What do you think?
Dark Operator #2
Rebellion
There’s only one distraction from the stress of combat for a legionnaire—the next mission.
For Sergeant Kel Turner and Kill Team Three, the wait is never long. Whether it’s on a core world snatching a delusional genius who knows too much, or on the edge forging allies among a complex alien culture, Dark Ops are the foot soldiers of the House of Reason’s galactic game for dominance.
Danger looms over Kel and his teammates like taxes over a Republic citizen. The promise is written in blood. Now they face a crisis that makes their worst firefight tame in comparison. Kel learns that sometimes there are no clear answers, manuals, or templates to follow. Isolated from Republic help, when the lives of thousands hang in the balance, a planet looks for a savior.
Fortunately, when there’s a dark operator on hand, the odds favor the Legion.
For Sergeant Kel Turner and Kill Team Three, the wait is never long. Whether it’s on a core world snatching a delusional genius who knows too much, or on the edge forging allies among a complex alien culture, Dark Ops are the foot soldiers of the House of Reason’s galactic game for dominance.
Danger looms over Kel and his teammates like taxes over a Republic citizen. The promise is written in blood. Now they face a crisis that makes their worst firefight tame in comparison. Kel learns that sometimes there are no clear answers, manuals, or templates to follow. Isolated from Republic help, when the lives of thousands hang in the balance, a planet looks for a savior.
Fortunately, when there’s a dark operator on hand, the odds favor the Legion.
- GenresScience FictionAudiobook
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 4, 2021
The aliens being trained by Kill Team Three turn on their masters and the trainers. As is often the case in real life, only the politicians win.
January 5, 2023
This second book of the Dark Operator series really picked up the tempo. The DO team finds itself on a planet of alien bugs quickly going from semi-friendly to down right dangerous. A great read!
March 27, 2021
Pretty interesting cover, to start off with. If you don't know anything about the story, then you're definitely can tell you'll be doing something with aliens just by the cover. They looked like ants, and I guess the Q are sorta insects that can walk on two legs. But, first you got to read the beginning of this story. Practically none of these books only deal with one mission. Each one covers at least two significant missions or actions and that keeps them going far longer than most books. We'll start this one by doing a deadfall insertion onto a planet to capture a bad guy. This jump would be from a hundred clicks. Peace of cake right?
Well, Sergeant Kel Turner would be leading Kill Team Three on this jump; his sixty-sixth jump and he prepared for this one just like he had for all the others. As it turns out, he's done his calculations exactly right and the entire team hits right on the spot they intended. Now the hard part of their mission is about to begin. In this first mission, they are looking for a very, very wealthy guy who has some how gotten sideways with the Republic House of Reason. It seems he knows too much about a few things and he happens blurt-out what he knows to Kel and some of the team, but they don't know if he's wacko or not. He's on about stolen alien tech and their laser comms as being second-rate. It really doesn't matter to Kel and Kill Team Three anyway. They are to deliver this guy to the some justice agents and that's that.
The second mission in this book is quite a bit different. Here they are on a Republic world that has a wealth of minerals just in reach of orbiting mining stations. This world is and will make a lot of people very rich including the Solar Wind Mining Consortium. This mega corporation had just made a deal with the, ah, let's call her the head warlord of the eastern continent, to establish human settlements and fabrication businesses on the continent. This planet also supported the growth of human plants so they could grow large amounts of human food to sustain the growing number of corporate civilians that were currently on and coming to this world. All was well since the current warlord had a firm control of the army. That is, until she didn't.
One of the Army's three battalions had recently decided they didn't like what was going on and one of their leaders decided to take a huge jump in rank and pay and declared herself the new warlord for the region. Now, Kill Team Three and Kill Team Seven has already been on the ground. They had been training the primary warlords army in the use of weapons and modern military tactics. They have even known that there was some resentment to humans involvement in this civilization, but they didn't think it was serious until the Third Battalion took off with all their tanks and quite a few soldiers to form their own base. Anyway, you'll have to fight these "rebels" and then all heck breaks lose after that. Those who you were training are now your enemy, well, not all of them, but it comes down to a pretty big battle. Sgt Turner has a big, big role in winning this battle and is getting a name for himself even though he certainly doesn't want that to happen.
Again, a very well written book. It gets kind of bogged down in the middle because you'll have to learn about the orbital mining operation. It becomes important later on in the story, but is pretty dry when you have to read through all the details of how they actually capture and mine asteroids. I'm looking forward to more books in the Dark Ops series even though I did jump the gun and got book 5 read and reviewed before I realized I had jumped ahead in the series. Next one up is book 3, "No Fail". I got it on my list.
Well, Sergeant Kel Turner would be leading Kill Team Three on this jump; his sixty-sixth jump and he prepared for this one just like he had for all the others. As it turns out, he's done his calculations exactly right and the entire team hits right on the spot they intended. Now the hard part of their mission is about to begin. In this first mission, they are looking for a very, very wealthy guy who has some how gotten sideways with the Republic House of Reason. It seems he knows too much about a few things and he happens blurt-out what he knows to Kel and some of the team, but they don't know if he's wacko or not. He's on about stolen alien tech and their laser comms as being second-rate. It really doesn't matter to Kel and Kill Team Three anyway. They are to deliver this guy to the some justice agents and that's that.
The second mission in this book is quite a bit different. Here they are on a Republic world that has a wealth of minerals just in reach of orbiting mining stations. This world is and will make a lot of people very rich including the Solar Wind Mining Consortium. This mega corporation had just made a deal with the, ah, let's call her the head warlord of the eastern continent, to establish human settlements and fabrication businesses on the continent. This planet also supported the growth of human plants so they could grow large amounts of human food to sustain the growing number of corporate civilians that were currently on and coming to this world. All was well since the current warlord had a firm control of the army. That is, until she didn't.
One of the Army's three battalions had recently decided they didn't like what was going on and one of their leaders decided to take a huge jump in rank and pay and declared herself the new warlord for the region. Now, Kill Team Three and Kill Team Seven has already been on the ground. They had been training the primary warlords army in the use of weapons and modern military tactics. They have even known that there was some resentment to humans involvement in this civilization, but they didn't think it was serious until the Third Battalion took off with all their tanks and quite a few soldiers to form their own base. Anyway, you'll have to fight these "rebels" and then all heck breaks lose after that. Those who you were training are now your enemy, well, not all of them, but it comes down to a pretty big battle. Sgt Turner has a big, big role in winning this battle and is getting a name for himself even though he certainly doesn't want that to happen.
Again, a very well written book. It gets kind of bogged down in the middle because you'll have to learn about the orbital mining operation. It becomes important later on in the story, but is pretty dry when you have to read through all the details of how they actually capture and mine asteroids. I'm looking forward to more books in the Dark Ops series even though I did jump the gun and got book 5 read and reviewed before I realized I had jumped ahead in the series. Next one up is book 3, "No Fail". I got it on my list.
February 21, 2024
Two books in and no dark ops so far. The main storyline had way better grasp on what a dark operator book should be.
May 3, 2022
Dropping a rock down a well
Greed, religious belief, and stupidity. 3 things that one at a time are powerful forces, any 2 together can topple nations, all 3 together, well that's when you send in a team of the Republic Dark Operators. The Republic sent in a DO team to advise and train indigenous aliens with the goal of unifying a continent to implement interspecies cooperation that would improve the lives of the natives such that a corporation could make more money. This effected a renewal of ancient religious beliefs against the Republic. The corporation stupidly thought the uneducated and galactically naive aliens could be manipulated by greed. After all that's what motivated the corporate heads.
Thankfully the DO teams were on hand to recognize catastrophe as it was happening. In a rare instance of a planetary diplomatic head being competent the DO legionaires were able to save the humans from completely being wiped out on the planet. Nothing was as simple as this brief description of events above. But like modern US Marines the DO adapts and overcomes.
The rock and well? Read and see.
The three co-authors once again tell an intense and believable story from the point of view of the guys at the tip of the spear. Mil-Spec Sci-Fi worth reading
Greed, religious belief, and stupidity. 3 things that one at a time are powerful forces, any 2 together can topple nations, all 3 together, well that's when you send in a team of the Republic Dark Operators. The Republic sent in a DO team to advise and train indigenous aliens with the goal of unifying a continent to implement interspecies cooperation that would improve the lives of the natives such that a corporation could make more money. This effected a renewal of ancient religious beliefs against the Republic. The corporation stupidly thought the uneducated and galactically naive aliens could be manipulated by greed. After all that's what motivated the corporate heads.
Thankfully the DO teams were on hand to recognize catastrophe as it was happening. In a rare instance of a planetary diplomatic head being competent the DO legionaires were able to save the humans from completely being wiped out on the planet. Nothing was as simple as this brief description of events above. But like modern US Marines the DO adapts and overcomes.
The rock and well? Read and see.
The three co-authors once again tell an intense and believable story from the point of view of the guys at the tip of the spear. Mil-Spec Sci-Fi worth reading
August 15, 2020
You can't miss this one! The adventure of Dark Ops beckons to us all.
Kel and his team get stuck in a tight spot. The action is steady and the story line is good. But there is intrigue afoot, as always, with the House of Reason.
This book does not disappoint. The addition of Doc Spears adds grit to the Galaxy's Edge universe. I can easily see these events playing out in our world and time. This is great military science-fiction.
I'm looking forward to the next installment in the Dark Ops segment.
Kel and his team get stuck in a tight spot. The action is steady and the story line is good. But there is intrigue afoot, as always, with the House of Reason.
This book does not disappoint. The addition of Doc Spears adds grit to the Galaxy's Edge universe. I can easily see these events playing out in our world and time. This is great military science-fiction.
I'm looking forward to the next installment in the Dark Ops segment.
May 20, 2021
Disappointing
Probably the weakest of all the GE books I've rest thus far - I found myself skipping over most of the first 70% of the book. It feels quite long in tooth, with too much emphasis on the world & and culture building. This book has minimal action albeit some cool scenes, with tragedy as well. The ending comes abruptly and is fitting. The epilogue was quite interesting and this book in general speaks of many political machinations. I hope book 3 gets back to the normal level for me.
Probably the weakest of all the GE books I've rest thus far - I found myself skipping over most of the first 70% of the book. It feels quite long in tooth, with too much emphasis on the world & and culture building. This book has minimal action albeit some cool scenes, with tragedy as well. The ending comes abruptly and is fitting. The epilogue was quite interesting and this book in general speaks of many political machinations. I hope book 3 gets back to the normal level for me.
February 19, 2021
Very good book in the series.
This book is very good. It was fast paced plenty of action and great character development. This is a vast universe. If you’re not familiar with it you may be confused to solve that issue start at the beginning with galaxies edge. If not you may be confused about the timelines and when certain things take place. This entire series will keep you busy it is excellent.
This book is very good. It was fast paced plenty of action and great character development. This is a vast universe. If you’re not familiar with it you may be confused to solve that issue start at the beginning with galaxies edge. If not you may be confused about the timelines and when certain things take place. This entire series will keep you busy it is excellent.
June 20, 2023
Legionaries have endless responsibilities. Helping other species is one of them. I am amazed how many non human species exists in these books. Kel Turner and his team of fellow Legionaries is tasked with training aliens how to be a functioning army. These are aliens. Maybe they don’t need or want our help. When a legionnaire gets freaked out, it’s a bad situation. Another holy crap page turner.
August 7, 2020
So far I have really enjoyed these Dark Operator Books. Doc Spears presents a different view of the GE universe than the main series. The DO guys are well, people. The enemies are not grimdark space wizards but individuals who have their own concerns and motivation. The resolution of conflict is tied up by the end of the book, and resolved neatly.
Great stand alone books.
Great stand alone books.
October 1, 2023
This is the five-star rating system I use:
★★★★★ Great book! Can’t wait to read it again (and I will).
★★★★☆ Good book. I am glad I read this.
★★★☆☆ OK book. Nothing special but not bad.
★★☆☆☆ Not good. Why did I waste my time?
★☆☆☆☆ Lousy. I didn’t finish.
If for whatever reason, I go back and reread a good book, I will change the rating to five-star because I read it again.
★★★★★ Great book! Can’t wait to read it again (and I will).
★★★★☆ Good book. I am glad I read this.
★★★☆☆ OK book. Nothing special but not bad.
★★☆☆☆ Not good. Why did I waste my time?
★☆☆☆☆ Lousy. I didn’t finish.
If for whatever reason, I go back and reread a good book, I will change the rating to five-star because I read it again.
October 25, 2025
Some workmanlike action sequences in the first half don't manage to raise this from being an overall dreadful book.
The writing is just excruciating.
Space green berets caught in a tortured retelling of the Sepoy Rebellion. Except the green berets are mormon cub scouts, and the protagonist is the least interesting man in the galaxy.
The writing is just excruciating.
Space green berets caught in a tortured retelling of the Sepoy Rebellion. Except the green berets are mormon cub scouts, and the protagonist is the least interesting man in the galaxy.
September 12, 2020
Galaxy’s Edge just gets better with every installment. Doc Spears, Anspatch and Cole knock this book out of the park. The X culture was absolutely fascinating. The Leegs all well written and fleshed out. This book will have you flipping pages faster than Rechs goes through charge packs.
KTF
KTF
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 14, 2020
Another Kel Turner operative story of excellence.
Galaxy’s Edge is the best at what they do and this series is awesome!
I lost a lot of sleep over this book.
Superb authors great at storytelling!
Thank you all at GE!
Galaxy’s Edge is the best at what they do and this series is awesome!
I lost a lot of sleep over this book.
Superb authors great at storytelling!
Thank you all at GE!
September 27, 2020
A cracking follow up
The more I read of Kel and team 3, the more I want to. Interesting conflict, great action and characters. If you are a Mil-Sci Fi fan then the Dark Ops series is a sure fire win.
The more I read of Kel and team 3, the more I want to. Interesting conflict, great action and characters. If you are a Mil-Sci Fi fan then the Dark Ops series is a sure fire win.
January 1, 2021
A great legionaire story one again.
Someday young Sgt Turner will learn that his most treacherous enemies are not the perceived enemy. Until then he continues to work and kill as needed to ensure the safety of the Republic.
Someday young Sgt Turner will learn that his most treacherous enemies are not the perceived enemy. Until then he continues to work and kill as needed to ensure the safety of the Republic.
March 16, 2021
Bugs. Why did it have to be bugs
Aside from the locals slash indigs being bugs it was a good book. I really like how the differences between cultures was highlighted, and that both Corp and pol were clueless. Reality reflected in fiction.
Aside from the locals slash indigs being bugs it was a good book. I really like how the differences between cultures was highlighted, and that both Corp and pol were clueless. Reality reflected in fiction.
August 2, 2022
A good series
A good adventure/war story the series is developing well setting solid foundations for the rest of the series. There is an element of authenticity in the interaction between characters
A good adventure/war story the series is developing well setting solid foundations for the rest of the series. There is an element of authenticity in the interaction between characters
September 10, 2020
Great continuation of the Dark Operator series with amazing tension and betrayal.
October 5, 2020
Interesting SF Angle
It was a little too much tactical plot for me, but I was curios to see the interworkings with the culture and the politicians.
It was a little too much tactical plot for me, but I was curios to see the interworkings with the culture and the politicians.
October 9, 2020
I love this universe.
The book continues the journey of Kel. Overall I found it to be a good book. Character development, world building and overall story was good.
Worth the read!
The book continues the journey of Kel. Overall I found it to be a good book. Character development, world building and overall story was good.
Worth the read!
October 28, 2020
Good read I enjoyed it. I think that Kel is a little too perfect, everyone has some faults.
October 29, 2020
Best of the Dark Operator series by far.
March 8, 2021
K.T.F
November 21, 2021
This one is a winner
I had hoped the next increment would not go off the rails. It did not. It got better. Finally some real wonder and excitement.
I had hoped the next increment would not go off the rails. It did not. It got better. Finally some real wonder and excitement.
January 6, 2022
Hey if your reading this and not the series your an idiot. Get to it
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews