Over 1,000 pages of nonstop action! "Like Starship Troopers on CRACK!" -Goodreads reviewer Ambushed behind enemy lines and left for dead along with a handful of privates so green they actually respect his authority, Lance Cpl. Lucky Lee Savage has to master his inner demons, manage the ambitions of his foul-mouthed AI, and figure out what is tearing a hole in the fabric of space-time before everything goes tits up. Lucky wouldn’t bet on the universe. One thing he will bet Somewhere, somehow, somebody is going to pay for all this. And he is going to be right there to pull the trigger. Includes the first 4 books in the Lucky's Marines Lucky Universe Lucky Legacy Lucky Empire Lucky Forever
Well, this is another 4 in 1 book. I’m not really a fan of cramming four books into one; it doesn’t seem like you’re getting your monies worth when you read them like this. I’d prefer single books so I could finish one and then write a review for it and then read the next one or some other book. But, since I’ve got this one started, I’ll just review them as I finish them. Hopefully they’ll be short reviews!
Lucky Universe
This is a strange book. There wasn’t much introduction to the story even though there was a Prologue at the beginning. Lance Corporal Lucky Lee Savage is our main character. He’s an Empire Frontier Marine doing what he’s told as any good Marine should. Yet, I don’t think you could qualify Lucky as a “good” Marine. he’s been in way too much trouble for that label to stick. He’s also been in a lot of hypersleep cycles which is how Frontier Marines get from one mission to the next. Only Lucky was not long ago in hypersleep for some fifty-one years! That was extraordinarily too long and should not have happened. It’s a miracle that he survived and is also the reason for his first name “Lucky”.
He and the squad of Frontier Marines have landed on a small moon owed by the Union. The Empire and the Union have a semi-peace going on, but for some unknown reason, all the Union planets have gone silent. It is hoped that Lucky and his squad of Marines can find out why. His problems start out right away in that a peaceful landing on this moon didn’t go as planned. It seems there is something going on with the few Union soldiers and Miners stationed here. They seem to have been taken over by something and they also have weapons much more advanced that those of the Empire. These weapons are deadly. They can slice through about anything including dropping Frontier Marines. While Lucky manages to get himself safely down, his Sergeant didn’t make it and now Lance Corproal Lucky Savage is in charge. That’s a job he doesn’t want considering he comes face to face with the same things that captured him before.
Lucky’s Legacy
Well, the story doesn’t really get much better for the Marines. You’d think that after their first mission, they’d be given some time off for rest and relaxation, but not in the Empires’ Marine Corps! Lucky and his squad, now lead by Sergeant Adria Nuchik, they were assigned to maintain order on a planet that was about to be torn apart due to its proximity to the Great Corridor. Now this wasn’t just some ordinary home world; no it was the home world of the Empire’s former enemy, the Union.
So why was a squad of Empire Marines sent down to this planet to maintain order. Well, I don’t really know. Let’s just say that they did because that’s what happens in this book. Once on the ground, the inevitable happens; they get attacked not by the Union but apparently by the Da’hune wearing Union uniforms. These were actually genetically altered Union soldiers using Da’hune genes and now equipped with powerful Da’hune weapons. Lucky’s Empire Marines were no match for them.
They fell back to the Evacuation Center which was a very large structure protected by a force field dome. Still, the Da’hune cannon firing at them wasn’t having any kind of problem with the force field. Also, for some reason, all the Union soldiers have just up and left. Upon exploring the Evac Center, they discovered a secret cavern deep at the bottom of the building. Inside were thousands of stasis pods apparently incubating Union super-soldiers infected with Da’hune genes. If they woke up, it was going to be serious trouble for Lucky’s Marines.
Of course they did, but fortunately there was also a small Corridor leading to some Empire laboratory which orbited about the Emperors moon. Yes, instead of residing on the home world of the Empire, the Emperor lived on a small moon that was well guarded or at least it was supposed to be. Anyway, the story has Lucky’s Marines trying to save the Emperor and still defeat the Da’hune created army. They weren’t exactly all that successful.
This story is still hard to understand. I don’t know what makes me say that, but there’s something about these stories that just don’t work for me. I think I’ve finished reading all I’m going to in this series. I hope you have a better time of it, but these stories are just not interesting enough for me.
**** SPOILER ALERT **** James has done his readers a solid. He's released "Lucky's Marines Book 1 - 4" a boxset so we can binge read Lucky's adventures. I've put my individual book reviews below. I confess that I read "Lucky At Last: ( Lucky's Marines | Book Nine )" first. I loved it so much that I decided to go back to the start of the series and read them in chronological order. "Lucky Universe: ( Lucky's Marines | Book One )" is a non stop rollercoaster of a ride as Lucky and krew go from one mishap to another. As per usual James does a superb job of world building and character development while balancing action and exposition on a razor's edge. Speaking of rollercoasters, the author builds up the tension and danger until it hits a tipping point and Lucky prevails.
"Lucky Legacy: ( Lucky's Marines | Book Two )" is another rip snorter of a story. It was pure fun to read this book. James continues his superb world building and character development in this entertaining page turner. We learn more of Lucky's personal history in between hair raising events. I plan on reading Book Three as soon as I have a chance. Q; How much of the craziness is down to the Empire making backroom deals with the Union, and by extension the Dahune? Q: Who are Lucky's new "friends"? A: Grab this book, or the boxset and find out!! I recommend this book. Now, if you want to binge read Lucky's adventures James has issued a boxset containing Book One to Four.
I LOVED reading "Lucky Empire: ( Lucky's Marines | Book Three )"!! James has a deft touch with his world building and character development as the story races from one seemingly fatal incident to the next. The action is, as always, non-stop! We even get introduced to Hector, April's Dad. Hector proves the ancient adage "Once A Marine, ALWAYS A Marine". Q: Can Lucky and krew save the Sol system? A: Grab this book and find out. At the time of my reading this installment, James has released a boxset containing Books One through Four, perhaps consider snagging that instead and binge-read the first four books. I'm jumping into Book four as soon as I finish posting this review. I highly recommend this book series to anyone that loves Military Science Fiction and and Space Opera. This review is my own honest opinion.
"Lucky Forever: ( Lucky's Marines | Book Four )" is yet another wild, but fun ride on the rollercoaster that is Lee "Lucky" Savage's life. James, as usual, shows his deft touch at world building and character development as the Emperor, April, sends Lucky's team on a seemingly suicidal mission. The twists come as heavily as the action in this wild romp as Lucky and krew come face to face with a race that terrify the ever living tar 'n nicotine out of the Da'Hune. They also discover that the old adage of "The enemy of my enemy is perforce my friend" is not true in the case of the Dalmuk. I recommend this whole series and James has a boxset out now with books One to Four in it. Why not grab the boxset and binge read? This review is my own honest opinion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
SO FAR, 3+ Stars. Prequel: LUCKY’S SHOT 3 stars The protagonist is an inexperienced, cocky, rebellious jerk of an augmented space Marine with zero redeeming qualities. If I had read this prequel before reading Lucky Universe (Book 1), I would have abandoned the series. The writing was excellent, but who wants to hate the hero? LUCKY UNIVERSE 5 stars If you like military sci fi with non-stop action, limited cursing, no gratuitous sex, a futuristic plot, and great characters with AIs in their heads, you’ll like this book. LUCKY LEGACY. 3 stars. Non-stop action but the constant “blood and guts” was too much and too vividly descriptive for me. Lots of twists and turns that keep you turning the pages. Interesting, well developed characters with lots of snark. LUCKY EMPIRE 4 stars If you like space Marine tales with non-stop action, you’ll like this book. Very entertaining series. LUCKY FOREVER 3 stars Non-stop action but most of it was Marines getting chewed up and almost instantly getting healed/regenerated. The plot wasn’t clear. If you like Oorah! you’ll like this. I’m ready for something with less blood & guts and more plot.
LUCKY INVASION LUCKY REVENGE LUCKY JUSTICE LUCKY BASTARD LUCKY AT LAST
There are a number of "marines trying to survive the day so they can be assigned their next mission" books out there, so the competition is high. That I must admit. And maybe I'm too demanding on quality; that could be my problem, too. But here, in addition to being confusing, I found the story unconvincing. Sometimes I was so confused that I had to flip back and try to understand what in the world the author was trying to describe. Then, I think that the gullibility of the reader can be stretched so much, and here we are way beyond that threshold. Replacing a torn limb is as easy as slapping a bio-mush bag onto the bleeding stump. Then, our happy marines can travel from one universe to the next at the snap of the fingers. It seems that Joshua James does not understand the difference between a galaxy and a universe. Actually I wondered if he knew the difference between the local star group and the entire universe. So, I managed to reach the end of the first book, and I was stupid, or masochistic enough to buy the second.... which I discarded after a couple of chapters. No matter how much I tried, I just couldn't continue reading.
“Lucky” Savage is a Frontier Marine, one of many very tough hombres. Between the nanotechnology in his body and his onboard AI, Rocky, which was modified with alien tech, he’s very hard to kill... and about as unlucky as any grunt could get as he and his team is thrown into the shredder at every turn and, oh, yeah, he even manages to actually get killed once or twice.
The action is wild and the banter between Lucky and Rocky is just hilariously delicious and worth the time it’ll take to read all four books in this set.
The MC in this book is called Lucky. He happens to be the anti hero of anti heroes. I can’t stand this kind of book and I find it difficult to understand anyone who could like it. There’s far too much angst and it makes me think of a swirling modern art painting in reds and blacks. I made it part way into book two before I gave up. I found nothing at all redeeming in ‘Lucky’.
You'll need to read this boxed set in order from one to four. Each successive book is based on the book before it. My three stars rating is partly based on the repetitive nature of Lucky and his team being shot and regenerated at every turn. The characters never seem to learn from their mistakes. There is plenty of action to justify my previous statements. This is a reasonably quick read, so enjoy.
Not a book I could recommend, I found it very hard to get into at first but it did pick up a little after a while. Most books I find hard to put down but this one I found hard to pick up as it did not keep my interest, the story line I found was predictable. The only reason I gave I two stars was because I got it free from the library on my Kindle and it was 99p if you bought the four books. I doubt very much if I will read the other two in the series. Shame really because Joshua writes some good books but not this one
The books start out rough, both in language and in content. However, they improve as characterization and plot begin to matter more than the crude comments. The pace of action is breakneck throughout. If you can handle the barracks talk you may enjoy the ride.
Loved these set of books from the start to the finish. The empires marines should be sponsored by Sekonda because they take a lickin and keep on ticking. A great military sci-fi action series and I look forward to more.
Great book! Love the characters and the sub plots throughout the book. I think the characters should be a bit more diversified to truly represent the future but great nonetheless. I also like fallibility of the characters which makes unique.
I really liked the works building with internal AIs, locust, drones and the augmentation of the frontier marines. It was well thought out. My only persistent question was where do the nano bots get their materials for repairs?
Changing loyalties, ridiculous healing bodies, miraculously surviving battles, everybody with their own AI. Not even close to believable si-fi. Gave up about half way through. First half wasn’t bad but it went off the deep end after that.
I really enjoyed this set and encourage all of you space opera fans to get a slice of Lucky's mayhem into your lives. There is no moss growing on Lucky - lots of action and great characters!
Great Stories, unbelievable incidents that Lucky turns believeble
Happenings in space that an unluckyMarines turns from unbelief to believable based on his minds AI controlling robots, drones, robot med techs, and med injections all contained within Luckies Space Suit.
Lucky’s Marines hits like a punch and keeps swinging. Joshua James writes fast, loud, and unapologetically military—full of grit, dark humor, and nonstop action. It’s pulpy, chaotic, and surprisingly sharp about loyalty and survival. Once you start, you’re in for the whole series. Raw, fast, and full of fire—Lucky’s Marines delivers old-school military sci-fi with modern bite. Explosions, attitude, and heart in equal measure.
Lucky is as Lucky does... NOT! Silly and juvenile. Worth the read if trapped on a cross-country bus trip and it the only thing to read. The first and second installments are entertaining, then it gets repetitive with no point in continuing. One star for the first two episodes then the miracle body repairs run out.