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Ruins of the Galaxy #1

Ruins of the Galaxy

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The mission is simple. Escort an emissary to an intergalactic peace summit. Try not to get in the way.

Lt. Magnus and his 79th Recon Team have certainly handled worse, after all.

But when an explosion rocks the tower and sends everyone into a panic, Magnus and his asset find themselves cut off from the rest of the team.

Worse still, a dying alien chieftain gives them a priceless drive of intel, marking them for death.

The mission has officially changed.

With enemies on all sides, Magnus must do everything in his power to protect the emissary and escape the tower. There is no back up. There is no chance for failure.

The fate of the entire galaxy now lies in the hands of a Republic Marine and a diplomat.

All they have to do is survive.

Experience the beginning of this sprawling galactic tale in this first entry to the Ruins of the Galaxy series. If you're a fan of Star Wars, Galaxy's Edge, or Battlestar Galactica, you'll love this military scifi epic.


RUNNING TIME ➼ 11hrs.

©2019 J.N. Chaney and Christopher Hopper (P)2020 Podium Publishing

Audible Audio

First published July 27, 2019

1653 people are currently reading
1860 people want to read

About the author

J.N. Chaney

464 books9,618 followers
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
Profile Image for Alice.
100 reviews91 followers
November 15, 2025
The fantasy side hit me like a tank... in that pleasantly flattened sort of way. It starts off all easy and sugar-free, and then of course it absolutely loses its mind. This thing is packed with everything.
Profile Image for Meenaz Lodhi.
1,022 reviews86 followers
August 13, 2019
“You choose, and the universe responds.”
This is not your regular military science fiction story, it’s more than that. It’s a combination of fantasy, thriller, mystery and suspense that really drew my attention. There’s a lot of intrigue that pulled me in from the beginning. Besides being fast paced and action packed, it’s mystic, with a mental power play, a demonstration of our basic and most shallow personality, egocentrism, power hungry and biased beliefs. The world building is fantastic, and it gave me a clear sense of how bleak the world had become. There were plenty of twists in the plot, not all predictable, which is always a nice surprise and will keep you on your toes. The writing is fast paced, brisk, and solid. The authors do add in some humour to shine a little bit of light on a dark story which was appropriate and appreciated.
Just when it seemed the suspense had peaked, Chaney and Hopper turned the ratchet another notch and forced me to read on … made me turn pages with an eagerness that defied sleep, you never know what is going to happen which made this even more fun and action packed! I’m totally snagged!
695 reviews11 followers
February 23, 2020
After a number of non-fiction books, especially those about the sad state of the internet, I went looking for science fiction series to pick up. I wanted something fun to reset my head for more reality.

The algorithms pointed me to the Ruins of the Galaxy series. It sounded interesting and the review numbers pushed my tired brain into picking up the first book.

I went with it when the Marine characters were not acting like professionals. I went with when Awen demonstrated magical abilities. I kept going as a lot of silly events then transpire (our two budding love birds are about to die & she simply mentioning her name gets them all the help they need to get to the next chapter - ugh). But it never really got anywhere interesting. I was skimming through to learn about the wormhole and how multiverses fit in, but back to silly.

The characters are flat. Awen is an elf who has all kinds of magical abilities. True blood was the term used. Touch the Unity. Think Ether spliced with The Force. Her affection for our Marine just got to be too much.

Our Marine LT is proud he has a warrior code. There is a lot of hints of past deeds where he put honor above all. Somehow these hints show our LT has a strong moral compass. But he is that typical Marine character, who is good and wholesome. Oh, no self respecting Marine would say trooper in reference to Marines.

Then there is a girl who has bad dreams that is a part of things. I find that the addition of kids to stories with Marines puts a drag on things.

Add in a shady character with a wise cracking droid that take us through the underworld in this galaxy. Also conspiracies so our intrepid characters no longer trust their institutions, but easily trust said shady characters with few nagging thoughts that maybe it isn’t the right thing to do, but still do it.

This is really a fantasy story with spaceships. It never really worked for me.

Profile Image for Jim.
1,234 reviews50 followers
October 6, 2019
Lt Adonis Olin Magnus, Commanding Officer of Charlie Platoon, Seventy-Ninth Reconnaissance Battalion, Marine Special Units, was on a “milk-run” mission or so he thought. He was to escort one Emissary Awren dau Lothlinium of Luma to a potential peace conference between the Republic and the Jujari Empires. That’s a lot of words for one paragraph, but now you know the names of our two main characters.

Of course Lt Magnus is the warrior-type while Awren is the peaceful-type. They obviously didn’t see eye-to-eye and especially since the peace conference was going to be in hostile territory and could turn deadly at any moment. The Jujari were the on species that had opposed the Republic for as long as most could remember. They were a hostile race and very good at war. For some reason, they now wanted to discuss peace terms. Awren was to be a go-between for the negotiations if they got that far. Unfortunately, the Republic was notoriously bad.

During the conference, Lt Magnus’ job was to keep Awren safe. That was going well until the entire palace blew up! Three separate explosions, one after the other, pretty much killed everyone in the meeting except for Awren and Lt. Magnus. Awren was left unconscious while Lt Magnus just came to his senses. He found the Emissary and took her out of the palace where he hoped she would be safe.

It turns out that after running from the Jujari, they ran right into the lair of bad guy name Abimbola. He had them tied up and was just wondering if they were valuable enough for some kind or ransom or if he should just kill the two. Turns out that Awren’s family had a history with Abimbola and when he found out her full name, he completely changed his attitude. It seems Abimbola owed a very great debt of gratitude towards Awren’s family. With that debt, he immediately released both captives and promised to get them to wherever they wanted to go.

That’s when everything starts going haywire, if it wasn’t already. During the conference and before he died, the Jujari mwadim gave her a star drive which contained something that it seems everyone now wants, even her peaceful organization of Luma. Once Awren reaches her home temple, she finds that not everyone is a kind as they used to be and she eventually has to flee for her life.

Meanwhile, Lt. Magnus has been assigned to find a derelect starship that has asked for help. Apparently it has a Senator aboard with his family. Rescuing the Senator should be an easy mission, but nothing is ever easy for a Marine.

This is a good story off to a good start. I think it’s going to make for a very good series. There’s just enough humor added to make reading this book enjoyable without it getting stupid. I also can’t figure out what will happen next and that’s good for a science fiction book.
1,477 reviews25 followers
August 2, 2019
Ruins Of the Galaxy J.N. Chaney

LT. Magnus is a Republic Marine. Similar to what is a marine recon. A highly specialized special forces unit. Warriors, feared and respected. He and his unit are tasked with protecting a Lumina, a special emissary named Awen. Not a type of tasks marines normally perform. Orders are orders and Magnus and his unit will protect her. Initially, they do not get along. The emissary doesn't want his services. But then everything goes to hell. Non stop action. Enjoyed immensely
532 reviews38 followers
December 17, 2025
3.5 stars. In a world where they can travel through quantum wormholes, can't anyone create an effective anti-nausea medication? and if you were a diplomat with telekinetic ability who had to travel the galaxy, wouldn't you take it regularly instead of constantly throwing up in embarrassingly public situations? (Lol) still, this kept me reading despite some silly plot holes.
Profile Image for Jackson Bell.
92 reviews5 followers
July 31, 2019
I liked the characters and the writing but even though this listed as book one I feel like I came in the middle of the story. Some of the characters Lt Magnus have hints of backgrounds but other characters not enough backstory. There is a short story at the end that almost needs to be a prologue to the book. This also a book one so you are left hanging waiting for the next book which is promised in Aug 2019. I was hooked enough that I am looking forward to book 2.
Profile Image for Jas.
1,032 reviews
April 30, 2023
Ruins of the Galaxy is not just another Mil Sci-fi shoot-em up. It is an intense, gritty, and at times emotionally powerful thrill ride, and one that you will not be able to put down once you have picked it up.
This was one of those books that you find yourself saying ‘Just one more chapter…’, until it is 3am in the morning and you realise you have to be up in just a few hours for work, but you don’t care, you keep reading.
The story starts out introducing us to one of the main characters, Magnus, a Republic Recon Marine. He and his unit are on a mission to guard an Emissary of the Republic in talks with a brutal enemy that the Republic has been trying to bring to the table for peace talks for years, a Canine Warrior species called the Jujari. These are like 6-7ft tall bipedal like dogs, that are incredibly strong, and live under a violent, and vicious regime.
The Emissary, Awen, is the other main character, a humanoid from an order known as the ‘Luma’, she is stunningly beautiful, and is not only an incredibly accomplished diplomat, but having studied as a Luma, she can perform some amazing feats with her mind.
Both Magnus and Awen are incredibly well written, with so much depth and personality, to each of them, as you move through the story, you feel like you know them. Whilst it comes as no surprise that Awen is an intellectual and intelligent character, with some very interesting motives towards the mission as well as those around her, the real surprise is Magnus. He is far from the standard Marine, as most assume (including Awen at the start), with a very keen intellect, and a strong tactical and strategic mind.
This is where the real strength of the story comes from, the research, and depth of the character writing that both the Authors have put into every one of their characters. It is not just the major characters either, each of the minor characters is incredibly well written, each providing an amazing aspect to the story.
Without giving too much away about the story (No Spoilers Here), Magnus and Awen are at this summit to try and bring peace to the Republic and the Jujari. However as with all of these types of stories (otherwise, why would we read them??), things never go to plan, but this time around, the situation is far worse than normal, as the talks are decimated by explosions that leave everyone either dead or near it. Magnus is one of the only ones left standing, and, through things that are explained, so is Awen. But they are now deep in hostile territory, on a hostile Planet, with the leader of the enemy dead in front of them, being one of very few survivors of a deadly explosion.
With enemies on all sides, injured, and not sure where to go, all they can do is run, and try and work out what to do.
The amazing this about this book, is that this is just the opening phase of the story.
Yeh, you read that right, this is the START of the book.
The opening sequence makes a lot of other things you read or watch look like child’s play.
And it only gets better from there.
This is a full on, intense, nail-biting story, with gritty, believable and realistic characters (and no, there are not aliens to judge by, but you can judge how people react to things, and the reactions in this book by the main characters are just brilliant).
Again, without giving too much away, there are some other exceptional characters in this story. I am not going into detail as I don’t want to give spoilers. But certain characters are just outstanding if you have any liking of Star Wars. Although there are parts of this story that are super intense and emotionally powerful, there are some parts that you will be laughing yourself stupid they are so funny.
As with all JN Chaney books, there seems to be a certain proclivity to Easter Eggs of well-known Sci-Fi movies, which always makes these types of books enjoyable, and fun to read.
I have read a lot of books being that I was born a LONG TIME ago, in a, well not a Galaxy, but for those in the US, it is certainly a Country Far Far Away, and, given that I LOVE my Sci-Fi, most of them are from that genre. I am happy to say that this is one of the best Mil Sci-Fi books I have read this year, and anyone who loves Mil Sci-Fi, or just Sci-Fi in general, MUST read this, it is just BRILLIANT, and you can’t miss it. I am already reading the sequel “Ruins of the Galaxy – Gateway to War”, and Part 3 has just been released.
Profile Image for Frances Law.
1,123 reviews14 followers
August 3, 2019
He’s done it again!

J.N. Chaney has done it again! This time in collaboration with Christopher Hopper! They’ve started a new series! Congratulations Christopher because Lt. Adonis Magnus is a great hero. But...... once more we are waiting! Thank goodness it’s only for weeks and not months (or years with some authors!). From this rant you can probably work out that this book is well worth reading. The characters are well rounded and different. There is, of course, Lt Adonis Magnus and his men; the ‘Four’ are in the opening scenario only and otherwise appear in Magnus’ memories, but they are each established with their own quirks and make a strong impression. Then there is the Luma, Awen. She is a beautiful young woman who has devoted herself to the study of the control of her mind through the Unity of All Things. Awen Lau Lothlinium ( at this point I must say that Arwen of Lothlorien immediately came to mind! LOL!) is an emissary to peace talks with the Jujari, an alien warrior race that has refused any alliance with the Republic up until now. She has studied them for six years and is the only member of the delegation who can speak their language and understands their beliefs.
After the talks are ended in a spectacular fashion, Magnus and Awen find themselves en route to Awen’s home world for her to report and get advise. Once there they separate and things go very differently to what either of them expected! There are some very engaging characters in this story and one very strange young girl called Piper and an even more strange Admiral! It will be interesting to see Piper’s character develope.
Any lover of military sci-fi will like this although there are no large space battles. I can see Magnus and Awen becoming favourites.
Highly recommended.
1,419 reviews1 follower
Read
September 19, 2025
Rating: minus 10 on a scale of minus 5 through plus 5.

My original review was a note to self to avoid this writer. My rewrites are now attempts
at more clarity and I write for a hypothetical audience.

Before I start, I must visit the YouTube. This was made possible by Doctor Who/Be Kind - Reality Genre Studios, NCMI, fig tree, Anark, Chris Norlund, Red Glasgow, AllShorts, LuckyBlackCat, Reese Waters, RevolutionarythOt, New Enlightenment with Ashley, Texas Paul, ATP Geopolitics, Strange Aeons, Keffals, Yanis Varoufakis, Miranda Mills, Welcome to Ukraine, Subha Reads, Brianna Puppet, Reads with Rachel, Fit 2B Read, Nerdy Kathi, Dungeons and Discourse, Players Aid, Reese Waters, No Justice, Canadian Dominion, Jay Exci, Shades of Orange, Monday through Friday, CTV News, Spacedock, OrangeRiver, Canadian Dominion, Heather Cox Richardson, Delamer, Tibees, Amie's Literary Empire, The Gaze, Emma Thorne, Fundie Fridays, Welcome to Ukraine, Tod Maffin, CBC News, Matriarchetype, Eva Schubert, Mary Trump, Cindy's Villa, Jason Jay Smart, Northern Narrowboaters, Your True Shelf, Dropkick Murphys, Haropones, Cruising Crafts, Winging it on a Budget, Nomadic Crobot, Roisin's Reading, Naughty Nana DUZ, FAFO, The Weary Researcher, Dan Davis History, PoliticsGirl, The Great War, Ministry of Miniatures, Sanna Vaara, Ancient Anericas, Portable Orange, Paul Warburg, Marsh Family, Garron, TallGirl6234, Shades of Orange, The Growth Path, Raw News and Politics, Zherro, Vidya Mitra, Ember Green, Ms Paints, Queen City Miniatures, Parkrose Permaculture, AllShorts, Agro Squirrel Narrates, May, Spacedock, Kyiv Post, Michael DuBois, Times Radio, Gingers are Black, Tori Talks, Life Priced, Farm to Faber, Professor Tim Wilson, Political CUSTARD, Godless Granny, The Confused Adipose.

I saw an idiot who whilst insulting an essayist whom I like, complain to her that I list channels with trans creators. The arrogant self-importance of the poorly socialised US male still on occasion amuses me.

A trigger warning then. The channels which I list include the economist, military historian, bi, Canadian, married, miniatures painter, intersex, tall, socialist, cosplayer, trans, redhaired, archaeologist, asexual, communist, Irish, astrophysicist, logician, lesbian, military miniatures gamer, WOC, queer, primatologist, Indian, model, literature critic, mathematician and others known as Women.

Almost as threatening to carefully nurtured ignorance are the channels hosted by anthropologist, other BIPOC, futurist, neurodivergent, Ukrainian, linguist, military board gamer, boater, lumber yard family, German, other LGBTQI+, chemist, zoologist, miniatures gamer, anarchist, boat builder, British, train modeller and other creators known by the healthily socialised as Human Beings.

If the voices persist, adopt a pet, learn to read, join the Church of England and/or repeat several times daily "I will not be a bellend today". My feelings towards these exemplars of brutish behaviour are best described as contempt. Elbows Up!

Onto the book. In what at first glance seems a departure from his other books, he writes a major character as woman. This is such a weird attempt. The "strong female" characters can not control their hormonal reactions to white males. The males are all carefully identified as latino, black (no Asians, if I remember correctly), so it is safe to assume that the others are white.

In all these spacey-space boom-boom books, the writers fail to create military characters as either sympathetic or human. The low end writers must actually think that soldiers are solely the poorly socialised, poorly educated, conscience lacking killer. It can only be that these writers have no knowledge of naval/military history or culture (which is a certainty among US writers) and their research consist of over-the-top videogames only.

Writing them as human has been done successfully by other writers. I am not surprised since all characters are in these books, first person game avatars or NPCs. That suggests that these Amazon writers either can not read or choose to not and thereby are unable to benefit from superior examples.

This book felt a failed attempt to describe female characters as three dimensional. Yet in the middle of a life and death situation, an alien female is jealous of a human female's legs. Another comment is that her rival (?) is intelligent, so the alien is not now jealous. The sensitive marine is flirting with a woman, whose husband was buried hours before. Is that normal for the men in the writer's circle? Do new widows normally recover from grief that quickly in the writer's experience?

Either the writer failed in his attempt to portray women as fully fleshed characters or the writer intentionally expressed his misogyny. In either case, exposure to actual women can not but benefit.

Besides toxic masculinity, misogynistic stereotypes and the rest, the plot suffers as much as the worldbuilding. The plot holes include bombs being positioned to surprise the heroes, when their was no knowledge of the targets' route.

The writer did as usual not think through the scenes, which is common to Amazon Unlimited titles. Editing does not just catch misspelling or incorrect punctuation, so I wonder if there was editing.

The world building is not spectacular, though incorporating quantum tunnelling and distinguishing between a quasi wormhole and black holes was cool. The series can not improve with the level of writing being applied.

Another visit to the YouTube have been earned. This next is courtesy of Doctor Who/Cruel or Cowardly - StoryScape Studios, NCMI, Anark, Honest Government Ads, Mia Mulder, Yanis Varoufakis, Monte Mader, The Gaze, Samantha Lux, Broken Peach. LetterKenny, Kazachka, Your True Shelf, Terrible Writing Advice, Noella Reacts, Purple Sweater, ScaredKetchup, Dark Seas, Dark Skies, Dark Brandon, FunkyFrogBait, Kozak Muzon, Aid Thompsin, Silicon Curtain, Interesting Times, Lee Francis, Ukraine Calling, Cimnanya, Dark Brandon, Viva La Dirt League, Anka Daily News, Riverboat Jack, Giant Freakin Robot, Kat Abughazaleh, AsiAm Ireland, Military Aviation History, Anna from Ukraine, Fall of Civilisations, Grace McGuire, Just in Time Worldbuilding, Tale Foundry, Jormungandr, JohnTheDuncan, Guard the Leaf, Jean's Thoughts, Valenti Videos, Cold Fusion, Zac Rios, What's Going on With Shipping, Central Crossing, Battle Order, Postmodern Jukebox, Kyiv Independent.

Consider treating this as a potentially hostile site. 🤔

Goodreads do not encourage discourse. As example, I wrote a short negative review of Powers of the Earth, poorly written, as are the writer's previous books, revealed by a scan of same. It is a sad imitation of "Atlas Shrugged" in a lunar setting, celebrating the MAGA lunatic or twisted January 6, 2021 hero.

This was the heroic tale of a newly rich twat enlisting the military to overthrow the US government in order that he not pay inheritance tax. This and similar storylines are the "libertarian" backbone of the Unlimited selections. I found the story as the rest, to be unhealthy and dangerous. These works were most effective in creating the 2025 USA, in which the poor violently defend governmental financial support of the wealthy and billionaires. Madness.

The writer, Travis Corcoran self-described as libertarian (now anarcho capitalist without portfolio?) and vigorous supporter of the return of chattel slavery (popular US stance with active legislative/policy support at federal and state levels), veteran, employee of an unnamed US agency and admirer of Putin (popular governmental policy among the MAGA).

He and six fellow patriots were outraged by my opinion and spent nearly a year with unhinged comments addressing my intelligence, my personality, the evils of Socialism and other issues not related to what they literally considered a modern masterpiece. I have had numerous times on this site which cause me to wish for a term meaning Irony to the 3rd power. I am certain that every other socialist or communist have encountered similar.

The final comment was delivered by Claes Rees Jr aka cgr710 now ka Clayton R Jesse Jr who after referencing the contents of my last message to a Goodreads friend, grandly declared that They had "won" (?).

I discovered that They had launched a year long campaign of vile sexual, racist, ableist and other comments against apparently every female creator of channels I mentioned, sometimes in my name. It continues still. Unsurprisingly They failed to charm the linguist, modeller, mathematician, boater or the many others.

Despite that setback, They did manage to increase the global overabundance of unpleasantness and They also delivered a painfully accurate self-portrait of the Snowflake (vicious, ignored, cowardly, much put upon US man-child) to a multinational audience. I imagine that on balance this was quite the Victory ??

Goodreads are certainly a splendid reader forum ?? Fortunately there are BookTubers to guide you to better reader sites.

Another visit to the YouTube earned. This last was made possible by Doctor Who "Where I Fall", fig tree, NCMI, Anne Applebaum, Dr Fatima, TransCrush, Amanda's Mild Takes, Captured in Words, Planet D, More Perfect Union, Wes O'Donnell, NFKRZ, Parkrose Permaculture, Lily Simpson, Purple Sweater, Megalithhunter, IMY2, Acollierastro, Kozak Siromaha, Guard the Leaf, Ukraine Matters, Brittany Page, Gutsick Gibbon, Irish Pagan School, Chloe Daniels, Tennessee Brando, Novara Media, Tom Nicholas, Kat Blacque, Dr Ben Miles, Viva La Dirt League, Anna Kallschmidt PhD, The Military Show, Ukraine News TV, CBC British Columbia, Verilybitchie, Paul Warburg, Anvil of Doom Miniatures, Sailing Melody, Ship Happens, Northern Narrowboaters, Leena Norms, Bernadette Banner, Karolina Zebrowska, Shannon Makes, Mia Mulder, The Leftist Cooks, More Perfect Union, Writing with Andrew, AuDHD, Cruising Crafts, Naughty Nana DUZ, Princess Weekes, Luminal Spaces, Write with Claire Fraise, According to Alina, Dr Becky, A French DW Fan, Harbo Wholmes, WhoCulture, Guard the Leaf, Russian Media Monitor, Doctor Who/The Last Time Lord -The Sherlock Studio, Delamer, Rogue Hobbies, Ninjon, Squidmar Miniatures, Zumikito, Lyla Mev.

Ominous music begins. 😊 The comment gangs are prevalent across this site. My bad experience began three months into my Unlimited membership and employee refusal to respond to my questions was begun. The comments were surprising but my reviews being blocked by Amazon was stunning.

These gangs operate in the speculative fiction and romance spaces. Their antics are hardly limited to comments, as demonstrated by the Powers review reaction. They had expanded Their activities to include doxxing, stalking, threats and the acceptable among US readers would seem to soon allow the Swatting. One star reviewer/members but also BookTubers were targeted. To my knowledge, Amazon have not acknowledged any incident, disciplined any member groups, punished any writer who organised a gang or dismissed any employee enabling Them.

My moment of enlightenment arrived after our friends at Amazon shared my limited message history with the mental. There followed a request through Pine Gap Centre of Australian Security that They interrogate the one friend whom I very occasionally messaged on Goodreads. The attempt at my personal history failed, though two outraged customers were created.

Amazon were unconcerned until we shared the event as widely as possible. They offered no apology, no explanation or even acknowledgement. The response was all visible harassment being undone or masked. Page formats were returned to the normal, page options restored, the many vicious comments and the half dozen or so normal were masked, even my notification history was oddly gutted and truncated. All lurkers whom I had not been Permitted to remove previously were disappeared, etc. Amazon customer service seems rubbish. 😊

A seventh ex-employee of EBay was sentenced for harassment of a couple whose small ecommerce channel was deemed unkind to EBay. The couple were awarded several millions and the ex-employee had been the EBay Chief of Global Security or some such.

Facebook was instrumental in at least two genocide attempts with no governmental consequences. After the Trump inauguration, Facebook now uses no monitoring. US data corporations are no longer retrained. These are things worthy of a think.

I recommend several precautions. Remove all personal information from profile and avoid the messaging app. Remove all Lurkers, those who never post. They are monitors for gangs or dummies for certain employees, not admirers. Given the cavalier approach of Amazon to customer safety, the screenshot of the odd, ugly and threatening are lifesaving. These should suffice.

Kindle present a more serious threat. Do Not use Files, Contacts, Calendar or Email. I confirmed that Amazon read customer email without notice or permission. Do Not "purchase" Amazon e-books, as you own only your device not downloads. Those may be deleted or altered at whim. All Silk searches should be innocuous and non-critical. There are BookTubers who discuss alternative ebook devices, publishers and book sources.

A Fox Host suggests that the Homeless should be forcibly euthanized and within a day or so, a homeless encampment was subjected to a mass shooting. Patriots suggest that any citizen who does not support the Republican Party should be killed. Husbands whose wives have been sent to The new US concentration camps, still on camera claim to support the current US government. None of the above was considered particularly newsworthy in US press.

The behaviour above demonstrates that certain members and employees would never ask "Are we the baddies?" but are US patriots. Ominous music ends. 😊

Be safe and may we all find good reading. 🤗

Some favourite channels.
NCMI, fig tree, Candlelit Tales, Guardian Australia, Queen Penguin, BookishDadReads, TizzyEnt, GenericArtDad, IMY2, Michael DuBois, What Vivi did Next, Lady Knight the Brave, Jessie Gender, The Bill Kelly Podcast, Bobbing Along, Cruising Alba, Ukraine News TV, V.Birchwood, Prime of Midlife, Lily Alexandre, Three Arrows, Shelby Exists and Makes Stuff, AllShorts, DW News, Jill Bearup, Oceanliner Designs, NerdForge, Real Vintage Dolls House, Brigitte Empire, Teacher Therapy, Claus Kellerman POV, Skip Intro, Sarah Millican, Nikki Carreon, Annamarie Forcino, Allison Talks Books, House of EL, KernowDamo, Isabel Svan, Jonathan Pie, Reese Waters, Crash Course, Deerstalker Pictures, Dominic Noble, Words in Time, Feral Historian, Lily Simpson, Aid Thompsin, Sabine Hossenfelder, Jungian Echoes, Verilybitchie, Irish Myths, Cambrian Chronicles, Red Viburnam Song, Some Ordinary Gamers, Writing with Jenna Moreci, Steve Shives, Nicole Chilaka-Ukpo, Grumpy Old Crone, Up and Atom, CBC News, Snappy Dragon, Nonsense-Free Editor, Abbie Emmons, Jared Henderson, Katie Halper, Jay Reed, Scallydandling About the Books, Solo Second Half, Cruising Crafts, Cruising The Cut, Canada Pressroom, Tom Powell Jr, Stanzi, SPOKANKI, TLDR News EU, Unreal Affairs, France 24, Biz, Unlearning Economics, Dark Brandon, RFU News, Jason Jay Smart, The Gaze, League of Steam, Saga Lore AI, JammiDodger, Activist Witch, Diary of a Ditch Witch, Dreamloop Cinema, Aurora Trek, Bookworm, Lena Down Under, Slaggy Book Club, Emilie's Literary Corner, Science Fiction with Damien Walter, Lady Knight the Brave, History of Everything, Isaac Arthur, No Justice, Way Out of Line, Cult College, The War at Home, Amie's Literary Empire, Books and Things, A Very Casual Librarian, Lady of the Library, Rengade Cut, Cimnanya, Book Furnace, Underground News Reboot, Physics Girl, Tale Foundry, Jared Henderson, ScaredKetchup, Underthedesknews, Bryony Claire, Lonely Reader, Sons of Liberty, Esther Natukunda, Main Street Report, Dasia Sade, Times Radio, Fredda, Kings and Generals, Rogue Hobbies, Jess Owens, Military Rated, Fun Size Reader, Starbound Extra, Drunk on Tea, Star Wreck, Guard the Leaf, Knitting Cult Lady, Valentin E32, The Leftist Cooks, Mr Newberger's AI Funnies, The Great War.

I wish you a glorious morning, an exciting afternoon, a restful evening, a stellar night and may we all continue learning.

Fear hones the mind, rather than paralyses.
20 reviews
August 6, 2020
Listened to the audiobook. R.C Bray does an amazing job as always.

The story starts out intriguing enough, albeit a little standard, but it gives the book a nice familiar feeling and an easy opening. As it progresses it oozes with the sense that it was inspired by all the great current military sci-fi reads. And thats exactly what it is. It tries to stake its own identity of being an original setting but it draws a little too much from the inspiration material. It gets really trope-y. It isn't plagiarism or copying, the characters are unique an memorable enough in their own right, but it treads a verrrrrrrry fine line.

Overall, the story is decent and makes me want to read the second, but I am a little weary that it might fall on the wrong side of the line between "inspired by" and "ripped off".

Overall 4/5
Its written just how I like it, but a little too much like other books in terms of setting.
Profile Image for Jen.
2,177 reviews154 followers
October 13, 2020
This story was chock full of everything - marines trying to protect ambassadors who could escape to a higher plane, a warrior race of hyenas, a Han Solo sort, a C3PO type and a little girl with special powers. It was kind of all over the place, but generally entertaining enough to keep me engaged. The somewhat cliffhanger ending has me continuing to the second book. It's not riveting, but it's decent entertainment.

And the reason I listened to this was RC Bray, who was amazing as usual.
Profile Image for Abel Montero.
Author 20 books187 followers
November 17, 2021
La mia esperienza con Chaney e Hopper è stata di puro divertimento senza pensieri.
I personaggi e la storia sono semplici, facili da seguire e sono definiti/progettati per fare in modo che l'immedesimazione sia praticamente immediata.
Il romanzo manca di originalità, ma è coinvolgere e una volta iniziato non lo si molla più.
Il narratore dell'audiolibro è fenomenale.
Profile Image for Jesse James.
Author 1 book19 followers
April 16, 2020
I really enjoyed my time with this, it was a fun ride and an easy read. There are some things I really would of appreciated though and I thought were lacking, however, so I'm going to start with those as I usually do.

I felt like the world-building in this was neglected, now, this isn't entirely a bad thing as the book does get straight into the meat of things like action and story-telling without bogging you down in exposition about the world, that's always a plus, however, I had absolutely no bearings on where, when, who or what anything was.

What year is it? Why no mentions of Earth? How far into Space Has humanity colonized? Etc etc, not so much as even a galaxy map or anything! All I'm left with is assumptions and these aren't the good kind of assumptions that build mystery, they just feel gaping.

Avoiding exposition is hard, but besides utilizing a map (which admittedly, a 2D map of 3D space is well, that has problems of its own) but they could have given us a calendar and location at the start of each chapter, I've seen other Sci-Fi novels do this and it always helps me get my bearings.

Also, I tried looking for a Wikipedia on this universe, I could not find one, if one does exist please point me too it. A Wikipedia is a good way of fleshing something like this out whilst avoiding exposition, it leaves the information as a choice for those who want to seek it out and a universe as big as this feels should have one of those in my opinion.

Oh and one other thing, the cover art has the protag wearing green armor but in the book it's said to be black, so that was one inconsistency.

Anyway, I digress, so the downsides to this were really only a lack of information, the characters, action, flow, etc all were all very good, the protagonist is a likeable guy, the leading woman or second protagonist also. Their chemistry was good too, and I laughed out loud at a couple of the scenes with the robot, I love that little guy, my favorite character is a machine haha.

Overall this was just a very good Military Science Fiction read, there's not much else to say about it without sounding like nitpicky asshole which I probably have done already, I also couldn't help but notice that it didn't really take any risks. This next point ISN'T a downside as some might like it, but swearing in this universe has been replaced with the word "splick" in all manner of mannerism, "splicking this" or "splick that" or "this splicking splicks"

It was kind of funny in a childish/cringy sort of way but this is just me personally, it's my opinion that if you're going to put characters in situations where they would swear, just have them swear. I understand some people don't like that but it just seemed very childish in what was otherwise a very adult story, with lots of blood, gore, violence and other adult themes juxtapositioned with what amounts to infantile censorship was kind of jarring. I reiterate though, I know I'm making it sound like a harsh criticism but this is for *me personally*, if you're reading this and hate curse words in your reading than you're in for a treat, which leads me to my next point.

It's a very safe story in a very safe world as far as offending people would go, whether it be political correctness, religion, culture, ethnicity, morality, ethics, cursing, it challenges nobody in anyway, it didn't seem to have any deeper themes or philosophy either which again is fine if your focus is on just telling a good story, and it's highly marketable which explains its success, not that it isn't a good read, it is, you can be highly marketable all you want but if your story is shit or not well written you aren't getting splick. Great. Now I'm saying it. Again, based on who you are personally this could be a very big plus. You might not want real life problems invading your fictional escape from well, reality.

That's basically it, in short if you want to read this you're in for a very enjoyable action-packed thrill ride that won't challenge any belief systems that you may hold about anything. 8/10 for good execution and making me chuckle quite a bit.
Profile Image for Whiskeyjack.
242 reviews2 followers
May 26, 2025
Good military sci-fi. Enjoyed the action and story lines. But got a bit tired of the how great and honorable the marines are, the warrior ethos etc. R.C. Bray did again an excellent job with the narration and I really appreciated the extra novellas and the author's note that were included.
Profile Image for DAVID.
583 reviews5 followers
February 8, 2020
Great new Series

Well just started this series and got the first book done now into the rest... Struggled a little bit at first and got stuck into now I am hooked and need to carry on lol
Profile Image for Robert.
9 reviews
October 23, 2019
A great starting point. Hopper's ability to switch between character perspectives just as you're getting right into it is something that is both fantastic and infuriating (in a good way). It constantly leaves you on the edge, causing you to force yourself to not put it down so you can find out what happens to that character, only to become invested in the next as the cycle loops around and around. You learn more about, and become heavily invested in each character's position in the grand scheme. You are given an insight to their motives and what makes them tick in a way that can't be replicated by following one character through a story with a cast of side characters. I have many questions and I'm excited to see what happens next for Magnus, Arwen, Bimby, TO-96 and the rest of the gang. Bring on the sequel!
3,198 reviews26 followers
September 21, 2019
A JNC./CH. Collaboration of a SYFY. Deep Space Action Adventure (ROTG) (AMSE)

JNC . And CH. have collaborated to write A SYFY. Deep Space Action Adventure which begins with a Marine detachment being assigned escort duty of an emissary to an intergalactic meeting. The trip out was simple, just long and boring. The emissary was delivered to his meeting with the Marine detachment standing. A bomb exploded in the building where the meeting takes place. The Marines rescue their emissary, but at the same time another emissary passes information that causes them to be targets. This is an excellent read for the genre.....DEHS
3 reviews
November 6, 2019
First pages a slow start, began to wonder -- THEN . . . .

It all began to take off -> got better & bester almost page by chapter. I'm a convert! And from here I'm planning to dive right into the rest of the series. Quite innovative • interesting races/cultures • OK characters • would have awarded the cherished 5 stars except for initial pages which almost caused me to ditch the volume ~> which would have been a real loss • SCI-FI - The Future Now!
937 reviews8 followers
August 7, 2019
An epic adventure

I enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait for the next one. Great characters with realistic situations and lots of action.
Amazingly immersive writing that will take you on a journey to far off worlds.
I will look for more from these authors.
310 reviews4 followers
August 22, 2019
Good read

Another winner with great storyline and characters. Love the way The author intertwines plots and subplots. Even the added short story is great and gives you insight on some of the main characters!
Profile Image for Nigel Frankcom.
398 reviews4 followers
September 11, 2019
Lots of fun, well worth reading...

Highly entertaining and well worth reading. Lots of dos daring-ed and buckles swashed in this romp through space. An excellent storyline with great characters. I’m looking forward to reading more.
27 reviews8 followers
December 28, 2019
Great start to a series

Several laugh-out-loud moments, good action, enough characters to make things interesting, and a universe still waiting for its backstory. Good stuff so far.
Profile Image for Carole Eshenbaugh.
255 reviews
January 21, 2020
Good start

This is a good in depth story with solid characters. Story line is outstanding. It stirred my imagination. I do like the authors presentation of the different worlds. His description of the non humanoid characters was spot on. Thanks for a good story
274 reviews3 followers
August 4, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. I am so looking forward to the next one.
27 reviews1 follower
September 9, 2019
Utter nonsense

This is truly terrible, highly derivative, and rather obnoxious.
What on earth were they thinking?

The plot is pathetic. Dross.
94 reviews1 follower
October 5, 2019
Good story

Characters well developed and interesting. Some hard science and a little mysticism. Blah blah blah blah. I hate being forced to add words to submit.
10 reviews
October 30, 2019
THE RUINS WILL PULL YOU IN!

Excellent tale, well told. Hooked me early and I eagerly await the next book.
How will not regret this read.
Profile Image for Don Viecelli.
Author 28 books28 followers
November 23, 2020
My Book Review Number 200!

This is my 200th Sci-Fi book review! It is on Ruins Of The Galaxy (Book 1 of 9 in the Series) by Christopher Hopper and J.N. Chaney. This is the second book I have read by these two authors. It is an exciting Military Science Fiction story with memorable characters, exciting military action scenes and interesting story about a special mission that goes sideways from the very start.

Lieutenant Adonis Olin Magnus and his special Recon Team are selected to provide security for a special mission based on their experience and reputation. Magnus and his 15 member Alpha Platoon wait for the Republic ambassador and his envoy to arrive on a landing platform in Oosafar, capital city of the dog-like Jujari. It is a peaceful mission to stop the fighting and get the Jujari to join the Republic. It doesn’t go peacefully!

Magus is tasked to watch over a Luma Emissary named Awen dau Lothlinium who will help convince the Jujari to stop fighting the Republic. Awen has trained most of her life for this moment utilizing the energy found in the “Unity of all things” and possesses special skills that will be needed for these negotiations. Still, it will not totally protect her or the others around her when things get out of hand. The Jujari have a secret they pass on to Awen who must now give it to her Masters on Luma.

The story expands beyond the world of the Jujari when Magnus must protect and save Awen from others who want the knowledge she now possesses. New characters are introduced into the story that help Awen when she and Magnus are separated. Awen learns the secret the Jujari give her and what it all means. It will lead her and others to unexpected places.

Magnus is assigned a new mission and tries to learn the fate of his former platoon members. Along the way he must protect another important member of the Republic and his family from a new enemy. It turns out that one member of this family is just as important to the story as Awen.

I give this book Four Stars because the story is interesting and action packed. The story builds new worlds that expand the universe. The main characters are memorable and possess real emotional feelings. The plot is somewhat disjointed, but comes together in the end. The dialogue and writing style are excellent. The science is somewhat imaginative in places. I look forward to reading the next book in this series from these two authors in the future to see if how the story and characters evolve over nine books.

Keep reading good science fiction and let me know when you find an interesting novel or author.
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