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Echoes of War #1
Fight the Good Fight
Corporal David Cohen thought he’d left war behind.
He was wrong.
The Terran Coalition faces repeated and brutal attacks from the repressive League of Sol. To defend his home planet, David trades his dream of becoming a rabbi for a battlefront in the far reaches of space. When particle beams fly, his courage under fire brings quick promotion. But in the lulls between battles when he must confront his soul, David finds a different enemy: the ghosts of those killed under his command.
Yet in war, it’s kill or be killed—and the enemy shows no mercy.
David must square the tenets of his faith against his responsibility to crew and country. If he fails in his command, billions face enslavement by a ruthless regime. Now it’s an all-out fight for the galaxy’s freedom.
Because a man’s greatest foe lies within.
If you love Babylon 5, Safehold, and Destroyermen, you must read “Echoes of War,” a military sci-fi series that will take you to the heart of duty, sacrifice, and the unseen scars of those who serve.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 13, 2019
669 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
March 19, 2019
God fearing folk fight the godless commies
OK, a fairly serviceable yarn with a few strange anomalies like dumping Naval ranks for Army ranks. But it falls apart because of the atrociously heavy handed theme of the devout fighting the evil godless commies. The author needs to get some perspective on reality.
OK, a fairly serviceable yarn with a few strange anomalies like dumping Naval ranks for Army ranks. But it falls apart because of the atrociously heavy handed theme of the devout fighting the evil godless commies. The author needs to get some perspective on reality.
April 6, 2020
Fight the Good Fight is an alleged Military Space Opera, and for the most part, it is actually quite a good story.
It follows the career of David Cohen, a Corporal in the Terran Coalition who is fighting a war against the League of Sol.
Through a series of events, Cohen ends up on the command track, and the story follows down that track with his various battles, loses, rises and falls. The story is obviously a Good vs Evil Story, with Cohen as the Leader of the Light, and someone else (No Spoilers), as the Leader of the Evil League of Sol (Booo!!). Although some of it is ok, some of it is quite transparent.
Whilst the story is a Good vs Evil, and it does have its good qualities, it has a major issue of brow beating its reader with religion, to the point where it is almost unbearable to read. Don’t get me wrong here, I have no problem with religion, religious characters, and I enjoy a good story with a faith driven character (I love the RPG Paladin Character!!). But this story is so heavily laden with religion that you actually start to lose the story. Every character is Religious, all they do is talk Religion, they sit down for dinner, pray for their meal, look at each other’s uniforms to work out what religion you are, and then discuss religion, before going off to mass, and then to bed to read about religion, before having religious dreams, and getting up to go and discuss them with the Rabi.
Every person in the ‘Terran Coalition’, the Good Guys, is Religious, fighting against the Evil soul less ‘League of Sol’, the remnants of Earth, who are Communists who don’t practice Religion because they are evil, bad people who don’t believe in God. Religious is good and Heroic, Atheist or Agnostic is Evil and Bad, and you are beaten with this throughout the book. Seriously, there is no activity on the Good side that is not ‘Religious Related’, even Priests and Nuns talk about sport and the Weather!!!
The only person in the Terran Coalition who isn’t religious, is a Dr, but they ‘tolerate’ him, only because he is a genius, even though there are several references to getting rid of him or gagging him, because he is a rather rude and outspoken Atheist having lost his Religious wife to a disease. (I do have to agree with some aspects of how rude the Dr is in how he refers to the Religious people as being idiots who believe in Imaginary Friends, this is just plain rude….), but he intolerance towards the Dr because he doesn’t believe is scary.
The book even went so far as to suggest that miraculously, when an alien race of lizard like Saurian’s is united with the Terran Coalition, that it is discovered that they have a religion as well, Christianity! Yes, an alien race that developed on a different planet, thousands of light years away from us in another part of the galaxy, that is not even close to human, does not speak English, has had no contact with Earth, but somehow develops an identical religious belief?? This kind of went beyond the ridiculous.
It is kind of unfortunate that it had these issues, as in other areas, the book is really quite good. There are some exceptional combat scenes, the Author has put a lot of thought into the detail of them. The technology was really well thought out, with good descriptions, and some interesting bits of tech. And when you were not being absolutely smashed by religion in every aspect of the character, and there did seem to be some potential for the characters, if they weren’t all just zealots. The Author has the ability to write decent characters.
The main character of David Cohen is a good example, if you strip back the religion, he is quite a gritty character, who as a Corporal on a damage control team, realised he had a gift for leadership, something that not a lot of people naturally have (and this is true in the real world – it takes strategy, tactics, charisma, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your people, and yourself, as well as the ability to hold it all together under fire. As such he is pushed through to command school. The Author has done a good job of identifying this, and making a character and back story out of it, that makes a great, gritty in-depth character. However, he is, like everything else, totally smothered in religion, so much so, that like an onion, you have to peel multiple layers back to reach the inner core of the interesting part of the character.
And it isn’t just once that it is mentioned, every time we read about this character, his religious aspects are thrust upon us, more than any other attributes, by 20% into the book, I wanted to yell, “I get it, he’s religious, get on with the story!!”
There was great opportunity with this book, in that the Author actually shows us both sides of the story, so we get to see the enemy point of view as well at various points. This is also clouded by Religion though, even though they aren’t religious, as the enemy goes on about how they are heretics for their beliefs, and how the enemy are evil because of their non-religious beliefs. It was just totally overbearing.
Without wanting to cause any offence to anyone, the other thing that kind of irritated me with this book, was that the Author assumes in the Future, that although the world has come together into a ‘Terran Coalition’, that everybody is following United States traditions, anthems, cultures. There are other countries in the world!!
The book has some the start of some good scenes with PTSD and mental health issues, but again, loses them within this religious fervor, which is sad.
The only scene that seemed to escape was one in which Cohen puts a Journalist back in place, after the Journalist starts to use a live interview to badger and criticise him, instead of an interview, but he slams her for having no idea of what its like in the real world – it is one of the few scenes that was actually well done. If the book had been more like this, and less with the religious dogma it would have been really good.
This book has so much potential but is crushed beneath the weight of its religious dogma, it’s a real shame.
It follows the career of David Cohen, a Corporal in the Terran Coalition who is fighting a war against the League of Sol.
Through a series of events, Cohen ends up on the command track, and the story follows down that track with his various battles, loses, rises and falls. The story is obviously a Good vs Evil Story, with Cohen as the Leader of the Light, and someone else (No Spoilers), as the Leader of the Evil League of Sol (Booo!!). Although some of it is ok, some of it is quite transparent.
Whilst the story is a Good vs Evil, and it does have its good qualities, it has a major issue of brow beating its reader with religion, to the point where it is almost unbearable to read. Don’t get me wrong here, I have no problem with religion, religious characters, and I enjoy a good story with a faith driven character (I love the RPG Paladin Character!!). But this story is so heavily laden with religion that you actually start to lose the story. Every character is Religious, all they do is talk Religion, they sit down for dinner, pray for their meal, look at each other’s uniforms to work out what religion you are, and then discuss religion, before going off to mass, and then to bed to read about religion, before having religious dreams, and getting up to go and discuss them with the Rabi.
Every person in the ‘Terran Coalition’, the Good Guys, is Religious, fighting against the Evil soul less ‘League of Sol’, the remnants of Earth, who are Communists who don’t practice Religion because they are evil, bad people who don’t believe in God. Religious is good and Heroic, Atheist or Agnostic is Evil and Bad, and you are beaten with this throughout the book. Seriously, there is no activity on the Good side that is not ‘Religious Related’, even Priests and Nuns talk about sport and the Weather!!!
The only person in the Terran Coalition who isn’t religious, is a Dr, but they ‘tolerate’ him, only because he is a genius, even though there are several references to getting rid of him or gagging him, because he is a rather rude and outspoken Atheist having lost his Religious wife to a disease. (I do have to agree with some aspects of how rude the Dr is in how he refers to the Religious people as being idiots who believe in Imaginary Friends, this is just plain rude….), but he intolerance towards the Dr because he doesn’t believe is scary.
The book even went so far as to suggest that miraculously, when an alien race of lizard like Saurian’s is united with the Terran Coalition, that it is discovered that they have a religion as well, Christianity! Yes, an alien race that developed on a different planet, thousands of light years away from us in another part of the galaxy, that is not even close to human, does not speak English, has had no contact with Earth, but somehow develops an identical religious belief?? This kind of went beyond the ridiculous.
It is kind of unfortunate that it had these issues, as in other areas, the book is really quite good. There are some exceptional combat scenes, the Author has put a lot of thought into the detail of them. The technology was really well thought out, with good descriptions, and some interesting bits of tech. And when you were not being absolutely smashed by religion in every aspect of the character, and there did seem to be some potential for the characters, if they weren’t all just zealots. The Author has the ability to write decent characters.
The main character of David Cohen is a good example, if you strip back the religion, he is quite a gritty character, who as a Corporal on a damage control team, realised he had a gift for leadership, something that not a lot of people naturally have (and this is true in the real world – it takes strategy, tactics, charisma, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your people, and yourself, as well as the ability to hold it all together under fire. As such he is pushed through to command school. The Author has done a good job of identifying this, and making a character and back story out of it, that makes a great, gritty in-depth character. However, he is, like everything else, totally smothered in religion, so much so, that like an onion, you have to peel multiple layers back to reach the inner core of the interesting part of the character.
And it isn’t just once that it is mentioned, every time we read about this character, his religious aspects are thrust upon us, more than any other attributes, by 20% into the book, I wanted to yell, “I get it, he’s religious, get on with the story!!”
There was great opportunity with this book, in that the Author actually shows us both sides of the story, so we get to see the enemy point of view as well at various points. This is also clouded by Religion though, even though they aren’t religious, as the enemy goes on about how they are heretics for their beliefs, and how the enemy are evil because of their non-religious beliefs. It was just totally overbearing.
Without wanting to cause any offence to anyone, the other thing that kind of irritated me with this book, was that the Author assumes in the Future, that although the world has come together into a ‘Terran Coalition’, that everybody is following United States traditions, anthems, cultures. There are other countries in the world!!
The book has some the start of some good scenes with PTSD and mental health issues, but again, loses them within this religious fervor, which is sad.
The only scene that seemed to escape was one in which Cohen puts a Journalist back in place, after the Journalist starts to use a live interview to badger and criticise him, instead of an interview, but he slams her for having no idea of what its like in the real world – it is one of the few scenes that was actually well done. If the book had been more like this, and less with the religious dogma it would have been really good.
This book has so much potential but is crushed beneath the weight of its religious dogma, it’s a real shame.
December 5, 2019
Excellent mil sci-fi with larger issues of good/evil at play. Callbacks to the old US/Russia cold war and Democracy vs Communism.
Also had one of the saddest post-battle scenes I've read/listened to.
Also had one of the saddest post-battle scenes I've read/listened to.
March 4, 2021
Fight the Good Fight is the first book of the Echoes of War series, a military science fiction space opera written by Daniels Gibbs. In the 26th century, the Terran Coalition is fighting the League of Sol for supremacy. We don’t really know why, or where, but they are. We follow David Cohen, a devout jew who wants to become a rabbi, but for some reason settles on becoming a star ship captain instead, because why not? No, seriously, I don’t get why, but we needed a story, so here we are. David has severe mental issues over loosing his father in an early war battle, where he heroically sacrificed himself. This event has profusely affected David, and he doesn’t want to be compared to his dad, yet acts exactly like him. Coupled with Davids extreme need to be a rabbi, we have a confusing story that doesn’t really know what it wants, except to be a harbinger of religion.
Everything David does is perfectly timed, despite him not doing much to accomplish it, and the first part of the book sees David jump through military ranks at a speed which can only be described as preposterous. He keeps telling himself that he wants to be a rabbi, and that he doesn’t want to be a part of wartime activities, because that is not him, and he only wants to have religion in his life. But, that doesn’t matter after all, and he goes all in on the war effort, while continuously whining over it. Everything he says tells us he is a bad military person, but everything he does, always works out for him. It is really not very interesting to the reader. It is great for a story that a person has issues, and problems to solve, but when they don’t matter at all in the end, and has no effect on the overall story, it is just fluff. So in the end, out main characters comes off as completely unbelievable, and completely whiney. Everything he does he questions, and for no good reason, because everybody else loves him for what he does.
The writing as such is fine, nothing too amazing, but it does the job. It did find it to severely lack proper setting descriptions, as the story kept jumping around between new places, and kept introducing new characters, making it slightly hard to follow. On top of that, there is so much going on that has no impact on the overall story, that it made for a pretty dull listen. After the rushed first quarter of the story, where David instantly goes from being a nobody with religious wants, to becoming a much applauded captain of one of the best ships available, the story just halts. Characters talk, and talk, and talk, but not much actually happens to progress the story. There’s essentially no action at all for the first half of the book, so we end up with learning tidbits about many different people, which again has no impact on the story. Short of a very few the main character interacts with repeatedly, we don’t get learn much about any of them that affects the bigger picture. And while the story keeps pushing for us to REALLY believe that David is not up to the task as a captain, none of it has much of an effect other than more conversations with people about his issues. We get small tidbits of the presence of other species in the universe, and that the war is raged across many planets, but we get almost no information to actually fill this vacuum.
The plot is a cookie cutter plot, where not much actually happens. Protagonist gets positioned in role to take on enemy, meets enemy and fights them. Throughout the entire book, we have had our main character become the prime person in the ‘good’ sides army, which happens in the first 15% of the book, and then we have had the enemy introduced. And that’s it! O_o There are two sections of action in the book, the second quite a bit longer, and between that, and after the second one, essentially nothing of interest happens. The action also isn’t very well written. It is a clear case of telling and not showing, and really needed a much more amount of showing what happens through the main characters eyes. The reader don’t get the impression that bad things are happening, when the characters are not involved sufficiently.
And then there’s the worst part of the book: The religion. Everybody is deeply religious. Everything they do, and talk about, has to be about religion. Religion, religion, religion. It really adds nothing to the story, but it is mentioned all the time. Why are everybody so devout in the future? We don’t know, at least we are not told. They just are. The story makes it out as if all the religions on Earth banded together, and went on their own holy crusade against an enemy that we know nothing about, except that they are bad. The religion is forced down the listeners throat, yet it just has no impact on the overall story, akin to Davids own religious wants. There’s one single character that is clearly portrayed as a counterpoint to all the religious nonsense, but it is also clear that he’s only there to do that, and all his arguments are always rejected with metaphysical babble. In this story, atheism is evil, and is also treated as if it was a religion by itself. Why? Because. Other than this single character, not a single person questions beliefs in deities. For some reason, everyone is also deeply devoted to various forms of Abrahamic religion, but there’s no mention of anyone else? I assume they were also purged in this crusade in the name of ‘good’. Society has taken a HUGE step backwards, and for some reason only a single person questions why. All in all, it really makes for a weird story. If there was some actual backdrop, or deep sociopolitical statements on why things are as they are, it might have made for a good story, but here, most certainly not. The author even tries to make the religious nonsense scientific, but creating a scene that is mentioned later on again, to try and validate religion.
And while being extremely religious, the citizens are also deeply nationalistic, and listen to the anthem (Build over the US anthem no less, for some uninspiring reason) at all possible situations. The enemy is evil, because that’s what they are. And the main antagonist is portrayed as a shallow socialist communist and deeply evil, just because he needs to be. Why socialism is bad, that is also a big question. My guess is that the author is deeply religious and very right wing oriented, and can’t fathom a reality where everybody else isn’t deeply in love with their religion of choice and has a very narrow world view, and it really shows. And personally, I think it completely ruins the book.
I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Jeffrey Kafer. He did a good job, and I only wished his different character voices were more distinct, but otherwise he had a clear and distinct voice.
Overall, if you are extremely religious and like science fiction, and would have loved to live in a world where everything that happens around you has to be about religion, then this is for you. Otherwise, definitely skip it.
Everything David does is perfectly timed, despite him not doing much to accomplish it, and the first part of the book sees David jump through military ranks at a speed which can only be described as preposterous. He keeps telling himself that he wants to be a rabbi, and that he doesn’t want to be a part of wartime activities, because that is not him, and he only wants to have religion in his life. But, that doesn’t matter after all, and he goes all in on the war effort, while continuously whining over it. Everything he says tells us he is a bad military person, but everything he does, always works out for him. It is really not very interesting to the reader. It is great for a story that a person has issues, and problems to solve, but when they don’t matter at all in the end, and has no effect on the overall story, it is just fluff. So in the end, out main characters comes off as completely unbelievable, and completely whiney. Everything he does he questions, and for no good reason, because everybody else loves him for what he does.
The writing as such is fine, nothing too amazing, but it does the job. It did find it to severely lack proper setting descriptions, as the story kept jumping around between new places, and kept introducing new characters, making it slightly hard to follow. On top of that, there is so much going on that has no impact on the overall story, that it made for a pretty dull listen. After the rushed first quarter of the story, where David instantly goes from being a nobody with religious wants, to becoming a much applauded captain of one of the best ships available, the story just halts. Characters talk, and talk, and talk, but not much actually happens to progress the story. There’s essentially no action at all for the first half of the book, so we end up with learning tidbits about many different people, which again has no impact on the story. Short of a very few the main character interacts with repeatedly, we don’t get learn much about any of them that affects the bigger picture. And while the story keeps pushing for us to REALLY believe that David is not up to the task as a captain, none of it has much of an effect other than more conversations with people about his issues. We get small tidbits of the presence of other species in the universe, and that the war is raged across many planets, but we get almost no information to actually fill this vacuum.
The plot is a cookie cutter plot, where not much actually happens. Protagonist gets positioned in role to take on enemy, meets enemy and fights them. Throughout the entire book, we have had our main character become the prime person in the ‘good’ sides army, which happens in the first 15% of the book, and then we have had the enemy introduced. And that’s it! O_o There are two sections of action in the book, the second quite a bit longer, and between that, and after the second one, essentially nothing of interest happens. The action also isn’t very well written. It is a clear case of telling and not showing, and really needed a much more amount of showing what happens through the main characters eyes. The reader don’t get the impression that bad things are happening, when the characters are not involved sufficiently.
And then there’s the worst part of the book: The religion. Everybody is deeply religious. Everything they do, and talk about, has to be about religion. Religion, religion, religion. It really adds nothing to the story, but it is mentioned all the time. Why are everybody so devout in the future? We don’t know, at least we are not told. They just are. The story makes it out as if all the religions on Earth banded together, and went on their own holy crusade against an enemy that we know nothing about, except that they are bad. The religion is forced down the listeners throat, yet it just has no impact on the overall story, akin to Davids own religious wants. There’s one single character that is clearly portrayed as a counterpoint to all the religious nonsense, but it is also clear that he’s only there to do that, and all his arguments are always rejected with metaphysical babble. In this story, atheism is evil, and is also treated as if it was a religion by itself. Why? Because. Other than this single character, not a single person questions beliefs in deities. For some reason, everyone is also deeply devoted to various forms of Abrahamic religion, but there’s no mention of anyone else? I assume they were also purged in this crusade in the name of ‘good’. Society has taken a HUGE step backwards, and for some reason only a single person questions why. All in all, it really makes for a weird story. If there was some actual backdrop, or deep sociopolitical statements on why things are as they are, it might have made for a good story, but here, most certainly not. The author even tries to make the religious nonsense scientific, but creating a scene that is mentioned later on again, to try and validate religion.
And while being extremely religious, the citizens are also deeply nationalistic, and listen to the anthem (Build over the US anthem no less, for some uninspiring reason) at all possible situations. The enemy is evil, because that’s what they are. And the main antagonist is portrayed as a shallow socialist communist and deeply evil, just because he needs to be. Why socialism is bad, that is also a big question. My guess is that the author is deeply religious and very right wing oriented, and can’t fathom a reality where everybody else isn’t deeply in love with their religion of choice and has a very narrow world view, and it really shows. And personally, I think it completely ruins the book.
I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Jeffrey Kafer. He did a good job, and I only wished his different character voices were more distinct, but otherwise he had a clear and distinct voice.
Overall, if you are extremely religious and like science fiction, and would have loved to live in a world where everything that happens around you has to be about religion, then this is for you. Otherwise, definitely skip it.
January 23, 2024
He always prayed before battle, but never for victory; only asking that God spare the lives of his crew.
Kosher space opera. Five centuries in the future the Abrahamic religions have reached an accommodation which alluded them for the last thirteen centuries. The baddies look a lot like Soviet Nazis. In light of recent action in Israel and Gaza, it seems naïve.
“The League is sending a ship named Destruction to negotiate peace with us, and we’re going to respond by sending a ship named after Jesus Christ to make peace with a nation of militant atheists. Is anyone else feeling a bit skeptical of our chances here?”
Good storytelling but needs at least another proofreading. If not another edit. Repeats in detail information previously detailed. Lion of Judah first appears in Genesis 49:9, referring to the son of Israel.
“It’s not our job to judge the League’s soldiers. That’s God’s job. Our job is to arrange a face-to-face meeting as soon as possible.”
Would all these twentieth-century memes resonate five hundred years from now? But Shakespeare still resonates through Western culture.
“It is our job to stop evil where we can, but it’s also our job to stop evil from entering our hearts.”
Kosher space opera. Five centuries in the future the Abrahamic religions have reached an accommodation which alluded them for the last thirteen centuries. The baddies look a lot like Soviet Nazis. In light of recent action in Israel and Gaza, it seems naïve.
“The League is sending a ship named Destruction to negotiate peace with us, and we’re going to respond by sending a ship named after Jesus Christ to make peace with a nation of militant atheists. Is anyone else feeling a bit skeptical of our chances here?”
Good storytelling but needs at least another proofreading. If not another edit. Repeats in detail information previously detailed. Lion of Judah first appears in Genesis 49:9, referring to the son of Israel.
“It’s not our job to judge the League’s soldiers. That’s God’s job. Our job is to arrange a face-to-face meeting as soon as possible.”
Would all these twentieth-century memes resonate five hundred years from now? But Shakespeare still resonates through Western culture.
“It is our job to stop evil where we can, but it’s also our job to stop evil from entering our hearts.”
April 12, 2024
Going into this book with no prior knowledge besides the fact that the main character wanted to be a rabbi, wasn't sure what to expect. A Jewish main character, at least for me, felt very progressive and showed a willingness to challenge established story elements. Unfortunately this is the only aspect of the book I could describe as progressive.
The author drops you into a universe where there are two choices: you can either be a member of the "free" and "democratic" planets overtly run by state religions, or you can be a literal slave under communism. The book goes out of its way to attempt to reassure the reader that nations built on state religions can be well functioning and desirable to live in, but makes direct reference to current day political parties that the author sees as desirable. The Tory party in the UK, the Republicans in the US, and many other right leaning parties are shown to have made a utopian religious interstellar society. Yet this utopia only extends to the Abrahamic religions, and only from current nation states which are US aligned. It appears the author does not imagine a future universe where Shintoism, Buddhism, or any non-abrahamic religion escapes the wave of communism taking over earth. In fact, there is basically no mention of any Asian nation at all. Even atheists are shown as only useful so long as they're well respected and highly intelligent scientists. Yet they too as shown as being abrasive, condescending, and sumg in their own perceived superiority. The book takes time to explain that even atheists would prefer to live second class lives in a religious society rather than live under the only other option of communism.
Beyond the overt religious push to the story, I found there to be little to recommend to the book. It focuses largely on religious dilemmas and overcoming PTSD, which, while encouraging to see in a book, distracts the reader for what plot there is. The book meanders its way towards a climax which feels forced and unsatisfying as the enemy is depicted as straight evil with no complexity or designs other than destroying religion and revenge.
If you are someone who desires a universe where Abrahamic religion is the centerpiece to the narrative structure, then this book is ideal, but if you're like me and desire complexity and a desire to escape political divides and religious sentiment, then this book should be avoided.
The author drops you into a universe where there are two choices: you can either be a member of the "free" and "democratic" planets overtly run by state religions, or you can be a literal slave under communism. The book goes out of its way to attempt to reassure the reader that nations built on state religions can be well functioning and desirable to live in, but makes direct reference to current day political parties that the author sees as desirable. The Tory party in the UK, the Republicans in the US, and many other right leaning parties are shown to have made a utopian religious interstellar society. Yet this utopia only extends to the Abrahamic religions, and only from current nation states which are US aligned. It appears the author does not imagine a future universe where Shintoism, Buddhism, or any non-abrahamic religion escapes the wave of communism taking over earth. In fact, there is basically no mention of any Asian nation at all. Even atheists are shown as only useful so long as they're well respected and highly intelligent scientists. Yet they too as shown as being abrasive, condescending, and sumg in their own perceived superiority. The book takes time to explain that even atheists would prefer to live second class lives in a religious society rather than live under the only other option of communism.
Beyond the overt religious push to the story, I found there to be little to recommend to the book. It focuses largely on religious dilemmas and overcoming PTSD, which, while encouraging to see in a book, distracts the reader for what plot there is. The book meanders its way towards a climax which feels forced and unsatisfying as the enemy is depicted as straight evil with no complexity or designs other than destroying religion and revenge.
If you are someone who desires a universe where Abrahamic religion is the centerpiece to the narrative structure, then this book is ideal, but if you're like me and desire complexity and a desire to escape political divides and religious sentiment, then this book should be avoided.
February 8, 2020
I just loved it
I so enjoyed this book that I ordered the other six books. I have never ordered so many books after reading the first book before. Thank you sir for a great time.
I so enjoyed this book that I ordered the other six books. I have never ordered so many books after reading the first book before. Thank you sir for a great time.
March 12, 2022
My introduction to Daniel Gibbs’s writing came through his collaboration with Steve Rzasa whom I knew from reading several of his books. After reading all the available books in the Deception Fleet series, I decided to check out some more of Mr. Gibbs’s writing and found this series. I am glad I did.
Echoes of War takes place in the same world as the Deception Fleet series only earlier in time so I immediately understood the circumstances and many of the references. The war between the League of Sol and the Terran Coalition has been raging for years and at the point where this story begins the moral of the Terrans is low.
David Cohen is a devout Jew who plans to become a Rabbi once his time of service to the Terran Coalition Armed Forces is done. But what if God’s plan for him differs from his plan? When his abilities as a military leader become apparent, he is faced with a choice. This military science fiction series doesn’t just offer plenty of action, it offers deep, third-person point of view as Cohen faces the truth of his calling and the spiritual and philosophical struggles he must come to terms with in order to continue fighting, killing, and losing those he cares about to the war.
I found myself unable to put this book down as I became engrossed in the story and the characters. I immediately, upon completion, got the next book in the series. If you enjoy well-written military action and science fiction that doesn’t shy away from religious discussions regarding the heartbreak of war, you will enjoy Fight the Good Fight. I recommend this book.
Echoes of War takes place in the same world as the Deception Fleet series only earlier in time so I immediately understood the circumstances and many of the references. The war between the League of Sol and the Terran Coalition has been raging for years and at the point where this story begins the moral of the Terrans is low.
David Cohen is a devout Jew who plans to become a Rabbi once his time of service to the Terran Coalition Armed Forces is done. But what if God’s plan for him differs from his plan? When his abilities as a military leader become apparent, he is faced with a choice. This military science fiction series doesn’t just offer plenty of action, it offers deep, third-person point of view as Cohen faces the truth of his calling and the spiritual and philosophical struggles he must come to terms with in order to continue fighting, killing, and losing those he cares about to the war.
I found myself unable to put this book down as I became engrossed in the story and the characters. I immediately, upon completion, got the next book in the series. If you enjoy well-written military action and science fiction that doesn’t shy away from religious discussions regarding the heartbreak of war, you will enjoy Fight the Good Fight. I recommend this book.
September 9, 2021
I feel like this book was written by someone who watches Fox News all day and complains about the “war on Christmas”. The bad guys are atheist communists (though at times the author seems to confuse communists with fascists) and the good guys are all devoutly religious - except for course for the one scientist that’s an atheist and goes out of his way to be an a**hole to everyone around him. The space/naval battles are decently done, but few and far between. The plot is extremely predictable, the dialogue straight from a low budget movie, and the plot holes are annoying (like the “we can’t locate the saboteur on sensors because she’s in a shielded room but our radio transmissions don’t seem to have any problems getting out of that same room.”)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2020
A good story, but based on a premise that atheists and communists are the epitome of evil, even though it becomes apparent that is an oligarchical regime intent on military expansion. Scary when read in the midst of a time of a president working on building just that type of government with the support of the established religious organizations. The novel could have been written without the religious and political prejudices and still kept the emphasis on the religion of the main character. We do not need the blatant prejudice presented by this book
July 18, 2025
A page turner for sure.
It's a good book. I really enjoy the faith the author has put in to the story line. Very refreshing.
It's a good book. I really enjoy the faith the author has put in to the story line. Very refreshing.
June 13, 2018
‘September 28th, 2533 was one of those days that if you were alive during it and able to remember, you never forgot.’
New author Daniel Gibbs is a former computer engineer for the military and uses that training and exposure to IT to bring to life a military science fiction series he calls the Echoes of the Past – a universe centuries form now with so much fine characterizations delivering the tale that we almost forget we are in strange territory, and that is a gift too few sci-fi authors achieve.
As with any fine theatrical work Daniel introduces his character and time with a verve that immediately involves the reader – ‘5 February 2544 (Old Earth Calendar) Corporal David Cohen hefted his work belt and strapped it around his waist. At a little over six feet tall, David was taller than most of his crewmates, and in excellent shape at the age of nineteen. Having finished boot camp only a few months prior, David had been able to keep his physical condition from his training as he diligently maintained a daily exercise regimen, despite the challenges of life in the fleet. He was posted to the CSV Artemis, a small frigate that specialized in point defense. She was assigned to a task force protecting a Saratoga class carrier engaged in combat operations against the League of Sol. David and his compatriots were members of the Coalition Defense Force, one of the military arms of the Terran Coalition; the other being the CDF Marine Corps. David glanced at a clock showing Coalition Mean Time (CMT), the standard time keeping metric for all CDF ships. It’s time for morning prayers…but there’s no way I can make it to the chapel and still keep on schedule for our repairs, David thought to himself. An Orthodox Jew, David was heartsick when he couldn’t make it to prayers. Taking a moment before heading to his post, David stood and prayed quietly. “May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord shine His countenance for you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His favor upon you and grant you peace.” The prayer was from a passage in Numbers from the Torah. I hope, someday, we can have peace, he thought to himself as he began to walk to his post. David had only been assigned to the Artemis for a couple of months and had already been promoted to corporal. Due to his promotion, he was assigned to lead a damage control team as a bosun’s mate. While a spaceship did not have open-air decks like a ship from the wet navies of four hundred years earlier, the term “bosun” had remained. David’s duty on ship, aside from damage control, was to stand watch on the bridge as the secondary, or lee, helmsman. These were both traditional jobs for bosun’s mates. In leading the damage control team, David experienced what it was like to have to consider the lives of those under his direction for the first time.’
A new timeframe and a set of characters who will manage it and the story is summarized in a fine synopsis – ‘A republic under attack. A reluctant soldier. An all-out fight for the galaxy’s soul. David Cohen prays he’ll live to see the other side of his first deployment. His people thought they had left war behind when they fled Earth centuries ago. Time, though, has not dulled the hatred and intolerance of their erstwhile oppressors. To defend his homeland’s freedom, David abandons his dream of becoming a rabbi for the battlefield… and discovers a side of himself he is not sure he can live with. David's focus is clear when the bullets are flying. In the long hours after, he must reckon with the toll that blood and blame bring upon his mind. Can he square the tenets of his faith against his responsibility to crew and country? Nothing has prepared him to make decisions that could cause ruin or an end to generations of conflict... except for trust in God, himself, and those who serve under him. If David Cohen survives it all, who will he be. The trials and tactics of a starship commander are only part of the story... because every soldier faces battles within.’
This is fine writing, especially impressive as a first novel. Watch this author and this series mature.
New author Daniel Gibbs is a former computer engineer for the military and uses that training and exposure to IT to bring to life a military science fiction series he calls the Echoes of the Past – a universe centuries form now with so much fine characterizations delivering the tale that we almost forget we are in strange territory, and that is a gift too few sci-fi authors achieve.
As with any fine theatrical work Daniel introduces his character and time with a verve that immediately involves the reader – ‘5 February 2544 (Old Earth Calendar) Corporal David Cohen hefted his work belt and strapped it around his waist. At a little over six feet tall, David was taller than most of his crewmates, and in excellent shape at the age of nineteen. Having finished boot camp only a few months prior, David had been able to keep his physical condition from his training as he diligently maintained a daily exercise regimen, despite the challenges of life in the fleet. He was posted to the CSV Artemis, a small frigate that specialized in point defense. She was assigned to a task force protecting a Saratoga class carrier engaged in combat operations against the League of Sol. David and his compatriots were members of the Coalition Defense Force, one of the military arms of the Terran Coalition; the other being the CDF Marine Corps. David glanced at a clock showing Coalition Mean Time (CMT), the standard time keeping metric for all CDF ships. It’s time for morning prayers…but there’s no way I can make it to the chapel and still keep on schedule for our repairs, David thought to himself. An Orthodox Jew, David was heartsick when he couldn’t make it to prayers. Taking a moment before heading to his post, David stood and prayed quietly. “May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord shine His countenance for you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His favor upon you and grant you peace.” The prayer was from a passage in Numbers from the Torah. I hope, someday, we can have peace, he thought to himself as he began to walk to his post. David had only been assigned to the Artemis for a couple of months and had already been promoted to corporal. Due to his promotion, he was assigned to lead a damage control team as a bosun’s mate. While a spaceship did not have open-air decks like a ship from the wet navies of four hundred years earlier, the term “bosun” had remained. David’s duty on ship, aside from damage control, was to stand watch on the bridge as the secondary, or lee, helmsman. These were both traditional jobs for bosun’s mates. In leading the damage control team, David experienced what it was like to have to consider the lives of those under his direction for the first time.’
A new timeframe and a set of characters who will manage it and the story is summarized in a fine synopsis – ‘A republic under attack. A reluctant soldier. An all-out fight for the galaxy’s soul. David Cohen prays he’ll live to see the other side of his first deployment. His people thought they had left war behind when they fled Earth centuries ago. Time, though, has not dulled the hatred and intolerance of their erstwhile oppressors. To defend his homeland’s freedom, David abandons his dream of becoming a rabbi for the battlefield… and discovers a side of himself he is not sure he can live with. David's focus is clear when the bullets are flying. In the long hours after, he must reckon with the toll that blood and blame bring upon his mind. Can he square the tenets of his faith against his responsibility to crew and country? Nothing has prepared him to make decisions that could cause ruin or an end to generations of conflict... except for trust in God, himself, and those who serve under him. If David Cohen survives it all, who will he be. The trials and tactics of a starship commander are only part of the story... because every soldier faces battles within.’
This is fine writing, especially impressive as a first novel. Watch this author and this series mature.
September 27, 2021
Science fiction or theology?
I think this would have been a better, and considerably shorter, book if the author had laid off the Theology and stuck to the science fiction. When he was doing that, I liked the book a lot. I probably won't read the rest of the series. I don't like being preached at or sneaky proselytizing.
I think this would have been a better, and considerably shorter, book if the author had laid off the Theology and stuck to the science fiction. When he was doing that, I liked the book a lot. I probably won't read the rest of the series. I don't like being preached at or sneaky proselytizing.
May 19, 2018
Old 🌎Earth Year 2533
David's father goes to war in space against the World Society and the League of Sol. He is lost and never returns.
Old 🌎Earth Year 2544
David was drafted into the Terran Coalition at 19, and has already been promoted to Corporal aboard the space frigate, Artemis. He s a bosun's mate assigned to damage control. When they are boarded in a fight with League of Sol forces, he goes above and beyond his duty and kills and repels the boarders long enough for their own space marines to repel and kill the rest. His quick actions save The ship. This from a guy that was going to become a rabbi after his service was over!
The book follows the life of David Cohen, an orthodox Jew, who must overcome his conscientious objection to war and find a place in his mind where he can justify his actions as fighting for his religious beliefs, as well as the various beliefs of the other Terran Coalition fighters. There are other Jews, Christians, Arabs, and people's of other religions, all fighting together against the anti religious and communist League of Sol.
The space battles are described in detail, as are the various details of military life aboard ship. Ancient Naval terms are still used throughout the book, since only the type of vessel has changed.
David is eventually promoted to Colonel, with his own ship to command. The war goes on........
ARC Received from HG for a Voluntary and Honest Review.
I also got the book📑 with KU.
Great book! Great sci-fi! This is a Well written book and thought out to the smallest detail. It's not a book that was dashed off to fill a publishers quota. I'm sure the author agonized over every page. Highly recommend for military sci-fi fans!
The book does end in a cliffhanger, but there is just too much war for just one book...
David's father goes to war in space against the World Society and the League of Sol. He is lost and never returns.
Old 🌎Earth Year 2544
David was drafted into the Terran Coalition at 19, and has already been promoted to Corporal aboard the space frigate, Artemis. He s a bosun's mate assigned to damage control. When they are boarded in a fight with League of Sol forces, he goes above and beyond his duty and kills and repels the boarders long enough for their own space marines to repel and kill the rest. His quick actions save The ship. This from a guy that was going to become a rabbi after his service was over!
The book follows the life of David Cohen, an orthodox Jew, who must overcome his conscientious objection to war and find a place in his mind where he can justify his actions as fighting for his religious beliefs, as well as the various beliefs of the other Terran Coalition fighters. There are other Jews, Christians, Arabs, and people's of other religions, all fighting together against the anti religious and communist League of Sol.
The space battles are described in detail, as are the various details of military life aboard ship. Ancient Naval terms are still used throughout the book, since only the type of vessel has changed.
David is eventually promoted to Colonel, with his own ship to command. The war goes on........
ARC Received from HG for a Voluntary and Honest Review.
I also got the book📑 with KU.
Great book! Great sci-fi! This is a Well written book and thought out to the smallest detail. It's not a book that was dashed off to fill a publishers quota. I'm sure the author agonized over every page. Highly recommend for military sci-fi fans!
The book does end in a cliffhanger, but there is just too much war for just one book...
July 28, 2019
I love military sci-fi stories about “duty, sacrifice, and the unseen scars of those who serve.” Daniel Gibbs’ Echoes of War takes you to the heart of this. It has just the feel of the Babylon 5 series it’s publisher’s blurb references (I should know, I watched that addictively when it first aired, and have binge viewed it more than once years later thanks to Netflix). I just addictively ran through Echoes four books, Fight the Good Fight (Book 1), Strong and Courageous (Book 2), So Fight I (Book 3) and Gates of Hell (Book 4). I love the hero of this tale, rabbinical student turned military man David Cohen who needs to “must square the tenets of his faith against his responsibility to crew and country ... in the face of a ruthless regime’s threat to the freedom of billions in his homeland. This is wonderful stuff. Complex, thoughtful yet full of thrills and action. A totally wild ride of a series that is amazing fun to read - and amazingly fun. Be careful here as you may very well find yourself as drawn as I was into reading these books one after the other. Frankly, but for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed, I could go on and on with praises. This series definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that each of these books is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend all of them.
June 24, 2019
I received an ARC of the Prequel Stand Firm, and it piqued my interest in the series. Fight the Good Fight is a fast-paced action pack read, however, that isn't the most important fact. The story has three-dimensional characters that beg you to become them. The story covers some interesting social issues, including the necessity of war at times, and also whether it is a good thing or a bad thing. You also get a peek into the characters' inner thoughts and the angst and internal questioning that they go through daily. This isn't your standard Space Opera full of exploding ships and meaningless battles. it is definitely a series worth reading. Now onto Book Two Strong and Courageous.
July 16, 2018
I loved how fast this novel was in its pacing, I thought that it kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I loved how much action there was throughout and how the author didn't shy away from making sure everything was detailed.
David was such a strong and compelling lead character. He goes through a lot of ups and downs throughout the course of the novel and makes a large amount of decisions and as a reader I honestly felt like I agreed with him most of the time.
I liked the fact that we got backstory and plenty of descriptions of the world we were in, I could picture it in my head.
David was such a strong and compelling lead character. He goes through a lot of ups and downs throughout the course of the novel and makes a large amount of decisions and as a reader I honestly felt like I agreed with him most of the time.
I liked the fact that we got backstory and plenty of descriptions of the world we were in, I could picture it in my head.
May 17, 2019
For me, a good military sci-fi novel is not only technically correct; it must also have a good story and plot and most important, characters whose actions invite you to share their lives and thoughts. Daniel Gibbs has all that - action that is so real that it is clear he has been in those situations but also characters whose thoughts are not limited to "Must smash". His treatment of how faith can be lived by active serving military is masterful and the emotional struggles his hero undergoes probably strikes home for anyone who has served. An excellent debut - now to find book 2.
I received a copy from Hidden Gems and I am voluntarily giving this review.
I received a copy from Hidden Gems and I am voluntarily giving this review.
September 8, 2019
If you’re looking for good MilSF
Keep looking.
Clumsy and earnest. I felt buried by the repeated attempts at military jokes that all felt forced. As if someone had seen people laughing at the jokes but didn’t understand why, yet repeated them anyway and mangled the delivery to boot.
Really, that’s a good description for the whole. Written without understanding why.
I will continue to try to read, but this is garbage.
Clean prose, so it’s not excrement, but that’s damning with faint praise.
Keep looking.
Clumsy and earnest. I felt buried by the repeated attempts at military jokes that all felt forced. As if someone had seen people laughing at the jokes but didn’t understand why, yet repeated them anyway and mangled the delivery to boot.
Really, that’s a good description for the whole. Written without understanding why.
I will continue to try to read, but this is garbage.
Clean prose, so it’s not excrement, but that’s damning with faint praise.
February 6, 2022
So many cliches, weak story, military blunders, it is hard to find anything positive about this series. I cannot stress how weak the story is, but an example might help. After the treachery, and fight to destroy the enemy dreadnought, the enemy admiral, the leader of the enemy forces, is simply allowed to leave. Not killed, not captured, nada. This is really just the tip of the iceberg when it come to the shallow story. Can't kill off the guy who killed the hero's father too early or who will be the boogey man? Golly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2018
I loved that the main character is Jewish and that it is science fiction. The fact that the main character is Jewish is why I picked up this book, but it isn't what kept me reading, well not by itself anyway. This book is filled with action as a futuristic society fights a war to keep from being overcome by another society that seeks to squash freedom of religion among other things. I couldn't stop turning the pages. I can't wait for the second book in this series. I highly recommend it.
June 16, 2020
Decent novel but far too much religious stuff
June 15, 2020
A good story, could’ve been better if the treason plot line was brought along and I was left hanging in what happened to the defeatist general?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2019
( Format : Audiobook !
"The wisdom to know the difference."
Daniel Gibbs has written a well developed story marred by the over intrusion of the main character's inner angst and agonizing over the rights and wrongs of killing an individual whilst being in the military command and therefore condemning thousands to their deaths. Don't get me wrong: I am in no way saying here that military leaders should be immune to distress at the taking of even a single life: they should be if there ever could be the possibility of peace or even compassion. Not do I endorse the ideas of religious belief being kept from the pages of a work of fiction. But this tale of the rise of a young man who starts his soon to be fast tracked naval career with the desire to become a rabbi, is here given to far too much introspection which is then spilled out throughout the book. Rather than being the story a young man's career in the futuristic battling by the Terran Coalition against their more powerful enemies, Fight the Good Fight becomes an apology for religion itself combined with the justification for breaking the rules of those very religions, with military battle examples slotted in.
I was fortunate in being freely gifted with a complimentary copy of the book, by the rights holder, following my request via Audiobook Boom. Thank you. Jeffery Kafer is the narrator and, as always, his performance is excellent, with good intonation and pacing. His reading definitely made the book more interesting as he maintains a lightness to the story even when the philosophising interrupts the action yet again. There will, I am sure, be further books in this series, and I personally we!come them. But unless there is something very new to add, it would be preferable now to keep constant reference to religious persuasions to a minimum and let the story fly out rather than descend to the squalid confrontation of political good guys with God on their side versus the atheistic bad commies. Far too mundane for a talented author.
"The wisdom to know the difference."
Daniel Gibbs has written a well developed story marred by the over intrusion of the main character's inner angst and agonizing over the rights and wrongs of killing an individual whilst being in the military command and therefore condemning thousands to their deaths. Don't get me wrong: I am in no way saying here that military leaders should be immune to distress at the taking of even a single life: they should be if there ever could be the possibility of peace or even compassion. Not do I endorse the ideas of religious belief being kept from the pages of a work of fiction. But this tale of the rise of a young man who starts his soon to be fast tracked naval career with the desire to become a rabbi, is here given to far too much introspection which is then spilled out throughout the book. Rather than being the story a young man's career in the futuristic battling by the Terran Coalition against their more powerful enemies, Fight the Good Fight becomes an apology for religion itself combined with the justification for breaking the rules of those very religions, with military battle examples slotted in.
I was fortunate in being freely gifted with a complimentary copy of the book, by the rights holder, following my request via Audiobook Boom. Thank you. Jeffery Kafer is the narrator and, as always, his performance is excellent, with good intonation and pacing. His reading definitely made the book more interesting as he maintains a lightness to the story even when the philosophising interrupts the action yet again. There will, I am sure, be further books in this series, and I personally we!come them. But unless there is something very new to add, it would be preferable now to keep constant reference to religious persuasions to a minimum and let the story fly out rather than descend to the squalid confrontation of political good guys with God on their side versus the atheistic bad commies. Far too mundane for a talented author.
February 22, 2021
A science fiction action story with a heavy lean towards what war/fighting means for religious warriors and the philosophical questions that come with it. I have not read anything like it before. I enjoy the different religions mixed into the storyline and none are placed as superior to any other. There are familiar themes such as 'the sins of a father being a struggle for the son' and 'types of governments being better for humanity than others'.
Our main character David is an orthodox Jew and you are reminded pretty often of that fact. I did find it unique that the first alien species we are introduced to seem to be from a lizard background and seem to have a Christianity type religion themselves.
Our David is in a battle of good vs evil, light vs dark.... United States vs North Korea if Mr. Turtledove had written it in a different timeline. A Democracy where church and state work hand in hand vs a Totalitarianism where anything with religion is seen as insane and against the country. The League of Sol not only decides they are against anything dealing with religion they want to crush anyone else who is of any faith.
Throughout the book you can tell that the author has been around government contracting (as he does state in his bio) with his acronyms and and political/government processes/procedures. I wish more of the story was 'shown' instead of 'told' to the reader but this is also just the 1st book in the series and his first published as far as I can tell. The battle scenes were enjoyable and complex without having to have a sexual tension or detailed description of wounds/deaths . I look forward to diving into the next book.
Our main character David is an orthodox Jew and you are reminded pretty often of that fact. I did find it unique that the first alien species we are introduced to seem to be from a lizard background and seem to have a Christianity type religion themselves.
Our David is in a battle of good vs evil, light vs dark.... United States vs North Korea if Mr. Turtledove had written it in a different timeline. A Democracy where church and state work hand in hand vs a Totalitarianism where anything with religion is seen as insane and against the country. The League of Sol not only decides they are against anything dealing with religion they want to crush anyone else who is of any faith.
Throughout the book you can tell that the author has been around government contracting (as he does state in his bio) with his acronyms and and political/government processes/procedures. I wish more of the story was 'shown' instead of 'told' to the reader but this is also just the 1st book in the series and his first published as far as I can tell. The battle scenes were enjoyable and complex without having to have a sexual tension or detailed description of wounds/deaths . I look forward to diving into the next book.
January 21, 2022
This book was a tad disappointing actually. The author has written several books in the Battlegroup Z series that I quite liked but in some books in that series he tended to go way too heavily towards political bullshit and machinations. Unfortunately this first book in the Echoes of War series also does just that.
The writing is on par with the other book,s from this author, that I have read which means it is quite good. The science fiction, the military aspect, strategy and so on and so forth is also very good. There are indeed some action in this book that I quite liked.
What I didn’t like is, unfortunately, pretty much all the rest.
The book starts off with a bunch of whining and psychobabble that I found at best boring and at worst really annoying and frustrating.
One of the good things about this book is that the main protagonist actually gets to command a brand new big and seriously kick ass battleship. One of the bad things about this book is that the author really ruins the enjoyment of this by kind of diminishing the ship by presenting it as not really ready and also that it really had to be built by hiding the construction, and especially the costs, from the dumbass politicians.
Of course when our hero saves the day with his new toy said dumbass politicians and career “officers” actually try to screw everything by attempting to court-martial him for not adhering to their dumbass political agenda. What the f…?
On top of all of this there’s really way too much talk about God and religion. I have to say that the author is doing it very well in being fairly neutral between the various religions and avoids trying to preach before the readers but it still just add to the bits and pieces that I find either boring or frustrating with this book.
It’s the first book in the series and I know the author can write books that I really like so I’m pretty sure that I will check out the second book as well but… I hope that one will be an improvement over this one.
The writing is on par with the other book,s from this author, that I have read which means it is quite good. The science fiction, the military aspect, strategy and so on and so forth is also very good. There are indeed some action in this book that I quite liked.
What I didn’t like is, unfortunately, pretty much all the rest.
The book starts off with a bunch of whining and psychobabble that I found at best boring and at worst really annoying and frustrating.
One of the good things about this book is that the main protagonist actually gets to command a brand new big and seriously kick ass battleship. One of the bad things about this book is that the author really ruins the enjoyment of this by kind of diminishing the ship by presenting it as not really ready and also that it really had to be built by hiding the construction, and especially the costs, from the dumbass politicians.
Of course when our hero saves the day with his new toy said dumbass politicians and career “officers” actually try to screw everything by attempting to court-martial him for not adhering to their dumbass political agenda. What the f…?
On top of all of this there’s really way too much talk about God and religion. I have to say that the author is doing it very well in being fairly neutral between the various religions and avoids trying to preach before the readers but it still just add to the bits and pieces that I find either boring or frustrating with this book.
It’s the first book in the series and I know the author can write books that I really like so I’m pretty sure that I will check out the second book as well but… I hope that one will be an improvement over this one.
July 11, 2024
I have just completed the first book in the series and I find it to be a _little_ less polished than a typical book that has been through the editor/publisher process, but it is much better than most KU offerings. There is clearly a feel of an author who is still learning, but there is also the feeling that the potential exists for the writer to achieve excellence someday. Far too many KU authors will never be polished, good writers. I feel like this author has that chance.
The biggest flaw I found was that the writing sometimes left me feeling as though I was reading from a detached POV, rather than experiencing the story. Perhaps a bit too much telling and not enough showing.
But the story is interesting and the character, while lacking depth, are likeable enough.
The unusual part is the religion. It could easily be argued that religious beliefs are overdone in the novel, but that seems to be the POINT. At first I was sure that Judaism was going to be pushed onto the reader, but I can honestly say that Christianity and even to some degree, Islam are all treated with respect. An atheist might find this series annoying, but the overall feel is that the author is at least trying to be fair, even if there is a slight lean towards one religion and to me it felt like perhaps Judaism might not be the main faith he believes. Or maybe so, that’s how fair he plays it so far.
I can’t give this five stars, and I feel like it is a solid 3.5 stars, and I always round up because I am a nice guy! ;-)
The biggest flaw I found was that the writing sometimes left me feeling as though I was reading from a detached POV, rather than experiencing the story. Perhaps a bit too much telling and not enough showing.
But the story is interesting and the character, while lacking depth, are likeable enough.
The unusual part is the religion. It could easily be argued that religious beliefs are overdone in the novel, but that seems to be the POINT. At first I was sure that Judaism was going to be pushed onto the reader, but I can honestly say that Christianity and even to some degree, Islam are all treated with respect. An atheist might find this series annoying, but the overall feel is that the author is at least trying to be fair, even if there is a slight lean towards one religion and to me it felt like perhaps Judaism might not be the main faith he believes. Or maybe so, that’s how fair he plays it so far.
I can’t give this five stars, and I feel like it is a solid 3.5 stars, and I always round up because I am a nice guy! ;-)
May 13, 2021
When David, who wants to become a rabbi, is drafted into the military, he is forced to weigh his faith, against the protection of the system he loves, and his father died for. A series of situations force him to not just take a passive role as a mere damage control team leader, but to actually lead troops against an invading force. An act that forces him to take lives, a sin that his conscious must bare.
When approached by a senior officer, David comes to realize that only in the sacrifices of the capable will the end of he war be had, and he is indeed capable for giving more to the Terrain Coalition. But it is a choice that will lead him to become both admired and hated, and no matter what he chooses, there will be blood on his hands forever.
This series has those who love it and hate it based on the highly religious tone, and direction of the stories. David is the righteous Paladin, fighting for god and country, and any non-believer is portrayed as angry, snarky and confrontational. But, no worries, David as the patience of a saint.
This is not why I two stars however. The narrative failed to pull me in. I bought the collection, and after the first book I was looking for something new to read. Not because it was so bad, because it was so...Meh. I will eventually finish it, but most likely when I am working in the garden and I just need something to occupy part of my mind while I work.
When approached by a senior officer, David comes to realize that only in the sacrifices of the capable will the end of he war be had, and he is indeed capable for giving more to the Terrain Coalition. But it is a choice that will lead him to become both admired and hated, and no matter what he chooses, there will be blood on his hands forever.
This series has those who love it and hate it based on the highly religious tone, and direction of the stories. David is the righteous Paladin, fighting for god and country, and any non-believer is portrayed as angry, snarky and confrontational. But, no worries, David as the patience of a saint.
This is not why I two stars however. The narrative failed to pull me in. I bought the collection, and after the first book I was looking for something new to read. Not because it was so bad, because it was so...Meh. I will eventually finish it, but most likely when I am working in the garden and I just need something to occupy part of my mind while I work.
June 20, 2021
Yes, it’s overtly, obviously religious, but that’s kind of the whole point. The book is an exploration of religious issues in space warfare, from basic philosophical sparring between theist and atheist to some more nuanced wrestling with how to keep the Sabbath on a ship at war, musings on whether it is ok to pray for victory (or only for safety, or redemption), and whether it is ok or inexcusable to ever let yourself become angry or hateful in war. It’s written for middle/high school level kids, so don’t expect great works of art in the prose, but I personally loved it. The author goes to great lengths to explain the Navy acronyms and sayings he uses, even the obvious ones, and he definitely has a sense of how a battle “should” go. But I think this book does something really brave in bringing religious issues directly into a sci fi setting, traditionally a genre where religion and especially religious people are enemy. I loved the positive portrayal of psychological counseling. That was very good. I also loved the talks between David and Rabbi Kravitz. They are basic, but also have a depth to them that lots of books miss. This book is highly idealistic, but I think we need more of that in our world. I liked the very positive portrayal of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism and the author’s obvious hope that people will work together.
May 16, 2019
May the Lord bless you and protect you. Review of fight the good fight.
Corporal David Cohen was going to be a Rabbi however, instead, he finds a higher calling to go to war to fight for religious freedom when an intergalactic war breaks out between the league of SOL and the Terran coalition of planets. The League of SOL wants to conquer and destroy all religious and other freedoms at all coasts and The Terran coalition is determined to stop them. David Cohen who prays for peace still believes this cause is worth the fight. This is the first hardcore Sci-fi novel I've read. I usually read space operas. They all have the same religious and social messages. It reminded me of those space military video games. (Except for the religion) lol. I really liked the fact this was more religious with a man of God as the main character. This is the first I've read by Daniel Gibbs. It is a very well-written book. Well paced and flowed very nicely. It does get preachy at times which turned me off somewhat however, I still enjoyed it and want to read the next book in this series. I received this book as an ARC from Hidden Gems in exchange for an honest review.
Corporal David Cohen was going to be a Rabbi however, instead, he finds a higher calling to go to war to fight for religious freedom when an intergalactic war breaks out between the league of SOL and the Terran coalition of planets. The League of SOL wants to conquer and destroy all religious and other freedoms at all coasts and The Terran coalition is determined to stop them. David Cohen who prays for peace still believes this cause is worth the fight. This is the first hardcore Sci-fi novel I've read. I usually read space operas. They all have the same religious and social messages. It reminded me of those space military video games. (Except for the religion) lol. I really liked the fact this was more religious with a man of God as the main character. This is the first I've read by Daniel Gibbs. It is a very well-written book. Well paced and flowed very nicely. It does get preachy at times which turned me off somewhat however, I still enjoyed it and want to read the next book in this series. I received this book as an ARC from Hidden Gems in exchange for an honest review.
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