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Echo's Way #3
Enemy Ally
Persephone, a dark, alien moon drenched by incessant rain, the air poisonous and every land surface overflowing with life so hostile and aggressive that just being there is to put your life at risk. And hidden among that living morass, the greatest of all secrets.
The war between Humanity and the Tolleani, a vast and powerful galactic empire, rolls ever onward, and Echo, now a member of Fleet, finds herself in a Special Services rescue squad, assigned a mission of inestimable importance to the Federation. Faced with a virus that threatens to decimate humanity, Echo’s squad must rescue a team of scientists who may possess the solution to the crisis.
From the beginning the mission does not go as planned, becoming worse when Echo realizes the greatest threat to her continued survival comes not from the enemy, but from within her own squad. Captured by the Tolleani, she learns that her greatest enemy is also present on this tiny, deadly world.
When she discovers the true purpose of the mission, she fights to deal with her overpowering obsession to revenge her lost family. Finding herself alone, she joins the most unlikely of allies in her efforts to salvage what remains of the mission.
The war between Humanity and the Tolleani, a vast and powerful galactic empire, rolls ever onward, and Echo, now a member of Fleet, finds herself in a Special Services rescue squad, assigned a mission of inestimable importance to the Federation. Faced with a virus that threatens to decimate humanity, Echo’s squad must rescue a team of scientists who may possess the solution to the crisis.
From the beginning the mission does not go as planned, becoming worse when Echo realizes the greatest threat to her continued survival comes not from the enemy, but from within her own squad. Captured by the Tolleani, she learns that her greatest enemy is also present on this tiny, deadly world.
When she discovers the true purpose of the mission, she fights to deal with her overpowering obsession to revenge her lost family. Finding herself alone, she joins the most unlikely of allies in her efforts to salvage what remains of the mission.
222 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 17, 2019
13 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
About the author
Mike Waller
10 books9 followersMike Waller is an Australian Author of Science Fiction and Space Opera. Mike has always believed that one day humanity will outgrow its troubled childhood and head for the stars, and that the story of humankind will be told not by the great and powerful, but by the adventures of ordinary people who do extraordinary things.
Mike currently lives on the Sunshine Coast in Australia.
Mike currently lives on the Sunshine Coast in Australia.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 2, 2021
No plan ever survives contact with the enemy, right? That is particularly problematic if there are also enemies within your own unit.
This is book three of the series, but it is written as a standalone. No prior reading required to enjoy this book.
This is a military SF book. The story is well written and generally fast paced with all the twists and turns you would expect from a battle plan. The characters are well developed generally distinct, although you can spot a few stereotypes here and there. But then that is not always a bad thing. I particularly like our heroine who is one tough cookie, particularly in a tight spot. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more by this author.
Highly recommended.
I received an ARC from Hidden Gems from review purposes.
This is book three of the series, but it is written as a standalone. No prior reading required to enjoy this book.
This is a military SF book. The story is well written and generally fast paced with all the twists and turns you would expect from a battle plan. The characters are well developed generally distinct, although you can spot a few stereotypes here and there. But then that is not always a bad thing. I particularly like our heroine who is one tough cookie, particularly in a tight spot. Overall, I really enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more by this author.
Highly recommended.
I received an ARC from Hidden Gems from review purposes.
August 26, 2023
Twist and Turns
Training for the military, you will find bullies and others with dreams of grandeur. Some you can ignore and forget. Some you will have to deal with for some time in the future. If they get rank above you they will try to lord it over all below them. When they fall, no one really cares about what happens to them. You keep going and doing your best. Like this lieutenant, they always get what they deserve.
Training for the military, you will find bullies and others with dreams of grandeur. Some you can ignore and forget. Some you will have to deal with for some time in the future. If they get rank above you they will try to lord it over all below them. When they fall, no one really cares about what happens to them. You keep going and doing your best. Like this lieutenant, they always get what they deserve.
July 12, 2020
I've just finished this book after getting a free review copy via voracious readers only and I was gripped from the start!
Mike Waller is a fantastic writer and goes into so much detail, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!
It's very well written and believable too which is very much needed in this genre!
Would 100% reccomend this book to anyone!
Mike Waller is a fantastic writer and goes into so much detail, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!
It's very well written and believable too which is very much needed in this genre!
Would 100% reccomend this book to anyone!
October 27, 2020
A reader might be hard put to find a heroine more kickin' than Echo, who survived the loss of her family and community and has come out stronger than ever and ever more determined. Now a member of Fleet, she is tapped for dangerous special ops, operations that include the potential for imprisonment and death. Like the proverbial battery bunny, Echo though is near unstoppable.
May 20, 2022
I really enjoyed this book, in fact I enjoyed the whole series. This can be read easily as a stand-alone but I believe you would have a far richer experience reading the first two books.
This book was slightly different to the others as we see Echo in a more military role than previously. It suits her, and lays great foundation work to see her in this light for future stories.
This book was slightly different to the others as we see Echo in a more military role than previously. It suits her, and lays great foundation work to see her in this light for future stories.
November 18, 2023
Epic.
The third and final story in this trilogy brings all of the loose ends together in a brilliant final episode, with all the action adventure and plot twists we've come expect from this author. Although this works well as a trilogy each of the books can be read as a standalone, great read Baz.
The third and final story in this trilogy brings all of the loose ends together in a brilliant final episode, with all the action adventure and plot twists we've come expect from this author. Although this works well as a trilogy each of the books can be read as a standalone, great read Baz.
April 5, 2021
Great sci fi adventure
But I wish it had ended differently; I guess I feel the same as Echo: Doomsday devices are never good. The world building is excellent, the story is riveting, and I really like Echo. Unfortunately, the body count in Enemy is not confined to the bad guys.
But I wish it had ended differently; I guess I feel the same as Echo: Doomsday devices are never good. The world building is excellent, the story is riveting, and I really like Echo. Unfortunately, the body count in Enemy is not confined to the bad guys.
August 20, 2023
An excellent second part to this well written adventure series! I really enjoyed this part too! Great ideas, well done, I was sucked straight into the story & found myself not wanting to do other things until I had finished the book! A really great read!
June 11, 2022
Book Review - Enemy Ally by Mike Waller
I enjoy a rollicking good story as well as the mental challenge of wisely conceived science fiction. ‘Enemy Ally’ provides both.
Mike Waller’s characters are far from cardboard cutouts - they are interesting, developing pleasingly throughout the series: There was no doubt Cooney was a superb fighter, but he was no leader. Arrogant, rude and authoritarian, the man’s approach to leadership was one of total dominance and control. In Echo’s eyes that made him a bad officer.
This book is the third in the series, and the bridging provided for readers is helpful and non-intrusive: Jerry had been Ben’s second since his first command following the escape from Corros with Echo. The man was with him on Kerac, and was someone Ben trusted without reservation.
The consequences of extended periods of weightlessness are alluded to: Echo felt her stomach twist at the thought of all that time without weight, but shook her head in denial. That weakness would not defeat her, even if it meant a few weeks of discomfort. She was determined to persevere no matter what.
Space science fiction, by definition, must operate within a set of ‘laws of physics’ that underlies space travel as conceived by the author. Hyperspace as hypothesised by Isaac Isimov and others has been replaced by wormholes as a means of covering enormous distances, yet each concept is accompanied by balancing disadvantages such as: The Fleet warships followed close behind, manned by crews who through long experience were hardened to the debilitating effects of wormhole passage. And: …message signals could not travel unassisted through wormholes, and so word travelled slowly in space.
Mike Waller provides an explanation of wormholes: Wormholes were strange, inexplicable things. Rather than an actual hole, they were little more than microscopic, tube like energy fields stretching from one point in space to another. Where two harmonizing points existed in adjacent star systems, they created a link across deep space. Found usually in specific locations within a system, such as the Lagrange points of a planet’s orbit or close to the star itself, they were a convenient way to traverse vast distances in a matter of minutes, since once inside, the normal laws of physics did not function.
And: A fraction of a millimeter in diameter, the wormhole was not visible. The gate potential was a generalized region, several kilometers in radius, within which a gateway generator could create a link between the microscopic wormhole and a spacecraft.
The power of knowledge held by a minority can lead to serious consequences: Now he knew something she did not. One day the knowledge would prove useful.
Although it is not necessary to have read earlier books in the series, I find that having done so provides enrichment and depth to the story. I am able to understand why some of the characters are motivated to behave as they do. My recommendation would be to read the series in order if at all possible.
I enjoy a rollicking good story as well as the mental challenge of wisely conceived science fiction. ‘Enemy Ally’ provides both.
Mike Waller’s characters are far from cardboard cutouts - they are interesting, developing pleasingly throughout the series: There was no doubt Cooney was a superb fighter, but he was no leader. Arrogant, rude and authoritarian, the man’s approach to leadership was one of total dominance and control. In Echo’s eyes that made him a bad officer.
This book is the third in the series, and the bridging provided for readers is helpful and non-intrusive: Jerry had been Ben’s second since his first command following the escape from Corros with Echo. The man was with him on Kerac, and was someone Ben trusted without reservation.
The consequences of extended periods of weightlessness are alluded to: Echo felt her stomach twist at the thought of all that time without weight, but shook her head in denial. That weakness would not defeat her, even if it meant a few weeks of discomfort. She was determined to persevere no matter what.
Space science fiction, by definition, must operate within a set of ‘laws of physics’ that underlies space travel as conceived by the author. Hyperspace as hypothesised by Isaac Isimov and others has been replaced by wormholes as a means of covering enormous distances, yet each concept is accompanied by balancing disadvantages such as: The Fleet warships followed close behind, manned by crews who through long experience were hardened to the debilitating effects of wormhole passage. And: …message signals could not travel unassisted through wormholes, and so word travelled slowly in space.
Mike Waller provides an explanation of wormholes: Wormholes were strange, inexplicable things. Rather than an actual hole, they were little more than microscopic, tube like energy fields stretching from one point in space to another. Where two harmonizing points existed in adjacent star systems, they created a link across deep space. Found usually in specific locations within a system, such as the Lagrange points of a planet’s orbit or close to the star itself, they were a convenient way to traverse vast distances in a matter of minutes, since once inside, the normal laws of physics did not function.
And: A fraction of a millimeter in diameter, the wormhole was not visible. The gate potential was a generalized region, several kilometers in radius, within which a gateway generator could create a link between the microscopic wormhole and a spacecraft.
The power of knowledge held by a minority can lead to serious consequences: Now he knew something she did not. One day the knowledge would prove useful.
Although it is not necessary to have read earlier books in the series, I find that having done so provides enrichment and depth to the story. I am able to understand why some of the characters are motivated to behave as they do. My recommendation would be to read the series in order if at all possible.
August 4, 2019
This is the third book in the series, but according to the spiel is a standalone story, as is each in the series. I have read the first two books and enjoyed them very much, but that was a year ago, so considering my fragile memory I read this book as a standalone.
This is pure Space Opera, and will be loved by those of us who live on Star Wars, Star Trek etc. It involves a group of specialist military, of which our beloved heroine is now a member, who are sent on a rescue mission to a moon where everything alive is out to kill you. The mission is to rescue some scientists, who may have the answer to a plague which has been unleashed on humanity by the Tolleani, an alien race with whom humanity is at war. Yes, this is a bit of a trope, but it is background only, so I didn't mind in the least.
The story follows the adventures of Echo (now a member of the military, and her team as they land on the moon, find themselves up against the megalomaniac alien who killed Echo's family in book one. Echo is captured, and then finds herself in an alliance with the most unlikely of characters in order to escape, rescue the scientists and rejoin what remains of her team.
With the help of Echo's life-partner Ben, who is a space fighter captain, they escape from the moon, mission successful.
The story is fast paced, action filled and held my interest right to the very last sentence. Even if you have not read the first two books (which I do recommend) you can read and enjoy this one. The last chapter has an interesting twist, which may well be a clue by the author as to the next step this series will take.
I highly recommend this book.
This is pure Space Opera, and will be loved by those of us who live on Star Wars, Star Trek etc. It involves a group of specialist military, of which our beloved heroine is now a member, who are sent on a rescue mission to a moon where everything alive is out to kill you. The mission is to rescue some scientists, who may have the answer to a plague which has been unleashed on humanity by the Tolleani, an alien race with whom humanity is at war. Yes, this is a bit of a trope, but it is background only, so I didn't mind in the least.
The story follows the adventures of Echo (now a member of the military, and her team as they land on the moon, find themselves up against the megalomaniac alien who killed Echo's family in book one. Echo is captured, and then finds herself in an alliance with the most unlikely of characters in order to escape, rescue the scientists and rejoin what remains of her team.
With the help of Echo's life-partner Ben, who is a space fighter captain, they escape from the moon, mission successful.
The story is fast paced, action filled and held my interest right to the very last sentence. Even if you have not read the first two books (which I do recommend) you can read and enjoy this one. The last chapter has an interesting twist, which may well be a clue by the author as to the next step this series will take.
I highly recommend this book.
August 10, 2019
I love a well done sci-fi story that stars a string kick-a** heroine. Echo Bourke, the star of Mike Waller’s Echo's Way books, definitely fits that description. I just binge read the first three of these books, Solitude's End, Dark World and Enemy Ally. They are stand-alone stories but need to be read in sequence as the backstory in prior books adds to the enjoyment of each new book. It’s a total riot following as Echo grows from sole survivor on her colony world of Corros after a vicious attack by the alien race Tolleani through her escape to later adventures as she matured into one heck of a wicked warrior and leader. Plenty of twists and turns (especially in the whole premise of book 3) but uniformly excellent writing, great action-fueled plots and truly well-crafted characters. Total enjoyment is virtually guaranteed. Frankly, but for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed, I could go on and on with praises. The book definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the book is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend.
August 8, 2019
This is such a great series that I had to go back and pick up the first 2 books. Incredible read, all three of them. I love the characters, especially Echo and I am hoping for more!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
August 17, 2023
An excellent second part to this well written adventure series! I really enjoyed this part too! Great ideas, well done, I was sucked straight into the story & found myself not wanting to do other things until I had finished the book! A really great read!
July 31, 2019
Really a good read. Looking forward to the next installment of Echo’s adventures.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews