What do you think?
Rate this book
Four Horsemen Tales #10
With Your Shield
Come back with your shield...or on it!
Staff Sergeant Markus ‘Spartan’ Nicolos is one of the Intelligence Department’s best. A hacker who can beat any code, he’s in charge of communications intercepts for the Golden Horde’s Computer Operations section. When people can’t break a code, they bring in Spartan.
It wasn’t always this way, though. Spartan used to be a frontline CASPer pilot—someone who could be counted on to get the job done and bring the squad home safely…until he lost his entire squad in an ambush. He also lost his edge in the attack, and he swore he would never pilot a CASPer in combat again.
Everything changed, though, when he came up with an idea for a new type of scout CASPer—one that would prevent what happened to him from ever happening again. He’s been given a mech to convert and a team to help him bring his idea to reality. And he’s been given a chance to test it out on a Golden Horde deployment.
But in the time immediately before the events of the Omega War, forces are already moving behind the scenes, and nothing is as it seems…and they’re bringing along Spartan’s combat mech—which he said he’d never pilot in combat again—just in case.
Staff Sergeant Markus ‘Spartan’ Nicolos is one of the Intelligence Department’s best. A hacker who can beat any code, he’s in charge of communications intercepts for the Golden Horde’s Computer Operations section. When people can’t break a code, they bring in Spartan.
It wasn’t always this way, though. Spartan used to be a frontline CASPer pilot—someone who could be counted on to get the job done and bring the squad home safely…until he lost his entire squad in an ambush. He also lost his edge in the attack, and he swore he would never pilot a CASPer in combat again.
Everything changed, though, when he came up with an idea for a new type of scout CASPer—one that would prevent what happened to him from ever happening again. He’s been given a mech to convert and a team to help him bring his idea to reality. And he’s been given a chance to test it out on a Golden Horde deployment.
But in the time immediately before the events of the Omega War, forces are already moving behind the scenes, and nothing is as it seems…and they’re bringing along Spartan’s combat mech—which he said he’d never pilot in combat again—just in case.
331 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 10, 2019
136 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Chris Kennedy
138 books163 followersA Webster Award winner and three-time Dragon Award finalist, Chris Kennedy is a Science Fiction/Fantasy author, speaker, and small-press publisher who has written over 50 books and published more than 400 others. Get his free book, “Shattered Crucible,” at his website, https://chriskennedypublishing.com.
Called “fantastic” and “a great speaker,” he has coached hundreds of beginning authors and budding novelists on how to self-publish their stories at a variety of conferences, conventions, and writing guild presentations. He is the author of the award-winning #1 bestseller, “Self-Publishing for Profit: How to Get Your Book Out of Your Head and Into the Stores.”
Chris lives in Coinjock, North Carolina, with his wife. Follow Chris on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ckpublishing/.
Called “fantastic” and “a great speaker,” he has coached hundreds of beginning authors and budding novelists on how to self-publish their stories at a variety of conferences, conventions, and writing guild presentations. He is the author of the award-winning #1 bestseller, “Self-Publishing for Profit: How to Get Your Book Out of Your Head and Into the Stores.”
Chris lives in Coinjock, North Carolina, with his wife. Follow Chris on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ckpublishing/.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 12, 2019
“With Your Shield or On It.”
“Eventually justice serves he who is deserving.”
Alex Rath, together with Chris Kennedy, has written an excellent and exciting debut novel!The intrigue, the encrypted messages, the subterfuge, the momentum building up throughout the book is so exciting it had me snagged from the beginning. The tech applied and described is incredible. There’s a scene with Hoplite that really had me emotional. Besides being a hardcore and a page turner, it also touches the heart, the sensitivity behind all wars. The characters are very well defined, with all their flaws,fear, weakness, despair, hurt, hope, determination, very realistic. A great contribution in the Four Horsemen universe!
I received an early version of this book from the publisher and my review is entirely voluntary.
“Eventually justice serves he who is deserving.”
Alex Rath, together with Chris Kennedy, has written an excellent and exciting debut novel!The intrigue, the encrypted messages, the subterfuge, the momentum building up throughout the book is so exciting it had me snagged from the beginning. The tech applied and described is incredible. There’s a scene with Hoplite that really had me emotional. Besides being a hardcore and a page turner, it also touches the heart, the sensitivity behind all wars. The characters are very well defined, with all their flaws,fear, weakness, despair, hurt, hope, determination, very realistic. A great contribution in the Four Horsemen universe!
I received an early version of this book from the publisher and my review is entirely voluntary.
April 14, 2019
It was ok
While not a bad book, it’s just ok. I enjoy the Four Horsemen universe and have read every title that has been published so far. This book just didn’t seem to add much to the overarching story or explain an event from the past that had a significant effect to any of the many storylines that the 4HU continues. The 4HU tales books have been enjoyable reads this just seemed too formulaic.
Maybe I will be proven wrong later cause you never know when a character from this book will pop back up in a big way or some seemingly insignificant event will tie in somewhere or sometime else that’s one of the things I love about these books. This one we will just have to wait and see.
While not a bad book, it’s just ok. I enjoy the Four Horsemen universe and have read every title that has been published so far. This book just didn’t seem to add much to the overarching story or explain an event from the past that had a significant effect to any of the many storylines that the 4HU continues. The 4HU tales books have been enjoyable reads this just seemed too formulaic.
Maybe I will be proven wrong later cause you never know when a character from this book will pop back up in a big way or some seemingly insignificant event will tie in somewhere or sometime else that’s one of the things I love about these books. This one we will just have to wait and see.
April 14, 2019
Another view into one of the more secretive Horsemen
With Your Shield follows the Golden Horde, and Sgt. Nicolos during a deployment to build defenses for a new trade outpost owned by the Zuparti. This book continues to focus more on their ability to gather intelligence and monitor the activities of everyone around them to attempt to predict oncoming threats. The action is brisk and exciting when it happens, but is often accentuated with the understanding of not just why, but how.
This book falls in a universe with excellent plotting and character development, and does not disappoint.
With Your Shield follows the Golden Horde, and Sgt. Nicolos during a deployment to build defenses for a new trade outpost owned by the Zuparti. This book continues to focus more on their ability to gather intelligence and monitor the activities of everyone around them to attempt to predict oncoming threats. The action is brisk and exciting when it happens, but is often accentuated with the understanding of not just why, but how.
This book falls in a universe with excellent plotting and character development, and does not disappoint.
April 14, 2019
Another great chapter in the 4HU
A well written story. It moved right along with no slow sections. This was a new look at the Golden Horde and helped fill in more of the 4HU worlds, and the imminent Omega War.
A well written story. It moved right along with no slow sections. This was a new look at the Golden Horde and helped fill in more of the 4HU worlds, and the imminent Omega War.
August 16, 2020
Great story of redemption and overcoming a terrible and senseless tragedy. Markus Nicolos has tremendous skills as both a soldier and a computer and intelligence specialist. He is able to bridge those worlds and help his company overcome terrible situations.
September 13, 2022
It resembles cartoon called Battletech have similiar mechs. It is an interesting read blends intelligence thinking outside the box, mech action, revenge, and betrayals that keep you guessing to the end.
April 13, 2019
More Golden Horde!
Excellent addition that was intense, but with deep streams running. Excellent keeping in sync with other 4 horsemen novels. great read!
Excellent addition that was intense, but with deep streams running. Excellent keeping in sync with other 4 horsemen novels. great read!
April 26, 2019
Excellence above excellence!
I am running out of superlatives! Very well done and we have a new romance beginning and new weapons and and we'll just read all about it!
I am running out of superlatives! Very well done and we have a new romance beginning and new weapons and and we'll just read all about it!
September 2, 2019
A very good first outing by Alex Rath.
December 1, 2021
I accidentally read this one out of order but ti's still a great book!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews