 3-4 weeks of things going on. The last 10% is charts.
That 40% is well written, has an interesting storyline and characters, as well as a cliffhanger. I would recommend reading the reason the core is there, then assuming things happen and jumping to part 2. Even the sidekick sleeps through most of part one.
All in all, it does get good. It is well written and 2 of the characters (of which there are basically 3) are relatable. The odd one out being the sidekick. She sounds like someone who needs to learn how to swear and not act like a 10 yr old who knows 1 swear word.
November 15, 2018
Interesting premise, fun characters
A bit rough, and could use some more editing (missing, wrong, & occasionally misspelled words ) as well as being a bit wordy and slow for the first third or so of the book. Still, not Pollyanna. The guy/core worked for his gains. I liked his use of foot-/endnotes for most of the stats and screens. I didn’t use them much, but they were great when I wanted them. So, SO much better than a 2-3 page block every chapter (or more) of repeated stats with only minor changes. Got much more fun when he added more people than his core and his ‘game guide’.
A bit rough, and could use some more editing (missing, wrong, & occasionally misspelled words ) as well as being a bit wordy and slow for the first third or so of the book. Still, not Pollyanna. The guy/core worked for his gains. I liked his use of foot-/endnotes for most of the stats and screens. I didn’t use them much, but they were great when I wanted them. So, SO much better than a 2-3 page block every chapter (or more) of repeated stats with only minor changes. Got much more fun when he added more people than his core and his ‘game guide’.
September 14, 2019
Almost forgot I had read this one.
The Station Core is aimed at a blend of sci-fi and traditional dungeon core stories. It does manage to put a science-fiction veneer on classic fantasy dungeon things. The Collective responsible for the situation appears to be a bunch of furry assholes, and Milton is better off on his own. But the background universe building is not really relevant to the story which follows along classic lines.
The few twists arising from the science-fictional origin of the Dungeon Core are interesting enough to make this a relatively refreshing take on the genre.
The Station Core is aimed at a blend of sci-fi and traditional dungeon core stories. It does manage to put a science-fiction veneer on classic fantasy dungeon things. The Collective responsible for the situation appears to be a bunch of furry assholes, and Milton is better off on his own. But the background universe building is not really relevant to the story which follows along classic lines.
The few twists arising from the science-fictional origin of the Dungeon Core are interesting enough to make this a relatively refreshing take on the genre.
March 5, 2019
An ok book
Overall the book is alright it has a decent plot and coherent mechanics however it has some of the most annoying characters I have ever read. One who cant go a sentence without using swear words as her only character trait and another that is supposed to be tactical and overlooks extremely basic things.
Overall the book is alright it has a decent plot and coherent mechanics however it has some of the most annoying characters I have ever read. One who cant go a sentence without using swear words as her only character trait and another that is supposed to be tactical and overlooks extremely basic things.
July 27, 2022
Amazing book
It was interesting to see how Milton got his start. I already know what happens later. I don’t understand the fear of squirrels, but I think it might have been an attack as a kid. I like that his first friend was Brint, other than ALANNA. I must know what happens next.
It was interesting to see how Milton got his start. I already know what happens later. I don’t understand the fear of squirrels, but I think it might have been an attack as a kid. I like that his first friend was Brint, other than ALANNA. I must know what happens next.
December 25, 2025
A Solid but Uneven Start to a Unique LitRPG Series (3.5/5 Stars)
Hey fellow bookworms! Just powered through The Station Core by Jonathan Brooks, and my feelings are… mixed, to be honest. If your TBR pile is full of dungeon core and LitRPG, this one's probably already on your radar for its killer premise: a pro-gamer’s consciousness is kidnapped by aliens and shoved into a giant, damaged metal "Station Core" on a primitive planet. It’s Dungeon Core meets Robinson Crusoe in space, with a foul-mouthed AI as a sidekick. While the concept is a total win and the second half soars, the first half is a serious test of patience. Let's dig in!
Key Themes
Brooks plays with some interesting ideas that give the story depth beyond the stats and squirrels.
Isolation & Adaptation: Milton’s journey is the ultimate fish-out-of-water story, except the fish is now a sentient egg-shaped factory. The core theme is his profound loneliness and how he adapts—not just to survive against hostile wildlife (including those dreaded squirrels), but to forge a new identity and purpose from scratch.
Humanity vs. Machine: As a human mind trapped in a machine, Milton constantly grapples with his new existence. The story explores what parts of his humanity he retains (like his strategic mind and fear of squirrels) and what he must sacrifice or change to become an effective station core.
Found Purpose & Community: While he starts in total isolation, Milton’s story becomes one of building connections. His purpose evolves from simple survival to becoming a protector and leader for the beings he encounters, creating a unique "found family" dynamic that drives the later, more compelling parts of the narrative.
Character Analysis
Milton (The Station Core): Our MC. He’s believably freaked out and resourceful, though some of his tactical decisions early on can feel frustratingly basic for a supposed pro-gamer. His growth from a confused human to a determined core learning to wield his new capabilities is satisfying to follow, even if the path is rocky.
ALANNA (The AI Guide): The definitive love-her-or-hate-her character. She’s a snarky, foot-and-a-half-tall guide formed from nanites with a truly impressive (and constant) potty mouth. She provides the comic relief and exposition, but her one-note crassness can wear thin. She’s functional but lacks the depth of development seen in other characters.
Writing Style & Pacing
This is where the book struggles most. The prose is straightforward and functional, perfect for delivering game-mechanic info but not particularly lyrical.
The pacing, however, is the book's biggest flaw. The first 40-50% is a serious slog. It's essentially a century-long survival tutorial against local fauna, which feels repetitive and lacks stakes. It’s the literary equivalent of grinding low-level mobs for way too long.
Thankfully, around the halfway mark, the story drastically improves. When sentient, non-human "Proctans" with magic-like abilities enter the picture, the plot gains urgency, emotional weight, and fascinating conflict. Brooks also handles the LitRPG elements smartly by putting the extensive stat tables in an optional appendix, keeping the main narrative clean for those who just want the story.
What I Liked & Disliked
Liked:
The Brilliant Core Concept: A sci-fi dungeon core stranded in a fantasy world? Yes, please. The blend of tech and magic is handled creatively.
A Strong Second Act: Once the world-building setup is done, the plot becomes engaging, strategic, and genuinely hard to put down.
No Harem: A clean, plot-focused story in a genre that sometimes leans the other way.
Disliked:
The Pacing Whiplash: The first half almost made me DNF. It feels disconnected from the more exciting story that follows.
Juvenile Humor: The reliance on poop jokes and ALANNA’s relentless swearing often feels forced and childish rather than genuinely funny.
Inconsistent Character Competence: Milton’s intelligence seems to fluctuate with the plot's needs, which can break immersion.
Conclusion & Recommendation
Final Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up for its fantastic potential and strong finish.
You should read this book if: You’re a hardcore LitRPG or Dungeon Core fan who doesn’t mind a slow burn. If you can power through the first half, you’ll be rewarded with a unique and increasingly epic series starter. It’s also a great pick for someone looking for sci-fi flavored fantasy.
Skip it if: You have zero patience for slow beginnings, or if immature humor is an instant deal-breaker for you.
Think of The Station Core as a rough first level in a video game—the tutorial is tedious, but once you get past it, the real, much better game begins. I’m invested enough to continue with Book 2, The Quizard Mountains, based on the promise shown in the latter half.
Hey fellow bookworms! Just powered through The Station Core by Jonathan Brooks, and my feelings are… mixed, to be honest. If your TBR pile is full of dungeon core and LitRPG, this one's probably already on your radar for its killer premise: a pro-gamer’s consciousness is kidnapped by aliens and shoved into a giant, damaged metal "Station Core" on a primitive planet. It’s Dungeon Core meets Robinson Crusoe in space, with a foul-mouthed AI as a sidekick. While the concept is a total win and the second half soars, the first half is a serious test of patience. Let's dig in!
Key Themes
Brooks plays with some interesting ideas that give the story depth beyond the stats and squirrels.
Isolation & Adaptation: Milton’s journey is the ultimate fish-out-of-water story, except the fish is now a sentient egg-shaped factory. The core theme is his profound loneliness and how he adapts—not just to survive against hostile wildlife (including those dreaded squirrels), but to forge a new identity and purpose from scratch.
Humanity vs. Machine: As a human mind trapped in a machine, Milton constantly grapples with his new existence. The story explores what parts of his humanity he retains (like his strategic mind and fear of squirrels) and what he must sacrifice or change to become an effective station core.
Found Purpose & Community: While he starts in total isolation, Milton’s story becomes one of building connections. His purpose evolves from simple survival to becoming a protector and leader for the beings he encounters, creating a unique "found family" dynamic that drives the later, more compelling parts of the narrative.
Character Analysis
Milton (The Station Core): Our MC. He’s believably freaked out and resourceful, though some of his tactical decisions early on can feel frustratingly basic for a supposed pro-gamer. His growth from a confused human to a determined core learning to wield his new capabilities is satisfying to follow, even if the path is rocky.
ALANNA (The AI Guide): The definitive love-her-or-hate-her character. She’s a snarky, foot-and-a-half-tall guide formed from nanites with a truly impressive (and constant) potty mouth. She provides the comic relief and exposition, but her one-note crassness can wear thin. She’s functional but lacks the depth of development seen in other characters.
Writing Style & Pacing
This is where the book struggles most. The prose is straightforward and functional, perfect for delivering game-mechanic info but not particularly lyrical.
The pacing, however, is the book's biggest flaw. The first 40-50% is a serious slog. It's essentially a century-long survival tutorial against local fauna, which feels repetitive and lacks stakes. It’s the literary equivalent of grinding low-level mobs for way too long.
Thankfully, around the halfway mark, the story drastically improves. When sentient, non-human "Proctans" with magic-like abilities enter the picture, the plot gains urgency, emotional weight, and fascinating conflict. Brooks also handles the LitRPG elements smartly by putting the extensive stat tables in an optional appendix, keeping the main narrative clean for those who just want the story.
What I Liked & Disliked
Liked:
The Brilliant Core Concept: A sci-fi dungeon core stranded in a fantasy world? Yes, please. The blend of tech and magic is handled creatively.
A Strong Second Act: Once the world-building setup is done, the plot becomes engaging, strategic, and genuinely hard to put down.
No Harem: A clean, plot-focused story in a genre that sometimes leans the other way.
Disliked:
The Pacing Whiplash: The first half almost made me DNF. It feels disconnected from the more exciting story that follows.
Juvenile Humor: The reliance on poop jokes and ALANNA’s relentless swearing often feels forced and childish rather than genuinely funny.
Inconsistent Character Competence: Milton’s intelligence seems to fluctuate with the plot's needs, which can break immersion.
Conclusion & Recommendation
Final Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up for its fantastic potential and strong finish.
You should read this book if: You’re a hardcore LitRPG or Dungeon Core fan who doesn’t mind a slow burn. If you can power through the first half, you’ll be rewarded with a unique and increasingly epic series starter. It’s also a great pick for someone looking for sci-fi flavored fantasy.
Skip it if: You have zero patience for slow beginnings, or if immature humor is an instant deal-breaker for you.
Think of The Station Core as a rough first level in a video game—the tutorial is tedious, but once you get past it, the real, much better game begins. I’m invested enough to continue with Book 2, The Quizard Mountains, based on the promise shown in the latter half.
August 8, 2019
This book is terrible for one reason: It fails to tell a story.
The MC is a human kidnapped by aliens to be a station core. The aliens do this because, due to their inherently peaceful nature, they are losing a war. First of all, this trope of aliens needing humans to fight for them has been done to death. Anybody who gives this concept a second's thought would realize that intelligence is little more than the ability to understand and adapt to reality. Therefore positing a highly technologically advanced society able to travel through the most hostile environment (space) at will that is also unable to deal with hostile neighbors is moronic. Second, the author has the aliens act in a way fundamentally against their own nature by kidnapping humans when they had the technology to simply place a call and ask for volunteers.
Still all of that is forgivable as standard operating procedure for an author trying to set up his real story. So, almost immediately after kidnapping the MC the alien ship is destroyed. Fortunately the station cores are virtually indestructible so the MC survives to crash land on an unknown planet. (Why didn't the aliens make their ships out of that stuff?)
Virtually indestructible isn't indestructible and the station core is damaged and leaking "zero point radiation" which attracts dangerous wildlife. So the MC sets to building defenses to protect his damaged self and collecting resources to eventually repair himself. This takes about a 100 years during which zero point radiation in the water mutates local animals into monsters but also give the local human equivalents magic powers. The MC meets a local, starts a business with him. Competitors torture and kill the local's friend and chase him to the station core where, thanks to their magic powers, they almost defeat the MC even though the MC has been preparing defenses for a century. Oh, and the station core clones the local's dead friend so basically brings her back to life. THE END. DOES THAT SOUND LIKE A STORY TO YOU???? THE MC MAY HAVE JUST STARTED A WAR.
What is really sad is this could have been a decent book. All the author had to do was resolve the current story. But no, that would have shown too much understanding of what a book is. Seriously, treating the setup as a story in and of itself shows a complete lack of understanding of what it means to be an author and a lack of respect for readers. The only reason to intentionally write something like this is to try and get readers to pay for two (or more) crappy books rather than one good one.
This is the second book I've read by this author and he did the same thing in the other one. There fore, my take away is:
NO ONE SHOULD EVER PAY MONEY FOR ANYTHING WRITTEN BY THIS AUTHOR.
The MC is a human kidnapped by aliens to be a station core. The aliens do this because, due to their inherently peaceful nature, they are losing a war. First of all, this trope of aliens needing humans to fight for them has been done to death. Anybody who gives this concept a second's thought would realize that intelligence is little more than the ability to understand and adapt to reality. Therefore positing a highly technologically advanced society able to travel through the most hostile environment (space) at will that is also unable to deal with hostile neighbors is moronic. Second, the author has the aliens act in a way fundamentally against their own nature by kidnapping humans when they had the technology to simply place a call and ask for volunteers.
Still all of that is forgivable as standard operating procedure for an author trying to set up his real story. So, almost immediately after kidnapping the MC the alien ship is destroyed. Fortunately the station cores are virtually indestructible so the MC survives to crash land on an unknown planet. (Why didn't the aliens make their ships out of that stuff?)
Virtually indestructible isn't indestructible and the station core is damaged and leaking "zero point radiation" which attracts dangerous wildlife. So the MC sets to building defenses to protect his damaged self and collecting resources to eventually repair himself. This takes about a 100 years during which zero point radiation in the water mutates local animals into monsters but also give the local human equivalents magic powers. The MC meets a local, starts a business with him. Competitors torture and kill the local's friend and chase him to the station core where, thanks to their magic powers, they almost defeat the MC even though the MC has been preparing defenses for a century. Oh, and the station core clones the local's dead friend so basically brings her back to life. THE END. DOES THAT SOUND LIKE A STORY TO YOU???? THE MC MAY HAVE JUST STARTED A WAR.
What is really sad is this could have been a decent book. All the author had to do was resolve the current story. But no, that would have shown too much understanding of what a book is. Seriously, treating the setup as a story in and of itself shows a complete lack of understanding of what it means to be an author and a lack of respect for readers. The only reason to intentionally write something like this is to try and get readers to pay for two (or more) crappy books rather than one good one.
This is the second book I've read by this author and he did the same thing in the other one. There fore, my take away is:
NO ONE SHOULD EVER PAY MONEY FOR ANYTHING WRITTEN BY THIS AUTHOR.
April 15, 2023
A group of pacifist aliens are in trouble. Their home is under attack and they can't fight back. So, they come up with a plan to kidnap some human soldiers, insert their consciousness into station cores, and have them defeat their enemies.
100 human soldiers have been identified as good candidates but some have died during the aliens transit to Earth so an alternate plan is used to take some gamers who excel in strategy to make up for the losses.
Milton is a successful gamer. Probably one of the best but still not making much money. He's taken to the alien spaceship with a group of other humans and they begin to travel back to the alien home world. On the way, the aliens begin the process of transferring the human consciousness' to station cores with the intent of wiping all memories before awakening.
As the aliens enter their home space they are attacked and the ship explodes. Milton's core survives the initial attack but floats in space for a while before landing on a nearby planet. Milton eventually activates (with his memories intact) after 4,000 years have passed since he was taken.
And so begins Milton's adventure of learning to be a station core and protecting himself from all kinds of bad creatures that want to hurt him.
For a, so called, elite gamer Milton kept making some very rudimentary mistakes of constantly being distracted during battle or just downright not doing the basics of what a gamer would do (learn every aspect of the system). I know the story needed him to make mistakes to raise the tension but Milton is a top gamer so it didn't feel appropriate after the first couple of times he did this.
The story was engaging and I enjoyed the stat tables too but it could have gone through a final proofread/edit before publishing (a typical problem for self-published LitRPG); there were numerous particle word omissions and the misuse of words (then instead of than, etc) throughout.
Despite this lack of proofreading (it certainly isn't the worst case I've seen either) I enjoyed the story and I look forward to reading the next in the series.
Enjoyed it - 3 stars
100 human soldiers have been identified as good candidates but some have died during the aliens transit to Earth so an alternate plan is used to take some gamers who excel in strategy to make up for the losses.
Milton is a successful gamer. Probably one of the best but still not making much money. He's taken to the alien spaceship with a group of other humans and they begin to travel back to the alien home world. On the way, the aliens begin the process of transferring the human consciousness' to station cores with the intent of wiping all memories before awakening.
As the aliens enter their home space they are attacked and the ship explodes. Milton's core survives the initial attack but floats in space for a while before landing on a nearby planet. Milton eventually activates (with his memories intact) after 4,000 years have passed since he was taken.
And so begins Milton's adventure of learning to be a station core and protecting himself from all kinds of bad creatures that want to hurt him.
For a, so called, elite gamer Milton kept making some very rudimentary mistakes of constantly being distracted during battle or just downright not doing the basics of what a gamer would do (learn every aspect of the system). I know the story needed him to make mistakes to raise the tension but Milton is a top gamer so it didn't feel appropriate after the first couple of times he did this.
The story was engaging and I enjoyed the stat tables too but it could have gone through a final proofread/edit before publishing (a typical problem for self-published LitRPG); there were numerous particle word omissions and the misuse of words (then instead of than, etc) throughout.
Despite this lack of proofreading (it certainly isn't the worst case I've seen either) I enjoyed the story and I look forward to reading the next in the series.
Enjoyed it - 3 stars
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2022
Aliens come to earth to abduct military geniuses to fight their wars for them since they can’t do it themselves. However, two of the hundred candidates are dead, so they will take a couple of gamers to fill the slots instead of the following two military people on the list. Ok, none of them will know how to fight in space anyway.
Beyond how dumb the aliens are, this isn’t an actual science fiction story. Our protagonist is in a “technological” dungeon core, but there is so much handwavium here it’s practically pointless. Not to mention when the locals gain magic from his radiation runoff. I’d have instead this been a fantasy story or a game story. Unfortunately, doing a science fiction story is going to take more work. Making a dungeon story feel like a science fiction story, even more so, and this book failed.
Our protagonist started as a semi-pro gamer with a fear of squirrels. His helper AI in place of the standard dungeon fairy, is an unhelpful and verbally abusive mess. I can’t help but feel they take after a boot camp Drill Sergeant. They end up stuck on an unknown planet rather than where they were supposed to go. The limiting factor is metal in this story and how much they need, which doesn’t make sense. The tritanium they need requires an unholy amount of lesser metals to make. Why not use some principle of fusion of atoms to get to it instead?
This book is full of stats. I generally don’t mind stat blocks, but they take up much of the story and have little meaning. Stats are a problem for a lot of litrpg stories. Stats need to be measurable against something tangible to help ground things. While this gets much harder for the mental stats in organics, it should still feel measurable against something. The stat chapters were skippable, and doing so helped with story flow and pacing.
If you are looking for a good dungeon core story, look elsewhere than this book. Not much goes on, and it’s a waste of time. I received the first five books of this as a gift. I’ll continue through them to respect the gift giver.
Beyond how dumb the aliens are, this isn’t an actual science fiction story. Our protagonist is in a “technological” dungeon core, but there is so much handwavium here it’s practically pointless. Not to mention when the locals gain magic from his radiation runoff. I’d have instead this been a fantasy story or a game story. Unfortunately, doing a science fiction story is going to take more work. Making a dungeon story feel like a science fiction story, even more so, and this book failed.
Our protagonist started as a semi-pro gamer with a fear of squirrels. His helper AI in place of the standard dungeon fairy, is an unhelpful and verbally abusive mess. I can’t help but feel they take after a boot camp Drill Sergeant. They end up stuck on an unknown planet rather than where they were supposed to go. The limiting factor is metal in this story and how much they need, which doesn’t make sense. The tritanium they need requires an unholy amount of lesser metals to make. Why not use some principle of fusion of atoms to get to it instead?
This book is full of stats. I generally don’t mind stat blocks, but they take up much of the story and have little meaning. Stats are a problem for a lot of litrpg stories. Stats need to be measurable against something tangible to help ground things. While this gets much harder for the mental stats in organics, it should still feel measurable against something. The stat chapters were skippable, and doing so helped with story flow and pacing.
If you are looking for a good dungeon core story, look elsewhere than this book. Not much goes on, and it’s a waste of time. I received the first five books of this as a gift. I’ll continue through them to respect the gift giver.
April 23, 2023
Tried the audiobook compilation, it was hard to get through. There is no station. Not really sci fi, felt like a bait and switch there. It's fantasy swords and magic for the most part, there are some dashes of sci fi but not much more than nods. MC could be a magic crystal and the aliens could be humans and it would be the same story, the aliens even have Christmas, they aren't alien in any way. MC abilities really makes no sense considering his purpose, he doesn't have access to basic firearms for example but is supposed to lead high tech defenses.
The author really likes stats, and explaining and over analyzing said stats. Often you will get a stat chapter read out then 30-60 seconds later get another, these stat sessions get lonnnnnnngg. These interruptions come almost mid thought or scenarios that really shouldn't be interrupted. Also after getting a stat read out the next 2-10 minutes is reiterating everything the stats just said. Often times a lot of these stats or skills that interrupt the story end up having very little impact on what's going on.
Also, there are instances of gaining a new monster or item and instead of just summarizing the new thing the author chose to give out the entire list of everything with the new thing at the end. It's absurd how many times you hear the description of the blood thirsty squirrel when nothing the character is doing requires that knowledge.
The way things are communicated on the stats/skill/item/blueprint side is atrocious and I would say one of the worst examples I've seen in the genre. There is some odd intentional elongation of certain things like for example stat names being something like "computational power / intelligence" instead of just being one or the other. Complete lack of brevity in this one.
Juvenile use of cursing to the detriment of any dialogue.
The author really likes stats, and explaining and over analyzing said stats. Often you will get a stat chapter read out then 30-60 seconds later get another, these stat sessions get lonnnnnnngg. These interruptions come almost mid thought or scenarios that really shouldn't be interrupted. Also after getting a stat read out the next 2-10 minutes is reiterating everything the stats just said. Often times a lot of these stats or skills that interrupt the story end up having very little impact on what's going on.
Also, there are instances of gaining a new monster or item and instead of just summarizing the new thing the author chose to give out the entire list of everything with the new thing at the end. It's absurd how many times you hear the description of the blood thirsty squirrel when nothing the character is doing requires that knowledge.
The way things are communicated on the stats/skill/item/blueprint side is atrocious and I would say one of the worst examples I've seen in the genre. There is some odd intentional elongation of certain things like for example stat names being something like "computational power / intelligence" instead of just being one or the other. Complete lack of brevity in this one.
Juvenile use of cursing to the detriment of any dialogue.
March 28, 2021
A Technological Dungeon Core Story.
In most of the Dungeon Core genre I have read, until this novel, the Dungeon Core has been a Magically "compressed" or "distilled" human soul encased in a fragile, or not, crystal gem and given the task of creating a dungeon; thus fall firmly into the broad genre of Fantasy. This Dungeon Core story is different in that the human who becomes the Core, Milton, has his mind transferred into a large, powerful, heavily armored, egg shaped machine called a "Station Core." Which pushes this story more towards the broad genre of Science Fiction.
Milton's Core is intended to become the heart and brain of a Battle Station which will defend an interstellar coalition of many species from an implacable enemy. Unfortunately, in war one's plans seldom survive contact with the enemy and thus Milton's Core never arrives at the Station he was intended to command. Instead, the destruction of the ship carrying him leaves his inactive Core hurtling through space for a while . . . a long while . . . before crash landing on an unknown world. The crash landing, or perhaps the attack on the ship which left him drifting through space, has caused severe damage to Milton's Core. Now Milton, awakened as a Station Core for the first time must survive and find the resources he needs to repair the physical damage done to his Core while fending off the hostile native fauna.
This book will likely be enjoyable for fans of the Dungeon Core, LitRPG, Fantasy, and Science Fiction genres and those who enjoy playing RPGs.
In most of the Dungeon Core genre I have read, until this novel, the Dungeon Core has been a Magically "compressed" or "distilled" human soul encased in a fragile, or not, crystal gem and given the task of creating a dungeon; thus fall firmly into the broad genre of Fantasy. This Dungeon Core story is different in that the human who becomes the Core, Milton, has his mind transferred into a large, powerful, heavily armored, egg shaped machine called a "Station Core." Which pushes this story more towards the broad genre of Science Fiction.
Milton's Core is intended to become the heart and brain of a Battle Station which will defend an interstellar coalition of many species from an implacable enemy. Unfortunately, in war one's plans seldom survive contact with the enemy and thus Milton's Core never arrives at the Station he was intended to command. Instead, the destruction of the ship carrying him leaves his inactive Core hurtling through space for a while . . . a long while . . . before crash landing on an unknown world. The crash landing, or perhaps the attack on the ship which left him drifting through space, has caused severe damage to Milton's Core. Now Milton, awakened as a Station Core for the first time must survive and find the resources he needs to repair the physical damage done to his Core while fending off the hostile native fauna.
This book will likely be enjoyable for fans of the Dungeon Core, LitRPG, Fantasy, and Science Fiction genres and those who enjoy playing RPGs.
January 21, 2022
Overall an entertaining story. Definitely could use some improvements but worth a read. There's some things that don't really make sense. The main character is stuck in an egg but never bothers to create an avatar for himself which seems like it would be a pretty high priority, and would help significantly. He even mentions having the ability but doesn't do it for reasons...
He's psychotic in that he creates clones of people only to kill them over and over again despite describing them as "friends."
Apes cannot throw things with any force as happens repeatedly in story. This is due to structural balance and not strength. An increase in strength does not negate the balance issue.
Main character is supposed to be some kind of tactical genius but he only succeeds due to being overpowered. For instance he creates a trap using a holographic projection of ground over a pit fall trap. He could have created fog instead of just a projection of ground to conceal targets falling in... Instead enemies behind notice their allies falling in and stop to investigate, negating the trap. He created fog previously... didn't think to use it effectively. There are many such blunders throughout.
One thing that is for me a personal preference; stats are not necessary. The only abilities that are worth mentioning are those that actually are pertinent to the story. There's no point in writing a list of abilities only to never have most of them used, or if they're not impacting the story in any way. This is supposed to be a story and not a D&D manual.
He's psychotic in that he creates clones of people only to kill them over and over again despite describing them as "friends."
Apes cannot throw things with any force as happens repeatedly in story. This is due to structural balance and not strength. An increase in strength does not negate the balance issue.
Main character is supposed to be some kind of tactical genius but he only succeeds due to being overpowered. For instance he creates a trap using a holographic projection of ground over a pit fall trap. He could have created fog instead of just a projection of ground to conceal targets falling in... Instead enemies behind notice their allies falling in and stop to investigate, negating the trap. He created fog previously... didn't think to use it effectively. There are many such blunders throughout.
One thing that is for me a personal preference; stats are not necessary. The only abilities that are worth mentioning are those that actually are pertinent to the story. There's no point in writing a list of abilities only to never have most of them used, or if they're not impacting the story in any way. This is supposed to be a story and not a D&D manual.
November 9, 2019
Full review of series: 8.5 of 10 stars
5 books total in series, this is a review of the entire series.
Summary:
This was a very good series overall and the authors writing matured well as the series progressed. There was originally toxic levels of profanity in the series but the author listened to his fan base and rewrote much of it out of the series thankfully. Personally I think it needs one more rewrite and polish but I highly doubt that will occur so there is no money in it and he still has to put food on the table like the rest of us.
The series is a hybred sci-fi that includes some fantasy like elements. I've never found the two to mix well but it's one of the better blends I've read.
Character depth is a little light and the story (while above average) still has some holes in it that you just have to accept. It's extremely hard to write fantasy and sci-fi that has flawless logic and this is the main reason I knocked off 1.5 stars.
While the writer does a good job telling his story, the many typos and grammatical errors detract from it.
All in all I recommend this series and urge readers to power through the first book and the excessive swearing. The remaining books have very little and the authors writing and story get better.
5 books total in series, this is a review of the entire series.
Summary:
This was a very good series overall and the authors writing matured well as the series progressed. There was originally toxic levels of profanity in the series but the author listened to his fan base and rewrote much of it out of the series thankfully. Personally I think it needs one more rewrite and polish but I highly doubt that will occur so there is no money in it and he still has to put food on the table like the rest of us.
The series is a hybred sci-fi that includes some fantasy like elements. I've never found the two to mix well but it's one of the better blends I've read.
Character depth is a little light and the story (while above average) still has some holes in it that you just have to accept. It's extremely hard to write fantasy and sci-fi that has flawless logic and this is the main reason I knocked off 1.5 stars.
While the writer does a good job telling his story, the many typos and grammatical errors detract from it.
All in all I recommend this series and urge readers to power through the first book and the excessive swearing. The remaining books have very little and the authors writing and story get better.
February 2, 2020
The setup for this dungeon core book is an interesting approach to the basic premise, you have a gamer from earth being kidnapped and transferred into the station core by one group of aliens (calling themselves pacifists while effectively killing the people they kidnap seems like a stretch) to fight a different set of aliens, before crashing on an entirely different alien world.
One issue with such books is that the early stages can end up being quite repetitive as a new dungeon is limited in what it can do or build and the author uses a number of time skips to avoid this and getting to the point where the series really starts. The cast of characters is fairly small to start out, but are interesting and likeable enough to draw in the reader.
The narrator does a good job overall of enhancing the story with a suitably distinctive range of voices for the characters and deals well with the large amount of stats too.
Overall, a good start to this series and I will be listening to subsequent ones too.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
One issue with such books is that the early stages can end up being quite repetitive as a new dungeon is limited in what it can do or build and the author uses a number of time skips to avoid this and getting to the point where the series really starts. The cast of characters is fairly small to start out, but are interesting and likeable enough to draw in the reader.
The narrator does a good job overall of enhancing the story with a suitably distinctive range of voices for the characters and deals well with the large amount of stats too.
Overall, a good start to this series and I will be listening to subsequent ones too.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
April 28, 2020
Do not read if you thought the author was family friendly
On reading most of what this author writes, I was thrilled to share this with my kids, but definitely not this one.
While the details and the storyline are pretty solid, the author for some reason felt he had to use the really annoying and crude character of ALANNA to prop up a story that needed no propping. Her ridiculous overuse of terrible language was as pointless and annoying as it was evidence of an insecure author.
I’ve read many of his other series so now I’m even more confused about why he would choose such a terrible character to place in his story. His other stories have been riveting and fun, so I’m sure this one has to be an early series. Again, all input from this character is so annoying that if you’re like me, all talking she does is rapidly skimmed through to avoid actually reading from her while getting whatever information we need. Take alanna out and the story would be way better.
On reading most of what this author writes, I was thrilled to share this with my kids, but definitely not this one.
While the details and the storyline are pretty solid, the author for some reason felt he had to use the really annoying and crude character of ALANNA to prop up a story that needed no propping. Her ridiculous overuse of terrible language was as pointless and annoying as it was evidence of an insecure author.
I’ve read many of his other series so now I’m even more confused about why he would choose such a terrible character to place in his story. His other stories have been riveting and fun, so I’m sure this one has to be an early series. Again, all input from this character is so annoying that if you’re like me, all talking she does is rapidly skimmed through to avoid actually reading from her while getting whatever information we need. Take alanna out and the story would be way better.
December 29, 2019
Very slow, long start
I bought the whole series, without having read the first book, because I really enjoyed another series this author has started. I had to force myself to keep reading for the first 3/4 of the book. To be fair, I love books about personal growth, but I’m ambivalent about the stats. Still, almost no character development, the story was a slow, stagnant, slough, and very little true world building. He first two characters had no depth to their interactions and only the addition of a couple new characters towards the end made me want to read anything else in this series.
I bought the whole series, without having read the first book, because I really enjoyed another series this author has started. I had to force myself to keep reading for the first 3/4 of the book. To be fair, I love books about personal growth, but I’m ambivalent about the stats. Still, almost no character development, the story was a slow, stagnant, slough, and very little true world building. He first two characters had no depth to their interactions and only the addition of a couple new characters towards the end made me want to read anything else in this series.
November 11, 2019
I like Jonathan Brooks writing. I will be reading more of his books but this one did not sit well with me. My biggest complaint has to do with the AI character being so incredibly toxic for no good reason it simply did not serve the story. I also had a little trouble with the combination of magic elements in line with the more technical aspects. Hey it might be just me and I am not meaning to slam the other I just really had trouble with this one. I totally recognize that this is someone with some talent that can tell a great story but on this book it just did not work for me.
July 12, 2020
Really need to rethink how they use profanity
I managed to get to 30% of the book and had to stop reading, the AI uses to much profanity that i found myself skipping her words and sections just to avoid it.
I understand the 'reasoning' behind the ai character but its also flawed, im in a family of military personnel, and they don't swear as much as this book does in the first 10 pages of the ai becoming active.
Due to the unnecessary swearing I've had to stop reading the book, would definitely recommend not reading this book
I managed to get to 30% of the book and had to stop reading, the AI uses to much profanity that i found myself skipping her words and sections just to avoid it.
I understand the 'reasoning' behind the ai character but its also flawed, im in a family of military personnel, and they don't swear as much as this book does in the first 10 pages of the ai becoming active.
Due to the unnecessary swearing I've had to stop reading the book, would definitely recommend not reading this book
September 18, 2020
I enjoyed the story, the different mechanics, and the idea behind it. The characters were interesting, and it ended with a satisfying conclusion with just a hint of promise for a new story.
My only complaint is the constant cursing by one of the characters just seemed forced and out of place. The fact that the author draws attention to it by having the main character argue with her about it just means it's more noticeable and annoying. Often it felt like it was creamed in there just to have it rather than making a point.
But otherwise a good book.
My only complaint is the constant cursing by one of the characters just seemed forced and out of place. The fact that the author draws attention to it by having the main character argue with her about it just means it's more noticeable and annoying. Often it felt like it was creamed in there just to have it rather than making a point.
But otherwise a good book.
July 24, 2021
This was actually my first "dungeon core" themed book, and while it took a little bit to get used to a main character that is not really a living entity (anymore), the story is a lot of fun ad the quests to improve the overall situation give a nice structure not only to the MC but to the story as well.
It is a lot of fun and as The Milton expands its sphere of influence the reader follows and gets a better understanding of the planet and the live on it.
I am currently binch reading this series and on book #3.
It is a lot of fun and as The Milton expands its sphere of influence the reader follows and gets a better understanding of the planet and the live on it.
I am currently binch reading this series and on book #3.
August 9, 2022
interesting premise but…
I honestly hated Alanna. She spouts 4 letter words and sexist slurs with every other breath, so - 1 star.
There were a couple confusing and contradictory pieces of information, which I hope the author will address and update in a future edition.
1. Recycling metals is generally easier than refining ores and creating new alloys.
2. I didn’t understand the passage of time for the space flight - was it 4000+ years or a few seconds? A sentence explaining this could easily be added.
I honestly hated Alanna. She spouts 4 letter words and sexist slurs with every other breath, so - 1 star.
There were a couple confusing and contradictory pieces of information, which I hope the author will address and update in a future edition.
1. Recycling metals is generally easier than refining ores and creating new alloys.
2. I didn’t understand the passage of time for the space flight - was it 4000+ years or a few seconds? A sentence explaining this could easily be added.
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