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Forgotten Starship #1
Exodus
In the year 2050, we make first contact.
By 2052, the war is over.
We lose.
Our last hope for survival rests inside a massive hangar hidden within the Rocky Mountains. Pioneer is the largest starship ever constructed. A marvel of human ingenuity and the apex of our technological know-how, she’s ready to embark on a long journey across the final frontier in search of a new world to call home.
But space is full of danger.
And some problems aren’t easily left behind…
By 2052, the war is over.
We lose.
Our last hope for survival rests inside a massive hangar hidden within the Rocky Mountains. Pioneer is the largest starship ever constructed. A marvel of human ingenuity and the apex of our technological know-how, she’s ready to embark on a long journey across the final frontier in search of a new world to call home.
But space is full of danger.
And some problems aren’t easily left behind…
440 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 27, 2020
1265 people are currently reading
242 people want to read
About the author
M.R. Forbes
185 books1,013 followersM.R. Forbes is the author of a growing number of science-fiction series including Rebellion, War Eternal, Chaos of the Covenant, Stars End, and the Forgotten novels. Having spent his childhood trying to read every sci-fi novel he could find (and write his own too), play every sci-fi video game he could get his hands on, and see every sci-fi movie that made it into the theater, he has a true love of the genre across every medium. He works hard to bring that same energy to his own stories, with a continuing goal to entertain, delight, fascinate, and surprise.
He maintains a true appreciation for his readers and is always happy to hear from them.
To learn more about M.R. Forbes or just say hello:
Visit his website:
mrforbes.com
Send him an e-mail:
michael@mrforbes.com
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facebook.com/mrforbes.author
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He maintains a true appreciation for his readers and is always happy to hear from them.
To learn more about M.R. Forbes or just say hello:
Visit his website:
mrforbes.com
Send him an e-mail:
michael@mrforbes.com
Check out his Facebook page:
facebook.com/mrforbes.author
Join his Facebook fan group:
facebook.com/groups/mrforbes
Follow him on Instagram:
instagram.com/mrforbes_author
Find him on Goodreads:
goodreads.com/mrforbes
Follow him on Bookbub:
bookbub.com/authors/m-r-forbes
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
May 15, 2025
Exodus
by M.R. Forbes
I really enjoyed this first book of a space opera series. It started out with excitement and ended the same way. The characters are amazing, and the plot is unpredictable. Action is intense, thrilling, and suspenseful. I am going on to book two! have been a big fan of this author but haven't read anything by him in a while, I missed his books.
by M.R. Forbes
I really enjoyed this first book of a space opera series. It started out with excitement and ended the same way. The characters are amazing, and the plot is unpredictable. Action is intense, thrilling, and suspenseful. I am going on to book two! have been a big fan of this author but haven't read anything by him in a while, I missed his books.
May 9, 2020
Highly entertaining saga with a great cast of characters.
The drama and personalities are well written and bring quite the captivating story to life. Non stop action is fast paced and never seems to end.
The set up for the continued story has many well placed "senarios" that can likely be injections to the story.
Wondering now...if that despicable "Governor" shall remain behind the seals...or shall his corruption put the entire ship in danger before arrival.
The drama and personalities are well written and bring quite the captivating story to life. Non stop action is fast paced and never seems to end.
The set up for the continued story has many well placed "senarios" that can likely be injections to the story.
Wondering now...if that despicable "Governor" shall remain behind the seals...or shall his corruption put the entire ship in danger before arrival.
February 9, 2022
Oh boy, what's not to like about this? Crazy alien monsters at every turn, beings that can take over your mind and body. This had me on the edge of my seat from cover to cover.
Unfortunately it's not quite up to standard for a 5 star rating. There are a handful of instances that are just plain unrealistic, but I didn't find that any of these took away from the quality of the book that much.
I am looking forward to seeing what happens to the crew of the Pioneer in the next books in the series.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys sci fi and alien monsters.
Unfortunately it's not quite up to standard for a 5 star rating. There are a handful of instances that are just plain unrealistic, but I didn't find that any of these took away from the quality of the book that much.
I am looking forward to seeing what happens to the crew of the Pioneer in the next books in the series.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys sci fi and alien monsters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 13, 2020
I need more....
I wasn't sure when I started this book if I was going to like it. I read some science fiction but only if I can understand what they're talking about. You know, some sci fi writers get really technical with future mechanics and I get lost. However, this book caught me and hung on. I couldn't put it down.
Aliens are taking over Earth. We are losing the battle. The government commissioned the building of several extra large ships to carry 40,000 people in a city beneath the main part of the ship. The crew of the ship will be out in stasis once they reach Pluto. Guarding the ship during their trip to a new home are the Guardians. They will alternate two of them every two years while the others are in stasis. Everything is going well until an alien ship attacks them days after leaving Earth.
I would recommend this book to all sci fi fans and to anyone who enjoys a good story. I personally can't wait for the next book in the series to come out. I need more of the story.
I wasn't sure when I started this book if I was going to like it. I read some science fiction but only if I can understand what they're talking about. You know, some sci fi writers get really technical with future mechanics and I get lost. However, this book caught me and hung on. I couldn't put it down.
Aliens are taking over Earth. We are losing the battle. The government commissioned the building of several extra large ships to carry 40,000 people in a city beneath the main part of the ship. The crew of the ship will be out in stasis once they reach Pluto. Guarding the ship during their trip to a new home are the Guardians. They will alternate two of them every two years while the others are in stasis. Everything is going well until an alien ship attacks them days after leaving Earth.
I would recommend this book to all sci fi fans and to anyone who enjoys a good story. I personally can't wait for the next book in the series to come out. I need more of the story.
March 18, 2021
Although this book is written well, for some reason it didn't capture my interest. Maybe I was not ready for action packed alien combat plot, as I recently finished several of similar books. So 2* rating is probably very subjective, and I could accept this is 4-5* for someone else :-)
June 10, 2025
1) Fast and thrilling.
2) Everything about these aliens have not been explained. Good.
3) I enjoy the positive characters but the bad actors are a bit cartoonish.
4) I’m satisfied with the ending.
5) The future installments have many interesting directions they can go. Good.
2) Everything about these aliens have not been explained. Good.
3) I enjoy the positive characters but the bad actors are a bit cartoonish.
4) I’m satisfied with the ending.
5) The future installments have many interesting directions they can go. Good.
December 7, 2020
Exodus is a militarised science fiction adventure in which Earth has an aggressive alien infestation and the only hope for the people is to get away on an ark-type spaceship that will voyage to a planet orbiting a distant star (who knows if the aliens might be in possession when they land?). This is the first book in the series, so covers the last stand, launch and first near-Earth challenge.
Exodus is the perfect word for what the humans are doing but I think what hasn’t been taken into consideration is the sheer number of sci-fi books that already use the one word title ‘Exodus’ (just do a browser search for Exodus + Sci-Fi to see a screen full of covers). A Goodreads search (which doesn’t sort by genre) on the word Exodus in the title returns nearly 4,000 books. It’s up to the author, I suppose, but it seems sensible to consider differentiation to help people find it in a crowded market.
The story is told from a USA army-mentality perspective, with lots of marines holding the line in fire-fights and so on. This continues on the space ark, although a division emerges as it carries an autonomous UN scientific presence.
Problems? Well… no guns, machine guns or grenades would work in outer space, as they are described doing so in this story, so that stage of events is not credible. The thing is, propellant needs the presence of oxygen to burn and expand. In the rapidly freezing, oxygen-less vacuum of space, the marines would find their projectile weapons don’t even make pfutt noises and drop a bullet on their shoe. How do chunky space-suit gloves fit into trigger guards anyway, or do they take off the guards and leave triggers hanging out, so they get caught on clothing and pulled inconveniently? Having said that, there is also a plasma weapon, which I acknowledge would be a reasonable tool in the physical conditions of non-atmospheric space.
Let’s also consider the wing aerofoils on the smaller craft that they use for combat in outer space. Wings don’t work outside an atmosphere, so are for decoration. Unless, arguably, they were designed to fly in thick atmospheres in addition to outer space (plausible, but not shown in this book).
Another thing that doesn’t sound plausible is that the aliens have DNA. This is common to all life that evolved on the planet Earth (animals and plants) only because we all have a common ancestor. Life that has evolved in a completely independent location (extra-terrestrial) would be based on something different to DNA – which is the first thing Carl Sagan listed as the evidence to ask for if anything claims to be alien. If it has DNA, it has evolved right here. The only exception would be if life on Earth is in fact alien (originally evolved somewhere external and was seeded her, e.g. the Panspermia theory of Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe).
The novel is an activity adventure with problems being solved mostly by guns. There is some scientific enquiry but, don’t you know it, when science inadequately contains the subject of study inside the ark ship, the weapons come back out again to solve it.
This book is adventurous and works well as military sci-fi entertainment, so perhaps I simply prefer the non-military sub-genres and solving most problems with knowledge and skills. If you are the other way, this is the story for you.
Exodus fits neatly into an old pattern which was first spoken of in connection to claims of UFO abduction. The observation was that people in the UK who claimed to have been abducted described the aliens as being polite to them, passing around refreshments and taking them on sight-seeing tours; Brazilian abductees described being forced to breed in sex farms; but North American abductees almost always reported being experimented on, tortured and having to fight back. Similarly, most US films involving aliens position them as an invading threat that should be defeated. Any book about meeting aliens and shooting them down as monsters clues us in on the author’s geographical origin – and this novel is no exception to that generalisation about the differences in the earthly subconscious mind between our regions and cultures.
If you enjoy the fearful and glorious scenes that can be delivered through armed forces sci-fi adventures, this title is a good example of that sub-genre and you’ll probably like it. In the ark ship sub-genre, which it overlaps with, I can name alternative works that you might enjoy more.
Exodus is the perfect word for what the humans are doing but I think what hasn’t been taken into consideration is the sheer number of sci-fi books that already use the one word title ‘Exodus’ (just do a browser search for Exodus + Sci-Fi to see a screen full of covers). A Goodreads search (which doesn’t sort by genre) on the word Exodus in the title returns nearly 4,000 books. It’s up to the author, I suppose, but it seems sensible to consider differentiation to help people find it in a crowded market.
The story is told from a USA army-mentality perspective, with lots of marines holding the line in fire-fights and so on. This continues on the space ark, although a division emerges as it carries an autonomous UN scientific presence.
Problems? Well… no guns, machine guns or grenades would work in outer space, as they are described doing so in this story, so that stage of events is not credible. The thing is, propellant needs the presence of oxygen to burn and expand. In the rapidly freezing, oxygen-less vacuum of space, the marines would find their projectile weapons don’t even make pfutt noises and drop a bullet on their shoe. How do chunky space-suit gloves fit into trigger guards anyway, or do they take off the guards and leave triggers hanging out, so they get caught on clothing and pulled inconveniently? Having said that, there is also a plasma weapon, which I acknowledge would be a reasonable tool in the physical conditions of non-atmospheric space.
Let’s also consider the wing aerofoils on the smaller craft that they use for combat in outer space. Wings don’t work outside an atmosphere, so are for decoration. Unless, arguably, they were designed to fly in thick atmospheres in addition to outer space (plausible, but not shown in this book).
Another thing that doesn’t sound plausible is that the aliens have DNA. This is common to all life that evolved on the planet Earth (animals and plants) only because we all have a common ancestor. Life that has evolved in a completely independent location (extra-terrestrial) would be based on something different to DNA – which is the first thing Carl Sagan listed as the evidence to ask for if anything claims to be alien. If it has DNA, it has evolved right here. The only exception would be if life on Earth is in fact alien (originally evolved somewhere external and was seeded her, e.g. the Panspermia theory of Fred Hoyle and Chandra Wickramasinghe).
The novel is an activity adventure with problems being solved mostly by guns. There is some scientific enquiry but, don’t you know it, when science inadequately contains the subject of study inside the ark ship, the weapons come back out again to solve it.
This book is adventurous and works well as military sci-fi entertainment, so perhaps I simply prefer the non-military sub-genres and solving most problems with knowledge and skills. If you are the other way, this is the story for you.
Exodus fits neatly into an old pattern which was first spoken of in connection to claims of UFO abduction. The observation was that people in the UK who claimed to have been abducted described the aliens as being polite to them, passing around refreshments and taking them on sight-seeing tours; Brazilian abductees described being forced to breed in sex farms; but North American abductees almost always reported being experimented on, tortured and having to fight back. Similarly, most US films involving aliens position them as an invading threat that should be defeated. Any book about meeting aliens and shooting them down as monsters clues us in on the author’s geographical origin – and this novel is no exception to that generalisation about the differences in the earthly subconscious mind between our regions and cultures.
If you enjoy the fearful and glorious scenes that can be delivered through armed forces sci-fi adventures, this title is a good example of that sub-genre and you’ll probably like it. In the ark ship sub-genre, which it overlaps with, I can name alternative works that you might enjoy more.
August 21, 2020
Sorry, premise was good but too militaristic for me and the nature of the aliens and lack of personality and regard for personal safety made the opening battle scenes tedious. Also the praise heaped on the disregard for 'red tape and bureacracy', not to mention environmental concerns in digging out a mountain for the starship was risible. 'Pity it had to take the end of the world for it to happen', well precisely, the only time that sort of environmental destruction would be acceptable. Also there must have been a fair amount of red tape and bureacracy involved in the planning. Not for me, also realistic characterisation please.
September 20, 2020
Here we go again.
One more piece of a massive universe that comes to life. You know these characters and either love or hate them, but you will never dismiss them. As I write this I am waiting on book 5. The plot in each book is well thought out and logical, a story by itself, with an ending you could try to walk away from. I have not been successful, and find myself always coming back for more. He has enough science to understand, without burying you in minutia. Excellent pacing.
This series can stand on its own, however, I strongly recommend reading from the beginning, I think War eternal, and all the other "Forgottens".
One more piece of a massive universe that comes to life. You know these characters and either love or hate them, but you will never dismiss them. As I write this I am waiting on book 5. The plot in each book is well thought out and logical, a story by itself, with an ending you could try to walk away from. I have not been successful, and find myself always coming back for more. He has enough science to understand, without burying you in minutia. Excellent pacing.
This series can stand on its own, however, I strongly recommend reading from the beginning, I think War eternal, and all the other "Forgottens".
October 25, 2025
One of the most mediocre books I've read through to the end ... mostly to see if that mediocrity could sustain itself. The plot is pretty reasonably, humans escape an invasion by building generation ships. The problem is that elements are added to the story that does little to move the story; like an amateur cook tossing more ingredients into the soup in hope that more is better. Here are some examples:
The captain chooses to shave with a razor instead of a laser because he's old fashion and likes traditional things or something. Our first Chekov's gun! Except that aspect of the captain is never used.
The enormous ship has a city built right inside and a society will live and grow there for a couple hundred years. That is going to be very interesting! Except we barely get a glimpse of the city. But then you realize that they also have hibernation chambers. Why build an enormous city for hundreds of people when you could build a large warehouse for thousands of people?
The mayor was selected for the job of running the city. Aren't mayors elected? If he's not elected, he's an administrator or maybe even a lord, but sure as hell not a mayor. No explanation is given.
For some reason, the soldiers responsible for maintaining the ship are sent out to the base to fend off an attack from invading aliens. Why isn't there an entire division dedicated to this task? Who knows. Predictably, these soldiers are wiped out before the ship takes off, leaving a much smaller contingent to look after the ship. What a conundrum! Soldiers are really concerned about this because it affects their very lives!. Then a lot more soldiers are killed and no one mentions how much worse things will now be.
I can overlook those things if they just help smooth out the plot, but the next big problem is that the characters are generated with a cookie-cutter and are as predictable as the ship is large. Characters do dumb things, pay the price, but don't really develop any further. You don't get enough detail about any character to even relate to them.
I can't believe this book has sequels.
The captain chooses to shave with a razor instead of a laser because he's old fashion and likes traditional things or something. Our first Chekov's gun! Except that aspect of the captain is never used.
The enormous ship has a city built right inside and a society will live and grow there for a couple hundred years. That is going to be very interesting! Except we barely get a glimpse of the city. But then you realize that they also have hibernation chambers. Why build an enormous city for hundreds of people when you could build a large warehouse for thousands of people?
The mayor was selected for the job of running the city. Aren't mayors elected? If he's not elected, he's an administrator or maybe even a lord, but sure as hell not a mayor. No explanation is given.
For some reason, the soldiers responsible for maintaining the ship are sent out to the base to fend off an attack from invading aliens. Why isn't there an entire division dedicated to this task? Who knows. Predictably, these soldiers are wiped out before the ship takes off, leaving a much smaller contingent to look after the ship. What a conundrum! Soldiers are really concerned about this because it affects their very lives!. Then a lot more soldiers are killed and no one mentions how much worse things will now be.
I can overlook those things if they just help smooth out the plot, but the next big problem is that the characters are generated with a cookie-cutter and are as predictable as the ship is large. Characters do dumb things, pay the price, but don't really develop any further. You don't get enough detail about any character to even relate to them.
I can't believe this book has sequels.
June 8, 2020
Une bonne série B avec des thèmes ultra classiques : des ET affreux et agressifs (vraiment étranges très beurk)- des "marines" super courageux ; des scientifiques un peu dingue ; un vaisseau spatial type colonie avec un gouverneur pourri (?) imbu de sa personne et de son pouvoir
Le grand objectif = sauver l'humanité dans une mission quasi désespérée...
Heureusement, l'auteur évite les histoires de cul - à part quelques allusions - qui n'auraient pas de sens dans une telle situation de crise
Bref j'ai un faible pour la SF militaire avec des hommes et des femmes ayant le sens du devoir et de l'honneur mais l'auteur a su y insérer des thèmes plus classiques sans trop ralentir l'action
j'aurais mis 3 étoiles si l'histoire avait été scientifiquement plus crédible même pour un naïf comme moi
Question style : les dialogues sont parfois trop détaillés minute par minute ce qui, pourtant, ne m'a pas empêché de lire jusqu'au bout avant de tomber, non pas en hibernation, mais dans les bras de Morphée
et ce n'est visiblement que le tout début de l'épopée du Pioneer !!!
Bref, c'est de l'honnête SF qui ne restera pas dans les annales mais qui fait passer un bon moment à son lecteur
Nota : j'ai envie de savoir la suite mais HE! HO! les auteurs ??? J'EN AI MARRE DES HISTOIRES à RALLONGES Cela va être un nouveau critère de sélection pour moi : pas plus de 3 opus !!!
Le grand objectif = sauver l'humanité dans une mission quasi désespérée...
Heureusement, l'auteur évite les histoires de cul - à part quelques allusions - qui n'auraient pas de sens dans une telle situation de crise
Bref j'ai un faible pour la SF militaire avec des hommes et des femmes ayant le sens du devoir et de l'honneur mais l'auteur a su y insérer des thèmes plus classiques sans trop ralentir l'action
j'aurais mis 3 étoiles si l'histoire avait été scientifiquement plus crédible même pour un naïf comme moi
Question style : les dialogues sont parfois trop détaillés minute par minute ce qui, pourtant, ne m'a pas empêché de lire jusqu'au bout avant de tomber, non pas en hibernation, mais dans les bras de Morphée
et ce n'est visiblement que le tout début de l'épopée du Pioneer !!!
Bref, c'est de l'honnête SF qui ne restera pas dans les annales mais qui fait passer un bon moment à son lecteur
Nota : j'ai envie de savoir la suite mais HE! HO! les auteurs ??? J'EN AI MARRE DES HISTOIRES à RALLONGES Cela va être un nouveau critère de sélection pour moi : pas plus de 3 opus !!!
May 23, 2020
Ok, I have to preface this with the fact that I am reading during the global COVID pandemic. The actions of the Governor would have seemed silly to me a year ago, but now they are perhaps a little too realistic. I could totally see that and much worse happening based upon what is happening today.
The book was good, and perhaps a little too Hollywood intense. The final “blow it out the airlock” seemed a little too easy given everything else they had been through at that point. The thing literally was living in vacuum before, so why would it die in space?
I did like the premise, and have not read any of the other books in the universe (which I will now be checking out).
There were quite a few errors in the book (.. at the end of sentences, and some that didn’t even have a period). And some of the scenes seemed to shift perspectives after a simple new paragraph that left me confused as to the point of view.
The book was good, and perhaps a little too Hollywood intense. The final “blow it out the airlock” seemed a little too easy given everything else they had been through at that point. The thing literally was living in vacuum before, so why would it die in space?
I did like the premise, and have not read any of the other books in the universe (which I will now be checking out).
There were quite a few errors in the book (.. at the end of sentences, and some that didn’t even have a period). And some of the scenes seemed to shift perspectives after a simple new paragraph that left me confused as to the point of view.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2023
Honestly, this is the first time I’ve read a book, read the Goodreads reviews, and suspect that the 5* reviews were written by bots.
There are a lot of problems here, starting with the characters. They’re flat, 1-dimensional, and comically stray from their roles. The commander of humanity’s first arkship has less authority and leadership than a high school principal. The other protagonist has zero personality traits. He’s just better at soldiering than most people.
Then we get to the prose. It’s almost like it’s written for a YA audience, only it was also written by a YA so it’s even worse. Scenes of combat and light horror were poorly thrown together and any weight was lost in the clumsy writing.
I can’t think of anyone who would enjoy this book. Goodreads should investigate this author’s reviews for bot accounts, my suspension of disbelief ends at the average user rating this trash between 4 and 5 stars,
There are a lot of problems here, starting with the characters. They’re flat, 1-dimensional, and comically stray from their roles. The commander of humanity’s first arkship has less authority and leadership than a high school principal. The other protagonist has zero personality traits. He’s just better at soldiering than most people.
Then we get to the prose. It’s almost like it’s written for a YA audience, only it was also written by a YA so it’s even worse. Scenes of combat and light horror were poorly thrown together and any weight was lost in the clumsy writing.
I can’t think of anyone who would enjoy this book. Goodreads should investigate this author’s reviews for bot accounts, my suspension of disbelief ends at the average user rating this trash between 4 and 5 stars,
Read
April 26, 2025*I review with words, not stars*
I saw this book on the audio shelf and decided that it was just my type!
The story starts with an emergency escape from Earth. It's dangerous and scary and hopeless. But the ship does escape. With all the hope and promise it possibly could.
Our team of marines shifts gear from one task to another, not taking time to slow down. There aren't enough guardians and now the marine need to step in. And something comes at the ship! Can you imagine? It's supposed to just get into space and slip into the many generational journey. But before the team can unpack and get settled, they are fighting aliens!
The characters are good and fighting is easy enough to follow. I'm glad I snagged it!
I saw this book on the audio shelf and decided that it was just my type!
The story starts with an emergency escape from Earth. It's dangerous and scary and hopeless. But the ship does escape. With all the hope and promise it possibly could.
Our team of marines shifts gear from one task to another, not taking time to slow down. There aren't enough guardians and now the marine need to step in. And something comes at the ship! Can you imagine? It's supposed to just get into space and slip into the many generational journey. But before the team can unpack and get settled, they are fighting aliens!
The characters are good and fighting is easy enough to follow. I'm glad I snagged it!
May 24, 2020
Good....but
Not a bad book, writing style was fluid, grammar was good. The issue I had with this book was they introduce you to a lot of characters, and they want you to feel something for them that way when they die you feel it as the reader. But it falls flat. A lot of the characters who die you can't even remember their names but it's supposed to mean something to you in the story. The characters were not well fleshed-out, and the dialogue is a little flat at times. But overall I'm curious to see where the series goes.
Not a bad book, writing style was fluid, grammar was good. The issue I had with this book was they introduce you to a lot of characters, and they want you to feel something for them that way when they die you feel it as the reader. But it falls flat. A lot of the characters who die you can't even remember their names but it's supposed to mean something to you in the story. The characters were not well fleshed-out, and the dialogue is a little flat at times. But overall I'm curious to see where the series goes.
June 22, 2020
A thriller masquerading as space opera!
And that's a great combo! This story takes the reader on a roller coaster ride in a generation ship heading away from an Earth picked to pieces by the mindless alien trife. On board the ship, there are tensions aplenty, with one crisis quickly followed by another. The story is fast-paced and well plotted. I'm looking forward to the second book in this story, as well as exploring others written by this author. Highly recommended if you like thrillers with a touch of military sci-fi.
And that's a great combo! This story takes the reader on a roller coaster ride in a generation ship heading away from an Earth picked to pieces by the mindless alien trife. On board the ship, there are tensions aplenty, with one crisis quickly followed by another. The story is fast-paced and well plotted. I'm looking forward to the second book in this story, as well as exploring others written by this author. Highly recommended if you like thrillers with a touch of military sci-fi.
June 2, 2020
The earth is being over taken by man eating aliens. A airship leaves with scientists etc and people and it was not explained how they were chosen to travel to a very distant world. Ok cool so far. But the story gets tied up with alien attacks and a secret government lab on board studying man’s genetics. Pardon me while I yawn.......I got tired of waiting for the characters to explore a new world. Do they arrive? I don’t know, I jumped ship.
June 15, 2020
An impressive yarn following a small group of soldiers as they battle to get to a generation ship to leave an alien ravaged earth; continuing on the ship with more twists, challenges, loss and success. A good space opera, looking forward to getting the next book in the series. Very solid writing, no obvious loopholes or 'zippers' showing. Recommended for good escapist (see what I did there?) reading.
July 23, 2020
A good read
A good read. I was surprised how it gripped me without me realizing I was. I just sat here reading and not wanting to read the next line or what was happening in the book at that moment. I would recommend sitting down for half hour to start as after that it's a matter of looking where you are holding while you read, lamp posts hurt and your embarrassment last even longer lol.
A good read. I was surprised how it gripped me without me realizing I was. I just sat here reading and not wanting to read the next line or what was happening in the book at that moment. I would recommend sitting down for half hour to start as after that it's a matter of looking where you are holding while you read, lamp posts hurt and your embarrassment last even longer lol.
August 19, 2020
Have up half way through
Full of unrealistic scenarios .
For instance ,one of many. In a fight with along monster,marine gets infested by alien and is very sick,his superiors says "he can no longer perform his duties ,he should be allowed to spend the rest of his time with his children at metro" in the general population!!! What could go wrong with that? I have up on the book there ,and not know what happened but I can imagine!!
Full of unrealistic scenarios .
For instance ,one of many. In a fight with along monster,marine gets infested by alien and is very sick,his superiors says "he can no longer perform his duties ,he should be allowed to spend the rest of his time with his children at metro" in the general population!!! What could go wrong with that? I have up on the book there ,and not know what happened but I can imagine!!
November 17, 2020
Enjoyable Military Fiction
Earth has been overrun by vicious aliens and humanity needs to make a new start across the stars. But even the first colony ship is not safe and so it's down to the newly formed space marines to defend the day.
I really enjoyed this novel. Michael Forbes knows how to tell a good story and you have to keep reading until you finish. Can't wait for the rest of the series.
Earth has been overrun by vicious aliens and humanity needs to make a new start across the stars. But even the first colony ship is not safe and so it's down to the newly formed space marines to defend the day.
I really enjoyed this novel. Michael Forbes knows how to tell a good story and you have to keep reading until you finish. Can't wait for the rest of the series.
April 24, 2022
After reading the first book in a different series later in this universe, a lot more makes sense now. I think these books would make a lot more sense if read in order. Still not sure I have the order right, but at least it's a start. :)
Anyway, I liked this story, and I'm guessing the rest of the universe story arc will be just as interesting. Makes the last one I read before this one more interesting as well. Perhaps I won't wait for the collection to be released.
Anyway, I liked this story, and I'm guessing the rest of the universe story arc will be just as interesting. Makes the last one I read before this one more interesting as well. Perhaps I won't wait for the collection to be released.
April 30, 2020
9/10: Fantastic, left me wanting more.
Loved it! Great to be back in this world, but even better to be on one of the generation ships leaving Earth.
Action, adventure, danger, aliens, villains, good guy marines; you name it, it had it.
Great work, Mr Forbes! Can't wait for the next.
Loved it! Great to be back in this world, but even better to be on one of the generation ships leaving Earth.
Action, adventure, danger, aliens, villains, good guy marines; you name it, it had it.
Great work, Mr Forbes! Can't wait for the next.
May 3, 2020
Well M R Forbes does it again. Read in two days, genuinely couldn't put it down. May I say this specific story fits perfectly into the well crafted world, the base story is refreshing yet families enough to make me want more. Again the characters are amazing, scene descriptives are on point. What a roller-coaster. I cannot wait for the next in this particular line of books.
May 13, 2020
Looking forward to the next one
M R Forbes is a new author to me. I am left wanting more and will certainly explore his other series. This one is a classic escape story - Earth is doomed but the dangers do not end when we leave. Some we bring with us, others we meet on the journey.
M R Forbes is a new author to me. I am left wanting more and will certainly explore his other series. This one is a classic escape story - Earth is doomed but the dangers do not end when we leave. Some we bring with us, others we meet on the journey.
July 5, 2020
I enjoyed this intro book very much. Probably more than I thought I would. The writing is top notch, and the story line is quite engaging. Since moving into the realm of the Kindle and e-books, I have discovered many worthwhile authors I probably never would have encountered otherwise. M.R. Forbes is among those.
January 12, 2021
Another hit!
If you have a weak heart, don't read this book! Forbes knocks it out of the park...again! Fast paced action and constant disasters keep you on the edge of your seat.
Another killer book. Thank you Forbes for increasing my heartbeat for several hours. I'll be back for more!
If you have a weak heart, don't read this book! Forbes knocks it out of the park...again! Fast paced action and constant disasters keep you on the edge of your seat.
Another killer book. Thank you Forbes for increasing my heartbeat for several hours. I'll be back for more!
March 23, 2023
This book started out feeling like overly hackneyed and somewhat awkward military SF. For me, it got over some of this first impression, but not all of it. The writing / characterization is a bit rough, the depiction of military culture feels off. Really nasty aliens though. I am just curious enough that I might indulge in a sequel, just to see what happens.
January 14, 2025
Another great read
I have read several other series in the forgotten universe and it is some feat to retain all of those storylines and how they cross over from one planet, ship and time to the next. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did, and if you like the Sheriff and Caleb Card, then you will like Sargent Joseph Cross.
I have read several other series in the forgotten universe and it is some feat to retain all of those storylines and how they cross over from one planet, ship and time to the next. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did, and if you like the Sheriff and Caleb Card, then you will like Sargent Joseph Cross.
April 27, 2025
It felt like a step backwards in a way, it’s the same story as others in the series taking off from Earth etc it’s a new crew which I enjoyed some semi new problems, same good writing .
Little bit similar in story :( still a good read mostly but if you’ve read the rest of the series as I have then this isn’t really anything new.
Little bit similar in story :( still a good read mostly but if you’ve read the rest of the series as I have then this isn’t really anything new.
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