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The Frontiers #2
Scholarship: Death Before Default
Sometimes, education is mercenary.
Sixteen-year-old Colt Maier is enrolled at a prestigious mercenary training school aboard a converted space freighter. At least, Colt thinks it’s prestigious, until a bounty hunter hired by the Merchant Guild arrests the school’s faculty, leaving Colt and his fellow cadets in deep debt to a loan company.
Facing the specter of indentured servitude should they fail to pay what they owe, Colt and his friends transform their former school into a legitimate mercenary company. Given one year to pay off their debt by the company’s smarmy loan officer, they take on as many contracts as possible, learning on the job how to secure their freedom.
Unfortunately for Colt and his fellow young mercs, the loan company has no intention of letting them succeed, and it’s far more profitable for them to sabotage Colt’s efforts while collecting a year’s worth of payments…and then enslave the students, anyway.
But there is more going on than a simple matter of indentured servitude, and as Colt tries to discover who has been foiling their efforts to earn their freedom, he uncovers a much bigger plot—one whose stakes might cost everyone in the school their lives just for knowing the secret.
Sixteen-year-old Colt Maier is enrolled at a prestigious mercenary training school aboard a converted space freighter. At least, Colt thinks it’s prestigious, until a bounty hunter hired by the Merchant Guild arrests the school’s faculty, leaving Colt and his fellow cadets in deep debt to a loan company.
Facing the specter of indentured servitude should they fail to pay what they owe, Colt and his friends transform their former school into a legitimate mercenary company. Given one year to pay off their debt by the company’s smarmy loan officer, they take on as many contracts as possible, learning on the job how to secure their freedom.
Unfortunately for Colt and his fellow young mercs, the loan company has no intention of letting them succeed, and it’s far more profitable for them to sabotage Colt’s efforts while collecting a year’s worth of payments…and then enslave the students, anyway.
But there is more going on than a simple matter of indentured servitude, and as Colt tries to discover who has been foiling their efforts to earn their freedom, he uncovers a much bigger plot—one whose stakes might cost everyone in the school their lives just for knowing the secret.
391 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 10, 2019
101 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
About the author
David Alan Jones
35 books8 followersDavid Alan Jones is a veteran of the United States Air Force where he served as an Arabic linguist. A 2016 Writers of the Future silver honorable mention recipient, David’s writing spans the science fiction, military sci-fi, fantasy, and urban fantasy genres. He is a martial artist, a husband, and a father of three. David’s day job involves programming computers for Uncle Sam.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 19, 2020
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Facing the specter of indentured servitude should they fail to pay what they owe, Colt Maier and his friends transform their former school into a legitimate mercenary company. Given one year to pay off their debt by the company’s smarmy loan officer, they take on as many contracts as possible, learning on the job how to secure their freedom.
Unfortunately for Colt and his fellow young mercs, the loan company has no intention of letting them succeed, and it’s far more profitable for them to sabotage Colt’s efforts while collecting a year’s worth of payments…and then enslave the students, anyway.
MY TAKE
A great story! Jones's writing is reminiscent of Brandon Sanderson's while the story itself had a feel of something by Heinlein (without the sometimes mind-numbing science lectures). It's truly a young hero's journey as Colt is forced to step up and put his brilliant mind into the forefront despite his social anxiety. It's kind of hard to lead when you can't talk to your troops.
The cast is filled with engaging (and some despicable) characters. The story flows well as events play out. I'd love to see Jones write more in this world—with Colt and his team.
I listened to the audiobook. Macleod Andrews who narrated Sanderson's Steelheart series did a wonderful job with this story.
Facing the specter of indentured servitude should they fail to pay what they owe, Colt Maier and his friends transform their former school into a legitimate mercenary company. Given one year to pay off their debt by the company’s smarmy loan officer, they take on as many contracts as possible, learning on the job how to secure their freedom.
Unfortunately for Colt and his fellow young mercs, the loan company has no intention of letting them succeed, and it’s far more profitable for them to sabotage Colt’s efforts while collecting a year’s worth of payments…and then enslave the students, anyway.
MY TAKE
A great story! Jones's writing is reminiscent of Brandon Sanderson's while the story itself had a feel of something by Heinlein (without the sometimes mind-numbing science lectures). It's truly a young hero's journey as Colt is forced to step up and put his brilliant mind into the forefront despite his social anxiety. It's kind of hard to lead when you can't talk to your troops.
The cast is filled with engaging (and some despicable) characters. The story flows well as events play out. I'd love to see Jones write more in this world—with Colt and his team.
I listened to the audiobook. Macleod Andrews who narrated Sanderson's Steelheart series did a wonderful job with this story.
February 12, 2020
Officially a book for young adults but it can also be read by adults and is totally enjoyable.
Our main protagonists are cadets in a military school, which reveals itself to be a scam. As all students are heavily in debt to finance their studies, they now find themselves in a dire situation and have the choice between ceasing to be students and become mercenaries for real or to sign on for a life of servitude to service their debts.
The story shows their first missions, how they cope with everything that life throws at them with courage and manage to overcome difficulties and to buy themselves out of servitude right on time.
What makes the story particularly interesting is the personality of the main protagonist, Colt, who is very, very intelligent but also has to live with asperger Syndrom. He learns to cope with it and to surmount his weakness and the whole take on Asperger feels spot on. Good job by the author.
Good job from the Author, the protagonists are engaging, lots of action, lots of sorrow as well.
Recommended!
Our main protagonists are cadets in a military school, which reveals itself to be a scam. As all students are heavily in debt to finance their studies, they now find themselves in a dire situation and have the choice between ceasing to be students and become mercenaries for real or to sign on for a life of servitude to service their debts.
The story shows their first missions, how they cope with everything that life throws at them with courage and manage to overcome difficulties and to buy themselves out of servitude right on time.
What makes the story particularly interesting is the personality of the main protagonist, Colt, who is very, very intelligent but also has to live with asperger Syndrom. He learns to cope with it and to surmount his weakness and the whole take on Asperger feels spot on. Good job by the author.
Good job from the Author, the protagonists are engaging, lots of action, lots of sorrow as well.
Recommended!
April 21, 2024
The only thing making Scholarship a Teen/Young Adult SciFi Action and Adventure is the age of the characters. David Alan Jones creates characters I could believe in, in a scenario that sadly many of us can identify with—a predatory college loan program. But in this case, the “predatory” is literal. An excellent allegory every parent should share with their college-bound children 😉
February 26, 2020
Excellent Merc Sci Fi!
Great book in what is becoming one of my favorite series. Different author, but easily connected to the first in the series. Y'all enjoy this one while I go and grab #3.
TTFN!
-Will
Great book in what is becoming one of my favorite series. Different author, but easily connected to the first in the series. Y'all enjoy this one while I go and grab #3.
TTFN!
-Will
March 23, 2020
Great story of a bunch of young people overcoming betrayal and banding together to overcome great odds. Colt is a very interesting character and his ability to get past his own problems and command the company is great.
July 12, 2019
This is Book Two in the YA 4HU Frontiers Series. David Alan Jones has created an excellent story revolving around Fulcrum Military Facilities, a mercenary training facility, and it’s cadets who have been left in limbo because the faculty of said facility were con-artists. The cadets due to the facility’s finagling are left owing major money to Mountainside Financial. To prevent being sold as indentured servants, they appeal to the leaders of New Nauvoo to lend them the money, so they can function as a mercenary company and pay the debt back. Mountainside gives them a year to clear their debts.
The cadets are led by Stephen Yardley and Colt Maier. Colt is a 16 year old autistic man who has trouble interacting with other people. Yardley is the only one he is able to talk to. Colt is a brilliant military tactician and Yardley is a natural born leader. Between the two of them with some assistance from Captain Enrique Torres who has been assigned by Mountainside to monitor them, they slowly turn the cadets into the Fulcrum Military Tactics (FMT’s) mercenary company.
Follow the FMT’s over the next year as they fight for their freedom and live up to their motto of “Death before Default.”
The cadets are led by Stephen Yardley and Colt Maier. Colt is a 16 year old autistic man who has trouble interacting with other people. Yardley is the only one he is able to talk to. Colt is a brilliant military tactician and Yardley is a natural born leader. Between the two of them with some assistance from Captain Enrique Torres who has been assigned by Mountainside to monitor them, they slowly turn the cadets into the Fulcrum Military Tactics (FMT’s) mercenary company.
Follow the FMT’s over the next year as they fight for their freedom and live up to their motto of “Death before Default.”
July 18, 2019
Great story -- read this book!
This is what happens when the entire student body of a mercenary training college suddenly becomes a real merc unit. Yardley, Colt, and the other cadet officers have to learn on the job, and quickly, to keep the unit afloat and functioning.
This is a stand-alone story, part of the new YA series, but it's only YA because most of the new mercs are teens. Colt is on the spectrum, unusual for a main character.
This is what happens when the entire student body of a mercenary training college suddenly becomes a real merc unit. Yardley, Colt, and the other cadet officers have to learn on the job, and quickly, to keep the unit afloat and functioning.
This is a stand-alone story, part of the new YA series, but it's only YA because most of the new mercs are teens. Colt is on the spectrum, unusual for a main character.
July 15, 2019
An excellent YA read
This book covers the rocky formation of a merc company in the 4HU. When the vocational school turns out to be a scam, the student body is forced to rise up and accept contracts as if they were seasoned veterans. To keep from forfeiture of their personal assets, and indentured servitude, they must rally around the cry "Death Before Default".
This book covers the rocky formation of a merc company in the 4HU. When the vocational school turns out to be a scam, the student body is forced to rise up and accept contracts as if they were seasoned veterans. To keep from forfeiture of their personal assets, and indentured servitude, they must rally around the cry "Death Before Default".
July 17, 2019
Seventh Grade Stuff
Regrettably this book proved disappointing as it seemed this was required simplistic reading for middle school. Guess I'm missing more of the older knock down drag out action.
Regrettably this book proved disappointing as it seemed this was required simplistic reading for middle school. Guess I'm missing more of the older knock down drag out action.
October 8, 2019
Good Clean Sci Fi
Scholarship is a true YA Mil Sci Fi.
Lots of adventure, Mecha with challenges of the teenage years, with some hard decisions. Well done and a fun read.
Scholarship is a true YA Mil Sci Fi.
Lots of adventure, Mecha with challenges of the teenage years, with some hard decisions. Well done and a fun read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews