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Shockwave
"A damned good read!" - Mike Kozzak - Amazon reviewer"Snarky and unapologetic! One hell of a ride!" - Ken Foster, Amazon reviewer----The mighty militaries of Earth have finally joined forces, pushing aside their petty disputes, and finding unity. But only to destroy everything that was left. The discovery of an ancient alien tomb sets off events whose echoes reverberate through time for six thousand years; sparking a civil war between humans that is barely understood--between devote believers of a new faith, and those who choose freedom. Fleeing Earth, a group of scientists and soldiers race across the galaxy with stolen faster-than-light technology, taming and settling a harsh new world, with the goal of being left alone in peace for eternity.Enter Destota Valentine; a man who was built from childhood to be the ultimate weapon against their ancient enemy, the largest, strongest, and not at all absent minded super-soldier who is destined to end the war with the Phelb Empire of Earth. But the galaxy holds secrets about the human race that are about to be unlocked. Destota and his closest allies must race against time to stop an apocalypse, before the entire galaxy is destroyed. ---Deadpool and Archer meet Halo in this Military Sci-Fi Space Opera, from Spires Productions.
- GenresScience Fiction
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 3, 2020
43 people are currently reading
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 9, 2020
I was given a free review copy of this audio book, at my request, and am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review.
Do not come into this book looking for hard hitting military sci-fi, or in depth world building or hard sci-fi technical theory. This book is fast paced, violent silly fun.
The book starts with intelligent people fleeing religious zealots on Earth, and the book never really let's up on the religious. 6000 years later, the zealots are back and want a fight. The smart people are ready and willing to give it to them.
This book makes a number of "mistakes" that make it fun and not a serious sci-fi. For example, using time frames like 6000 years. Earth, and the religion of the zealots, is basically the same after 6000 years. Society and religion do not stay static for so long. Also, technology, like guns as essentially the same as now, etc.
Similarly, the super intelligent people who left and formed a new society are supposed to have created a race beyond genius level smart. The narrator talks about the low end of intelligence with his people at around 180. However, the problem is we are never shown any kind of action or examples of these people being smart.
What I'm referring to is, it's hard to write about a society of super smarties with IQ's in the 300's, if yours is 150. It is also hard to write what their technology would look like 6000 years in the future.
Now, none of this takes away from the book. I'm just trying to explain why this is a "fun, fast paced, silly" book, rather than a "serious, military sci fi, strategy" book.
The main character is snarky and fun. He uses far too many 20th and 21st references for a book set in the 60th century. He references other stories and works that don't seem to exist. He is over powered in the story, a one man army, so to speak, but it works in context and the style of the book. Secondary characters are more for filling in story gaps, than rounding out the world. They are fine, but add little insight to the universe as a whole.
The settings are sparse and generally just killing fields.
The plot is straight forward and has a slight bend towards the end, but not a twist, for sure.
The voice narrator, Garrett Michael Brown, does an alright job. His voice lends well to the conversational style of narration, and he brings out the main characters attitude well. His range of voices isn't huge and female voices are only OK, but it fits well with this book.
All in all, this is a fun, silly book. It's a good time to just relax and unwind, and not think too much. In a lot of cases, books get optioned for movies or TV, I would suggest this would be better suited for a video game. Limited back story, grab guns and get in the action. I'd play it.
I'll continue this series, given the chance.
Do not come into this book looking for hard hitting military sci-fi, or in depth world building or hard sci-fi technical theory. This book is fast paced, violent silly fun.
The book starts with intelligent people fleeing religious zealots on Earth, and the book never really let's up on the religious. 6000 years later, the zealots are back and want a fight. The smart people are ready and willing to give it to them.
This book makes a number of "mistakes" that make it fun and not a serious sci-fi. For example, using time frames like 6000 years. Earth, and the religion of the zealots, is basically the same after 6000 years. Society and religion do not stay static for so long. Also, technology, like guns as essentially the same as now, etc.
Similarly, the super intelligent people who left and formed a new society are supposed to have created a race beyond genius level smart. The narrator talks about the low end of intelligence with his people at around 180. However, the problem is we are never shown any kind of action or examples of these people being smart.
What I'm referring to is, it's hard to write about a society of super smarties with IQ's in the 300's, if yours is 150. It is also hard to write what their technology would look like 6000 years in the future.
Now, none of this takes away from the book. I'm just trying to explain why this is a "fun, fast paced, silly" book, rather than a "serious, military sci fi, strategy" book.
The main character is snarky and fun. He uses far too many 20th and 21st references for a book set in the 60th century. He references other stories and works that don't seem to exist. He is over powered in the story, a one man army, so to speak, but it works in context and the style of the book. Secondary characters are more for filling in story gaps, than rounding out the world. They are fine, but add little insight to the universe as a whole.
The settings are sparse and generally just killing fields.
The plot is straight forward and has a slight bend towards the end, but not a twist, for sure.
The voice narrator, Garrett Michael Brown, does an alright job. His voice lends well to the conversational style of narration, and he brings out the main characters attitude well. His range of voices isn't huge and female voices are only OK, but it fits well with this book.
All in all, this is a fun, silly book. It's a good time to just relax and unwind, and not think too much. In a lot of cases, books get optioned for movies or TV, I would suggest this would be better suited for a video game. Limited back story, grab guns and get in the action. I'd play it.
I'll continue this series, given the chance.
October 26, 2020
( Format : Audiobook )
"Souls don't break, they bend."
With the takeover of Earth by the Pheld, an ultra fanatical religious sect, a group of 50,000 escaped into space, settling on a planet the people named Vandor, after their ship. Did thousand years later, the ultra scientific population had made advances in life extension and the cures to disease. Life was good at very loong: no money, no class differentiation, but the aggressive Pheld were still trying to hunt them down. So a prestigious group of 200 were genetically enhanced: very tall, swift runners, and able to hold their breath for over an hour, these almost supermen received military training to defend their world against the still aggressive Pheld. To hunt and kill these enemy soldiers is all that they have been designed to do. One of these supermen is Destota Valentine, also the main story teller although others occasionally interrupt to give the account from their own points of view.
The book is one of near constant fight and battle scenes peppered with witty, often cynical and sometimes cruel interjection. Valentine is talking direct!y to his reader explaining aspects of his story, his society as and when he is willing, for example, giving his own 'spoiler alert' comment that one thing he'd hoped for went to plan. It is a clever device which, being well written, keeps the reader close to the, essentially, not very pleasant character, one filled with an explosive anger, constant cynical humour and violence. But that was what he was designed to be - ruthless and a defender. Garrett Michael Brown captures Valentine's personality perfectly in his narration: fast talking, warm timbre and well modulated, a snarky edge to his voice. He also give differentiated voices to all of the other protagonists, also. his is a good performance which really enhances the reader's appreciation of the book.
My thanks to the rights holder of Shockwave: Ashes of Eternity, who, at my request freely gifted me with a complimentary copy via Audiobook Boom. The first of a new series, this is one which I am looking forward to follow. Recommended for those who enjoy military style science fiction with a difference.
"Souls don't break, they bend."
With the takeover of Earth by the Pheld, an ultra fanatical religious sect, a group of 50,000 escaped into space, settling on a planet the people named Vandor, after their ship. Did thousand years later, the ultra scientific population had made advances in life extension and the cures to disease. Life was good at very loong: no money, no class differentiation, but the aggressive Pheld were still trying to hunt them down. So a prestigious group of 200 were genetically enhanced: very tall, swift runners, and able to hold their breath for over an hour, these almost supermen received military training to defend their world against the still aggressive Pheld. To hunt and kill these enemy soldiers is all that they have been designed to do. One of these supermen is Destota Valentine, also the main story teller although others occasionally interrupt to give the account from their own points of view.
The book is one of near constant fight and battle scenes peppered with witty, often cynical and sometimes cruel interjection. Valentine is talking direct!y to his reader explaining aspects of his story, his society as and when he is willing, for example, giving his own 'spoiler alert' comment that one thing he'd hoped for went to plan. It is a clever device which, being well written, keeps the reader close to the, essentially, not very pleasant character, one filled with an explosive anger, constant cynical humour and violence. But that was what he was designed to be - ruthless and a defender. Garrett Michael Brown captures Valentine's personality perfectly in his narration: fast talking, warm timbre and well modulated, a snarky edge to his voice. He also give differentiated voices to all of the other protagonists, also. his is a good performance which really enhances the reader's appreciation of the book.
My thanks to the rights holder of Shockwave: Ashes of Eternity, who, at my request freely gifted me with a complimentary copy via Audiobook Boom. The first of a new series, this is one which I am looking forward to follow. Recommended for those who enjoy military style science fiction with a difference.
April 5, 2021
Narration: Was a perfect fit for the story.
Story: Within the context of an interstellar war between a break away scientific human colony against the religious fanatics now ruling earth, you get an over the top and highly irreverent space opera. The humor is probably hit or miss for most folks ... for me it was a hit. Yeah ... you get a first person POV from an genetically engineered super soldier who just can't take anything seriously along with his highly competent admiral wife for a pretty decent space and planet bound combat where they take it to those religious fanatics (yeah ... I was a little put off by some of this, but hey, I can see the humor in it). Of course ... that is not the real conflict. You get the rest of the story right at the end ... and it was a pretty good reveal.
This book is currently available on Kindle Unlimited.
I was given this free audiobook review copy (ARC) at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#AudiobookBoom #Shockwave
Story: Within the context of an interstellar war between a break away scientific human colony against the religious fanatics now ruling earth, you get an over the top and highly irreverent space opera. The humor is probably hit or miss for most folks ... for me it was a hit. Yeah ... you get a first person POV from an genetically engineered super soldier who just can't take anything seriously along with his highly competent admiral wife for a pretty decent space and planet bound combat where they take it to those religious fanatics (yeah ... I was a little put off by some of this, but hey, I can see the humor in it). Of course ... that is not the real conflict. You get the rest of the story right at the end ... and it was a pretty good reveal.
This book is currently available on Kindle Unlimited.
I was given this free audiobook review copy (ARC) at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#AudiobookBoom #Shockwave
May 6, 2021
Return of the Dorsai?
What we have here is a quick and fun book to read. It brings up the story of warriors and scientists making a new world, not unlike the books with the Dorsai in them.
Born and bred for war, is that the life our hero wants? It is said that every warrior prays for peace, as war brings death.
This is a nice start to a new series of books that I am looking forward to reading
What we have here is a quick and fun book to read. It brings up the story of warriors and scientists making a new world, not unlike the books with the Dorsai in them.
Born and bred for war, is that the life our hero wants? It is said that every warrior prays for peace, as war brings death.
This is a nice start to a new series of books that I am looking forward to reading
December 30, 2020
Mixed - Great action / Sketchy Premise
Technology was great and good character development.
Having American Christians as the villain - it just does not make sense. Charlie Stross did do it well, even if it showed more about him. There is another religion that never had a reformation, and has a built in mechanism to make sure it never will that would have been a better fit. The lack of science development would have made more sense also.
Technology was great and good character development.
Having American Christians as the villain - it just does not make sense. Charlie Stross did do it well, even if it showed more about him. There is another religion that never had a reformation, and has a built in mechanism to make sure it never will that would have been a better fit. The lack of science development would have made more sense also.
March 28, 2021
If you like stories of transhumanist space marine super soldiers taking on scores of enemies, and narrated by a world-class smart@$$, you'll love this.
April 19, 2021
What is not to like? Action, intriguing plot, great storyline and reall good characters...all in one book! Looking forward to the rest of this series for sure!
March 22, 2025
Space Deadpool! Hilarious, action-packed, and surprisingly smart. Loved the snark and the crazy plot. Highly recommend
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews