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Empire's Corps #15
Cry Wolf
They say democracy dies in darkness ...
Earth has fallen. The Empire is no more. Old certainties are collapsing everywhere. Chaos is spreading across the stars, with war following in its wake ...
Tarsus, a world too close to Earth for comfort, is far from immune.
Clarence Esperanza, a reporter on Tarsus, thought he had the story of the century. But, when he took the story to his bosses, he was unceremoniously fired. Cut off from his former friends, abandoned by his wife isolated from the world around him, he thought all he could do was stagger onto the streets and wait to die. But when an old friend offers him a job, with a new news outlet challenging the dominance of the planetary media networks, he finds himself on the front lines of a struggle for control of the planet ...
... And fighting for the freedom of an entire world.
Read by Jeffrey Kafer.
Earth has fallen. The Empire is no more. Old certainties are collapsing everywhere. Chaos is spreading across the stars, with war following in its wake ...
Tarsus, a world too close to Earth for comfort, is far from immune.
Clarence Esperanza, a reporter on Tarsus, thought he had the story of the century. But, when he took the story to his bosses, he was unceremoniously fired. Cut off from his former friends, abandoned by his wife isolated from the world around him, he thought all he could do was stagger onto the streets and wait to die. But when an old friend offers him a job, with a new news outlet challenging the dominance of the planetary media networks, he finds himself on the front lines of a struggle for control of the planet ...
... And fighting for the freedom of an entire world.
Read by Jeffrey Kafer.
450 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 31, 2019
235 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 13, 2020
I had been following several of Nuttall’s series but stopped a few years ago. I felt Nuttall had wandered away from the original characters and story of the series. I heard that Nuttall is suffering from cancer so I decided to give one of his series a try again.
The book is number 15 in the Empire Corp Series. It could be a stand-alone book. The book takes place in one of the most powerful worlds first colonized by earth immigrants called Tarsus. The story deals with the final collapse of the Empire and earth. It really has nothing to do with the original people and plants of the series. The book is well written and interesting but should have been its own story not stuck as number 15 of an existing series. Not sure if I will read any more or just be more selective of which book to read. Nuttall is an excellent storyteller.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is ten hours and fifty-five minutes. Jeffrey Kafer does a good job narrating the book. Kafer is an actor and voice-artist. He narrates a lot of science fiction books. I enjoy listening to his voice.
The book is number 15 in the Empire Corp Series. It could be a stand-alone book. The book takes place in one of the most powerful worlds first colonized by earth immigrants called Tarsus. The story deals with the final collapse of the Empire and earth. It really has nothing to do with the original people and plants of the series. The book is well written and interesting but should have been its own story not stuck as number 15 of an existing series. Not sure if I will read any more or just be more selective of which book to read. Nuttall is an excellent storyteller.
I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is ten hours and fifty-five minutes. Jeffrey Kafer does a good job narrating the book. Kafer is an actor and voice-artist. He narrates a lot of science fiction books. I enjoy listening to his voice.
February 26, 2019
I was quite happy to learn that another installment in Christopher Nuttall’s Empire’s Corps Series was to come out. It is a good book thanks to the author’s writing skills but…
I have to confess that I would rather have been treated to a book that involved the actual Empire’s Corps. That is a more of a true military science fiction book. I really would like to get more stories about how the post-apocalyptic society of Avalon actually progresses.
This is one of those books that the author uses to tell a, shall we say moral, story in the universe of the Empire’s Corps. This time he takes on the (fake) media. I quite understand the author’s sentiment versus the dishonest, lying media that plagues society today. I even share this sentiment. The great majority of media today is biased beyond belief and the only thing more dishonest than a journalist is a politician. Obviously a personal opinion of mine but this is a personal blog so…there you have it.
However, I do read fiction to escape this sad reality after all so having to read about it in my fictional(?) novels is … well not a good start. Having said that. It is indeed a good book thanks to the author’s writing skills. I did enjoy reading it more than I thought I actually would.
Actually I think the author was too nice and too subtle if anything. I would have loved to see a few more direct stabs at today’s mainstream media. But then I guess he has to walk a fine balance between being truthful and getting paid so…
My enjoyment of this book comes entirely from the authors writing skills. The story is well told, the characters are well done and the book as a whole is really excellent. This is a personal blog so, obviously, the rating of this book is going to be biased by my preferences which is the only reason why this book doesn’t get a higher rating.
I also have to say that I have been quite saddened lately by the fact that the author struggles with cancer. Despite being under, from what I understand, heavy treatment he is still able to churn out books at a respectable rate. I wish him all the best. The book world would be lesser without him.
I have to confess that I would rather have been treated to a book that involved the actual Empire’s Corps. That is a more of a true military science fiction book. I really would like to get more stories about how the post-apocalyptic society of Avalon actually progresses.
This is one of those books that the author uses to tell a, shall we say moral, story in the universe of the Empire’s Corps. This time he takes on the (fake) media. I quite understand the author’s sentiment versus the dishonest, lying media that plagues society today. I even share this sentiment. The great majority of media today is biased beyond belief and the only thing more dishonest than a journalist is a politician. Obviously a personal opinion of mine but this is a personal blog so…there you have it.
However, I do read fiction to escape this sad reality after all so having to read about it in my fictional(?) novels is … well not a good start. Having said that. It is indeed a good book thanks to the author’s writing skills. I did enjoy reading it more than I thought I actually would.
Actually I think the author was too nice and too subtle if anything. I would have loved to see a few more direct stabs at today’s mainstream media. But then I guess he has to walk a fine balance between being truthful and getting paid so…
My enjoyment of this book comes entirely from the authors writing skills. The story is well told, the characters are well done and the book as a whole is really excellent. This is a personal blog so, obviously, the rating of this book is going to be biased by my preferences which is the only reason why this book doesn’t get a higher rating.
I also have to say that I have been quite saddened lately by the fact that the author struggles with cancer. Despite being under, from what I understand, heavy treatment he is still able to churn out books at a respectable rate. I wish him all the best. The book world would be lesser without him.
March 17, 2025
Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" series famously examines the collapse of a decadent stellar empire through the framing device of the eponymous Foundation, which is trying to shorten the dark age between united civilizations. This series examines a similar imperial collapse, but through the device of an attempt by the last remaining Imperial Marines to build a new civilization from the ashes of the previous empire.
The series alternates between books showing the rise of the new state and its attempts to avoid being destroyed by neighboring predators with largely standalone books showing the collapse as seen on a single planet in the empire. This is one of the standalones.
Here, the protagonist is a journalist who is fired for examining details that a large corporation would prefer not to be seen, and who then joins a new journalistic startup, nominally supported by a university.
The foreground characters are drawn well enough to carry the story. In particular, the protagonist journalist has a family that is badly shaken by his firing and an interesting backstory of rising from one of the slum estates. The plot is a bit rote, with a secretive corporation trying to hide, ... something, which becomes the focus of the journalist's investigation.
The ending is a bit convenient for my tastes, but this is ameliorated a bit by the epilogue, which discusses the short-term aftermath of the collapse and recognizes the coming problems.
Nuttall is an amazingly hard-working author, with something like 200 published books. Possibly as a result of this prolific writing, some of his books don't stand up well to close examination. This is not one of the better books in this series.
The series alternates between books showing the rise of the new state and its attempts to avoid being destroyed by neighboring predators with largely standalone books showing the collapse as seen on a single planet in the empire. This is one of the standalones.
Here, the protagonist is a journalist who is fired for examining details that a large corporation would prefer not to be seen, and who then joins a new journalistic startup, nominally supported by a university.
The foreground characters are drawn well enough to carry the story. In particular, the protagonist journalist has a family that is badly shaken by his firing and an interesting backstory of rising from one of the slum estates. The plot is a bit rote, with a secretive corporation trying to hide, ... something, which becomes the focus of the journalist's investigation.
The ending is a bit convenient for my tastes, but this is ameliorated a bit by the epilogue, which discusses the short-term aftermath of the collapse and recognizes the coming problems.
Nuttall is an amazingly hard-working author, with something like 200 published books. Possibly as a result of this prolific writing, some of his books don't stand up well to close examination. This is not one of the better books in this series.
May 28, 2020
Great book in a different direction
I really enjoyed the way that the author spun a different tale away from the Empire corps series that focused on another group of hard individuals rebuilding from the ashes. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. Which strongly recommend picking up this book.
I really enjoyed the way that the author spun a different tale away from the Empire corps series that focused on another group of hard individuals rebuilding from the ashes. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. Which strongly recommend picking up this book.
March 14, 2019
I have been a big fan of Christopher’s books for a while and really like the Empire Corps series. His departures into a different world set the scene for the next series of stories. In this one on the reporter we go back to the beginning of Earths downfall seen from different world. I felt the story weak in that it seemed to skip parts of the story glossing over the reason behind it. The book did not hold my attention like his others he has written in the past but no doubt we will come across some of the characters in a future book. I did not like how the book finished after 90% ending with an Epilogue and I really do not appreciate how the author drones on in his afterword with his thoughts, I have been skipping them for a while now. On the whole it was a good book but not one of my favourites. Another reviver said that "it wandered all over the place and never fully engaged" I would have to agree with what they said
April 5, 2019
Nice Story Branch
The author Chris Nuttal has an excellent knowledge of history that makes this addition to the emperors Corp an excellent one. It combines brown shirts, biased media, big business, economic depression to produce an all too realistic view of a world dealing with the aftermath of the fall of Earth, the center of government, finances, and military... now what is the big question for this planet, in a time of huge turmoil.
The author Chris Nuttal has an excellent knowledge of history that makes this addition to the emperors Corp an excellent one. It combines brown shirts, biased media, big business, economic depression to produce an all too realistic view of a world dealing with the aftermath of the fall of Earth, the center of government, finances, and military... now what is the big question for this planet, in a time of huge turmoil.
October 17, 2021
A Boring Book in Great series
For me this was a boring book because I was looking for something like the previous books in the series.
Where's the continuing story of Roland and his marine friend, nursemaid, Guardian which the author stated in the afterward of the previous book would be next? Thanks for the expensive boring break purchasing this book and audible and my futile jumping from chapter to chapter doing a "Where's Waldo" version of looking for Roland.
For me this was a boring book because I was looking for something like the previous books in the series.
Where's the continuing story of Roland and his marine friend, nursemaid, Guardian which the author stated in the afterward of the previous book would be next? Thanks for the expensive boring break purchasing this book and audible and my futile jumping from chapter to chapter doing a "Where's Waldo" version of looking for Roland.
February 4, 2019
excellent
Great story, up to Chris's usual standard examining what happens to a planet when the empire collapses and how nobody trusts the media after decades of compromised journalism and how one man with a little help can try to drain the swamp,pretty appropriate story in light of current world events where lying appears to simply be part of politics.
Great story, up to Chris's usual standard examining what happens to a planet when the empire collapses and how nobody trusts the media after decades of compromised journalism and how one man with a little help can try to drain the swamp,pretty appropriate story in light of current world events where lying appears to simply be part of politics.
November 3, 2019
Stand alone in the series
This is totally removed from colonel stalker and crew. Wasn’t expecting that and was initially disappointed. but after completing found it to be very compelling and completely pertinent to society today.
This is totally removed from colonel stalker and crew. Wasn’t expecting that and was initially disappointed. but after completing found it to be very compelling and completely pertinent to society today.
February 24, 2019
Typical Nuttal
I consider the author to be quite insightful as he builds engaging stories from very contemporary issues.
I very much enjoy his work.
I consider the author to be quite insightful as he builds engaging stories from very contemporary issues.
I very much enjoy his work.
April 1, 2019
Great book that really resonates today.
October 13, 2019
At least in this one he doesn't use " I say again" .
April 19, 2021
Maybe my favorite book in the series so far.
January 6, 2023
Great book love the story and the book narration it’s a great book series I am looking forward to listening to the next one
I highly recommend listening or reading this book
I highly recommend listening or reading this book
November 25, 2023
Solid entry in the Empires Corps series. Slightly different story line involving the collapse of the planet Tarsus.
December 12, 2023
Well written
Another page turner by Nuttall dealing with the media and the ability of the public to be able to see and understand the truth.
Another page turner by Nuttall dealing with the media and the ability of the public to be able to see and understand the truth.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews