All Quiet on the Second Front?

Exodus: Empires at War #15

by Doug Dandridge

Beata Bednarczyk has taken care of the Machines, the mistake from the Empire's past. She was to be rewarded with a promotion and assignment to the main front, fighting alongside the senior commanders of the fleet. She received the promotion, but assignments have a way of changing.

Things have changed on the Second Front, the war of the genetically engineered humans and the Cacas. The Klavarta, as they are called, have held their own against the Cacas, even pushing into the imperial space of the big aliens. They have been preparing for another push. The commander of the New Terran Empire forces on loan was killed in battle, and Sean had need of a senior commander to take that officer's place. Someone with the rank to command respect. Beata got the assignment, despite her lack of diplomatic acumen. A major command of her own, befitting a six star flag officer. The only problem was her placement under the command of the senior Klavarta admiral, an arrogant Alpha who doesn't trust the Imperials, and especially has no reason to trust the new human officer. Beata finds herself in a political quagmire, up to her neck in intrigue she is ill prepared to deal with

Added to the problems is the attitudes of the Klavarta, beings who had been raised as xenophobes by their former deposed masters. Deeply ingrained attitudes don't disappear overnight, and while most are willing to change their behavior, some refuse to see the truth. Including the supreme commander of their fleet. The Cacas have not been sitting still, waiting for the next Klavarta/human attack. A new commander has been assigned to the front, a Ca'cadasan of exceptional intelligence and unwavering conviction. He has a plan to ambush the next Klavarta offensive, forging into their territory after defeating their fleet. If he succeeds it may be up to one human admiral to stop him. If that is even possible. The saga continues, as massive empires battle it out in a war of extermination among the stars. Only one can survive. Scroll up and grab a copy today.

Genres: Space Opera, Science Fiction, Military Fiction

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 22, 2019

About the author

Doug Dandridge was born in Venice Florida in 1957, the son of a Florida native and a Mother of French Canadian descent. An avid reader from an early age, Doug has read most of the classic novels and shorts of Science Fiction and Fantasy, as well as multiple hundreds of historical works. Doug has military experience including Marine Corps JROTC, Active Duty Army, and the Florida National Guard. He attended Florida State University, studying Biology, Geology, Physics, and Chemistry, and receiving a BS in Psychology. Doug then studied Clinical Psychology at the University of Alabama, with specific interests in Neuropsychology and Child Psychology, completing a Masters and all course work required for a PhD. He has worked in Psychiatric Hospitals, Mental Health Centers, a Prison, a Juvenile Residential Facility, and for the his last seven years in the work force for the Florida Department of Children and Families. Since March of 2013 he has worked as a full time writer. Doug has been writing on and off for fifteen years. He concentrates on intelligent science fiction and fantasy in which there is always hope, no matter how hard the situation. No area of the fantastic is outside his scope, as he has completed works in near and far future Science Fiction, Urban and High Fantasy, Horror, and Alternate History.
Doug has published 34 books on Amazon, with over 230,000 sales with 5,000 reviews averaging 4.6 stars. He will be publishing his first traditionally published book in 2018, followed by the second book of the contracted series. Also in the planning stages are post apocalyptic and alternate history series.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

After fifteen books in a series, you’d think I would like the story-line. Well, I do no that the Cas’cadas are getting their butts whipped! It’s been a long time coming, but it look like the Human Empire (plus their alien allies) are making some great strides into Cas’cadas territory. While their Empire is huge, their new, young emperor is an idiot and that helps.

This story moves to the other side of the Cas’cadan Empire where the Nation of New Earth and the genetically modified humans and a few allies have been fighting the Cas’cadas pretty much to an even stand-still. These Nation of New Earth humans are being greatly assisted by assets from Emperor Sean Ogden Lee Romanov who has just assigned Grand Fleet Admiral Beata Bednarczyk and her augmented fleet to this second front. It was hoped that with these new assets, the New Earth alliance could push further into Cas’cadan territory and cause them to have to split their assets between two fronts, weakening both!

Yet, compromises are what alliances are made of, for the most part. The Nation of New Earth already has a Grand Fleet Admiral in charge of all fleet assets in the Empire. He naturally wants to command anything that is fighting for his empire just as would any grand fleet admiral. So, it’s made very clear early on that Grand Fleet Admiral Bednarczyk will be subordinate to Grand Fleet Admiral Jrasstra Klanarat, a Klavarta Alpha. That’s not all that unexpected, but his first thoughts are to spread Admiral Bednarczyk’s units out among his leaving her with nothing much to command and staying back at the Nation of New Earth capital. That idea obviously doesn’t go over well with Admiral Bednarczyk and she says so in front of the Nation of New Earth President. He is somewhat smarter than his Admiral, but knows that unity of command is important, but he only goes as far as telling his Admiral that he will not separate the Empires assets, but use them to support his ops while they are still under Bednarczyk’s command.

So, command arrangement have been made and a new situation is created in the Nation of New Earth. Meanwhile, the Cas’cas have been doing some strategic planning on their own. They need to finish one of these fronts off and soon. So, the Cas’cadan emperor directs on of his Great Admirals to take as much assets as they can spare and go defeat the Nation of New Earth immediately. Once that’’s done, those assets and everything else the Cas’cadan empire has will be focused on a single enemy and a single front. Fortunatley for the Cas’cas, this new Great Admiral is somewhat smart, but not a fan of the young idiot emperor.

And most unfrotunately, the Nation of New Earth Grand Admiral isn’t very bright! He thinks he knows exactly what this new Cas’cadan force will be doing and where to hit them the hardest. His plan doesn’t work at all and now the Nation of New Earth faces a real threat. Can Grand Fleet Admiral Bednarczyk save them all? She better!

[Per Gunnar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a solid installment in the series even though, with only about 250 pages, it is perhaps somewhat shorter than most of the previous books. Nevertheless I found the story great.

This book is a bit of a triangle drama. In one corner we have the Caca commander who possesses a unusual intellect for a Caca commander. In another corner we have the Klavarta commander who has a hugely overinflated ego and looks down on everyone else. Finally in the third corner we have my favorite, Beata Bednarczyk, a Terran Empire commander who kicks ass and doesn’t care if someone’s ego gets bruised while doing it, especially not a certain Klavartan’s.

So the stage is set for some big time fleet action in space. Something that Doug Dandridge usually does with bravado. And indeed, he doesn’t disappoint. It’s clobbertime by dreadnought.

To no one’s surprise, previously mentioned Klavarta commander, manages to screw things up rather spectacularly, so while he goes on a bit of a sightseeing tour in a escape pod it’s up to Beata to save the day. Something that, of course, didn’t get any simpler with, you know who, having managed to get a good chunk of the Klavarta fleet blown up underneath him.

I really like how the book flips between the three, or rather two for most of the book, commanders. Especially when Beata throws surprise after surprise against the Cacas. I love the what the f… sensation on and around the Caca commander.

As I wrote, a solid installment in the series.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good installment in Exodus tale

It's been a little while since the last look at what is happening on the other side of the Galaxy from the New Terran Empire.

The descendants of the other Exodus ship to escape the Ca'cadasans have been keeping them tied up for decades on the other front, keeping resources tied up there that aren't being used against the New Terran Empire.
This balance is now threatened by a large Caca fleet led by an uncharacteristically shrewd Admiral driven to end the stalemate on the Klavarta front and tip the balance on the other.

Doug Dandridge spins a suspenseful account of these events as they unfold. Another good story, and several hours that I was glad to sit inside turning pages on a sunny day so I could find out how it ended.

[Patrick Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite sci-fi space opera series

The series is outstanding. I just finished boom 15. I have read book 1-10 twice. It may seem daunting at first , but once you know the main characters everything flows.

[Leif Dolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not all Quiet

I always enjoy reading a book from this author. He makes my mind see the action of the books I read.
This story adds to the universe a few new characters. They look large in the action of this book. Wen you read this book, and you should! Think about the political action as well as the fighting. And enjoy!

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure if this series is going to last

I think the author is getting tired of this series. The last 2 books in this series have not been as good. This was just a cookie cutter novel over all. Not really any advancement in the overall story no real character development just one long space battle without a real resolution. Plus there are a lot of editing errors in the book, a lot more than what have been present in the past.

I have been waiting to see what happened to other characters in the series but I guess certain plot lines have just ended or have been dropped. The assassin that helped out the emperor, expected more to come from that, what happened to the scientist that gave the Caca the wormhole tech it has been like 5 books since he was mentioned. And if I remember correctly he had sabotaged the gates the Caca’s were building. There are others. I will continue reading this series but it’s more that I have been reading it for 15 books now and I hate to not see the ending.

[Ray Ritchey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Addition

Gods addition to the series that moves it forward and builds a foundation for the next book, a bit of a reboot and we find out more of the challenges of the 2nd front.