What do you think?
Rate this book
A Rain of Fire
War has come to the Galaxy.The dark forces of the Neo Hegemony strike, sweeping across the worlds of the Arcadian sector and crushing all in their path. One system stands against the onslaught, the Kingdom of New Avalon. But the men and women of their expeditionary forces are trapped behind enemy lines on a besieged planet.Losing those troops will lose the war. Their only hope? A last-ditch rescue mission led by Captain Hal Cutter and his battleship, Achilles.Beset on all sides by lethal enemy warships, he must lead a rag-tag fleet of naval and civilian vessels across Hegemony-held space to save the beleaguered Kingdom soldiers.In the skies and orbit, Lieutenant Jason ‘Rick’ Richards and the untested pilots of Viper squadron clash in a furious battle for supremacy against elite enemy fighters. And on the ground, Private Patrick ‘Wink’ Goble and his platoon must hold the line against a ruthless commander and her overwhelming force of battle-tested mechs until salvation arrives. All will play their part in this desperate struggle for survival against impossible odds.The Great War has begun… Audio book available. Read by Jeffrey Kafer.Read the epic new military science fiction series from Ralph Kern, the best-selling author of the Locus series. “A Rain of Fire, the first book in Ralph Kern’s Great War series, is a military science fiction tour de force. Most mil-SF writers seem to fall into retelling World War Two without realizing or admitting it, but Kern has embraced the inspired idea of writing an analog for the war that defined our modern world, except in a far-flung interstellar society of thousands of years in the future. It’s a daring conceit and he pulls it off with panache and skill. The characters are well drawn and engaging and the action keeps you on the edge of your seat. An excellent introduction to a universe I look forward to exploring further.”Rick Partlow – Best Selling Author of Drop Trooper"A vivid story, written in stunning detail by a master of his craft. This book went far and away beyond immersive--I could smell the acrid tang of the smoke and taste the blood. Truly riveting! If you haven't read Ralph Kern before, you are missing out." Jasper T. Scott - Best-selling author of Dark Space"Ralph Kern has taken the most important conflict of the 20th century and brought it to vivid life on a galactic scale. Amidst the cool tech and epic space battles, it's the human element that truly draws you into this book. With several characters based on historical figures, Ralph grounds the story in the lived experiences of humans grappling with a world-shaking conflict. Rain of Fire is both military science fiction epic and an important act of remembrance. Highly recommended."Scott Bartlett - Best-selling author of Supercarrier"Searing action fuses with daring strategy and seductively dark ideology in this addictive new series from a major talent in military science-fiction."Tim C. Taylor - Best-selling author of The Human Legion
- GenresScience Fiction
253 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 2, 2020
462 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
March 21, 2020
A new author, a new series and the first book, can’t get any better than that! Well, I guess you can when the first book reads like it’s going to be a pretty great series!
I haven’t had the pleasure of reading anything from Mr. Kern, but this first book is very well written. I would think he’s some what of a history buff, and probably a penchants for military history. As he indicates at the back of the book, his story is very similar to something that happened at the end of May and early June, 1940. That something was Dunkirk. I’m sure that if you’re English, you’ll know all about that heroic event. I’m a Yank, so I haven’t gotten a lot of information other than what I’ve read and seen. But, Mr. Kern’s story brings the events of Dunkirk into a far future and his writing gives a glimpse into the very real horror and that historical event.
We’re following Private Patrick “Wink” Goble. This name for this character comes from the real Private Henry “Wink” Gobel, who died at Dunkirk in 1940. His family gave the author permission to us the name. This Private Goble is trapped on a planet called Asteria. He and his unit are fighting a “retrograde” back to Port Rorain where they hope to be picked up by spacecraft from the Kingdom (the author never says what kingdom!). His unit was there along with 500,000 more just like him to support the Oriliion Republic. unfortunately, the Orillion Republic wasn’t quite ready for the aggression of the Neo Hegemony. And, now it doesn’t appear that the Kingdom was either!
The Neo Hegemony was once called the Galton Hegemony, but that faction lost “The Great War”. They were humiliated and forced to sign the Treaty of Charis which restricted a lot of the Galton’s future military active. But, apparently no one bothered to really check on what the Galtons were actually doing. What did happen was that a new faction within the Galton Hegemony came to power. They changed the countries name to the Neo Hegemony and vowed to avenge their previous defeat. They had secretly built a vast ground army and a tremendous aerospace fleet. Both were launched at the Orillion Republic with unexpected success. And now, five hundred thousand or what was left of the large number of Kingdom soldiers were stuck on Asteria with the Neo Hegemony army making a deadly advance to wipe them out. Only a very small contingent of Republic forces were still alive.
If you’re getting the gist of the story, you’ll start seeing how familiar this all sounds. For us, it started in 1939. Our history around that time was exactly what was happening now. The Kingdom is located just a short 10 light-year jump across the Regis Gap. Across that gap lies the Orillion Republic and the Neo Hegemony and war. Captain Hal Cutter, commanding the Kingdom’s newest battleship, the Achilles, was going on a mission across the Regis Gap to bring home those five-hundred thousand men and women of the Kingdom’s army, yet his ship could only hold about 300. How were they going to rescue that many soldiers when they had only a day to do so?
A very British story about a past historial British event that’s happening again in the far future!
I haven’t had the pleasure of reading anything from Mr. Kern, but this first book is very well written. I would think he’s some what of a history buff, and probably a penchants for military history. As he indicates at the back of the book, his story is very similar to something that happened at the end of May and early June, 1940. That something was Dunkirk. I’m sure that if you’re English, you’ll know all about that heroic event. I’m a Yank, so I haven’t gotten a lot of information other than what I’ve read and seen. But, Mr. Kern’s story brings the events of Dunkirk into a far future and his writing gives a glimpse into the very real horror and that historical event.
We’re following Private Patrick “Wink” Goble. This name for this character comes from the real Private Henry “Wink” Gobel, who died at Dunkirk in 1940. His family gave the author permission to us the name. This Private Goble is trapped on a planet called Asteria. He and his unit are fighting a “retrograde” back to Port Rorain where they hope to be picked up by spacecraft from the Kingdom (the author never says what kingdom!). His unit was there along with 500,000 more just like him to support the Oriliion Republic. unfortunately, the Orillion Republic wasn’t quite ready for the aggression of the Neo Hegemony. And, now it doesn’t appear that the Kingdom was either!
The Neo Hegemony was once called the Galton Hegemony, but that faction lost “The Great War”. They were humiliated and forced to sign the Treaty of Charis which restricted a lot of the Galton’s future military active. But, apparently no one bothered to really check on what the Galtons were actually doing. What did happen was that a new faction within the Galton Hegemony came to power. They changed the countries name to the Neo Hegemony and vowed to avenge their previous defeat. They had secretly built a vast ground army and a tremendous aerospace fleet. Both were launched at the Orillion Republic with unexpected success. And now, five hundred thousand or what was left of the large number of Kingdom soldiers were stuck on Asteria with the Neo Hegemony army making a deadly advance to wipe them out. Only a very small contingent of Republic forces were still alive.
If you’re getting the gist of the story, you’ll start seeing how familiar this all sounds. For us, it started in 1939. Our history around that time was exactly what was happening now. The Kingdom is located just a short 10 light-year jump across the Regis Gap. Across that gap lies the Orillion Republic and the Neo Hegemony and war. Captain Hal Cutter, commanding the Kingdom’s newest battleship, the Achilles, was going on a mission across the Regis Gap to bring home those five-hundred thousand men and women of the Kingdom’s army, yet his ship could only hold about 300. How were they going to rescue that many soldiers when they had only a day to do so?
A very British story about a past historial British event that’s happening again in the far future!
March 12, 2020
Dunkirk aka Future
This was a light read, readable and after awhile, it becomes evident we’re looking at a replay of WWII. While there was a lot of courage, bravery and out of the box thinking at saving the BEF at Dunkirk..... It wasn’t the pivotal point of WWII. Not even close despite the master British historians retelling of WWII or any portion of History they remark on or remake.
Germany wanted Paris, not BEF. Was it a mistake? Not really.
WWII was won by Arming Russia, and everyone else by America, and America. For some reason, British historians have hard time accepting America’s military and economic capabilities.
Story wise , only character I liked was killed off. Everyone else wasn’t developed as much. Action ok.
This was a light read, readable and after awhile, it becomes evident we’re looking at a replay of WWII. While there was a lot of courage, bravery and out of the box thinking at saving the BEF at Dunkirk..... It wasn’t the pivotal point of WWII. Not even close despite the master British historians retelling of WWII or any portion of History they remark on or remake.
Germany wanted Paris, not BEF. Was it a mistake? Not really.
WWII was won by Arming Russia, and everyone else by America, and America. For some reason, British historians have hard time accepting America’s military and economic capabilities.
Story wise , only character I liked was killed off. Everyone else wasn’t developed as much. Action ok.
May 6, 2020
Great military st!
This is an engaging and exciting story that recreates the battles of Dunkirk in space and on another planet. There is plenty of action and emotion as you see the battles from varied points of view. I am looking forward to the next books in the series.
This is an engaging and exciting story that recreates the battles of Dunkirk in space and on another planet. There is plenty of action and emotion as you see the battles from varied points of view. I am looking forward to the next books in the series.
April 19, 2020
What a great story a war epic along the vein of WW2 but far in the future Society of a kingdom. Very engaging fast action packed war just starting out and sure to have many more volumes to come. I highly recommend to read this book thoroughly enjoyed reading it myself!! Love military science fiction.
April 18, 2020
Great space opera
This is a great read with excellent characters that really pull the storyline together. At times it difficult to figure out who the real bad guys are. Definitely a page turner
This is a great read with excellent characters that really pull the storyline together. At times it difficult to figure out who the real bad guys are. Definitely a page turner
March 29, 2020
History repeated
This book brought so many emotions to me, anger, read and horror to what man can do to man. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to feel the actions they want while reading. It has been years since I have had these feelings while reading a book. Can hardly wait for the sequels. A very big BRAVO ZULU to the writer !! Great job!
This book brought so many emotions to me, anger, read and horror to what man can do to man. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to feel the actions they want while reading. It has been years since I have had these feelings while reading a book. Can hardly wait for the sequels. A very big BRAVO ZULU to the writer !! Great job!
March 27, 2020
Fast paced
Liked the documented jumping from one plot line to the next. Wish more authors would do that. Also much less confusing then some books
Liked the documented jumping from one plot line to the next. Wish more authors would do that. Also much less confusing then some books
March 10, 2020
Interesting Dunkirk retelling
I was uncertain what the book was about but quickly became engrossed in the story. Great start to a WW2 in space. Looking forward to more Books from this author.
I was uncertain what the book was about but quickly became engrossed in the story. Great start to a WW2 in space. Looking forward to more Books from this author.
March 16, 2020
Interesting
I enjoyed reading this book and was thoroughly surprised at the enjoyment I experienced following the characters through their fight for life
I enjoyed reading this book and was thoroughly surprised at the enjoyment I experienced following the characters through their fight for life
September 29, 2020
Cut And Paste Poor Version of ‘Dunkirk’ the Historic Event and the Film
Mr. Ralph Kern’s “A Rain of Fire” is a cut and paste poor version of ‘Dunkirk’ the 1940 historic event and the recent soyboy film depicting the same, grafted onto a shallows sci-fi host.
Imagine taking the real events of WW II, of people, places, words, things, and reassigning them an immature wannabe doppelgänger set in a far future & distant place. It is all so very, very lame. Additionally, the author is dedicated to espousing the liberal myth that only the Nazis - his ‘Neos’ were bad, and the Germans - his ‘Galts’ were good. Very EU focused.
Structurally the writing is repetitive, ponderous, and uses the device of the POV of six characters first person narration to tell his ‘borrowed’ storyline. Very much a ‘reprise’ of the film’s structure.
“A Rain of Fire” is not good sci-fi and most definitely is not good history.
And the author made it into a series with 3 more books.
Read via Kindle Unlimited.
Mr. Ralph Kern’s “A Rain of Fire” is a cut and paste poor version of ‘Dunkirk’ the 1940 historic event and the recent soyboy film depicting the same, grafted onto a shallows sci-fi host.
Imagine taking the real events of WW II, of people, places, words, things, and reassigning them an immature wannabe doppelgänger set in a far future & distant place. It is all so very, very lame. Additionally, the author is dedicated to espousing the liberal myth that only the Nazis - his ‘Neos’ were bad, and the Germans - his ‘Galts’ were good. Very EU focused.
Structurally the writing is repetitive, ponderous, and uses the device of the POV of six characters first person narration to tell his ‘borrowed’ storyline. Very much a ‘reprise’ of the film’s structure.
“A Rain of Fire” is not good sci-fi and most definitely is not good history.
And the author made it into a series with 3 more books.
Read via Kindle Unlimited.
January 14, 2021
A Rain of Fire effectively re-imagines Dunkirk in a space setting, in which the Hegemony has invaded a planet of the Republic, and the Kingdom needs to retrieve its expeditionary force from one of the continents. The story is told from a handful of characters: a private on the frontline, a battleship captain, an admiral, fighter pilot, and mech warrior.
Kern’s prose is fluid and easy to read, and makes for an exciting story. However, by the end there’s plenty of pathos to underline importance of Dunkirk in history.
The biggest potential criticism is that the setting follows Dunkirk so closely that really just names have been swapped out, when the world-building could have been developed more uniquely. However, there’s a good counter argument that this would have been disrespectful and undermine the purpose of the book.
Overall, this is a great book that is four stars most of the way through, but is raised to five by the end, and I’m looking forward to picking up the next in this series.
Kern’s prose is fluid and easy to read, and makes for an exciting story. However, by the end there’s plenty of pathos to underline importance of Dunkirk in history.
The biggest potential criticism is that the setting follows Dunkirk so closely that really just names have been swapped out, when the world-building could have been developed more uniquely. However, there’s a good counter argument that this would have been disrespectful and undermine the purpose of the book.
Overall, this is a great book that is four stars most of the way through, but is raised to five by the end, and I’m looking forward to picking up the next in this series.
August 26, 2025
The Great War says it all. This book tells how the war plays out from the perspective of various characters from a variety of factions. I think it was well-written and well-told, even if it isn't all that interesting to me. I'm not a bit battle fan, but those who are will love this book.
It has a combo of sci fi tech with each faction having different strengths and weaknesses. It's not apples to apples warfare which does add another layer to the story. Each faction must figure out what to use and how to use it to their best advantage. What they would normally use is not always what works best in these battles.
As the chapters rotate through the characters, we slowly build an image of them and along the way pick up hints about the human beings that are inside the officers and soldiers. There are unexpected choices being made and by revealing the personal struggles and feelings we get to see beyond the war to the individuals that make up the big picture.
It has a combo of sci fi tech with each faction having different strengths and weaknesses. It's not apples to apples warfare which does add another layer to the story. Each faction must figure out what to use and how to use it to their best advantage. What they would normally use is not always what works best in these battles.
As the chapters rotate through the characters, we slowly build an image of them and along the way pick up hints about the human beings that are inside the officers and soldiers. There are unexpected choices being made and by revealing the personal struggles and feelings we get to see beyond the war to the individuals that make up the big picture.
January 11, 2024
This is the first book in the series, and it's not bad. Ralph has written a futuristic story of the Invasion of France by Germany, and the mass retreat that led to the largest mass evacuation known to man at Dunkirk.
It's a great story, telling the tale of sailors, airmen, and soldiers on the Republic/Kingdom side, and the mech pilots and airmen on the Neo Hegemony side.
My one criticism is that while the 'good guys' are named and each have a separate story to tell, the 'bad guys' only really feature one character that gets named, and one anonymous (until the last chapter) pilot. It might have been nice to read of a foot-soldier's experience, or from part of the Navy as well.
I look forward to the next book.
It's a great story, telling the tale of sailors, airmen, and soldiers on the Republic/Kingdom side, and the mech pilots and airmen on the Neo Hegemony side.
My one criticism is that while the 'good guys' are named and each have a separate story to tell, the 'bad guys' only really feature one character that gets named, and one anonymous (until the last chapter) pilot. It might have been nice to read of a foot-soldier's experience, or from part of the Navy as well.
I look forward to the next book.
January 15, 2021
A very good rendition of WW II in space, a nazi-neo party in Galton-Germany, headed by a fuhrer-prime, gestapo-like secret police, against a UK-New Avalon star kingdom with a US-Federation across the Atlantic-Gap. The series plot follows closely historical events starting from France-Asteria, and retreat from Dunkerke-Port Rorian. The second book has the kingdom's fleet against a Bismarck-like battleship, having a Bismarck-like end, etc. All in all well-told and nice characters. For the unlucky few knowledgeable in history though, there are no mysteries in the plot, so the 3 stars. A shame, actually. Could have been a great series, but the writer just took the plot straight from history.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 18, 2021
Excellent read
I enjoyed this futuristic recreation of WWII. Kern has put a sci-fi spin on history that tells the story of Dunkirk from the foot soldiers caught in the meatgrinder of ground combat to pilots battling for air control to the massive effort to rescue thousands of troops from a merciless enemy.
Even with the broad scope, Kern personalizes his story with individual stories that he effectively interleaved on in his tapestry. He uses the genre to tell history in an engaging way for a generation far removed from the actual events. It's a story that needs to be remembered. I look forward to the rest of his series.
I enjoyed this futuristic recreation of WWII. Kern has put a sci-fi spin on history that tells the story of Dunkirk from the foot soldiers caught in the meatgrinder of ground combat to pilots battling for air control to the massive effort to rescue thousands of troops from a merciless enemy.
Even with the broad scope, Kern personalizes his story with individual stories that he effectively interleaved on in his tapestry. He uses the genre to tell history in an engaging way for a generation far removed from the actual events. It's a story that needs to be remembered. I look forward to the rest of his series.
April 12, 2020
New Series Highlights Courage.
Set at the start of an interstellar war, told from combatants on both sides, the author re-enacts Dunkirk as a hungry star nation embarks on conquest with undercurrents of dark operatives threaten the honor of the troops. Well wrought and well told. Add this to your reading list.
Set at the start of an interstellar war, told from combatants on both sides, the author re-enacts Dunkirk as a hungry star nation embarks on conquest with undercurrents of dark operatives threaten the honor of the troops. Well wrought and well told. Add this to your reading list.
August 5, 2020
Wow, what great book
This is one of the best books I have read a long time. It is non stop action from the start to the finish. You can hardly catch your breath. The author has done a great job of pulling together multiple storylines to form a heart racing space opera.His characters are great and easy to identify with. I really liked this book and highly recommend it.
This is one of the best books I have read a long time. It is non stop action from the start to the finish. You can hardly catch your breath. The author has done a great job of pulling together multiple storylines to form a heart racing space opera.His characters are great and easy to identify with. I really liked this book and highly recommend it.
November 11, 2021
War is something to hate!
Ralph Kern writes an outstanding story about the 'people' who must fight and die from both sides and the horrors and fears they must face. By the end of Book-1 you should come to feel everything that soldiers and civilians alike have felt in every war ever fought. I absolutely recommend this book for all ages and genders.
Ralph Kern writes an outstanding story about the 'people' who must fight and die from both sides and the horrors and fears they must face. By the end of Book-1 you should come to feel everything that soldiers and civilians alike have felt in every war ever fought. I absolutely recommend this book for all ages and genders.
July 18, 2024
Dunkirk in space
I have read a couple of this type of book and this is one of the best. Basically Dunkirk in space with star ships and energy weapons. Lots of intense action sequences and showing the battles from different perspectives that give the story real depth. I have already bought the next one. Highly recommended.
I have read a couple of this type of book and this is one of the best. Basically Dunkirk in space with star ships and energy weapons. Lots of intense action sequences and showing the battles from different perspectives that give the story real depth. I have already bought the next one. Highly recommended.
October 28, 2025
Worth reading
I read this book not knowing if I would like it, but to my surprise the story is well written, with the characters be liveable.
The story has many twist s and turns but it action packed and great reading I enjoyed reading it and are looking forward to the future issues.
I read this book not knowing if I would like it, but to my surprise the story is well written, with the characters be liveable.
The story has many twist s and turns but it action packed and great reading I enjoyed reading it and are looking forward to the future issues.
June 1, 2020
One of the finest novels I've read in a long time. Works like these are the reason I rarely give 5 star reviews any more. Very moving. Magnificent telling of how mankind is often at its best in the very worst of times.
June 20, 2020
A great read
I chose this rating because I like scifi books, but this book made me think about WW 2 in space. The battles and the story line had my mind going to the battles of WW 2.
I chose this rating because I like scifi books, but this book made me think about WW 2 in space. The battles and the story line had my mind going to the battles of WW 2.
July 5, 2020
Starts slow, but keep going
This book took me a while to get into. But eventually it’s gritty realism and writing style captured me. It’s not the regular run of mil story, perhaps due to the idea behind its writing, WWII.
This book took me a while to get into. But eventually it’s gritty realism and writing style captured me. It’s not the regular run of mil story, perhaps due to the idea behind its writing, WWII.
April 25, 2021
Intergalactic warfare at it's best.
Loved this book and it being based on Dunkirk, made it even more amazing.
Great characters with realistic situations and lots of action.
I look forward to the next one 😀
Loved this book and it being based on Dunkirk, made it even more amazing.
Great characters with realistic situations and lots of action.
I look forward to the next one 😀
March 19, 2020
Wow!
Edge of the seat reading! One of the best that I have read in a while. Looking forward to the next one!
Edge of the seat reading! One of the best that I have read in a while. Looking forward to the next one!
April 21, 2020
WWII retold as scifi. Sure I know the history, the characters are based on real people but the book is a great read.
April 26, 2020
Wink, nooo!!
Well done, I enjoyed the story, the grand scale, the POV characters and even the premise is fun.
WW2 in space and this is the Kingdom's Dunkirk.
Well done, I enjoyed the story, the grand scale, the POV characters and even the premise is fun.
WW2 in space and this is the Kingdom's Dunkirk.
April 29, 2020
A thriller sci-fi story
The book is a future version of a battle and rescue in ww2. The rescue of the troops at Dunkirk by civilian boats saved many lives but with great cost.
The book is a future version of a battle and rescue in ww2. The rescue of the troops at Dunkirk by civilian boats saved many lives but with great cost.
August 1, 2020
Better than good
An excellent retelling of the Dunkirk evacuation. Excellent use of history as a basis for a great piece of science fiction.
An excellent retelling of the Dunkirk evacuation. Excellent use of history as a basis for a great piece of science fiction.
August 9, 2020
WW2 Based Sci Fi
Nice take on WW2 and Dunkirk.
Interesting use of technology. Germans at start of WW2 were actually a lot less mechanized, and had huge logistical issues.
Nice take on WW2 and Dunkirk.
Interesting use of technology. Germans at start of WW2 were actually a lot less mechanized, and had huge logistical issues.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews