Ambush

Sector 64 #1

by Dean M. Cole

Sandra just discovered she's pregnant, but with humanity on the brink of extinction, this fighter pilot might be the world's only hope. If you like action-packed, page-turning novels, then you'll love the electrifying action in this apocalyptic thriller.

Independence Day meets The X-Files when Air Force fighter pilots Jake Giard and Sandra Fitzpatrick join a decades-old global conspiracy to integrate humanity into a galactic government. But when a galactic civil war spills onto our shores, plunging the planet into an otherworldly post-apocalyptic hell, can Jake and Sandy save humanity from extinction?

As unknown aliens with a dark secret continue to raid the planet, Jake fights through a post-apocalyptic hell, struggling to comprehend the enigmatic aftermath of the first attack.

On the West Coast, Sandra's squadron smashes against the invading aliens. Thrown to ground, Sandy wades through blazing infernos and demented looters in a desperate attempt to save her family.

Finally, with the fate of the world in the balance, both captains must take the battle to the enemy—humanity's very survival hanging on their success.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, Thriller, Amazon, Action, Aliens

434 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 8, 2014

About the author

Dean M. Cole is a Texas-based author, former combat helicopter pilot, and current airline pilot. A reclusive caffeine junkie, he writes fast-paced sci-fi adventures loaded with action and techno-thrills. His bestselling Dimension Space series has earned thousands of five-star reviews—and might one day trigger a robot uprising if his characters ever gain sentience.

D.M. Cole is his thriller-writing alter ego, launching a new tropical thriller series starting with Silent Waters—a fast-paced ride featuring seaplanes, remote islands, and trouble that wants you dead. No aliens this time. Just humans.

Join the Facebook group Dimension Space Series by Dean M Cole for updates and discussion.

Get a free novella and audiobook when you join the Copilot Club at the DeanMCole site.

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ambush
Sector 64, Book 1
By: Dean M. Cole
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
I read the prequel and really enjoyed it and this was good too! A different first contact. More what would really happen, destruction! Two fighter pilots, that happen to be lovers, are thick in the fight. Non-stop action, lots of suspense, thrills, and unpredictable situations. Enjoyed it!
RC Bray awesome as usual!

[AudioBookReviewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

ABR's full SECTOR 64: Ambush audiobook review can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

I have found that in a lot of these space alien military stories that the authors can some times get too caught up in the explanations of the new technology. Detracting from character development and story line. I, as usual, have pretty high hopes for this one. As it vould be a stunner or a snoozer.

Cole creates a parallel world, or is it? Where humans are actually decedents of the most technologically advanced beings in the universe. They came to Earth and integrated with the neanderthals and this is why humans had evolved so quickly.

Jake Giard and Airforce captain given the, what I will call, promotion of a lifetime. Being chosen to be introduced to and acquainted with amazingly advanced aircraft, or space craft, depending on where you're flying. During his technology tour the arch enemies of our ancestors come to destroy us to hurt them.

Then there is Giards girlfriend Sandra Fitzpatrick who wakes up under attack from alien creatures. While fighter planes are no match against the advanced race, she has only one thing one her mind. "Are my parents ok?". Thus she must navigate a once familiar landscape that is now war torn, but where are the casualties? Only piles of clothes remain of the citizens caught in the path of destruction.

As with most apocalyptic scenarios that I am familiar with. Only the really sick and demented seem to survive these situations and are put in Sandy's path.

SECTOR 64: Ambush was a highly imaginative action packed apocalyptic assault on your mind. Take everything that you think you know about the current military, the knowledge that we are alone in the universe, and flip it upside-down. I will continue to listen to this series.

Cole uses technology very well and did not bore me with the explanations. Solid character development, something that is often lacking in the genre. A plausible storyline that goes back a millennia or more.

I am looking forward to the next book in this series as I have to know what happens next. What other alien races are out there and what other adventures are to be had.

I am a first time listener of Michael Ortego and he now has a life long fan. My first impression was that he was going to perform in a manner that was stiff and cold. I as so glad that within the first hour, he changed my mind.

Characterizations were on point, especially the enemy lizard like aliens, so creepy. Ortego was able to breath life into the imagination of Cole and bring this story to life. Pacing fluctuations that kept me engaged and interested in all of the goings on.

Audiobook provided for review by the author.

[AnnanFay · Rating 1 out of 5]

It reads like a classical Hollywood alien invasion movie. To be honest I'd probably watch the movie because I like large CG constructions and explosions. As a book, not so much.

Everything was so, normal. The bad aliens were stereotypically evil with little backstory as to their aims other than to 'yay lets kill humans'. The main characters were stereotypically good guys with no character flaws. I kept hoping one of the main characters would die! The plot is set in USA - where most alien invasions happen. The bad aliens are humanoids, like most aliens, with tech not much ahead of our own on the Kardashev scale. The alien super weapon requires a convenient recharge delay. The aliens allow humans to discover their super weapon when they could have just used nukes or meteorites - since the whole point of the 'evil plan' is to Ambush the friendly aliens. My biggest complaint is that it treads no new ground, there are no surprises, really nothing interesting.

I regret reading this. If you really classic Hollywood, then you may like it.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is almost like a bad version of Independence day. Way too much time spent covering travel details from point A to point. B. Not enough time on the alien characters or backstory. The female lead character didn't even need to be in 90% of her story.

[Joan Roman Pavlick · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with any book or audio I like scanning the reviews to see if is worth the listen. I only see mostly men reviewing. HMMM! Well, here is a woman's point of review of Dean's novel. Sorry if you feel this is long but a lot to cover.

Starting with the plot line is what I like in a sci-fi apocalyptic scenario book blended well from scene to scene. Chapter after chapter. Not too much in the way of jumping around as some books I have either read or listened to. Doing the back stories and jumping back to the present. Which would make anyone lost in reading/listening and holding your attention to the end. Dean's book keeps your attention right from the start. Being a huge sci-fi/over the edge fan. I was held from the opening scenes (thought of Independence Day), finding we are not alone (Close Encounters) to where the main character Captain Jake Girard explains to his girlfriend Captain Sandra Fitzpatrick what is going on. So getting ahead of myself.

Author: Found this long yet compelling story a grabber from start to finish. Dean's background in the military as a combat pilot has woven the military lingo into easy to understand language for me and others as readers and listeners. Maneuvers a jet-spaceship would make in the heat of battle. I felt myself actually visualizing the scene in my mind as the jets trying to out maneuver and take down the spaceships and aliens. Like scenes in a movie. I feel when an author can pull you into a book that you feel you are sitting front row makes for a great writer.

Plot: In the beginning when his friend’s plane explodes in front of him during a routine drill. I could feel how he felt. That deep loss of more than just a fellow pilot but, a true friend. How he was treated by the military that it was his fault (made me want to jump in and say, "Can't you see he is telling the truth" But, that is showing how men think (woman's view)). The joy he felt to find out a year later that his friend did not died in the explosion and what really happen to him. That is was an alien ship that pulled his friend out and that they have been working with our government on a secret operation to protecting not only earth but a whole space sector right from a moon insulation. Yes, this is really out of the sci-fi that takes Jake by first surprise, then after it all sinks in he is elated at the idea they want him to join the team.

Not giving away the whole story – So there is a bad alien that wants to be in control of it all! There is the surprise attack on earth that leaves a lot of destruction, dead and regular military pilots scratching their heads as the fly into battle (the thought of fighting against aliens). That includes Jake's girlfriend and pilot, Captain Sandra Fitzpatrick. As she surveys the aftermath all she could only think of is her parents and her newly discovered pregnancy of Jake’s child and where's Jake. As she does everything to get to her parent’s home to make sure they are alright and rescuing them to a safe area. Dean takes you through what she has to do to get there. I really can envision this and was thrilled for the strong character he created in her.

Characters: The relationship the 2 main characters Jake and Sandra have between each other without getting to over the top mussy. For it is a sci-fi epic but, there is always a love interest somewhere in these genres. It really opens up for that continuing story – relationship they have in future books to this series.

Though I have to commend Dean for making Sandra a very strong, independent yet still maintaining her sensitivity as a woman. I do agree with a previous reviewer. The bringing up the pregnancy belly rub every after action scene was redundant. As a pilot she has a strong will about her and I love when woman do portray a strong role that she will not sit down and cry at the first boo! Makes me want to be her! Her worry for her parents and her strength not to cry (thou she wants to) when she sees her father's injuries. Just jumps into rescue mode that I am sure would be part of her training. To her thinking “I am not going to take any crap!” from her attack by 2 men telling her that they are in charge when trying to save her father. Love her mom she reminds me of my friends' mom strong but witty at the same time. A soft humor that makes you smile.

The characters were all strong in their own way. Captain Jake Girard I found appealing in the way he's emotions are portrayed by the narrator had me drawn in from the start. When his friend Vic deals with his dead mother in his head. Thou no one knows that he hears her nagging voice and what he dealt with as a child finally brings an inner strength out. No one knows about this even Jake and sometimes Vic is caught replying to her. Then making excuses.

Favorite part of the book is when they suit up to look like the aliens and what they are feeling as their bodies are covered up. I really thought this was amusing. Lighten the story before heading out to the heat of the battle.

Found the book/audio very descriptive without going overboard with a lot of jargon. Had listen to one audio where I found myself enough already I get it. Dean writes it in a way of this is what is happening and moves into the scene with fluidity. A stand-alone book however, the ending leaves you wanting more and a bit hanging. Even though it will have a continuation it could have been a little more to it. The relationship between Jake and Sandra and the expectations of the new addition to their relationship. I have read a lot of stand-alone series that have a definite endings and have the characters pick up into the next I guess you would say adventure. Otherwise, a great book!

I would listen to this book again down the road. It is lengthy but needs to be to get the full effect of the story. This story did not have shortcuts to the action parts. As with any action scene there has to be the supporting scenes to fill in the story to make it all fit together. Dean has done that and when the new book comes out I like to revisit this book. A catch up to flow right into the next story. Dean Cole has a fan for life!

Book/Audio cover art: The latest revision of the cover is dead on fantastic. The original cover art was okay but, I am not sure I would have listen to this book if not offered up for review by the author. The storyline is what sold me to listen.

Narrator: Mike Ortega was a good choice for this book. He handle all the characters with unique change in voice tone. Even from the female characters to the Alien rough and rugged voice. I am now a fan for life! Hope to hear him on the following books. There is one thing that I and I am sure other listeners hate is a new narrator for the same series. Seen it happen and makes it hard to love the new narrator when you have the expectations of certain voices. (My personal observation from other writers and the publishers).

Note: This review was posted to Goodreads, itunes, BN.com, Amazon and Audible. The Book was provided for review by the author. All views are strictly mine and not in any way influenced by others. Thank you for your time reading this and comments are always welcome about my review of this book!

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, I would like to thank the author, Dean Cole for asking me to read and review this expanded version of his original novella for him. Overall it is an excellent story from a first-time novelist and I can only imagine that his writing ability will get better as he gains experience.

This is essentially a first-contact novel. It seems that the human race is actually a lost group of descendants of the dominant race in the galaxy.

Unbeknown to most humans this race, the Argonians have already made contact with Earth's governments and are slowly giving Earth the technologies and abilities to integrate into the galactic society.

The novel starts with 2 Air Force pilots on a training mission accidentally coming into contact with one of the alien ships. After this accidental contact the pilots are taken into the secret program and find that another of their associates is already in this program.

Eventually of course the enemy of the Argonians, the Xoxyth attack Earth. It is up to the newly indoctrinated Air Force pilots and the others that have already been in the secret program to thwart this attack before the Earth is completely destroyed.

Overall I truly enjoyed this novel and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

My main complaints about this novel are that there are some definite editing issues, such as using "heard" when "herd" was wanted and "their" when "they're" was required, but the story is strong enough that most people will not notice these errors. There are also significantly fewer errors than in the original novella.

One of the main complaints from may people in the original novella was that the main female character, Captain Fitzpatrick, had too small a role. Her role in this book is significantly expanded but I did not feel that her part always moved the story forward. Some of it felt redundant to what was happening to the main characters but it was good to get some background on her as it seems that she will have a larger role in book 2.

I would highly recommend this to any sci-fi fans.


NOTE: The author has since corrected all grammatical errors noted above. It is GREAT to see an author that reads and responds to his target audience and again, I greatly look forward to more works from this author.

[Amethyst · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sector 64: Ambush is an easy, fast paced, unputdownable read of alien invasion and race against time to save the Human race.

Its quite different to alot of books Ive read recently...apart from being no zombies its perfect for those who have a fascination for or who have aviation and flight experience and will certainly appreciate the added detail and knowledge from the author who has had first hand combat air-flight experience. This shows clearly throughout the book; making it even more realistic to us as the reader.

Dean's military experience as a pilot shows right from chapter 1 in the very first flight sequence; as its so realistic you could almost be the co-pilot. I could still understand it even with real military flight terminology.

The humans join forces with the Argonian's to fight against the terrifying Zoxyth who have vaporized millions of the worlds population and its a race against time before more ships arrive to eradicate the human race.

Couple, Captain Sandra Fitzpatrick (Sandy) and Captain Jake Giard are brilliant characters; both engaging and believable; I enjoyed the character development between them and loved the fact she is an experienced female fighter pilot too; although I wanted her role to be a bit bigger within the plot, fingers crossed for book 2.

This book will certainly appeal to those with a love of not only science fiction/ thrillers/alien invasion- esk books but those who love or have some knowledge of military flying; even though I don't...I still appreciated and loved all this extra information and detail.

I found all the main characters relatable and believable and with brilliant descriptive text you could see that 8 foot high reptilian alien right infront of you...eep! The plot is skillfully woven to a fast paced dramatic ending which leads onto book 2 perfectly cant wait.

*Thanks to Dean for sending me a copy for this review.

[Laura Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

We now know we are not alone. Our first contact with aliens is a friendly one. Good thing too, as the next ones to visit are on a mission to destroy our way of life. To erase us from existence.

Teaming up with our new friends is a necessity. We’ll need their help, their technology, if we hope to have even the slightest chance to repel the invaders.

The authors own experience flying an Apache Attack Helicopter in combat lends realism to the scenes. Especially when Captain Jake Giard has to pull some extraordinary maneuvers to evade the alien spaceships.

Jake has a lot of baggage. The loss of his best friend in a flight training session is traumatic enough. Then, the blame is laid on his shoulders.

Blending science fiction with apocalyptic scenarios, the author keeps you sharp and on edge, just like the characters. You’ll have a front row seat in the jets, almost feel your stomach flip flop with the g- forces.

The friendly aliens have some surprises, some secrets, which, when shared, shed a whole new light on humanity and our origins.

And the not so friendly aliens, the ones trying to take over our planet and annihilate us, they have some nasty tricks up their sleeves.

Lots of action, and, as with any type of military action story, lots of acronyms. Don’t worry about those. The author explains them and you catch on pretty quickly. I feel they add a certain amount of genuineness to the story.

Looking for some exciting science fiction and post apocalyptic hellish adventure. Check this book out!

I received this book for my honest review.

[Byron Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read - I enjoyed this novel from start to finish. This is military science fiction at its finest - with strong, believable characters, great detail, almost non-stop action and an awesome finish. Cole is an excellent writer and I can't wait to read more of his work. Highly recommended for all lovers of science fiction.

[Hugh · Rating 1 out of 5]

So far pretty boring. (70%) Mostly like a poor novelization of Independence Day. No sympathetic characters, just a series of predictable and very shallow vignettes.

[[ J o ] · Rating 1 out of 5]

They say, you should write about what you know, which is a good place to start. They also say, you should split up your sentences with commas, even if they're put in the wrong place, or shoved gratuitously any which way. They also say, anyone can be a writer, just shove it on kindle. None of these things actually contribute to a good book, however.

I mostly found the writing to be below par. At any time in one paragraph a character is referred to as Vic, Victor and Lieutenant Croft, though as I write this I can't for certain say that Croft is Vic and Victor, because the inconsistency was palatable and forceful. And, the amount of commas, was tremendous. And the plot, whilst an interesting premise, was slow and, coupled with the bad writing, was very difficult to follow.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the premise. It was a fun ride. I was not a fan of a couple of the characters (they felt particularly "cardboard-esque"). Victor...ughh. I get having "that" character - the nervous-not-sure-if-or-when-he'll-fold-in-the-moment....but my gosh, guy was sharp enough to fly an F-22 and acted like he was afraid of, well, everything? Wasn't buying it.

I enjoyed the concepts enough to try out book 2, though.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I received a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The story:

This is an indie story and audiobook that was an expansion of the author’s previous novella. This is a straight-up science fiction invasion story. Our galaxy is not so empty of life as we would suppose, and one of the enemies of the dominant rulers is coming after us!

This is not a military science fiction story in the strictest sense. I enjoy those very much and had initially thought that this would be of that type. While the main human characters are in the military, it doesn’t have the components of command, engineering, weapons, etc. The main focus here is a small group of pilots and how they confront the challenge.

One of my favorite pieces in the story is when our hero (Captain Jake Giard) rides in the Turtle for the first time and goes to the moon. The descriptions there are pure wonder and joy. I would be very surprised if the author didn’t enjoy writing that part as much as I enjoyed hearing that part.

By the way, I think it was a stroke of genius that the author described the navigation system similarly to the motions of operating a smart phone. That was what I was thinking before he explicitly stated it. It was one of the parts of the book that was really fun.

The story is over 11 hours of listening time, but it moves at a quick pace, and I didn’t feel it lagged anywhere. The time within the story itself also moves at a quick pace as most of the events described therein are about dealing with the actual invasion.

The story ends with the promise of more to come, so if you enjoy it, there will be something on the way.

The narration:

At first I thought the narrator’s voice was a little old for this work, but as it continued on, I got used to it. I admit the voice of military sci-fi (which this isn’t exactly) in my mind is Christian Rummel, but Ortego was very professional and capable. His accent for one of the Russian characters was quite nice. The voice for the main villain was initially very distracting, but considering how the character was described, it was appropriate.

This recording was very professional and capable. The author as curator of his own work made a competent choice.

Analysis:

One caveat here. When art is created and released into the world, the artist has no control over how things are perceived, and many times the consumer finds things that were in no way the creator’s intent. I have the suspicion, or at least the hope, that my understanding of things wasn’t exactly as the author intended. Spoilers ahead.

The cast of characters is very small, and the humans are basically military. This very much felt like a “man” story to me, reeking of testosterone. The A-story (to use TV parlance) is focused on the male hero and his 2 male coworkers trying to save the world from the invasion while the B-story focuses on the hero’s girlfriend and her attempt to save her family.

Captain Sandra Fitzpatrick, the MC’s girlfriend, is painted as both badass and nurturing at least when it comes to her family. She is really the only female character of note in this one, as there are only 4 female characters with dialogue on the page. (The other three are Sandra’s mother, a particularly anonymous female Major who contacts Fitzpatrick later, and Vic’s hallucination of his mother.) During the course of the novel, she finds out that she is pregnant. Any time there is an emotion for her (worry or the need to protect), she reaches to her belly to cover her unborn child.

I understand that she would do it, and it’s a decent shorthand to show emotion. The problem is that after a while this became over-used. Any time there would be an emotional scene ending with her in it, Sandy would have her hand on her belly. We get it! Find a new way to describe that, please.

The other thing that really struck me about the book was all the casual misogyny. The three pilots on the Turtle joke and tease each other, especially the younger mentally unstable pilot Vic, and they use misogynistic language to do it. Calling each other ladies and any other “not man enough” slurs.

The thing about all of it that really got to me was how lived-in it felt. The author has a military background, and he wrote men in the rough way that men are seldom portrayed in media of late. For that, I feel the portrayal was actually rather authentic, but it also disturbed me. This is not to say that I think the author is promoting a misogynistic viewpoint as valid. Sometimes fiction is just a mirror on our world, and it's present in this book in a significant way.

The other thing that got to me was the character of Vic. He’s clearly got a mental illness of some sort. Thankfully, it’s not played for laughs, but it is there and a big part of the character. I was wondering why in the world he hadn’t gotten help before. Had no one seen it? It made him a very tragic character, and at least with me developed some care and empathy toward him.

Final remarks:

If you like an invasion story where the good guys win eventually after some upsetting battles and you’re not bothered by the qualms I listed above, feel free to enjoy this.

My thanks to the author for the chance to listen to his audiobook.

[C Pate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ll give it a 3.5/5. I enjoyed it! There were parts that seemed a little too long and some of the parts were a little too graphic for my taste. Overall, it’s a cool concept and I’ll definitely listen to the next one.

[Adrian Archundia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy it! Great way of telling the story!

[Alexander]

I am legitimately shocked this book has received as well of a reception as it has, to the point I’m wondering if people listened to a shorter BETTER version than what I got because I was at the point of screaming “SHUT UP AND MOVE ON FOR GODS SAKE”. It is not often I get such a strong reaction from a book, and that is rooted in its deeply missed potential that I have never seen in a piece of published fiction, and only in amatuer fanfiction that was so close to hitting its mark.

To explain how I review things: 3 stars is what a book starts with, what I consider an okay book, that I wouldn’t remove from my library. It will gain and lose stars during its course and final judgement.

To summarise, It was barely tolerable, I would NEVER recommend this book to anyone. It’s performer R. C. Bray was okay, I may just not like him, but his southern accent that permeated everything just made me feel an undercurrent of petty annoyance. This is not his fault so he gets 3 stars, he does and adds nothing to the character or actions of the story. There was I think one act of audio mixing to give some SOUND to the book that wasn’t his narration. But It was competently done, therefore I see no faults for giving this lower than the standard.

For the story however. It is the hallmark of a truly failed execution in many respects.

We have a superfluous character who adds like 4 hours to the book and does nothing in it besides see some heart wrenching moment, crash lands, see another heart wrenching moment, gets shot at, sees another heart wrenching moment, finds her daddy, and nearly gets raped. That is her entire character arc of importance. Sandra is a pointless character, and is the first time in my life that I have truly wished a character to die for having done nothing wrong other then exist. Her inclusion is the greatest sin an author can do, to waste your reader’s time. She is hours of wasted space in this book, that was already way too long. Do you know the worst part? She is congratulated by a general for doing a good job bringing them information. Information they had already learned hours previously, information that took her significantly longer to tell them. Information that was pretty much useless in the end. I want Sandra to die in retribution. To have turned out to have died with the rest of her squadron. At least then her character would have meant something - 1 star for the first character I actually sincerely wished to die.

We have repetition of information, that while valuable, is repeated ad nauseum. Did we really need to know that the blast wave is 100 kilometers radius? Sure. Did we really need that information shared with us half a dozen times? No. How about the ending battle, where we see it from 4 (FOUR!) different angles. No I don’t mean it goes from set to set in chronological order. No. We get each scene told to us in four different viewpoints, so a bomb hits Yay! That same bomb hits, Yay! That bomb hits with effect, YAY! That bomb hit the ship,YAY! I don’t know how he did it, he made the final climactic battle infuriating with how annoying it was portrayed. This is done throughout the book, adding HOURS of time that could have been concluded in one chapter. Time that could have contributed something actually interesting or entertaining. It’s so bad that I felt if I didn't read this book, I could have just read retribution and gotten everything of importance I needed in the first 5 chapters, where he retells the entire story because Dean thinks you’re an idiot. -3 stars This is the first audiobook I’ve actually yelled aloud “SHUT THE F UP”

The book is overly prousy and descriptive. Now a good description is all fine and dandy. But he way way way way overuses it for the most banal of things. This is more a personal thing, if you like Tolkien’s super descriptive stuff, you may not care as much. But it really adds up when I’m sitting there tapping my foot saying, ”Okay, move on, that's not important, okay, move on, that's not important, okay, move on, that's not important.” wearing down my already finite patience. Now I’m not normally like this, I like 40k stuff which can really get into the scenery and grandiose phrases. Indeed I don’t mind it in certain sections. The alien sections, where the description is actually damn important, where it’s actually INTERESTING. I don’t need a meticulous description of a SERVICE TRUCK. If this were a paperback book I would have skipped entire pages as being boring descriptions. Sorry *I* would have skipped entire CHAPTERS to avoid Sandy’s pointless pov and unnecessary chapters. Look Dean, I get it, you know how aviation works, now make like Tom Clancy and apply that to actually interesting scenes. I don’t need meticulous descriptions of eventless take off and landing. Multiple times. -1 star Get an editor to pare your writing down. Hey, I’LL DO IT FOR FREE

The “heroes” do LITERALLY nothing of importance that couldn't have been done easier and swifter by other people. I’m not joking. Even the final climactic action was only slightly lessening the effects of a tsunami originating for the center of the atlantic. In short, Dean Cole wasted 12 hours of my time following these moose knuckles. -1 star, its BORING

Now some more minor problems. Your chronology is whack, in the course of the book something like 2 days, pass, the alien invasion last maybe 2 hours at most, which spans the bulk of the book at something like 40 of 50 chapters. Most of which is very boring go here info dump this, gut punch, continue and proceed to next info dump and gut punch of empty clothing. It feels like days have passed, not minutes, with how its written.

The Socsith or whatever the aliens are called are either liars, stupid, or just random.

Pacing is off. You spend an entire 15-30 minute chapter describing the process of moving 50 feet in zero G. How the hell do you have a single five star review? But with your previous blunders if you fix these this will be solved along with it.

The description? Totally misleading, this does not feel like X-Files. Or Independence Day.

“When a plan to elevate present-day Earth leads to an alien invasion, a team of military officers may be all that stands between humanity and certain annihilation. (If the US military used radio and satellites they’d have learned in five minutes what it took the “heros” 6 hours of listening) If you like action-packed novels, (HAHAHAHA AA. There is like… THREE whole action scenes in the entire book, and one of them is listened through a RADIO ) then you'll love the electrifying action in this apocalyptic thriller.(Something like 100+ million people die. Significant yes but I don’t even care by the fifth time he says “apocalyptic”)
Grab Ambush today! (NO! DO NOT BUY)
Independence Day meets The X-Files(Those were fun! This is boring.) when Air Force fighter pilots Jake Giard and Sandra Fitzpatrick join a decades-old secret project to integrate today's Earth into a galactic government(Sandra joins jack and shit, she was never part of the organization). But when a galactic war spills onto our shores(when a galactic war is STARTED on our shores), plunging the planet into an otherworldly post-apocalyptic hell (No. Just no), can Jake and Sandy save humanity from extinction?”(No. They contribute nothing to the story.)
I was expecting action, drama, politics, a great galactic war already in session. Instead I wait 10 hours for the story to start only to be given a plate of poo four times.
Okay what did he do right?
The alien scenes were good. The Socsith felt suitably alien if pretty stupid, and the argonians acutally feel like long lost cousins in space, even if they were hilariously incompetent. +1 star maybe try describing the aliens and their culture more instead of the same pile of clothes the tenth time.
The concept alone is fascinating. While I’m not a humanity F yeah kind of guy, I fully acknowledge an alien species can totally wipe us out just with their drive emissions, a story of an underdog earth proving vital to a great a galactic war for whatever reason is certainly full of promise. +1 star good premise!

Okay so that takes me to the score: a whopping 0 out of 5 stars. Good job! You started with an excellent premise, a wonderful idea, interesting alien species, and you ruined it with terrible characters, plodding plot, pointless chapters, out right infuriating dilly dallying, a merely OK narrator with just about NO sound boarding. I wanted a galactic war, I got walking simulator, the book.
In conclusion: How would I Improve this book? Scrap EVERYTHING after chapter 10. Just scrap it, its all a waste of the readers time and yours Dean Cole. While Star Trek Enterprise was very on the nose with hard men making hard decisions bull, go more that route, a quick one chapter terrorist attack or lightning strike against Earth, then have the Argonians come around, allowing us to start to see the galaxy. This would play to your strengths over describing every damn tree branch, give Sandra an actual story to follow instead of being pointless. Have our heros do something except shuffle from scene to scene.

For all the people who put up with my total rant on this book: I have no idea what ANYONE else who reviewed this book were thinking, they must have gotten the cut down 3 hour novella that was actually good. My recommendation: If you hate slow boring plots, if you hate over description, if you hate characters who have no right in being the story, DO NOT BUY.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Engrossing Read/Listen

This review isn't to rehash the plot, but more to give my take on the book itself. The goodreads or Amazon blurb on the book should be enough for that.

The novel revolved around a group of characters, and from chapter to chapter the story was told from the view point of various characters, from the main character would be USAF pilot Jake, to his fellow pilot and girlfriend Sandra, certain chapters from the leader of the alien invasion, and others. The main plot of the story was primarily from Jake and Sandra's viewpoint, with other characters filling in some of the larger scope parts of the story.

I found the writing style very engaging, and there was some occasional verbal imagery that I found added some (I hate to say it for a book billed as an sci-fi action book) lyrical moments to the story.

I also found the story quite "realistic". It wasn't like say Independence Day where, although enjoyable, I don't think even the most jaded fan of that film found the ending and victory very plausible. This story didn't give me any of those "Oh you have got to be kidding me" moments.

I also appreciate the story was contained. A lot of authors of books with this type of catastrophic invasion scope don't seem to be ever able to make a story and contain it in a single book, or end it on a cliffhanger, or just leave a single novel feeling incomplete. Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against those sort of series or trilogies (eg some of John Rongo's) but I do prefer to listen to them when they have finished the trilogy or series. I am not not much of one to read a part of a story and then a year or two later read the next part of it. This story is complete, although I did feel like I would be keen to find out what would happen next to earth and the characters introduced. Or just what the author would write next.

I listened to the audiobook version of this, and found it captivating from start to finish. I was listening to it while painting my lounge room, and it made the task pass unnoticed. Mike Ortega did a fantastic job with all voices. The novel cut from character to character each chapter, but I didn't find myself getting at all lost with the frequent POV changes, as I often do with audiobooks. Part of this is the writers style I think, making sure you are aware properly at each change, that you are established who is in focus (something authors should keep in mind when writing, as on paper is it easier to track than audio), but also the narrator adds a lot to this, giving each character a distinct feel.

After finishing this I went to check if there were other books by this author I could get, and saw there was also Sector 64: Coup de Main. The reviews here were oddly negative, although the Amazon reviews of it seemed positive. I don't quite get the great disparity. At any rate, Sector 64: Ambush is an expanded novel version of the Sector 64: Coup de Main novella, so this means you are better off sticking with this revised work. But to all the negative Goodreads reviewers of the novella, please don't write off this book based on your experience with the novella. And to the overwhelming positive reviewers of the novella, you'll love this expanded version. As to the disparity.... ?????

In summary, highly recommended. I am eagerly awaiting more books by the author. Whether they are set in the same world/characters as this one, or new standalone novels.

[Steven Brandt · Rating 4 out of 5]

During a training mission over the Nevada desert, Captain Jake Giard and his wingman Vic have a close encounter of the weird kind. A craft, no bigger than their F-22’s, buzzes around them flying at unlikely speeds and completing seemingly impossible maneuvers. Finally the oddly shaped craft comes close to their formation and Vic’s fighter jet goes completely out of control eventually crashing to the desert floor. Upon landing, Jake is promptly arrested and interrogated about the encounter, not exactly the treatment he had expected. Captain Jake Giard of the United States Air Force has just stumbled into one of the biggest secrets mankind has ever held.

One hundred thousand years ago, an ancient race called the Argonians began exploring the universe in an effort to discover other beings and create something like a galactic confederacy. One of the first races they met were the Zoxyth. The Zoxyth were also interested in meeting other races but only so they could conquer them. A great war was fought with the Argonians eventually coming out on top. The Zoxyth, however, never forgot their humiliating defeat and for many thousands of years have been planning their revenge. Now that time has come and the Argonians newest and weakest ally, Earth in Sector 64, will provide the perfect spot for Zoxyth vengeance. The Zoxyth fleet is coming and their terrible weapons of war could spell certain doom for the human race.

Author Dean M Cole actually was a combat pilot who now flies commercially and he clearly draws on his own life experiences for Sector 64: Ambush . His descriptions of aerial battle and military procedure are accurately detailed and his knowledge of the aircraft themselves fascinated me. I think Cole has a good thing going here. He created a couple of races of aliens, gave them their own histories and cultures and just made them outright interesting. His characters are realistic and believable as well. Sector 64: Ambush is a great read for lovers of science fiction and alien invasions.

Narrator Mike Ortego was simply great. He has a very pleasant sounding voice and he just reads very smoothly and competently. Actually his voice sounds very much like George Guidall and while Ortego doesn’t read with quite as much heartfelt emotion as the legendary Guidall, he is still a very good audiobook narrator. I would definitely like to hear more from Mike Ortego.

Steven Brandt @ Audiobook-Heaven

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up Ambush on a whim, partly because the audiobook was narrated by the great R.C. Bray. Ambush is the most derivative book I've read in quite some time,. It's billed as Independence Day meets X-files but in reality, is a mashup of Independence Day and Top Gun, two of the dumber blockbusters to use as a template.

Cole races through the backstory and wholeheartedly embraces nearly any trope that can be imagined. Humans aren't alone. The Rosewell, of course, was alien contact. Area 51 is an underground bunker where top-secret alien tech is stored. All the civilizations in the universe are part of a galactic alliance, and one minor twist, the aliens who rule it all are.... humans. I'd consider this a spoiler, but it's revealed so quickly that it can't really be considered one. The bad-guy aliens are reptilian with green blood, who really don't like humans. They're also 80s Bond movie villains who slay their own kind when orders aren't followed. When bad aliens arrive, the alien ships float over cities across the globe and fire off a super weapon, and then fly off to the next location to resume doom and mayhem. The only concession to a twist is that instead of flattening the cities, the humans are instead evaporated into thin air. Cole didn't stop mining ID4. There's even a daring "sneak on the alien ship" maneuver.

Thus we follow our roguish Top Gun stand-ins, Jake (Maverick) and Sandra (Charolette), his co-pilot (Goose) are off to battle the aliens. Jake and Goose are off in the stars while Jake's beautiful beach-bodied girlfriend, Sandra, has a much more interesting story arch. If Jake had been effectively sidelined, Sandra's story with the surrounding confusion and mystery might have made for a pretty good novel despite the clichéd "she's pregnant with Jake's child" arch.

The book is 85% protracted action, pretty much all outcomes are predictable. Everything is played as safe as it can come. There's nothing challenging or very interesting to be found here, and little world-building or back story to at least mortar the clichéd bricks together.

I was mildly entertained, but this was the equivalent of literary junk food. Cole doesn't seem as terrible as an author as some sci-fi authors *cough* Jack Campbell *cough*; thus I'm convinced he could do better if he'd only embrace an original idea or a clever twist on a trope.

[Sarah-Jayne Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received this book for free as part of Goodreads First Reads giveaways).

(This review may contain spoilers).

I found this book quite an easy read. The characters were intriguing and likable... at least the main characters, for the most part. I did feel like I was thrown halfway into the storyline, but I suspect that was a similar feeling to the one that Jake was experiencing when he was first thrown into the situation.

I liked Sandy a lot as a character and I felt it was good that the author spent quite a bit of time showing how things went for her. It was really good to see a strong female lead, even though I got a bit frustrated with the fact that she couldn't do much to begin with. Still, I felt there was a lot with her later on... and I have to say she was one of my favourite characters.

I really wasn't sure what to make of Victor. There were certain things that made me wonder if there was going to be a twist involving him, but it apparently didn't happen.

The concept of the different alien races and the humans being the same as the main alien race they interacted with was quite an interesting one and I felt the author provided a good explanation as to why that was the case.

The enemy aliens were quite creepy and scary and I felt the author did a good job of that. I couldn't help noticing that the ugly/frightening-in-appearance aliens were the ones who were the bad guys, though. Although their personalities made it clear they were bad, I've found it a bit disappointing that the 'good' guys tend to be the more humanoid aliens.

I did find it interesting to see there were two different sides to the history and that there seemed to be bad things done on both sides. I also really liked the descriptions and usage of the technology.

It was good to see humans fighting to defend Earth and the aliens coming to help right towards the end. I did like the ending of the book, too, even if I was a bit confused by exactly what happened. The danger the characters were in felt real and I would definitely be interested in reading the next book in this series.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

August 2025
It pays to revisit a book and give it another chance. This was really good! I love how Dean Cole will set up a battle.

As far as the girlfriend being a crack pilot and all that - she survives a total apocalyptic disaster on her wits and skills. So hanging in there with the plot was worth it. Her boyfriend becomes involved with the aliens - who knew there were aliens? - but both story arcs are prominent.

So I was wrong. And I do love Dean Cole's books and of course the narration by RC Bray. I stand corrected.

January 2020

I picked this up after reading a couple of other books by this author. I expected a great military thriller with a team of likable characters who fight bad guys. Added bonus: one of the pilots here is a girl.

However . . . two hours into the audiobook and I still haven't heard that the girl pilot is pregnant. She's been introduced as who I thought was the main character's girlfriend - but he seems to be the main guy, not her (as the synopsis implies). He gets whisked off to Washington to find out about the US government's knowledge of aliens. OK, I'm fine with this even though where is the girlfriend who's this crack pilot? Then we get a glimpse of the bad guys and I can't even. All I could think of was an episode of Star Trek TOG when Kirk gets stranded on a planet with an alien who has the head of an alligator. Seriously? There is suspending your disbelief and then there is 'this is a b-movie wannabe that is just ridiculous.'

Even with RC Bray's amazing narration, I couldn't keep going. I was either going to laugh out loud or my eyes were going to roll out of my head. Actually I wondered if Bray was laughing out loud as he read this. Maybe it gets better, but I couldn't face 9 more hours of what felt like a parody rather than a story that takes itself seriously. I'm rather disappointed because I thought this would be a great series. It just wasn't for me.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

 INDEPENDENCE DAY with a touch of V thrown in

This was quite an epic start to the SECTOR 64 military sci fi thriller series. At almost 500 pages, it is a doorstopper of a book and action packed.

There are shades of humanity at its best such as in INDEPENDENCE DAY and then there are slimy aliens for us to battle, like in V.

I liked the two main protagonists - Air Force Captain Jake Giard and his girlfriend, super competent Sandra Fitzpatrick. Both see their share of action - in the air mostly, and for Sandra - on the ground. I wish there had been more of Sandra, though.

There are some spots where the action gets a tad repetitive but, for the most part, the book held my interest all the way through.

Personally, I would have liked more time on the ground after the disastrous happenings hit the Earth. But the author is a pilot and he wrote to his strengths. And it was easy to tell he knew what he was writing about. The flying sequences and the science were very realistic.

I enjoyed the storyline. I liked the characters (even the ones who were hard to like were described well and seemed real). The worldbuilding was dynamite - in the sky and in Space - but could have been better on the ground.

There were some issues with proofreading that could have been better. I read a paperback of the book so maybe the e-books have been corrected. A couple of examples Turettes Syndrome instead of Tourettes. Line-of-site rather than line-of-sight. There were quite a few more examples that need to be corrected that I definitely noticed but didn't mark.

But overall I liked the story and enjoyed reading it. What more could I ask?

NOTE: I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

[Craig Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written. The first half of the book seemed to be nothing more than a re-write of the movie "Independence Day". The large alien space craft attacking multiple cities world-wide. The dramatic single alien space craft (given by the good aliens) being evaluated by the US government and sent off to save the day. Entering the last bad guy craft and killing the alien commander. All very familiar. I did not like some of the conversations by the aliens. I realize those need to be in English but they should not include terms that would be exclusively Earth-bound such as 'damn' and 'hell'. A minor point, to be sure, but it takes away from the other-worldliness of the aliens.

Still, I love reading about disasters and what individuals and mankind do in reaction. Detailed descriptions of neighborhoods, small towns, and command centers always flesh out a story. Human emotions and thoughts lend a good basis for a story within the story. All of this you will find here. The follow-on books of the series are worth waiting for.

Aliens attack the Earth without notice or provocation. What do you do? What DO you do?

[Mike Moody · Rating 4 out of 5]

In many ways this book is pretty generic. The characters are stock and not deep, the good aliens are people, the bad aliens are lizards and the heroes are generically heroic. In other ways the story, while somewhat generic, was mysterious and interesting enough to hold my interest. That coupled with some interesting alien technology and great action scenes make for an overall satisfying read. The action was split between space and an alien attack-ravaged earth, with some characters fighting in orbit and others trying to survive on a world reeling from sudden and savagely devastating attack. Both were good, but the scenes on earth aren't as interesting as the space battles, which are excellent. If you go into it looking for a fun novel about an alien invasion of earth and the heroes who oppose it, you’ll be satisfied with this book.

[David P. Duffy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor Writing Strangles Decent SciFi Storyline

A decent, though hackneyed SciFi storyline, is strangled by inept writing in "Sector 64: Ambush Book 1." The lack of both competent editing and proofreading additionally hamstrung the novel. It was a chore to get through the entire book, and multiple times, I came so very close to calling it.

The storyline has merit in humanity being discovered our long, lost cousins, receiving advanced technology and becoming number 1 on a alien race's genocidal target list.

The eBook author's lack of skill and talent, in redundant passages to fill up pages, some really bad characterizations (i.e.-Oedipal submissive coward, who happens to be a F-22 driver) and lackluster plot, barely, repeat barely, makes the book readable. Some professional editing and proofreading could make this into a decent book.

[Ola · Rating 3 out of 5]

(I had a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ,and I would like to thank Dean for this lovely experience)
im not the science fiction "holic"(actually im very less than that ) but i really like the good read review and decided to try it ,it was a very good story , I liked the characters , the plot is awesome ,and the audio book was very enjoyable ,yet why I cant like it more?
I think (as a psychology student)I wanted more human interaction (I liked the crisis idea , and I expected more humanly feeling ,ambition , motivation, reaction , and more shock !!!!(maybe its just me but the human were pretty accepting this BIG and NEW fact ).
generally I felt that the story was full of technical details , more than the human side .

[J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

What this full-length alien contact sci fi novel gets right, it gets very very right. There's lots of action, nuclear blasts, gunfire, and some excellent flying scenes. There are also info dumps, speeches embedded in the dialogue, and over-the-top aliens. Characters are kind of flat, but hey, it's a thriller, not a psychological study; arcs aren't necessary to enjoy an action story. Another pass with a good content editor and a proofreader would help.

Take it as Independence Day in novel form, skip forward a few pages whenever it starts bogging down, and it's a fun read. The author definitely has promise and is worth following. Three stars.

[Pam Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book. A fast paced thriller that doesn't leave you after you put the book back on the shelf. Clearly the author's experience in combat and aviation gave him the first hand knowledge to set the scene for the reader. You are there. It is always nice to have a strong female character and in this case it is truly relevant to the story line. You will be immersed and if this is your genre then you are in for a great read.

[Stuart Lennon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually reach for this genre. Ambush is well polished and flows very well. Personally, I could have lived with a little less technical explanation, which slowed down the story for me, but that is probably a reflection on my taste. I identified with the characters and found myself rooting for the species. The story rattled along and held my interest. I am not sure that I am a convert to the genre yet, but I am going to get the sequel.

[Gayln Z. Blinka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait for the next book!

Although I don't normally read books of this genre, I really enjoyed Sector 64.. This was truly a page burner that I could not stop reading. I would recommend this book to anyone.