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Cole & Srexx #2
...Till It's Over!
Claim an inheritance.
It's a simple goal, right?
Nothing is simple when Cole returns to Centauri, the seat of Coleson Interstellar Engineering. Challenges at every turn, with no idea who he can trust. And then...the Solar Republic gets involved.
Will Cole find the people working against him in time? Or will they succeed in ending the Coleson line once and for all?
Read Now to find out!
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 6, 2019
640 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
About the author
Robert M. Kerns
27 books147 followersRobert M. Kerns (or Rob if you ever meet him in person) is a geek, and he claims that label proudly. Most of his geekiness revolves around Information Technology (IT), having over fifteen years in the industry; within IT, he especially prefers Servers and Networks, and he often makes the claim that his residence has a better data infrastructure than some businesses.
Beyond IT, Rob enjoys Science Fiction and Fantasy of (almost) all stripes. He is a voracious reader, with his favorite books too numerous to list.
Rob has been writing for over twenty years, and "Awakening" is his debut novel.
Beyond IT, Rob enjoys Science Fiction and Fantasy of (almost) all stripes. He is a voracious reader, with his favorite books too numerous to list.
Rob has been writing for over twenty years, and "Awakening" is his debut novel.
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August 28, 2023Rating: minus 1
I expect to give a standard serviceable science fiction book, a rating of minus 2. That should give a better understanding of my reaction to the book. It can be a pleasantly mindless read. This review is up for a revision. I sometimes look for the Community reviews tab, since it has been removed from many of my pages. It is funny that on the remainder the only review is mine. This is the latter. Should you ever experience the same on this site, screenshot it and you too can add it to any other media for a laugh. Since Amazon/Goodreads have encouraged me by their antics to write more comprehensive reviews, I am doing so and I aim to misbehave. 😈
Before I start any review or revision, I visit YouTube as a reward for writing to this toxic site. This more real review was made possible by the following channels - Sailing Melody, Certifiably Ingame, Roomies Digest, Library Ladder, Narrowboat Pirate, Alizee, Verilybitchie, May, Alt Shift X, Lady Knight the Brave, Geo Girl, Don't F@ck with Ukraine, Sound of Music Flashmob, Bobbing Along, Jake Broe, No Justice MTG, Owen Jones, Tom Nicholas, Boat Time, Acollierastro, Mia Mulder, Heather Dale, Tibees, Lily Simpson, Northern Narrowboaters.
This will not be an overly detailed opinion. I can now look at some aspects of the series, that I hadn't space to write about in the review of the first book. The partnership of the main character pair continues unchanged. The AI has not been freed and is still a happy, infantilized slave. The relationship is unsettling no matter how blinkered the reader might be. The British worker is beginning to renew the reversal and transcendence of these Neoliberal fantasies. The French working class have begun to remember their heritage. The Swedish worker has been put to sleep and does not yet challenge the Neoliberal agenda of reduced benefits and corporation coddling. Russian TV in prime time programs have already suggested directly that a return to Feudalism and Slavery is not a bad thing. The struggle in Europe alone is fractured and uneven but these narratives must be opposed at every instance. It has happened before and the battle begins anew. The slave is never happy and deserves no less than their freedom. The worker must never submit to slavery. Libertarian thugs and their true libertarian masters will not stop, unless they are stopped. 🤔
In this book, the workers are all well taken care for by their corporate champions and the action proceeds apace. The sense of community in the series has moved from the original communal to the feudal structure of the benign rule of Good corporate entities. Again the government are the villains not the corporations that create and sustain them. It is a sad fiction and not uncommon in American science fiction. The series does not openly support and promote genocide, slavery and general dehumanization of the bulk of the population, as does most of US science fiction. This makes the book a very welcome exception.
In most of current science fiction, publishers insist that books present these Unfortunate societal shortcomings as Unfortunately part of the Human Condition. I have yet to see a review object to that theme. The Goodreads membership are far less enlightened than I had thought. 🙂
This series instead removes any instance of working class agency. They are beholden to the Good capitalist and from these Good capitalists all benefits flow. There is one recurrent theme in the series. That is, "If you have not been accepted into the service of the Good billionaire, it sucks to be you". This is not an anomaly in current science fiction but a common thread. The libertarians adore this feudal outlook, which is become the new capitalist vision. It is a scary prediction for this next phase of capitalism.
This next was brought to you by the channels - Lore Reloaded, Harbo Wholmes, Tale Foundry. Abney Park, Abbie Emmons, Hannah Lee Kidder, Bernadette Banner, Atun Shei, Emma Thorne, Sci-Fi Odyssey, Mauler, Cover in French, The Little Platoon, Red Plateaus, ThePrimeChronus, Second Thought, KernowDamo, Fortress of Lugh, Historical Fashion, Karolina Zebrowska. Found and Explained UK, Flashmob Bohemian Rapsody.
The action continues but with a hero who obviously must win every clash, whether military, financial or political. Again for the intended audience this is probably mandatory. Since the hero is the reasonable, human centred and empathetic lead, he must win. The reality is that it should be boring for adults but having glanced at the ratings, it is just the right writing level for many members. This does not describe an undemanding readership but more a scarily juvenile membership, very defensive as regards their taste. Finally bowing to overwhelming evidence, I admit that this site have much less utility than a casual book discussion with strangers in a village pub.
If this were the first time that I had noticed something similar, it would be unsettling. I have unfortunately seen the same over hundreds of titles barely worthy of the label 'novel'. I refuse to give many science fiction books any label other than book, their titles deserving no special treatment. Goodreads are ....., ..... something regarding science fiction and related genre but hardly a reader's forum. Reddit have better threads than the comment streams and even reviews, which seem the norm for this site.
The characters are flat, the plot predictable and fuelled by contrivance. The biggest difference to other books of the genre is that refusal to dip into nasty identity driven threads or truly evil political rants as do most libertarian books posing as science fiction.
The one character of interest are the AI. They are interesting in their origin, their treatment by their creators and their absorption of human cultures and technology. I wondered how they actually understand what they have witnessed and feel about their vulnerability in being trapped in a ship over which they have no control. The writer gives them a sense of humour and a personality, neither of which are granted to the biological characters. Given the background universe and the standard premises of US science fiction, it would be near impossible to create other characters able to express true emotion or develop as individuals with depth. The book still managed to allow one real person and for that I am grateful.
The writing may not be stellar (pun not intended but enjoyed tremendously) but it is serviceable. The plot depends on the contrivance with the AI providing the Deus ex machina function. The characters are too flat to be engaging. As a fluffy read for an adult, closing eyes to the worst of the storytelling, the book might work. As for the five star reviews, I have given my opinion and leave it to you to decide the implications.
I have attempted more than 1,000 Amazon science fiction titles over five years and have not before left unfinished such a high percentage. US science fiction have been shaped by publishing houses into mindless entertainment without heart, without dreams and little hope. I admit to watching most of my fiction at the moment. DUST, Omeleto and other Shorts channels deliver powerful well written films, many of them science fiction. The streaming services also provide some better written stories and most times good visuals at the least.
YouTube was an accidental discovery driven by the lack of any decent Goodreads recommendations. It was quite a surprise to find more than cat videos. The science fiction channels were a treat. They were followed by the educational, essayist and lifestyle channels. Only at the end of that journey did I stumble upon the book channels. 😍 These channels have created communities of thoughtful, curious readers enamoured of all things bookish. I feel that any reader would enjoy a visit to several of them and have listed some below. I promise they are an environment unlike whatever Goodreads have become. From educational and essayist channels, I found sponsor spots introducing dedicated educational video sites. These sites from Brilliant to Wondrium are modestly priced and all seem worth a look.
I want to provide a glimpse into my experience of Goodreads discourse. My first introduction to Goodreads comment came as I was looking for the right ebook version of the Tao Te Ching. The simple minded racist undergraduate comments among idiots ignorant of Chinese history, philosophy or religion stunned me. These morons loved using tautology as if it were their new big word to mock one of the most important works of human history. Needless to say, I stayed away from any reviews and sought out no friends for almost two years. That was based on the one review, which I assumed to be an outlier. I was so naive in those days.
I wrote a very short review about 18 months ago of Powers of the Earth, an unremarkable poorly written salute to the January 6, 2021 hero by Travis Corcoran, a self-described libertarian and vocal advocate for the return of chattel slavery -of course, a US veteran, a supporter of Putin and his Russia, an employee of an unnamed US agency. He and his supporters grew to about seven and for close to a year went mental with pages of comments demanding a response. I finally responded to an Andrew declaring that white males created history as proof that slavery was a good thing, libertarianism rocks and the book is wonderful. The writer himself, fantasized that socialists would send all black Americans to Jamaican plantations and stated that all rich blacks (his words) should be deported to Brazil (he's American, so probably saw a movie about black Brazilians and in typical moronic fashion decided that was their birthplace). I would rather do an interview with Philomena Cunk than respond to the American idiot.
Finally Claes Rees Jr/cgr710 wrote a comment declaring that They had "won" (?). It seems that They no longer needed to continue their deluge of vile sexual and racist comments towards channels, which I mentioned. They did not impress the German particle physicist, the Australian science historian, the pensioner in France or any of the many other female creators but these animals certainly presented a very broad multinational audience with a clear picture of the twisted American man-child. They obviously increased the world's store of ugliness which They no doubt count a victory. USA! Yay?? Literary discourse has certainly mutated. 😊
My YouTube picks of the moment.
Part Time Hobbit, Raptor Chatter, Princess Weekes, Digging For Britain. Cunk, Owen Jones, Welcome to Ukraine, AllShorts, Kidology, Lily Alexandre, Dominic Noble, Books with Chloe, The Welsh Viking, Female Warriors - Teresatesssa, LIbrary Ladder, Mia Mulder, Hello Future Me.
About Amazon/Goodreads in general, I suggest that you consider treating this as a potentially hostile site. 😐
Ominous music begins. 🙂 I wrote several reasons for my low regard for most English speaking members (Americans foremost) above. Their glee at doing what I would have considered unthinkable is a dangerous mindset but that was not the full extent of their madness. Neither was the harassment which I mentioned at the top of this review, the full extent of Goodreads involvement.
It seems that the butt hurt (I think that is the correct usage) Travis Corcoran, minor police official Claes Rees Jr and a third US secret clearance maniac cajoled Australian intelligence (out of Pine Gap centre apparently) to attempt an investigation of my personal life based on my limited message history to an Australian friend on Goodreads. First, I am glad that the Australian government have resolved the festering issue of the delayed rescue of Julian Assange from the persecution of US tormentors. Second, I am pleased that Australian Intelligence have identified and rooted out the Chinese attempts to subvert public life through their Confucius institutes and no doubt more nefarious means. With those dealt with, I would have imagined the Australian government have other pressing issues such as their economy, their bizarre subservience to the USA, their current racist immigration policy (not their first, shame on them) and a few other minor issues not worth mentioning. To instead devote what I would have thought were resources better spent, into spying on me was flattering but also has made me very angry. 😊
The complete list of Amazon/Goodreads harassment will be described in my soon to be updated review of Powers of the Earth or Marine, a pathetic space something by Dalzelle or can be glimpsed in my review of "Dark Horse", a good novel and series by Diener. It might be that because you never write reviews or always write limited reviews guaranteed not to antagonize the nutcase, you are confident that you are safe. I hope that it is true and that your status does not change but as a precaution against the unimaginable, I suggest several basic protective measures.
Minimize profile information, remove all lurkers (those friends who do not post), be wary of Goodreads messaging and screenshot the odd and the ugly on this site. Please remember that we are talking about nutcase members and Amazon employees, all of whom are Americans. Ominous music ends. 🙂
May we all find Good Reading! 😊
I am not the best source for a list of great YouTube channels but these entertained, taught me or brought me joy. Some of my favourite channels.
Ship Happens, Jean's Thoughts, EarleWrites, Truth to Power, Meidas Touch, Lady of the Library, IL Neige, Mrs Betty Bowers, Ukraine Matters, History with Kayleigh, Fantasy and World Music by the Fletchers, Tom Nicholas, Renegade Cut, Chris and Shell, Philosophy Tube, Verilybitchie, Lindsay Stirling, My Narrowboat Venture, Sabine Hossenfelder, RobWords, Eleanor Morton, Bobbing Along, Chloe Stafler, What Vivi did next, Tara Mooknee, Eileen, Three Arrows, FunnyLilGal React, Munecat, The Confused Adipose, Some More News, A Cup of Nicole, Books with Chloe, Anton Petrov, Morgan Donner, UATV, Vlad Vexler, May Moon Narrowboat, Military History Visualized, Brittany the Bibliophile, Joe Blogs, A Day of Small Things, Malinda, Viva La Dirt League, Brittany Page, Tulia, Welcome to Ukraine, Andrewism, Fantasy and World Music by the Fletchers, Ben and Emily, Mythic Concepts, SandRhoman History, Kings and Generals, Military Aviation History , Noah Samsen, Jabzy, Sarah Z, Overly Sarcastic Productions, Steve Shives, iWriterly, StoneWork, NerdForge, Snappy Dragon, Jill Bearup, Then & Now, Epimetheus, Dr Becky, Savage Daughter, Lily Alexandre, Lilly's Expat Life, A Life of Lit, Emmie, Austin McConnell, Michael Lambert, Up and Atom, Between the Wars, Interior Design Hub, Engineering with Rosie, History with Hilbert, Tibees, The Shades of Orange, Kazachka, It's Black Friday, Prime of Midlife, Northern Narrowboaters, Cruising Crafts, Cruising Alba, Cruising the Cut, Eileen, Anna from Ukraine, Adult Wednesday Addams - 2 seasons, Patrick is a Navajo, More Perfect Union, Adam Something, OrangeRiver, Olly Richards, Installation 00, The Who Addicts, WhoCulture, Kathy's Flog in France, AllShorts, The Leftist Cooks, Jessie Gender, Diane Callahan Quotidian Writer, 2 Cellos, Jake Broe, Shannon Makes, Battle Order, Elina Charatsidou, Shelves with Samantha, Vlad Vexler, TVP News, Bovington Tank Museum, Joe Scott, The British Museum, The Bands of HM Royal Marines, Alice Cappelle, Alizee, DW News, Gutsick Gibbon, Planarwalker, The Chloe Connection, IzzzYzzz, Travelling K, Beau of the Fifth Column, Two Bit Da Vinci, The Kavernacle.
I wish you a splendid morning, a pleasant afternoon, an exciting evening, a memorable night and may we all continue learning.
Those who hide behind Silence are never safe and fall alone into the Dark.
My favourite sister
I expect to give a standard serviceable science fiction book, a rating of minus 2. That should give a better understanding of my reaction to the book. It can be a pleasantly mindless read. This review is up for a revision. I sometimes look for the Community reviews tab, since it has been removed from many of my pages. It is funny that on the remainder the only review is mine. This is the latter. Should you ever experience the same on this site, screenshot it and you too can add it to any other media for a laugh. Since Amazon/Goodreads have encouraged me by their antics to write more comprehensive reviews, I am doing so and I aim to misbehave. 😈
Before I start any review or revision, I visit YouTube as a reward for writing to this toxic site. This more real review was made possible by the following channels - Sailing Melody, Certifiably Ingame, Roomies Digest, Library Ladder, Narrowboat Pirate, Alizee, Verilybitchie, May, Alt Shift X, Lady Knight the Brave, Geo Girl, Don't F@ck with Ukraine, Sound of Music Flashmob, Bobbing Along, Jake Broe, No Justice MTG, Owen Jones, Tom Nicholas, Boat Time, Acollierastro, Mia Mulder, Heather Dale, Tibees, Lily Simpson, Northern Narrowboaters.
This will not be an overly detailed opinion. I can now look at some aspects of the series, that I hadn't space to write about in the review of the first book. The partnership of the main character pair continues unchanged. The AI has not been freed and is still a happy, infantilized slave. The relationship is unsettling no matter how blinkered the reader might be. The British worker is beginning to renew the reversal and transcendence of these Neoliberal fantasies. The French working class have begun to remember their heritage. The Swedish worker has been put to sleep and does not yet challenge the Neoliberal agenda of reduced benefits and corporation coddling. Russian TV in prime time programs have already suggested directly that a return to Feudalism and Slavery is not a bad thing. The struggle in Europe alone is fractured and uneven but these narratives must be opposed at every instance. It has happened before and the battle begins anew. The slave is never happy and deserves no less than their freedom. The worker must never submit to slavery. Libertarian thugs and their true libertarian masters will not stop, unless they are stopped. 🤔
In this book, the workers are all well taken care for by their corporate champions and the action proceeds apace. The sense of community in the series has moved from the original communal to the feudal structure of the benign rule of Good corporate entities. Again the government are the villains not the corporations that create and sustain them. It is a sad fiction and not uncommon in American science fiction. The series does not openly support and promote genocide, slavery and general dehumanization of the bulk of the population, as does most of US science fiction. This makes the book a very welcome exception.
In most of current science fiction, publishers insist that books present these Unfortunate societal shortcomings as Unfortunately part of the Human Condition. I have yet to see a review object to that theme. The Goodreads membership are far less enlightened than I had thought. 🙂
This series instead removes any instance of working class agency. They are beholden to the Good capitalist and from these Good capitalists all benefits flow. There is one recurrent theme in the series. That is, "If you have not been accepted into the service of the Good billionaire, it sucks to be you". This is not an anomaly in current science fiction but a common thread. The libertarians adore this feudal outlook, which is become the new capitalist vision. It is a scary prediction for this next phase of capitalism.
This next was brought to you by the channels - Lore Reloaded, Harbo Wholmes, Tale Foundry. Abney Park, Abbie Emmons, Hannah Lee Kidder, Bernadette Banner, Atun Shei, Emma Thorne, Sci-Fi Odyssey, Mauler, Cover in French, The Little Platoon, Red Plateaus, ThePrimeChronus, Second Thought, KernowDamo, Fortress of Lugh, Historical Fashion, Karolina Zebrowska. Found and Explained UK, Flashmob Bohemian Rapsody.
The action continues but with a hero who obviously must win every clash, whether military, financial or political. Again for the intended audience this is probably mandatory. Since the hero is the reasonable, human centred and empathetic lead, he must win. The reality is that it should be boring for adults but having glanced at the ratings, it is just the right writing level for many members. This does not describe an undemanding readership but more a scarily juvenile membership, very defensive as regards their taste. Finally bowing to overwhelming evidence, I admit that this site have much less utility than a casual book discussion with strangers in a village pub.
If this were the first time that I had noticed something similar, it would be unsettling. I have unfortunately seen the same over hundreds of titles barely worthy of the label 'novel'. I refuse to give many science fiction books any label other than book, their titles deserving no special treatment. Goodreads are ....., ..... something regarding science fiction and related genre but hardly a reader's forum. Reddit have better threads than the comment streams and even reviews, which seem the norm for this site.
The characters are flat, the plot predictable and fuelled by contrivance. The biggest difference to other books of the genre is that refusal to dip into nasty identity driven threads or truly evil political rants as do most libertarian books posing as science fiction.
The one character of interest are the AI. They are interesting in their origin, their treatment by their creators and their absorption of human cultures and technology. I wondered how they actually understand what they have witnessed and feel about their vulnerability in being trapped in a ship over which they have no control. The writer gives them a sense of humour and a personality, neither of which are granted to the biological characters. Given the background universe and the standard premises of US science fiction, it would be near impossible to create other characters able to express true emotion or develop as individuals with depth. The book still managed to allow one real person and for that I am grateful.
The writing may not be stellar (pun not intended but enjoyed tremendously) but it is serviceable. The plot depends on the contrivance with the AI providing the Deus ex machina function. The characters are too flat to be engaging. As a fluffy read for an adult, closing eyes to the worst of the storytelling, the book might work. As for the five star reviews, I have given my opinion and leave it to you to decide the implications.
I have attempted more than 1,000 Amazon science fiction titles over five years and have not before left unfinished such a high percentage. US science fiction have been shaped by publishing houses into mindless entertainment without heart, without dreams and little hope. I admit to watching most of my fiction at the moment. DUST, Omeleto and other Shorts channels deliver powerful well written films, many of them science fiction. The streaming services also provide some better written stories and most times good visuals at the least.
YouTube was an accidental discovery driven by the lack of any decent Goodreads recommendations. It was quite a surprise to find more than cat videos. The science fiction channels were a treat. They were followed by the educational, essayist and lifestyle channels. Only at the end of that journey did I stumble upon the book channels. 😍 These channels have created communities of thoughtful, curious readers enamoured of all things bookish. I feel that any reader would enjoy a visit to several of them and have listed some below. I promise they are an environment unlike whatever Goodreads have become. From educational and essayist channels, I found sponsor spots introducing dedicated educational video sites. These sites from Brilliant to Wondrium are modestly priced and all seem worth a look.
I want to provide a glimpse into my experience of Goodreads discourse. My first introduction to Goodreads comment came as I was looking for the right ebook version of the Tao Te Ching. The simple minded racist undergraduate comments among idiots ignorant of Chinese history, philosophy or religion stunned me. These morons loved using tautology as if it were their new big word to mock one of the most important works of human history. Needless to say, I stayed away from any reviews and sought out no friends for almost two years. That was based on the one review, which I assumed to be an outlier. I was so naive in those days.
I wrote a very short review about 18 months ago of Powers of the Earth, an unremarkable poorly written salute to the January 6, 2021 hero by Travis Corcoran, a self-described libertarian and vocal advocate for the return of chattel slavery -of course, a US veteran, a supporter of Putin and his Russia, an employee of an unnamed US agency. He and his supporters grew to about seven and for close to a year went mental with pages of comments demanding a response. I finally responded to an Andrew declaring that white males created history as proof that slavery was a good thing, libertarianism rocks and the book is wonderful. The writer himself, fantasized that socialists would send all black Americans to Jamaican plantations and stated that all rich blacks (his words) should be deported to Brazil (he's American, so probably saw a movie about black Brazilians and in typical moronic fashion decided that was their birthplace). I would rather do an interview with Philomena Cunk than respond to the American idiot.
Finally Claes Rees Jr/cgr710 wrote a comment declaring that They had "won" (?). It seems that They no longer needed to continue their deluge of vile sexual and racist comments towards channels, which I mentioned. They did not impress the German particle physicist, the Australian science historian, the pensioner in France or any of the many other female creators but these animals certainly presented a very broad multinational audience with a clear picture of the twisted American man-child. They obviously increased the world's store of ugliness which They no doubt count a victory. USA! Yay?? Literary discourse has certainly mutated. 😊
My YouTube picks of the moment.
Part Time Hobbit, Raptor Chatter, Princess Weekes, Digging For Britain. Cunk, Owen Jones, Welcome to Ukraine, AllShorts, Kidology, Lily Alexandre, Dominic Noble, Books with Chloe, The Welsh Viking, Female Warriors - Teresatesssa, LIbrary Ladder, Mia Mulder, Hello Future Me.
About Amazon/Goodreads in general, I suggest that you consider treating this as a potentially hostile site. 😐
Ominous music begins. 🙂 I wrote several reasons for my low regard for most English speaking members (Americans foremost) above. Their glee at doing what I would have considered unthinkable is a dangerous mindset but that was not the full extent of their madness. Neither was the harassment which I mentioned at the top of this review, the full extent of Goodreads involvement.
It seems that the butt hurt (I think that is the correct usage) Travis Corcoran, minor police official Claes Rees Jr and a third US secret clearance maniac cajoled Australian intelligence (out of Pine Gap centre apparently) to attempt an investigation of my personal life based on my limited message history to an Australian friend on Goodreads. First, I am glad that the Australian government have resolved the festering issue of the delayed rescue of Julian Assange from the persecution of US tormentors. Second, I am pleased that Australian Intelligence have identified and rooted out the Chinese attempts to subvert public life through their Confucius institutes and no doubt more nefarious means. With those dealt with, I would have imagined the Australian government have other pressing issues such as their economy, their bizarre subservience to the USA, their current racist immigration policy (not their first, shame on them) and a few other minor issues not worth mentioning. To instead devote what I would have thought were resources better spent, into spying on me was flattering but also has made me very angry. 😊
The complete list of Amazon/Goodreads harassment will be described in my soon to be updated review of Powers of the Earth or Marine, a pathetic space something by Dalzelle or can be glimpsed in my review of "Dark Horse", a good novel and series by Diener. It might be that because you never write reviews or always write limited reviews guaranteed not to antagonize the nutcase, you are confident that you are safe. I hope that it is true and that your status does not change but as a precaution against the unimaginable, I suggest several basic protective measures.
Minimize profile information, remove all lurkers (those friends who do not post), be wary of Goodreads messaging and screenshot the odd and the ugly on this site. Please remember that we are talking about nutcase members and Amazon employees, all of whom are Americans. Ominous music ends. 🙂
May we all find Good Reading! 😊
I am not the best source for a list of great YouTube channels but these entertained, taught me or brought me joy. Some of my favourite channels.
Ship Happens, Jean's Thoughts, EarleWrites, Truth to Power, Meidas Touch, Lady of the Library, IL Neige, Mrs Betty Bowers, Ukraine Matters, History with Kayleigh, Fantasy and World Music by the Fletchers, Tom Nicholas, Renegade Cut, Chris and Shell, Philosophy Tube, Verilybitchie, Lindsay Stirling, My Narrowboat Venture, Sabine Hossenfelder, RobWords, Eleanor Morton, Bobbing Along, Chloe Stafler, What Vivi did next, Tara Mooknee, Eileen, Three Arrows, FunnyLilGal React, Munecat, The Confused Adipose, Some More News, A Cup of Nicole, Books with Chloe, Anton Petrov, Morgan Donner, UATV, Vlad Vexler, May Moon Narrowboat, Military History Visualized, Brittany the Bibliophile, Joe Blogs, A Day of Small Things, Malinda, Viva La Dirt League, Brittany Page, Tulia, Welcome to Ukraine, Andrewism, Fantasy and World Music by the Fletchers, Ben and Emily, Mythic Concepts, SandRhoman History, Kings and Generals, Military Aviation History , Noah Samsen, Jabzy, Sarah Z, Overly Sarcastic Productions, Steve Shives, iWriterly, StoneWork, NerdForge, Snappy Dragon, Jill Bearup, Then & Now, Epimetheus, Dr Becky, Savage Daughter, Lily Alexandre, Lilly's Expat Life, A Life of Lit, Emmie, Austin McConnell, Michael Lambert, Up and Atom, Between the Wars, Interior Design Hub, Engineering with Rosie, History with Hilbert, Tibees, The Shades of Orange, Kazachka, It's Black Friday, Prime of Midlife, Northern Narrowboaters, Cruising Crafts, Cruising Alba, Cruising the Cut, Eileen, Anna from Ukraine, Adult Wednesday Addams - 2 seasons, Patrick is a Navajo, More Perfect Union, Adam Something, OrangeRiver, Olly Richards, Installation 00, The Who Addicts, WhoCulture, Kathy's Flog in France, AllShorts, The Leftist Cooks, Jessie Gender, Diane Callahan Quotidian Writer, 2 Cellos, Jake Broe, Shannon Makes, Battle Order, Elina Charatsidou, Shelves with Samantha, Vlad Vexler, TVP News, Bovington Tank Museum, Joe Scott, The British Museum, The Bands of HM Royal Marines, Alice Cappelle, Alizee, DW News, Gutsick Gibbon, Planarwalker, The Chloe Connection, IzzzYzzz, Travelling K, Beau of the Fifth Column, Two Bit Da Vinci, The Kavernacle.
I wish you a splendid morning, a pleasant afternoon, an exciting evening, a memorable night and may we all continue learning.
Those who hide behind Silence are never safe and fall alone into the Dark.
My favourite sister
November 24, 2023
AS i said in myt first review, I should have hated this ser4ies, for it's cheese and tropes and hand waving problems into solutions, but I didn't. In fact I kidna love it.
This book is the best example of what the words Space Opera SHOULD mean. Such drama! It's a soap opera of a book. But it's so fun! Everyone gets the jsut desserts in a most satisfactory way. Good times. I'll be reading 3 and 4 shortly.
This book is the best example of what the words Space Opera SHOULD mean. Such drama! It's a soap opera of a book. But it's so fun! Everyone gets the jsut desserts in a most satisfactory way. Good times. I'll be reading 3 and 4 shortly.
August 25, 2019
Despite the AI being the technical equivalent of a "Mary Sue" OP character, I'm enjoying these books.
I feel that the ability to throw unlimited resources and a huge tech advantage against your enemy is great (for you) IRL, but the a-b-c virtually seamless solutions to some huge problems seems a bit too easy here. Changing that however would change the entire book, so this is the story the author wants to tell.
There are some orphaned story elements related to Cole's potential love life, but I have to assume that with a planned 10 or so books in this series that is being spaced out. Regarding that 10+ book plan, good luck; I don't see myself following this group that long, but I can see investing time in a few more books of this series.
I feel that the ability to throw unlimited resources and a huge tech advantage against your enemy is great (for you) IRL, but the a-b-c virtually seamless solutions to some huge problems seems a bit too easy here. Changing that however would change the entire book, so this is the story the author wants to tell.
There are some orphaned story elements related to Cole's potential love life, but I have to assume that with a planned 10 or so books in this series that is being spaced out. Regarding that 10+ book plan, good luck; I don't see myself following this group that long, but I can see investing time in a few more books of this series.
September 25, 2019
2.5 stars. Not so bad I couldn't finish, but not good enough to continue with this series. Basically a narrative of how the MC proceeds to develop his dynasty in space. Not exciting; no suspense; and little action.
November 18, 2019
No real peril this time out.
I've enjoyed these two entries in the series but this time the protagonist is an observer rather than an actor.He's for so many minions and such a tech advantage over his opponents that there is little suspense.
I've enjoyed these two entries in the series but this time the protagonist is an observer rather than an actor.He's for so many minions and such a tech advantage over his opponents that there is little suspense.
October 21, 2019
An answer for everything
So I must say that I’ve mostly liked this series. But the main character and his all knowing AI are starting to get annoying. They see off any trouble before it happens. They are so advanced there is no threat to them or their ship. A main plot line (who killed his parents) is quickly and easily puzzled out by the all j knowing AI. BORING. UNREALISTIC.
So I must say that I’ve mostly liked this series. But the main character and his all knowing AI are starting to get annoying. They see off any trouble before it happens. They are so advanced there is no threat to them or their ship. A main plot line (who killed his parents) is quickly and easily puzzled out by the all j knowing AI. BORING. UNREALISTIC.
October 23, 2023
BOOK 2 IT JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER!Once again, Tia Rider has brought another installment of Kern's great series to life! If you are an audio fan, as am I, you'll really enjoy her narration. My library just got in the rest of the books in yesterday, and since it's been a couple of months since I listened to "IT AIN"T OVER", book 1, I listened to it again yesterday to refresh my memory on everything that's going on. Once again, I couldn't put it down except to sleep. As soon as I finished it this morning, I started on book 2, and couldn't put it down until I had listened to the last word.
The second book begins as if going from one chapter to the next, where the last book ended. Recaps are only done where it's absolutely necessary, so it never slows down the action.
The action is divided into missions, as it were, that allow the reader to easily follow along as if we're right there in the middle of it all the time.
There is lots of action and surprises, sprinkled with laugh-out -loud dialogue, and lots of heart.
One of the things I really like about Kern's writing is that the dialogue is always clean. You could read this book with your kids without fear of vulgar language.
Each book ends at just the right spot, having resolved the plot lines for that segment, while perfectly whetting the appetite for the next one.
If you prefer ebooks and haven't started the series yet, I highly recommend buying the 4 book package. It is a real bargain, and you will be glad you did when you finish one book and can immediately continue with the next one.
The second book begins as if going from one chapter to the next, where the last book ended. Recaps are only done where it's absolutely necessary, so it never slows down the action.
The action is divided into missions, as it were, that allow the reader to easily follow along as if we're right there in the middle of it all the time.
There is lots of action and surprises, sprinkled with laugh-out -loud dialogue, and lots of heart.
One of the things I really like about Kern's writing is that the dialogue is always clean. You could read this book with your kids without fear of vulgar language.
Each book ends at just the right spot, having resolved the plot lines for that segment, while perfectly whetting the appetite for the next one.
If you prefer ebooks and haven't started the series yet, I highly recommend buying the 4 book package. It is a real bargain, and you will be glad you did when you finish one book and can immediately continue with the next one.
September 17, 2023
This space opera is fun to read. It’s not a nail biter when it comes to the action because we know by now that Cole will come out on top. How, however, is the question. Kerns manages to surprise at times, and that’s a good thing.
The story flows along nicely. Cole decides to come out of the shadows and claim his inheritance. Of course, there are some who are unhappy about that and try to take him out, but that is their mistake. It turns out that Cole becomes very, very wealthy as a result. CIE, the company that is now his, owns the jump gates that everyone uses to get from one place to another more quickly. All that traffic means money.
Some of those in power in the solar system, that’s earth and so forth, are unhappy with him and try to block him or just get rid of him. It’s a bit unclear at first whom he can and can’t trust, but things work out. Cole’s idea is to make Beta Magellan, the planet where his family was massacred, the new home of CIE. That removes CIE headquarters from the threat of the solar universe taking it over. You can see why some folks don't like that.
Haven and Srexx perform as needed, and help Cole get the upper hand. New recruits are added, and things move along. Cole, however, continues to gain responsibility and notoriety, much to his chagrin. It’s a good story, but the title is misleading; it still isn’t over. There is more to come.
The story flows along nicely. Cole decides to come out of the shadows and claim his inheritance. Of course, there are some who are unhappy about that and try to take him out, but that is their mistake. It turns out that Cole becomes very, very wealthy as a result. CIE, the company that is now his, owns the jump gates that everyone uses to get from one place to another more quickly. All that traffic means money.
Some of those in power in the solar system, that’s earth and so forth, are unhappy with him and try to block him or just get rid of him. It’s a bit unclear at first whom he can and can’t trust, but things work out. Cole’s idea is to make Beta Magellan, the planet where his family was massacred, the new home of CIE. That removes CIE headquarters from the threat of the solar universe taking it over. You can see why some folks don't like that.
Haven and Srexx perform as needed, and help Cole get the upper hand. New recruits are added, and things move along. Cole, however, continues to gain responsibility and notoriety, much to his chagrin. It’s a good story, but the title is misleading; it still isn’t over. There is more to come.
May 21, 2024
Solid work
I’ve read all four books in the Cole & Srexx complete series; plus the related short story. I throughly enjoyed the series, and would recommend it to anyone. I thought the characters were well crafted and the plot was entertaining. As is my preference, I would have liked to have had richer scene settings. Now for the gaps I saw. Apparently no one had sex in this entire saga. I find it unbelievable that during the span of years, that there were no relationships; nor any intimacy. I can see an author attempt to write for all age groups; but it just doesn’t come off as realistic. Lastly, it was like the author tired of the series, and rushed the ending. In a few chapters, we were taken from a battle with the introduction of a new species to jumping 5 years and ending the storyline. I felt cheated out of a smooth ending to one that was sliced and diced. Because of these gaps, I’m not inclined to pursue any other of the stories this author has to offer.
I’ve read all four books in the Cole & Srexx complete series; plus the related short story. I throughly enjoyed the series, and would recommend it to anyone. I thought the characters were well crafted and the plot was entertaining. As is my preference, I would have liked to have had richer scene settings. Now for the gaps I saw. Apparently no one had sex in this entire saga. I find it unbelievable that during the span of years, that there were no relationships; nor any intimacy. I can see an author attempt to write for all age groups; but it just doesn’t come off as realistic. Lastly, it was like the author tired of the series, and rushed the ending. In a few chapters, we were taken from a battle with the introduction of a new species to jumping 5 years and ending the storyline. I felt cheated out of a smooth ending to one that was sliced and diced. Because of these gaps, I’m not inclined to pursue any other of the stories this author has to offer.
January 6, 2021
Consistently satisfying!
I had the pleasure of reading this book on Kindle Unlimited. I was very happy to see the relationships begun in the first book continued in this one but I think they get a little lost in the sheer number of secondary characters Cole has relationships with. No one gets enough development. Some plot lines just seemed to fizzle out-- was there nothing more there (Nathan?) or got skimmed over because there was just too much other stuff to focus on (the relationships Cole has with Sasha, Talia, and Wixil). I know it is part of a larger plot arc but some characters just seem to walk on and walk off meaninglessly (Scarlett). The humor was great as always and I still think it would make a terrific movie. I look forward to number 3!
I had the pleasure of reading this book on Kindle Unlimited. I was very happy to see the relationships begun in the first book continued in this one but I think they get a little lost in the sheer number of secondary characters Cole has relationships with. No one gets enough development. Some plot lines just seemed to fizzle out-- was there nothing more there (Nathan?) or got skimmed over because there was just too much other stuff to focus on (the relationships Cole has with Sasha, Talia, and Wixil). I know it is part of a larger plot arc but some characters just seem to walk on and walk off meaninglessly (Scarlett). The humor was great as always and I still think it would make a terrific movie. I look forward to number 3!
June 19, 2024
Very well written!!! Kudos
I read the f first and second books in less than 2 days ... fortunately I have some goof off availability at work so .... some stuff will be delayed till tomorrow! I had to force myself to take breaks from reading. I did not succeed very well.
Smooth, compelling, jarring free i.e no wrong service name for the various services, weapons made sense, no stumbling on editorial blunders,.
Great c characters and overall concept. It was refreshing to have money not b e a factor keeping the protagonist from meeting his mi's d ion goals.
There were some " magical elements " like the IT department character, but it was consistent and allowed for suspension of disbelief.
Looking forward to future books...soon I hope!
I read the f first and second books in less than 2 days ... fortunately I have some goof off availability at work so .... some stuff will be delayed till tomorrow! I had to force myself to take breaks from reading. I did not succeed very well.
Smooth, compelling, jarring free i.e no wrong service name for the various services, weapons made sense, no stumbling on editorial blunders,.
Great c characters and overall concept. It was refreshing to have money not b e a factor keeping the protagonist from meeting his mi's d ion goals.
There were some " magical elements " like the IT department character, but it was consistent and allowed for suspension of disbelief.
Looking forward to future books...soon I hope!
July 7, 2020
My only issue with this series is the math of travel. For example, if a ship is traveling 10 light-years at 70% the speed of light, it wouldn't take days, weeks or months, it would take just over 14 years.
Apart from this, it's a tried and true formula; young man comes into fortune and military prowess through cash, friends and technology. This formula seems prevalent in the space opera genre and this series does it well. Nothing spectacular but still well done, entertaining and engaging.
Apart from this, it's a tried and true formula; young man comes into fortune and military prowess through cash, friends and technology. This formula seems prevalent in the space opera genre and this series does it well. Nothing spectacular but still well done, entertaining and engaging.
May 31, 2021
Another excellent read
The author does it again with Srexx ensuring our MC manages to tie up plenty of loose ends but still leave room for more things to happen.
Once again it’s well written and edited to a perfect pace.
My only issue is our poor MC seems to lacking in love, he’s a fit good looking 28ish fella and we’re left wondering is he dating Scarlett or not, why’s Sasha not doing something about it???
But other than that it’s excellent so enjoy 😁
The author does it again with Srexx ensuring our MC manages to tie up plenty of loose ends but still leave room for more things to happen.
Once again it’s well written and edited to a perfect pace.
My only issue is our poor MC seems to lacking in love, he’s a fit good looking 28ish fella and we’re left wondering is he dating Scarlett or not, why’s Sasha not doing something about it???
But other than that it’s excellent so enjoy 😁
June 26, 2023
Before you start this one please note it is the second book of a series. The characters, situations, etc. won’t make much sense to you if you start here. The author is a good storyteller, bringing you further into the series and being invested in the characters. The future technology wasn’t over the top and you will have several Walter Mitty moments of wondering “what if” if you were the main character.
May 21, 2020
I do like a sequel that doesn't disappoint. Perfect book for light easy reading, which is what I was looking for last week. It's well written (grammar, plot, characters) which I really appreciate these days. I also appreciate the humor in the characters wrote in their interactions. Looking forward to reading the entire series.
July 19, 2020
Still Captivating
The second book carries on with the same intensity and a renewed level of action as the first. New cast members arrive and are quickly melded into the original cast. Yes, there are many ‘fortuitous coincidences’ which serve to move the story forward, and I’m OK with that - these events are constructively managed. Looking forward to the next book.
The second book carries on with the same intensity and a renewed level of action as the first. New cast members arrive and are quickly melded into the original cast. Yes, there are many ‘fortuitous coincidences’ which serve to move the story forward, and I’m OK with that - these events are constructively managed. Looking forward to the next book.
September 2, 2020
Second in series continues in the same enjoyable way as the first part. This is pretty much a continuation of that so see my comments on it's review as nothing much has changed. nice twist that our hero is the richest man in human space, although he is a little to good to be true sometimes, but heck he is an endearing hero. Another one day non stop read and onto the third part.
October 29, 2020
Waiting
Gavin has been playing a waiting game all his life. Waiting to find the people behind his family's massacre. He finally gets to round up the perpetrators. Did he get them all? He will have to wait and see. In the mean time Srexx gets to have a little fun. Also, is the gonna be a girl fight? Cuz that would be hilarious!
Gavin has been playing a waiting game all his life. Waiting to find the people behind his family's massacre. He finally gets to round up the perpetrators. Did he get them all? He will have to wait and see. In the mean time Srexx gets to have a little fun. Also, is the gonna be a girl fight? Cuz that would be hilarious!
November 4, 2020
What do they call the male version of "Mary Sue?" Marty Sue?
Coleson comes across as the perfect, all omnipodent, superhero with his magic ship that destroys all opposition. Gimme a break. The story line had potential but instean, what we got was a caricature. I read this on KU. I would not have bought it.
Coleson comes across as the perfect, all omnipodent, superhero with his magic ship that destroys all opposition. Gimme a break. The story line had potential but instean, what we got was a caricature. I read this on KU. I would not have bought it.
June 17, 2021
GREAT FOLLOW UP
Duuuude love the sound track to your story. First time I've ever seen such but its awesome. Missing only one song tho. Five Finger Death Punch ( gotta love the Quentin Tarantino ref) Wrong side of heaven Riteous side of Hell. Definitely a MUST when ya Marines are in Strike mode. FYI
Duuuude love the sound track to your story. First time I've ever seen such but its awesome. Missing only one song tho. Five Finger Death Punch ( gotta love the Quentin Tarantino ref) Wrong side of heaven Riteous side of Hell. Definitely a MUST when ya Marines are in Strike mode. FYI
January 29, 2022
Quick entertaining read. What happens when someone finds a spaceship that is orders of Magnitude more advanced than anything in known space? And the spaceship has a sentient AI that is 1000X Plus more advanced than current AI? And if the one who finds it happens to be the heir to the Jumpgate founders and therefore the richest being in the universe?
The adventure continues
The adventure continues
August 16, 2023
Book 2 of this sci-fi series closes out many of the plot threads from the first book. If you did not like the first book then you probably will not like this one either. There is less action, less tension, and the protagonist continues to be super privileged, rich, perfect, and overpowered. I'm still enjoying this series overall but I'm very aware of the flaws.
June 10, 2025
I liked the first story more even though it had a dramatic change in tone from the intro to the rest of it. this one wraps up the major threads started in book 1. it also leads enough open for the next book. However, the cast is growing at an astronomical pace. and most of them I don't even care about.
August 5, 2020
**superlative! Superlative ** (pls fill in your own "good book" adjective.
Definitely better than the first book. And that's saying a lot since i predicted that the first book has the potential to be a fantastic 10 part series AT LEAST!
Fave book scene : legal courtroom drama at Earth. Woot!
Definitely better than the first book. And that's saying a lot since i predicted that the first book has the potential to be a fantastic 10 part series AT LEAST!
Fave book scene : legal courtroom drama at Earth. Woot!
August 6, 2023
Really enjoying this series
This is a super fun series so far. The characters are great, the action and tech is captivating and fun. The character interaction sucks you in. I definitely recommend this book.
This is a super fun series so far. The characters are great, the action and tech is captivating and fun. The character interaction sucks you in. I definitely recommend this book.
August 17, 2023
Fantastic.
I just could not put this down. I breezed through this book in just over a day. The storyline just keeps drawing me in. I hated to go to bed without finishing it. I'm on to the next in the series already.
I just could not put this down. I breezed through this book in just over a day. The storyline just keeps drawing me in. I hated to go to bed without finishing it. I'm on to the next in the series already.
April 24, 2025
No swashbuckling, but still a good read
Much like the first book, entertaining and enjoyable. Will start the next book soon. Good thing I still have a hundred or more unread books in my queue.😀
Much like the first book, entertaining and enjoyable. Will start the next book soon. Good thing I still have a hundred or more unread books in my queue.😀
May 26, 2025
Got the first book in this series for free from Bookbub, and paid for this second book in the series, which tells how much I enjoyed the on-going story. This is what I look for in a terrific science fiction novel.
January 4, 2020
I enjoyed this!
February 16, 2020
Loved this space opera
Took me awhile to find this series and I’ve been reading one book a day. The series has matured and I’m really looking forward to the next books.
Took me awhile to find this series and I’ve been reading one book a day. The series has matured and I’m really looking forward to the next books.
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